Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Today was the first day we were on the ground. We arrived at the airport early this morning. When we got all our luggage, we made our way outside to find Debi, Comfort, and Caroline holding a banner to welcome us. From there we headed over to the hotel for just a short amount of time. We left the hotel and headed to the school where Debi was doing a ribbon cutting.
On our way to the school, I did a lot of reflecting and looking around. Just in the short amount of time on the bus I got to see many different things. I noticed traffic laws did not really exist, and our driver was amazing.! I noticed people in the street selling all sorts of things to make money for their families. I noticed a boy in a wheelchair in the street making money for his family (that was a tearjerker.) I noticed how close togethers the buildings were and so much more.
When we arrived at the school all the children started to shout and cheer for us. This moment I was so overwhelmed with the joy and love that came from this encounter. As we got out of the bus, the children began hugging us, shaking our hands, and asking for our names. They were so happy to see us in their school.
The ribbon cutting program included hearing from many people involved in building the kitchen for the school. Then Debi cut the ribbon. As a child I used to pack Operation Christmas Child boxes, and today, I actually got the opportunity to hand out boxes to the children in the kindergarten. Seeing their faces light up as they received their box was amazing. We also gave out Modesty pads, dresses and shorts. All were handmade by some church in South Carolina.
We ended our day at the school after prayers for safe travel. I as thought about how they how they learn and yet they are very happy, I got teary eyed.
On the way back I fell asleep. Apparently, our bus got stuck in the mud, almost got hit by a car, and everyone was cheering “Francis, Francis.” Francis is the name of our bus driver. A few of us needed a bathroom so we stopped at the gas station, but I couldn’t go because it was just a concrete floor with a small hole. We all ran to the bathroom when we stopped at the mail for lunch/dinner.
I was a fan of the chicken wings. Overall, I thought it was a good meal. Next, we went to Shoprite. It was like a normal store in the U.S. I was more than excited that I could buy Redbull and other snacks.
On our way back to the hotel, we communicated with many people through eye contact. Again, we encountered the people selling things in the street. This time Dru got a free Ghana flag! It was so fun to see how people communicate when you can’t talk or don’t speak the same language.
Overall, I say that day #1 was a huge success but also a major eye opener.
Ghanaian Mothers' Hope 
Leave a comment