Evanston Ghana VIM Trip

Comments from the VIM Team Members

2010-07-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Beth Ruppe: I have been trying to think of a way to describe my experience in a sentence or two and well... I can't. I guess the best thing is to say that I had pretty high expectations but they came nowhere close to the reality of my experience. When Nana made the analogy of the bond we share being like a marriage and closed our time together with "What God has joined together let no man put asunder" I was overwhelmed. That was better than anything I can ever come up with to describe my feelings but I don't know if that helps.

Here is a picture that I like of Mr. Rob and friends and one of the concrete pouring "assembly line." If you look closely at the second picture you can see a bowl of concrete going up and an empty one being thrown back down.

Alex Rea: I suppose in only a couple sentences, my trip to Ghana was absolutely life changing. I have made friends and seen things that I will treasure forever and that I will try to share with my friends and family at home. I wrote in my journal everyday we were there and I think my entry for the last day sums up my experience well. The last lines read as follows: "The most obvious thing to me is that I must come back. The respectful and hard-working nature of the Ghanaian people is not something found everywhere and not always found at home. This is an amazing place and truly must sit near the kingdom of God. I will miss Ghana so much but will someday come back; I promise."

Rob Schultze: I went on this adventure in search of ....something. I'm not sure exactly how to express it, but it involved family, purpose, soul, love, youth, God. I found so much more....like friendship, understanding, hope, perspective, faith...our Ghanaian friends were volunteers as well (what were they expecting and hoping for??)...it's amazing what happens when you bring together a diverse group of people with open minds, share a dream (and a little faith)...humanity...and a bit of hard work....

A Trip to the Mo-Dega Project

2010-07-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Contributed by Eleanor Nicholson

On Thursday of our first week in Ghana, Joanna Gwinn, Tina Cheema, and I, accompanied by Gladys Odoi of the Methodist Church in Ghana and Dr. Samuel Bruce and Tom Ahima, two of the founders of the Mo-Dega Project, made a long, dusty and bumpy journey from Aburi northwest to the village beyond Wenchi where the Mo-Dega farmers were awaiting us. In an amazingly spacious, dimly lighted octagonal thatched hut, we heard the stories of some of the fourteen men and three women seated there, who had been waiting for hours to tell us about how their small loans had made it possible to buy seeds and seedlings, plant them and await the harvest. For Joanna the contrast between the self-confident farmers of 2010 and the same folks who somewhat skeptically listened to promises in 2008 was remarkable.

At the heart of all of the stories was the frustration brought about by the excessive rains of late May (surprising even the meteorologists). William described the ruin of much of his first planting of tomatoes, but he is hopeful that, with the approaching dry season, his second planting will be successful. Others shared similar experiences.

The next day we toured the fields themselves. Some were only a few acres, but the peanut farm was fifteen acres—and thriving. We walked through plantings of okra, little white eggplants (“garden eggs”), peppers, melons, cassava, and yams. Cashew trees abounded. Thanks to the abundant rain, the landscape was green and lush; thanks to the sun, it was hot.

The Mo-Dega project was begun in 1986, but foundered after the local Methodist minister, who had taken a deep interest in the work, was transferred. In 2007 our Northern Illinois Conference approved its revival. As a result of Joanna Gwinn’s trip to the project when the 2008 FUMC team was in Aburi, First United Methodist Church of Evanston has taken up the project and is preparing to send proceeds from Pennies for Poverty through the UMC Advance.Given the dramatic difference even our relatively small contribution in 2009 has made to both the economic possibilities and the morale of these hard-working farmers, we are committed to continuing our support of this promising project.

First photo: With the Mo-Dega team: Dr. Bruce, far left; Gladys Odoi, center; Rev. Fuachi, kneeling; and the Mo-Dega farmers.

Second photo: Tina, Eleanor and Joanna listen to Mo-Dega farmers in the meeting house.

Third photo: Mo-Dega farmers who wanted to share their stories.

2010-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Ghana VIM team is home and anxious to share stories of our wonderful adventure and of what your contributions to the youth center construction project and to the Mo-Dega agricultural project means. Because the internet connection at the Hephzibah Christian Centre was down our last two days, we’ll recount the activities of those busy days now.

On Tuesday, June 29, we headed to Accra in the two vans. First stop was the Methodist Church Ghana headquarters where we had a tour and were received officially by the Bishop. As he said to us, the Methodist Church Ghana is able to sustain itself, but for a project such as the Methodist Youth Center, they need outside financial assistance and were most appreciative of what First Church has done. Our youth headed off from there to explore the markets with Emily as their guide.

The rest of us went first to the National Cultural and Arts Center market where all sorts of Ghana crafts were available. Vendors were aggressive, as we had been warned, but we had learned also how to bargain a bit better. The main Accra market was next on the itinerary, and this congested market stretched for blocks and included food, toiletries, clothes, household items, souvenirs, etc. Some of us had a peaceful buffet lunch at the British Council, within walking distance of our rendezvous point, the Methodist headquarters, before we headed back to Aburi.

After stopping at Hephzibah to pick up the gifts we had wrapped for our Ghanaian friends, we headed one last time to the Methodist Youth Center for a closing worship and gift exchange. Once again their strong, faith-filled hymn singing stirred our hearts. Amid laughter and tears we said our good-byes with the hope that we will continue this relationship between First Church and the Methodist Church Ghana.

Wednesday morning following breakfast, we visited the Aburi Botanical Garden. The royal palms lining the park’s road are especially impressive; we also were shown a giant kapok tree, a ficus that had strangled an enormous cedar tree, herbs, etc. Short stops at the Aburi woodworkers row and at a couple stalls in Aburi were all we had time for before lunch at Hephzibah, loading our luggage into the vans and thanking the staff who had taken such good care of us.

But the excitement wasn’t over. As we started down from the hills, it was obvious one of the vans had no brakes. The passengers in that van were moved to the larger van as we followed cautiously. But as we approached the toll booth/police barricade only a short distance away, Nana could stop the limping van only by hitting the barricade. We spent an hour and a half beside the road while Nana negotiated with the police and brake fluid was added and the leak stopped. The swift response by a Ghanaian mechanic reminded us that life is more complex in Evanston! Children who appeared from the nearby village were taught hand clapping games by Tina and Dylan; others of us sought shade under a large tree shared by some of the men of the village or against several small shops.

Once in Accra we drove through the University at Legon, Ghana’s premier university. The setting is a hilltop so we had a lovely view of Accra. The day ended with dinner at a restaurant across the street from the airport; following dinner we walked into the airport and started the tedious process of leaving Ghana for a 1 am flight to the U.S.

Thank you again for your prayers and support. We felt surrounded by the love of family, friends, and First Church community. You may want to check this blog again next week. We expect to add more photos and comments from the team.

Top photo: Members of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church in Aburi continue their visit following worship.

Second photo: Roadside repairs in process!

Third photo: Most of our group--along with Otto, our driver, seated on left and Nana, our leader, seated on right--gather in front of a giant kapok tree at Aburi Botanical Garden.

Fourth photo: Don and Joanna receive a gift from Nana.

2010-06-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

We've got a couple days to catch up so this will be a collaborative effort.

This is Bonny reporting:

Many of us were feeling some concern about how we would survive a three-hour worship service on Sunday morning. By God's grace (my favorite Ghanaian phrase), the time passed enjoyably and quickly. As I recall, the first hour was filled with joyous music--the organ, the instrumental combo, the choir, the congregation. And then the dancing--when Jack Turner entered the aisle to join the dancers, we all followed. What a delight to dance with our fellow workers and members of the congregation!

The preacher at Wesley Methodist Church in Aburi was engaging and offered his sermon in an indigenous language and in English, shifting from one to the other effortlessly. The scripture followed the lectionary; I felt very connected with First Church, knowing that you would hear the same scripture several hours later. Our youth and a few adults joined the children's Sunday School classes during the sermon. They enjoyed the children, as always, and the lessons.

Following worship, we lingered for some time in front of the church taking photos with our fellow workers and enjoying the beauty of the moment and the day.

Perhaps you have met Mildred, a Northwestern student from Aburi who attends First Church. Her parents had invited us to a local resort for a traditional Sunday dinner. The setting was lovely with manicured grounds and views of the surrounding hills, valleys, and villages. The food was delicious, especially dessert--fruit salad topped with ice cream. I must admit that one of our food fantasies is ice cream, since it is not easily available in our small town.

Ethelyn taking over -

We were up at 4:30 Monday for a 5 hour trip to Kakum National Park and the canopy walk. The early departure at 5:30 was an attempt to avoid traffic in Accra. The staff at Hephzibah packed boiled eggs, bread, butter and jam for our breakfast which we ate en route at a Methodist church. The Schultze's mega jar of peanut butter was nearly finished! Everyone did the walk and had a smile at the finish. We could hear birds and perhaps a monkey, but didn't see any wildlife. The rainforest was so thick it would have been impossible to see any forest elephants on the ground. From there we made a short trip to the "crocodile restaurant" for a lunch of rice/chips and chicken . The highlight of that stop was the weaver birds who would fly from a tree on a small island to a tree next to the restaurant.

We made a quick stop at Elmina Castle before continuing to Cape Coast Castle, both used to hold captive Africans before being put on ships for the New World. At Cape Coast we had a 45 minute tour that included the male and female dungeons, the cell where the trouble makers were left to starve to death, and the governor's quarters. The conditions described were horrific.

We arrived home exhausted at 10:00.

2010-06-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Tina Cheema, Dylan Powell, Amanda Shultze, and Emily Roth lead a song at the youth conference

Dylan Tin Tin working on rebar on the roof of the new dorms

Emily bends rebar on top of the youth center dorms

Amanda leads a discussion on integrity with Ghanaian students

Tina and Alex sing during the youth conference

2010-06-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Reporting tonight is Emily Roth aka Emelia Tin Tin (Tall)

Greetings from Ghana!!

Today was the youth conference. Apporximately 62 youth from Adonten Secondary School, a boarding school in Aburi, joined us at the youth center for a cross cultural discussion on integrity and youth ministry. The conference was a great success. We talked about American youth culture and both the differences and similarities to Ghanaian youth culture.

After some of the adults were finished working on the construction, and the youth conference was over, we travelled back to the lodge to get ready to head back to the center to watch the Ghana vs. USA game with our Ghanaian friends. By the grace of God, Ghana has won! The celebration at the youth center was amazing! I haven't seen people so happy and jubilant in a very long time. The ride back was also exciting because the whole town of Aburi was dancing in the streets. It was very difficult getting through town by car. It felt so good to celebrate as though we are all Ghanaians.

Pictures will come tomorrow after we rest after such an exciting day!

2010-06-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Reporting tonight is Bonny Roth.

Our morning began with dense fog that lent an air of mystery to our work on the second level. Since the stairs from the ground level had cured a bit, all of us went up to what we are calling the roof, even though the space will become the floor of the second level. That's where some of us spent most of the day.

The primary task was making final preparations before pouring concrete that will form the floor of the second level. That meant laying and tying seemingly miles of rebar steel in a checkerboard pattern. Ask us--many of us--how our knees and backs felt by late afternoon!

A highlight--or God moment--of our roof time was singing hymns while Oko (o-koo) played his harmonica. We were delighted to hear new tunes for some our old favorites, such as "For the Beauty of the Earth," and to experience Oko playing a hymn tune after hearing us sing it one. Singing "We Shall Overcome" with Oko's accompaniment brought tears to my eyes.

As you might guess, Dylan Powell and Emily Roth managed to gather with several of our Ghanaian friends to play an intensely competitive game of football--what we call soccer--on a sloping, small grassy space. Rumor has it that Dylan managed to score. Perhaps the most amazing feature of the game was seeing so many bare feet kicking the ball as if they were wearing a pair of soccer cleats!

Late morning a gigantic truck unloaded an even more gigantic pile of sand for mixing the gigantic quantity of concrete that will be required to form the floor of the second level. Keep in mind that this concrete process begins with several folks with strong arms and backs mixing the sand, gravel, cement and water with shovels. Then loading that mixture into large metal bowls. Then passing those bowls along a number of sets of hands lined up along the ground level and up the stairs to the top. I keep dreaming of a concrete mixer appearing early the morning this process begins!

For a few hardy souls who were not otherwise exhausted, a second truck delivered more bags of cement weighing 50 kg or 100+ lb bags. Our Ghanaian friends hoisted them onto the tops of their heads are propped them on their shoulders as if they were carrying a preschooler. Some of us are still in awe of the First Churchers who pitched in with this task.

As we had been promised, we were invited to gather our dirty clothes to be laundered. So the youth center kitchen bustled more than ever as women peeled and fried plantains for lunch and washed and rinsed our clothing in large wash basins. Outside a crew of guys dug holes, erected poles, strung lines, poured mortar in the holes--all in preparation for hanging clean clothes on the new clothesline. A few of our women discovered the joy of smooth hands after working in water containing shea butter soap.

For lunch at the youth center we took a departure from our usual delicious chicken and mounds of rice and ate red-red, a scrumptious dish made with black-eyed peas, spices, and probably some additional ingredients that make it an appetizing red. Some of us loved the texture and flavor enhanced by ground casava meal. The fried plantains have become a big hit among us.

In the afternoon a number of us explored the highway-side shops of the wood carvers for which Aburi is famous. The shopkeepers are the most assertive salespeople we have encountered thus far, although legends of the Accra marketplace suggest the best are yet to come.

Best of all, after eating dinner, sharing God moments, and completing our prayer time, we welcomed our Mo-Dega travelers back to Aburi tonight. They have begun telling their adventurous tales, but more on that in coming days.

Words can hardly express the gratitude each of us feels for your support, prayers, and love as we represent our beloved faith community in this land. Serving as our more-or-less official photographer has given me the privilege of constant opportunities and requests for me to take photos. Our Ghanaian co-workers and neighbors of all ages love to have their pictures taken. One of our Ghanaian friends asked me at lunch one day what I would do with my hundreds of photos. I replied that we would share them with our families and church community to help tell the story of our work together to support the mission of the Methodist Youth Center and to introduce them to our Ghanaian friends. He and a few others sitting nearby smiled with excitement when they realized that we will never forget them and their lives of faith. To all of you who have supported this endeavor in so many ways, we say "meda ase" (may-dah'-say), or thank you.

Ruth Gerald and Stacy Shultze receive a lesson in washing clothes from our Ghanaian friends

A portion of the second level crew ties rebar intersections together

2010-06-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-06-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Our last post slipped away before we could mention that everyone is healthy and enjoying plenty of hot weather and maintaining our good spirits.

One more thing: we look forward to sharing more tales the next time we have an opportunity to make an internet connection!

In the meantime, here's a photo from Tuesday: our Evanston team and our Ghanaian friends are moving a pile of 300 bamboo poles shortly after they were unloaded from a truck.

2010-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Watching the Ghana-Germany World Cup game with our Ghanaian friends brought our second full day to a close. Despite the fact that Ghana lost, the streets from Aburi to the Hephzibah Christian Centre were crowded with celebrating Ghanaians because the Black Stars will go on to the next round! We are anticipating the game Sunday between the USA and Ghana.
Progress on the new dormitory at the Methodist Youth Center is amazing. Today there were more tasks for the FUMC volunteers - building frames of rebar that will be put into the concrete beams, nailing boards to support the concrete to be poured for the floor of the second level, mixing cement for stairs, adding supports of bamboo that will hold up the second floor as cement is poured and cures. The Ghanaian craftsmen are very patient and helpful; several were here two years ago. Most of us have had interesting and thoughtful conversations with various members of the Ghana crew; building those relationships has been very meaningful.
Yesterday Tina Cheema visited the school associated with the Aburi Methodist Church. Today she returned with Dylan Powell and Beth Ruppe. Their arrival caused such excitement that they disrupted whatever was going on, so the visit today was short! Tomorrow Joanna Gwinn, Eleanor Nicholson and Tina will travel to Mo-Dega to see the agricultural project and deliver the Pennies for Povery collection. They will spend one night in the village and return Friday.
Experiencing new foods, learning to take bucket showers, practicing new words we are learning in Twi--all of these adventures and more have enriched our time and brought us closer to one another and our Ghanaian friends. We are experiencing the tremendous hospitality that Ghanaians have become famous for.

2010-06-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

It is Tuesday evening and most of us are exhausted, having slept little on the plane from New York to Accra. Luggage for Ruth, Eleanor and myself didn't arrive. However, Rob arrived a day earlier and his luggage came on our plane, one day later, so we are hopeful ours will be here tomorrow. The flight was long but uneventful. Nana met us at the airport and brought us to Aburi and to the Youth Center where we met 27 energetic Ghanaian volunteers who inspired us with their singing and welcoming spirit. It was awesome. Tomorrow we will be picked up at 8 am and begin work. We will attempt some pictures of the work site in the next blog. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.

Ghana Mission Trip en route to Accra

2010-06-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

All 17 of the group met at OHare International Airport this morning for their flight to Ghana. Here they are moments before going through security clearance to board the first of their flights to Accra. We prayed and asked God's blessing on them and their work.

FUMC Sends New Team to Ghana

2010-06-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 20, 2010 seventeen people, representing 3 generations, will leave to work at the Aburi Youth Center once again. Praise God for their dedication and willingness to join their brothers and sisters in Ghana in working on the Youth Center.

Thanks from Nana Abekah

2008-04-24T06:36:00.001-07:00

Greetings to you in the name of Christ The Lord.

I am short of words; no, not that am short of words, I do not have them to express how I feel about your coming and for what you did for the young people in the Ghana Methodist Church. Our dream of having the centre put in order has just come to pass with your ten days of sweet fellowship and working together. We know we would get there someday to come after we got started but, never thought it will be so fast and this is what the Lord has done through you. I am happy that you offered yourselves unto God to use you this way to bring relief and hope to these young people who love to serve the Lord and to learn about Him, so that they could lay right foundations for their future lives.

You have made me a proud Director, the church in Ghana was not sure how the centre could be renovated, yet you made it. This act of love expressed in the giving of your wealth, time and sacrificing the comfort of life in the States to come down to us will make us strong in the faith, more committed and dedicated to the one who died to save us all.

I will ensure that the place is used to the benefit of the youth as long as I remain the Director of the Division. Even when I am not at post, I will make the place such a way that whoever comes after me cannot avoid making the Centre the core of what we do as a Division.

On behalf of the entire Youth of the Methodist Church Ghana and on my own behalf I convey to you our heartfelt gratitude and thanks, though inadequate to show our appreciation for your time with us and for all that you did for us. Kindly accept them for Christ sake. Thank you very much and may the good Lord richly bless you all. Let us keep the contact.

With tones of love from Nana.(Isaac Nana Abekah)

Back Safely

2008-04-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Our trip back to Chicago was good except the part where we had to wait in the air plane for Vice President Cheney's entourage to leave JFK and for the Pope's air plane to take off before we could leave. We are back in our homes relishing our memories and planning how we will share all the photos that we took - thousands! Here is a good summary one.

Spectacular Day Number 8

2008-04-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry! We've had no internet for two days - there was a huge rain storm yesterday in the middle of the day. When we got back here to Hephzibah Guest House there was no internet. The power was on generator and the internet was off. So I just posted the blog for the 2 days before. Today, Friday, we had 3 marvelous experiences. First, we stopped at Trinity Seminary to meet Mercy Amba Oduyoye a world reknowned African women's advocate. She gave us a tour of the new facility called the Talitha Qumi Center. It is under construction and will be built as the fund raising continues. The center sponsors workshops and conferences and the wing to be opened in October will contain a computer lab and a library. We sat and asked her questions about women's issues in Africa. She is eloquent and speaks with quiet, direct authority. We were all impressed and moved by her vision and the work being done there. We will all want to keep in touch with the center and find ways we can support the work.
Next we went to drive around the campus of the University of Ghana. There are many big white buildings with red tiled roofs and long tree lined avenues. We went to the bookstore and found the postoffice to purchase stamps for postcards.
Lunch was at a great little place where we could get hambergers, pizza and fried chicken and ice cream sandwiches.
We went to the W.E.DuBois center next. It was also a spectacular stop. The director came out, Dr. Anne Adams, and I asked if she knew Eufa Sutherland (a dramatist and well known Ghanaian) and she said of course, that she had just published a book with Eufa's daughter Essie about Eufa. I came specifically hoping that I could contact Essie because of a family connection so this is big for me! She called Essie and told me to call her any time tomorrow. Wow.
There was just a huge clap of thunder and all the lights went out on the highway that comes up around the hill. So I am going to rush to finish this before the storm.
We have one more day - we are going back to the center to take a couple brooms, some new fluorescent tubes and take pictures of our handy work. We have a special lunch date to say good-bye to John and Nana. There probably will be no blog entry tomorrow.
Wish I could have added more pictures! We will have thousands so be prepared. We heard there was an earthquake in Illinois. Otherwise we've had no news from the US - no radio, no television, no newspaper. We send our love and prayers,
Cate

Got Gas?

2008-04-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

I’ll start with the end of the story - we are all fine! But of course there is a tale to tell. Yesterday, April 16, was our day to tour Kakum National Park and the slave castles at Elmina and Cape Coast as well as re-visit the Budaburam Refuge camp and give the students the school supplies that had been collected by the Sunday School at First Church. The visit to Budaburam was excellent – we stopped in each classroom and the kids all stood and greeted us in English. They were studying for final exams. The building the first and second graders were in had had the roof blown off in a bad rain storm about 2 weeks ago. There were pieces of plastic and tarps on what was left of the roof joists. Hard to see and not do something about.
From there we drove about 2.5 hours to the Kakum National Park. The attraction there is a “canopy walk” where a rope bridge has been made between 6 giant trees in the jungle and you walk one at a time across each of the 7 pieces of the bridge, going from platform to platform. The drop to the ground is 70 – 80 feet but you can’t really see anything but the tops of the trees you are walking (hanging on for dear life) over! Jack commented that we were nuts but at least good sports! There are lots of pictures to prove all this.
Then we went to a “botel” for lunch – a hotel built in the middle of a lake and there are alligators all around. Very exciting. Two huge ones were hanging out just catching the breeze - .
It had gotten to be about 4 PM by the time we finished lunch so we decided to just drive into Elmina, see the castle and then go to Cape Coast for the tour. It was gorgeous by the Atlantic, palm trees, big rolling waves, sea shells, fishermen. We stopped to take quick pictures and then back into the bus for the 7 or so km. over to Cape Coast. We all heard the metal hitting the bottom of the bus and Rob smelled the diesel and saw it spraying up on the windows. Tony, our hero driver, stopped the bus, we grabbed what we could of our things and got out in record time. The diesel was gushing out the bottom and spreading all over the sand on the shoulder. We scrambled up over the rocks and onto the sandy beach waiting to see if the bus was going to blow up or what. Well, nothing that dramatic and in about 5 minutes a tro-tro (Tempo, 9 passenger van) drove up and a deal was struck to take us into Cape Coast.
We arrived at 4:30 which is when they were supposed to close but we’re a pretty impressive group so they let us into to see the museum first. It was wonderfully done – all of it sobering and horrific but the museum has great pieces of Anka history. They a tour guide gave us a complete tour of the castle from the dungeons where the male and female slaves were held, the “Door of No Return” and “Door of Return” which was installed when two African Americans were exhumed and returned for burial in Ghana in 1995. Seeing the quarters where the governor lived right above where the slaves were held and were dying is maybe the most horrendous of all – to think there were people who thought it was okay to deal in human misery is beyond imagining. Our guide kept repeating that the most important lesson was for us to pledge that such a thing would never happen again.
So then we were able to see some Ghanaian crafts for sale and for John to be in touch with Tony and Nana who had stayed with the bus. And, miracle of miracles, they had found a mechanic, removed the fuel tank, soldered the hole, put it back on the bus, were putting some fuel into it and they were at the castle to pick us up by 7:30! But it is about 3 hours back to Abori – and we pulled in here at 10:30 amazed and exhausted. Jack said he was sure he was going to spend the night in a broken down canoe on the beach and was astonished to find himself in his bed!
Today was a lovely, memorable last day. We are weary but triumphant. One of us has a nail puncture wound and we’re glad it’s not Rob because he didn’t get a tetnus booster. Cate has a sun allergy on her neck. Don B. managed to work a huge blister onto his thumb pulling about 10,000 nails. Phyllis fell trying to get up the rocks onto the beach yesterday and hurt her ankle and Rene’s knee that had been operated on earlier this year appreciated being iced. And Jack really screeches every time he sneezes or laugh because his ribs hurt. But we’re really fine!
We finished a two more coats of paint in the main hall today, and I swept the floor for the last umpteenth time. We pulled all the protective tape off the lovely new windows, and Hope got all the lights connected. (The electricity kept going on and off because we had a tremendous tropical down pour at about 1 PM.) They had poured more concrete this morning (and Charles had written our names again all over the concrete in back!) and part of it washed away but it’s Ghana , it happens. As I looked around and realized it was past 4 the momentum was building because we were beginning to see a completed room emerge. The paint was drying, the floor was swept, we assembled 27 chairs, 10 for us and 17 for our Ghananian team mates.
We had asked for a final communion service with our fellow workers and what a blessing that turned out to be. The boys painted a huge shell on the wall with the letters Y.M.D. (Youth Methodist Division) in the middle and then wrote each of our names in a section of the shell. You will see many versions of the shell, of it being painted and of it as the back drop for our communion service. The final touch was the communion table set in front of the shell with a lace cover and the room was transformed for us to the have first service in the new facility.
It could not have been more special – most of us cried and we all smiled until our faces hurt. It was a perfect ending. We came in love to share love and received so much more than we could have possibly ever imagined possible. These young men who traveled from all over Ghana to come and stay at the center and work with us are a blessing for this country and the world. They are full of spirit, skills, vision and determination.
There was a lot of hugging, picture taking, gift exchanging, and many miles of video taken during the service and afterwards so look forward to seeing all of that.
Now off to bed – it’s almost 10 and those who know me know that’s outrageously late! For friends and family who have been to Mussoorie, the lights of Accra are sparkling in the clear, rain washed air this evening, like looking down on the Doon from Mussoorie. Very, very beautiful. We are more fortunate than we deserve and we can only praise God for this marvelous experience.

Comfort Gives Cooking Lessons

2008-04-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello again - hard to know what to emphasize each day! I decided on food for today. We are finding that Ghanaian food is interesting, unique and has a rather narrow variety. The spicey red sauce that they serve us at each meal is called "shito" and we told Comfort, the women who cooks for the men working with us, that she must teach us. So today we went into the kitchen and she was the cooking instructor par excellence! She had all the ingredients out on a tray. She demonstrated mashing the onions, garlic and ginger. Then it all goes into a big pot with about 4 cups of refined palm oil. The rest of the ingredients include ground and whole rosemary, curry powder, shrimp cubes, powdered shripm, powdered fish, a huge amount of cayene, more oil, more onions, curry powder and salt and tomato paste. It is amazing - hot and delicious.
We mostly hauled cement today - they laid a long sidewalk behind the center and the cement was all mixed by hand and carried in "head pans" to the building site. We also painted some more. And I swept and swept and swept. I keep things as clean as possible behind everyone - sort of the tidy house fairy.
Tomorrow we go back to the refuge camp to deliver school supplies, them to the Kakom (sp?) National Forest for the jungle walk, then to Cape Coast for the slave castles. A long day - we leave at 6 am.
I left the group listening to John Yanmbasu talking about Methodist General Conference. He will be on the plane back with us as he is attending as a lobbyist for the Central Conference which includes all of Africa. The Bishop was funny when we met him the first day - we asked how many Methodists there were in Ghana, and he said, "well, you know with apportionments we know that churches are underreporting their membership!" But he said there are at least 3 million people in Ghana who call themselves Methodists! I'm going back so I don't miss too much.
Hopefully more tomorrow if it is not too late when we return. We're hanging in there - keeping those prayers coming this way!
Cate

Monday, Now Painting

2008-04-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here I am again. I sit in this open office with the bouganvillea and arbovita all around - and the stone paved drive way and small stone wall right outside. It is hot - probably 90 or so and humid. But after a shower I feel like a new person. We spent the day cleaning up and painting. We put the first few layers of paint on the cement plastering that we did outside of gathering hall side of the youth center. Our Ghanaian partners start earlier and stay later than us - we admire their commitment to making this center a place where all Ghanaian youth can come.
We would like to send special thoughts and prayers to the Crockers. Bob's spirit of mission and commitment to making things happen inspired so many of us over the years. Please someone call him and tell him we are thinking of them.
Today's little tid bit is the name of our rooms: Loyalty, Justice, Joy, Love and Trust! Great, huh?
Joanna went off this morning at 6:30 AM to her site visit with a church agricultural agent. They were in a wonderful Tata SUV, an Indian car that looks familiar to Jack and me! We talked to them at lunch and she had reached the site safely and should return here by noon tomorrow.
We had the first mishap - Jack won't want me to tell you - but he fell off the chair he was standing on while pulling nails from the old ceiling. He banged his hand, elbow and back. He was on enforced rest for the remainder of the day - I am dosing him with Ibuprofen every 4 hours. If he has broken ribs there isn't much we can do anyway!
We are fine - tired and amazed by how the heat can drain us. We have not been using our mosquito net - the women had their hung last night - one over Phyllis and one over Ruth and Renee - they both came down within a few minutes of their getting into bed. They had been stuck to the ceiling with duct tape. Oh well! Today the staff apparently hung them with a nail so they'll be "protected" tonight. I haven't seen or heard a mosquito yet so we aren't going to bother.
We wondered about the snow - knew it was in the forecast. Thanks for the news from church. I am getting a messaged that I can' t save this so better stop for tonight. Love to all, Cate

Sunday, April 13, 2008

2008-04-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of another memorable day. First, my apologies for my typos and fast typing. The connection is ultra slow and the key board not familiar! Our big bus came and got us with Nana at 8:30 and we headed for the Buduburam Refugee camp. It took almost 2 hours to get there - many, many other churches, especially pentacostal having services as we drove by. We are amused and bemused by the names of many of the shops. Here is a sample of what we saw this morning:
His Grace Fast Food
God is Great Estate Agent
God Knows Mobile
God Loves Beauty Salon or alternatively If God Says Yes Salon
Temple of Food (Jesus is Winner)
In God We Trust Auto Parts
King of King Drums Works
Jesus Never Fails Fashion Salon - and Redemption Fashion
Jesus is Lord Upholstery
Your Will Be Done Electrical
God's Grace Bicycle Repair
God si Great Sokoo (have to find out that a sokoo is!)
Amen Driving Institute
Everything by God Upholstery Service
Clap for Jesus
Allah is Great Food Joint
Not I But Christ Fahsion
God First Specializing in Door Repairs
... Plumbing
... Machinery Service
And on and on! It is wonderful to have faith so close as hand all around. Agnes, one of the MYF workers traveling with us to the camp today, said that the names sometimes reflect the difficulty the shop keeper had in getting financing - for instance, God is Just or if it was easy, God is Gracious.
Our John Yambasu who is our missionary host's son John said that the names of the churches are even more remarkable. I was beginning to notice them but the road was so bumpy and I had to write so fast I couldn't get them down. That is what we're going to do on Wednesday when we go back to the camp to deliver the cases of school supplies.
The church service was worth the drive and more. There were probably 60 or so worshiping with us and the most amazing choir imaginable. If anyone has been to here the Northwestern Ensemble do their annual gospel show you would have a glimmer of the music. Several of us took video so we will be able to share. The sermon was on Jeremiah, to paraphrase, do not be afraid, stand firm and God will go with you wherever you go. The message what to the refugees who have been told by the Ghanaian government that they must return to Liberia and many do not want to return or cannot afford to return. It was a lively, beautiful service. Many people came up after and shook our hands. We took a short walk around the camp - the houses are small but made of cement and many people are offering services to others in the camp, small shops, photography, computers, telephone service. Hardly anyone is employed and only about 30% of the children are in any kind of schooling. There will be more to tell on Wednesday.
We are going to go and repack the crates now for delivery. Joanna is going early tomorrow to a place past Kumasi to visit another mission site to make a report back to the U.S. We will go to work at the center. Lots to do there. Comfort, the woman cooking for the Ghanaian workers has promised to show us how to make 'gravy' - which is red chillies, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and is served with every meal. I put it on my veg pizza at lunch and had Ghanaian pizza! It's delicious!!! We are also looking into fully equipping the kitchen at the center. It wasn't on our original plan but it is only a large (30 x 30?) empty room at the moment with braziers on the floor so it would improve things enormously.
I've gone on long enough! Blessings to all. We hold you in our prayers as well.
Cate

2008-04-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening in Aburi. We had another fabulous day - which is what we call plastering, sweeping, picking nails out of the old ceiling joists, helping the carpenters, digging out a dead tree, mixing cement, and lots of talking and laughing! The spirit is good through the day. We began by learning at Ghanaian praise song with the workers. Great way to begin. Then to the Garden again for lunch - and a walk through the garden. Photos to follow - I can't post here it is too slow. We walked into the market a couple times to buy more supplies and equipment. There was a big funeral at the Methodist church (there is also a Presbyterian church, both made of stone and quite large) with many people in attendance. All dressed in black or red - John says that Ghanaians have wonderful celebrations at funerals. We stopped and bought papayas, mangoes and avocados for dinner - lots of delicious pineapple left too. We are exhausted and happy with what we are doing. Tomorrow morning John comes to get us at 8 AM to go to Budaburam for Sunday service. We are looking forward to that. Keeping praying for us - we are well and happy to be useful.

Taking Off From O'Hare

2008-04-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

Here we are getting ready to leave from O'Hare.

First Work Day - Got Plastered!

2008-04-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

We've had a fantastic day. Up and out by 7:30 AM and to the work site. The experts were there mixing the mortar (cement and sand, not plaster, real mortar!) when we arriv ed as were several little kids who ran in and our most of the day - got gum out of Cate and Rob before we discovered the scam! Jim and Don worked on a plan to hang the ceiling - 1800 square feet in one room and about half that in another. The carpenter who had been hired by Nana and John had a plan which was a bit different so we learned how they wanted it done and then the work began in earnest. Ruth and Cate walked up to the market (about 50 yards up hill) and bought some more tools to pull nails out of the old ceiling and little trowels so we could help. Lunch was a delicious, heaping plate of fried rice and roasted chicken at the restaurant right in the Aburi Botantical Garden. After more plastering and clean up we returned here by 5 PM. Dinner will be mangoes, pinneapples, delicious bananas and peanut butter crackers. We are feeling tired and okay with what we accomplished today. Tomorrow will be almost identical in terms of how much has to be done. I am going to try and upload a picture but this is not a very fast connection! We were glad to read your posts from today. We will sleep soundly tonight! Love to all, Cate

Arrival in Aburi,, Ghana

2008-04-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

We are here at the work site! What a day it has been. We left O'Hare in good order on April 9 and had two good flights, Chicago to JFK (saw the Statue of Liberty as we crossed the city) and then JFK to Accra, 9 hours and 44 minutes. Our luggage and the big crates of supplies for Budaburam all arrived with us. John Yambasu and Nana were at the airport to greet us with a large 16 passenger bus. We loaded up and went to meet the Bishop of the Methodist Church in Ghana (there is only one). Then to the bank to get cedi's and on to the Lunch Spot for lunch. We stopped at an ultra-modern market to purchase cases of bottled water and then headed up here to the hills.
There was a dramatic, black rain storm covering the mountains and we drove in heavy rain for a few minutes. There is an amazing 4 lane road, with a center divider, and a fenced in walking lane along the hillside all the way up. It is a longish drive out of Accra - about 80 minutes. We went right to the work site and meet our fellow workers and saw what is to be done. There is a large hall in which we have to hang a new ceiling and plaster all of the walls and then paint them. It seems doable but the men with the in depth knowledge have questions. Then we came to our rest house which is lovely beyond description - very new, gorgeous tiled bathrooms, fans, built in furniture and lovely seating areas with views down across the valley toward Accra. It is markedly cooler up here but still humid. We just feasted on mangoes and pinneapple for our dinner. Tomorrow the work begins. We have thanked God for our safe journey and for the kind, wonderful people who are arranging this trip and work experience for us. It has taken intense organization. We send love to all of you - especially our prayer partners. Pray we all learn how to plaster - that's tomorrow's challenge. Blessings to all, Cate

Ghana Fund Raising Dinner Photos

2008-04-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ghanaian Dinner and Entertainment

2008-04-02T13:47:00.001-07:00

In preparation for our trip to Ghana we gave a fund-raising dinner on Friday, March 14, 2008 at the First United Methodist Church. The menu was jolloff rice and chicken, ground nut soup, avocado salad, fried plantains, with spice cake and tropical fruit salad for dessert. About 40 people attended. Our guest speaker was John Henry Assabill, the President of the Ghanaian National Council of Chicago. For entertainment the African Drum and Dance group from Northwestern University performed for us. We worked hard and enjoyed our first evening of group work together.

2008-02-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

The there are 10 in the group going to Ghana which is being led by Joanna Gwinn. Other members in the group are:

Don Baker
Phyllis Bird
Jim Cox
Ruth Gerald
Don Gwinn
Rob Hawkins
Jack Hinz
Renee Poole
Cate Whitcomb

The work we will be doing is the renovation of the Aburi Methodist Youth Centre at the Aburi Botanical Gardens an hour north of Accra in the Akuapem Hills. We will also deliver first aid and school supplies for the Buduburam Refugee Settlement west of Accra that are being collected and donated by First Church children and youth.

2008-02-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

The ten of us are preparing to be Volunteers in Mission for the United Methodist Church on a trip to Ghana. The prospect is exciting and we are dedicated to contributing and learning as much as we can. We are following the "way" shown to us by Jesus in John 13: 34-35:

³⁴A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (RSV)