Glimpses of our Life in Ghana

We stayed in Accra overnight. When we got up, we had a flat tire. Thankfully we had a spare that was good! We had so much fun with these people! They spent a day and a half in Egypt on the way here. And then we packed as much into their week long stay as we could with out feeling like we hadn't even had time to catch up with each other.  Of all things, our men sat around and drank coffee and read books till late at night! They didn't do it every night but it happened several times! One day we drove out to the Palm press. We got to see the new house building project as well. Unfortunately the press was not in operation. We did meet the crew out buying palm fruit.  The row of big cookers. Beautiful bush land! A log bridge The palm press to the left and the foundation for the new house to the right.  One morning we went to fish market and Elmina castle. Someone said it would make a "Where is Waldo?" picture! I agree. It wa...

Maybe you thought you have seen all the graduation pictures! Well you have seen the important ones! But I am so grateful for Jeremy Weaver taking pictures and I love this row of snapshots, I had to share them!  When boys get bored while waiting for the excitement to start! They had obviously done this before! But not while Mom was watching! I had visions of broken legs and bleeding heads. I'm not sure how this would have ended, but knowing the resourcefullness of boys, they would have survived! But I wasn't taking any chances! I was going to put these on my last blog and forgot. I spent several hours puzzling over how to write an attachment letter. All I can say is, just sit down and do it! The students were very pleased with them!

Graduation was a bittersweet time. It was a time when we looked back over the year and remembered the hours that went into this school. And at the end of the day, Kenny felt it was worth it all. I loved coming over to the shop at the end of the day and listening to them work together while I worked in the office. They worked so well as a team and were always laughing, whistling, or singing. When I watched them up on that platform and remembered the frustrations Kenny had encountered at one time with each of them, but how well they had each done, it was worth it all for me as well. Graduation day was December 10th. The day after we headed to Accra to drop people off at the airport and pick our friends up the next day. in all the hustle and bustle of visitors, I didn't have time to sit down and do this till now.   Kenny and I spent many days discussing and planning. It felt a little like a wedding, all that prep work and then it was all over in a few short hours. Richard is ...

I wish I would be able to go back and get pictures from years ago for this post but that is impossible.   My earliest memories of Thanksgiving are more distinct then Christmas. At our house Thanksgiving was a bigger holiday then Christmas (almost). We butchered turkeys every year for as long as I can remember. It started small and has grown to doing almost 1,000.    I remember the butcher shop as a young child. I remember sitting on a low, wooden, backless chair with my head on mom's knee. Watching the feathers drop from the bottom of the feather picker. And falling asleep. I remember singing around the tables as we butchered and cut off meat. I learned many songs in the butcher shop. I remember playing games like "A my name is Ann, my husbands name is Andy........" I remember the coolness of the butcher shop on summer evenings, and how quickly it heated up. I remember the cold wind blowing in the cracks in the old door. Walking in to the house in the dark under ful...

  Sunday evening we got a message that Earl Shirk had caught a python. They caught it alive and kept it till everyone that wanted to came to see it. After everyone had a chance to look at it they left it go so we could see what it would do. Then they killed and butchered it. This evening they steamed and fried it. Everyone got a little taste. It was very chewy but didn't really have much flavor. Just a few other snapshots; This mud hole below is still causing issues. This vehicle had gotten stuck and then when we pulled it out it wouldn't run. Kenny worked at it but the man's mechanic was on his way, so we eventually just left. He found out later it was a blown fuse, which he had been suspicious of. This puddle still brings my heart rate up a bit. And when I came to it and saw this truck, my heart sank. But it was a half hour drive to turn around! And I was less then 5 minutes from my destination. So we squeezed by! We are gearing up for g...