Christmas is coming!!!

Christmas is coming, and I couldn't be more excited... excited to have a break from school (which is finished for 3ish weeks TODAY!!), excited to fly home and see everyone, excited to buy things in America for my new friends here, and things that I need so much for my classroom & presents to spoil my children with.

I have realized/learned over the last 5 months so many things... here is a list of a few of them:

1. I appreciate, love, and respect my parents more than ever

2. I love Ghana, it is my home now... I am going to US (as they say here) on vacation...

3. Trust is fragile, and I give mine to people pretty easily

4. Trust is fragile, and people will abuse it

5. God blesses us through other people in ways we would never expect if we allow Him to

6. There are some people who are just fun to be around and make you feel great

7. Most 5 year olds fit into the above description :)

8. There are some people who will make you feel small and inadequate so they can feel big and powerful

9. I wish that everyone agreed with us, and it really didn't matter if you were black or white, Mr. Jackson!!

10. I am extremely blessed

Through my experiences here in Ghana, I am being stretched. God knows my weaknesses and is presenting me with challenges and giving me opportunities to grow and learn. I pray that in my sinful human nature I do not take this for granted and simply place blame and point fingers, but consider the lesson to be learned, and what I can do to rectify any problems. If I never had tough times in my life, I wouldn't appreciate all of the wonderful times quite as much. If there wasn't pain there wouldn't be growth, and if there wasn't growth, I wouldn't be satisfied. As I get ready for this exciting time of Christmas vacation that is coming in the next few weeks, I will be challenging myself (and I hope that you would too) to intentionally seek out good & positive things, reject evil & negative ones, and be a light that shines brightly for Christ, one that people just know that there is something different about.

May God truly bless you over this Christmas and New Year!!

Photo Blog #3 - Bike Hike & Thanksgiving

A few weekends ago I had some friends visit from Cape Coast (I went to high school with 2 of them and the others go to college with them... they're doing a 4 month teaching abroad program) We went up to the mountains (Aburi) and did an 11Km bike hike... let me tell you that it was pretty much the most physically challenging thing I have ever done, and will probably never do it again (because I barely, BARELY made it this time!!), although I would love to go back and do a shorter version :) - I can't even begin to accurately explain to you the beauty of the jungle or the smell of anice (the spice that they make black licorice with...) permating the air... but here are some pictures for you to enjoy!! (also, Thanksgiving with the Cabreras, an amazing family that treats us like gold, and we love dearly!!!)

Looking down the crazy hill we started off with... the first thing I said was "Do we have to come back up this at the end??" the answer... YES...

Off we go... (yes, we know we look HOT in helmets!)

the view from my seat... notice how narrow the path is?? made it interesting!!
A quick stop for a photo op :)

Amanda B. got a great picture of whta the inside of coco looks like... its yummy!!!

Learning how palm wine is made from our guide, Julius (p.s. he goes on the bike hikes several times a day, 5 days a week... rediculous!!)... so unsanitary!!!

The little village we went to just off the path (there are 20 people that live here and they mainly farm and raise cattle... about 6 of them)

We made it!!!!

Roomate love... oh man were we WIPED OUT!!! (I really was trying to smile...)

Waiting in line for food at Thanksgiving... we're hungry!!

Sharing the things that we are thankful for & praying :)

Melinda had us over to help put up Christmas decorations... I just really like this pic of Amy & I!

I love...

as promised... a list of all of the things that I LOVE about Ghana

~MELINDA POITRAS
~the smiling face of a child yelling "Obruni, obruni!!!" (and sometimes "give me money"...)
~trotros (tin can vans that you pack 18 people into and can ride for an hour for less than a dollar)
~fresh, all natural produce available at every street corner
~the genuine friendliness of the general Ghanaian population (of course this isn't true of everyone)
~"You are welcome!!"
~no matter how little people have, they are always willing to share it
~"its nice to be nice"
~our guards being told that we must live here, because we weren't easy to rip off :)
~having 2 wonderful gate guards who bend over backward to make sure we are well taken care of
~not being phased by a rooster/goat/lizard running under my feet while walking
~the way you can tell its going to rain because of a thousand things (the clouds, the wind, the trees & leaves, the way people suddenly disappear and run inside)
~the way it starts downpouring out of nowhere and having water up to your ankles after its only been raining for 1 minute
~the pride that the people have in their country
~watching futbol matches
~the fact that I get to attend African Cup games in January!!!!!!!!
~the way it smells when it rains
~the beautiful red dirt
~the FOOD!!!!!! (it is so yummy!)
~plantains!! (fried, grilled, chips, etc... etc... - I love plantains!!)
~the hussle and bussle of the markets, and the peacefulness of the jungle
~the way my Ghanaian friends say words like rediculous, thigh, and anything with an r (which is usually pronounced as l... so frog sounds like flog... ex: "I'm aflaid of flogs")
~Twi and the crazy sounds that you have to make & distinguish when speaking/hearing it (most of which I can't hear or make)
~Beacon House, and knowing that there are 20 or so kids who look forward to seeing Amanda and I at least once a week and who sometimes tear up when we leave
~knowing that those kids are being well taken care of while they wait for their adoptions to go through
~feeling high profile when attending events at embassies and ambassadors residences
~the fact that some things are rediculously cheap (others, however, are rediculously expensive... and this I do not love)
~being called the "big one", and the fact that its a GOOD thing :)
~walking... everywhere... which = loosing weight
~the smell of anice (black licorice) permeating the air while on an 11km bike hike through the jungle
~getting clothes tailor made to fit me
~exchanging phone numbers with an old couple on a trotro, just because they like my name and want to make sure I'm doing ok
~appreicating the small things... like getting a tube of toothpaste or a recces cup :)
~9 kindergarteners who love me & I love right back
~roomates who are here to serve Christ and have good hearts
~the fact that God is teaching me that He is all I need...

I think I might have managed to make this list even longer than the last :) so see, I really do love it here, and know that it is exactly where I'm supposed to be, and I wouldn't have it any other way!! I am soo very excited to see everyone at Christmas... there is a physical twinge of longing that I don't think I can accurately convey with words deep in my gut that I know will only subside when I am back home.


** Photo Blog to come in the next few days documenting that 11km bike hike through the jungle I spoke of up there :)

I Miss...

things I miss (in no particular order):

~driving
~having a car
~Fall (pumpkin everything, colored leaves, leaves falling, hiking, hoodies, etc...)
~ice cream... GOOD ice cream
~restraunts (Red Robin, Olive Garden, Max N' Ermas, Steak N' Shake, Arby's, Wendy's, Chick Fil A, Youngs Dairy, Christopher's, etc... etc... etc...)
~Target, WalMart, Meijer, Sam's Club, Kroger...
~my mommy
~my whole family actually...
~cheesburgers & smoothies (with strawberries...)
~talking to my friends whenever I feel the urge to call (and not paying a fortune for it...)
~my church... the one where I fit...
~Focus
~staying out till 2am on Thursdays, even though we have to work in the morning
~Recces Cups, fruit snacks, strawberries, fortune cookies at Chineese restraunts
~going to the movies
~blending in... not being the big, red, sore thumb everyone points out
~voicemail
~the people that I know love me no matter what
~having potlucks just for the heck of it
~running into people I haven't seen for years
~weekends in Columbus
~friend dates
~did I already say driving??
~not worrying that the water I brush my teeth with will make me sick
~belting out Mika at the top of our lungs driving down the highway
~midnight Kroger runs because we want sprinkles, ice cream, sweet tea, and cheese...
~the predictability of having roast beef every Sunday for lunch (I love my grandma!!!)
~being there when the people that I love dearly need a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, or someone to scratch their arm
~pants that fit
~the outlet mall
~the ability to weigh myself
~my 6th grade sunday school girls
~hugs

Ok, so I know that is a long list... I just felt the need to get it out of my system :) - don't fear though, the next post shall be a list (much like this one in length I'm sure!) of all of the things I LOVE here.

"Trading My Sorrows"

By Darrell Evans

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned

Struck down but not destroyed

I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure

And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night

His joy comes with the morning

I'm trading my sorrow

I'm trading my shame

I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

I'm trading my sickness

I'm trading my pain

I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

1 Peter 5:5b-11
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Life

*~*Rewritten*~*

It has been brought to my attention that the post that was previously in this spot was offensive. For that I am truly sorry. In no way did I intend to offend, and if I offended you the reader, please consider this my formal apology and request for forgiveness... here is my attempt at the rewritten version, saying the same thing with different words that are hopefully not offensive.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes God doesn't give us answers to questions we ask, and thats ok. God is good no matter the circumstances. His mercies are new every morning, and oh how I am greatful for this. I cannot make it through this life on my own, especially when the pressure gets higher and the stress level rockets. I cannot look back on trials and say "I made it"... the only way that I am here, that I am alive, that I can fake a smile and say "I'm OK", even when I'm really not, is that not I, but God has made it possible. He has carried me.
And the purpose of the original, and this post... please continue to pray for me. Pray for patience, understanding, grace, and the ability to forgive. Pray for my students and our whole school, that I will be able to effectively reach them and their families and that God's plan will continue to be sought after.

Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Raining Relief

An article on the UN's news site (http://www.un.org/) on September 18, 2007 states:

" About 260,000 Ghanaians have been affected by the floods, according to OCHA (the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), which reports that at least nine bridges have collapsed and the water supply systems in many areas have been destroyed, along with roads and schools. An unknown number of crops and livestock have also been lost.

OCHA reports that a major concern is the possible outbreak of waterborne diseases after cases of diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera were diagnosed in the Upper East region, close to the border with Burkina Faso and Togo.

The Ghanaian Government has declared a state of emergency in the three most affected regions and begun distributing relief items to the flood victims while deploying naval equipment and personnel to help with the ferrying of people and goods to and from those areas cut off by the high waters.
In total, some 200 people have been killed and 650,000 others have lost their homes because of African floods, which have hit 17 countries."

And this article was written weeks ago... imagine how the death toll has increased since then...

Our school is making an effort to do our part in the relief... we want to be part of the raining down of relief onto our brothers and sisters in the north

The following is a piece that one of the other teachers wrote for our schools website:

"This fall, Ghana has had a more generous rainy season than in years. This has meant a better electrical situation, but the blessing of electricity has come at much too high a cost. All of the rain has caused flooding in the northern regions of Ghana. This flooding has washed away crops, homes, and other belongings. Two of the AIS staff, Heather Cline, and Sally Clausel recently journeyed to the north and saw the devastation first hand. Storehouses that should be filled knee-high with grain have only a small pile. Trees have been picked clean of leaves, in an attempt to harvest any food possible. One family of nine is sharing one pair of flip-flops. We as a Christian school cannot stand by and do nothing as those in our country are starving, homeless and lacking in clothing. We have begun a drive to provide food and clothing for these in need. Will you join us in our endeavor? We would ask you to please donate money to allow missionaries in the North to provide food, clothing, and shoes for needy children and families."

If you, as my supporter, would like to help us in this effort, there are several ways to do so. If you are in the states, you can write a check to me and pass it along to my mom for her to deposit (and I will withdraw the money and donate it), or for it to be tax deductible, follow the links along the side of this page (How to support my work) and donate online through NICS (please let me know that you would like your donation to go toward the relief fund and I will be sure it makes it there!)

Thank you all so much for keeping up with me on this thing... I would love some feedback and comments :) I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post, I just wasn't able to quite find the words for this particular post, because of how serious of an issue it is, and how much I wanted to clearly convey it to you all. Thank you for your support and prayers!!!!

PhotoBlog #2

PhotoBlog #2 - A day in Aburi (a town in the "mountains" where there is a botanical garden) and Boti Falls (beautiful waterfall "near" Aburi... near meaning an hour and a half away)

I love my roomates :) Amanda, Evie and I under a really cool hollow tree (no, we didn't plan to all wear blue)

Standing inside the tree looking up into its hollowness...

A beautiful view down into a valley below the gardens

A beautiful flower in the gardens!!!

Traffic on the way to Boti Falls... ohhh what a sight :)

Climbing down the stairs to the falls... it was a looongggg way!!


Standing down by the water (it has rained so much lately that we couldn't go any further than the stairs!!)

Daniel and Jonathan ventured over into the bush a ways and got quite close to the falls

My favorite picture I've ever taken :) so beautiful!!!

Amy and Evie trying Coco... it was really yummy!!

and Amanda and I... wrong camera Amanda!!!!!! :)

We had so much fun, and even though we spent hours (quite literally... about 5 in all) in a trotro (a rickety old van that you shove as many people as possible into, up to 15 or 16), were sweaty, tired, and maybe even a little cranky, it was so totally worth it!!! If you are ever in Ghana, I would totally reccomend going :)

(to view the rest of the pictures from the day, click this link to see the Facebook album!!)
http://cedarville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032697&l=44fdf&id=141300005

Reason, Season, Life...

This week I am writing about youth group again… I guess I must like it!! Julianne (my housemate from Canada) spoke this weekend and gave her testimony. Several times, she said something that has really, really been weighing on my mind. IN college she had a friend who was a Missionary Kid (MK) in Italy growing up. He must have been very wise because he said these words to her, and they impacted her greatly, and have now impacted me as well.
Some people are in our life for a reason. We may never even realize what that reason was, but sometimes God only allows us the chance to know someone for a short time, and a certain specific reason.

Some people are in our lives for seasons. The season may be short or long, good or bad, but they are seasons. For example, college was definitely a season for most people, and there were close friends there that are lost after. Seasons come and go throughout the year, and some people come and go in the same way. God has placed them in our lives for more than just a simple reason, but for a season full of them.

Some people are with us for life. You just can’t get rid of em! Of course family falls into this category, but there are a very small handful of others… God allows a bond to be created that comes from above and just can’t seem to be broken.

After hearing these things, I have mixed emotions. I am excited to think about those that are with me for life. I know that this includes my family and I am so blessed to have a family that loves me. I also think about the small handful of friends that have been with me for most of my life already, and I am sitting here welling up with tears thinking about how blessed I am to have them in my life. It is so hard to be so far away, and to feel like I am missing things and almost like I am not being a good friend… but I know that I am right where God wants me to be… and I know that they are some of the few who understand that, and love me just the same whether I’m the next town over, or thousands of miles over the ocean.

It is hard to think about those who are here for just a season also… some of these people become so dear to us and it feels unfair for them to not be a part of our lives forever. I have to remind myself that God has a purpose in this, and His intent is for good. I think about those who have been in my life in the past for a season, and smile upon the things that God used them for in my life, the lessons learned and the blessings.

All of these things being said, I want to say thank you. Thank you for being in my life, whether it is for a reason, a season, or for life. Thank you for blessing me, whether it be simply by reading this blog, even if I have never met you, by supporting my in prayer or financially, or being my friend. I am so grateful that you are allowing God to use you in my life, and that He is blessing me through it.

It is the end of rainy season here in Ghana!

Be Blessed

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" ~Matthew 5:8

This weekend I attended the church's youth group, and Mr. Ike, the man who leads along with his wife, spoke about Jesus and the beatitudes. We talked about what it means to really be poor in spirit, merciful, peacemakers, and persecuted. We got the chance to break up into small groups, and I joined a group that mostly had girls of the junior high age. Mariah, one of my housemates, was in charge of that group, and had us all pick one that we wanted to strive to take personally and make it our own. At first, nothing jumped out at me, and I was getting a little nervous that I would not have anything to say when it came my turn going around the circle. I read through all of them again, and BAM, verse 8 jumped out like you wouldn't believe. All of the sudden I remembered all kinds of things that went with this verse, and I actually got a little bit emotional. In school, I remember one professor talking about how we have a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with others on the earth. If our relationship with God is out of line, those relationships with humans will therefore be thrown off. I think that these two things go hand in hand. If there are things that we are harbouring in our hearts (any sin, whether anger or resentment toward another person, some idol we are clinging onto, a plan that is not God's, etc...), we will not see God clearly. It's like these things are smoke, and when they are inside us, we can't see God through them... not that He isn't there anymore or left us, but that we have clouded our own vision. I think a lot of times we turn it around and blame Him, thinking that it is Him who is "hiding" from us, or not sharing His will with us. This is SO far from the truth! When we keep this "smoke" inside, and don't give it over to Him, of course we can't see through it, but if we breath it out and lay it down at His feet (which never went anywhere), we can then truly and clearly see Him for what He is, our Creator, Master, Provider, Father, and Friend...
That has just been on my heart, and we all made a commitment to really focus on our chosen beatitude this week... I would challenge you to read through the beatitudes in Matthew 5 and choose one for yourself to personalize and strive for!!

My Street, Lilly Lane!!

the front of our lovely house

"Prison in Paradise" - the top of the wall w/ barbed wire & a palm tree

Julianne working on carrying "Junior", a random baby at the soccer game we went to

Me dancing to the beat of the drums with all of the Africans taking pictures of ME instead of the other way around as usuall :)




These are just a few pictures to let you in on a little bit of my life here in Africa :) - I will tell of all of the wonderful stories of having no water for days, no electricity randomly, sketchy internet, coffee pots on fire, etc... etc... Hope everyone is doing well... please leave comments and send emails/facebook messages to let me know how you are all doing!!!!

As I write this, my students are laying down for quiet time… today has been a good day, no, an EXCELLENT day!! Mostly because I haven’t had to send anyone to the principles office, like the first three days. I still only have 6 of my 9 students, one of which only speaks and understands French, another speaks Korean and very, very little English (but understands it well enough to figure out what’s going on), I have two teachers kids (which is challenging), one who is not told no by her guardian & is not used to being told what to do, and one who is four, but is super helpful and makes my life easier by doing things like sweeping the floor voluntarily. They are all great kids, and I already love them… but they have given me a headache or two already. The first day was really tough for Noe (the boy who only speaks French). He was confused because his mother told him that after he ate she would be there to get him, meaning after lunch. Well, we have a snack at 9:45, so when she didn’t show up, he wasn’t happy. He was polite to me (I think anyway…) but I could tell he was frustrated, so I got the French teacher to come talk to him. He started freaking out and screaming, so she had to take him in the hallway, and he didn’t like that, so he hit her. He definitely got taken to the principles office (ok, technically I didn’t send him…)!! The next day, Maxine decided she didn’t want to do anything I said, and that she would ignore me… I was at a loss for what to do, so I asked Tim (the Director) to talk to her… she did the same to him & ended up having to sit in his office for a while. On Friday the Preschool teachers son (Silas) didn’t want to leave his mom, or come into the classroom. His mom took him to the office to have Tim talk to him, and he ended up falling asleep, so we are thinking he was just tired…
All that said, today has been a great day!! Noe made it all the way through lunch without even getting upset, Maxine is following directions and obeying, and Silas is his usual smiling self J. One huge prayer request though is the preschool teacher, Auntie Jean. She lives an hour away up on a mountain and she started bleeding on Saturday night. They were able to make it down the mountain and into the city in time and got her to the hospital, and praise God there was a surgeon there!! She very easily could have bled to death, but it wasn’t quite her time yet, she made it & is doing much better. Please pray for her & her family, her husband is not a Christian.
I am doing really well here; I love the people, and even the food!!! We are finding a place quickly among the teachers, the community, and the church. The church has a big futbol match this Saturday against another church in the area, and a few of us are going to root them on!! Check back later for pictures J - The Facebook albums in the last post have been updated with, more pictures, click them again to see!! Here is another with pictures of my students and classroom! Enjoy!!

http://cedarville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030851&l=97b90&id=141300005

Walking home from school - this is my street, my house is up on the Right.

Oh the places you will go...

As I think of that statement, made by an incredibly wise man (Dr. Seuss of course!!), I am blown away by the blessings that are falling in our laps. We have already had so many amazing opportunities and met some incredible people... one example of this... there is an Italian woman living here in Accra with her son & 2 adopted daughters, and their house has been turned into an orphanage and school. These kids are some of the most amazing children I have ever met, and are so grateful for the things Romana is doing for them. I have had a desire to work with an orphanage long before coming here, and knew that there was one in the area. Romana is an amazing woman, and it just so happened that upon arriving, our house was scheduled to have its electricity off, so I stayed there at the orphanage with her. She took us in & treated us as one of her own right away. I mentioned wanting to get in and work with the kids casually. Well, about a week later, after all of my roommates had arrived (all of whom I love, and I will tell you all about them as we go), I was talking to Amanda and discovered that she was also interested in working with the orphanage. Long story short, we talked to Romana and she said she would love for us to help out whenever we can, and it just so happened that the next day they were taking a field trip to a bead making factory, and she had room for the 2 of us to go!!!! Going with these kids and visiting this "factory" was such a blessing... we got to see the process to make the glass beads, sooo much hard work goes into each and every bead. Afterward, we went to another of the teachers at AIS's house and had a snack before the hour long drive back to the house. The kids were all so truly gratefull for the small snack, and played games with the 2 other girls that came as helpers. This is just one of the experiences I have had so far... I have failed to be diligent with updating this blog, but I have been taking lots of pictures!!! The most recent adventure was a trip to the HUGE market in downtown Accra (Mikolo Market), details to come (of that trip, or maybe another!) - Please feel free to leave me comments or shoot me an email, I would love to hear how you all are doing, and chat for a few minutes!!!!

If you would like to see pictures of the bead factory click this link below, which will take you to my Facebook album:

http://cedarville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030089&l=67699&id=141300005

For pictures of the trip to the market, click here:

http://cedarville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030356&l=4ad94&id=141300005

I am in Africa!!!

I am in Africa… I am in AFRICA… I AM IN AFRICA!!!! Everything went smoothly with all of the plane rides and layovers, only one short delay, but that didn’t cause any trouble, since I had another 7 hour layover coming up in London (after the supposed to be 7 hour, turned to 9 hour one in Toronto & 2 hours in Chicago)! I got to the airport and had no trouble in immigration or customs (the immigration officer wasn’t even going to say a word to me until I thought he asked how I was & I said “I’m good, how are you?”And he said “I’m doing well, and you?” Uhhhh… “I’m good!” I laughed on the inside J My bags arrived all in one piece, everything still inside the locks, and only minor cosmetic issues on the bags themselves (a few small scratches or stains, but nothing terminal!) After my long 2 day plane ride, I was very ready to go jump into bed, but I was also excited to see the city, my house and the school. Turns out our electricity was off that night (it goes off for 12 hours every other day, alternating between day and night each time), so were to stay at the local orphanage with a wonderful woman named Romana (she is Italian to the hilt!) I got to meet a few of the children, and I am so excited to go back and work on volunteering there! I also learned today that there is another orphanage locally that takes in children with special needs! I can’t wait to visit this one and possibly see about working there as well.
There is a missionary family here that has taken such good care of us, feeding us and letting us borrow their internet (the school has internet, but it is a little irregular), and carting us around so that we can get things set up. They have 3 kids, all of which are super fun! Their 4 year old son will be in my kindergarten class next year, and he says the funnies things, makes the funniest faces, and makes me so excited for school to start!!
We made our first meal today as a house (the three of us that are here, Mariah, Julianne and I), spaghetti and plantain chips… yummy!! Ok, so we still don’t have any food in the house, but we are going to the Medina Market tomorrow (I can’t wait to see that!!) Yesterday we went to a place called “Freddy’s Corner” to get my cell phone, and it was CrAzY!!! There were people everywhere, you could barely move, people trying to get your attention to try and sell you stuff… and have I mentioned that we have a driver for the school and he is the best driver that you will ever see?!!!?! He maneuvered our school van (not car) out of the “parking lot” (which was really just the sidewalk in front of this place) and on to the street without killing anyone… AMAZING!! J We are very grateful for William and his awesome driving skills!! It is so weird to have people doing everything for you but walk basically… there are gate guards that let us in and out, who take our bags and carry them, and take out the trash, a cleaning woman who is going to clean, iron and do our laundry, and we might even get a cook a couple times a week. They are such a blessing to us, and I just hope that we are to them as well. It is hard for me to not feel bad, but when I realize that if we were not paying them to do these things; they would have no income, which makes me feel much better!!
Today we experienced getting stuck outside in the rain for the first time… wow… it was so neat, you could see the rain coming down the street, like a wall moving toward us. It was not so neat that Daniel (our gate guard during the week) didn’t hear us ringing the bell and we had to wait a few minutes in the downpour before we were let in. Just before it started raining we took a taxi (my first EVER! And it only cost us about $1.00 total!!) to the A&C shopping mall, and then walked back and Mariah bought some super cute earrings from a street vendor for $.50… fifty cents!!! We were almost home, but stooped a few doors down at the “Fair Lady Clinic” to talk to Frances, the brother of the secretary there. He was a wealth of knowledge and gave us some good advice for taxis and getting around, as well as told us about that special needs orphanage I mentioned above, and he actually works there, so it may be pretty easy to volunteer there knowing him! Now we are hanging out at the school, waiting for William and Laurie (the driver and the missionary) to come and exchange money for us, and possibly go with them for dinner. I hope everyone is doing well, and I would love to hear from you all! Thank you for your continued prayers… here are some things you can pray about:
1. Those who still have flights coming in.
2. The director & his wife & the other couple working at the school still need housing.
3. Those in the community that we are meeting and getting to know, that we would be an example of Christ to them if they do not already know Him, and that hey would be open to accepting Christ if not.
4. Things are EXPENSIVE!! I WAYYYY underestimated my startup costs, things like electricity converters, stabilizers and transformers are very expensive, and we need them ASAP. I wanted to buy a small plastic drawer chest for my bathroom, it would cost around $20 in the states, here it is anywhere from $50 - $100 depending on where you look… just to give you an idea J With all that said, I really need more support. Thank you so much to all of you who have already committed to supporting me, but I would urge you that if you have not done so, you prayerfully consider it. If you would like to, you can get in touch with my mom for hard copies of the forms and info, or ask me, and I can send electronic copies of it.
If you made it all the way through all of that, bless you!!!! I certainly didn’t intend to write so much, and hopefully I will be better about writing more often so that the entries are a bit shorter J
Al l my love in Him,
Ashley

(Pictures to come later... when I can figure it out!!!)