On Day 3 I was up early with the sunrise, not by choice, but because the rooster right outside my room decided it was time for everyone to wake up. The good news was the rooster was not alone. The Freedom Hotel cleaning staff also decided that west african rap music was best played at sunrise. With the rooster crowing, the music playing, and the excitement I had since today was the day I would meet Solomon, I decided it was time to get up and take another ice cold shower and head to breakfast.
As I went down to breakfast I quickly took in the sights and sounds of a busy village all around us selling every item under the sun. It was quite a shock as I had never seen anything like it before. The poverty that many of the people were living in was unbelievable. As I was taking in the town, Pastor Sam called us in for breakfast and soon Solomon would be arriving with his village’s pastor as well as his parents.
We quickly ate our breakfast and finally Solomon had arrived. It was an incredible meeting and I was able to find out a lot of information about him and his situation. His mother and father are both still alive but have turned him over to the social service welfare system in Ho to be adopted. Because of the extreme poverty they come from they are not able to care for him. His father also said that he wanted an opportunity for his son that he and his wife could not provide, and an opportunity he, himself, had never been given.
We spent the next few hours together enjoying a welcome book of photos Janel had made for him. We also took a trip to the court house which was a small room in the middle of the village to have papers signed. Then we ate a quick lunch before it was our time to leave and for Solomon to return to his village. Once the U.S. Embassy approves Solomon’s visa and citizenship into the United States we will be able to return to Ghana and bring Solomon to the U.S. This was no question the most difficult thing I had experienced in a long time…to leave him behind for another couple months until we have received the final approval. I guess all I can do is pray that the Lord looks out for him until we return. The other comfort I receive is that Pastor Sam has taken an active role in Solomon’s life. He is actually going to take him in for the majority of the waiting period to help him become accustomed to a more structured life, and to also begin the process of teaching him some English before we come back.
After our visit was complete with Solomon it was time for Chris and I to head to the Right to Dream Academy to begin formulating the vision for the establishment of the basketball academy in Ghana. Pastor Sam drove us about 50 miles into a small village somewhere in the mountains. He dropped us off on the side of the road next to a red tah tah car with two Ghanaians in the front seats. We hopped in the car since it appeared they were going to be responsible for taking us to the academy.
After about another hour we finally arrived at the academy and it was the most remarkable thing I had ever seen. The Right to Dream Academy currently is comprised of 50 of the best futbol (soccer) players in the country. The kids are selected from the various villages around the country to attend the academy which includes a complete education, housing, food, and of course a lot of futbol training.
We were able to watch two of the Right to Dream teams participate in matches against other local clubs. I walked away seeing some of the best futbol players I have ever seen. Even more amazing was the athletic ability each player had.
Following the games we quickly toured the facility which was very simple. The director (Tom Vernon) told us he tries to keep it as simple as possible in order to not overwhelm the kids. Over 85% of the kids attending the academy were used to living on less than $1 a day in their home villages. Just receiving three meals each day at the academy makes these boys happy. The players would have no chance of receiving an education without being given the opportunity to play and train at the academy. Most of the athletes that first attend the academy between the ages of 10-12 have never had any education and typically speak no English. The amazing thing about the academy is that it began just 10 years ago and today has over 25 kids in the United States at prestigious boarding schools. Many are in schools on the East Coast as they finish their high school education. Some of their graduated athletes are also in colleges such as Stanford, University of California Santa Barbara, Bucknell, and Boston U, just to name a few.
They also have many of their past athletes currently playing in the MLS (which is the professional soccer organization in the United States) and some are playing professional soccer in Europe. I was simply blown away today by what I saw, especially when considering the poverty that these kids came from.
Following our tour we went back to Tom’s house (director of Right to Dream) as that is where we would be spending the next few nights. We joined his family for dinner, exchanged ideas regarding the future basketball portion of Right to Dream, and then called it an early night as more big plans were in store for tomorrow.
Solomon's village is at the base of the mountain in the distance.
Pastor Sam is having guest houses built for anyone who comes to help with his humanitarian work in Ghana.
Right to Dream futbol field, which they all called a 'pitch'.
These kids were trying out for a spot in the academy. The academy had 3 scholarships open to fill.
Spectators from nearby village.
Right to Dream dorms.
Video: Right to Dream Futbol
1 comment:
My heart about jumped out of my skin when I saw these pictures. I love the ministry opportunity that sports provides... especially soccer after having it played it for so many years myself.
Praying for little Solomon today and in the days to come!
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