grace

Last weekend was our first big adventure! And an adventure it was, even from the very beginning. There's no trotro (mini-bus) stop anywhere around here that gets us out of the city so we had to get a taxi to the city center to Tudu Station to get a tro. The language barrier, or my accent, became apparent that it'd be a challenge for us from the start. The taxi driver finally worked it out and dumped us off in the very middle of Tudu with no station in sight. Tudu is unlike anywhere African I've been so far. Thousands of Africans, thousands of individual stands selling produce, perfume, random products but everything you could ever want or need. We were the only bruni's anywhere but luckily people were only extremely helpful. The second we popped out of that taxi, 2 guys immediately offered to help to bring us to Tudu station to catch a tro to Shai Hills. Another adventure. We circled around parts of the city 2 and 3 times, with the sky getting darker and darker as a huge storm was rolling in. I just prayed and prayed that the rain would hold off until we sat down in that tro. They kept checking to make sure we were following and lead us so well through the thick crowds and street sellers. After around 20 minutes of this craziness, with no one REALLY understanding where we needed to go, I pulled out the pen from my backpack and wrote it on my hand. Little did I know, this would be the only way we'd get to Shai Hills. Everywhere we went with the guys as they talked with bus drivers and tro drivers, my hand was pulled into the air to show off my writing so that we could find the vehicle we needed to be in. It worked! We were lead up to this one tro with the drivers all haggling prices as we walked behind a line of tros. And I just stopped. Something seemed off that I may have caught in my peripheral vision as I was following the guys. I backed up a few steps and couldn't have been more right about the whole something is whack thing. In the back of the tro, our tro that we were supposed to take to Shai Hills, was a kicking and screaming baby goat tied up by it's neck to the seat post in front of it. Woah buddy. It was crazy! Luckily that tro filled up as Tori and I stared for a few seconds and we got the last 2 seats on the tro next to it, headed to Shai Hills! I thought the guys were leading us around town for a couple extra cedis but at the end of our journey, one came up to me and shyly asked for my address. Instead I gave him a couple cedis and jumped in. Ghanaians were starting to prove us wrong and really are some of the kindest, most helpful people!

Promise the next phase of our journey won't be this detailed. But neat thing, the second (and I'm not exaggerating) we got seated on the tro and the door slammed shut, it started to downpour! Not just rain, but like blinding rain. Which wasn't the safest feeling in this old-school form of mass transit. But if God was providing already through answered prayers, I could easily trust that His will would be done throughout the rest of our adventure. We arrived safely as the rain slowed down and stepped off right at the Shai Hills Reserve sign. We had made it! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Here after it rains it's cool and breezy instead of all sticky and muggy like I thought it'd be. The clouds still kept the sun from beating down from us and we were able to walk to our hotel and just enjoy the afternoon. We checked in at Shai Hills Resort and it was unexpectedly empty. The room was around $25USD and was yet again another sign of grace- A/C was blasting, TV, mini fridge, shower, huge bed, closet, just perfect. When I was researching our weekend plans, I really had no idea if it would all come together, as is life in Africa, but it surely was! And was such a blessing.

We got settled, unpacked our big packs, and headed out for an afternoon of hiking. We met other German volunteers at the reserve who wanted to split the costs of traveling through the reserve. Hello, another blessing. One I didn't even expect or plan for but one that saved us a pretty penny. In the reserve, you have to hire a guide for the whole time and you can only get to the great places with a car. So with the Germans, we split a taxi and went on the most ghetto-fabulous safari ever. But somehow it really worked out! We got dropped off part way to finish walking up to the bat caves and were just treking in the middle of the grasslands with mountains ahead of us, sun shining, antelopes frolicking and baboons calling out to each other. Surreal. Our guide was the nicest, most smiley man ever and had this giggle that just warms your heart- though the giggle may just come out when Americans ask silly questions- but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We reached the bat caves and learned all about the Shai people, how they lived in the caves for protection during wartimes up until 1890ish, how the tribal people of this region worship the Boabob tree and make a yearly journey to perform their rituals at the tree outside the bat cave, covering it in ceremonial cloth that remains up for the rest of the year. They even perform animal sacrifices to present to the tree. Pretty fascinating, yet kinda crazy stuff. Anywho, we "walked" up to the bat caves. Our little guide just jumped the rocks and got there in no time but for America, it would probably be considered a "difficult" hiking trail. Whoops. We made it though and were thankful for such a great, unexpected workout. The bat cave is where the chief resided for maximum protection. The had traps in the cave and the narrowest of passage ways (ones I didn't think I'd ever fit through but because of a childhood of preparation from Twister, I sure did) leading to the chief's quarters which also was home to thousands of bats screeching and flying around.

We then walked back a while before the taxi returned to get us and it was just breathtakingly gorgeous outside. Like out of a movie or something. We returned to the main gates after a few bumps and stalls down the dirt road just in time to go looking for baboons before they went away for the night. The baboons on the safari are afraid of people but the ones who live at the main gate are comfortable around people and will even eat food out of your hand, though I wasn't about to do that and catch some crazy disease. I always knew baboons were big but dang they're huge! The largest male was probably the size of my golden retriever at home. One female had her sweet little baby with her and it was so awesome to see them up close for a bit. Tori and I then bought a watermelon, an entire one for like $1USD from the sweetest lady in the world. She cut it up for us so we could eat it on our walk back to the resort, and even brought a friend over to get their picture taken. They screamed and squealed in delight about the picture and it was such a sweet moment. We later returned to the hotel to watch the Barcelona/Manchester soccer game and enjoy the most delicious dinner ever at the hotel restaurant. Great day.

The next day, one of our friends we've met here joined us for a long hike up the tallest mountain in the reserve. He's stationed at the US Embassy so with that comes a driver, a Land Crusier with A/C and American music. Not too shabby. I'm glad we experienced the reserve the African way the day before because we sure were spoiled on Sunday. Until we got to the hike. Again the African guide just ran up this mountain trail, a trail that would be "difficult" or even more in America. I hadn't had the biggest lunch which was a huge mistake. I didn't feel so hot for part of the hike and was so bummed that I wouldn't be able to finish. But of course our friend came prepared with boxes of granola bars and saved my life, allowing me to push on to reach the peak. And I'm sure glad I did. We could see clear for miles and I could've stayed up there for hours. Unfortunately that wasn't an option due to our guide freaking out about sun setting soon and snakes coming out which I guess is a valid worry. So we booked it down the mountain with a few bumps and scrapes from climbing up and down this vertical cave but we all survived! We jumped in the too nice of a car and headed home without the tro adventures which I didn't mind a bit. I am glad though that we're able to have the crazy goat tro stories to contrast to the Land Cruiser rides to experience all of it. And I'm grateful that the entire weekend was an outpouring of God's grace on us. Such a great reminder of His sovereignty in how things work out, and that even God wants us to enjoy this life. So overall, our first weekend adventuring was a great success.

In 2 hours we're off to another adventure at Wli Falls and Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary! Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures quicker this time!
(ps I just realized the photos are all in reverse order. Oopsies sorry! Hope it still makes sense.)

good

Got the iTunes on shuffle during work here at my internship and I didn't even hear the other lyrics to the song when this line popped out at me:
You never said it would be easy
You just promised You'd be with me
Good stuff. This truth hits every aspect of my life- in Ghana, Zambia or in the US- and brings such peace.

Photos & stories from last weekend's adventure will be posted soon! Tomorrow we're off to Wli Falls and another monkey sanctuary. Such a sweet reward for ourselves after a tough week of work!

home

This weekend was full of adventures to share soon! Weird enough, we were pulling onto our street tonight after a long weekend and it just felt good. I think "home" finally means something to me and Tori and it's strange to think home is our lodge for the entire summer but I'm glad we're finally getting used to things around here. Here are some photos from our home.

learning

I left America just a week ago today, though I'm feeling strangely settled into our house here in Accra. I haven't mastered Ghanaian life by any means and I'm learning so so much each day. Today was our first big day of adventure: traveling outside the compound walls for more than 5 minutes! We worked at the store in Osu, Accra for the morning and boy was that an experience. Here's a recap of just a few things I've learned so far pretty unique to Ghana:
1. The constant honking of taxis will never stop and we've come to accept it. Both Tori and I have blonde hair. And don't exactly blend in around here. The honking means that there's space in the taxi but we don't think it's coincidence that the noise follows us around everywhere.
2. Whenever someone yells "Obama!" at us, they're being friendly! It's strange to find that incredibly comforting but I certainly will if it means I have a new friend.
3. Spice & food in general is an acquired thing. We eat Jollof rice (spicy rice), Waakye (pronounced wachee: spicy beans & rice), fried rice (spicy spin on chinese), fried plantains and chips, fish (skin on or dried/fried), ground nuts (little peanuts), fresh like real fresh eggs out of the chickens running around, white bread and luckily tons of fresh tropical fruits and cheap cookies.
4. A white person is a bruni.
5. The "world's nicest people" aren't always nice. But there are some incredibly sweet people here, don't get me wrong.
6. Milk doesn't reallllyyy need to be refrigerated. And overall as Americans, we're way to cautious when it comes to hygiene.
7. Blonde hair also communicates "please rip me off."
8. Shopping bags are called "rubbers" and you must have a bag for every single item you buy, even fresh bread which seems dirtier than if you just carried it, but it works.
9. The worse the litter in the gutter smells, the better you think you smell.
10. Traveling is a pretty complicated endeavor. But I'm convinced it'll be well worth it for our big adventures.
11. Gummies do not exist in the groceries, even the nice ones. A tub of lollipops is $70 USD. And that's a little hard to handle for my candy obsession.
12. Just point. And speak in some broken accent. Anything will be possible.
13. You will never stop sweating, but same with everyone else.
14. "A/C" is relative. It doesn't usually mean any temperature below 80.
15. Life is just slower and demands you to slow down and enjoy people. And that's good.


On a completely different note, Accra is kind of a lonely city. It's a huge city with tons of people but it lacks that community feel of a smaller village or community. Americans/foreigners here are all pretty independent but luckily I'm blessed to have the other intern Tori as a good friend already. Sitting at work today I plugged in the headphones to listen to some music for the first time since I arrived in Ghana. This place, completely apart from friends, family, a church community, hasn't been the easiest. But it's also brought about a whole new level of faith: desperation. Here I just crave the Lord. Maybe that sounds weird or a bit over the top but it's true. It's like missing a best friend, but a best friend who won't ever disappoint, who's always there, who loves unconditionally, who always knows the perfect thing to say, who knows every single detail about you and loves you more than you can ever comprehend. I miss my friends and family a lot but through that has just shown me that no matter where I go, I will always be fulfilled and complete. I have everything I could ever want or need. I get to talk to God through prayer because of what Jesus did for me and for the whole world. Being away from people for me has just meant realizing the desperation of my soul to grow closer to the Lord, to strengthen our relationship that He's been working on my whole life but I fail to acknowledge it so many times. The desperation stems from an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people knowing I can do nothing apart from God's will. This has all been hitting me very recently and I couldn't think of any better way to word the plea of my heart than the first song that played on my iTunes:
These hands are yours
Teach them to serve
As you please and I'll reach out
Desperate to see all the greatness of God
May my soul rest assured in you
Show me your heart
Show me your way
Show me your glory

My heart's been craving Jesus. And the good thing is that the craving will always be satisfied. I'll find wholeness in Him.

today

Woah. I've been posting like crazy. We have a lot of downtime that I haven't really figured out how to use yet so once I do I don't think I'll be writing as much. So enjoy for now?

Today was my first day of work. The first work day since winter of my sophomore year of college in retail. This day didn't go quiiite like your typical internship day as it was full of the most random interruptions. To start the day off, we woke up at 7:30 for breakfast before "going to work" which for us consists of just walking into a different room with desks and boxes in it. After a bowl of oats and fresh fruit I realized that it seemed a bitttt too early. Oh right. It's 3:30am my time and I've been pretty much living off my time since I've been here. Probably should've gotten adjusted before work but oh well! So as if that wasn't enough kicker for starting, I wasn't sitting at my "desk" for more than 15 minutes when the guard comes in to tell us that the vegetable woman is here. A lady comes by twice a week with her huge basket of fresh veggies that she carries on her head so that she can sell them to us Americans/white people. First break of the day with just a few minutes into the day to buy food? Why not! We (the other intern & I) get back to work and cram out a few hours of number crunching and analysis of sales data for the retail and wholesale departments. At around 11, the guard comes back in to tell us that the food man is here. More food?! It may sound like I get a lot to eat, but don't be fooled. My dinner tonight was Groundnut Paste & Jam on biscuits. I still gotta learn the ropes around here. Anywayssss this man, known as "meals on wheels" to the rest of the staff comes by a few times a week. He pays a taxi driver to drive him all around selling prepared food: fried rice, spring rolls, Jollof rice, and another type of rice I couldn't understand. He just has boxes stacked up in the backseat of the car and sells it to you like a reverse drive-through. Like delivery, but you have to meet halfway by coming outside the gate to get the food. Anyways word on the street is that fried rice is the way to go but unfortunately he sells his last one before I order. So I ask for something not spicy. I was fooled real bad yesterday with the whole "not spicy" thing and wasn't going to fall for that again. I had our guard translate plainly that I didn't want spicy and he assured me that I was safe. I think Ghanaians have a skewed perception of spicy, but this is also coming from a girl who can't even handle Medium salsa. I take my box of food all wrapped up and head inside for my first lunch break but I open it up to see RED rice. Not a good delish kinda red. But an "oh no" kinda red. As if that wasn't bad enough, this glob of blackish reddish stuff was on top of my rice. The stuff that torched my mouth yesterday as I took a curious taste of it. Turns out it's just raw red and green chillies mashed up with dried fish and shrimp. Mmmmm. And it's hot as fire! I cried for a good 10 minutes after drinking a liter of water. It was nothing I've tasted before! Anyways, that was yesterday. Each day is a lesson learned so I learned from that lesson and just scraped it off my rice and did what I could with eating that box of deliciousness. Tori and I will have to figure out a better way to feed ourselves around here. So back to work we went on our first project of analyzing best and worst sellers, making suggestions for improvement and predicting trends. Time went by pretty quickly for a while there since Renae's son was down for a nap (after I played cars with him for a bit) and the interruptions ceased a bit. So then the parrot decided it needed to fill that void of noise and just squawked "hello" and "ok" for the next 5 hours. The view outside of my window was of the ducks being chased by the guard to stay in the backyard; the huge guard dogs were getting feisty and barking and drooling, and Ben decided his nap was over and came out crying in his undies. Typical day at the office right? This is Africa. :)

As much as it's crazy, I kinda really like it. I like the idea that I can help contribute to the success of this company to help out Ghanaian women. I enjoy working with the volunteers and staff here at the house. I strangely love the culture here and am excited to get to know the locals better. Cold showers are oddly refreshing in this heat though we don't get them often. Just finished up my second one of the trip. Don't do the math or else you won't talk to me again but that's how life is here. And it's just fine! I can't say I wouldn't go for some Chickfila and a hair straightener right now but it's only a few days in and I'm actually excited to live this new life for a while. I feel it's only preparing me for next summer's move to Zambia though it's hard not to compare Ghana to Zambia all the time. Just for the record, my heart is still with my first love and I can't imagine living anywhere in Africa except Lusaka. Don't tell Accra though.

Getting into this groove of work and lots of rest will take adjustment. Just as the extreme spice, suffocating humidity, constant pounding of Ghanaian pop from next door and strange interruptions will. But I can't help but be reminded of 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." He's purposed this moment, this frustration or this laughter for His glory. It's up to me to give credit where it's due.

Kinda off topic... I've been emailing/texting Elina, a widow from Ng'ombe who we met last summer who ran the Deborah Orphanage, about updated plans for Clothed in Hope and seeking her advice on it. She's such a blessing to the children there as she really lives out the Gospel in her everyday life, giving it all though she has next to nothing. Her heart is incredibly inspiring and she's one of the most beautiful people I've ever met. She radiates grace and gentleness and I just really wish you could meet her. Anyways, I asked what I could be praying about for her life. Rather than asking for provision or blessing or safety for her and the kids, she sends me this today, "My prayer request is that we should find women who are strong, committed and faithful." Nearly brought me to tears through her incredible selflessness, petitioning and believing God for great things through Clothed in Hope. Please join us in praying for women to feel the tug of God's plan on their hearts.

new

The last post was pretty deep and I'm really glad I got to share what's been on my heart since traveling began. I'm pretty much all settled into our house now so I'll let y'all read a bit about daily life... or what I know of it so far.

Ghana is similar to Zambia culturally it seems: relational people, helpful people, religious atmosphere, not rules-driven at all, etc etc. However, Ghana differs significantly in terms of wealth. Of course there are poor parts but there are poor parts in every city even in America. It's strange to see the same road-side stores but this time with dresses for sale for 60 cedis (pronounced seed-ies) which is about $45 USD. Mercedes Benz and Range Rover SUVs filled the grocery store parking lot, which sold food at outrageous prices. Like $12 USD for Black Cat Peanut Butter (the cheapest brand ever which was a luxury in Zambia for $6ish). Women wear the most beautiful and creative Ghanaian (guh-nay-un) dresses with brilliant colors and patterns. Clothing stores operate as couturiers with custom tailoring and dress-making for the same price as the dress is off the rack. Last night I was taken out for pizza by my boss, Renae, to this incredible restaurant which was amazing. But I kinda felt like I was cheating. Poverty still exists in this capital city I just haven't seen much of it yet. Of course there still are indicators that I'm in Africa including: the rotten smell of hot eggs and milk mixed with burnt trash, goats and chickens running loose, small vendors selling mixed merchandise: anything from toothbrushes to $10 Corn Flakes to hangers to homemade beans and rice, incredible fresh fruit such as mango, bananas, plantains, papaya, etc, lively music coming from every stand and house, so many advertisements for cell phones and food, dried fish (or not dried) sitting out with flies on it, children running around mostly as salesmen, huge baskets on women's heads and the list could go on and on.

We live in a gorgeous house though. It used to be a restaurant and lodge so it actually feels kinda like Kamloops (for all my Zamfriends who may be reading along- Tennis biscuits and Nutella just aren't the same with out y'all!). The house is all one level but has different wings closed off from each other. I'm in the section just for volunteers and interns. I sleep on the bottom bunk of a room with 2 bunk beds next to a bathroom which we share with the other bedroom of 3 people. Our bedroom is the only one that has A/C so we're thankful for that! Showers are 5 mins or less to avoid running out of reserve water with Accra's water outages which are frequent and often lasting for days, even weeks. Water is always cold but it actually feels good with the intense sun, heat and humidity of being on the equator. We've just entered rainy season here so it'll rain a bit every day but last night it was just a torrential downpour for like 10 minutes then stopped. It's looking like it'll rain here again soon as the sun's already starting to go down (it's 5pm here now). I cannot describe the suffocating heat here; it's just intense. We don't have A/C in any other part of the house so it's just hot. The main house has everything else in it: huge kitchen, living/seating areas, Global Mamas office, Renae and her adopted 2 year old son's room, outdoor patio for seating and a beautiful backyard with a big pool, hammocks and reading chairs. We're really spoiled here but it feels great to be living here knowing we'll also be working here most days. We're still in a compound-type house with walls and barbed wire with an iron gate with a guard for both day and night. We have 1 parrot, 2 ducks, 3 giant dogs: 2 mastiffs and one Spanish Weimaraner which are prettyyy scary looking. They're starting to be my friends now after the noticed that I'm not trying to hurt Ben (Renae's son); I just want to play with him.

Last night I got dinner with Renae and Ben then just hung out and unpacked a lot of stuff. I'll be here for the next 7 or so weeks before my parents come when we'll be doing some traveling and then off to Zambia! My third roommate, Tori, arrived late last night so we just stayed up talking with the other volunteer we live with, Jess, who has been here for about a year now. Today we slept in to catch up on our missed sleep from flights and went off on our first adventure. About a block away are tons of vendors lining the street with anything you'd ever want- mostly food products. We got a tour of the place from Jess as she pointed out who her favorites are and where to find what. We bought fresh bread and mango that tasted like a chunk of heaven. Incredible. I only tasted it after I was taught how to properly slice mango to get the most meat of out it which took a solid 20 minutes so that may have added to the deliciousness. We enjoyed eating mango on the patio with Grace, Ben's nanny who is a local here and brought her daughter to the house to play with Ben too. Grace is very sweet and I can't wait to get to know her better this summer. Then along with Maria, a woman from Spain, we took off on our first big adventure. We went to a downtown part to see the Global Mamas retail store, do some other shopping and stop in at the lavish grocery. We met up with 2 women from Germany and one from Australia to do some shopping for the barbecue tonight. We've been invited, along with lots of other Americans, to a house owned by a couple who works at the US Embassy to meet other Americans and enjoy a traditional Ghanaian evening with music and food. All of us are encouraged to wear traditional Ghanaian clothes so I've borrowed a dress from Maria to wear until I can find a Ghanaian dress that I love enough to make my own. I've gotta get ready now so I'll type more later as play comes to an end and work begins. I'll hopefully post some photos soon, too!

Please continue to pray for my time here in this new place with new people and a new job that God will be glorified above it all.

different

This summer will be different from any other. By far.

We had a pretty major delay in DC before taking off to Accra, Ghana last night. Sitting on that plane for a solid 10 and a half hours gave me plenty of time to think. What am I doing? How will this summer look? What will the people be like? What will my room look like? What if it's not at all what I expected? For some reason I started to compare this trip to Zambia last summer. Which isn't fair at all but I did. So I looked around the airplane at the other group of American college students on missions together with a tinge of jealousy but mostly sadness. Last year this time I was meeting the group that would remain some of my best friends even a year down the road. I got off the airplane looking for Larry or some sort of person for guidance but nope. It's just me. I waited for my bags and only one came. I waited and waited and waited and just wanted to sit down on the ground and wait for someone to come to my rescue.

It was in that moment of complete helplessness that it hit me. The Holy Spirit hit me I should say. This summer I have no idea what will happen. I didn't even have the power to bring one bag in to the baggage claim in order for me to meet my boss over 2 hours late from when I was supposed to be there. For my controlling, over-organized self, it wasn't good. But it actually so is because in that moment I realized that this will be the way my whole summer will be. I have no say in what will happen, what won't happen, what I'll learn, the people I'll be living with, etc etc etc. I do, however, have one constant. One who will never be un-reachable, One who wants good for me, One to be my best friend, One to be my rescuer from awkward or strange situations, One who is always and will always be there. Most of all One who loves me more than I can ever love Him. What a blessing. So it's taken me a few hours to pray through this (which I've done more of in the past 24 hours than in a looong time) but I'm confident in this summer. Not because it'll be easy or it'll feel super fuzzy or that I'll be enriched with Christian teaching but because I need to be stripped of my overly-independent nature and God wants that for me this summer. He wants me to fall to His feet in recognition that I have ZERO control over ANYTHING that happens here or anywhere else.

I was reading "Compelled by Love" by this incredible missionary Heidi Baker on the plane just before I landed in Accra and she was praying to be poor in spirit. She went on to explain that poor in spirit just recognizes our need for a Savior, our admitting that we don't have it all together and that apart from Him we cannot do anything. I pray this too for this summer and for every day of life. To be wholly dependent on God not just for desperate needs but for the little moments too. He wants to sweep me off my feet and show me His incredible love for me. Why deny that?!

I forgot to mention that the bag did come. Only by the grace of God. And I was carrying materials for the nonprofit I'm working for, technically a "mule," and out of the 100 people going through customs the same time, only me and about 3 other people got waved through for no checks. Grace.

So maybe this summer won't be filled with late-night talks of sharing how God's wrecked our lives and brought us back together. Maybe it's not going to be sharing a room with 4 best friends who are head over heels in love with the Lord. Maybe it's not being cold in my linen pants but instead never stopping sweating. Maybe it's not crying with a Zambian as she dies to herself and decides to live for Christ for the rest of her life. Maybe it's not holding an orphan as she shivers during the night. Maybe it's not being lead by the most wise and godly mentors. Maybe it's not being protected by godly men. Maybe it's not making homemade cookie dough with just sugar, butter, and chocolate chips. Maybe it's not living this lifestyle of talking about God in every conversation.

But it's okay.

Those are just events, just happenings. They all still revolve around the One constant. And I'm blessed to still be able to serve that One here in Ghana. I'm blessed to be able to carry the name of Christ in this place. I'm blessed to be able to expand my knowledge to prepare me for the practical business side of Clothed in Hope. I'm blessed to be stretched. Perhaps I didn't voice them but upon arrival I realized I came with big fears and anxieties about this summer. But the more alone time I have here, the more I spend time just enjoying prayer, the more I realize that my "problems" or worries aren't big. My God is.