Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July from Helekpe! We’ve had a couple of very busy days since I last blogged. Thursday was the last morning of youth camp. Several teens shared testimonies of what they learned from camp and what they would like to work on. I thought it would be great for you all to know the outcome of camp, as well as be able to continue to pray for the youth here, so I am including the list here. I know it is a little long, but well worth it!

Victor – God wants him to memorize and meditate on His Word.
Augustina – she was really impressed by the lesson on memorization and meditation. She never really understood the importance of this before camp.
Edwin – he learned the importance of each person doing their part; if one person doesn’t do their part, it affects everyone.
Stephen – he learned many new things from the Bible, including the memory verses
Kafui – she learned how important it is to support her church leaders, particularly Pastor George, so that he can equip the church body.
Robert – he wants to manage his time well and memorize God’s Word.
Innocent – while academics are important, he has learned that God’s Word is also so important.
Godwin – it really impressed him that brothers and sisters in Christ came all the way from Maryland to help them, and that love showed him that in Christ, we are all one.
Dzidzeme – he learned that lying is very wrong, and it is sin before God.
Eyome – he wasn’t clear about God, but now he understands so much more.
Mary – she learned how important it is that she invite others to attend church and youth group with her, to have a greater impact.
Daniel – we need to not only study God’s Word, we need to teach it to others.
Mawuter – whether others are obeying or not, it is his responsibility to obey God.
Harry – it is not necessarily money that you should give God, but your abilities.
Mr. Elias – he was thankful for the Lord bringing the team here and keeping them healthy. He was particularly impacted watching some of our youth helping the young girls.
Faruck – he learned a lot about God’s word and made new friends that he was thankful for (Daniel and Mikey)
Frank – God’s Word is everlasting, but academics will end.
Mawuli – God led him here and was preparing him for camp. He got a lot out of the lesson on meditation and memorization of God’s Word.
Pastor George – he said that God’s call for him to the ministry was confirmed by camp.
Kurt – he was thankful that the GBC team did not complain, and he was also encouraged by camp and that the Helekpe youth stayed and participated.

From the GBC group:

Christopher – he learned patience, particularly with not understanding Ewe.
Daniel – he felt that God really allowed him to minister in different ways.
Anna – she really saw how important it is to pull your weight. When one person doesn’t do his part, the church doesn’t function well.
Ambri – God always prepares us for what He has for us. She realized that some challenges that she has gone through in the past have been in preparation for this trip.
Stephanie – she has committed to spending more time with God in prayer.
Mikey – he has learned a lot about leadership. Sometimes you have to stand alone, when it is not easy.

I hope that this gives you a good idea of how camp went. The Mathews have said that they are so pleased and encouraged with how camp went. It actually went better than they had ever expected, and we are so thankful for that, since our prayer from the very beginning was to be an encouragement to their ministry here in Ghana.

Camp finished up around noon. After camp ended, the rest of the day was a free for all. Some people took some short naps. We also did laundry, which is no small task when you do not have a washer and dryer! We quickly ran out of line to hang the laundry to dry. Three girls that attended youth camp did a very nice thing – they fetched enough water for us to fill one large barrel. It took them three trips to the well to fill the barrel! It was a real blessing to see them serve.

In the evening, we had a special treat – we had a movie night at the house. We watched Prince Caspian, as a follow-up to Narnia from camp. We also popped popcorn and had ourselves a very nice evening. Some people fell asleep during the movie, including me, but it was a really fun, relaxing evening.

Yesterday, we headed to Wli Falls. It was about a 3 hour bus ride northeast from Helekpe, right on the border of Togo. The bus ride was a little uncomfortable – it was a supposed 38 passenger bus, with tiny seats, but it was really more like a 25 seat bus. They just cram as many people as they can into the vehicles here! We actually had 39 onboard, and it felt like a very long ride. Once we arrived at the park entrance, it was about a 45 minute walk through the bush to get to the falls. For almost all of the Ghanaian youths, this was their first trip to the falls, and they were so excited. It was great to hear the shouts of laughter as I rounded the last corner and reached the falls. Everyone was playing in the water, and we all swam under the waterfall so that we could touch the wall behind the falls. The force of the water pouring down and the swirl of the mists literally took your breath away, but it was so beautiful and just a really fun time for the kids. Wli Falls is the highest waterfall in West Africa. The section that we were able to walk to was about 200 meters high. There was a higher section of waterfalls, but we didn’t have time to hike all the way up to the top.

After we left the falls, we headed to the Volta Home, a local orphanage that ABWE has a partnership with. Mr. Esa Annabi runs the orphanage, along with his wife. We were able to visit for a short time with the kids. They sang some songs for us, and then we were able to return the favor. Mr. Annabi then walked us around their grounds and showed us some of the buildings, as well as their new yam farm. They currently have about a 1,000 yam plants.

We headed back to Helekpe. A few of us jumped out in Ho to help Efo Kurt run a few errands before we returned home. It was a long, but fun day for all of us.

Today, we celebrated Independence Day in Ho. First, we all headed to the market, a large, open area market that seems endless. Everyone had fun walking around, mingling, and making some purchases. Then, we headed to the Freedom Hotel, where we spent the day swimming in the pool. The kids had a blast just having a fun day to relax and unwind. We returned to Helekpe just in time to eat dinner and head to youth group, where we had about 45 kids show up. Jonnie, Cassie and I shared our testimonies tonight, and Kurt taught a great lesson on salvation.
We ended the night with a team meeting to debrief. It was a nice time where we could share our thoughts about the time that we have spent here.

The time has flown by – two weeks ago, it seemed like our return home was so far away. Now, we find ourselves with one day left here. Tomorrow, we have church, a hike up the mountain behind the Mathews, a soccer tournament, and packing. Monday, we head to Accra at 8am and will spend the day there at the cultural center, a huge, artisanal market. Kurt says that there are probably upwards of 500 vendors there. Before we know it, we’ll be home. While we are all excited to come home, it will be very sad to leave the friends that we have made here. We are so thankful for the opportunity to come here and to serve. We have really fallen in love with the Ghanaian people, and it has been so rewarding to see a totally different way of life. On this 4th of July, I am especially thankful to be an American and to enjoy the freedoms that I have, particularly after seeing the culture and lifestyle here.