The Simple Things

(Remember that the pictures that go with this post are on Facebook. Blogger has been taking way too long to download a pic! Go here to see our day in pictures.)

Day Two (Saturday) was planned as our "beach day" with the kids. We woke up, had breakfast at the hotel, and headed to see the kids. They were all ready and waiting for us! Before we knew it, there were multiple soccer games beginning with the balls Brad and Shannon brought from home. To watch these children play soccer was pretty cool. Not only are they really good at it, they are really tough. It's a true miracle no one got hurt in the tiny space we were playing in! The other thing I noticed is that not ONCE was there bad sportsmanship, or a whiny voice. They play hard, have tons of fun, and respect each other in all things.

After soccer, we loaded the bus to head to the beach. I have no idea where we went, but it took a while to get there. Along the way, I kept reminding myself that I was really here. As I sat beside Emefa, who couldn't get enough hugs and love, I listened to her sing her heart out to the Lord. Literally, before the bus began to move, the kids were already singing. Some of the songs we did not know, but many we did. My favorite two were new to me: "God is Most High" and "We Will Not Go Back to the Lake". :)

They also sang some old favorites that we could all join in on. Oh my goodness, another unforgettable moment for me! At one point, I asked Isaac who was sitting across from me, what his favorite song was. He said "This Is My Story". I wasn't sure what this was, so I asked him to sing it. He began---in his beautiful accent and voice---to sing "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His spirit, washed in His blood! This is my story, this is my song! Praising my Savior, all the day long, this is my story, this is my song! Praising my Savior all the day long."

You can only imagine what that sounded like as the whole bus chimed in. And, to know their "stories" and to know that they can now sing about a new story in their lives. Amazing!!

We taught them a few new ones too...."Yes, Lord" and "Every Move I Make I Make in You" were their favorite new ones.

What I loved the most was the absolute joy they sing with. They BELT it out and are not ashamed to just start singing all alone if they feel like it.

So, after lots of singing, and driving by what seemed to be over an hour worth of narrow streets and people selling goods from their makeshift stands on the sides of the roads, we finally reached "the beach"!

The kids were so excited, and we had the best weather for our day. We spent hours blowing bubbles, playing in the waves, writing in the sand, burying kids in the sand, and playing soccer. Mark and the other dads had a blast in the ocean with lots of the kids, learning to body surf, wrestling, and finding shells and rocks.

As they swam and splashed in the ocean, I couldn't help but think that these children---some even this year---lived their lives in the dirty, scary waters of Lake Volta. Living a life of oppression and deprivation, their only reference to water has been from a master who forced them to swim and fish in the most dangerous of conditions...And, here they were, enjoying the freedom and fun of the water--the ocean--in a whole different way! Water was now safe, fun, and adventurous, and the kids never stopped smiling as they splashed! What a wonderful story of a new life!! Mattheus, their "father" of the house, came and told me this very thing, as I stood knee deep in the water watching their fun. He said "These children worked on the lake and did not like water. Now, they feel free. And, now they are not scared. They love the beach." And, we were so happy to be there with them.

Erica and Kofi (who are AMAZING at keeping everyone and everything in order) helped us many times as people would come up to offer a service or sell something. It's so hard to tell everyone "no", but Kofi handles it like a pro, still being gentle and kind as he turns people away, but also saying yes to some things if it was for the kids...like horse rides around the beach. :) They LOVED their horse rides.

Erica served us all lunch that she had packed that morning, and then there was more playtime in the sand! The kids all practiced their penalty kicks, just like the Ghana World Cup team, and it was again amazing to watch how they all play together so well. There is not usually any selfishness whatsoever. However, there was one moment of debate on if a goal went in or not. So, Shannon and Mark came up with an excellent solution: teach them Rock, Paper, Scissors! The kids loved this, and it solved the problem!

As we loaded up to return home, the kids weren't singing quite as loud. We had a few songs here and there, but almost everyone fell asleep! I was holding precious Teiko...wet, dirty, and heavy...and it felt wonderful. Emefa was asleep on my arm and Freeman was standing at my legs. I smiled as I thought how much this would usually make me feel claustrophobic and hot and sweaty. But, not this time. I soaked it all in and just looked around at Mark and others, who were also holding at least two sleeping kids each. So, so sweet.

As we arrived back home, they began to wake up and Emefa was the first to just yell out "God is Good! Thank you Lord!" I wasn't sure why she felt like saying that, but quickly realized they were all shouting out their prayers of thanksgiving for God delivering them home safely from the beach! Some said "Thank you Lord for this day!" or "Thank you Lord for safe travels home." This was all done as they gathered shoes, and found our stuff to carry for us. (They never let us carry anything!)

After we cleaned up at the hotel, we came to the house for dinner and playtime. Another great dinner by Erica, and great conversation and dreaming among our team about the future of these children, as Chase's Place is built. I cannot WAIT!!

As we were eating, we began to hear the kids singing inside. So, we wandered in to find them all praising God and worshipping in a circle. No adult was leading it, or telling them what to do. They were just singing together. Again, just like the bus, they would all spontaneously begin singing another song, and the others would follow their lead. It was SO precious to be a part of.

Gideon, who is an amazing leader among the kids, asked who would pray, and Mary, who is on the quieter side, immediately volunteered. For the next few minutes, all of the Americans in the room were blessed with the most amazing prayer on our behalf. I've never heard such passion and such absolute thanksgiving. She thanked God for blessing them with this day at the beach, for bringing them home again, and for these people who have come to visit us. She said "Bless them. Bless them Lord. Bless their work that they will know what they are doing for you. Bless their families, Lord. Bless their travels." It went on and on.

Needless to say, there was not a dry eye when she finished. :)

The night continued with reading books, coloring, and Bendaroo fun! These kids are so creative, and can find fun in anything. They created their own tabletop soccer fields out of Bendaroos and played for over an hour, thumping their bendaroo soccer ball into the goals. Other children were coloring or writing, and others were reading. Again, this is some of my favorite time of the day, when we can group up with just one or two or a few of the kids, and get some quality time with each of them.

I also greatly enjoyed passing out the Prestoncrest VBS cards to the kids! They wanted to know more about every child who signed the cards, and they read every word, looked at every sticker, and wanted to know about every drawing. They were truly thankful and honored that THIS many cards were for them! They each picked a few to take to their room, and they treasured them greatly. So, Prestoncrest, thank you for taking the time to make those! They meant so much to these children!

So, there is the {long} description of the day! It was another great one, where we used every bit of our energy, and fell in bed last night happy and thankful for this opportunity to be here. I titled this post "the simple things" because I believe that is what God was showing me today.

These kids have lived through nightmares. They have been abandoned, mistreated, malnourished, many abused. Yet, they are now so full of joy, so happy...no fear, no anger, no selfishness or pity. They don't make things difficult or complicated. They don't make anything about themselves, but they love others--simply but strongly. They live simply and content. They have a simple faith in a really big God, a faith that far surpasses our own. They have simple spirits...they work hard, love others and give, give, give. We have much to learn from these sweet kids. They are already teaching me a different way--a much richer, and much simpler way--of really living.