Coaching

One of the most rewarding and challenging roles we have here is coaching.  John is coaching soccer with three other teachers and Daesha is coaching volleyball with one other teacher.  The school is relatively young and the sports program is even more so.  One of the soccer coaches is the unofficial athletic director and she works very hard at scheduling games with other schools and setting up practice schedules and a variety of other behind-the-scenes tasks.  Everyone involved is learning much about the importance of academic eligibility, personal discipline, positive attitudes, and good teamwork.  Pictures appear at the end of this post.

A Time to Celebrate

(By Daesha) I’m usually not keen for my own birthday, and this year was no exception.  My reluctance to celebrate has a little to do with getting older and a lot to do with a distaste for being the center of undivided attention.  However, this year God taught me that birthdays can be an important time to allow a deflated spirit to be filled back up.  The occasion left me feeling happy, loved, and refreshed.  My birthday gifts:

• the sign and friendly face of its creator in the above picture
• chocolate and cookies from students
• an explosion of Facebook greetings from those I love and miss
• kitchen supplies, a woven basket, and a beautiful necklace from my in-laws
• brownies and ice cream
• a date with my husband to “The Living Room” where we ate our meal of traditional meat and rice in a private room while watching a movie projected on the wall
• a night out for SUSHI :-) with some of the other teachers (tonight, actually)
• the arrival of my first package from the States (not an intentional birthday present because it was sent many moons ago, but I’m counting it as one)

In Remembrance

Cape Coast Castle was a sobering experience.  It was originally built as a trading post for gold and other goods, but as the slave trade become more profitable, it became a holding ground for countless men, women, and children in slavery.  Three different times our tour guide asked us to tell others what we had seen in order to make sure it never happens again.  That is what we are doing: asking you to remember a dark time in human history.  Human slavery has existed in almost all eras and on every continent and it sadly still exists today.  However, nothing quite compares to the large-scale depravity and suffering of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.  There are some difficult truths in this post.

The entrance to the men's dungeon is on the bottom left. A church is above it.
The sounds of music and teaching mixed with the sounds of crying and groaning.

Entering the men's dungeon.

The original floor has been excavated, but this raised square was left behind as a memorial.
It is composed of human blood, bones, and other organic materials.

This is a drain in the cells, which were designed in such a way to allow rainwater to enter and wash
away the human waste that gathered all over the floor.
Many slaves died from disease.

This is one of the four rooms in the men's dungeon. The dungeon could hold up to a thousand people.
The guide turned off the lights and we stood in the darkness in silence for a few moments.

Captives were taken out of the dungeon one at a time.

In and near the women's dungeon, women were assaulted by guards and traders.
Those found to be pregnant were taken to a separate area until the baby was born, then returned to the dungeon.  The babies usually died.
If women were found pregnant on slave ships, they were thrown overboard and fed to sharks which followed the "floating coffins".
Sometimes the sharks were caught and fed to the slaves.

The "door of no return" ushered captives who survived months in the castle to the canoes that took them to horrible conditions on slave shapes, and then to lives of slavery in the West.

The area is now a dock for fishermen.

Captives who tried to escape were kept in total darkness in this small cell where they were usually starved to death as an example to others.

Habakuk chapter 2 has some powerful things to say about social injustice and our Only Source of true hope.  Verse 11 is especially poignant: "The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it."

Enjoying God's Creation Part 3

First, read Enjoying God's Creation Part 1.

Our final nature stop was a restaurant on the edge of a large pond full of crocodiles.  

Enjoying God's Creation Part 2

First, read Enjoying God's Creation Part 1

Our next stop was Monkey Forest Resort, just down the road.  A couple from Holland originally started it with the intention of opening a guest house.  However, their mission changed into an animal sanctuary with a volunteer lodge.  They realized that the increasing human population in the area was having a detrimental effect on the rainforest animals and resources, which in years to come could have extremely negative effects on the people. Elephants that once roamed the area are completely gone.  Mongooses which kill dangerous snakes are disappearing.  Our amazing God has knit together an intricate ecosystem in the African rainforest with each part, large or small, serving a purpose.  While the heart of humanity is God’s (and our) primary concern in life, He has also instructed us to be students and stewards of his Creation.

When they first rescue the monkeys
(from a variety of situations), they keep them in
the house until they are nursed back to health, so
a friendly relationship occurs until the monkey's
wild instincts return.

We could get so close, but watch out for sneaky hands!
Many a camera, wallet, and phone has been swiped
and quickly destroyed.

Weavers (this one is yellow) make interesting nests
and keep away the bugs.

Digging turtles out of the mud for us.

View from the top.

This one is more of a family pet.  He has no cage, but is
chained near the house.  There is a chalk line for visitors
to know how close to get.  He seemed to join our conversation
as we drank Coke on the patio.

Enjoying God's Creation Part 1

On October 14th, God provided us with an amazing day.

We had the day off of school for the end of the quarter, so a small group of us took the school bus to Cape Coast (about 2 1/2 hours west).  By leaving at 5a.m., we were able to squeeze in so much: the canopy walkway in Kakum National Rainforest, a monkey sanctuary, an alligator farm/restaurant, and Cape Coast castle, where African captives were held in the 18th Century.  A separate post will be dedicated to each place we visited.

Our first stop was the canopy walkway, where we walked 40 meters above the forest floor, atop the giant trees.  We signed no liability forms, but we were assured that engineers checked the walkway every day and all the cables and ropes are replaced every six months.  It was a beautiful view of lush green vegetation, brightly colored butterflies and birds, and even a chattering monkey.

Our guide explained that people once lived
under these trees by placing a covering
over the space between the flat, above-ground roots.

California girl (Tonya)

Minta and John couldn't even reach all the way around it together.

Hurray!

Our First Adoption...

We have added a new member to the Willingham family. This is Buck.  He was a stray, but seems very healthy (albeit skinny) and he obeys commands.  It's a win-sin situation: we get more security and enjoyment and he gets a home.

Fran (and everyone else in the house) also loves him.

This is our guard, Thomas.

We're working on fattening him up.

He's a big boy.

Family Time

We spent this past weekend at Barb and Roy’s house on the campus of Ghana Christian University College.  It was a time of welcome rest, yummy food, and warm conversation.  

We were able to visit the bead factory where they melt glass and mold it in a variety of shapes and colors (pictures at the end of post).  We also watched a fun black-and-white Sherlock Holmes movie and spent hours of Saturday morning talking over multiple cups of coffee.  On Sunday we visited the church of one of Roy’s students and split up to observe and take notes on children’s Sunday school classes in order for Roy to meet with the church’s teaching leadership later and offer some ideas.  Hearing more about Roy’s work was one of the best parts of the weekend.