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.