Whizz Kids

One of my great joys this year has been working with the “Whizz Kids” at my church, Hope City. Several of us are on the rota (British translation: rotation), so my friend Lindsay and I teach once every three weeks. On Whizz Kids Sundays, this is becoming the pattern: we go to church early and drop John off for worship team, then Lindsay and I go to Deli France to get a coffee and talk. We head back to church and get set up for the lesson, then herd in ten or more neighborhood kids that would live in the church building if they could. Last week we actually had 25 total. These wild and lovable little ones want to hug, color, and get toffees (translation: candy). They also often hit each other, but we’re working on that... Most of our kids are from the streets around Osu, but recently several families have been coming to church, so we’re getting more kids whose parents are actually sitting in the service, praise God! When the service starts, we put away the crayons and clap and sign along before we are dismissed. In the Whizz Kids room we work on our monthly memory verse, eat snacks, hear a Bible lesson, play a game, and do a craft. This picture is one of Lindsay’s instagrams of us doing a trust fall a few weeks ago. 

God has so many insights to give us through little children. I often hear whispers from Him the most on Whizz Kids days. Like when I’m holding a tiny napping girl and we’re both drenched in sweat and her body is completely relaxed and heavy and I don’t mind because she’s that precious - isn’t that how God holds me and is that how I rest in Him? Or when one kid comes to me concerned because another kid has come to church in dirty clothes and slippers (translation: flip-flops) and he doesn’t think that should be allowed and I remind him that God doesn’t look at our clothes, but at our hearts - and His Spirit reminds me of James 2:1-13. Or last week when we were talking about how and why God made us and I was repeating their names, “God made Derek, God made Comfort, God made Ellie...” and the child next in line absolutely gasps and beams with happiness because she knows she’s next - do I get that excited about God’s purpose and love for me? Thank you, God, for Whizz Kids. Thank you for all kids! 

J Term

This semester started off strong with special two-week electives called “J-term” (January Term). This was a new venture for our school and we’ve been anticipating it for months. It’s a chance for students to learn about a non-traditional topic in more depth and with more hands-on experience. A very positive side effect is some special bonding among students and teachers and many spiritual conversations and experiences that wouldn’t happen in a traditional classroom setting. 

Middle and high school students chose from a list of courses including cooking and nutrition, drums and piano, internships around the city, and more. There were also two mission trips: one to a village church in northern Ghana and another to a Christian school and medical mission in our neighboring country, Togo. I’m excited to talk more to my friends and students about these trips - I’ve already heard some great stories of fun and growth. 

John is teaching a building and construction class. He of course loves the topic, but he also loves seeing his middle school boys come alive with power tools and outdoor activity and unique projects. They have done perspective drawing, a field trip to a factory that makes structurally insulated panels, and they are currently building tables based on their own designs or things they found on the internet. The tables look great! I’ve told the boys I would spend money on things like that and they are so proud.

I’m teaching a class on child development. Even after living here for a year and a half, I still have little culture shock moments. My friend Helina came to my class to be interviewed by my students about what it is like to be a new mother. She brought her 3-month-old son along and graciously allowed him to be passed around and cuddled and bottle fed, but he started getting fussy and she mentioned he needed a nap. I immediately thought about where we could put him down that would be quiet and comfortable, while one of my Ghanian students piped up and said, “I will”. I was thinking, “I will what?”. Helina promptly helped her wrap Blessing (the baby) on her back  and he was asleep in moments and we went on about our business. Very different from the way most American babies take naps . We’ve also observed and taught and played in almost every elementary classroom, taken a field trip to a medical clinic to take a pediatric first aid course, and taken care of egg babies. We’re going to the Beacon House orphanage next week. 

One last thing. I have to mention the Survivor course. My friends Andy and Karen and Tonya have given those students some absolutely unforgettable experiences. They have built fires from scratch, multiplied money by selling items in the market, killed and ate a chicken, camped at the school, and rappelled off the balcony of our six-story school building. They are going camping in the Kakum rainforest next week. 

We have been so pleased to give these students these classes and have the opportunities to talk more about God and a Biblical worldview in our lives, whether how to share the Gospel or the importance Jesus placed on children or the courage He gives in scary situations.

Many Happy Returns

The New Year is an important holiday in Ghana. Banners everywhere declare “Watch Nights” and all-night prayer services on New Year’s Eve as people expect growth and blessing in the coming year. Greeting someone with, “Happy New Year,” merits the reply, “Many happy returns”. This common phrase strikes me this January as we return to Ghana again after visiting with family and friends in the States. There are many happy returns in our lives. Each time we return to Colorado or Texas, there is happiness. We return to unlimited cheese and coffee, to our old home with Karen and Brent, to new relatives like baby Joshua and sweet Morgan, to our Meridian Point Church family, and to our loving parents and siblings. Then there is the painful leaving and the 24-hour trans-Atlantic journey and another series of happy returns. We return to warm air, our very own apartment, an enthusiastic Doberman, our Hope City Church family (one of the things I missed the most), a committed team of teachers and administrators, and the reason for it all: our students.

I look forward to blogging more in 2013 and keeping you updated on what God is doing at AIS and in our lives. Many of you have heard our positive stories from last semester, including discipleship groups at school, serving at church through music and teaching and loving on kids, growing bonds with good friends, and some fun like camping on the beach. We have also experienced some unfortunate conflict and ongoing uncertainty at our school. But we continue to testify to God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of human imperfection. We look forward to this semester and the many happy returns we will experience this year. 

Fresh Start

A fresh new school year brings a fresh new blog! Our first year in Ghana was definitely challenging (probably an understatement). Sometimes I feel like I am in one of those seed-planting ministries where the only water I have is sweat and tears and the soil I’m working is rocky clay. Well I am proud to announce that God can make things grow no matter what! We don’t have any dramatic conversion stories (yet), but I have been privileged to witness some of God’s work in the lives of my students and co-workers and I know that things are growing in my own heart that I didn’t even know God planted there. He is full of love and surprises.

We had a wonderful summer in Colorado Springs. I did some child care and took two graduate courses, and John worked long and fun hours with a handy man. I loved on my family, I sipped Starbucks with friends, and I cried with my precious state over the fire and the shooting. We returned to a Ghana in mourning over the loss of her president, but also rejoicing over a peaceful and orderly transition. We’ve had some “only in Africa” moments like when a little gecko fell in the spaghetti sauce last night and we ate it anyway (the sauce, not the gecko). It is good to be laughing with friends, cooling off with Coke in a glass bottle, and high-fiving the neighborhood kids who call out, “Obruni,” or even our names because they remember us.

Now that we are back in Ghana, I am experiencing a joy and excitement that I honestly didn’t expect. I was looking forward to a new school year in my nerdy way, armed with my school supplies and new ideas from classes this summer. But then we had the first day of orientation, and I was infused with a different kind of excitement. The guidance of our leaders, the faces and personalities of some new staff, and especially the Word of God encouraged me more than I can express. I feel like I have a real watering can and some tilled soil now! I can’t wait to tell you more about this school year and what God does in the hearts of students, teachers, and staff. Keep praying and thanks for your support!

Mole National Park

Two weeks ago we had the awesome privilege of visiting Mole National Park in northern Ghana over a long weekend. We took the trip with Barb and Roy, two other teachers from school, and a driver. After 9 hours of highways (with only one minor brake problem) and 3 hours of a bumpy dirt road, we arrived at the Mole Hotel overlooking a vast plain of trees and clearings and small bodies of water where wild animals gather at one of the only wildlife preserves in Ghana. 

Early the next morning we took a walking safari down into the valley. Along the way we saw warthogs, bush bucks, and many different kinds of birds. But the highlight was definitely the elephants at the water hole! Our guide, who carried a gun, said we could keep getting closer until they (meaning the elephants) let us know to stop. So we did. If you’re wondering, an elephant’s sign to stop is a low thundering growl as he shakes his head from side to side. I kept thinking: they would never let you do anything like this in America...this is so dangerous...this is so awesome.

That afternoon, the grounds of the hotel were suddenly covered with monkeys - mostly baboons. They snatched food off people’s tables and hung out on the back porches. It was so incredible. We took a driving safari at dusk and saw a herd of female elephants with a baby and more varieties of bucks.

God is so powerful and creative and we feel humbled that he is allowing us these kinds of once-in-a-lifetime experiences while we are here.

Our driver, William

No zoom - I was actually this close

Ugly alien baby monkey!

We were staying in D3.
You can see this was the porch of D5.