sweeter than strawberry pie (Botanical Gardens edition)

Somewhere along the Accra-Kumasi highway. The Cape Coast-Accra road. The George W. Bush motorway. The Adesio road. The Kwame Nkrumah Circle. The Kwabenya stop-n-go street. The Mallam Junction. The Asamankese road-of-pitfalls. And inside the walls of house #5 opposite the Pokuase Magistrate Court.
We've grown taller and wiser. Sweated more and sang louder. Cleaned our ears and ignored our filthy feet. Ate more cucumbers and less cheese. Ran from fire ants and yet ate a few black ants for lunch in our noodles. Kick footballs harder and walked slower. Hollered "Hallo!" to every neighbor passed and softly end every phone conversation with "Okay, ByeBye."  Bought yam and pepper for breakfast on the way to church and liked it better than an egg casserole. Are okay with Pas. Jon giving a 'something small' sermon and Mrs. Maame Sauder giving the closing prayer.
And somewhere along those paths- and often the within our own walls- our love and forbearance and fortitude were multiplied.
God does that. We were willing and not able.
He is altogether able. Through Him we are closer, stronger and sweeter as a family.
These pictures are not a vanity. They are reminders to us that though young feet keep growing, spirits young and old need renewed & surrendered to keep growing.
That's a journey worth taking, pitfalls and all.

Happy 1st Birthday, Leila!

Sweet Steph has served and loved and grown with us these last few months. Thankful for her!

You're the only mosquito in my net. ;)

Fireworks all around!

normal is not boring

You know that last post? With all the church pictures, smiling kids and praying adults? Yah, that's not every day.

This folks, is my everyday. No dirty face edited.

Last year at this time, my downward view was a bump of a belly. This year my lap is full of a wiggling, grabbing, usually cheerful almost one-year-old. Thankful!!

Big brothers lovingly care for the youngest. And by care I mean removing the 'destroyer', as they affectionately call her, from their area of play.

Little ones cannot resist getting into literally everything. Here she is busy shredding my cabbage.(If I'd've cleaned her hands and the cabbage, maybe that would actually be helping with supper prep. Ha.)
 More likely is tasting the dog food and racing off with the toilet brush. How did she learn so quickly just what to do to get a reaction?!

Sometimes the principal of Bright Child Academy needs to get involved if the morale of the students becomes one of despair due to adjectives and long division.

As kindergarten is much less intense, we improve moral in other ways. ;)

 

 

 

 

Campfire? Check. Hot dogs, roasting sticks, marshmallows and friends? Check. Something to do with the ashes the following day? Check!

Best news? We've got company. Stephanie, my niece, is here with us until our departure in April. She is serving us in so many ways and also helping 2 days a week at a local school/children's home. 

And just in case I feel the need to prop my feet up, this is the view on the other side of the room. Can't say I'm looking forward to the cleaning, the packing, or the leaving but we are incredibly excited about being back in Pennsylvania in a few months.  

3 years [ an anniversary ]

Though we've posted this shorthand on Facebook....

 

Three years ago today we left on an adventure to Africa. The many experiences we went through changed us in so many ways. The people we had the privilege to meet, the food that we have eaten, the joys, the visitors, the teams, all equal an unforgettable journey. We are planning on leaving Ghana on April 15, and although it will be hard, we are also excited about the places God will take us next! Thanks for all your prayers and support, we couldn't do this without you!

And the children summed up this step in the journey this way: Rory shouts a "Yahoo!" complete with a happy dance, Elle folds her arms and declares, "I'm not going unless Sunny (the cat) is going," and Max buried his face in his arms and began to cry. 

 

Classic reactions, right? Denial, grief and bubbling (but unrealistic) joy. I am enjoying and challenged by the unvarnished view of life children take on. I learn from them speak the truth and (I pray) they're learning from me that the truth must include love. And interrupting your dad to ask when he'll be done preaching 'cause it's taking really long, though it may be true, is not okay!

(Yes, that happened. It was a small village church and the small boy did tap Jon's leg until he leaned down to listen. Whoever thought I'd need to add 'Don't interrupt the preacher' to my list of church guidelines. )

 

I wanted to post it here too. Life deserves so much more than a status update or a clever hashtag.

 So many of you pray, give and love us both in the absence of updates and through long, inconvenient Skype calls.

Thank you. We consider each of you our partners in this work.

And now we have 8 weeks to catch every moment we can of this place that has become home and taught us so much. Just today, as I said a goodbye to one of our pastor's wife, we decided to say only 'See you later.' Goodbye didn't fit. Someday I'll rejoice beside her before the throne of the Almighty.

Church members at Ayaa, a farming community 27 km north of us.



Estern, a church elder and CFC Bible School student and Jon.



Village church bonus: exploring.

Praying over Pastor Samuel and his wife Grace as they begin to work in a new place.

 

A quick snap before church for the church directory back in Pennsylvania.



Enjoying the sweet spirit and helpful hands of Stephanie, my niece.