Last school term ended on December 17th. Jennifer and I left the next day, Saturday to head to the Village of Hope, where a graduation program was being held to honor the kids who were raised there and have now graduated from university. It was really cool to see these 10 kids being honored, and as always, it was fun to spend time at the Village. We stayed there until Tuesday, and then we went to Accra to visit friends for a few days. I stayed in Accra until Thursday morning and then headed back to Village of Hope to spend my Christmas there with the kids. It was a lot of fun being there because they had some activities planned because of the kids' break from school. I got there Thursday, just before noon, and then we all got to go to the beach to hang out and swim for a few hours. It was a blast getting to be at the beach with all of the kids from the orphanage and we all had an awesome time playing around in the water. Saturday, Chirstmas day, felt nothing like Christmas. A lot of you Coloradans have told me it didn't feel like Christmas there either, however, I'm sure the Christmas music on the radio, the decorations in stores, and the big tree with presents in your living room might have had some Christmas feel to it.. But waking up Christmas morning here in Ghana was just like waking up on any other day, and it was actually kind of nice to have a break from the traditional celebration of Christmas. To celebrate, the Village of Hope was having a sports day, and later in the evening, an ice cream party! The kids were all so happy and excited to have all these special events and it was so awesome to be a part of it all.
 |
Fufu is a thick paste usually made by boiling kasava and plantain in water and pounding with a mortar and pestle until the desired consistency is reached. |
The Monday following Christmas was also a great day because...... My Ma got to come visit!!!! Jennifer had stayed in Accra to spend more time with friends, so we went to the airport Monday afternoon where we picked up my mother, Jennifa, and the good ol Mr. and Mrs. Gary Johnson. It was really cool to introduce my mom to all the kids I have come to be so close with at the Village of Hope. Tuesday through Friday was spent hanging out with the kids all day. Tuesday one of the houseparents invited me and my mom to try fufu there! First day in, Ma got to try some of Ghana's finest food! After this fine dining experience, we had a crazy dance party in that house, the Prestoncrest girl's House. The rest of the day was spent going around to the different houses, introducing my mom to all the kids and houseparents. The days at Village of Hope were spent playing with the kids and just talking and hanging out. At night, we had time to hang out in the room and catch up on what's been going on, in Ghana and in Colorado. Thursday, we woke up at 5 am and walked down to the beach, about 25 minutes away to watch the sunrise. It was a little cloudy, but it was still very beautiful, and after it warmed up a bit, we went swimming in the ocean. Now I say swimming, but we mostly went out into the water to get thrown around and beaten by some pretty big waves! On New Years Eve, all the kids went to bed around 7 so that they could sleep before waking up for the dropping of the- I mean, the bonfire... So at 11 pm we went out for a nice worship service, and then we got to see some fireworks and a pretty big bonfire. It was a really great way to spend NYE and our last night at the Village. Saturday morning we left early to go to Accra to the very crowded bus station where we waited for over 2 hours to get a bus to Kumasi!
Sunday morning we went to church at Bomso Church of Christ, where so many of our good friends here go. It was cool to have our parents meet our friends we first met in 09. Monday, Jen took my mom and her parents to the palace museum here in Kumasi, while I went to the market to buy a drum :) Then we went to a small market where we got some souvenir stuff. It was cool to show my mom around the city where I have been living these past few months, and I think she really enjoyed seeing what it is like over here. It is very different from the Village of Hope, so it was great that she got to see both places. Tuesday we left for Accra, because our parents flight was leaving Wednesday evening. We got to spend Wednesday going around to some shops and places in Accra and it was a lot of fun hanging out there as well. Well Wednesday night came too fast, and it was very sad to say goodbye to my motha. But I am very grateful that she got to come and we had an awesome time while she was here.
Thursday, Jennifer and I got ride back to Kumasi with a family of missionaries from Cote d'Ivoire, which was nice because it saved us 15 dollars and the chaos of the bus station. Friday, it was straight back to school, but I was actually very excited to be back and see all the kids again. These first few weeks back have been very enjoyable, and I have really been enjoying teaching these kids and hanging out with them. The Christmas break was very very nice and it was much needed, but now I am refreshed and ready to teach for a few more months. I will go into more detail on what's gone on the past few weeks since school started, but that will have to wait for the next post. An art class is actually coming pretty soon, so I don't have time to go on. But check back very soon, I will post again in the next couple days, and I will try my hardest to post more often!
Right now, I am thinking I will head back to the states sometime in April, but I still don't have a date set. I hope everything is going well for all of you back home. I really appreciate the support and prayers, and I miss you all very much!
May the Love of God be revealed to you daily!
Sincerely,
Jordan
No comments:
Post a Comment