It’s 5:22 am here in Ghana, our bags our packed our home is clean and left with very few signs of our presence and we are patiently waiting to eat and for our tro-tro to arrive (that’s what they call their small bus/vans here, it means little by little in their local language, not sure if it’s spelled correctly.) and I find that now is the best time to finally share some thoughts with you about my month and Ghana.
While I’m sure there will be more to come I’ll start with this, I am definitely a little sad to be leaving. We’re halfway through the race (a little more actually) and this was one of the first places that actually, really, truly started to feel like Home. Maybe it was the structured routine of school, church and rest. Maybe it was because we lived so comfortably and intimately with our hosts. The care and love that we received from our hosts. Or maybe it’s just that the Ghanaian culture is so welcoming and comfortable. I’m really not sure, but I know I will miss my time here.
That being said, it was yet another stretching month full of its own challenges and triumphs. We taught in a school for the primary part of our ministry. The church we were hosted by also runs a growing Christian school in the community. And while I’m still figuring out how I feel about teaching these days it was nice to get to know some students on a personal level, to be able to talk to them about faith during the normal routine and lessons of the day. We also struggled with a very rowdy class of 6 year olds and God taught us all a lot about loving people through or even in spite of discipline. I personally was reminded of so many lessons I learned as a first year teacher.
The days flew by and we also got to preach and sing twice a week at the church services, encourage people in the community through door-to-door visits and pray corporately with the community.
Through all of this there were also times spent growing in community, in my relationship with Christ and as a leader. The lessons were good this month and sometimes hard. One of the biggest among them was to make sure that I make time with the Lord everyday a priority.
I’m still processing through all that we learned and experienced, and as with most of the months so far on the race I will continue to do so. For now I’m trying to remember to keep my head and my heart focused on the task at hand and to finish the race with as much enthusiasm and energy as when I started.
In a few hours we leave for Nepal, and after a brief debrief with V-Squad we’ll move onto our ministry for the month working in the red light districts of a Nepali city. Here’s how you can be praying for us:
-Pray for Grace Life Church and Royal Oak Academy here in Ghana. They are led by two incredible people and I look forward to seeing so much from them over the next several years.
-Travel-I’m not sure how long we will be traveling this time, but I know it involves two layovers, 3 planes and some long days. Please pray for safety, smooth plans and positive attitudes. And meaningful conversation along the way.
-Our upcoming ministry in Nepal, we are so excited but know this will be a crazy, challenging month. Pray for wisdom, strength and energy.
-For our team, pray for continued growth in unity and perseverance.
-For me, pray that I don’t start counting down. It’s been 6 months since we started this journey and I want to be sure to continue every month with the same mindset and attitude that I began with.
Thanks so much for reading and your continued support.
Many blessings,
Sara
