It was dark when we first arrived to our Ministry sight; we were greeted by our fabulous hosts, Pastor Calvary and his wife Abigail and we set up camp in one of the rooms of the school. When we awoke the next morning we were greeted by children singing and by a delicious breakfast of omelets, bread and coffee/tea.
We waited to find out where we were going to be staying for the month, which ended up being just down the road from the school we will be serving at. Most people here don’t have air conditioning, which being from Wisconsin was rough for me, but there were fans in each of our rooms, toilets with seats on them and cold showers!
As we were walking to check out the corner store after we settled in to where we are staying, we were called in for tea and coffee with the retired Priest from Holland who owns the place we are staying, well we are really just staying in his guesthouse. He also brought in Ken, he is the father of the family who lives with Father Jopp, and he sang us welcoming songs, songs about how there are two Kelseys and blues songs. We got to chat with Father Jopp about Ghana and what we should do while we are here and what he is doing in Ghana. He was a Priest to many small villages here in Ghana, and when he retired he decided that this is where God is. And I fully believe that to be true, God is here. We were also invited to a housewarming party where we got to eat, drink and dance! It was so much fun, this is what I’ve been looking forward to, saying ‘yes’ to adventure and trying to live in the moment!
Pastor Calvary gave us the first few days we were here to get settled, he took us to the store to get the necessities like; Peanut butter, fruits and veggies. He also took us up the mountains to the Botanical Gardens in Aburi (Ah-boo-ree).
Pastor Calvary has graciously fed us many times, Abigail and their daughters, Annie and Hillary, are wonderful cooks. We have experienced many native dishes of Ghana such as; fufu (a play doughy textured substance made of yams and cassava), jellof (kind of like fasulia, it’s rice, tomato paste, veggies and beef) chicken (with seasoning), rice, and light soup (spicy and really good with beef, it’s poured over the fufu). I will be honest and say fufu is not my favorite, I’m a big texture person and I that was not something I could do, but the light soup that went over it was delicious.
Our ministry this month is serving at Royal Oak Academy and Grace Life Ministries Church in Oyrifah North, Accra. We are assisting teachers Monday through Thursday in their classrooms and attending “sports day” on Friday mornings, which is their gym class. I am teaching Class 4 (4th grade) with Auntie Hannah. The class has 22 students and the classroom is outside. I have taught a few lessons so far, as well as teaching them “heads up seven up,” they love that game. I have taught R.M.E (Religious and Moral Education); the Christian creation story and Citizenship; I taught them about knowing themselves; who you are, where you come, your characteristics that make you unique. It was really fun once I knew where to go with what I was talking about, the kids really enjoyed it. The kids call me Auntie Kelsey, Auntie is a sign of respect, I also get called sister Kelsey, which makes me feel like a nun in the Sound of Music.
We attend church Sunday and Wednesday and go to a women’s Bible Study on Thursdays. We do a lot of singing and some dancing to worship. We are always called up front to speak in front of the congregation and we are ALWAYS asked to sing a song! We are never prepared with a song, but we are learning that is expected of us when we attend church.
I love my team. I am rooming with Jenna this month, and every night at about the same time, one dog starts to howl, and then about ten more join in, and it will stop for a while and it will start right back up again with one dog. Jenna and I laugh to stay sane, because it can go on and on sometimes. And then in the morning, before the sun even comes up we start to hear the roosters crow, over and over and over again. The first few days were rough because they are RUTHLESS, but we have learned to tune them out. Just another day on the World Race.
There is just something about Ghana, I have truly fallen in love with this place, it feels like home. I love the view we have, the mountains are incredible (if you don’t know me, I have an obsession with mountains), the people are so friendly and the food is fabulous.
Not saying I don’t miss home, but here I just feel at home with my newfound sisters in Christ. My family for the year. I was very sick last night, and when you are sick you miss silly things like; your own toilet to get sick into and your own bathroom floor where you could lay and sleep and your own bed. But I have been blessed with my family here so willing to take care of me in the middle of the night when I wake them up crying. I couldn’t be more thankful, I love them so much.
I am working on some things about myself this month. I am working on being more disciplined in myself. Discipline is something I struggle with, I am a really good procrastinator and I don’t want to be anymore. It’s not easy to change something you’ve done for so long. I’m also working on being intentional with my time and how I spend it, I love movies, but I need to not spend all my time like I could (or if I were at home, watching Netflix), I need to learn how to live in community and to not flake out on plans because I’m tired and I would rather be at home watching Netflix, or just being intentional about the time I spend with people. Our team (excluding Cat) loves playing cards. It has become a great way for us to spend time together, we have actually grown closer through cards than just talking sometimes. So feel free to ask me how I’m doing on my goals this month!
Shoot me an email! I only get internet once a week, but Hey! Mind as well be intentional about what I do when I have internet! My email is [email protected]
I am also in need of $1000 by the end of September to meet my fundraising goal to be able to continue my journey of growth and companionship with the Lord! Please spread the word!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Kelsey
