Modified WBS classes start!

I can not believe that it has been so long  since I have updated my blog....Well, you will have to trust me that we have been busy and I will do my best to catch you up.  We have been working on WBS classes for several months.  It is a modified version which I thought would work nicely to achieve several objectives.

If you recall, many of the members of the Central Church of Christ went through an Enlish Literacy Program earlier this year.  I thought it would be a great idea to involve members of Central in teaching the students about the Bible while using their newly obtained Enlish teaching skills.  Many of these students are living on their own and could benefit from a mentoring type relationsip as well.  We began these small group classes after our mid-term break.  At this time, we have a total of 22 students and 10 mentors studying together. 

Although we have had a few challenges with transportation and convenient meeting locations, things seems to be coming together successfully. 

As you can see in this pictures, the students and mentors all appear to be very enthusiastic.  I was unable to get pictures of the young mens groups, but will try to post some of their pictures at a later date.  There are more young men in classes than young ladies which is surprising considering that we have about 180 females and only about 50 male students.  

School is on break at this time, but the WBS classes will resume when schools starts back up on January 17th.

I traveled to Accra, which is the Capital of Ghana, December 2 nd to take my nursing exams.  I spent a total of 5 days in Accra to study and prepare.  However, I was shocked by how much of the exams was on  the pregnant woman and newborn.  That area is not my area at all!  I am still awaiting the results and am praying I did well enough to pass. 

Back to OAVI for final exams.  HIV and Hep B counselling was performed.  The government sent some workers around with Yellow Fever vaccine and about 175 students and staff received the vaccine.  Some of the students had already received the shots at their villages. Toward the end of the term, many studens are very short of money and food.  With the help of donations from many of my friends and family, a total of 250 pounds of rice were purchased and distributed. 

I managed to have two car accidents in one day....just not my day.  One was not my fault, but the other one was.  It is not easy to drive here.  Driving "rules" are very loose and there is really no enforcement.  I am sure there is more to tell, but I am drawing a blank right now.

Ephesians 6:10-11  "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."

The Rainforest from the canopy.....

I went with a couple of friends to the Kakum National Park in Cape Coast last Thursday.  I was shocked to find that there are two fee schedules:  a price list for Ghanaians and a different, much higher price list for Non-Ghanaians.  I was expecting the price which was on the web-page, but due to me being a foreigner, the cost was about 3x higher than expected.  Oh, well, I wanted to see it.  Now I want to share it with you.

The bridge is made from several small ladders which have a 1x12 laying on top of the ladder steps.  The net is wrapped around the ladder and is usually about waist high on both sides.

The view is fantastic even though I could scare myself without too much trouble.  When that walk-way starts swinging, it can really start the adrenaline to pumping.

This is the view down from the middle of one of the bridges.  All you can see are treetops.

But even though we are above many of the trees, there are still others which are taller still.

These bridges were built by some Canadians in 1994.  I would have never guessed Canadians, British maybe, but not Canadians.  Anyway, it was a wonderful walk, fantastic view and a much needed break from school.

Now for the important stuff....an update of the school and clinic.  I administered the 2nd dose of the hepatitis B vaccines to 184 students on last Tuesday.  I, unfortunately, ran out of vaccine so I still have 54 more to go.  There were 35 students who were absent on the day we did the HIV and Hep B screening and so I am planning to get them tested in the next few weeks.  After re-testing the Hep B positive students, we now have the following numbers of students who will need further work-up and counseling.  HIV positive 4; Hep B positive 18 with 2 of the HIV positive also being Hep B positive.  I will be working with one of the other area clinics/hospitals for the follow-up work for these students as we do not have a laboratory at this time.

I continue to teach Basic Health to all the students throughout the week.  I have been focusing on disease prevention to this point.  I believe that if I can teach them the importance of and the ways to prevent disease, I will be able to make a bigger impact.  Unfortunately, it is proving to be very difficult to get them to actually put what I am teaching into practice.  I am continuing to modify my lessons in order to assure that I reach the majority of the students and that they are able to see the importance of good health.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council called me a week ago.  They have received all my required paperwork from the US and so I can sit for the Nursing Exam on December 5th.  I am excited about finally getting to move forward, however, a little anxious about be prepared for the test.  I do not wish to wait another 6 months to re-test.  I should know whether I have passed by the 15th or so of December.  (Let's think positively)....After I pass the test, I will then have to complete a 3 month orientation in a government hospital. 

This next week we will begin WBS (World Bible School) studies between church members at the Central Takoradi Church of Christ and the OAVI students.  At this time, we have 20 students who have signed up.  I anticipate many more to follow once we have actually gotten underway.

So, all in all, things are progressing here.  I expected things to take a little while to start to happen.  I am, however, always busy and thankful to my Lord and Saviour for this wonderful opportunity to serve.  Please keep this work in your prayers.  Pray that God will be able to use me for his glory and I will be able to serve these young people, teaching them of His Love and Salvation.

God's Plan

God's plan for me today was so much better than I had planned for myself!  This has to be one of the best days so far!!

Let me start back at Friday.  A preacher from the Yendi Church of Christ, Andrews, traveled to Takoradi to visit me and see the school.  I met Andrews this past February when I spent a week in Yendi learning about clinic work here in Ghana.  Yendi is in the Northern Region of Ghana and Andrews traveled about 20 hours straight to visit me.  Yendi is dry and hot most of the time as it is closer to the desert.  He would only be able to spend Friday night here in Takoradi and then travel on to Accra on Saturday morning.  When I was deciding about his hotel reservations, I thought it would be nice for him to see the ocean.  So I booked him one night at the African Beach Resort and me two nights....I decided to take the weekend off.

Andrews was very thankful for the stay at the beach.  He enjoyed sitting at the beach talking about the many marvelous and wonderful things God made for our enjoyment.  I think that it was a very relaxing time for us both.  I took Andrews to the bus station early Saturday morning for his trip to Accra where he will be preaching today.

I, on the other hand, stayed at the resort for the weekend.  I enjoyed my first hot showers since I arrived here in April.   I will tell you that I had almost forgotten how good they felt.  Wow!  I am an expert at the warm bucket bath, but a hot shower is still the very best!

I spent hours at the beach.  Some of the time I was working, some I was just listening to the ocean and relaxing and some I was reading. I got up early both Saturday and Sunday mornings to watch the sun rise over the ocean.  I talked with God, sang praises to him and tried to listen.  It felt so good to feel the light breeze on my face and listen to the sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks and beach.  Watching the tide come in and go out is amazing.

After my Sunday Sunrise Service, I had an enjoyable breakfast and a couple of cups of tea.  I had thought about spending a few more hours at the beach before heading back to the house, but for some reason I decided to leave and go to the school to do some work.  I am thankful to the Lord for that decision.....
As I approached the school, I suddenly remembered that the Village of Whindo has their church service at the school.  As I drove in, I could see they were in the middle of Sunday school.  I decided to go to the kids class and see what they were doing.  They were learning the books of the New Testament in English.

I introduced my myself and we learned to sing the New Testament song.  They did very well, I must say.  Saying "Thessalonians" is a mouthful for them tho.  Their smiles were infectious.  I love the children.  They are so eager to learn.  By the time I left them, they were singing the song by themselves and came to Thank me for joining them.

When church was over, I went into greet the adults.  This church is only about 40 people.  I greeted many of them.  Some of them are students from OAVI.  Today was a wonderful day for the Lord's Kingdom.  Two of the OAVI students and one other student were baptized!  Mary Baidoo and Emmanuel Cudjoe are two of my students.  (Mary is the young girl who I have talked about in the past who had chickenpox.)  I walked with the church the mile or so to the river and the three baptisms were performed.

As we approached the river, they began to sing praises to the Lord and immediately after hearing the confessions and watching the baptisms, they again began to sing Praises.  I was so excited that I had left the hotel early and decided to go to the school.  What a wonderful blessing to be a witness to this beautiful day.  And, you know, there is no way I can believe anything except that God wanted me to be there.  He gave me such a wonderful gift.  The students walked me back to the school even though they live near the river.  This was another one of the best days!!!

Matthew 28:19-20  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

AMEN!

Kicked out of Ghana!

Well I had to face some unpleasant consequences for a mistake with my Visa.  I came into Ghana on a 5 year - multi-entry Visa.  I read all the information about my Visa on the internet and knew that I could enter as many times as I wanted over a 5 year period, but that the total days I could stay could not exceed 365 days.  No problem, right?  Wrong......

Evidently I still have to re-new the Visa every 60 days.  I did not do that.  So when I realized my mistake and went to the immigration office, they told me they would charge me a penalty and renew the Visa.  OK.  How much?  My mistake.....I will pay.  So I paid about $200 in penalty and $100 in renewal fees.  Great.  I will remember next time and do it on time.

NOT SO QUICK......when I went back to pick up my Visa (about 3 weeks later), I found out that they had changed their mind about renewing the Visa and only gave me until October 12th.  I know my mouth dropped to the top of the counter.  I'm like, ok...so now what do I do?  The very polite young immigration officer said "Well you have to leave the country and then you can return and we will start our relationship with you all over".  Uuuuhhhhh, what?  I have to leave the country?  For how long?  (I wanted to say, but what about the "penalty" money you charged me to renew it?)  As it turns out, I only have to leave and I can re-enter the same day if I want.

So the decision is made that I will make a quick trip to Ivory Coast and back.  No Visa is needed to enter that country and then when I return Ghana immigration will re-stamp my Visa and I am good to go for another 60 days.  At the time I found all this out, I only had one week to get this done.  Dan and another church leader, Mike, helped me with arrangements.  Due to the short notice, no one was able to travel with me, so I was introduced to the Ghana bus driver who would make sure I made it through immigration alright.  Then another man who is related to Mike and lives in Ivory Coast would meet me at the station when I arrived.  No probem.  I have traveled lots by myself.

Well, YES,  problems......On Monday, October 10th I was to leave Takoradi at 9am to head for Abidjan, Ivory Coast.  I waited at the bus stop until 1:30pm before the bus left. 

Takoradi is in the middle on the coast above and you can see Abidjan, Ivory Coast to the left.

Since the bus left so late, it will now be after dark when we are in Abidjan.  No worries, I have spoken to Mike and he has informed the person who is meeting me in Abidjan.  For some reason, I am too shy (can you imagine me being shy???) to ask about a bathroom during the bus trip.  For the Africans it is not an issue...they just go anywhere.  I will not do that, so on this particular day I went 14 hours without going to the bathroom.  Good thing I have practised for this.  Being a nurse has given me 20 years of training as we often are too busy for a bathroom break. 

When we arrived at immigration at the border, it was a real treat.  First, please believe me when I tell you that I was never afraid.  The bus driver and the gentleman who sat by me on the bus where very helpful.  However, IF I had those type of tendencies, I might have scared myself to death.  When we exited the bus, an armed guard took our passports.  We were then told to go to this little delapadated building by way of a muddy walkway which had barbed wire fencing on both sides of it.  You won't believe it, but my first thought was "Is this what it was like for the Jews when the Germans were taking them to unknown camps?"  Of course, this is probably nothing like that, but the thought did come to mind.  There were many police and guards with rifles.  I have only seen this many in one place just after 9-11 at the airports.

Anyway, when I first traveled to Africa I was informed that I had to keep the yellow immunization card with my passport.  No problem.  I got all my vaccines before coming here and have always had them together.  However, when immigration took my passport to renew the Visa, they did not want the immunization card, so I had placed it in my room.  I have been in and out of Ghana 3 times over the last year and have never been asked for the record......UNTIL NOW!  I don't have it with me.  They require it.  But never fear, money will buy you anything.  I pay them GHC7 (which is approx. USD$4.75) and I am given a yellow immunization card with my name which states I received three immunizations today......I didn't receive anything!!!  Unbelievable.  So what is the purpose of the yellow card?  Anyway, glad to be back on my way.

Oh, I mentioned that they don't stop for bathrooms, except all natur'l by the roadside.  Did I mention that they don't stop for food either?  I left the house in a hurry this morning and did not eat breakfast....my fault.  Because of the bus delay, I had already drank the water I brought with me prior to departure.  (Glad I didn't have any more, really...)  I had a small pack of crackers with me and that was all that was left.  We arrived at the Abidjan bus station at 9pm.  The hotel at the station is where I am staying and a man greets me when I get off the bus and takes me to my room.  The hotel does NOT have a restaurant.  It is a BARE-BONES kinda place.  I am not going out of the compound to search for food.  I did, however, ask one of the bus attendants to go out and buy me some water.  So I have a couple more crackers and water.

The room has no towels and only one sheet on the mattress of the bed.  BUT, I have an air conditioner!!!  I can deal.  End of first day....not too bad all in all.  I made it safely from point A to point B, managed to wait 14 hours for a bathroom, I have crackers and water and an air conditioner.  What more could a girl want???
Sleep!!

Tuesday.  I am awake by 4am.....the bus depot staff are having a morning church service before work, so I am awakened by the singing and preaching.  At 6:30 I am told the bus will leave at around 9am.  No breakfast, 'cuz their is no restaurant.  I finally board the bus at 9:30 and we leave at 10.  Wow this is pretty much on time for Africa!!!  I still have some water from last night with me for the trip.  At 10:30, we stop on the side of the road for who knows what.  I think the bus driver and his helpers go to breakfast.  We, the passengers, are left sitting on the bus for a little over 30 minutes.  The young man next to me buys some carrots and offers me one.  I am so thankful for it. I wind up eating 2!!  Breakfast of champions!!

Off we go....back through the immigration posts again.  We have to deboard both at the Ivory Coast border and the Ghana border posts.  At the Ghana post, they remove all the luggage from the bus to search it and then re-pack.  This process takes 1.5 hours!  This time, I am a little braver and I notice some ladies who are leaving the bus area, so I follow them and A RESTROOM!!!!!  Whew!  Much better now.

Back on the bus.  At least it is daylight for this trip.  The scenery is nice and I enjoy watching out the window, however, I am tired of being on this bus.  We finally arrive in Takoradi at 7pm.  I get my car and head home.  I arrive home at 7:30 and the first thing I do is.....EAT!!!!  I am hungry!!!

I have definitely learned my lesson about my Visa and will be staying on top of it.  I am now good for another 60 days and you better believe that I have marked in on my calendar a couple of weeks early!!!!!

The rest of this week was busy and I am still trying to catch up on my sleep.  It is so hard to believe that you get more tired from sitting than from actually working.  But I give Thanks to Our Lord, Jesus Christ, for watching over me and guiding me safely through another week.  May he be with you and your family as you walk on your path.  Till next time.......May God Bless and keep you.

HIV/Hep B Clinic

Yesterday, we held a clinic to perform HIV and Hepatitis B screening tests for all the students and staff at OAVI.  I was a bit concerned about how the students would react.  I so wanted a positive outcome.  I chose not to inform them about the screening before hand. So after our morning devotional, I spoke to them about the importance of knowledge and prevention when it comes to their health.  I was so surprised when I informed them of what we were going to do, they actually clapped and were excited.

Volunteers from the area turned out to assist us with this project.  We had 5 other nurses and a pharmacist who assisted us.  We performed 226 HIV screenings, 215 Hep B screenings, administered 175 hepatitis B vaccines and gave out de-wormer to all.  We did identify a hand-full of HIV and about 40 Hep B screenings which will need further testing.  I will be performing follow-up testing for these students soon.

With the help of these volunteers and the orderly participation of the students, the day went very smoothly and was completed in a little less than 4 hours.

This is a picture of all the students gathered for the clinic.

We had the students sign in by department to keep the flow moving in an organizaed fashion.  .

Each person registered and received a number.  After this point, all testing and documentation was performed by number only....no names.  This was for confidentiality.  I will be the only one with access to the names, numbers and results.

As you can see by Lydia's face, the students were excited to have this testing offered for them.

If it was appropriate for them to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine, we administered them.  Of course, this vaccine consists on 3 doses, so we will administer the next doses in November and then March 2012.

After the students completed the testing and received there vaccine, they also received a de-wormer medication.  In Ghana, it is optimal to receive a de-wormer every 3 months.

We had 4 testing stations to help speed up the process.  Each test takes 15 minutes to develop prior to reading.

Of course, there are alway a few who are fearful of receiving shots.  However, we were able to comfort them and no one had any adverse reactions or fainted!

This clinic was successful because of many who donated time and monies.  Many thanks to the nurses and pharmacist who donated their day, to Liberty Movement Organization who donated the HIV testing kits, once again to the pharmacist who donated the Hep B testing kits and my church family in the U.S. who donated money which I used to purchase the vaccines and de-wormer.  God brings us all together to help those who are in need.  Glory be to God.

I Corinthians 12:27-28  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And in the church, God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

Goat Wrangler Extrordinare'

Have I mentioned that we have a goat? Well, this is what happened. Sometimes people from the church bring us gifts of food and fruit. Apparently, we received a gift of a goat two weeks ago. I came home to find a Billy goat tied up at the side of the house. Being the animal lover that I am, I immediately felt sorry for the little guy 'cuz he was tied up and couldn't move around too much. But, I was told not worry 'cuz we were going to kill him and eat him.
OK.....but that was 2 weeks ago....

You can not leave water for "Billy" because he just knocks it over. So, everyday I go out several times to water the goat. And I can't forget about him being here because he is crying (baaah-ing) constantly. Now I have never "lived" with a goat right outside the house before and I must say, I hope this is the only time it happens. Besides the fact that he is more noisy than a bunch of roosters at dawn.....he STINKS!!! And I mean it is a thick, hovering kinda smell. I hold my breath while giving him water!

Yesterday morning, Sunday, he woke me up and it sounded like he was "on the move". I quickly dressed (in a top and skirt which is my usual attire and sandals) and headed for the door. I found that after two weeks of being tied up on a short rope, Billy had twisted and twisted it until it broke. He was indeed freely roaming around the compound. Now you may not think this is a big deal, but we cannot leave for church without opening the gate for our vehicles and if Billy gets out, we will never get him back.

So, it was decided by me, since I am the only one who is not scared of him, that I would catch him by grabbing the rope which was still around his neck. So....one of the girls shooed him my way and I lunged for the rope at his neck...I got it!!! AAWWW....the rope is in my hand, but the goat is on the run!! So now what to do? We don't have any spare rope hanging around and besides I don't know the first thing about lasso-ing a goat.

We have a cage which I use with the little dog. He doesn't stay in it all the time, but I do put him in there when the gate is open to keep him from running loose. If he does get out, he always comes back, but I am fearful that a truck might hit him. Any, I decided that we would put the goat in the cage. So I shut the dog up on the porch and headed to tackle a goat..

Once again, one of the girls shooed the goat in my direction and as he attempted to flee past me, between the house and a small bush, I grabbed a fist full of goat hair! I then wrapped one arm around his neck and grabbed his front feet with my other hand. One of the girls came to help me carry him, but because she was so afraid of him I feared that she would drop him and then I would have to start over.....So, I managed to get the goat -stink and all - in my arms and cradle him against my body, holding onto his bottom and front feet. I had to be careful that he did not head-butt me in the process. And then quickly carry him to the other side of the house where the cage was. All of the family was standing back just watching me from a distance...actually, most of them were on the porch behind a closed gate!

Once I had the goat securely locked up, I realized that I now smelled like a GOAT! YUK!!!

Now, just so you know. I cleaned up well and made it to church on time.....but this is definitely not what I pictured a Sunday morning in Ghana to be like.....

Breaking News: Waldo's Car Found

It is amazing, but Waldo's car arrived inTakoradi last night!!! What a wonderful sight!! It was dark when it got here, so this morning I had it cleaned up and took a couple of pics for you to all see. You know seeing is believing....

I just have to tell you that this vehicle handles the BIG craters in the road much better than the eclipse I was borrowing.  I just pray that it is a good vehicle for the clinic.  If you come visit us, you will be traveling in this vehicle and so I want it to be dependable for a long, long time.

The dress I am wearing is a local dress.  The tie and dye material was made at the school by our students.  Then one of the ladies from church sewed it for me.  The students will really enjoy seeing me wear this to school.  School begins again on October 4th.  I am ready.......

A friend of mine posted this to facebook.  I feel compelled to pass it on to you.  Hope you appreciate it like I did.  I just don't understand the way the "rights" issues work....

Since the Pledge of Allegiance And The Lord's Prayer Are not allowed in most Public schools anymore...... A kid in Arizona wrote the attached NEW School prayer: "New Pledge of Allegiance" ~~~~~~ Now I sit me down in school Where praying is against the rule For this great nation under God Finds mention of Him very odd. If scripture now the class recites, It violates the Bill of Rights. And anytime my head I bow Becomes a Federal matter now. Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a freedom scene. The law is specific, the law is precise. Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice. For praying in a public hall Might offend someone with no faith at all. In silence alone we must meditate, God's name is prohibited by the state. We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks. They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible. To quote the Good Book makes me liable. We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen, And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King. It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong. We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles. But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this crowd. It's scary here I must confess, When chaos reigns the school's a mess. So, Lord, this silent plea I make: Should I be shot; My soul please take! Amen

May God continue to shower us with his mercy and blessings!

Where's Waldo's Car?

Every time I think of up-dating you on the progress in getting a vehicle here for the clinic, I have images of Where's Waldo? In my head. I hear about people shipping their vehicles around the world and I start to cringe..... I knew from the beginning that it would be a process, but instead I have had an ordeal!!

As many of you know, I started the car process to save money. I was able to purchase the vehicle in the states for about $16,000 less than I could buy the same vehicle in Ghana. I thought this was a no-brainer. The cost of shipping was about $5,000 so, I would still be way ahead, right? I was told shipping would take anywhere from 10-12 weeks. Ok, no problem...that's not soooo bad, right?!

Well, my Ford Escape left my possession on April 15th, and to date, I still do not have the vehicle in my possession. The number of weeks which have passed are 23!!!!!

The fact that the shipping company lost the car key around week three was the first indication that we were in for a frustrating time. Of course, I was requested to send them another key. Well, if you are familiar with the new anti-theft features for cars, you know that you must have the vehicle and one key in order to make a new key. I did not have the car and they did not have a key....I was very fearful to send them another key. (for some reason, I had made a 3rd key before leaving the states....at the cost of $130.) At this point the car was in Central America.

I had several conversations with the shipping company and it was decided that the vehicle would continue on it's trip to Africa as a "tow-vehicle". Of course, several people at this point were fearful that I would never see the car again. And at times, I also wondered if it was already stolen, but then I realized that I was wrong to put my trust in man and should be trusting in the Lord. So I found relief in talking with my Heavenly Father and decided to let him take care of the situation. The car slowly made it's way to Belgium.

After being told the car was being loaded onto a ship...no wait...it wasn't loaded....it will be on another ship in another week.....no, missed that ship so now it will be in another 4 days....no, sorry...Belgium won't ship it as a tow vehicle!! They are insisting on a key. So after a few conversations again with the shipping company, I Fedexed another key to Belgium. Once they received the key it only took about 6 more weeks before I received confirmation that the car was finally on another ship to Ghana.

The car arrived in Ghana on September 5th. So, now I can go get it, right? Not so fast!!!
Ghana has paperwork they must do and I must pay import taxes to the government. Well, if I would have known more about the government here BEFORE shipping the vehicle, I would have understood why cars are so expensive in Ghana. They want $7,500 for taxes!! I expected $4-5,000. But it is about double that. Dan was told we could come to pick up the vehicle on Sept. 16th. So, he arrived at the Tema Port first thing Monday, Sept. 19th. The plan was for him to get the car or Monday or Tuesday and return home with it on Wednesday.

Hold on to your horses!....he filled out paperwork all day on Monday. Was told that he would have more paperwork to file on Tuesday and since Wednesday is a holiday...he would be able to get the car on Thursday. Well, on Tuesday the computer's at the Port were down all day, so all the Tuesday paperwork had to wait until Thursday. The tax payment was made on Tuesday. Yesterday, Dan continued with the paperwork. He told me he was finally able to see the car! But it wouldn't start....

At 5pm last night, Dan sent me a message which said that after getting the car started and waiting in line for 3 hours, he was still not able to get the import stamps! So he checked back into a hotel (because Tema is a port city the hotels are not cheap)and would try again today. By the time all the shipping, import taxes, and expenses from being at the port for a week are paid, I may have saved about $2,000. Worth it? I think not......

I am praying that I will be able to show you a picture of the clinics car within the next couple of days.......but, I am not holding my breath.....

Building Update

A building was already in the works when I arrived as a guest house.  It was decided that instead of raising more money for a totally different building for the clinic, we would complete the one already in progress and use the south half of it for the clinic.  This will allow 3 rooms for the clinic and still have 5 rooms for guests.  This building is being built as funds come in.  Sometimes the funds come in slowly and sometimes we are blessed with surprise donations.  The goal is to have an area for a clinic by October 2012.

There has been some progress on the building in the past month.  Below are some pictures so you can see what has been accomplished.

The roof will cost approximately $22,000.  Once the roof is complete, we can split the inside of the building into 2 phases.  Phase A will be the left side of the building as seen in the photo above and will house the clinic.  Once that is completed, then we will continue with Phase B which will be the 5 guest rooms.

This small building will be an office and conference room.  The roof was just recently completed and the inside work is being done now.

I have no doubt that God will continue to bless this work as it is helping so many young people to find their way.  I continue to pray for guidance, strength and wisdom as I serve.

Literacy Program a Big Success!

We just finished the second full week of Literacy Training for Church of Christ preachers and leaders in Ghana.  We had 83 participants and 8 facilitators.  I met some really wonderful people from North America, Ivory Coast and Ghana. 

One of the most amazing things to happen during this week was the production of a new song.  One week ago, 2 of the facilitators (one from Canada and the other from Ivory Coast) decided to try to write a song to promote the literacy training.  Durning the week they were here, the song was completed, a group from our participants practised it and it was recorded and mass produced on Thursday.  It was truly a pleasure to watch the excitement as everyone watched this unfold.  The Canadian Lady who wrote the lyrics said that God just gave her the words.  Once she started, the words just flowed.

Another truly amazing part of the week was the volunteers who worked tirelessly to feed and clean up every day.  Due to the schools vacation, we only had 4 students who came to help.  The other volunteers were from the Central Church of Christ.  They worked from 7am til 8:30pm every day without complaint.

I can tell you that I was exhausted in a good way when Friday night arrived. :)  I help in whatever ways I can.  I also had the clinic open and treated several of our participants throughout the week.  I try to model "Leadership through Servanthood".  This is what I believe Jesus wanted us to do.  However, the culture here is that the women and children serve.  I have been informed many times that I should not be "serving".  I am told to have the students do it.  I choose to use this as a opportunity to let them know that everyone can serve. 

Ephesians 4:11-13  It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Well, we have finished the third day of Literacy Training. All of the Christian brothers and sisters were really enjoying the lessons today. It is so amazing to see so many church leaders practicing English so that they can teach God's Word in English. I truly had not thought about this before. Bro. Dan talks to them at lest once a day about the importance of understanding the words and giving them the proper translation. It occurred to me that these same church leaders may wind up being my interpreter when we start doing mobile medical clinics to the remote villages. Or they may teach someone else to speak, understand, read and translate English. This is truly a great program.

One of the actives used to teach is singing. One of the songs is the "Hokey-Pokey song. It is fun to watch and listen as they learn new words and how to pronounce them. It rained all day today, but the spirit of learning was never dampened.

God is Good.

I know.....I know......it has been a while since I updated.  I told you last time that I would be updating more in "a couple of days".  Well, I should never promise anything like that.  I can not depend on the internet to be working when I have the time to get on-line.  Go figure.  Anyway,  here I am again.

First, for all of those who have been following my vehicle from the US.  I have been told it has arrived in Tema, Ghana!!!!  Finally.....the vehicle left Oklahoma April 15th and arrived here Sept. 4th.  I am praying to be able to bring it to Takoradi the first of next week.  The hold up now is my ability to come up with the import taxes.  I have the funds, I just have to get them here.  Should happen tomorrow. 

I am truly excited to have the vehicle in the forseeable future.  It is a ford escape.  Much more durable and appropriate for these HORRIBLE roads I drive every day.  I have been so blessed with the use of Dan's car, but I am constantly worrying about damaging it.....NOT that I won't worry about that with this car as well....but you understand.  It's just different when the car is not yours and something happens.

I am trying to learn more of the local language.  Yes, a lot of people in the bigger areas speak English, but in a small village or talking to an older person who doesn't know English it will be really helpful for me to be able to speak and understand them.  However, I am finding this is a little problematic for me.  I am finding that what I HEAR and what they SAY are often very different.  When they are talking, some of the words run together....kinda like when we say "whatsup?"  or "Gooday".

Every Sunday, the sermon is in Chi which is the local dialect.  I have learned to understand some of what is being said, but I usually have someone who is interpreting for me.  I noticed that Bro. Dan said "see-saw" quite frequently in his sermons.  From the interpretation, I gathered that he was saying something like "upon the earth" or "in all the earth".  So I started asking what "see-saw" meant.  No one knew.  They told me that they had never heard Bro. Dan saying that.  I kept asking and asking.  Finally one Sunday when he said it I poked my interpreter and said "he just said it!"  Of course, he didn't hear it.  Then he said it again!....
After, the sermon was over, the interpreter informed me that I was right in that he was saying "on all the earth", but what he was actually saying was "asase yi so" (pronouced "aw so see sue").  Therefore, I was hearing "see-saw".

Another example is "please".  I hear "paucho", but they are saying "mepa wo kyew" (pronounced "me pa wo cho").    I can't quite understand how they can hear each other just as I am hearing them, but yet they say something totally different and can't figure out what I am saying when I say the same thing back.  I know, what I just said doesn't make any sense and I think this is what my whole point is......either that or I am just to old!  (Which could be.....but you better not agree with me!!).

A couple of weeks ago as I was going into a convenience store, there were two white men coming out.  This is significant since we are so few.  However, with the oil getting bigger here, I have begun to see one or two here and there, so I did not think anything about it.  Then as I came out of the store, one of my Christian Brothers from church called out to me.  He stated that he had a couple of Americans here who had been preaching in the small villages around the area.  I walked over and introduced myself to them.  I, unfortunately, cannot recall their names but they were from a Church of Christ in Sherman, TX.  It was nice to visit with them, but it was only for a few minutes.

This week, we are hosting the second Literacy Workshop at the school.  This English Literacy Program is associated with a group from Tulsa, OK.  We have 8 facilitators here to provide this training to the area church leaders.  There is a man from California, a couple of ladies from Canada and then some others from Ivory Coast and Ghana.  It is very interesting training.  Of course, I don't get to hear much of it because I am helping with the 3 meals and cleaning up.  AND, of course, being the campus nurse. 

I have also started writing my class curriculm for the next school term.  I learned from this first term that I really have to teach more than health.  Even tho the students have completed secondary school, some of them can not read, write or understand much English.  Sometimes, they may have completed their secondary school 4 or 5 years earlier.  And as we all know, if you don't use it.....you lose it.  Well, they have lost a lot.  So I am going to try and take this back to about the 2nd-3rd grade level instead of 5th grade.  I am hoping to figure out a way to keep it interesting and help them to truly learn.  There are so many basic preventive things they can do to stay well.

No pictures this time, but I will send some again soon....no promises on when.  Just soon.  Thank you for all your prayers and notes of encouragement.  It helps to hear from my friends and family.

I would like to quote Paul as I close.

I Corinthians 16:23-24  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.  My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

Time is flying.....

I can not believe that it has been over a month since I last posted an up date.  Hope you are still interested in my journey.  I have much to share and will have to do it in pieces, so please bear with me.  I will post frequently for the next few days in order to catch you up to date on what as been going on.

The last 5 weeks have been a blur.  It was the last half of Term 3 for the students.  Dan, the director of the school, was in the United States for this whole time which left me in charge.  So I have been teaching classes, preparing my final exams, running the school, running the "clinic" as the school nurse and being the school secretary.  Whew!!! 

Let's cover a few highlights.  As you will remember, one of the other female medical missionaries who I know here in Ghana pasted away earlier this summer.  I have made a couple of trips to here home town of Kumasi here in Ghana.  Her funeral was just this past weekend.  I was, unfortunately, unable to attend due to a big conflict on that weekend.

The conflict which I had was a big one.  OAVI had an "Open Day and Fund-raising" event on that day which was August 27th.  We were so busy at the school for the last several weeks with classes, final preparations, grading, compiling grades and on top of that preparing performances and displays for the Open Day.  Last Saturday it rained all day, however, no one let that dampen their spirits.  The students performed cultural dances, choreography, and a fashion show in the rain!  We had put together a big display of clothes, textiles, architectural drafting designs and catering foods to show the community what the students are taught at our school.  We sold many of these items to raise funds for the school and clinic building.  Many hours of preparation went into this event.

Here the Fashion Class is displaying their paper patterns for the hats they have designed to make.

This is the Hair dressing department preparing to style the models and teachers' hair for the big event

Fashion Department using the paper patterns to cut fabric and make actual items for display

Director of OAVI, Dan Owusu Asiamah, speaking to the attendees in the rain

This is a picture of the dignitaries who were present and then myself in the left corner.  (Just a side note:  it is still raining and I am at the edge of the canopy and getting soaking wet)

Here I am with a couple of students who graduated last year.  I was present for their graduation.



We had the school painted in preparation of the Open Day.  I thought you would enjoy seeing a Ghanaian ladder. :)

I wish I had more pictures for you, however, it was hard for me to get pictures when I was front and center.  I gave the opening address and introduced many of the "special guests".  I didn't do too bad, however, I think a murdered a couple of the names.  I hope I will eventually get this alphabet down.  It is very different from ours.

As for the fund-raising piece of this event, we did not fair as well as we had all hoped.  But we are praying that much interest and excitement was stirred within the media, community and all of Ghana.  Perhaps, we will receive more open doors in the future.  At the end of the day, we also registered students who are interested in coming to OAVI next year.  We will have a whole new group next year in October.

For now, the school is on a one month break until October 4th.  I will be using this time to get my lessons prepared for next Term and working on the clinic administrative items.  I have also applied for my Ghanaian nursing license and am studying for the exams.  We will also be holding another week of Literacy Training Sept. 12-17.

Please pray for the students to have safe breaks and to return to the school safe and sound.  I promise that I will be updating again in a day or two.  I have so much to tell you all.