Hello there from Aflao, Ghana! Aflao is a town of about 10,000, right on the Togo border. We can literally see Lome', the capital of Togo, from our balcony, as well as the Atlantic Ocean! (Below is a view of Aflao from our roof...the tall buildings in the distance are in Lome', the capital of Togo)
Sorry I was not able to post in a while...turns out we do not have wireless here in Aflao, but luckily John has a USB motem so that we can get internet once in a while, but we have to take turns using it. (And pay for the time that we’re on) We arrived here Thursday afternoon after about a 3 hour drive. The roads were actually not that bad! We checked into our hotel, the Hotel Liberte', which is actually very nice considering the location. Shortly after that, we had to go meet the king of Aflao. It was very interesting to see many of the traditional aspects of their culture here. We also got to check out the construction site of the king's new palace, which the engineers of course were very interested in. ;-)
We then went to the children's home to see the conditions of where they are living now and meet the kids. As we drove in, what we saw brought tears to our eyes. There is a huge dump outside the home, with pigs and even children digging through the trash and mud. It really opened our eyes to the terrible reality of what happens when this site floods...and why it made so many of the children get sick!
When the gate opened and we saw the children's faces, it was so exciting! They all had such joy to see us and were crowding around the van. We got to stay for a little bit, hanging out and getting to know them better. I got to hold baby Princess for a while, and also met 3 girls (ages 12, 12, and 14) who invited me to sit next to them on the bench. It was fun to get to know them and talk to them a little bit about school and Jesus. Even though they speak English, the language barrier was difficult still sometimes with their broken dialect. (Their native language here is called Ewe, but they also learn English and French in school) But they are my new friends and I am excited to see them every time we go back to the home :-)
Thursday night after the children's home, we also got to share testimonies with the team which was awesome! It's so great to hear everyone's story about how God has worked in their lives and how they got to this place.
Friday morning, we got to go out and explore the new site for the Children's Home. It is going to be so wonderful!! We all just want to get them moved over there as soon as possible!
Yesterday afternoon was difficult for me. God was definitely working on some humility in my heart. All of the engineer teams were working on their stuff, and I had nothing to do. I felt so helpless and was really feeling like I had no idea why I was even here. I ended up going into the architect meeting and hearing more about the new site, which was actually really interesting and made me more excited about the project. All I had wanted to do was go see the kids, but God had other plans for me which in the end I am glad for.
Yesterday (Saturday) was wonderful. I got to go back to the children’s home in both the morning and afternoon with two different groups. It was so wonderful! In the morning, I went with Tammy, Pastor Osmond (one of the Ghanaian pastors), and the two wives from our team. I brought the Jesus Storybook Bible, and we also brought a few games. The kids sang “Father Abraham” for us, and then I taught them “The Jesus Chant,” that I sang with my kids at Kids Club last summer. The kids loved it!! J Pastor Osmond helped me to read one of the Bible stories to the children (it was kinda hard for them to understand me sometimes cuz I talk too fast haha), and then I asked questions at the end for the kids to get candy prizes for answering correctly. We then told them that if they could quote any Bible verses from memory, the rest of them could get candy. It was so wonderful to see every single one of the children come forward to quote a verse or passage. Three of them even quoted Psalm 23 in its entirety, which was so encouraging! J
When we got out the soccer ball and other games, the kids’ eyes lit up. They have been playing “football” with just a small hackey-sack ball. It is such a privilege for them to now have a real soccer ball. Pastor Osmond was so grateful that he took the soccer ball and prayed over it before we played. I am just so amazed to see their gratitude and joy over just the smallest things here! I got to play “football” with the kids. J It was really fun even though I was drenched in sweat and they all just dribbled all around me. They are all so skilled!
In the afternoon, I went back to the children’s home with Keith, Josh, Jonathan, Nick, and Randi from the team. For the first hour, we just hung out with the kids, reading Bible stories and chatting. I am amazed by these kids’ knowledge of the Bible! They LOVE the Jesus Storybook Bible. It’s like a treasure to them, and they were taking turns reading it as well as having us read to them. I love the opportunities this book gives me to share the gospel even more with the kids, and just to start those conversations. For the second hour while we were there, a bunch of us played “football” with the kids again. (Some didn’t last as long as others in the heat…haha!)
Last night, I got to go with a group to hear John speak on the Christian radio station in Aflao. It was a really neat experience! We all piled into the little radio studio (5 of us Americans and 4 Ghanaians), and then John gave a ½ hour long sermon with Pastor Christian interpreting into Ewe. It was really neat to just feel in the presence of God, with all the “Amens,” “Hallelujahs,” and “Praise the Lords.” Some people called for prayer at the end of the message, and all of the Ghanaians in the room prayed out loud at the same time in Ewe. Such a neat experience!
This morning, we split our team of 14 up into 5 different groups to visit various churches. I went with John and Sarah to Shalom Baptist Church. It was a really cool experience. I loved seeing their joy as they praise the Lord through song however he leads. (And I love how they dance around!!) It was also really exciting when they sang a few songs we recognized, because most everything was in Ewe. Right before the sermon, they introduced us as “Sister Sarah” and “Sister Becca,” and asked us to share a few words of encouragement. I shared some thoughts on Proverbs 3:5-6 and what it means in my life. It was my first time talking with an interpreter, which is a fun experience. I tried to use as simple of language as possible, and I guess the audience liked it cuz they kept saying “Amen” and nodding their heads. ;-) John gave the sermon on a passage from Romans 8. The people really seemed to respond well!
Below is a picture of Pastor Sampson and me on the balcony of our hotel after church!
This afternoon and evening we’ve just been hanging out and resting for our Sunday. George, our team member from Accra, officially joined us this afternoon. Tammy’s husband, Chris, arrived this afternoon from the States as well. We are looking forward to hearing Tammy and Chris share more of their vision and the story behind their ministry, the Jesse Brooks Foundation, tonight after dinner.
Well, that’s all for now! Ha ha, sorry it’s so long!! Had a lot to catch up on J I’ll try to post again in a few days! Thank you all so much for your prayers while I am here!!
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