Monday...

It is 5 AM, and in a couple of hours we are off for another jam-packed day. With every day that passes, I get a little more anxious about trying to catch up on blogging. So, here is my attempt at catching up. :) And, by the way, it is killing me to not have pictures for every post. Because there are so many great ones for each story! So, when I get home and can post easier, I will add pictures. For now, you can see Monday's pictures here.

Monday, July 19th: DAY FOUR!

Every day this week, we begin with a "field trip" of some kind. One of our hopes for this trip was to get to know Ghana...especially the area around where the children live. So, while they are taking their exams at school every morning, we try to fit in a few other things in the area.

Today was TK Beads, a factory and workshop where glass bottles are recycled to make beautiful beads! Another style of beads are also made by grounding a fine white powder, and then handpainting each and every tiny bead after they are put through an intense firing process. The entire place was fascinating. Everything is done by hand: breaking the bottles down to small pieces, filling molds, firing the bead molds in an outdoor oven, shaping the beads, washing them, handpainting them...every single step required a great deal of work. And, I loved seeing that it was all done by apprentices being trained for this trade, so they will have income and a fine-tuned skill when they have completed their time at TK.

Of course, when you've seen the amazing work that goes into each bead, you can't help but support the entire operation, right? So, we did. :) The last stop in the tour is their studio, where you can buy beads of all colors, shapes, patterns, sizes. It was a bit overwhelming, and I kept saying "I need my sisters here to help me!!" But, we did have a great time selecting all kinds of beautiful work to bring home. I'm sure I'll be wishing I got even more by the time I am home again. I have a feeling this will become a "regular stop" when we visit Ghana in the future.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I love the analogy that comes from the bead factory. Pam Cope has said this before in reference to the children she has rescued, and I think it is just so true. Just like these bottles, many of us have been broken and shattered and tossed around, feeling used up. Or, even unwanted, like these precious children have. But, then to watch as gentle hands place these broken pieces into a refining fire, shaping them and molding them so carefully as they cool, in order to produce the most beautiful beads...works of His hands to be cherished and admired. I'm just so thankful that the Lord does the same with each of us. He pulls us from the fire, right when He knows we're ready, in order to make us more beautiful.

After the factory, we headed home to meet the children after school, for the second day of VBS. I'm getting really used to the smiles and hugs we receive as soon as we arrive through the gate each day. How I will miss those "Hello, Mama Chelsea" greetings in their beautiful Ghanaian accents. I might have to teach my girls how to say it for next week.

For VBS, we talked about how special they are, and how they were created by God for a purpose! He made each one of them unique with special talents and gifts. They are one-of-a-kind, and are important to God. We taught them new songs (singing is definitely my favorite part of VBS each day!) and a new verse: "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

And, then, we made self portraits. This was VERY interesting. We knew it would be a harder project for them, but we hoped they would realize through it that they were unique. They have not been told all of their lives how cute their nose is, or how their eyes look just like their dad's...and, really, they rarely see themselves at all. So, this was a bit overwhelming for them at first. After some help from the team, they seemed to slowly warm up to the idea of drawing themselves. It made me sad to think how little they have drawn or colored or been kids in their lifetime. Many did not know how to draw their face shape, or where to add ears to a head.

I was SO proud of them, though. They worked so incredibly hard (as they do every day!) and stayed so focused on the project. And, the results were absolutely precious.

They will be hanging them in their home as an art gallery of their own. But, it's really hard not to take each and every one of those paintings home with us!!

I pray that through this activity and the scriptures and the songs, that they see more clearly how special they are. How beautiful and perfect their Creator made them! I just keep praying that the small seeds we are hopefully planting will be deepened by the Lord over time...

After VBS each day, the adults sit down to eat together near the front gates, while the children eat at their table near the back of the house. We were having a great time listening to Rachel tell stories of the children's rescues from the lake. When all of a sudden, the front gate opens. And, in slow motion it seemed, I look over to see George Achibra walking in. I screamed and clapped. (And, no, that is not usual for me.) I couldn't help it. GEORGE...who I have read about and heard stories about for months and months...was standing there!

This man is one of the most amazing people I have ever known. From his perspective, he has been called by God to rescue these children, and has not stopped---even for a day---from this amazing work. He has rescued each and every one of the 84 Touch A Life children, and recalls with detail the story of each of their lives both before and after their rescue.

So, for the next hour or more, he sat with us, telling us stories of rescues, and sharing his heart about this work that must be done for the kids still on the lake. I am so glad Mark videoed the entire conversation, because there were moments, when George would just say a simple statement, that I thought "That is absolute wisdom from the mouth of God." So, I need to go back and listen and write down his thoughts. George has literally given his life to this work, and to his God. He has such passion for these children, and for what still needs to be done on their behalf. I sat with tears streaming down my face, listening to the love he has for these kids, and praying that I would be able to live with such passion and courage and selflessness...and JOY.

I've never heard a laugh as beautiful as George's. And, we got to hear it again and again that evening. After we sat with George a while, he went with us as we took all of the children to invade the hotel pool where we are staying!! It was really indescribable. They were SO excited and enjoyed swimming together SO much. I think it was the happiest I had seen them all week! And, as I sat on the side of the pool talking with George about the children, he said "Look at their faces. Hear their laughter. These children love swimming. And, before they did not. They feared it. They were not free. They were not loved. And, now they have joy." Our conversation continued about what it was like for George to watch them splash and play in the water--after rescuing them just months ago. Amazing moments for me. There really aren't words to describe my heart that night. I watched them dive, do handstands, jump off of Mark's shoulders, and splash each other---all things my kids do every day at home. But, this was so different. SO amazing to see a simple thing like swimming through their eyes.

And, to top it all off {as if the day could get any better} we also got to introduce our girls to these kiddos!! I have never loved Skype like I have this trip. We have talked to the girls every night, shown them pictures of our day, and heard the updates on their days of swimming and crafts. But, this night, we got to watch as our children in Texas talked to these children in Ghana!! Their interactions were so cute and hilarious at times. I could tell the girls were trying to understand them at some points, partly because it was a LOUD pool party, and partly because of their accents. So, at one point, Carlie was looking very serious, trying to concentrate on what some of the girls here were saying. Mary all of a sudden said "Cah-lie, why are you not happy? What makes you not smile?" It was so cute to watch Carlie smile HUGE after that and tell Mary "I am very happy!" I tried to explain to Mary that Carlie was just thinking hard. She was not sad.

Another moment was cute as they girls finally met Doris! They have been so excited to get to talk to her, and Doris was equally as excited. After all the excitement, though, nothing much was said. So, Doris said "Kenda, Cah-lie, Abbakate, how ah you doing?" The girls said "We're good. How are you?" Doris and Comfort say: "We are fine. And, you?" Kendyll says: "We're good." I started laughing so hard. This conversation was going no where fast without our help!

After quite a few of the kids talked with the girls and met them, we also got to watch as Amy, who was having a birthday, skyped with her kids too! Her kids had hung the Ghana flag in the background, and had made her a cake with the outline of Africa on top. It was SO cute, and all the kids here loved meeting all the kids back in Texas and celebrating with Ma Amy.

It was the perfect end to a wonderful day. Our team sat out by the pool for a couple more hours, just processing all the amazing things that we are experiencing, dreaming and planning for future trips, and talking about ways to continue helping this great work of rescuing more of these amazing children. As I sat there talking with my friends and teammates, I was hit once again that I am really here. I am really in Africa. I love these children so much already. And, every day gets better! How is it possible?

And, now you see why I had no words to describe it when I finally got to my room that evening. It was the first time we didn't blog after our day full of activity. I almost felt like I had to savor it for a while before I wrote it down. Of course, at the time, I had no idea that another day---just as good or better than the one before---was waiting for me on Tuesday...but that's another post. :)