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!

Everyone Knows When Ghana Wins

Tonight was the World Cup for the U-20 (guys under 20 years old) league in soccer and Ghana won! They beat Brazil in sudden death penalty kicks or something like that. It was very tense and exciting! We were able to watch the game at the Palace. The girls had us over for a "fiesta" and their guard brought up a TV for us to watch the game. Even though there are few TVs, everyone knows when Ghana scores. You can hear people cheering and honking their horns on the streets. Every game played is big deal. I wish I knew more about soccer so that I could talk about it more with the people here. I have been to a game, so maybe I'm learning a little.

(PS - The picture is from the game I went to, not the World Cup game.)

Sorry it's been so long! I will try to be better about writing more consistently. I'm just not always sure what to write about. What do people really like reading about???

Last weekend, a couple of teachers that live outside of the city invited the teachers to brunch. It was so nice to see the green and the hills as we drove out to the college grounds. (Two of the teachers' husbands work at a Christian university and they live on campus.) It was nice seeing a little more of Ghana. We went to a bead shop and we were able to see how they make the glass beads. It's amazing how basic and elemental their process of making the beads is. They have clay molds that they place the broken glass in and then they put them in the fire. I can't believe how hot it was! And I thought Ghana was hot without the fire!
We had a lot of fun buying beads and planning some Christmas presents! Some of the beads are really detailed and some are fun bright colors. There are even beads made from old Coke and Sprite bottles! :) I love Coke in all forms!

School is going well. This Friday marks the end of the first quarter. I can't believe we are done with one quarter already! It has really gone by fast. It has been an adjustment going from big public school districts to a small Christian school, but it has been rewarding. I LOVE that we have chapel once a week. I think I might get more out of it than the kids do sometimes! One of my favorite things is hearing the 7th graders sing the songs in math class right after we have had chapel. They really enjoy the music, and hearing them praise the Father touches my heart. The other day, the 7th grade students were working on an activity in class and I played some Christian music. We all enjoyed it!

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and emails and Facebook messages! It makes me feel so loved! I promise I will write again soon!

Church in Ghana

It is amazing to think about people all over the world worshiping our Lord and Savior. Even though churches are different and styles are unique, God is still the same. I have been to several international churches since I have been here. It is amazing how many churches are in Accra. God is really working in the hearts of the people here. Lauren (one of the other teachers) and I want to try to go to a truly Ghanaian church some time soon. Those church services last for hours and hours! One of my favorite things about church is seeing all the people dressed up. They where outfits made with Ghanaian fabric that is bright and full of unique patterns. I could not imagine showing up to church in jeans here! Another thing I love about the churches here is that the people love to clap and sing! I feel a little awkward because I have no rhythm, but it is easy to see that they love the Lord! It is good for me to step out of my "church comfort zone" and see God a different way. Hearing new songs (some even in the local language) has been a joy and a blessing. A strange thing about the churches I have gone to so far is that they don't seem to have sermons from a regular pastor. There are many preachers that travel around to different churches, so each week you can hear a totally unrelated sermon. Or if you are trying out different churches (like me), you might hear the same person speak several times in a row if you end up at the same churches! I heard one woman speak at two churches and a school chapel service all within a week and a half!

Please pray that God continues to work in the churches here for His glory!

No Water This Morning...

I have been so thankful that we haven't really had a problem with the water or power since I have been here! Until today...I woke up to turn on the water heater this morning like normal. (Then I went back to sleep for another hour.) When I woke up again, no power and no water. :( Sad. My first Ghana water bottle washcloth shower! Good times! Oh well, I am just thankful there was power at school and the power and water are back on at the house now! Praise God I am the kind of person that doesn't mind skipping a shower! And praise God it hasn't been too hot so I am not totally disgusting!

This evening all the teachers, staff, and their families were invited to a school family's house for dinner. They had this huge tent set up with an amazing buffet. It was almost like a wedding reception! The family is so sweet and they are so thankful to God for everything he has blessed them with. It is awesome to see people humble and thankful before the Lord when by worldly standards they should be the ones honored. They certainly radiate the light of Christ to all those around them!

Praise God!

AIS is finally finished and we are actually teaching! It is such a blessing that the landlord decided to add all the space to the building because our enrollment has gone up so much this year. There would have been NO WAY we could have fit all the students in the building before the renovations. Classes started Monday and I am now in the process of getting to know "my kids." The kids are great! There are 15 7th graders, 11 8th graders, and 7 9th graders. It's so weird only having 33 students! It may not sound like very many students, but we are so excited to have more than we thought for this year. God is certainly working through this school. I am humbled to think that I get to see His will firsthand here.

Love you all!!!

Prayer requests:
Please pray that I would be diligent in my lesson planning and pray that I would feel more at ease with my 9th graders. They are so much older than middle school students! :)

Some Pictures

This is the courtyard for the elementary building. They moved the wall out about 20 feet or so to give us extra space.
This is the 7th grade room. One of the rooms I will be teaching in...
This is the high school building. It's next door to the elementary building. Both buildings were houses. It's interesting finding enough space for classrooms! My office is here and I will also teach 8th grade math, 9th grade english, and 9th grade world history here.
This is the elementary building where I will teach 7th grade math and social studies.

More pictures to come!