Dentophobia

April 18-23
Our week remained in the steady routine of visits of neighbors, of kindergarten, heaps of laundry & finding final homes for our things. You'd think by now I'd have it all settled. But, friends, this is Ghana. :) As Jon sees shelves, baskets or pantry items along the street, he stops for them. It different having my things picking things out & delivered! Choices are few here, & he's making all the right ones.:)

It makes me miss all the bargain places I used to haunt. And, of course, all the yard sale finds & laughter of sister-friends that went so well with the cool mornings & hot coffee cups. As my control over just what is filling my home decreases, I'm finding my lack of choice matters less. At moments I feel wistful for my old house, my old (literally !) things, but I'm finding contentment in having needs met. Unlike making a home in Pennsylvania, there just isn't so many ways to meet those needs. ;)

Goals this week include artwork hung, family photos unearthed & creativity brought forth! I've got the glue gun in sight & I'm about to google making decoupage glue. Results will be posted soon..:)

Dear Dr. Richards of Lititz Pa, kindly patched a tiny cavity on Max's left first molar in January. Max struggled to survive the ordeal. ;0 Jon shared the chair and the procedure was completed. That equally tiny filling managed to fall out recently. We took the recomendation of friends & left for Osu, Accra & Spaes Dental Clinic. We thought we were home free when we found the clinic and it had a parking lot...er, well, a large driveway. It even had air conditioning in the waiting room & tp in the bathroom. All signs of a respectable business, folks! :)

We were 20m late and ended up waiting another hour to be seen. Sure enough, for GHc 65 that filling would be replaced. We were happy it was not worse. Happy ended just about then. I heard a few squeals from the back room, but was confident Jon was handling it. The assistant came out & ushered me back into the room. While I had been waiting, the power went out, leaving the dental work area steaming hot. Max was sweating, gagging, wiggling & crying while 2 hygienists & one female dentist tried to calm him so she could finish the filling.

Now, let's be clear. I did feel compassion for my dentaphobic son. But as they were almost finished I was certain he could tough it out. It wasn't pain, but panic in his tears, heightened by instuments being poked into his mouth. "Hey,Max, " They called & coaxed. "Hey, you stop. Oh. Oh, you stop, little boy!"There was tongue clicking & head shaking at him and now at me (not at Jon :) ). Elle was backed against the wall shrieking & hollering "NO, I don't want a shot! Mommy!" She was sure those ladies in white dresses were nurses. She didn't relax til we were in the car! Rory, thankfully, stood by watching. I heard him say, "Max, are you okay?" I hope he forgets what he saw when it's his turn for the chair!

In Ghana, too often,obedient children result from switching or beating. ( "Hey,I will beat you" is a commonly heard threat.)It is accepted and doled out by the nearest adult, not just the parents. They were tisk-tisking at me because American children are thought to be spoiled & American mothers to be pushovers. I would give this defense on their behalf. The children, for their own safety, need to be obedient. Unsafe conditions and lack of access to emergency medical care mean their little lives depend on being obedient. Their obedience is also needed around the house & caring for siblings. The young girls are expected to clean, & prepare food. The boys & girls sell food or kerosene along the highway after school, steps away from mad tro tro drivers.

Anyway, thoughts of the mall & some motherly comfort got Max through the rest. That filling is one rough lump of cement! We are praying it holds. ;0

It had been a successful day in Accra. We left the house at 8am, visited the dentist, Shoprite, the mall food court, Melcom (Ghana Walmart), & Sarlinesta (Ghana discount grocery) & were home by 5pm. That is why the list is never done in one day. I miss being Pennsylvania effcient.

Below is Max enjoying Pringles from Shoprite. Real Pringles. He even shared them and saved a few for the next day.

This is Akus & Obed. They have enjoyed playing on our porch a few times this week with their big brothers Daniel & Oliver. Akus and Elle love to giggle together and look at books. Daniel (in picture background) is 4 & loves to kick ball with Max. Oliver is 10 years old & in charge of all of them. He takes good care of the little ones as they come & go. They often giggle to each other in Twi, laughing at the obruni Mommy. Although this week, it feels a little more as if they are laughing with us, not at us. I like the way it feels. :)

Rain clouds are easily spotted in the bright, hot African sky. Max loves to announce the coming rain & when the first rain drop comes, the children begin to beg to go out. They cannot resist the cool feeling of being soaked in the rain. I am usually not far behind them. It makes me feel young & silly, to be out in the rain. But trading sweat for comfortable coolness makes it well worth it.

A voice is calling me away, back to reality. Young Oliver is at my door again. He comes craving attention & our football. More than once I have found him listening at the porch door while we are eating or doing school. Boys here have so few men of God as role models. Our prayer is that Jesus will put a thirst in him, not just to haunt the obruni house, but to seek the Jesus we serve.

Palm Sunday

As we catch the rhythm and routines of life in Ghana, at moments we are startled to see ourselves relaxing , even finding our place here. I was able to visit the arts & crafts street with Audrey and her guest this week. A purchase was to be ready to pick up in an hour. When we returned, we spent another hour talking with the artist, Jabril. When is the last time you chatted with the clerk at Walmart about if they've visited Boston, or Tennessee? He proudly showed off his knowledge of American geography. ;0) The best part was, in between discussing Bush/Obama, Republican/Democrats, we talked about Jesus. That, my friends, is the Ghana advantage. They love to sit and talk and that buys us time to turn the conversation. By the way, I was the one purchasing artwork for my walls. One would think the visitor with us would have, but I have a special weakness for acrylic beauties. ;) Pictures soon. We have also become accustomed to surprises all around. Lizards in the house, ants in the towels & bedsheets (Elle's bed, of course! She is still talking about it.), worms in the veggies. We were able to spend the day with Jonathan & Juanita on Friday. Ron & Audrey dropped us off on their way to Cape Coast, returning for us on their way home. The ladies & children enjoyed the local beach, while the men worked on irrigation tubing on the farm. Sounds fair to me! Jon enjoyed a chance to see the farm, & the farmer, in action. It is always encouraging to see my friend making her way in Ghana. She is making a home for her family, making relationships all around her. In a land of so much words-only Christianity, she is being the hands of Jesus! Palm Sunday took us to the Dobro church & Pastor Isaac. He was delighted we came, & we were delighted to join in. Jon was asked to share "small", & he did. He & Jon are friends and share a joke about being ready in season and out of season to share a word. He was extra delighted to be the one to ask Jon to share this morning. The camaraderie they share is wonderful. What a glorious hope we have in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hope is what shines from the eyes of these village church attendees. We cannot cure their illness or make them millionaires, but Jesus has given them hope. It is a beautiful thing. One man testified in the service to recently accepting Jesus Christ. Joy shone from his face. He is making relationships in this small fellowship & is assisting with the work on the CFC school buildings. Pray for Steven as he continues to seek Jesus & make changes in his life. A large group of children have a sort of Sunday school under the mango trees while the adults have church. Many come from the local village without their parents. They are pictured below with their palm branches. They are easy to find here! The little lady I am holding came with her big sister to the service. She was so sweet! Pastor Isaac has a large children's ministry. He has a passion for ministering to youth and children. When Adrian Myer joins us in May, this is an area God has ready for him to minister in as well.

Before I could post this, we received a few Sunday night visitors. I tend to post in too much of an overview style, so here is a specific look at our evening!

Margaret, another young lady Audrey has introduced me to, stopped by. She sells kerosene along the highway. Our houses are on her 2 mile walk home. She is 15 years old & determined to do well in the next 5 years of her schooling so she can attend university to be a doctor. She is interested in all things American & will try any food we give her. :) She just lectured me last night about not letting strangers in my gate. She told a local robbery story, but , thankfully, in her opinion, my neighbors are trustworthy. :)

"Are you having bread," is the question. In other words, I would like a chunk of bread with much margarine. I was happy to give it to her, along with a chunk of banana bread. No pieces of bread here, they want a chunk. She came with a gift for Elle. She had crocheted her a little yellow purse! It was so sweet. She gave her a big hug. Elle likes Margaret and comes running when she sees her. Since I explained to her Elle's story of adoption, she is extra sweet to her. I should say this is so special because many Ghanaian youth care for younger siblings, little ones are a job, not playmates. That makes it extra sweet to see her sharing the bread I give her with Elle and taking the time to play with her.

Abigail and Mary arrived next to get water. These young neighbor ladies come for water, saving them a long walk for dirty water. I don't mind. The water is well worth the friendship we are working on. They are thankful we don't charge them. The landlord had been charging them 10 pesewas a bucket. The like many Ghanaian, they are Christians, but struggling with living it out. They have many questions & I don't have many answers. I hope to get her a study Bible and encourage her seek out a sincere local church.

Tonight we stood in my concrete backyard over full tubs of water waiting to be carried. Margaret was with the children in the kitchen, doing my dishes and enjoying herself, so I stayed & talked. Their questions were about my veiling. "Why?", followed by " If it shows submission & simplicity, then you wouldn't wear it to church, right?" :) Understand, Americans, that here, on a Sunday morning, the best, brightest dress comes out, the fanciest hair and the sparkliest jewels are put on. For one morning, they put aside work & put on beauty. She could hardly believe I would desire simplicity for attending church! It is a small picture of what can happen here, how the focus of worship and fellowship can get misdirected. Any church of any culture falls to this trap of Satan. I am thankful the CFCI Bible School is working hard to keep it's pastors, students & churches focused on honoring God !

The big questions passed & they wanted to see my kitchen. They oohed and ahhed over the cooker, the fridge & full pantry. Without power or running water, they plan & cook day to day. And if she had my pantry, her house would be full of hungry friends and relatives wanting fed. Abigail & Mary were anxious to try the banana bread. "Oh", they said, " It is too sweet!" But they both wanted chunks in rubbers (thin plastic bags) to take with them.

They had made three trips, filling all the buckets and head pans they had. They left with the last load of water, bread and a mango. And, I pray, a good dose of true friendship.

Margaret & Max were still playing a racing game on the iPod (a ministry tool! ;) ). She needed to get home before it got too dark. She had to chase Elle down, since she had taken off in her slippers (flip flops), & pry out her little feet. This little girl loves any sandals she can find!

After dinner, a storm knocked off the power. The power company does this because the wind can blow and swing the lines, causing them to touch and cause more problems. The wind and rain was so cold on the front porch, Max & I were imagining ourselves in sweatshirts, home in Pennsylvania! Not long ago we all would have ran out into the rain to cool off. Yes, we have done that! We've even taken along the soap and washed the children under the roof runoff! This time it felt too cold! Rory was shivering and Elle wouldn't even come out! I think our thermostats have been adjusted. :)

This weekend we will join three of the CFCI churches as they have a evenings of services on the CFCI campus.

May Easter be on your mind this week. The death & resurrection of Christ are a message too life changing to keep quiet. The Ghanaian way is to turn the speakers to top volume, so the message is difficult to ignore. May your life show the resurrection power of Jesus Christ at top volume this week!!

Baptism, Ghana style

The CFCI staff was invited to be part of a joint baptism being held for members from Pastor Frank (Adawukwao) and Pastor Foster's (Bawjaise) churches. It was an honor to be included. The service began at 10 AM with a time of worship and prayer. Pastor Foster led the singing. Ferverant singing and prayer left that wooden slatted building as men, women, and children worshiped. Joyful participation was given by all and we do our best to feel the Ghanaian beat. It is infectious! God has given them a gift of expressive worship, one song, one prayer after another. When the leader calls out a time to pray, all the congregation lifts up their voices at one time to the Father. No hesitation here! Think Moses begging God to once again forgive the straying Hebrews. They cry, they beg, they wave hands and Bibles to call Heavenly attention to their requests.

Jon is learning first hand as he works with these young pastors, that their congregations face struggles remarkably similar to our American congregations. Their culture calls at the young men and women to work or party, to take purity lightly, to leave church to the older women who "need it". Our American pews may have more place holders, but these attitudes are the same! Being present and involved takes financial and social sacrifice for these young people. Whether their families are Muslim or Christian, sincere commitment is scoffed at. Megachurches here make Holy Spirit promises and fortell prosperity. When they don't deliver, it's no wonder families become skeptical. Like anywhere, a sincer believer shines.

We walked quite a ways to the baptism location, through tall grass and crossed a small stream. It was very hot, and we often stopped to talk to people along the way who wondered what these "obruni" were doing walking through their villages.

.

The area where we held the baptism was a place where the river had a hard bend, so the water pooled up and only slowly flowed through. The water was a traditional, "Conestoga creek" brown with a sandy bottom. Pastor Foster, Pastor Frank, and Pastor John (senior pastor from Griner Mennonite here for a visit) waded into the chocolatety water and proceeded to baptize 35 individuals who were publicly announcing their decision to follow Christ. More pictures are up on the CFCI website for your browsing (http://www.cfcint.com/), and we are planning another baptism for the Asamankese congregation (Pastor Joseph) the first Sunday in May!

Pastor John Yoder (left), Pastor Foster (center), and Pastor Frank (right).

This woman had a difficult time getting out of the water, and collapsed once she reached the bank. Ron thought perhaps it was spiritual oppression, and asked if she wanted him to annoint her with oil. It then appeared she was disoriented from the submersion and quickly recovered.

Of course, the children "HAD" to be carried both ways, which made the stream crossing somewhat difficult, along with another sweaty body pressed up against you.

The baptism participants each received a certificate, and we wanted to get a group photo but most of Pastor Foster's church had left at this point. This is some of Pastor Frank's church, but instead of just the baptism participants, many just wanted on to get their picture taken. So, some of these are participants of baptism, and some just wanted to say "Jesus!". Since they don't really eat much cheese here, the common smiley face pose is to say "Jesus" instead of "cheese". Seems like a good idea, inasmuch as I love dairy foods.

This unfortunate critter was chased into our compound by some men who were looking for a meal. It went into our garage and then they were able to corner it and kill it. They were quite proud of their accomplishment, and sold it for quite a bit! They said they sold it for a reasonable price of 15 cedis. A full days wage for a carpenter is 15 Ghcd. They made a dandy profit! They told us they sold it to a man who wanted it for the magical powers of the animal.

We were able to continue to sort through our boxes (seems like an unending task) and we found some valentine's sent from Nanny and Pawpaw, which just delighted Elle. She carried hers around for quite some time, and it is still beside her bed. The children are slowing realizing that it may be some time before they see their Grandparents. This morning on the way to church, Rory asked "Are we going to Pawpaw's place? I miss Pawpaw." It hurts to see them struggle with the loneliness along with us. But it makes these things so much more special. On Saturday, with Sara shopping, Max and I made some cookies while listening to the "Kid's Cookie Break" on WJTL. We had good memories as we heard songs like "Tractor, Tractor", "The Fruit of the Spirit", and "The Muffin Man".

Hot season continues (actually dry season...but I prefer hot. Hot and sticky is much more descriptive than dry!). In many ways have adjusted to the weather. It's not the first thing we think of anymore! However, the power has been on and off this week. Sleeping and cooking with out fans make one feel American. Meaning Americans feel compeled to comment on and complain about the weather. Yes, call me one of them!

I took this picture as evidence. Even my lovely pottery mug shows perspiration. ;)

This week hold special challenges for us. I've got a giant yam on the back porch that needs the bark hacked off so I can fry or boil it, 25 oranges from the trees in our yard need juiced, convincing Max his bat-swinging, ball-catching hand really is not too tired to write a few more number 3s and inspiring young Rory to dash for the toilet just a few seconds earlier, before...well, you know. :)

We are taking comfort in knowing a few things these days. Not all things come as a surprise to us, we know how to get more than a few places and have made more than a few friends. We know the Ghana clap & the worship song that every village church sings, every Sunday. God is good & we testify again to His goodness having so little to do with circumstances!

Seek to experience His goodness this week!

Beginning

We have begun this task of making a home in Ghana. We are no longer homeless, we joke, but neither do we feel really at home! We have taken tiny, beginning steps and know there is likely to be steps backward (Flee, thou homesickness!). Our week was routine & as varied as the pictures I'm posting. I'm still holding out for the street view to be more finished before I give you the big pictures. So, for now, here is the close up of our week.

This lovely cockroach was helping himself to our snacks. He skittered off the shelf right in front of my face as I was reaching onto a high shelf. My fearless husband played exterminator. And yes, they crunch quite loudly! We see more of the smaller ones. So many, in fact, the children enjoy squashing them before they jump in the shower!

The next two pictures are of work that did get done here. These two guys have been working on our pavers. They have finished this area, but still are not done in front at the main gate. They are quiet and respectful. And they even use my washline. ;) They arrive in nice button downs and dress pants or jeans. They hang them on the line and change into work clothes and shoes. When they are done for the day, they strip to their boxers, use the faucet at my back door to wash up, redress and tro tro home. Seems like a good plan to me!

Jon & Ron altered the drain of the washer for gravity drainage. The concrete gutter they made and open drain hole prove too much of a temptation for little hands, so Jon took it on himself to mix a little mud and patch it up. He and Max had a good time doing it.

A glimpse into what is on my mind in an early,quite house. I mean these words deeply. As a mother my discouragement falls on everyone else, if I allow it to flow in my words & attitudes. In this place of the cheap, the unreliable and the unpredictable, we are learning quickly the necessity of an honest time alone with God. How often He changes my spirit, how rarely He changes my circumstances! ;0)

This is Mercy.

Audrey introduced Mercy and I a few weeks ago. She is a quiet 16 year old who stops in to play with my children, & volunteers to help clean up and do laundry. She has a beautiful spirit of gentleness and love for Jesus. She says she is going to teach me Twi. :) Hmm, maybe I'll pass that on to all of you sometime. Cool stuff like having three names. A home name, a school name and a day of the week name based on the day of the week you were born. I'm Akusia (Sunday), by the way. I'm enjoying the learning!

So, while I post about the mundane, I am gathering some great pictures from the CFC churches for the next post. Baptizing in the jungle, folks! It is exciting!

I also would like to pass on some exciting reading. Kristi and Nikki are working at a hospital in Saboba, up north. They give honest and heart wrenching views of rural life. Check them out!

kristi-lifeisajourney.blogspot.com

goinggoing-ghana.blogspot.com