Take Off!

Well it looks like the past 7 weeks have flown by.  We leave Ghana tonight for our long trip back to Florida for debrief!  While skyping my parents last night, we all commented on just how fast the time has gone, although it still felt like I hadn’t seen their faces in months. :) 

Our last week had a lot of rain, which made ministry difficult since everything basically shuts down in Ghana when it rains.  However, we got a few good church services in and still made it to the high school for a short amount of time!  For our last evening church service, we trekked through the jungle in order to see the route people from one remote village would take to get to church.  While walking it started pouring, and it was so dark you couldn’t see a step in front of you.  I was struck with the dedication these villagers have to their faith, walking a pretty far distance to church, and usually not knowing if they might face rain along the route…we had rain jackets and headlamps!  On another note, I did get to see a few amazing sunsets my last week in Africa.  African sunsets, as my dad pointed out to me in one of his letters, are the most beautiful you will ever see. 

On one rain day, our team decided to take the time to encourage one another.  It is easy to begin to feel empty and drained when you are giving all your energy to the ministry each day.  This time of encouragement was so rejuvenating and we were all so thankful for it.  Basically, we went around to each person and poured out what we appreciated in him or her and what their strengths were.

On a more light-hearted note, I want to touch on a few goofy things I learned during my time in Ghana:

Don’t bring gum that melts…or anything that melts.

Malaria prevention medication has about 10 billion side effects, which are identical to the symptoms of malaria.

You really don’t need a watch.

Putting your hand out to one kid amongst a large group of kids only means asking to have your arm ripped off.

When you are told to limit your water intake for an 8 hour bus ride in African heat, don’t take that to mean don’t drink water at all…you’ll probably end up in the hospital…whoops! 

I cannot thank each of you enough for the constant support I have had this summer.  Whether it was a letter, an e-mail, prayer or support, you have all truly made an impact and I feel so blessed by each one of you.  I hope to get a slideshow of pictures together soon!

Ally