UGH!!! Time to hurry up and wait...

We had to be at the Accra airport this morning at 0430 in order to get through customs and security and all that jazz on time to catch the 0915 plane to JFK airport in The Big Apple. So, 10.5 hours stuck in a flying tin can....not as much fun as it sounds. We all realized that those old jokes about airline food ARE ALL TRUE! It's like eating cardboard with spices on it... Anyway, we are now stuck at JFK because our plane has been delayed three times already...the latest being 2240 tonight...not fun. We are all tired, cranky, and begining to get on each others nerves. But we are all so excited to come back to our families again, we love you all, and cannot wait to get home. Goodnight from JFK, Ghana Team 2010.

We're Coming Home!

Friday....we started with the normal delicious breakfast of omlettes and toast. Then we departed the hotal in route to the canopy walk, just inland of Cape Coast. When we arrived we recieved our badges and began our trek up to the bridges. This walk took roughly 30 minutes and we waited our turn. When we finally were able to begin our walk, we were struck with the beauty of a natural African forest. There were 5 long bridges that streched between tall trees that overlooked the forest. The walk in its entirity took 45 miutes. When we made it back down, we got back on the bus to go to the Elmina Slave Castle. we took an interesting tour of the place that revealed many secretes about the slave trade. this tour was both enlightening and saddening. we went to dinner at a swanky hotel that consisted of chicken, french fries, rice, and vegetables. overall it was an interesting day filled with memories. we arrived back to the hotel 4 hours later and fell into bed.

Saturday...Wake up at 715 am, and enjoyed a nice breakfast of omlettes and toast. Due to the first bus issue, we ended up waiting for the bus round an 1 and a half hours. Unfotrunately, this caused us to be late to Hagaar's presentation about HIV/AIDS to a womens group from the Ghana Presbyterian Church. The presentation was wonderful, and lasted around an 1 hour. After the presentation, we took a group photograph outside with the women and Hagaar. We then departed from the church to go back to the hotel for lunch, and on the way we purchased some flags, world cup horns, etc. Lunch was delicious, as always, and we departed from the hotel around 2
pm Ghana Time. The party was for the WOLPHA ladies children, and had them blowing bubbles, coloring pictures, playing games, taking polaroid pictures and making picture frames, and even some dancing. We left right after Ghana scored thier first goal in the game against the U.S. After arriving at the hotel, eating a little dinner of chicken, beef, pasta, and french fries, and watching the remainder of the game, we had devotions as well as a special blessing for Ama, Steve, and John.

Today, we went to Reverend Twum's church and worshiped with his congregation. He was very happy that we took the time to come visit him in his place of business. We presented his church with mosquito nets, then were invited to eat lunch at his house. After lunch, we gave him and his wife some gifts including a Wesley Bible, and a cross that we give to our conformands. He and his wife were very grateful. Then began the long bus ride to Accra, where we found a hotel, ate dinner, swam for a bit, had our devotion time, and went to 'sleep'. It's like 01:00 here, and we are all very exhausted but cannot wait to see our families again. We miss you all and will see you soon. Love from all of us, UMYF 2010.

Ghana: Days 7&8

Yesterday, we went to meet the Bishop of the diocese, and he was very curious about the marriage status of the girls. We gave him some gifts including a stoal, mosquito nets and he was very grateful. We then went to the New Edubiase Nursery School where Reverend Twum's wife was in charge. There was dancing and Evan presented the gifts of mosquito nets and Beanie Babies. They were so excited to receive us. We then saw the New Esubiase Hospital where Zane presented the nets. We visited some of the children in the hospital and gave them some Beanie Babies. It was heartbreaking to see little children suffering and the hospital had so few supplies, but it was inspiring to see the mothers who were with their children and they looked exhausted but were glad to see their children find some comfort in a stuffed animal. We then ate at the Coconut Grove and by this time we all were starving. And Renee invented this fun game of rolling the bottle caps like dice and getting them to land on a certain side. It was a long yet rewarding day.
Today was a lovely day considsering we didn't have to meet until 8:30 for breakfast. After the usual toast and eggs and coffee combo, we headed out for another adventure.First we checked out the Barekase Dam and water treatment center. There were some lovely photo opportunities, including one of mark climbing a tree. The dam provides water for the entire Ashanti region. However we Americans still can't drink it because our bodies are not accustomed to the Ghanaian water. Next, we after much urging from the youth (and mark) we finally got to buy our much desired soccer jerseys. However in Ghana they do not have sporting goods stores so it was a radio station that was selling them. They came in several colors including yellow, red, and white. Steve and Ama were concerned about us getting the best jerseys and ones that would fit right. We then stopped by the hotel for a lunch composed of chicken, beef, ratatouille, and pasta all of which was yummy. Next stop was the palace of the Asante king Osei Tutu II. The guide told us that both a man and a woman rule the region. The woman is called the Queen Mother, and she is not the king's wife. It is her children that can apply to be the king's successor when he dies. After the Palace, we went back to the cultural center and purchased some more souveniers. Then we came back to a wonderful dinner from the lovely staff at the hotel. Before we went to sleep, we tried to teach Emma how to eat sunflower seeds, but to no avail. Thus ended our day in Ghana.

Ghana: Day.....I lost count...

Today, or should I say yesterday, we ate the standard breakfast, and headed out. After the extremely long bus ride, we arrived at the school for the deaf and the blind children. Even though they couldn't hear, they still could feel the vibrations of the drums, so they put on an amazing display of dancing for us. A few of the staff gave us a tour of their school, and it was a very large campus. They were even working on building a new dining hall for the children, one with gas stoves instead of a fireplace so that it would be cooler. After a delicious lunch of chicken, beans, rice, plantains, and fresh fruit, we got to watch a soccer game played by the older children. Some of us even got to play along side them. After the soccer game, we hung some bed nets designed to keep out mosquitos in one of the girls' dorms. That took all day, so we didn't have time to go anywhere else. We were all tired, so we pretty much just fell asleep when we got back to the hotel. Goodnight everyone.

Ghana: Day 5

Greetings from Ghana y'all! Today was a heartwarming and emotional day begining with the standard breakfast of omlettes, rolls, toast, and cinnamon rolls. We then loaded up the bus with the supplies to give to the schools, and were on our way. The first school we stopped at was the one where Rita, Steve's wife, teaches at. They were very welcoming of us, showed us new dances, and had their school band preform for us, which was amazing, by the way! The children and teachers were very grateful for the school supplies we brought them. The second school was an elementary school, and they too had song and dance to share. Sarah Berman then taught them one of our songs called Praise Ye The Lord. After the giving of the supplies (which they throughly apprecieated) Mark led a group in showing the Ghanian students how to do the Macarena. At the third school, there was also dancing, but this time, all of us joined in on the fun! We all laughed and cheered together, and had a wonderful time mingeling with the school children and their teachers. Afterwards, we went to a place where a group of women make designs in cloth, and then create clothes out of it. Their fashon is slightly different than in America, but it is still very cool. Many of us ordered some clothes to be made for us so that we can stand out a litle bit more back home. We gave the women a radio and a bunch of CD's so that they can be entertained while they are working, some new shirts, and enough money to supply all 40 of them with medicine for a month. They were very grateful in recieving our gifts, and it showed in the huge smiles on their faces and in the way they applauded us when we were through. Back at the hotel, sorry...Royal Basin Resort, dinner was delicious as usual, which was egg rolls, rice, chicken, and beef stew, and VANILLA ICE CREAM!!! From all of us, to all of you, goodnight.

Ghana: Day 4

Breakfast this morning consisted of omlettes, cinnamon rolls, rolls, and fruit. Immeadeatly afterwards, we left the hotel for some God prasin' at the C.C.C (Calvary Charasmatic Church). Their service started, with the four-thousand who gathered, by singing some local songs, but they were all in English which was uber-cool and what-not! The preacher began his sermon by praying for a group of aspiring doctors, and he even invited us up to the front to pray over us and give the group his blessing. The entire service lasted roughly 3 hours, was very noisy on account of the massive amounts of dedication to praising the Lord, and we even got to see the preacher's office, which looks more like a fancy loft in a NY apartment. For lunch, we ate spaghetti-ish noodles/sauce, homemade supreme pizza, chinese style chicken, curry rice, and some kind of delicious lobster soup. After lunch, we went on an adventure to find Kente cloth, the traditional fabric of the Asanti tribes. We found some, and even learned how to weave the threads to make the Kente cloth. Mark had a great time practicing his weaving skills, along with Sarah, Hinkster, and Steve. Afterwards, we were craving some more delicious Ghanian cuisine, so we headed back to the hotel for a scrumptious dinner of spicy chicken, steak kabobs, mixed veggies and spiced rice. Overall, twas a great day for us all. This is B-RAD for news channel 5, signing off.

Ghana: Day 3

Today was very eventful. We ate a delicious breakfast of omlettes, hard-boiled eggs, and mango juice. Afterwards, we left to visit Reverend Twum's house and family. We gave Rita, who Cindy has been in contact with ever since before the trip started, some clothes, etc. for her child, who is due to be born soon. We met a group of children outside his home, and gave them some candy and books we made, comparing Ghana and STL. Then, we went to tha Ashanti woodcarving shops, where we got our first taste of the barter system used in Ghana. They had many interesting things, such as drums, wood carvings of elephants and other animals, tribal masks, and even the African version of the Thinking Man! We wern't very good at barganing, so our guides, Steven and Ama helped us. We went to lunch where we ate an "American" meal, consisting of a burger, fries, and sody-pop while the World Cup match of Ghana vs Australia was on. (Ghana tied Australia, 1-1) We visited Lake Bosumtwi, which is considered sacred by the Ashanti people. It was formed by a meteorite strike, way back in the day. There are about 30 villages around the lake, with about 70,000 total people. We were taken on a boat ride of the lake by the locals and we had a smashing good time! Finally, we came back to the hotel, ate a scrumptious dinner of beef stir fry, fish, fries, and eggs. Then, Mark asked who wanted to do the blogging tonight, and i volunteered, so, here it is...

Going to Kumasi

Well today is the 18th and we have experianced many things. The days started with waking up and eating breakfast at 8. Then we left for kumasi around 9. The drive was a very long, but we managed to make it threw and to the butterfly house. the butterfly house was very beautiful and e took a tour of the grounds. theri were many different types of trees that were over 140 years old and seemed to reach into the clouds. the best part was the mean ants! The problem with these ant is if you are to step on them they will bit you, and it hurts like no other. on the way while looking out the window we were greeted with big smiles from kids and adults. once we go to the hotel we were taken to our rooms to get settled. after that we all me back up around 7:15 to have dinner. we ate fries, rice, fruit, fish, and chicken broth. the mean was simply delicious. after dinner we had free time for an hour and then met back up to tell about were we had saw god and have mail call. of course mail call caused a bunch of tears from all the loved ones letters. were about off to bed now and cant wait to sleep well and be refreshed for tomarrow!We all miss you guys and love you dearly we hope you are having fun without us, and are pround of what we are doing, just remember that god is with us and is watching over everythingwe do. well have a great night even though its only 3:40 their :P and sleep well knowing we are in the hands of god.
this is Paige brown with ur 6/18 blog
P.S I LOVE YOU MOM

we're in Accra, Ghana!!

after a short stop in New York at JFK, the Ghana Team has landed in Accra, Ghana!! after experiencing the airport and customs (which was all done up right as a football pitch for the World Cup), we finally met Rev. Twum and Steve- our guides and Ghanian friends!! after breakfast (spanish omlets, hot dogs and baked beans!)and a short nap for some/ a swim in the hotel pool for others, the group went exploring the great city of Accra.


first stop- the Nothing But Nets distribution center where we picked up 100 of our 785 mosquito-repellant bed nets! we also learned that the center distributes insect repellant treated curtains, personal water purifying drinking straws, and a family sized water purifying system!

then, we cruised around town, seeing sights like the stadium where the Ghana Black Stars football team plays. we stopped at the memorial for Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana. we also walked just down the street to see the Cultural Arts Center, where artisans sell their wares!

Ghana has been great so far! the people are fabulous and friendly. the food has been amazing! tomorrow we head to Kumasi where we will get to begin the service parts of our trip as well as meet Rita and the rest of our Ghanian friends!

thanks to everyone for their prayers and well-wishes! off to bed so we can adventure further into what Ghana holds for us!

~Renee and the Ghana Team

Ghana Team Dinner at Tam Tam African Restaurant

to celebrate the end of 3 years of planning and the time to jump on that airplane and finally head to Ghana, the Ghana Team and their families all spent Friday night eating it up at Tam Tam African Restaurant!! after some last minute details, we're ready to go! and we all learned that we are gonna EAT in Ghana! (we love the fufu. the fufu rocks!)

here's a pic of our Ghana Team from our time at Tam Tam! next stop- Ghana!

welcome to our blog!

we wanted to get started before we left, so we could update you on news as it comes in! today is thursday, may 13, and we are one month and three days away. can you believe it? 3 years ago Craig preached about our 3 year journey to raise $20,000 for 2,000 nets. now we are 34 days away from beginning to hang 765 of them!

check back soon!