Monday our flight was booked for 11:30pm...our itinerary included a whole free day in Accra.
Most of the team left together on the bus with Simon and Stephen at 10am that morning for the International Cultural Centre for several hours of shopping fun/harassment :). The vendors are very 'friendly' by wanting to become your best friend so that you won't leave their 'shop'. Paul said that you start the barter process at about 1/2 the asking price. The vendors will even go so far as to follow you to the bus to try to get your sale. Paul refused to buy from anyone that called him 'Daddy' as many would :). Jambe drums, carvings, fabrics, maps, etc...made their way into our suitcases and as carry on for the flight home.
Seven of us left on a separate bus left at 9am to spend the day with 19 Compassion sponsored kids. We picked them up at the church that hosts the Compassion project and provides all the volunteers who work with the kids. It was arranged that we spent the day with them at a park where the boys played football (soccer) with Joe, Russ, Sam, Ryan and Nolan, the girls taught Jacqueline and I a couple of games, and when they all jumped into a shallow pool to play for a majority of our day, some of us watched and chatted with the workers or learned some Ghanaian board games. Jacqueline and I even had the opportunity to have a beautiful 6 month baby, Michelle, strapped onto our backs Ghanaian style :). We had lunch at a restaurant where we ate inside instead of on the patio because many of these kids have never sat around cloth covered tables to eat dinner the way we did that day. Waiting for our fabulous chicken and rice lunch, Russ taught the infamous 'Skinner-ma-rinky-dinky-dink song' that was a favorite up in Tinga, and then many of the children stood and sang songs for us. A boy named Maxwell (Prince's best friend), stood and sang the old familiar song 'Jesus My Savior', and as we started to sing along with him, we noticed his eyes well up with tears. The sound of us all singing together in that restaurant was beautiful and he was overwhelmed in that moment (as was I), but he kept leading us, and when he sat, he bent his head and quickly pinched his eyes to stop the tears and wipe them away...a very powerful moment...one I will never forget!!! We ended our lunch with Ryan juggling 3 tomatoes for the kids :). Once we said our goodbyes, the seven of us squeezed in about 45 power-shopping minutes to find some souvenirs. After spending most of all our Ghanian Cedis at the roadside market, we had to pay to refuel the bus. There was a bit of a nervous moment when we found out that they didn't accept the US funds or credit cards we had, but God saw that we had just enough Cedis to cover it!
The reason that we made this visit is because Joe and I have sponsored a 13 year old boy named Prince through the Compassion program for the past 6 years. He is one of 7 children in his family, but he lives in a west side poor section of Accra with his grandmother while the rest of his family lives approximately 2 hours away. He is the only child in his family that goes to school and that is why he is there. Compassion provides for his medical, dental and educational needs and they visit their neighbourhoods and family homes often to check in with his family to be sure all his other needs are met. We visited Prince last May, and at that time visited the church and they explained the program, visited his class (and the Lord helped me recognize him out of the whole class as they asked us to 'find' him amongst the 50 some uniformed kids), and visited his family before taking him to lunch. When we arrived at the church this time and walked upstairs to meet the kids waiting for us, Prince came down several of the steps toward us wearing the shirt and baseball we gave him last time, and welcomed us with a really big hug...Wow!!! When I signed the guest register again this year, I noticed that no other sponsor had visited their project since we had last been there. 98% of sponsors all over the world never have a chance to meet their sponsored kids...we feel SO blessed to have been able to do that twice so far, and hopefully we'll be back again :). I still have to get better at writing letters to him...all the kids look so forward to letters sent by their sponsors! Encouragement and love is what each one of us needs.
At 6 we enjoyed a final team dinner at the hotel, suitcases were packed back onto the little pick up and bus, and after 15 flying hours, 9-10 hours spent airports checking in, waiting for our connection and picking up bags, and a final 1 hour drive back to Uxbridge, we will be home! (Some of will have more drive times to their homes in Markham, Burkes Falls and Stouffville).
Home. A place God has blessed us with to live with and love our families, fellowship with our friends, tand work doing what God has given us to do so that we can provide. Provide not only for ourselves, but for our extended family and friends in various places all around the world...waiting to see what God has for us to be and do next...being His hands and feet in everything we do.
When I started this blog, I spoke about how quickly this project came together. God opened David's eyes to the need for this church to be built in Tinga. God put the desire in our hearts to be available for this mission. God arranged that a bulk of the funds was ready and available to be used for this project, and He provided the funds to our donors who helped see the additional financial needs were met. God worked through those of you who carried us with your prayers and support. Now we look forward to hearing about the work He does not only in the lives of those who walk through this new church's doors, but in the entire community of Tinga (David's Ephasus), and to the world beyond as He works through His people.
On this trip we were privileged to witness the new believers in the remote village of Babatok baptized. Shawn was baptized the following Sunday in Subinso, and Joe & I are thrilled that this Sunday as we were enroute by bus to Accra, our daughter Brittany was baptized with 625 others in Australia at Hillsong Church's Vision Sunday evening service. God is working everywhere in a mighty way!
Our work is not done. We must all continue to lift up in prayer the needs of this new church in Tinga, Peter and the new believers forming a church in Babatok, Pastor Rans and the church in Subinso, and all the other churches represented by the pastors and elders we worked along side for this build..that the right leaders are chosen for the new churches and that they all stay on course being everything God has for all of them being part of The Church in this world.
God bless you all!
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