Day Fifty-Four

Dear children whom we now know and love,

Tuesday we leave. After eight weeks of occasionally frenzied bathtimes, kisses smeared with beans and garri, and sweet cuddle-filled nights, we are very sad to say goodbye. It's been a privilege to get to know you each everyday. The way the older kids look after the younger ones and how the little kids take care of each other, you truly function as a family. Thank you for letting us be a part of your family for these past two months. We are grateful for every moment, whether rimmed with tears or laughter, spent with you; your friendship is a blessing we'll always remember. Know that we will always hold you in our hearts and will pray for opportunities, protection, and favor in your lives. But most of all, we will pray that you know clearly the Lord's love and grace all your life.

We love you so so much and miss you already.

love love love,
Chelsea and Megan

Things We'll Miss

In light of our coming departure from Ghana, Megan and I have decided to share a few of the things we'll miss most when we get back in the States.

- Having an audience of children while we bath (and occasionally shooing away a few toddlers)
- Picking 4-5 oranges straight from the tree and eating them all within 20 minutes
- Chasing goats out of our kitchen
- Thought-provoking, life-changing conversations over egg sandwiches and Milo
- Picking bugs out of our hot water
- Comparing Kwashie hickies with other volunteers
- Being gross by Ghanaian standards (bathing every 3 days as opposed to twice a day)
- Telling our names to the same 35 children on the street every day
- Being in a land of passionate footballers during the World Cup
- Rice...just kidding
- Groundnut cake...seriously
- Being disappointed every time we bath by the realization that what we thought were tan lines on our feet were actually dirt
- Listening to Rasta/Christian radio every day
- Waiting hours in the internet cafe in hopes that the lights will soon come back on (as we just did)

Hope all is well. Stay tuned for our final post of all time next Monday. (ahhhh!!!) Also, be sure to support the Ghana Black Stars this Friday, July 2nd, as they play Uruguay. Victory!

Megan and Chelsea

Day Fourty-Nine

One of the main responsibilities of the volunteers here to keeping an eye on the health status of the kids. This week has been extra crazy as far as illness goes, filled with vomit, paracetamol, and many many trips to the clinic. I think I've cleaned more bodily fluid this week than I have in my entire life. As one of our fellow volunteers, Lauren, says "when it rains, it pours," which couldn't be more true of the sickness that's been passing through Christian Refuge. Zenabu, Rahael, Kwashi, Barbara, Mishek, Jonas, Ernestina, and Ezekiel have all been unhealthy with various problems and have acquired a mass of medicines which are imposing quite a challenge for us volunteers to keep up with.

Here's how a typical clinic visit goes:

1. Gather insurance cards and medical information for the given sick child.
2. Gather given sick child.
3. Escort given sick child to the clinic a little less than one mile away.
4. See the clinic receptionist grimace when she sees you because she knows you don't have an MOH card for your given sick child.
5. Wait for several hours with given sick child on your lap as all of Bawjiase's unwell wait to be seen by the one doctor.
6. Have given sick child diagnosed and prescribed at least four different questionable medicines, which the volunteer doctor at the volunteer house will promptly tell you are "rubbish" (he's Australian) once you arrive home.
7. Kindly thank the clinic staff and leave with given sick child.

Based on my obtained observances of clinic diagnoses, there is a 4 out of 5 chance that you or your child will be diagnosed with malaria. Have a fever? Malaria. Vomiting? Malaria. Strange bumps on foot? Rapid hair loss? Black tongue? Malaria.

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but malarial meds do seem to be the Ghanaian cure-all for any sickness. It's kinda sketchy, but the kids always get better after a few days which gives me partial confidence in their effectiveness, but mainly testifies to the Lord's healing hand on our children here.

Lucky for you, neither Chelsea nor I documented any of the sicknesses this week, so instead I will now insert this picture which is slightly irrelevant to this specific post but does capture the essence of daily life here.



In other news, have you Americans heard about our latest lost to the fantastic Ghanaian Black Stars football team? We certainly have. Worldcup fever is raging strong here. It's super fun to squeeze into the crowded orphanage foyer amidst dozens of eyes glued to the tiny screen. I've never realized the drama of a soccer game until viewing matches with such passionate fans. All of Bawjiase, and probably all of Ghana, shuts down to watch the Ghana matches. Wednesday for the match against some European country which I can't recall the name of right now, Chels and I painted Ghana flags and black stars on the kids' faces in support of the game that evening... unfortunately they last that one. Defeat hung in the air for several days here and discouraged any hopes of winning "against Obama" this past Saturday. So when the Black Stars victory was finalized all of Ghana burst into cheers. People danced in the streets, gave away free stuff, and partied like maniacs all night long. So fun! We're looking forward to the match against Uruguay this Friday. GOOOOO GHANA!



Can you believe Chelsea and I only have eight days left? We certainly can't. We are both excited about coming home and seeing people we love, but saying goodbye to our sweet sweet friends here is going to be very hard. Please be praying for a good last week and for continued protection over Chelsea and I's and the kids' health.

love love love,
Chelsea and Megan

and more poems

ODE TO JONAS:

Always in his own world,
Never hesitating to shout his thoughts.
Endlessly laughing at his own jokes,
while occasionally wearing pants that fit.
Sometimes kung-fu fighting enemies,
usually in slow motion.
Frequently caught in mischievous schemes,
then often found pouting with sleepy eyes.
Forever a comedian all who will listen;
every day endearing.





AN ACROSTIC FOR AGOGO:

For many years, Frank has been
Referred to as
Agogo.
Never a day has gone by where his cry is not
Known throughout all of Bawjiase.

Don't get me wrong, his creepy, yet lovable, smile and
Open mouth kisses easily outweigh his
Nonstop whine. He's a tiny
Kid with an
Old man heart--always calculating bullying thoughts inside his
Rather large head.

Although he's often
Grumpy, Agogo is
One that is always nice to have around you, since he easily can put a
Grin on anyone's face.
Oh Frank Donkor, you are loved.

Day 41

Day Forty-One:

I should probably start off by telling you guys that this has been a VERY action-packed weekend by Ghanaian standards, which really just means we've been sitting for long periods of time in places other than the orphanage and the volunteer house. What a hard life we live :)

On Friday, Pastor's daughter Amanda came home from school in the middle of the day not feeling very well. She had a high fever a fellow volunteer, Min, and I took her to the government clinic down the road just to have things checked out. Like most kids, Amanda is really afraid of needles, so when she had to have her finger pricked, both of the nurses had to hold her arms and legs. Onlookers might have thought someone was trying to cut off her hand the way she screamed, but she made it through.



Then, in typical Ghanaian style, we sat at the clinic for another 3 hours or so to see the doctor. It's really kind of nice to sit and wait here. There's usually a breeze, and we had biscuits and the Slovenia v. USA match to entertain us.
About halfway through, Megan showed up to bring us bread for lunch. Very nice. All this time, though, I was trying to coax Amanda out of her fear of seeing the doctor, because she most likely wouldn't need an injection. Bad call. The doctor told us she had malaria, which requires a pretty painful shot on the butt. There was quite a lot of kicking and screaming, "Mepowcho, mepowcho!" ("Please, please!"), and the poor child hobbled all the way home. Of course, she's fine now, but it was quite a show.

As for Saturday and Sunday, Megan and I took a trip with all the other volunteers to celebrate beautiful Becca's last weekend in Ghana. We spent the night in Kokrobite, a beach town about an hour from Bawjiase.



The beach was really great, warm water and good weather, but the real draw was the food. We had french fries, pizza, grilled cheese, ice cream, apple pie...quite a bit of good food. We spent the rest of the time relaxing outside with the many other obroni who were enjoying Kokrobite. Even this little trip is making us so much more aware of how little time we have left in Ghana, so hopefully these last couple of weeks won't fly by too quickly.

As for things around the orphanage, we're working on getting a new toilet area built for the kids and adults this week, and Pastor's also working hard with some fundraising organizations in the U.S. for development at the orphanage, so if you could remember to pray for good weather and clear communication, it would be greatly appreciated.

We hope you're all doing well and having wonderful summers wherever you are.

Blessings,
Megan and Chelsea

Day Thirty-Eight

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so to spare you a boring book to read, today's post will be a few pictures of what's been goin' down recently in B-town.



This is only a portion of market, which is created every Tuesday and Friday. Chels and I go pretty much every market day, either to help shop for groceries for the internet, take care of miscellaneous needs, or simply to give a kid some always loved one-on-one time with a trip to town.




Morning bath time! Rahael snickers in this cold-hearted moment as she refuses to hold the hand of her sister, Barbara.




The lovely ladies we've been working with for the past month (minus a few who have left already).




Zenabu kindly sharing a piece of her orange.




Chelsea and I during the almost daily rain pours that cool off the weather so nicely.




Speaking of rain storms, yesterday a BIG storm blew in during school time. It was quite exciting as all of the school kids piled into the tiny room to take lunch!




Two Saturdays ago we had a Girl's Day. It was so fun to give all the girls foot baths and foot massages and paint their toe nails! What beautiful feet they all had afterward!




I can't even estimate how many many kisses we are blessed with each day. This here is a snapshot of a Kweku kiss.




Kofi playing in the dirt. Life is sweet when the world is your sandbox!




Almost every day Chelsea and I go a several mile baby-on-your-back-walk in the evening. Not only is it nice exercise, but it is also a wonderful time for us to process our thoughts on the day amidst the peace of Bawjiase landscape--we had no idea how beautiful it is here until we started exploring the farm roads behind the orphanage.

Day Thirty-Five

Day 35:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
... he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Psalm 18:2,19

Getting to know these children individually is an overwhelming thing. Each day brings further realization of their detail and unique beauty. Watching thoughts race across their face, seeing them play in quiet by themselves, laying next to them as they sleep--these are all treasures Chelsea and I hold every day. It is amazing to not only know who they are now, but also to know their story. Once orphaned and abandoned, these little lives are all testimonies of our Father's great love and protection! He has rescued these children because he delights in them!

Each day is a day of thankfulness for the mercy these children have been shown. The smiles and laughs and songs and dances our days here are filled with are all reminders of the goodness of our God. Take heart my friends, our God is good! He is faithful and full of love. He sees and He cares.

Blessings!

and more poems

CHICKENS:

From dawn until dusk,
I hear the roosters crow;
a chicken is nearby
everywhere I go.

They take the bread right from my hand;
they poop, they peck, they squawk.
I like to kick them with my foot
and give them quite a shock.

Chickens are so ugly,
I never really knew
how I only really like them
when they're in my stew.






OBRONI:

When I was born
my parents gave me a name;
little did I know
in Ghana it is not the same.

"White man!" "Empress!"
--these both refer to me.
But the most common shout is
"Obroni!" "Obroni!"

"Obroni give me money."
"Obroni buy this tea."
"Obroni how is life?"
"Obroni marry me."

It truly is my new name,
I respond to every call.
I get a lot of attention,
I'm a rare sight after all.

What will I do
when I'm home with a pen
and I go to sign my name
... wait, what is it again?

Day Twenty-Four

Day 24:

This post was going to start out with a description of bringing Zenabu and Ernestina to the internet with us this morning, but the power went out an they aren't with us this time around, so instead I'll just include the picture:




We've been trying to carry the kids on our backs pretty often, both to bond with them and to balance out the pounds of rice and palm oil we eat each day. It's a lot of fun, but we've found that there are dozens of women who are very excited to show us how to carry a child who's fallen asleep. Unfortunately, there are about as many methods as women, so we'll probably keep getting that help for a while. It's sweet, though, and we're getting better (especially me, since Megan already had a summer of practice). We even got our first compliment today from someone outside the orphanage ("Obroni! You carry them well!"). That's an exciting thing to hear, haha.

In other news, which a few of you already know, Megan and I decided last week to move down into the orphanage house to spend as much time as possible with the kids. Wee! Monday was our first night there, and we eat breakfast and lunch with them, as well as just helping out with random chores throughout the day. We still eat dinner at the volunteer house, though, because we couldn't fully give up Nancy's cooking. Megan shares her bed in the house with the beautiful Rahael (age 7), and I'm in the boys' room with Ezekiel (also age 7).



We were sort of afraid it would be disruptive for the kids to have us down there, but they hardly notice. :) Since Monday, we've had the pleasure of learning how to draw water from the well and carry the buckets on our heads, which, like tying babies, takes a little practice. I spent most of that first day soaking wet down the front of my outfit. It's nice that it doesn't really matter here. We're also finding a lot of ways/places to get quiet time, so that's been another good part of the move.
All in all, it's been a good week, still learning so much about living here and trying to be as helpful as possible. The weekend shouldn't be too eventful as far as we know, but of course we'll tell everyone if there's something super exciting, wild, or crazy that goes on (or maybe all three!).

Keep praying for our and the kids' health, as sicknesses pass along pretty easily when meals are shared between 25 or so unwashed hands.

We love and miss you guys (and definitely appreciate all the comments). We'll post again very soon.

Peace and blessings,
Megan and Chelsea

Day Twenty-One

Day 21:

This week has been filled with much loudness, all from booming speakers and jolly drunkards wandering the streets. Several funerals have been taking place over the past few days. Funerals here are week long celebrations, with non-stop dancing and partying which lasts through the night. The entire town is invited to come celebrate. If you are closer-ish to the family, you not only attend the party, but also pay a visit to the family at their house and usually they provide a meal for you.

Chelsea and I had the opportunity to be involved in both aspects at our friend Nancy's uncle's funeral. When we visited her family, we were served rice, stew, and dried fish. I received the head of the fish, Chelsea the tail. Pretty much every part of the fish here is eaten meaning our meal included not only meat, but bones, scales, and organs to chow down. With one assuring look at each other, we dug into the challenge of finishing this meal. I can proudly say that Chelsea finished all of her tail and I finished pretty much all of my head. Sadly, we spent the first part of dinner eating with our left hand (a big no-no) and Chelsea did break one plastic spoon in attempt to cut her fish. Thankfully, our blunders were politely overlooked. We've heard that you should try to attend a wedding and a funeral of every culture you visit; we're keeping our ears perked for a wedding to crash now!

Friday, Chelsea and I took a trip to Accra. What a crazy city! We decided to eat dinner at the Accra mall, as we've read that it is the lasting legacy of the previous president. When we walked through the sliding glass doors, we quickly realized we did not belong. This upscale mall was nicer than most of our malls back home. People of all skin colors (that was a shock for our Obibini-adjusted eyes) shopped in stores like Puma and Apple, stylishly dressed and smelling good. Being the Bawjiase girls that we are, we hadn't showered in a few days and our feet were caked with mud and dirt. We literally felt like we were making the mall dirtier. Needless to say, we were out of place. We did however highly enjoy our dinner of chicken burgers and fries, and ice cream and a chocolate croissant for dessert! Yum!



Yesterday we finally went to the right church--the church Pastor helps lead. It was so fun to wear our dresses that Ma made us. She was clearly proud as we received many Twi compliments.

Our outings this week were wonderful, but we really did miss being with the kids. It's only been three weeks, but we are beginning to really know personalities and quirks now. Nathaniel is a little quiet, but he is so bright, such a good reader and always ready to learn. When Irene won't talk, she normally enjoys a battle of silly faces. Zenabu catches on to songs remarkably quickly. When Kofi won't stop crying it's usually because he's frustrated with something that can be solved by taking time to communicate with finger points. It is such a blessing to spend time with them, to always have a child on your lap or tied on your back. We are so blessed to know each child.



Please be praying for educational opportunities for the kids. The school at the orphanage isn't very high quality, mostly because of lack of funding. Pray that money will come in to provide a strong foundation for their future. Also, Chelsea and I are working individually with the older kids to improve their reading skills. Please pray that we will have wisdom and patience with them and that there will be long-lasting improvement made through the one-on-one tutoring.

Blessings to you!
Love,
Chelsea and Megan

more poems

BUCKET BATH:

one girl.
two buckets.
lots of dirt.
less dirt.

still dirt.






KOFI: (a haiku)

lashes are so long.
they catch your excessive tears.
does Ma glue them on?






BUGS:

bugs, bugs everywhere;
in my chair,
in my hair,
even when I say my prayers.
do I dare
to even care?
no.

Day 14:

Last Friday, we left for Kofi Pare with Pastor to attend revival. It was actually held at the church his parents pastor, so we had a good time getting to know his family.



Mama made us spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and onions on Saturday, since she noticed how little fufu we ate Friday. We keep having to remind people that obronis have really small stomachs; Ghanaians, as it turns out, are bottomless pits. The services were also a generally good experience. They had two each day, and the Saturday night service lasted from 10:30 p.m. until 4:30 a.m., which made it a little hard for us to stay awake. Pastor tried to translate for us when he could, but during prayer times we were struggling, haha. Other than that, we really enjoyed the worship and dancing. Sunday before we left, we went to one of the pastor's homes so he could talk to us about our time in Ghana and pray for us. It was such a blessing to be welcomed into their home. He and his wife even sent us home with a bag of avacados. Woo!

Megan and I took the return trip to Bawjiase yesterday afternoon and filled up on street food for dinner since our cook was off for the day (one piece of fried chicken, two fried plantains, one delicious pretzel-y piece of bread, two onion pies, and two bags of water).

As great as this weekend has been, it's also been filled with awkward moments and laughter, mostly laughter at Megan and me. Friday when we went to bathe for church, I opted to go first. Perhaps too concerned with packing lightly for our trip to Ghana, we didn't bring towels. That means that after every bath, we dress and let ourselves airdry. This system works well for us at the volunteer house. Unfortunately, it didn't quite meet Mama's approval. I emerged from the bathroom with dripping hair and soaked clothes to an audience of Mama, Pastor, Sister Janet, and several other overjoyed Ghanaians. They gave Megan a towel for her bath.

Speaking of Megan, this morning brought us joy as we were on the way to the internet cafe. We did laundry for the first time today, so our clothing options are limited until everything dries.



This means that Megan is wearing a wrapper skirt of pretty slick fabric. She noticed quickly that the skirt wasn't going to stay up too well, and as it became untied, we found ourselves being followed by a highly amused Ghanaian lady who continually turned to other people on the road and motioned at her own skirt, drawing attention to Megan's potential exposure. She stayed back, watching us from the road as we found the most private place possible among some plaintain trees to readjust.

As far as everything else goes, we're doing quite well. Pastor's wife, Martha ("Ma"), is almost finished making us two really beautiful dresses and bags. We're looking forward to having something that promotes the confusion between us even more as we wear our matching dresses to church. We're also glad to be back home to Nancy's delicious cooking. We had no idea we'd miss it so much!

Sidenote: As we're posting this entry, the masses of Ghanaian men in the internet cafe are singing "How Do I Live Without You?" by Celine Dion. It's quite beautiful. :)

We hope you're all doing well. In fact, we hope that so much that we would love for you to comment and tell us how well you're doing. Please. Not gonna lie, it's pretty disappointing to make the long trek to the internet cafe for only one comment per post. It may sound desperate, but that's what Third World living does to you.

This week, please keep us in prayer for:
--Changes being made with the volunteer organization
--Healing for Cynthia (age 13), who's been running a fever for the past week
--Renewed energy for both of us for the time we spend with the kids each day

Lots of love and blessings to all of you,
Megan and Chelsea

Day Nine

Day 9:

Internet is finally working! Power has been intermittent and the server has been down for the past few days, so lucky you get to read two posts in one day.

The past few days have been relatively uneventful as Chelsea and I are settling in to routine here. We finally know all the kids' names and are beginning to be slightly useful in chores such as laundry and cooking (well, at least taste-testing). Monday, Chelsea and I had the privilege of watching one of the many orphanage chickens be prepared for dinner. Chelsea even got to help by plucking the feathers off! The boy who killed the chicken, Promise, said he would teach Chelsea and I both to kill a chicken by ourselves before we leave. Look out America!



Sunday we went to church for the first time. In our attempts to attend the Pentecostal church that the pastor of the orphanage works at, we went to the Church of the Pentecost. Thinking he was late to the service because of the typical "African time" mentality here, it took Chelsea and I an hour and a half to realize we were in the wrong church! Turns out, we went to his sister church which has the same name. In spite of that, church was wonderful! It was so great to be embraced by the congregation (Sister Hannah and Sister Henrietta translated the sermon for us and told us when to sit and when to stand) and to worship God freely with brothers and sisters of another culture. Next Sunday we've been invited to attend a Catholic church by one of the sisters who works at the orphanage. We are looking forward to that.

Tomorrow we are leaving with Pastor to attend revival for three days in his Aunt's town. We will return Saturday. Please be praying for safe travels and that we will be able to understand what is going on despite the language and cultural barriers.

Also, several volunteers have been sick, so please be praying for health and healing for them, and protection for us that aren't sick.

Blessings to you!
Love,
Chelsea and Megan

haikus

These may be funnier to us than to you, but here are some of our artistic expression of life at Christian Refuge Orphanage Centre:




MISHEK

cry, cry, cry, cry, cry.
is that all you ever do?
cry, hit, cry, sleep, cry.






KWASHI

you always lick me.
do i really taste that good?
i think i do not.






ZENABU

BOOM BOOM, here you come.
such a densely packed toddler.
all four cheeks so round.

"Obroni!"

Day 3:
It's official--we're in Ghana! After emerging with swollen feet (good thing Chacos are adjustable) from a 16 hour journey from Atlanta to Amsterdam to Accra, we are finally at our new home. What should have been about an hour and a half drive from Accra took nearly three hours due to bumper to bumper traffic in the city. The welcome into Bawjiase was very lively, as we arrived in the midst of a Bob Marley festival. Unfortunately, we were too late to attend. :)

We live in a three bedroom house shared with seven other volunteers. They've all been here different lengths, the longest four months. Most of them are leaving this weekend, and six new volunteers come Sunday. It's great to learn from experienced volunteers.

By far the greatest part of these three days has been meeting the kids for the first time. We went down yesterday after breakfast and were swarmed with little hugs and kisses. We spent time with them in school and church, mostly having our hair braided while we tried to learn names. The more we're around them, the more distinctly beautiful they're becoming. Between the two of us, we probably know most of their names. Some have Ghanaian names and other names are English. It'll be so great to be able to recognize them in different clothes, or naked as they're more commonly found.

Speaking of which, this morning at 6:30, we helped "bath" the kids for the first time. It's a little hectic trying to get them all over to the washing area to undress and brush their teeth. Half the kids ended up with toothpaste all over their faces due to our lack of experience. The sisters kept telling us to scrub harder since Megan and I are used to gentle American baths. Maybe tomorrow we'll be better.

Everywhere we walk, shouts of "Obroni!" (white person) follow us. We just smile and wave as it's more of a greeting than an insult. So now we obronis are in the internet cafe. It's a little hot, but the fan's working hard to cool us off. We just learned that our Ghanaian names are Adwoa (Megan) and Akua (Chelsea). We're looking forward to learning more Twi words and phrases so we can talk to the kids, and, of course, teach you all when we get home.

More to come soon!

Love,
Megan and Chelsea

a love letter

Dear children whom we have not yet met,

In only ten days we will finally see you face to face! We have been waiting so long to know you. We are so excited for you to teach us your best handclaps, sing your favorite songs, and to sit at the dinner table with you. Even though we will only be with you for a short eight weeks, we look forward to every day we get to spend with you and all of the many years we will be able to know and pray for you! Know that your Father sees you. He has created you with value and purpose.
You are so loved.

We are praying for you,
So much love,
Chelsea and Megan