2 Weeks

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone - Neale Donald Walsch

Today is my 2 week anniversary in Ghana and it is incredible to see how much my mindset has changed since I have been here. At the start I was scared as well as naive. Then I became intimidated when I met all the capable missionaries here and when I hear about the work I was going to do. Now I am less intimidated, less scared and less naive. This is going to be a learning curve for me. I will be pushed outside my comfort zone and made to do things that I have never done before.

I have been learning about sacrifices recently and what God calls us to do. God has called us to give our best to be a blessing to others. Sacrificing what is comfortable and easy has been hard for me but I hope that God can use me here in Ghana. Please pray for an obedient  heart as I learn what it means to sacrifice for God.

During my time here, I have managed to try a lot of local food. I've had uncreative army-ration-like meals at home because I haven't done much grocery shopping so it has been great when people have asked me if I want to go out for lunch with them. I have tried Kinki, Banku and Fufu. All of these are similar. Kinki is a ball of dough eaten with sauce (most fermented = most bitter), Banku is a ball of dough eaten with a stew (less bitter) and kinki is a ball of dough in a light soup (least bitter). The dough is made from pounded corn or yam (from what I can remember). I think it will take some getting used to. I don't love it. However, other street food such as rice, beans, chicken etc is DELICIOUS. I have also been indulging in fresh fruit.

Yesterday I went to a place called Ashaiman which is in the Greater Accra Region. It was nice to see a bit more of the country. We met a friend of Sherri's who made a dress for her. This morning we went to Tesano School to do the weekly kids program there in assembly. Sherri (my guru) does such a great job with the kids- something I hope to learn by watching her.

My language skills in Twi (properly said Chwee) are improving. I am learning the proper replies to questions and am getting more confident.
Twi lesson 101:
Etisaine = How are you?
Aye = I am fine

Day 5

I have had a very busy couple of days. I almost fainted in the market from the heat, but have since recovered and have learnt to take water with me everywhere. The heat doesn't bother me so much anymore. I am slowly learning how to use the public transport (called trotro's which are a public van-taxi and are very cheap) and am also slowly learning language (twi said tree). I have been given my Ghanaian name which is Ya (translated as Thursday- coming from the day of the week you are born on). I love the language and can't wait to learn more.

I am also slowly learning more about Ghanaian culture. Ghanaian's are very polite and friendly but are also very direct. For example, if a street vendor asks you to buy something, you reply with tomorrow (okyena) as opposed to no. This, however, can cause problems if you are doing something that is inappropriate, they won't come outright and tell you.

Saturday was a day off so I went to the pools with my co-worker (and mentor) Sherri, and had an amazing day relaxing.
As it is Sunday, I experienced my first Ghanaian church. It is interactive and alive. The people sing loudly and reply with Amen often throughout the sermon. I feel very reserved in comparison to them.

I am intimidated by the work I will have to do here. I do not feel like I have the skills to do it. I am learning that I will have to run Sunday School classes, run bible studies and other small groups. However, I have to remember that God has brought me here and He will teach me the skills I need.

First Day

First day in Ghana = first post.
I have been travelling for about 30 hours so it is nice to be sitting in my own room. My own room, which turns out had a faulty lock (would not open). The guest house manager has just fixed that problem with a sledgehammer so now I don't have a lock to complain about. The door doesn't close either.

The flight all went well. Watched many movies and tried my best to sleep. I am still too short to reach the ground when I sit back in the aeroplane chairs or to stow my luggage in the overhead locker.

I had dinner tonight with the SIM Director and his family which was lovely.Ghanaians drive on the other side of the road and have very different road rules. All so exciting and adventurous. I am off to the market tomorrow and will buy a cell phone. Temperatures are ranging between 28-30 degrees so it is HOT!


Photos to come.