I'm Going to Ghana!

The perfect ending for my Project:Ghana posts this week is to share with you that I am going to Ghana for a one week stay in a few months (with Jake)! It will be my first trip! I have a full plate of emotions about this trip…I am excited, nervous, curious, and yet hesitant. Hesitant because of….



Reason #1.......




And, reason #2......

I SO do not want to leave my sweet red-heads for 7 days. Would you believe that we have never left them for more than 2 days in a row? I wish they could come with us. I just feel this heaviness in my heart in thinking about being away from them for that long. I am sure they can do without me, and I know they will be in good hands, but I am not sure if I can do without them. I know you moms out there know what I mean. Jake booked the flights on Wednesday, and I wanted to be really excited, but I was quite sad thinking about it. Then, my mom was over Wednesday night and she was saying all the things she has planned to do with them while we are gone…swimming at the YMCA, library time, tot town trips, and more! Then I thought, ‘Good grief what I am worried about? They won’t ever want us to come back if they have that much fun while we are gone!’ :)

Even though it will be extremely hard for me to leave my kids, I know that God has put it on my heart to go on this trip. Jake had started planning this trip for himself around summertime, and then about a month ago I had this feeling that I should go along. I couldn’t quite get myself talked into it though, because I always had this picture of my first trip to Africa being to bring home our adopted child. So, knowing that we wouldn’t be doing adoption things on this trip, it made it hard for me to convince myself to go…..or more specifically I thought I didn’t necessarily have a strong reason to go. Of course I was excited about working on Project:Ghana stuff, but I know Jake is capable of doing all that on his own, so I just wasn’t sure what to do. So, I prayed about it. And, I got an answer.

So, at the end of December we are off to Ghana (after Christmas time)! We have about a million things that we are going to be doing while we are there….. finalizing the purchase of the land for the Kingdom of Christ Academy (we have two spots in the western region that they are holding for us so we will look at both and decide which one), we will be meeting with the educational administration branch of the Ghanaian government, locating temporary facilities to begin Kingdom Hoops Ghana until the facility is built, Jake will be putting on 2 national coaches clinic at the Sports Institute – one clinic in the central region and one in the west region, we will be looking for a house in the western region to lease for missions group trip attendees and also for Mark to stay at while he works for us, we will be meeting with the Ghana Basketball Association to create a plan on how to grow the sport, and we will visit schools to get a picture of how to approach that part of the facility.

And, what I am super excited about, is that Mark is looking into volunteer opportunities for me to work at an orphanage while we are there. Yes, get ready to check it off the bucket list please. I am sure it sounds weird to be excited to work at an orphanage, but I really am. Here is a sample description of one of the volunteer opportunities:

Volunteer Abroad in Western Region Ghana: Volunteering Opportunities: Life in the rural communities can be quite difficult with limited access to health, paved roads, education and other everyday facilities like clean water, electricity and sanitation. There is a great need for health care professionals, teachers and child care assistance throughout the rural communities in Western Ghana.

Children Orphanage Assistance: The children come from a variety of situations including loss of one or both parents, physical and sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and more suffering than many of us can imagine. Many of these children have been denied the chance at an education as well as the basics for survival-food and shelter. The orphanages we support strive to provide a better future for some of the most vulnerable children in Ghana by providing love, food and informal education. As a volunteer, you will primarily assist with the daily care of the kids; including feeding babies, playing games, teaching songs, reading activities, creating arts & crafts projects and sharing your affection and attention with these wonderful children. Many volunteers also get involved in repairs and painting as the facilities are in constant need of upkeep. Prior experience not necessary, volunteers should demonstrate patience, an open mind and a sense of compassion. Come prepared with ideas and be a creative self-starter who can handle situations where schedules do not exist.

Yes, this is right up my alley. I’ve already got an ever-changing list of items to bring along for the children…suckers, toy cars for the boys, nail polish for the girls, coloring books, bouncy balls, and lots of food, formula and juice! It will be so good to have this experience.

I’ve also been praying that we would be able to work on the adoption in some way, shape or form while we are there. Specifically I’ve been praying that Bernice’s family would be able to identify a child for us by then, and that we would be able to meet him on the trip – as Jake had met Solomon previously. Maybe you can pray for us about that too.

So, that’s the scoop! I am so excited for the opportunity to experience Ghanaian culture and to see this country that so far I only know through pictures and Google images. I am sure it will be life-changing to finally gain a first-hand perspective on the poverty situations in Ghana that I’ve only read about. I need to know more about this country - I need to see it personally - I need to experience it so that I can wrap my mind around it!