Joanna, Eleanor, and Tina got a late start this morning for their trip to Mo-Dega. It was a long trip (7 hours) but we received a text message before dinner that they had arrived safely. More about that adventure later.

Work at the Methodist Youth Center today involved several projects - continued building rebar frames that were headed for the second floor. The long ones are approximately forty feet long so handing them up to the second floor was awkward. Dylan's height came in handy. Others worked on building concrete forms and some used mortar to add concrete blocks to the foundation of the second half of the building. That required mixing sand, cement and water. Later we progressed from mortar to concrete, which was a more labor intensive process. Large metal bowls were used to add rocks to the mix and later to carry water from the one outdoor faucet, and finally to carry concrete to the stairs, via assembly line.


We feel privileged to work with the 36 Ghanaian volunteers, many of whom are skilled tradesmen. They are amazingly patient and willing to teach us when it would probably be easier to do it themselves. During a break this afternoon several of us received language lessons, counting from one to ten. Some came home with homework! When we have trouble bridging between English and Twi, we have discovered that we can occasionally use French and Spanish.


This afternoon some of us walked to Aburi to do some shopping and enjoy small town Ghana. We hear "Obruni" from the children who greet us; it means "person who comes from the horizon." It is a greeting and a name, and we enjoy hearing it. There are also children who walk through the work site on their way home from school.

Ps: We have received the lost luggage!




Photo: Three generations of First Church volunteers take a break with their Ghanaian friends. From left, Jane Cheema, Alex Rea, and Eleanor Nicholson.