Monday, August 19, 2013

Mission Trip to Ghana, West-Africa 2013

July 29, 2013: the traveling begins. It was a long, exhausting flight. I never rested well. The flight from London to Accra was an interesting one though. I have never seen so many wealthy Ghanaians before. They were cluttered on our plane with many babies crying/sleeping in their laps. Their clothes were in one piece with not a stain in sight. Is that what life is like in the city? Only hours away from a village with no electricity and poverty in every home. They were still just as nice, it's just hard to swallow when you have experienced and loved the complete opposite. 

We finally got to Accra and that airport is as always chaotic. We waited in long lines and searched and searched for our luggage. We lost one tote. That's not bad at all compared to last year's three, but that one tote was pretty critical. I am leading the crafts again this year, and all of the supplies was locked away in that one tote. My heart aches. All of the supplies and ideas for the crafts were gone. 

When we left the airport I felt the humid cool air on my skin and it sinks in... I'm back. Vincent is there to greet us and we load all of our luggage onto the Landrover and Nissan and prepare to leave when the Nissan will not start. As the Ghanaians say: no problem. After 30 minutes we are on the road. The ride to Kotokata is a very long ride. We did not get home until 3:30 the next morning. As exhausted as I was, I could not sleep. I woke up early and watched out of the windows. The first person I recognized was Etche. He was walking around the Land Rover pointing at the different parts and talking to his self. Typical Etche. Oh how I have missed his sweet hugs and funky smell. After more of the village woke up I walked outside with Lacey and Katherine. The first one to approach us was sweet sweet Josephine. It was still hard to get her to smile, but her two front teeth had grown in!! I then greeted the others that I knew with hugs. I waited for Yaw and Kofi, but they never came. Until, at a distance, I spotted Yaw in a red shirt. I called out to him and as he approached me I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a kiss. He just looked at me. He knew who I was, but his eyes were full of hurt. I don't know why, but he was not the same Yaw. I noticed blood on the back of his leg and when I looked my heart hurt. He had a hole the size of a nickel on his calf. He would not answer me when I asked what happened. He walked away without saying a word. Something was different. And this something hurt me. Kofi, on the other hand, was just the same. Full of energy. He was climbing on poles and running around with his little white baby teeth shining. He looks like he had not grown an inch. The whole team slept in until 11 or so. When they finally woke up we just hung out with the kids. In the evening we traveled by foot to the nearest village that had electricity and a market. We went to buy frozen yogurt. It was also Fondrick’s birthday and we celebrated with the yogurt and a card. That night we went to sleep and at about 2:30 Katherine woke us up because she wasn't feeling well. In the process of getting back into the bed there was a huge tarantula on the wall closest mine and Lacey's bed. We of course freaked out and sent Katherine to get Joey. Joey was no help. He would not kill the spider. He harassed us instead. So I guess you could say we did not sleep well the rest of the night. But it was a good day. 

Morning came and so did the start of Vacation Bible School. Heart broken, I set up the crafts that were to take place that day. Bracelets with assorted beads because that is all we had in the storage from years before. It is out of my control though. The children had a great time at VBS and you should see them sing and dance to their Wild Wild West theme song. Lacey did a fun job choreographing and teaching them the song. After VBS was over I chased and tickled the kids and played hide and go seek. My heart overflows with joy when I see their sweet smiles and hear their laughter. Finally the kids are warmed up to us and back to their normal selves. Yaw has his moments where he is quiet, but today I saw him more happier. After resting from playing so hard I noticed Simon quiet and excluding himself (this is not normal). I went to him and asked him what was wrong and there was no answer (this is not normal either). I immediately knew that he was feeling bad.  This happened last year. I felt of his head and he was burning up. I brought him inside gave him some children ibuprofen and put him in my bed with a cold rag and fans blowing on him. As dinner took place I brought Yaw into the house and gave him and Simon the left over chicken bones. Yaw severely needs the nutrition. Simon was feeling better so he went home. I went outside to call Micah and then all the little children wanted to play. After I got off the phone, we went inside the church and they played with my hair and sang sweet songs to Jesus. It was beautiful. When I came in we made Tony check our room for spiders again. Our hairy friend was back. Our friend Christopher was sitting at the table and he killed it for us. Let me add that this killing was not easy or very pretty. We shared screams and laughter. It was a good day. 

The morning came and I was scrounging up things to do for crafts. As the day progressed, my eyes began to fill with more tears. All I had to offer were paper plates, map pencils, and water color paint. I want to give them the best. I wanted them to be filled with joy when they made something new. Why did that one tote get lost? I began to get angry with God. If He is in control, why couldn't a different tote get lost? The answer is because Brettnay had a lesson to learn. God was showing me that the "things" do not matter. He was showing me to be faithful and trust in Him. He was showing me that the one thing I could give them was love. That is what they need. God was faithful to provide a back up and even though they weren't the best in my standards, they were the best in their eyes. My day began to get better and I continued to love on the kids. We laughed and played. I brought Yaw and Kofi into the house so they could eat the bones and Tony made them a peanut butter, banana, and honey wrap to make them full. After that they went home. At least they were going home with a full stomach. At night we sat around the kitchen and talked and laughed with Sarah, Charles, and Eman. It was a good day. 

Today I watched Yaw. I watched his eyes, the way he moves, the way watches from a distance. When I look into his eyes I see emptiness. I see loneliness. I see pain. As he goes through the day hardly any of the other kids play with him or interact with him. Is he too poor? Is his head too big? Is he too dirty? He always watches from a distance, carefully observing everything. When I call his name he looks up with his brown eyes and slowly walks my way. He rarely talks except a "thank you" when I give him food. When he comes in the house, he cleans. He sweeps the floor and takes out the trash. He has a servant’s heart. He will stay around all day until he has to go home. His family is poor and his father is an alcoholic. The only time I see him smile is when I chase him until I catch him with my fingers around his rib cage. His laughter is contagious. I wish  it came more often. The thought of leaving him breaks my heart. 

This morning we went to church. It is always a joy to be able to worship in this foreign place. The hearts of the village people cry out to God in praise and worship. They dance and sing at the top of their lungs. The God of the universe is even in this small village in Ghana working and bringing people to Himself. During church they made us get up in front of everyone and sing a song. Me, Lacey, Kat, and Jacob were the only ones in that particular church. The others traveled to another. It was fun and they all laughed at us. There was no judgment in their eyes though. They loved every moment of it and were thankful that we would even get up and attempt to sing. After church I took a much needed nap because the others were still not back yet. The rest of the day was full of smiles and laughter. It was a good day. 

Today we walked through the jungle and visited madam Peace (the school principle) and she was very pregnant. Last year we visited her and she was also pregnant, but tragically lost the baby. So I am excited to see that she is expecting again and very happy. Even in tragedy, there is hope. God restores. Today is the last day we had in Kotokata. We are leaving early in the morning to head to Vume, the village we will be doing another VBS in. My heart is heavy. It will be hard to leave these children behind. They have so little. Their bellies are always empty and they hunger for something more than food. Love. I loved them until I could not love them anymore, but will they feel it months down the road when we are still gone, and they are wondering if we will ever come back?  The only hope they have is Christ and I am thankful these sweet children are learning about Him in their schools. I took a lot of last pictures and gave hugs and kisses. Tomorrow will be a hard day. 

This morning may have been harder than the last time. We got up early. Earlier than when the village people normally get moving. Many of the children were not there to say goodbye. As we packed our things and brought then outside Felix and Benjamin came around the corner. I held Felix for a while and loved him as much as I could before we had to leave. As we were putting the bags on top of the Land Rover, Yaw came walking up observing everything that was going on. I held him in my lap and the tears came rolling down my face. Yaw looked at me, looked at the team, looked at our actions, and he knew. We were leaving. He got up and just watched. As minutes went by it was finally time to go. I approached him and as I got on my knees he started crying and ran under the house. My heart will never be the same. After calling him to come out, he came with tears running down his face. I wiped away his tears and hugged and kissed him one last time. Last year Yaw was the one wiping tears from my face and this year I have wiped his. Yaw has had my heart from the beginning and I love him more and more every minute I am with him. I cannot imagine how he feels. I left him last year and now I am leaving him again. Could these short term mission trips do more damage than actually help? I can only pray that he will not feel abandoned or left behind. If I had a choice, he would be on the plane coming home with me. We traveled from 7am until dark to the next village for the coming week. It was an exhausting day. My heart has never been heavier. 

Yesterday I was angry. My thought process was, "Well if I had to leave Kotokata then there is no point for me to be here anymore. I just want to go home." The drive until dark did me in. I had too much time to think and too much time for the enemy to attack. My thought process was absolutely wrong. When I woke up the next morning I realized that. We drove to the village that our next VBS would be taking place in and as we pulled in hundreds of children were running around screaming and waving in excitement. There were people to be loved. Jesus was to be proclaimed. My purpose has not faded. I am here on a mission and my mission is to share the love of Christ. What a joy it was to be able to get out of the car and children grab my hands and love me without even knowing me. I wanted to do the same. After VBS we grabbed lunch and went to the village of Havenu and visited there for a few minutes. We then traveled to the parliamentarians of Ghana's home to visit with him about some issues Joey has had. This man is a pretty big deal. He is a Christian man as well and he cares for the people of his district. As we were talking he turned to me and asked about my experiences and what I love about Ghana. My nerves took over and my Southeast Texas twang came out with every word. There is no telling what that man is thinking now. Everyone got a kick out of that afterwards. We then traveled back to the inn and we ate some "beef" from town... It didn't taste like beef. Don't ask, just eat it. That has been my motto since I've traveled to Ghana. It was a good day. 

Today was a laid back day. We did VBS in the morning and then built a swing set in the afternoon. This trip has been much different for me this year. Last year God rocked my world. He spoke to me in many ways, taught me, and opened my eyes. My heart was completely changed last year. So going into this trip my expectations were even higher. I thought that God would speak to me even louder. He has been quiet. I then began to question why I am even here. I then realized that God has opened my eyes so that i can now react. To love with no limits. To see the brokenness, poverty, and hopelessness and to love without holding back. To see it and look past it. To not dwell on those things. I know that Christ's love is being shared because I couldn't possibly love these children as much as I do if it wasn't for Him loving me first and giving me a new heart. A heart that is His. A heart that wants others to know and be change by His love. His beautiful and endless love. 

Today was the last day doing VBS in Vume. One little girl by the name of Gloria took a liking to me the very first day. She is quiet and sweet. Her mother is a teacher at the school so she was there also helping us translate. Her mom noticed the way I loved Gloria and she said something to me that broke my heart. She told me to take her child. She told me to take her with me to America. But America does not want her. I wish I could take them all back with me. I recently found out that you can no longer adopt in the country of Ghana due to new laws. Sweet Gloria will always remain in Ghana with her biological mother that loves her enough to put her in the hands of a stranger that knows would give her a better life in America. 

Today we did many things. We visited the village of Havenu. This village recently had water provided to it through the young people at Hot Hearts in January. The money was raised and the water came. Well, for a few weeks the water had stopped and they never reported it. Village people are never seen or heard so their thought process tells them to not even try. We found out about the water and got some of the problems fixed so we went today to see the water and explain the problems that were happening. This experience is one I will always remember. A few days ago we visited and we were able to see the water hole they used to get water from before the clean water was provided. It broke my heart to see it. To even imagine it. When we arrived today they already had chairs set up for us to sit in. We sat down and talked to the chief of the village for a while. Children came and watched around the corners of the huts. Their clothes were tattered an some were not even wearing any. The village people watched as we discussed issues. Then the water was turned on and Vincent prayed in Ewe. My heart was overwhelmed. Crystal clear clean water flowed from the water spout. God was being glorified in a language that I cannot comprehend, but He knows and hears ever word. The people that surrounded us were now going to be able to drink clean water again. God provided for His people. We then traveled more and then had lunch with the teachers from the Vume school. They shared their story and we shared ours. We then returned to the school and worked on the swing sets. The children were there to greet us with big smiles and excitement. They, by themselves, dug the holes that needed to be dug, moved dirt, and brought about 20 gallons of water before we got there. We never asked them to do that. They watched the day before and had everything ready for us. I don't even know what to say to this. I can't comprehend it. They eagerly wait for us to arrive each day and they help anyway they can just because they want to. If a Ghanaian came to America would America welcome him with that same embrace?

Today was our last full day in Ghana. I went to church in a village called Kadeve. The "church" was a tin roof held up by concrete posts. No walls. No sound system. No pews. No decorations. No information desk. No bathrooms. No Sunday school rooms. The building wasn't the church, the church gathered underneath it. Surrounding the building was the savanna. For miles it surrounded this small building. The wind rushed through the open walls and through the open land. Then the voices came. The voices of a foreign language singing and worshiping the one true living God. The voices that filled the throne room. The voices that simply thanked Him in every verse. There is something beautiful about simplicity. I witnessed that today. If we stop making our church services so complex we will be able to see. We will see past the clutter. We will see that God is more worried about our hearts than how the PowerPoint looks or if the lighting is just right. Bring the truth. Bring worship. Bring praise. Bring thanks. Bring fellowship. The other stuff only complicates. It only makes it harder for us to see. Open your eyes. Live simple.  

Today is the last day of the trip. We traveled to Agnes' sister's "house" to drop of some gifts that Aggie sent from the states. (Aggie is Joey's adopted daughter from Ghana) They lived in a place that was considered the slums. As we were getting close a horrible stench filled my nose. I rolled the window up and looked outside. There was piles upon piles of trash scattered across the area. The buildings were close together and the streets were crowded. I have never seen such a terrible place. Flies were everywhere and the smell never faded.  I just wanted to leave. I never wanted to see that place again. How sad does that make me? I can get in a car and leave in the snap of a finger, but the people of the crowded streets will remain. The filth will remain. The hurt will remain. My heart is torn. As we left I held my breath because of the smell and quietly cried to myself. We then traveled to the market and made our way to the airport. I told my friends goodbye and hugged my brother’s neck (Eric). He is staying behind to be with Joey for a month. Continue to pray for him.

Being home was harder than last year. The enemy has attacked and attacked and is still attacking. Please pray for me as I go through these trials. Pray that I will have grace with those who do not understand. Pray that I will find my strength and refuge in the blood of Jesus. Pray that the enemy will no longer have his way. Pray that my faith will be strengthened. Pray that I will continue the mission wherever I am. To God be the glory.

1 comment:

  1. I enjoyed each story. I've been to all of the places you mentioned and know firsthand the emotions you've felt because I've felt the same. It is a daily struggle, but I know you never truly want things to be easier to digest. Looks like God is teaching you through all of the struggles and that's good.

    I really liked the sentence: "The building wasn't the church, the church gathered underneath it." If American churches could only grasp that.....

    ReplyDelete