Answered Prayer

Meghann, Me, and Christy with our elephant tattoos after seeing our elephant!

Why is it that we are so amazed when God answers prayer? I went to Mole National Park over the Thanksgiving holiday and I was just in awe of God's faithfulness. Mole National Park is in the Northern Region of Ghana and it is about a 12 to 13 hour drive from Accra. It was so fun seeing the change in the landscape going from city to tropical rain forest to a more savanna-like environment.

We left SUPER early Thursday morning at 4AM. William, our school's driver, picked up me and three other teachers in the school van. We drove the whole way only making one bathroom stop! Impressive with three girls in the car! :) 9 hours of driving on fairly smooth road and then 3 hours on a very bumpy dirt road.

God answers prayer...

1. I wasn't feeling great on Wednesday and I was really worried about a long drive on Thursday. I was definitely praying about it. God gave me a peace that He would answer my prayer and I was able to make the trip without any problem. God is so good!

2. Safety on the road. Ghana roads are not the safest roads to be traveling and God definitely protected us in our travels.

3. I totally thought we were going to run out of gas because it had been about 8 hours since we got gas and we were in the middle of nowhere! We even turned off the van's AC to conserve! :) But God answered our prayers again and we made it to a small gas station near the national park.

4. WE SAW AN ELEPHANT!!!!! It is currently the end of the rainy season so there is plenty of water all over Mole National Park which means the elephants don't need to travel to the southern edge to get water (where we were staying). During the dry season the elephants really only have one place to get water. The Mole Motel looks over this watering hole. The rangers said they hadn't seen any elephants in 5 days. We were very sad when we didn't see an elephant on our walking tour of the park. We were very happy to see other wildlife, but sad about the elephants. But then as a reminder to us that God works in His own time, we saw an elephant later in the day! A guide took us out again to see it and it was amazing! We watched it bathe, eat from a tree, and throw dust on itself to keep insects away. The elephant was not one of the elephants that the rangers knew and Christy, Meghann, and I looked at each other and said, "That's because God sent this one for us!"



We arrived around 4PM Thursday evening and we enjoyed the sunset overlooking the watering hole from our hotel. We had dinner and enjoyed meeting other travelers, mostly volunteers from Europe. Friday morning, we set out early with a guide on a walking tour of the park. God's creation is amazing! We saw antelope type animals (Kobs and Bush Bucks), Baboons, other monkeys, and warthogs. After the two hour hike, we went to a nearby village to see the oldest mosque in Ghana. It was heartbreaking seeing the people of village, knowing not one knew Jesus. They were very kind to us and enjoyed talking with us as we walked around the village. It was kind of funny because the community was working on repairs to the mosque and the guide that was showing us the mosque got yelled at because he wasn't helping! Our driver William tried to intercede and bring peace to the tense situation! After visiting the village, we headed back to the park where we were met by a ranger saying that an elephant had been spotted! He told us that a group had already left to go see it and it would be faster for us to take the van part way. So after a very bumpy ride and a short hike, we finally got to see an elephant! I love that God enjoys making us happy. Someone read me something the other day that mentioned God answering little prayers (like seeing elephants). It went on to say that nothing is big to God! After an hour of following the elephant around we went back to the hotel to relax and play cards. After another fabulous dinner, we called it a night. We woke up early Saturday and started our trip back to Accra. 13 and a half hours later, we were finally home!

The oldest mosque in Ghana in the village of Larabanga. The village is 100% Muslim.

Me and the elephant God sent our way!

Warthogs were EVERYWHERE!!!


The view from the Mole Motel Beautiful sunsets!


God's Beautiful Creation!


Kobs (from the antelope family)


A baboon in a tree! We were able to get really close to them!

Jimmy, Me, Meghann, Christy, and William

Movie Nite and Soccer

We've had a busy weekend at the school so far! Last night we had our first senior class sponsored movie night. We showed The Emperor's New Groove first for the little ones and then the older kids watched The Patriot. I would say the evening was a success! We had a lot of kids come and they all seemed to have a great time. Popcorn, snacks, Tampico, and kebabs were enjoyed by all as kids, families, and staff watched movies, played soccer, and played on the playground.

The senior class is raising money to go on a senior class mission trip next semester. I am the senior class sponsor this year so I have been keeping busy helping them plan events to raise support. We have had dress down days at school where the kids get to wear other clothing than their uniforms. Each day we sell cookies, candy, juice, and FanIce (ice cream) after school. Once a month we host a bake sale where the students can purchase homemade treats at lunch. Now we can add "movie nite" to the list of fundraisers!

It's been fun getting to know the seniors this year. I don't teach any of their classes so it's fun to be able to learn more about them outside of the classroom. Our plan is to take the six seniors to Italy. We are still looking into where we will stay and what mission group we will work with. If anyone has an ideas, I'm all ears!

Today was another busy day as our school soccer teams played matches against the kids from Pram Pram. These kids are GREAT athletes and they dominated both the guys game and the girls game. Our girls did actually score once though! The kids from Pram Pram are kids that have been taken from living situations that have not been good. There is a school and boarding houses for them near the ocean about 45 minutes away from East Legon. A few teachers and I help with their Sunday school program once a month. The kids there are so sweet and I am always encouraged when I see them worship the Lord. So it was fun to see the kids interact with our students at the soccer game today. Christy (our coach and second grade teacher) planned lunch for everyone and everyone seemed to really enjoy the fellowship!



Now I must write my finals...

Thankfulness...

So you know those moments when it just hits you? What have you been doing? Why have you been doing it? Who is all this work for? I had such a moment the other day. I feel like I have been doing, doing, doing and not taking the time with God to make sure I'm following His will. So with all this "doing" there has been little peace. I was just reminded that God gives peace to thankful hearts. So here is a little list of things I'm thankful for...

- Christmas break is almost here
- Friends to share pineapple with
- Roommates that make you laugh
- Prayer with the school staff even when I don't feel like taking the time
- My Sharpeners girls
- Friends and family back home as excited as I am about the fact that I'm coming home
- Frozen Tampicos when the power goes out
- Generators
- Beth Moore Bible studies
- My students who teach me about childlike faith
- Packages
- Maya (even though she bites everyone!)
- Alias Nights
- Worship at the Wright's
- Seeing kids worship at chapel each week
- Seeing the kids excited faces at the "snack shack" each day

That's a pretty good list for now...

Carving Watermelons?

So there aren't any pumpkins in Ghana, but they have plenty of watermelons! So here's a taste of some fun we had this weekend...

This is Shari and I attempting to draw a Ghanaian symbol on our watermelon. Shari did an awesome job!

Here I am carving! Watermelons are actually really good to carve because you can see the red inside against the green outside. So pretty!

Finished product! The symbol means "except God" meaning that nothing is possible without God. You can find this symbol everywhere. On fabric, on tro-tros, painted on signs, on clothing...

If you saw the Amazing Race episodes in Ghana you might recognize the symbol from the GIANT word search!

Puppets and Sharpeners

It's been a good week! Now I am trying to get all my grading done on a Sunday afternoon because I have been having fun all weekend!

The puppet group has started and I am so excited! I can't believe how much fun it is to have some girls excited about putting on puppet shows for kids. We have only been meeting for a couple weeks, but I am looking forward to what's in store for the future. We are planning a puppet skit and some songs do perform after Thanksgiving. We hope to perform for the two little kid chapels at school and also for children part of other ministries in the area. Now we just need to make sure we get a stage constructed within the month.

Not only is the puppet ministry going well, but the mentoring program that was started at our school by a couple teachers is also thriving. Each teacher involved is mentoring two or three high school students. Friday night we had an outing with all the girls involved in the Sharpeners program. It was so fun hanging out with the high school students and seeing them outside of the classroom. I think they enjoyed seeing their teachers outside of the classroom too! One student in particular really has a hard time seeing us a real people! It was very entertaining talking to her! We enjoyed going out for pizza even though we were probably the loudest people there! I think one of the teachers with us might have been a bit embarrassed! Oh well, kids will be kids I guess. Even high schoolers! My prayer is that the connections we make with the students would really impact them and how they live their lives. My hope is that they would feel comfortable talking with us and opening up and sharing what's really on their hearts. May God use me well...

God is in Control

God is in Control

Why is it so hard to remember that we can do nothing without God? I feel like I should have this down after 20+ years of walking with Jesus. Day after day, minute after minute I try to take hold of the reins and tell God I got this one. I can plan and take care of this math class. I can organize the next Senior meeting. I can even take charge of a Bible class without asking for Your help! I was reminded at church this past Sunday to "be holy." I was also reminded that the only way this is possible is to rely on God, the Holy One, living in me. Even here in Ghana I am trying to live my life according to my own plans. When will I truly put all my trust in the Lord?

The Group

The AIS Team


Roommates
Meghann, Kim, Simone, and Emily

Week Four Begins!

We have now been in school a full three weeks. Time is a strange thing. On one hand I feel like time is flying by, but then on the other hand I feel like I haven’t seen family and friends back in the States in SO long!

School is going well. I am a bit overwhelmed with six classes, but that’s ok. I am still getting used to the new classes and new schedule. This is my first year teaching 6^th graders and I had no idea how much work it would be! They are like babies! They don’t know how to do anything! Including traveling from classroom to classroom in a timely manner. They come late to class EVERYDAY. Oh well, we’re learning how to get used to each other…slowly but surely.

I am really enjoying my Bible class with the 7^th graders. They ask so many questions and it’s amazing how many times I have been able to present the gospel message. Praise God! Since we are studying the life of Christ, we are memorizing one of the “I Am” verses in John each week. The other day we were talking about the new week’s verse about how Jesus is the only way to God and one student pulled me aside and said that I should be careful how I say things because students who believe in other religions might be offended. I was excited to share with this student that these were God’s words, not mine and sometimes truth can be hard to hear when it goes against what we have been taught. Please keep praying for wisdom as I teach and open hearts for my students.

One of the other teachers and I were really excited to learn that we could start a volleyball club after school twice a week. We were all prepared to start next week, until I went to go find a volleyball…no such luck yet! Soccer balls everywhere, but no volleyballs in sight! Hopefully we can find one at the market this week. Now with tutoring and volleyball after school I am finding it hard to fit in all the activities I want to be a part of!

Yesterday a few of us went to Pram-Pram to help with their church service. We plan on going once a month to visit the kids who have been pulled off the street and are given a good education. With a little adult assistance, the students organize the worship service including prayer, worship, and special music. I was nearly brought to tears listening to the children sing to their Lord. After the singing, a few teachers and I took the younger children and organized a little Sunday school lesson for them. We talked about how God makes us all unique and we are special just because we are His. As I looked into their little faces, I too was reminded of how special we are God. The past few days I have been reading of the majesty of God and how He alone is Lord. It’s amazing how such a mighty God, creator of everything, would care to look on me and say, “You are Mine.”

New Beginnings...

I have now been back in Ghana for almost two weeks. School started last Monday and we are already in the groove! The kids are already complaining about homework! :)

It's amazing to see how God is working at AIS. Over the summer, a third floor was added to the elementary building. This has been such a blessing already as our high school enrollment is constantly increasing. Now the middle school and high school kids are on the third floor of the main building as well as occupying the high school building.

As a new year starts, I am excited about getting to know the new students and the new teachers at our school. New people always bring a fresh outlook and it has been very encouraging to me! It is also fun to see the old students care for the new students just as the returning teachers try to help the new teachers.

It is so interesting coming to Ghana this year. I am so much more at ease and I am so much more comfortable! I forgot how much I didn't know when I arrived last year! Now I know most of the people I work with, I know many of the students, I know the school schedule, I know where I live, I know where I can get groceries, I know where I like to go to church, etc... The start of this year has been SOOO much easier! I just need to remember that even though I know more this year, God is still in control and I still need to rely on Him.

Of course because nothing stays the same here in Ghana, I have new roommates this year. I still live in "The Pink House," but I am now living with the French teacher, the 4th grade teacher, and the kindergarten teacher. So far we seem to be getting along really well! Pray that continues! Just today one of my roommates made all of us lunch! It was amazing! So much better than the pasta or popcorn meals I make for myself! I also have some new classes this year. I am teaching 6th grade math, 7th grade math, 8th grade math, 8th/9th grade algebra 1, 9th grade literature, and 7th grade Bible. I am excited about the opportunity to teach the 6th graders this year. This will be the first year I have ever taught kids that age! It's fun because a lot of my 6th graders have siblings that are older that I have already taught. It's fun getting to know the families! I am also every excited about teaching a Bible class this year. I know at a Christian school I can talk about Jesus as much as I want in any class, but Jesus come up in conversation WAY more in a Bible class compared to a math class! :) The 7th grade Bible curriculum is on the life of Christ so I am really excited to dive into Jesus' life with my 7th graders! We have already had some really good conversations this week! Keep praying for their hearts! Some know Jesus as Savior, but maybe not as Lord. Some are still seeking. Pray for wisdom and words as we study the Bible together. They ask LOTS of questions!

MORE to come soon! I promise I will be better about blogging this year!

Blessings to you all!

Spring Break picture descriptions

1. Egyptian dancers in Cairo
2. A camel on Mt. Sinai
3. The market in Cairo - smells a lot better than the Ghana markets!
4. A "magic" carpet ride!
5. Papyrus painting - "The Final Judgment"
6. Children weaving carpets
7. Red Sea
8. Me and the Red Sea
9. The Sinai Mountains
10. Me and the Sinai Mountains
11. The Mediterranean Sea
12. The River Nile
13. Kissing the Sphinx!
14. Pyramids
15. Me on the largest pyramid - the only remaining original Wonder of the World

Spring Break!!!

I think that teachers might look forward to spring break more than the students! One of my roommates (Sara) and I decided to get away and see Egypt in our time off. It was AMAZING!!! It was really neat being able to see so many different things while we were there. We spent the first half of our trip in Cairo and the second half on the Sinai Peninsula (which is actually Asia!). The hotel we stayed at in Cairo overlooked the "River Nile" and we were able to take day trips to see the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria. Then we took a horrible 8 hour bus ride through the desert to Mt. Sinai. We got a few hours sleep and then we hiked up the mountain in the dark so we could see the sun rise on top of the mountain where God talked with Moses. It was humbling actually being in a place mentioned in the Bible. While we were warming up in a Bedouin shack, a group of Korean tourists had a church service on the mountain top. Even though we couldn't understand the words, it was refreshing being in the company of God's family! From the desert mountains of the Sinai, we traveled south to the Red Sea. Who would have thought!? The Red Sea has some of the best scuba diving spots in the world! We didn't get a chance to scuba dive, but we did see some amazing sights snorkeling! We saw stingrays and the most beautiful fish imaginable! The coral was amazing! I have never seen such beautiful colors!

God's Creation!

We had a day off school and all the teachers were looking forward to getting out of the city. I think that sometimes teachers enjoy days off more than students! Five of us decided to go to the Volta region (to the east) where it is a bit mountainous and very green!

William, the school driver, picked us up early Friday morning and drove us to a hotel/camp site by way of the crudest dirt road I had yet seen in Ghana that has a great view of the second tallest point in Ghana. About as soon as we got there, we started our couple hour walk up to Mt. Gemi. It was amazing being out in God’s creation! We were able to enjoy the scenery around us and get a glimpse into the lives of the people that live in that area as we walked through the little villages along the way to the top of the mountain. It was fun having William with us because he could talk to the people and he was able to share information about the land, the environment, and the people with us. At the top of the mountain there is a medal cross and it just reminded me how God has His hand on everything. The world that I could see stretched out before me at the top of Mt. Gemi was the Lord’s. Everything I was looking at and all the people in each village was a part of His perfect creation. I was reminded to love His creation (His people included!) with His agape love. We took a different path down the mountain which was much more rain forest-like. Instead of walking along the road we hiked down a small path through the trees. It was beautiful and I felt very adventurous!

That evening, after enjoying a Ghanaian dinner of chicken and rice, we sang worship songs as we looked up at the mountain we had climbed. We could hear African drumming in the distance probably from a funeral celebration.

The next day we woke up and I was amazed that I wasn’t sore from the four hours of walking/hiking from the day before! We drove about an hour away to a mountain with a huge waterfall. The falls were split into the upper falls and the lower falls. We enjoyed a nice 45 minute walk to the area of the lower falls and then we were given walking sticks and we were directed up a steep path towards the upper falls. I think that was the hardest climb I have ever done before! We hiked up for about 45 minutes singing songs to try to get our minds off the hard climb! Then we hiked down for about 25 minutes to base of the upper falls. One in the group was afraid of heights so she did not like going downhill! I much preferred going downhill to up! As we were hiking we passed people coming back from the falls and they were very encouraging and told us that the waterfall was well worth the hike! And boy, were they right! It was beautiful! The mist coming off the waterfall was so refreshing too! We enjoyed lunch at the top of apples, peanuts, popcorn, and other snacks we brought with us. Then after a little rest and the doctoring of my many blisters (why did I bring my gym shoes back to America!) we started our trip back. I found that the hike back up the decline was worse then the hike up originally! I guess it’s probably because I was tired at this point! But we made it down with only a few falls and one bloody incident (good thing we had Band-Aids!).

After the hike back down we walked to the lower falls. Both falls were beautiful, but the upper falls had more sunlight around and the lower falls had a lot of bats! After the hike back to the van we decided to take a little trip to see some ostriches of all things! There was an ostrich farm a minute or two away from the falls. I can’t believe how big they are when you stand close to them! I now know why Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs was afraid of them!  After getting some pictures and touching one of them, we continued on our way to William’s village.

It was our first opportunity to really be in a village since most of our life is spent in the city. William was so excited to see his family and I think he really enjoyed showing us where he was from. We were able to meet members of his extended family, see the school he attended, meet the chief and other important leaders in the village, and play with the kids that continuously followed us around the village! Some of the little kids had never seen a white person. Isn’t that interesting? At first, several of the children were afraid of us.

The trip was an amazing venture out into the rural areas of Ghana. It was so refreshing being able to step out of the “city life” centered on school and schedules. Even though the hikes were intense, it was still an amazing time of renewal and a reminder of how big our God is.

Fun Fridays!

My house is right next to the school so my roommates and I have decided to invite the kids over on occasion for some fellowship and fun. It turned out really great last Friday! We had a group of 8th and 9th graders over and they started the afternoon with food of course. What student doesn’t love a snack after school? We had music playing and just had a nice time talking with the students outside the classroom.

After we had a time of just hanging out we played some group games. Then we had the kids get in groups and we gave them some Bible stories to pick from to do a skit for the rest of the group. Each group of “actors” was given several random props that had to be incorporated into their skit. It was really funny to see how CD players and stuffed animals found their way into Bible stories like the story of Jonah!

We ended the afternoon with prayer and some scripture on loving and caring for each other. The students are around each other all day long and they have a tendency to be mean to one another. I wanted them to remember that as a school family we need to be caring for each other. People will know we are Christians by our love…

We are having another group over this Friday. I hope things go just as well! Please pray for our students. It is our hope that they come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We have a mix of students where some have been Christians for a long time and some don’t know anything about Jesus. Please pray that those who know Christ would grow closer to Him and that those students who do not profess a belief in Jesus would come to saving faith.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I’m back in Ghana! It was amazing how calm I was traveling here as opposed to my August trip! I realize completely now how little I knew about what I was getting in to! I met a girl in the customs line who was just arriving and I could just picture myself in her same position only a few short months ago. When I started seeing all the Ghanaians, I felt comfortable and in a weird way at home. God has been so good. I can see how He has taken care of me every step of the way.

I am excited about the new semester! New beginnings are always filled with energy, excitement, and hope. This semester I really hope to connect with the students more on personal and spiritual levels. Just the other day we had a class discussion about the Enlightenment and how we can accept reason and scientific thought without contradicting our faith in Jesus. I was very encouraged by the insights the students had.

Our school is made up of students from all kinds of religious backgrounds and we are fervently praying for the salvation of many. Please pray that the message of Jesus will be clearly presented here at AIS and that students will see the need to make a personal decision about what they hear and see.

As everyone gets back in to the swing of things after the long break, I think back over the past three weeks and I feel so blessed to have been able to go home and see family and friends. Being around those I love and sharing experiences of what has been going on here in Ghana has really given me a renewed sense of purpose here. I am excited to go beyond just teaching my students. I really want to connect on a deeper level with them. I am starting to think about having student gatherings at my house regularly to start building stronger bonds with them and so they can grow closer together as well. I am still in the idea stage at this point, but I figure I may as well just dive in and see where God leads.

Thank you for your prayers!

P.S. - Sorry I haven’t blogged in FOREVER! Now that my roommates and I moved into our house, we don’t have internet. (Maybe one day will get it!) Also I have just been too lazy to stay after school to blog. I’ll try to do better this semester!