Team Bonding

Good morning from Accra! I am just hanging out here at the guest house before we leave for our bumpy drive to Aflao, so thought I'd post a quick update. :-)

Last night after my post, we had some fun team bonding time.  Randi, one of the EMI interns, and I decided to go for a little walk around the grounds outside. (We are fenced in with barbed wire around the top here! Interesting!)  There wasn't much to explore because of the fence, so we stopped in the yard out back to play frisbee.  It was nice because it was a little cooler out, but still very humid and sticky!  The yard was kinda like a swamp in some places so that provided some adventure in catching the frisbee when I'd run and my foot would suddenly get stuck! Randi and I played for about 45 minutes, then were joined by Nick (the other intern) and Jonathan (civil engineer volunteer).  Tyra, a cute little 2 year old Ghanaian girl (daughter of the family the owns the guest house I believe), joined them and we tried to teach her to throw the frisbee.  John and 2 other guys from our team ended up joining us too and we added in passing around the soccer ball ("football" here) at the same time as the frisbee. :-)  This was a fun time of bonding before dinner!

For dinner, we actually had a delicious, basically American meal, which was really a blessing for the first night! George, our Ghanaian engineer, and his wife, Joyce, joined us after dinner to share their testimonies with us and tell us a bit more about Ghana and the culture here.  Joyce was excited to tell us that Ghana is a safe and peaceful country, and they pray every day that war will not break out here as it has in every country surrounding us. It was good to hear their love of newcomers here, and was exciting to start to get to know some natives and hear how they came to Christ.  We also had an opportunity to share a little bit of our own stories with them as well.

Around 9:30, our last two team members, Wayne and Sandy, arrived from Canada.  We talked a little but basically showered and went to bed after that...we were all having a LOT of trouble keeping our eyes open!! ;-)  Sleep was wonderful. We are so blessed here at the guest house with running water for toilets and showers, fans in the rooms, and nice beds!  I feel so much better now that I am rested!

Breakfast was this morning at 7:30.  I got to sit next to Tammy and talk to her a little more about the Children's Home. She was excited to have me here as a teacher, and said the kids are so excited for our visit.(we are "highly expected," as they say!)  She told me that the kids will be in school during the day while we're out there. She told me about how they're trying to open their own school and wants to put me on the list to hire as their first teacher there! ;-) We will see what God has planned.

After breakfast, our team split up for a little bit.  John, and Greg (an architect from our team) went with George to talk on one of the only Christian radio stations here in Accra.  We got to listen to them on the radio in the kitchen as they shared about EMI and our mission here.  Another group then left with Tammy and Samuel (our police escort) to go to the market to buy a guitar! I wish I could've gone with them, but they didn't want too large of a group.  Once they get back, we'll take off for Aflao.

Well, now that I've summarized a bit of our experience so far, I want to share some Bible passages that have spoken to me so far on this trip.

On May 31st, the day we left, I read Psalm 31, both at home before leaving for the airport, as well as on the plane.  There was so much in this passage that really spoke to me and I'd like to share some verses that encouraged me at the beginning of this trip:
-"For the sake of Your name lead and guide me."
-"Into Your hands I commit my spirit, redeem me, LORD."
-"My times are in Your hands."
-"In the shelter of Your presence You hide me."
-"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

This morning in Ezekiel 39, I also read a verse that really seems to apply to my time here: "I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel." I hope and pray that we can be a part in making known His holy name to the nations!

Another passage that keeps coming to my mind already on this trip that is my prayer for myself during this time is Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."