Ghana Day Two - Parental guidance suggested

Amy asked me to take a turn writing on the blog, so here I go. The day started at about 5:00 a.m. with a really terrible sound. You see, there are a good amount of goats here, pretty much roaming free. This morning, I awoke to the sound of what was (here's the parental guidance part) either two goats mating or two goats fighting. It really was an awful sound. So, I laid there and decided that I would try my best to go back to sleep and never think of it again. Didn't work

After organizing some of the supplies that we brought on the trip, we had breakfast in the hotel. The staff here is extremely friendly. Then we went to the Village of Love (the orphanage) at about 9:00 a.m. Today was the day we had planned to spend at the beach with the kids. We had about 30 minutes before we left and we brought one of the soccer balls to play with the kids. Today we got a very good understanding of how important the game of soccer - Football - is not just to these kids, but to everyone here. And, honestly, I am not surprised that Ghana beat the US in soccer at the World Cup. These guys are good. And yes, I'm talking about the little kids. Very tough and very, very competitive.

We took off on the journey to the beach at about 10:15. Amy and I rode in a 12 passenger van which amazingly had room for 21, plus our driver. Yes, 22 of us (mostly kids) in a 12 passenger Toyota van. Impressive. And hot. But good. It was good to have a chance to get to know some of the children better. One girl, named Comfort, has really taken to Amy. Comfort always seeks out Amy and wants to hold her hand.

The drive to the beach in Accra was about 15 miles. It took about 1 hour. Two lane "highways" in desperate need of repair. Also, lots of traffic. The trip to the beach was very eye opening. It was the first time we had a chance to really see the place we were visiting. Almost the entire trip, each side of the road was taken up by vendors selling everything from sofas to fresh fish. It is simply amazing to see the women carrying massive amounts on their heads.

The beach time with the kids was great. I'm not sure how often they get to experience it, but they were all so happy to be there. Of course, soccer ruled for about the first 30-45 minutes. Then it was time to mix it up in the water. Mark, born and raised in Hawaii, was busy teaching the boys how to body surf. I learned a few things from him too. The kids took turns riding horses on the beach and we took about 100 pictures of the day, which we will try to post tomorrow. Their smiles say it all. I was struck by the fact that most of these children (all except for about 2-3) were slaves - some of them as recently as earlier this year. Now, they were running on the beach, enjoying each other and their freedom.

After about 3 hours on the beach, we headed back home. By the way, if you're going to go to the beach in AFRICA, remember to put on a little sunscreen. Yours truly didn't even think about it and now I've got a nice little burn going. Should be fun the rest of the trip.

We got cleaned up at the hotel and headed back to the Village of Love to have dinner and play with the kids. Another amazing meal prepared by Erica. We brought another soccer ball for the kids and then handed out coloring books, crayons and markers. Another huge hit were the "Bendaroos" that were donated for the children. Bendaroos - look 'em up. Good times. These kids loved them. Sure enough (remember how I wrote that soccer is so huge here) the kids built a soccer field out of Bendaroos and played soccer with little Bendaroo figures. Very creative. Joseph (age 9), whom all the children say is "the best soccer player" made a World Cup trophy out of Bendaroos and posed with the trophy as if he had just won the World Cup for Ghana.

Then came the highlight of the night. While we were eating, the children were having what was essentially a spontaneous worship service. No adults, just the kids who had initiated this time of worship. Singing praise songs, some in their tribal dialect and some in English. Some of us joined in when we could. Then, at the end of the singing, Gideon (the oldest boy) instructed everyone to circle up and asked a girl named Mary to pray. Mary prayed the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard. She prayed for about 3 minutes, most of it was (as she said) "for the people who came to see us." Probably the most passionate prayer I have ever heard, thanking God for sending us there, etc. As the prayer ended, none of the Americans in the room had a dry eye. It was very touching and something I'll never forget. These kids have already blessed us more than I could have imagined.