Naming Ceremony

I noticed when I was back in the USA people don't share the name they will give their baby until it is born. People want it to be a surprise? People don't want others to steal the name? People really haven't chosen the name yet and just say "we don't want to tell"? Who knows. But maybe this came from Ghana :)I went to Pastor Fatau and his wife Victoria's Baby Naming Ceremony. In Tamale when you have a baby you don't name it until after 40 days and with that name they have a party of sorts. The mother in that 40 days does not go out to visit people or go to church because babies are pretty much 100% breast fed they don't want to take the baby out in case it would catch a sickness.They keep the name quite secret until the ceremony when they give it to the Pastor (or whoever is doing the ceremony on a slip of paper) and he reads it out. They did the ceremony at 7.30am and we stayed until about 9-9:30am. It starts to get hot by that time and people want to get out of the sun. I know some women came before 4am to help cook food and set up.Reverend Abukari gave a message (in Dagbani so I did not understand it) and shared the name of the baby. His name is Bismark. Other church leaders and pastors came and prayed and blessed the new baby.

He is a cutie!!When the ceremony finished people stay around and talk or head home. We are all given a take-away container of rice and beans and a drink.Praise the Lord for Baby Bismark! 

Fetching Water

You don't want to hear about language learning again do you? I totally understand. Let me just say my impression this week and what I told someone was: I feel like I am on a stationary bike-working hard and pedaling but not going anywhere. I am out listening and learning and having lessons but when it comes down to it, nothing sticks. I can't speak. I am so forgetful. Ugh...So...let me tell you about other things.As I went to visit my friend, she and her aunties were about to go and fetch water. I said, "Ok, let's go but I need a container. I cannot just watch you I need to help you". She was very hesitant and said I should just wait for her to finish but I insisted saying that I will hear more language and it will help me. She agreed to that and then gave me a little bucket.Now let me show you what they carry...

It also takes skill to pour the water from your head into the clay pot. And some of these women who carry these big bowls must be at least 50 years old. Crazy.Our water situation seems not so bad compared to this. This past week we have had water every day! Praise God! When I take a shower I am always thanking God for running water.Last week I was able to buy a big water storage tank. Hopefully, next week we can get it set up. Praise the LORD!!Love you! 

A Week Worth of Distractions

Last week I said I really need to be serious about language because I won't have any distractions in March. HA! I was wrong. Distractions are not always bad things, just... distracting :)Let me just bullet point my week and also add that every day was HOT!!! Unbelievable.Monday, March 6Ghana's 60th Independence Day! It was a holiday and I wanted to see how Tamale celebrates. They have a park sort of area and politicians and leaders spoke and police and army soldiers march and school children also march. Afterwards, I found this group doing jumps using a tire, and in Ghana they would write it TYRE. We would use a trampoline but I guess they did not have one and, like normal, they make do with what they have and a tyre is what they had. They did really well. It was fun to watch.

Well, that was my week. I did have 3 language lessons in the midst of that. Again, though, I feel I am being too shy and hesitant and not speaking enough. Pray for boldness!I wonder what will happen this week?

Hot has Come

When I came back to Tamale from Tumu I sensed the weather being a bit thicker. It is always hot here but there has been a beautiful dryness that keeps one alive and unsweaty. I don't mind the heat when it is so dry.BUT...that all ended. This batch of humidity swept thru on Friday and Saturday. The power went off for a little bit-which means no fans and there was no breeze. Sunday morning around 1am the power went off again. A quick storm came thru and we had a bit of rain and wind. Damary and I both came out of our rooms because we were so hot with no fans to cool us. Thankfully, that wind helped but once the rain stopped so did the wind.It.Was. Brutal. At church that Sunday morning one man came to me and said, "last night I suffered-oooo!" I thought, if he is Ghanaian and suffering then this must be bad!The weather has continued on this same humid streak since then. March and April are the hot months and we have been warned. This whole week it has been around 100+ degrees with humidity around 20% compared to when it was almost 0%. My job is to walk around practicing Dagbani with people. It is sooooo hot. I am exhausted. Everything in me is drained.The nights have been even worse. It doesn't really cool down and it seems my fan loves to just blow hot air around. Before I sleep I like to read and I was laying on my back with my knees bent and under my knees sweat was pouring and it was trailing down the back of my thighs. UGH. Also,  I am usually the queen of sleep, like I have a gift, but not this week. I have not been able to fall asleep even though I can barely keep going. And I wake up during the night. And when I wake up I find my pillow and sheets soaked with sweat. It is gross.Damary and I just look at each other in the morning and say, "how was your sleep?" and we don't even need to answer, we know it was too hot to sleep. I have not had a quiet time since Tuesday because I can't fall asleep and stay asleep and so in the mornings I cannot get up. I tell Jesus I just can't. I am too tired. I know he understands. But I find myself kind-of missing him. So, maybe I will do my time with him in that time when I can't fall asleep. We will see.Enough of this complaining. It is Africa, what do you expect!?Anyways, I will persevere! This month and April have the potential to be really good language months because I will not be traveling or have any other distractions. One thing you can pray for is that I would be bold to speak. Me? Not bold to speak?? Hardly!! But with Dagbani I find it is easier just to listen to conversation and be lazy, though I know listening is good too. But if I don't use/talk the new phrases and words I am learning I will never really have it. When I did try to say a new sentence one lady, who doesn't speak English, just shook her head and said, "Oooo Wunzooyea". Meaning, I have no idea what you are saying. That made me to be a bit more timid and hesitant to try again. Please be praying.I think I may have found a new motivation-- ice cream. When I was in the lovely land of Burkina (you can read that in my previous post) I bought cream (along with other things) and with that cream I made ice cream! Then I thought, since I love Culvers, maybe I should try custard ice cream. So, I made some of that too. It is not exactly the same, but still. AND I have just a bit of cream left and I found a copycat recipe of Dairy Queen's soft serve ice cream. I will try that and see how it goes. Maybe if I do well with language then I get me a little treatie-weatie right? It doesn't really fit into my 21 day fix eating plan but how many of those crazies are in 100 degree weather learning Dagbani? Yeah, exactly.   :)Love you all. 

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Penny is a colleague of mine who serves in Tumu, which is in the Upper West Region of Ghana. She is very close to the Burkina Faso border and was telling me it is fun to go shopping in Ouagadougou. I was convinced, because if Penny says it is great, it really is :) And another thing that convinced me was as an American I can get a 5 year visa to Burkina!So, February 20th I packed a bag. I had to make a quick stop at the Tamale airport to pick up a couple helping out here short term. Then we made the 5 hour journey to Tumu. Then on the 21st, Penny, Charity, Amy and I all hopped in Penny's truck and headed for Burkina. The border itself is not that far and we had to fill out embarkation cards and show our passports. The ride to Ouagadougou was a few hours but the road was straight and nice.

And just so you think I was not completely running away from Dagbani learning I did listen to my recordings in the car while I drove home. I have to say, my sentences are getting long and it is not so easy to remember so many words! Ei!!! Next week it's time to get-back-in-the-groove!It was really a great-great few days. To be with such great gals and eat beautiful foods and to see a different country. All good things, all together. It was a break I needed. Wish you could have come with me!! I have a 5 year visa so I will definitely be going back!Blessings to You!

Walking In My Neighborhood

I had a good week of going 'round-round. I learned how to say, "I am roaming". People are always asking me, "where are you from?" or "where are you going?" So, I tell them I am roaming and learning. They seem to understand.This is my neighborhood where I go walking.

Different houses. I live on Tahama Street which means HOPE. Unfortunately, there is a lot of garbage around. People use plastic bags for everything and they just kind of throw them on the ground. The winds blow them into the bush and they sort of just sit there decorating the place in sad way. The gal with me is Tuleehatu. I don't know how to spell her name. She doesn't speak any English. I went to the market with her. I could only say short phrases like, "I am coming" "I follow you" "I will not buy""yes" "no". It was hard but satisfying knowing that all the listening has to count for something, right?!!This week to encourage myself I pulled out a hoarded, very highly favored, block of Colby cheese from Wisconsin. I don't have many of them. I need to eat them sparingly. But I knew after my week last week I had to pull out the big guns.So, I divided the cheese into 4 chunks. If I did my allotted language time my reward was to get a chunk of cheese for dinner. Apparently, I am motivated by food because I accomplished (and ate) my goal! It was beautiful (sigh). My best friend sent me some Double Stuff Oreo cookies and I am thinking that may have to be my next "encouragement".This is what my feel look like after walking around in my neighborhood.Such beauties! Ei!!! It makes me understand more clearly why in Jesus' time washing feet was such a big deal and why only the lowly servants did it.Love you all. Thanks for praying!!

Flexible

I really should not be writing right now. I am a bit cranky. Missionaries are told we have to be flexible. Yeah, cool, I am flexible. I am definitely not rigid. I know how to go with the flow and "whatevah". I am the queen. But, wow, sometimes life really pushes that flexibility button and find myself being very...what's the word?...unflexible? or not as flexible as I thought.I have decided to take one day a week to run errands and do emails and such. I was spoiled in Accra to have an office helper to buy things for me or go to the post office etc, etc. I realize now how much time he saved me. Thursday I had a nice long list of things to do. But here, things never go the way you plan it. I should know this by now. What I thought would take an hour to fix my car key actually took 4 hours. And so I thought I would take my car to town to pick up some bigger items like chicken or crates of eggs but since they didn't finish my key I couldn't do that. I also wasn't able to do much emails because we did not have power that day and I did not have my computer charged. Since I thought I would have had my car, I didn't wear sunscreen because I thought I wouldn't be out much but that was not the case and I burned. It is so hard to be thankful in an unproductive day. (sigh) Also, during the week we had no electricity for a few days. And, also, I bought some street food...and as I was eating it I thought, "I think this may be off", and yes, I had some runny tummy issues and a fever of 102! Talk about wearing thin...I have been doing a study on heart transformation by Dallas Willard. One day it said to look at the habits that dwell in your body and reflect on the inner qualities that exist and how they do or don't dictate to your body. I was like, "ughhh...this is not a good week for me to reflect." I have so much impatience among other things.So glad God's faithfulness is more than I could hope or dream. So glad God loves me even when I am angry that things are not going my way or complaining. So glad I am sometimes flexible :) So glad I have hope that this is not all there is, this is just a blink. Real life will one day come. I'M WAITING FOR YOU JESUS!!

Language Evaluation

I had my evaluation yesterday. Afterwards, I sent off an email and I thought --let me just copy it here instead of trying to write again---

---

I just finished my evaluation for language learning...

I CAN MOVE ON TO LEVEL 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 That was the encouragement I needed!!! I am soo excited, I wish I had a huge sundae to devour.

THANKS FOR PRAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I will continue to work hard. the other night, as I was thinking about hope the past few days and asking God why do you keep bringing hope to me, I sensed him say HOPE IN ME that I WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS LANGUAGE IN YOU BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

  I first said no way.

Then I said forgive me I don't want to be like Sarah or Zechariah who didn't believe. So, I said, Ok, Lord. Let's do this.

  My job is to work hard. Haggai 2:4-5 is my year verse.----But now be courageous, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘be courageous also, Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and be courageous, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts. ⁵ ‘As for the promise which I made with you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit stands [firm and immovable] and continues with you; do not fear!’

 

Ok, So, I am taking some liberties with the verses (but you get my drift) so I am to be courageous. I am to work. I am to remember the promise of God when he took me out of America. His Spirit is with me. I am to not fear.

AND...

Is 50:5,7

The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me,
    and I have listened.
    I have not rebelled or turned away.Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
    determined to do his will.
    And I know that I will not be put to shame.

 

I am in tears, overwhelmed by the goodness of God.

THANKS SOOOOO MUCH FOR PRAYING!!!!

then, Then, THEN!

I knew I had to kick it into gear with language learning. I told my leader to do an evaluation for me at the end of January. It will help me know where I am at and what is going well and what isn't. It is like a test, kind of. I am nervous. I already failed a goal I set for myself that I wanted to be through level 1 language study by Christmas. Yeah, what a joke! I don't know why this language doesn't stick in my brain. But, I will do the evaluation on Tuesday. I wanted to be able to go through all of the level 1 and move on to 2, but that won't happen. There are still a lot of things I need to learn in level 1. I am discouraged, but such is learning a language. I will only do part one of the evaluation and do part two in a couple of weeks.It has been a long week. Every day I was like, "is it Friday yet?". I met with my language helper every day. I went out to practice every day. I would come back home so tired and even angry. Angry at myself for not trying harder (that is me yelling at myself). Angry at some of these people who ask me to marry them when they already have 2 wives or people who ask me for a visa for USA or people who want my dress/shirt/sandals. The first few times you laugh but day after day after day after day...ugh!!! Come on people!!My house helper, who is great, did not show up on Thursday morning when it just so happened water was flowing and she could have washed clothes for me. I had a big pile since we haven't had water. Her phone was switched off so I couldn't call her. So, knowing we may not have water for another week,  rolled up my sleeves, filled up some buckets and washed a couple loads of laundry by hand. Seriously. It bites. Exhausting.Then as the week finishes, I saw no progress with language. That just bites all around. Ok, maybe somewhere in me knows I have progressed in some way that I cannot see yet but what I hear coming out of my mouth doesn't sound like progress.THEN as the week finished I was so looking forward to giving my brain a break and just watching movies. Well, as you would have it, the power goes out at 9am. It didn't come back on until 3pm. "God, can it get any worse!!!???" I was so exhausted (and with no power means no fan, so no rest, otherwise you lay in bed and sweat...not a nice feeling) and so I dutifully started studying again. I cooked some food for the week too. So, it wasn't an all-for-naught-day off, but still.THEN I tell myself to stop acting so whiny because people have it way worse than I do. I have to remind myself of all the amazing things I have in my life. I even have mangoes. I usually finish off my dinner at night with a fruit. Mangoes are in season and I am in heaven. So, I was thinking, "some people love their piece of chocolate, or glass of wine. I got me a lovely mango...(sigh)".May the language continue...only if there is a mango for me to eat!Thanks for praying for me!

Dancing in the New Year

Let's go back a couple weeks to New Years Day. Damary and I were invited to join the village where we bought the pig, Yung, about 30 km away. Now, a few days before the 1st I said to Damary that one day I would like to go to one of those New Year's parties where you get all fancy and dance the night away etc, etc. It is on my list-of-things-to-do-one-day. Well, this was not like we see in the movies for a New Years celebration but it was still a celebration with dancing and people all dressed in their cloths and smocks, which are traditional.We arrived around 4pm  and sat with Saidu and his wife. They served us delicious Ground Nut Soup with Fufu, classic dish. Then we heard the drumming. We went out and already they were dancing. This is how the Christians in this village celebrate the new year. Actually, in many places in Ghana January 1st is a big deal. In Accra, many people would get dressed in their best and go to church. Church services could last from 3 hours to 8 hours! I have found in Tamale it is the same. Maybe people want to start fresh? Maybe people want to get right with God in a new year? I don't know, but I do know Ghanaians know how to celebrate. And the Yung village is no different. The Christians invite M*slims as well. There were so many people. The weather was a nice, dry, not-too-hot sort of day. Even the chief came for the event.The drummers are men from another place that have been hired. Sort of like, hiring a band for an event I think. As people dance they will "dash" (like a tip for their service) the drummers and put money on their forehead. They have someone who collects the money if it is sticking to their sweaty foreheads or if it fell to the ground they will get it there. It is not easy to drum like these men. Whoa. They really work. Most time the tip would be equivalent to 30 cents or 5 cents..

I would love to post the videos but I can't upload them on here. You can check them on my facebook page. https://web.facebook.com/sherri.paulson.75The videos were a bit funny because Damary and I joined in. it was funny because I know we didn't look like they did. We each separately went out to dance and people would come up and give money. We gave the money to the drummers. I later said to Saidu that next year I will come back and have practiced and I will be much better :) I don't know if you can practice what seems to be in their blood.We later went and spent some time with the pastor of a Baptist church. They have over 200 members! In a M*slim area this is a big deal. They are trying to build a church for everyone to fit in. We all prayed together. There is something special about praying with other believers, ones you have never met before (or have), there is a sweetness that you can't explain. You know you are united by One Spirit. Even though we are so different, do things different ways, look different, have different experiences, yet, our same God loves us all and unites us all together. It is saaaaa-weet!So, even though my New Years was not the one I wanted to cross off on my to do list, it may have even been better. I already have it scheduled for next year.Thanks for praying!  

Friends and Elephants

One of those questions I get about Africa is, "Do you see any lions or elephants?" on a daily basis the boring answer is "no". But, now that I live in Tamale I am only 2 hours away from Ghana's Mole National Park molemotelgh.com  and yes I can see elephants! (Again, not on a daily basis, but still.) I heard one man ask our guide if he ever sees lions, which I thought were extinct in Ghana, and he said, "you have to walk very far". REALLY?? Eiii!! I didn't know that.I went with my roomie, Damary and Julia and her husband Florian. Julia was a short termer and worked in Accra with me in 2011-2012. She and another gal did a fabulous job working with a school and helping me at church with youth and kids. She has done well staying in contact with some people and has been enjoying revisiting and introducing people and places to her husband. It was wonderful to have time with them, show them Tamale, eat meals together, talk and of course see elephants!We did a 2 hour walking tour throughout a part of the national park with a guide. We did see elephants. Man, they are huge!! The guide told us they can run, for a short period of time, fast like a cheetah but they can only go straight. So, if one is chasing you run zigzag and you should be ok. We did not see lions :) We also saw baboons, warthogs, crocodiles, and antelope.

Check out what was in my tire! I have no idea how a bolt decided to dive in. Crazy.Always an adventure here! Come and visit. You will give me an excuse to go and visit my elephants again.

Let the Christmas Festivities be Finished

Don't we all go a little crazy at Christmas? When really we would love time to just chill? We think about how peaceful it is at this time of year but actually, with church programs, baking, people coming over, visiting, cooking, and whatever, is it really? I am a bit torn because I love being busy. I love serving. But I also am very good at vegging. (Doesn't that word look like legging with a "V"? I mean, it is, but it makes me want to say it with a hard "G" sound to make it rhyme with...ugh, I digress!!!) I love people and yet sometimes I just want to watch a movie. My first Christmas in Tamale was a success. It was full of busy-busy and yet some quiet. It did have some sad moments because as cool as it is to be here, I really missed home. Maybe since I was home last year? Maybe because my family is so amazing? Maybe because deep down in me there is a liking for cold? (Nahhhhhh, No Way.)On Christmas Eve, Damary and I went over to P.Andrew and Jemima's place to help prepare for the next day. We cut up vegetables. Really, I did work some of the time :) We fried chicken. Really, Jemi did most of it and I just stirred and put things in and took things out. We kind of, sort of, ended up eating a lot of the fried chicken because it was soooo good! Jemi must have a secret spice she throws in with it. We could not stop eating it!

I just have to throw in a pic of Sister Jemima eating her pork. She is so beautiful and always stays behind the scenes doing so much work.Happy New Year! I hope you have some goals for 2017!!

My Week

What goes on in a week? My week is so random. Who knows what will really happen. For now, I have language learning and practicing which is set in my schedule. The rest of my schedule? Come what may...I do love that about my life.My week started off really great because I got a package from home. A big, big package!!! It had some of my fave things and some new things. My family knows how to do parcels!!!These photos were taken in a village called Savelegu. It is about 20 miles from Tamale. A small village where Pastor Andrew comes to buy a pig to feed people who visit him and the church around Christmas time. The chickens I bought for my own Christmas dinner. It really doesn't get more fresher than this! We plan to come back to this village on the 1st to spend time with some of the people. They are so friendly.

These fellow human beings are part of the SIM Tamale team. Damary, my roomie, DooShik and GaeOk from Korea, my leaders, and Yvonne who is from England (and me). We really have a brilliant team. I am thankful to have them here. (In case you wondered, DooShik's house is the house I stayed at until our new house was finished.)We had our own little Christmas party. Talk about multi cultural! We talked about different manners countries have and enjoyed foods from everyone's culture. We exchanged gifts too. I received a beautiful, Ghanaian stamped table cloth.So, that was my week. How was yours?

Snow?? My version.

Winter...Winter???Um...not really.I just talked to home last night and they were talking about being snowed in.  I saw other pictures people sent me of their cars covered in snow. Such a concept...snowed in? cold? It is hard to fathom when it is 100 degrees everyday and very dry.But in keeping with the Holiday Spirit I too had a "light dusting" on my car. Dusting...as in real dust. From December to early February Ghana, especially northern Ghana, experience the Harmattan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmattan . There are more positives to Harmattan than negatives. I like the dry weather. Yes, it is still hot during the day, but it is a dry hot. I don't sweat so much, it sort of just evaporates. (Yes, I drink plenty of liquids!) Clothes drying out on the line take very little time. If you need bread crumbs just keep some bread out for a few minutes and VOILA! you have crunchy bread, easy to grind to crumbs :). The nights are cool. The other night I slept with no fan. WOOOOOO!!! A miracle :) But, on the downside, there is dust everywhere!!! AHHH! Every day you can swipe your finger across something and see it. You can feel it under your feet. And, it makes me sneeze too, though, I am taking allergy meds and that controls it.It was about an hours drive from Tamale.We had water for a few days last week. It was wonderful. We also had a family stay with us for about 5 days...and then when they left...so did the water :( We are again living from jerry can to jerry can.It sounds really terrible and it is but I think God has really covered over my mouth and mind of complaining with contentment and it just has become something to deal with. Or...maybe you have been praying for me! Yes, that is probably what it is! THANKS!!! Pray they open the water pipe to let the water flow. Can you believe Christmas is next week??? Ei!!!   

Water- or lack of it

I came back to Accra last week Monday and heard about the water shortage going on in Tamale even before I got back up here. Apparently, the main city pipe flowing water into Tamale broke and to fix it they had to shut off the majority of the other pipes. I really have no idea, I just repeat what they tell me :) Of course, it was to be fixed up last week. And then in traditional Ghanaian fashion, "tomorrow". (They always say tomorrow and believe me they don't mean it.) Yesterday, as I was talking to someone they said, "oh, surely before Christmas". WHAT!? That is still weeks away!From that Monday I returned to Tamale we prayed our poly tank (2,000 Liters) would hold out and it would be like the loaves and fish that never ran out. Well, we made it to Friday morning. Pretty good considering we had guests every day that week. We had some yellow jerry cans the landlord left us from the first day in the house when we didn't have water and took advantage of that. Then what?Thankfully Pastor Andrew came to our rescue! He took me to refill them and they have to be 50+pounds when full. Every morning and evening I see women walking with them or big bowls to go and fetch water. Men tie them down on motorbikes. Unfortunately, this doesn't last forever but thankfully P. Andrew would refill them for us and bring them over. I kind of felt a bit helpless! Then P. Andrew called and said he just got a number for someone who has a water tank. So we have to pay and they will come and pump water into our tank. I thought that sounds wonderful! The cost was reasonable too.A little issue came up in the midst of this. The tank of water was too much for my little tank. (I think I need to buy another tank because I hear there are always water shortages in February and March too.) They would not charge me half price. They would not take the other half of the tank to P. Andrew's Mom's house which was just down the road. We felt that was so unfair. These guys would go and sell the water to someone else...water we paid for. So, we started calling the neighbors around telling them to come and get free water and boy did they run bringing any containers!I was so glad to give my water to these women. Many of them I have sat with to learn language. I don't know how far they have had to go to get water. I was so glad I could share. I hope one day I can share with them about the Living Water.(Don't ask me how they carried some of those huge barrels full of water. Ei!!)Just imagine living with one barrel of water? or 3 jerry cans? You really think twice about washing your hair:)It's another one of those times where I praise God for his abundance in my life. Yeah, so I was short water and we still aren't getting any thru the pipes. At least I have the money to get water (THANKS supporters!). At least I don't have to walk and walk and walk to get water. At least I have friends who help me to get water. I, again, have all I need. God be praised!Let's pray the pipes would be fixed and Tamale will have water again and pray for other ways I can love my neighbors. 

Drivin' Around

The driving distance between Accra and Tamale is 618.22 km or 384 miles. I flew down to Accra in November to help and be a part of SIM Ghana's 60th anniversary of working in Ghana. The flight takes about an hour. So fast, so wonderful. The drive on the other hand...though a measly, 384 miles...it does not go so fast. BUT I have to say Ghana has much improved in the roads since I came in 2005. Instead of long patches of bad, potholed, dusty roads they are now short and fewer patches. This time driving back I was with a colleague so I had someone to talk with and I didn't have to drive the whole 10 hours. Yes, it takes about 10 hours. Sooooo, since I did not have to drive the whole time I was able to take some pics as we went along. Enjoy!And then we got back to Tamale! Safety is not something we take for granted on these roads. Sometimes the police like to stop us or they have radar guns or they just want a little "sumthin'-sumthin'". We pray before we start the journey and we praise God for however far we made it that day. We even have others praying the day before we travel. It is not something to take lightly when you hear of all the road accidents and people who have died. I know one gal from the church who lost her uncle, aunt and two cousins in an accident.Thanks for praying for me! Thankfully I don't have any travel plans in the future but even in Tamale I still would like prayer as I drive my car or sit in yellow-yellows or taxis.

We Are In!

The house is finished. The house is finished. It is worth doing a little jig. I don't know what we would have done if my team leader had come back and wanted his house back. Yikes. But we don't have to think about that now.It started in September. And now is finished in November. YAY!!Are you OOOOOh-ing and AAAAAh-ing? Don'cha just love the heart gate? It's definitely Ghanaian.The living room and dining room.It's a huge room! I have no idea how to decorate this. Come and help me!The next is a bedroom...there are 5! Come on over and visit!This is mine.This is one of our spare rooms.And this was me moving in!Here is the kitchen.I don't understand the zebra cabinets. I don't like them but I am thankful to have a kitchen. Though, at this point none of these cabinets have shelves...(sigh) don't ask. The landlord said the carpenter will come back.Of course, some things have not worked right. The first night we woke up we did not have any water. The plumber came out and then said it would come...it never did. Thankfully, someone brought us water in yellow, plastic containers. Then the next day we went out and locked the gate but when we came back the lock was open and the gate wide open. We don't know if someone tried breaking in or the lock was just weak. The house doors were still locked...they are made of metal and bullet proof. I asked the landlord if I need to be concerned about bullets (which I don't) and he laughed.Nothin's getting thru this baby!The landlord's brother told us our lock was too small and we needed to get a different one. So we did.The next issue was water in the hallway towards Damary's side of the house. We followed it to a bathroom sink. Also, the kitchen sink was leaking.And then the next day we didn't have any lights or fan in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Thankfully, we did have power for the refrigerator! I had to leave that morning to come down to Accra to help with some things and I felt bad for Damary who has had to deal with this electrical issue. She told me most has been figured out. (sigh)All these things kind of wear you down, but we still like the house. We still are not discouraged! We are thankful. Look how many people don't have a home. Think of how many people don't have any where to sleep. I won't complain. I will just deal with the issues and move forward.Thanks for your prayers for helping me find a house and that we were able to move in before my leader came back. Thanks for praying for our safety as we are new in the area...and Tamale for that matter.God is good!! All the time!!  

Runny Tummy

I got a little sick last week. Sick as in runny tummy. That is what they call diarrhea here. And, I have to say, I like saying runny tummy much more than the D word. When I lived in Accra, I would have runny tummy...I don't want to say often, but enough that it wasn't a big deal when it did come around. In Accra, I would eat street food a lot-which is one of the reasons I got runny tummy.  I learned to love street food! It is super cheap and, they are all over the place and convenient. You can buy different things. You can buy jollof rice, fried rice or plain rice with meat like goat, beef, fish (though not considered meat) or chicken. You can buy kenkey, banku, or fufu with a tomato stew or sauce or a soup with meat. You can buy fried or roasted plantains or yams. You can buy black eyes peas which go yummy-yummy with the plantains. The sad problem is...wait...are most problems sad?, or do I just say problem and you figure out that it is sad because most problems are sad? But a problem could be choosing between two good things and there would be no sad in that. Right? ANYWHOOO-- the problems is, many of these vendors do their cooking right in their little kiosk and they don't have running water. That, of course, could cause a lot of issues. There are no FDA regulations on chop bars/street food eateries so you just take the risk and sometimes (sigh) it is so worth it.But in Tamale, I haven't been eating street food. I haven't even gone to one chop bar in months. How did I get sick? Many other reasons came to mind. During my uncomfortableness I went over where I went, how many times I washed my hands, if I ate meat-even meat I bought and cooked in my house, who knows how long it was sitting outside before I bought it. And that may make you ask the question : Your meat is outside? Yep. The butchers buy big chunks of a cow and go to their kiosk and sell it. Sometimes their place is just a table with a sun roof thingy on it. Other times they are screened in areas about 5 feet by 10 feet. They usually have big straw fans so they can blow away any flies that come round. So, meat by itself could be the culprit. I did buy some pork a couple weeks ago that let me know after I ate it, that it was bad, but not serious, not like last week's sickness. Last week's sickness lasted for days. As in, I even had a dream about it. Not cool.If we do get a stomach sort of bug usually we wait a couple days hoping it will just pass, like mine did with the pork. But this one hung on. So, finally I called up my nurse, explained my symptoms and she told me what to go and take. I had a friend go to the pharmacy and buy it. One lovely thing here is we don't need doctor's prescriptions. We just go to the pharmacy and tell them what we want and then buy it. SOOOOO WONDERFUL!!! The nurse did ask me if I ate out and I could honestly say, "No". Maybe it was the apple I bought that I did not wash (I was just so hungry I needed something). Maybe I drank bad water. Maybe I sweat all the water out of me and was dehydrated really, really bad, ok, that doesn't really make sense. Maybe the food my friend cooked for me wasn't good-but none of them got sick. Maybe...maybe...I just get lucky like this :)So I took the medicine and within 12 hours I was feeling back to my normal self. Before that, I refused to have a pity party. There was a day where I just couldn't go out because I had some cramping but other days, though I felt uncomfortable, I went out. I just made sure to visit places that had a toilet around, or time it as best as I could, to get back home. Silly things, but very important things to think about!!UPDATE ON THE HOUSE:We got the keys yesterday. We started filling my car with boxes and taking a load over and then in the evening we had a friend with a pickup and he took some big things like the refrigerator. The water is not officially hooked up yet by the city but we have a tank full. We will wait a few more days for that to get hooked up and in the mean time continue to take things over. Our projected sleep-over-there date is Saturday. We also want to dust and mop it and do a serious prayer walk thru every room and to every corner of the outside walls. Maybe next week I will send some finished and move in pics.

Adventures in Armpits

So, my adventure today:Because I look different here, because many people don't see folks like me 'round these here parts I get stared at a lot. I would love to say I am used to it. After 11 years you think one would be, but I am not. I don't mind it most of the time, especially when cute little kids are bug eyed. But today...today this friend of a friend stood in front of me as I was sitting in a chair. She must have been a bit younger than me. She was standing over me and I had to look up to see her. I did not want to seem rude so I smiled and tried to look up at her, though the sun was in my eyes. First, she spoke to me rapidly in Dagbani. I just kept saying, "I don't understand. I don't understand." Second, she asked me to take her to America and I said I do not live there but she said I should take her and instead of being all culturally appropriate and indirect I became Miss-All-American and boldly said, "No". Direct and indirect in this culture are a whole other blog. And third, she kept staring, like really staring, like checking me out-not in that way but, still in a way I was not comfortable with. I know I have bad skin. I know I have some hairs that should be plucked. I know I may have goop in the corner of my eye. I know my gray hairs are showing. I know my neck is tan but the rest of me is not and she kindly pointed that out to me. As I was pulling my hairs away from my face and lifted my arms she took my elbow and lifted my arm to look at my armpit. Please, don't ask. I don't know why. I felt like an animal about to be auctioned. Really, girl??? Really??? You want to see I haven't shaved my legs in awhile too??? I was so shocked as I let her drop my arm and I know for a few seconds I was just in a stare. Like, do you not see that I am a person just like you?Growing up in a community where 99% of the city looked the same I never thought about how someone different would feel. I remember I would randomly feel bad for the Amish students in our Junior high class but not enough to befriend them. What did they feel like when we stared at them or rolled our eyes at how they smelled? I don't know who I thought I was because I was a farm girl too and I know there had to be at least one day, if not many, that I wasn't smelling like roses.I had a nice upbringing but I wasn't always kind. I was outwardly nice to people and I like people but I didn't always have a heart for them. I wonder what parents do to help form this in their children? Eventually, the child has to make that decision for themselves and hopefully has good experiences along the way to form them to want to be that way. It wasn't until I really started studying the Bible that this happened to me. As I look back, much of my life was as a pharisee, a hypocrite and all that rolled up into a nice saran wrap ball. There is power in the Bible. Power to transform. I can't tell you how but it changed me. Still so far from perfect, but man, so much different than I used to be. I had nothing to do with it. Over and over I had to give things to the One who wrote the Bible, the One who breathed it and I still have to and yet, that giving up has brought me life. Serious, incredible, joy-thru-the-madness, life.I was telling Pastor Andrew and Jemima about "my adventure" and we were all laughing until we were crying. I am so glad I can laugh about it. I am so glad I can smile when I think about this girl. I hope I get to meet her again...if I do,  maybe,  I will look under her armpit.

It's not always easy, but in the end it's worth it.

I think you could call this a rant. But let me just say, I do love Ghana. I do love Tamale. I love my life. I am so thankful to God He is in me and working in me and it just so happens He chose Ghana to do all this. How lovely.But there are times when all is not perfect.Some days I am really giving it all I can. I am listening to the words people are saying. I am trying to pick out words I know. I am watching people's lips as they speak. I am walking in 90 degree weather talking (mostly listening) to people and some try and tell me it is too hot for me to stay in the sun (duh, I know). Many days I come home feeling good. But then the next day comes and I am like, "what did I learn yesterday???" and it is gone! UGH.Speaking of walking in the heat. Oh. Wow. Yeah, Africa is hot, I know. But Tamale is a bit hotter than where I was before. I looked on the weather and it said-- 91 degrees but feels like 108 or 93 degrees but feels like 107 degrees. Yeah, that is impressive.Also, with it being so hot there really is no way to look nice. I am wearing the coolest (not as in stylish), most modest clothes I have and I feel so frumpy. So sweaty. No wonder some missionaries dress the way they do. It's because it is so stinkin' hot! They don't care about what they look like, they are just trying to stay as cool as possible. (Sorry to all who I made fun of when I was younger!) Imagine your beet red face from walking and you have B.O. and your little whispy hairs around your face are matted to your cheeks and then you stub your toe on a rock...so not helpful to a joyful attitude...but then...a beautiful thing happens: a sweet breeze rides right up through that ugly skirt. You really don't care how ugly it is at the moment. You are just happy the wind got through it or... you are just happy there was a breeze at all. And speaking of breezes... My hair is tied back everyday and riding in public transportation you want all the air and breeze you can. But for curly hair people we can't really pull off the beach wave stye, well I can't anyways. It is more like...poof! and then ratty. I really don't know how much more attractive I can get. Oh wait, I can. Let me tell you about my amazing tan lines. I have a great red neck, as in my neck is red or gradually turning brown, farmer's tan on my arms, thee whitest legs (because they never see light), and the start of some sweet flipflop lines on my once-perfect-feet, which are looking like they are in need of a serious pedicure. I am just sooooo classy. I can barely contain my sarcasm.When I wake up in the morning all the call to prayers are going on but they are not at the same time. Men on megaphones praying in Arabic. Why can't they just do it at the same time? Apparently there are exact times when to do it but I guess people's watches differ...if they are wearing a watch, that is. What should last a bit goes on and on because another one started later and then another one later than that and the megaphones are everywhere. I bet I hear at least 6 different prayers to Allah, which I don't understand because I don't know Arabic.Something happens to my allergies when the barometric pressure changes. I usually know when it is going to rain because my eyes start itching and I start sneezing. It is weird. I am like an old lady who can tell the weather by how her bones feel ...except mine is with itchy eyes. So, if I don't have my allergy eye drops with me I itch them (even though I hear my dad's voice in my head telling me to stop) and I end up with puffy slits that I can barely see out of. I'm like Rocky fighting Apollo Creed and he tells Coach to, "cut me, cut me" because his eyes are so puffy. Again, can I get any more attractive?And then there are days when I miss home. Where my family lives is so beautiful. Ok... it is really, really cold too, but, it is so beautiful. And my family is beautiful, my whole family, even 2nd, 3rd and 4th cousins (yes we still know each other) and even my brothers. HA HA HA ( I love them, really I do!). I think being away from family is the hardest thing about living overseas. I miss my family. Just today I was making chicken tacos (SHOUT OUT TO COUSIN DENNIS FOR SENDING ME A PACKAGE WITH TACO SEASONING PACKETS!!) and I got teary eyed. My family loves tacos. I cannot tell you how many times I ate them while I was home. It is a very family-ish meal. We always seem to have it when people are around and everyone enjoys it. (sigh) Then the other day riding in a yellow-yellow I was coming home and wondering what I was going to cook and eat. I thought about Culvers. My most favorite restaurant. And I thought about a delicious cheeseburger and amazing ice cream and again, I got teary eyed. Not just because I missed all the incredible-ness of it but also because it is convenient. You can just pull up, tell 'em what you want and VOILA! You get it. How nice. How brilliantly simple. (sigh)I just sighed again.I am thankful Jesus makes this all worth it. Read John 14 and be encouraged.