A Word from our Short-term Missionaries in Ghana

Written by our team's short-term missionary, Michael...he and his newlywed wife are serving with our non-profit ~ Acts 2 Collective (previously known as Kingdom Cares International) in Ghana for the summer.....

If you truly want to follow Christ, it will take everything you have. My heart is burdened, heavy, but yet compelled in a way that I have never felt before.

For those of you that are not familiar with what my wife Katie and I do....we are starting a ministry in Cape Coast, Ghana to rescue women from sex trafficking/prostitution. We are also looking to expand into child slavery as well.

In order for us to find the women we need to help, we have to go out in the middle of the night, and also deal with pimps and other people that society frowns on. Walking through clubs in the middle of the night with prostitutes doesn't give you the best reputation. Not everyone really understands what we are doing, and the ones that do (gang members, pimps, customers, ect) aren't too thrilled about our efforts to eliminate their income.

God made me strong....Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually....by the grace of God. I believe God put men in a position of power. He also gave us a great responsibility to provide for and protect women. So when I see women being dehumanized, I believe that it is my responsibility to intercede in any way I possibly can, and to the best of my ability. When these women are brought to Katie and I wanting our help, I do not take it lightly. It is a terrible tragedy to watch people all over the world take advantage of vulnerable women and children.

This weekend, Katie and I had the opportunity to rescue the first two women from this world. These were two 6th grade girls caught up in prostitution. They are now far away from Cape Coast, smiling and enjoying their dream of attending school. When I returned to Cape Coast today, I received a list of 10 more girls that have been identified and are wanting our help. All ages 13-17.

Jesus was willing to minister to people that "society" frowned on. I want to bring light into the darkest places, love people who have never been loved, and do whatever it takes to show people Christ. In the end, when the girls grab my hand and say thank you all while shining with hope in their eyes.....it was all worth it. No matter what.

There is no greater joy than showing someone how much they are loved by God. So when a girl seeks out my protection and feels safe by my side, may I show them where they can find true strength and hope. There is no greater strength than the power of Christ that is afforded to all that believe!

Friday's Updates From Jake in Ghana

Today the team said goodbye to Asikuma and made the 5 ½ hour journey to Cape Coast. Cape Coast is the home of Hoops Care International (http://hoopscare.org/), the basketball organization Jake got hooked up with early on in our adventures in Ghana (read about our first ever visit to Cape Coast HERE). He and the organization’s director, Claudius, have remained connected over the past 3 years and Claud always asks Jake to host basketball camps for his players whenever Jake is in town.
 

 

Today Jake held a 1 hour mass camp for around 75 kids (the student-teachers on our team had the day off and visited Canopy Nature Park). Then he took the 25 most talented players and put them through another 1.5 hour camp of higher intensity/skilled drills. Collage from the day's events via Claudius...

 

And some of the pictures Jake sent me on his phone...
 

 

 

Some girls came to camp today which was exciting – typically girls don’t get the opportunity to play sports in Ghana due to cultural mindsets.

 

 

 

In between the two camps Jake held a bible study with those involved at Hoops Care and shared the gospel with them. Cape Coast is another area in which many false gods are worshipped. As Claud was showing Jake around town today a man called out a greeting to Jake so Jake stopped to introduce himself. As he was shaking hands with the man Claud told Jake that this was one of the high priests in town. He said, “He watches over the idols.” The high priest then proceeded to ask Jake if he could take Jake to his god. Jake said, “No, I will stick to Jesus and I think you should do the same.” Let’s just say the high priest wasn’t too happy to hear that and he said a few choice words to Jake in his own language that we won’t repeat here. :) Later on in their walk around town Claud and Jake came upon one of these idols – here is what they look like:

 

It makes me sad and angry that the devil has deceived these people into exchanging the One and Only, Living, Breathing, Almighty God for a piece of concrete with a fish painted on it.

Isaiah 44:6,9-11 ~ This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame.

At another point during their walk around town Claud and Jake stopped and sat down to talk with some children who were all alone.
 

 

At first glance Jake had noticed the cute little baby and so he sat down to play with the baby. Then he realized the little girl laying down was not resting, but in fact very sick. Claudius told Jake that Cape Coast has a huge problem with malaria and it is getting worse. The town swarms with mosquitos because of its proximity to the ocean. Claudius felt the girl’s head and looked at her eyes and knew that she had a very severe case of malaria. From there Jake felt led to get the girl to a hospital for treatment. However, the girl’s mother was out selling for the day so they could not transport her without first talking with the mother. As it turned out, Claudius’ office was right around the corner from these children, and a pastor that Claudius has on staff would be at the offices the rest of the evening. Claudius said he would have the pastor return to the girl after dark when the mother would be home from selling and then the pastor could take her to the hospital. Jake left money with Claudius to be used for the girl’s treatment. I should mention here, that the reason parents don’t take their children to hospitals and clinics themselves is because they cannot afford the treatment. If you show up at a clinic without health insurance the cost is almost 10 times what it is if you have insurance. To get health insurance in Ghana it is only 4 cedis (about 2 U.S. dollars) and that covers you for an entire year. But when you are living off of less than a dollar a day, it is just not feasible and hardly any of the villagers have health insurance.

Interesting sight in Cape Coast… pigs on the beach...

 

 

That is a pretty skinny pig if those words even go together.

Jake had a great time with Claudius today, and mentioned that Claudius has a huge heart for special needs children and those with handicaps. This is extremely rare in Ghana, because a lot of times those with physical and mental challenges are written off as cursed and are usually ignored and mistreated. Claudius held a practice this afternoon for children with down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Then this evening he hosted a game for those that are wheelchair bound. The game was under the lights and they had music blaring. Jake said it was a really fun atmosphere…

 

Tomorrow the team will tour the Cape Coast Castle - the castle and dungeon where slaves were imprisoned and tortured before they were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to North and South America as part of the slave trade.  Pictures from my tour through the castle are in the post linked to at the beginning of this post.  They will also visit the Cultural Center in Accra to do some shopping for souvenirs and then they will board their flight to come home!

Thursday's Updates from Jake in Ghana

Jake got to share the gospel in a town called Dzemeni today. This is an area that is high in child labor/trafficking because it is along the Lake Volta.
 

 

Dzemeni market scene

 

 

 

The parents of the children are lied to by being promised that their children’s school fees will be paid for if they send them to come and work here along the shore. They are basically tricked into child labor, and even worse, some children are literally sold (for as low as 50 Ghana cedis) and are sent to the Northern region to work in mines and factories. Jake said that the canoes come in and out of the lake transporting people and children like taxi cabs. He’d never seen anything like it. Many of the children here also die by drowning because they are forced to fish and repair nets. The police have started to make arrests, but there are so many in this trafficking ring that they can’t all be caught.

The pastors here have set up a ministry to help rescue the child slaves and get them into school. The main pastor came and found Jake in Asikuma earlier this week and asked him to come see the ministry.

 

The pastors asked Jake to preach to the children and teachers today. They said that drug abuse, alcohol abuse, sexual immorality (lots of young teen pregnancies), and worship of false gods including a lake goddess are the biggest issues in the area. Jake was able to share his personal testimony and he also preached on Deuteronomy 28 – highlighting the two choice paths of obedience or disobedience to God – and the outcomes of each.

 

 

Back in Asikuma, Jill - one of our team members - came across this little girl who had infections all over her head...
 

 

Once Jake got back he brought her to the clinic and the nurses knew right away that she needed to be tested for HIV. The test came back ‘inconclusive’ so she was sent to a neighboring town, Juapong, for more testing. Our Foundation paid for the transportation and further testing.

The floors and plastering were completed at Yaa and Adjoa’s new home yesterday.
 

 

The carpenter (who assists Sampson) started his work today, and now the new ceilings are up!

 

Why use a ladder to put up the ceiling when you're talented enough to do this?
 

 

Watch yer toes!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I love Ghanaians! They are so ready to WORK, and get the job done with a lil African ingenuity every time!

Jake said Yaa and Adjoa are SO EXCITED about the new home! And he said Grandma (not pictured below) might be the most excited of all….she has a little extra hop in her step and smiles and dances around every time she sees Jake coming. :)  I can totally picture it - I just love her free spirit!

Jake with Yaa, Adjoa, and their auntie outside of their new home – not quite move-in ready yet but soon!

 

♥

 

Wednesday's Updates From Jake in Ghana

As it turns out, Little Miss Prosper is indeed perfectly capable of going to school now! What Jake perceived as a mental handicap upon meeting her at first, was a combination of her being quite afraid of her first glimpse of a ‘white man’ and taken aback about what was going on. She would not communicate or speak hardly at all. BUT, after Jake got to spend some more extended time with her yesterday, he noted that she may have some mild mental delays, but nothing severe aside from her physical handicaps. He reasoned that there is no reason she should be excluded from school, so off he went to find the school master and pay for her school fees. And today, she got to start school. :)

 

 

♥

Our medical clinic in Asikuma is getting such a work out! Every day Jake is taking kids there for treatment. This morning when Jake was visiting the school that our sponsored kids go to, some little kids came running up to him saying, “You have to help Yaa! Something is wrong with her head!” Once Jake found her he saw that she had developed a huge infectious lump on her head that was not there (or at least not noticeable) yesterday. He took her out of school and took her to the clinic. It just so happened that the head district doctor was making his rounds and was at our clinic this morning…Jake said he took one look at the lump and said, “Oh my God – get me some gloves!” Here she is getting ready to get a shot to numb the site.

 

Jake said from there they had to slice the lump open with a blade to get all the infection out, and then closed it back up. Jake saw the whole thing and said he almost passed out because there was blood and infection everywhere. Once finished they gave Yaa the strongest antibiotic they had, and gave her instructions to come to the clinic every morning before school for the next 10 days to get the wound redressed. In addition to the lump of infection, Yaa also had ringworm of her scalp which is so common in Ghana. Fungal infections are everywhere and constantly spread throughout the community.

Our in-country staff member, Wisdom, and Jake had the opportunity to ‘lay hands’ on Graham today and pray for him to be healed.

 

A doctor appointment has been scheduled for Graham in Accra (the capital of Ghana) for next Thursday. I know that there are times when God chooses to heal through doctors. But I also know that there are times when God chooses to heal through the faith of his disciples alone. I’m shooting for the latter.

Lastly, Jake got to meet the pregnant mother with breast cancer today...

 

Her letter was translated to English, and I wanted to share it in her words so that you can feel the weight of her plea…

Dear Sir,

It is with great pain that I write to you this note. I am a mother of six children and I am now seven months pregnant. I have been informed of the good work the Lord is using you and your groups to do in Asikuma. May He continue to supply your needs according to His riches.

Please, my problem is I have been diagnosed of breast cancer and the doctor said after delivery I will be very weak and won’t be able to breastfeed my baby. I do not have anybody anywhere to help me in feeding the baby after delivery. I am pleading with you if you can help my baby survive for two years after delivery than I can handle him myself with solid food. I believe God is going to help me through you.

Yours sincerely….

So, you’ll notice that she said she is 7 months pregnant, not 3 months….had that detail wrong when I shared yesterday. This puts her due date in March, and Jake’s next trip to Ghana is planned for March. We’ve talked with our in-country staff, and we have all agreed that the answer to this one is: FORMULA! So, between now and Jake’s next trip, we are asking for donations of baby formula and bottle liners (specific details below). They do sell formula in Ghana, however, it is sparse and can usually only be found near the capital city. Any Ghana store would not have enough of a supply for what we need anyways because we will need to get this mother through March until August when Jake will be back.

I have been thinking through the concept of what form of formula to bring. They now have the pre-mixed kind that actually comes in disposable bottles. This would be SO perfect because of the unsanitary conditions in the middle of the village – but, much too heavy to bring in the suitcases. We just wouldn’t be able to bring as much as we could if we did the powder form. Jake asked Nurse Betty at the medical clinic her opinion, and her main concern with the powder form was that she wanted to ensure the mother mixes it with bottled water. They also have little plastic bags of water in Ghana that are much cheaper than the bottles and this is what most of the villagers drink. However, the bagged water is drinkable but not ‘clean’ like bottled water is. After talking with Nurse Betty, Jake concluded that our Foundation will buy the mother a supply of bottled water (which can be easily purchased in Ghana) for mixing with the formula, and it will be stored at the clinic (along with the formula). Each day the mother (who lives about 3 blocks from the clinic) can come to the clinic to collect a day’s worth of water and formula.

Which brings me to the next thing. Since this mother is not going to be able to just run to the kitchen sink and wash bottles, I would like to supply her with bottle liners. In case you are new to the whole bottle scene, there are some bottles that are made in which you slip in a plastic liner. Then you dispose of the liner after use. I think this would really help to keep things on the sanitary side for each feeding. I also would like to stick to the same brand of formula, so that the baby isn’t switched around to different kinds. So, specifically, here is what we will be collecting:

Similac brand infant formula – BLUE label (the one for ‘baby’s 1st year’)...

 

Boxes of Playtex Drop-Ins 8-10 oz

 

We will also take a few other ‘regular’ bottles just in case, so those can be donated too, but I would rather people donate liners as the majority. Nurse Betty at the clinic mentioned that there are other cases like this that happen where mothers cannot breastfeed, and that our medical clinic would also be appreciative of a donation of formula. So, the more we can get and pack, the better!

In the event that this mother gives birth before Jake's arrival in March, he is leaving some money behind in the event that they would need to purchase formula to get her through until the team arrives.

Lastly, Jake found out today that pregnant mothers in Ghana are issued a free temporary health insurance card, in which they can go into any clinic and receive care throughout their pregnancy and through the first 6 weeks after birth. Because of this mother’s case of cancer, she was strongly urged to give birth at our clinic (rather than in her hut) because they have the appropriate medicine to care for her after birth.

It’s probably not the most cost effective for donaters to ship formula to our house, so if you feel led to donate but do not live near us, please rather consider a monetary donation to our Foundation. You can do so via the link on my side bar, or mail donations to:

Jake Sullivan
315 Ridgewood Drive
Huxley, IA 50124

Payable to Kindgom Cares International.

Thanks for your support!

Tuesday's Updates From Jake in Ghana

God is good.

 

 First ride!

 

 

Yep, Prosper got her wheelchair today. :) When Nurse Betty at our medical clinic in Asikuma found out about Prosper’s need yesterday she took action and immediately hooked us up with one! Jake got the joy of delivering the chair this morning. He said that when they started pushing Prosper she began smiling and was telling everyone that she can now go to school! Now that is the Ghanaian spirit! Rejoicing today that the Lord allows us to be part of His amazing work in the lives of these people - they change our lives more than we change theirs.

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. ~ Psalm 40:1-3, 5~

Jake took little George to our medical clinic right away this morning and got the medicine he needed. As it turned out, George did have very severe ringworm of his scalp.
 

Ringworm meds.

 

He received a lotion that needs to be put on his head twice per day, as well as an oral pill that he takes each day for two weeks. Tomorrow Jake is taking Nurse Betty from the clinic to George’s house so she knows where it is. Our Foundation will be paying the clinic to make daily checks on George and his siblings since they’ve really got it rough. The clinic staff will also assume responsibility for ensuring that George receives his doses of medicine each day once Jake leaves. In addition, Nurse Betty is going to take George to a main nutritional center in a neighboring town in order to receive some nutrition packs.  She noted that George is very malnourished and underweight.  The nutrition packs will enable him to get some of the calories that he is lacking.  Jake might even be able to accompany them on that trip before the team leaves Asikuma. We are so thankful to have such great staff that are willing to go out of their way to help these precious ones.

For the past couple of trips Jake and I have had it on our hearts to help Yaa and Adjoa (cared for by their aunt and elderly grandmother) to get a new home. Here is where the 4 of them live currently…

 

About a year and a half has gone by since we met them (and since that picture was taken) and now the walls of the home are caving in…

 

A few trips ago, Jake had told Yaa and Adjoa’s aunt that our Foundation would like to help them get a new home. Since then, we’ve waited on the Lord to provide some direction. Today, the aunt told Jake that she had been scoping out some places to rent over the past few months and she found one. She said that she herself could afford the rent on the place because her business of selling bo-froot (a deep-fried doughnut-like ball) on the street-side was going so well! This was encouraging to hear because on one of the last trips we had given the aunt a monetary gift to put into her business!  She put it to use! YAY!

Me and Auntie streetside with her bo-froot on our March 2012 trip

 

She did ask for our Foundation’s assistance on helping to get the place fixed because it is not finished or ready to move in. She took Jake to view the home today. For lack of better words, the home would be kind of like a ‘townhome’ here in the U.S. It has 3 units shared by different families…Yaa and Adjoa’s family will occupy the unit on the very left.
 

 

Among other things the place needs a new ceiling put in, walls plastered, windows put on, and some of the flooring needs pulled up in order to make it liveable for the long term. Sounds like a job for……SAMPSON! Sampson went along with Jake today and estimated that the construction job will cost a total of 350 Ghana cedis, which with the current exchange rates puts it equivalent to $135. Sampson, consider yourself hired! Some more pictures of the place, with an excited Sampson posing on his new job-site!

Outside entry

 

One of the rooms indoors

 

Front entry right when you walk in

 

It’s going to be so exciting to keep track of Sampson’s progress on the place! I can’t wait until they get to move in!  Jake pre-paid Sampson for the work today, and he also felt led to cover the first two years of rent on the place with the landlord (360 Ghana cedis total for the rent). Jake did not want auntie to have to worry about paying the rent from month to month (rent is 15 cedis per month). Yaa and Adjoa, their aunt and grandmother literally feel like family to us, and it is such a joy that our Foundation is in a position to help them get on their feet and stay there. 

PLEASE CONTINUE PRAYING that Jake and the team would be led to the children and families in most need. God continues to answer this prayer, and is literally bringing situations right to Jake’s feet. I got this text from Jake earlier today (Ghana is 6 hours ahead of Iowa time):

Been a crazy day. A Grandfather is bringing four kids to me to meet tonight at the hotel that have been orphaned.

In addition, when Jake met with one of the chiefs of Asikuma today, the chief gave him a letter from a mother in the community. She had written this letter specifically to Jake…written in the local language (and blurred here to maintain privacy)...

 

This mother and her husband have 6 young children. After her last pregnancy the mother developed severe breast cancer. The couple's religion does not believe in family planning, and she recently became pregnant again. She knows she will not be able to breastfeed the child in her womb (due in approx. 6 months) because of the breast cancer, which in reality may also end up taking her life. She had heard how our Foundation had helped Emmanuel’s family, and she was hoping we could help her care for her baby once he/she is born. She knows she will be extremely weak after the birth, and won’t be able to feed the baby. Jake is meeting with our in-country staff over this situation tomorrow. As a mother of my two little formula-fed babes myself, I think I have a solution to this one....

To be continued…..

Team Currently in Ghana

Two days ago on Friday, Jake and a team of 20 University of Drake education majors, as well as the chair of the Drake education department, set off for their 10-day trip to Ghana. The team arrived safely and with all bags accounted for yesterday evening. Today, Sunday, they have traveled by bus to Asikuma where they are getting settled in and preparing for the coming week’s activities.

The theme of this trip is to give these students a crash course in how education is done in Ghana. They will also have the unique opportunity of getting to teach in the various rural schools in Ghana. They will receive course credit for this newly implemented J-term (January term – read about it HERE) and each student is required to create an I-movie of their experience as part of the coursework.

The team will spend part of their trip in our beloved community of Asikuma, and then they will move onto Cape Coast for the remainder of the trip.

These items are among the itinerary:

-Assess sponsorship program in Asikuma

-School visits will involve the student teachers speaking to the children on the importance of education, cleanliness, and discipline.

-In Cape Coast the student teachers will be involved in a literacy program in the Amanful community. An open air library will be established for the day so that the children in the community can interact with the teachers.

-The student teachers will lead the children in creative drawing, reading, and a spelling bee.

-The student teachers will get involved in teaching malaria awareness and health care education.

-There will be a door to door affair where the student teachers will distribute and hang insecticide treated bed nets to young mothers in the community.

-During the visit to Cape Coast Jake will be leading a basketball camp hosted by Hoops Care International (http://hoopscare.org/), and they will have a mini-tournament that evening.

Please be praying that God would move amongst the team in supernatural ways.  Pray that many of the student-teachers would feel God’s appeal and invitation into faith. Pray for Jake as the leader of this group – that God would give him strength, direction, guidance and wisdom. He really has a lot of pressure on him this trip! Lastly, pray that God would lead the team to the children and families who are in the most need and can be helped by our ministry.

Asikuma school kids greeting Jake on our March 2011 trip


Typical classroom setting in rural villages in Ghana

 

Ghana Trip Itinerary

We leave for Ghana in 8 days!!!!! AHHHH!!!! This trip has really snuck up on me this time! Thought you might be interested in seeing our itinerary:

Thursday, March 10th: Flights, travel

Friday, March 11th: Arrive into Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana @ 1:50 pm. Michael (local staff member of Isaiah 1:17 Foundation) will meet us at airport with rental van and from there we will drive directly to village of Asikuma (2 ½ hour drive from Accra). Get situated into our lodging area, dinner, and likely will go to bed.

Saturday, March 12th - Tuesday, March 15: Assess construction needs in Asikuma (library, medical house, foster care units, guest house, etc.) and assess agricultural/farming needs. Possibly construct additional toilet area for residents. Meet with teachers – learn their needs, spend time with local doctor – learn his constraints and needs, distribute shoes to villagers, distribute books and educational supplies to teachers. Conduct bible time for village kids. Main goal for these 3 days is to spend time with villagers. We need to live and breathe in their environment to assess their needs and make plans for action.

Tuesday, March 15: Drive to The Beacon House Orphanage in Accra, Ghana!!!!!!! (http://beaconhouseghana.org/) Scheduled volunteering for our group is from morning to 3pm. We will take part in teachings and other activities. Total number of kids are 37. Ages of children are all 10 years and younger except they have one 15 year old boy. 22 girls and 15 boys in the house. We are encouraged to bring food items, soccer balls, toothpaste, Christian music c.d.’s, and educational materials. Late afternoon: check into AirSide Hotel in Accra. Kingdom Hoops Ghana basketball team to dinner at hotel.

Wednesday, March 16: Visit 3 types of schools in Accra – learn about educational system.

Thursday, March 17: Select Kingdom Hoops Ghana players invited to hotel to discuss process of getting F-1 student visas. Market visit and souvenir shopping. To airport by 7pm for 10pm flight.

I’ve had a lot of people asking about donations and what we need. All 10 of us are taking one extra suitcase full of donations that have already been collected since the last trip. Not only that, but the Vanderweides’ were able to find a shipping service to Ghana that is pretty reasonably priced, and we’ve recently sent a few crates ahead of us. And, Jake and I still have about 5 huge sacks of clothes and shoes sitting in our garage, waiting to be packed up for the next trip! All this to say, we do not have room to take any more tangible items on this particular trip. If you feel led to donate, the best way to do that right now is through a monetary donation. There are NUMEROUS needs that come up in-country that are hard to predict ahead of time. For example, on the last trip Kingdom Cares was able to purchase Prince a bike so that he could get to and from school, and we hadn’t known that was a need until we got there. On this trip we are hoping to actually be able to do some initial infrastructure development in the village but we won’t know for sure until we scope it out. If you would like to send a monetary donation, checks can be made payable to Kingdom Cares International and sent to 315 Ridgewood Dr., Huxley, IA 50124 or you can use the donate button on my sidebar.

So, that is the tentative plan for our days. This trip is going to continue to open my eyes and change my heart - and I can’t wait!!!

To Ghana They Go & Trip Itinerary!

Jake, my mom, and 5 other Kingdom Hoops affiliates are now on their way to Ghana for a week's stay! I must say, it feels so strange that I am not going on this trip! I can't wait to hear all of their stories and see their pictures once they get back. I took this picture of my mom and Jake as we said our goodbyes at the airport earlier this afternoon....I am so excited for all that they will experience!

In case you are wondering, I had decided to sit this trip out since Jake and I have the Sierra Leone trip planned for March. I didn't think I could do without my 3 little red-headed munchkins for two whole trips! One trip is hard enough on me! :) Here is the general itinerary for Jake and the group for their time in Ghana...Jake wrote this out before they left:

Today, December 28th: Travel to Accra, Ghana....3 different flights
December 29th: Arrive in Ghana about 2pm. We will have serious jet lag so we will get through the airport and customs and get checked into the hotel. For dinner on the 29th we will go down to a place called Frankies which is an American restaurant in Ghana so everyone should be able to get some good food before we call it a night.
December 30th: Basketball tournament to support Isaiah 1:17 foundation 11:30am-6:00pm at Aviation Center.
December 31st: Head to Cape Coast around 8:30am and spend the day in Cape Coast partnering with Hoops Care International to put on a basketball camp, educational learning sessions, and bible study. We will probably stay in Cape Coast to celebrate New Years’ Eve. The directors of Hoops Care International are handling all the logistics of the day.
January 1st: Family Fun Day – 9:00am-6:00pm in Accra, Ghana - we will be using this event as a big fundraising event for the Isaiah 1:17 foundation.
January 2nd: This is Sunday and we will head to church at Central Gospel Church in Accra and then take a visit to Prince's village and spend the day with his soccer team.
January 3rd: We will head to the village of Kwahu with Kofi Oppong who handled our adoption and serve wherever he decides would be best for us.
January 4th: We will head to the airport at about 7pm on the 4th and during the day we will leave open for activities that may need to be finished before we leave. We will have at least one host student traveling back with us and potentially two.

I know I haven't blogged about our Isaiah 1:17 Foundation yet....that's because there are at least 2 posts that need to come prior to that one to give you a good picture of how it started. :) Hoping I will get to that within the next week. I should also have a guest post coming from Jake in the next day or two about why he is so passionate about Africa. :) That was his project for the plane. He will also be journaling each day of the trip, so hopefully it will work out to post his journal once they return. In the mean time, you can check my mom's blog at: http://odlemountain.blogspot.com/ If she gets a good internet connection in Ghana she might be posting a few things while they are there.

Ghana Journal Trip 2: Day 3

This morning Esi and family picked us up after breakfast and took us to the cultural center where they sell all sorts of traditional Ghanaian items. They were selling everything from drums, to beaded necklaces, bags, clothing, wood-carved kitchen utensils, etc.

This was a drum we brought back for Coach Julian....

Jake and Nana Yaw's little brother, Pepra.

The girls went inside the little stores to shop and do the bartering, and the guys stayed outside. :) We purchased a few gifts to bring back home with us and then Esi & fam took us to a wonderful Chinese restaurant for lunch. A few pictures I took as we drove:

Kids playing with tires.

My flash went off when I took this picture, but if you will look closely this lady is carrying all of that stuff and she has a baby strapped to her back. This is a very common sight in Ghana.

On the car ride to the restaurant I saw one of the saddest sights that I have seen yet in Ghana. As we approached a stop light I saw a young teenage boy sitting in the median – his face was staring down at the ground as he drew in the dirt. As I looked down at what he was drawing it was then that I noticed his feet and legs. His feet and legs were blown up about 4 times the size of his other limbs. He had tumors and wrinkled skin from about his kneecaps down. His toes were unrecognizable. I could only describe his legs as looking like elephant legs. I found out later that this is in fact a disease called elephantiasis, also known as elephant leg syndrome. I can promise you this was the most awful disease I have ever seen with my own eyes. The disease is caused when thread-like parasitic worms enter the body, transmitted by mosquitoes. The disease is prominent in Africa. Treatments for this disease include surgery/radiation therapy, and antibiotics/creams. This young boy will likely never have access to treatment. His days will consist of sitting there on that curb being galked at by passerbys, and begging for money. He will be pitied, socially outcasted, and will never lead a ‘normal’ life. It is with these sights that I can tell you I have not become numb to the hardships of this country. This trip has had an entirely different focus than our last trip – our purpose this time is to bond with Samuel. And so, the absolute joy of creating that bond has certainly overshadowed the sad and frustrating emotions that I feel in watching these people work endlessly and tirely for next to nothing. It has been solemn for me to come back to Ghana 6 months after our last trip and see that there have been no changes and no progression. These people are artists, craftsmen, hair stylists, athletes, and fashion designers. They can cook amazing dishes with primitive techniques. They are resourceful, innovative, and hard, hard workers. They have SO MUCH talent. And yet, there are no options here of what can be done with it. It is just a poverty cycle here that repeats itself over and over and over, like a hamster running on his wheel. I just want more for them.

I think my mind has fallen into the trap of thinking there is no way this will ever change. But, I am thinking too big. I am looking at the country in its entirety of poverty and saying ‘it’s impossible’. But then I look into Samuel’s twinkling eyes as he splashes in a pool for the first time and I know in his life there is hope like he’s never known before. As he wrinkles up his nose in distaste after trying his first ever bite of pizza I giggle and think back to just a few short months ago when his mother showed me her pot that she used for cooking. When I tuck him into bed and say good night as he snuggles deep under the covers I think back to the night I saw his ‘house’ for the first time – a 5x5 shack with a metal roof. His life will now be forever changed. It is then that I realize that my husband has got this ‘change’ thing all figured out. He knows that he can make a difference in this country with the small little platform that God has given him with basketball. He will help one person at a time. I am so thankful to be part of this wild ride. I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned with Kingdom Hoops Ghana!

Well, after our lunch at the chinese restaurant we had to hurry back to Esi’s house to watch Ghana take on Australia in the FIFA World Cup football match. Let me tell you, this country LOVES their football team. Everyone was sporting Ghana football clothing and colors today. Everywhere we went people were crowded into little shops trying to catch a glimpse of the game on TV.

We were still driving to Esi’s house once the game had already started. We were listening to the game on the radio in the car when Ghana scored its first goal and almost immediately people ran out into the streets dancing and cheering and high-fiving and hugging. It was nuts….reminded me of a movie scene!

My favorite experience from the day was when Esi took me to the market area. You could maybe somewhat compare it to a farmer’s market – only x 100.

Esi buys some lettuce & carrots.

This lady was stirring live crabs.

Esi said this particular market only runs on the weekends – by Monday every vendor will be gone. I just loved taking in all the vibrant colors and varieties of food.

Back at Esi’s house she had a few friends stop by to meet us. One of her friends was observing Samuel & JJ playing and conversing and she asked about Samuel and our adoption. When we told her that JJ and Samuel had just met on Thursday she was in awe – and really so are we! It is hard not to notice the friendship that the two of these have already. Praise God!!

After our time with Esi we went back to the hotel and I asked the boys if they wanted to go swimming (they had only dipped their feet in the pool the past few days and we hadn’t actually gotten a chance to swim). Well, when I asked the question Samuel almost jumped through the roof because he was so excited. I wish I would have had it on video – he clapped his hands, squealed, jumped up and down and shouted YES, YES, YES!!!! Once we got out to the pool I realized that this was definitely Samuel’s first time in a swimming pool. He had no fear of the water, but also had a very tight grip on my hand. The first thing I did was take him out to the drop off for the deep end and pointed out the line not to cross. Then back in the shallow end I let him experiment with the water while I stood right by him. At one point he was jumping and went under without holding his breath….and that was a good learning experience. :) So next, JJ and I showed him how to blow bubbles in the water which was hilarious to him! Once he got the hang of it I showed him how to blow bubbles while going under the water. He tried a couple of times without succeeding so I then showed him how to hold his breath & plug his nose before going under. He quickly got the hang of that and had fun practicing over and over. On a side-note, JJ is now able to go under for almost 5 seconds while holding his breath and blowing bubbles out of his nose! We had fun swimming for almost an hour. I cannot wait to take Samuel swimming back in the U.S. He will love the beach entry pool and the kiddie slide.

After swimming we had the Kingdom Hoops Ghana team over to the hotel for some pizza and a great speech from Jake (which I actually didn’t get to hear because I had two very tired boys on my hands).

Some of the Kingdom Hoops Ghana players (that is Ezekiel in the middle).

Listening to the ipod again. :)

After dinner and a few quick car races it was off to bed!