A "bucket list" kind of day!

OK, it's my turn to blog tonight...here it goes. Once again, all the pics are uploaded to Facebook, click here.

Chelsea and I were reflecting on the day and it truly feels like a lifetime of experiences so far, and it has only been 3 days. It is a real challenge to put into words what it feels like to be here in Ghana and experience the daily life of these great kids, their house-parents, and their care-takers.

For those of you with "bucket lists", I have a few recommendations after today:

Bucket List Recommendation #1 - Playing soccer in an African nation with a bunch of kids that have unlimited energy, stamina, and serious SKILL!

It was an experience I will never forget. There were no chalked lines, goals with nets, or freshly cut grass to run on. The field was mostly dirt, with the outer edges of tall grass being manually trimmed with a machete by a man as we played. The goals were a bunch of 2x4's nailed together and there were goats and chickens roaming all around. But none of these details mattered to the kids, all they knew was there was a ball on a field, and it was game time. Yes, I was GASSED, along with the other Dad's, after 2+ hours and my entire body is going to be screaming at me in the morning....but a "bucket list" experience nonetheless!! The match ended in a draw 4-4, so of course we went to penalty kicks. The kids went NUTS over the penalty kicks and we even had to decide who was Ghana and who was Uruguay, just like the recent World Cup match that Ghana lost in a heartbreaker. It was a blast...and YES, I made my penalty kick :)

Bucket List Recommendation #2 - Teach a group of kids, that are so eager to learn and try new things, how to sing a new song!

Before soccer, we did our first Day of Vacation Bible School. The theme and bible verse for the week is from Zephaniah 3:17:

"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

The same verse was made into a song and that is what we taught the kids to start VBS. They were a bit hesitant at first, but Colin did a great job in teaching them the song and they eventually caught on and got louder and louder and louder. Hearing their sweet voices singing is an incredible experience. I promise to post video that we have taken when we get home, so each of you can hear them as well. As we were leaving later that evening, we heard a number of the kids practicing their new songs and eventually got Chelsea and Amy to write out the lyrics on an enormous piece of paper to hang on their wall so they can practice. So sweet!

And you will notice the matching VBS shirts that all of us were wearing today. Just like VBS at home, Brad and Shannon designed a really cool t-shirt for our week here with the kiddos. It says "Village of Love" across the bottom and has part of Zephaniah 3:17 written as well. They all changed into them immediately and it was great to see their smiling faces in them!

Bucket List Recommendation #3 - Attend Sunday morning worship services in Africa!

What an incredible experience and real honor to be able to worship with the beautiful people of Tema! Matteus and Lilly, the house-parents of the children took us to their church and we were so welcomed and blessed. The worship leader asked our entire group to come down to the front and be introduced to the entire congregation. They were so kind and welcoming to our entire group. The service was delivered in both English and a common dialect in Ghana called twi (pronounced "tree"). And I most loved seeing the beautiful native dresses the women wore, that reminded me of Hawaii and church as a kid where the women wore their native muumuu's. There was beautiful singing and Ghanaian music played throughout, especially during the offering which was such a beautiful experience for us to participate in. Young and old, every member of the congregation paraded down to the front with great joy to give their offering. It was truly a celebration and one I will never forget.

These first 3 days have truly felt like "bucket list" moments over and over and over again. Other highlights of the day included bike-riding, where Chelsea and Amy helped many of the kids. Some of the pics you will see on Facebook are of the older kids helping out the smaller kids with their bikes. It is so sweet to watch them take care of each other and do it so selflessly!

After we started VBS with singing and praise time, we broke into small groups and talked about what each of the kids "delight" in. Chelsea and I had the younger boys: Jacob, Emmanuel, Caesar, Freeman, Gershon, and Junior.

We then got the whole group back together and each of them were given a small raw-wood treasure box they got to paint. All week they will receive verses and little notes from each of us or each other to put into their treasure boxes. They had so much fun painting and took it very seriously. One of my favorite pics of the day is of Freeman, all by himself long after the other boys had finished, still working diligently on every last detail of his box. He was so focused and determined to get it just right!

It truly feels like we have had a lifetime of experiences in 3 days and we still have 5 more days to go!! Thanks for all of your continued prayers and support. We miss and love you all very much!