12 January, 2007
Dear all,

Well, I’m sitting here in the dark writing this because there is no electricity at the moment. Actually, we haven’t had power all day. Accra gets all of its electricity from a dam but as of right now the water level is pretty low. To manage what they sometimes do it cut of power to a certain area for a day or so to ration it out. Like most cities do with water in the states. The power went out around 8:30 this morning and its is about 6:50 p.m. and still no power. It feels funny because I’m writing this on my computer with a candle to light the room. I told someone earlier that I feel like a high tech Jane Austen. If its not back on by tomorrow morning Dennis will turn on the generator for a while. He said its pretty expensive to do that so they usually run it for four hours in the morning and fours hours in the evening. It has not been that bad today because it was not hot today at all really. I can not imagine what it will be like when this happens in say March. The kids can take it because their blood is so thin naturally but my blood thickened pretty good to survive in Wyoming. Maybe it will catch on really quick and thin right on out.

However, by the time you read this hopefully we will have electricity and all will be well.

We also might have a lock in tonight which I’m excited about. If there are no lights by then we won’t and I think all the adults are hoping that we won’t have power by then, but I think it will be fun. I don’t know exactly who all is going to be there but the teenagers invited me so I do know they will be there. I have not gotten to bond with the older kids so far. I really hope that changes soon. I want to know them but they are going through the teenage phase of being really cool and I’m not so cool, so it’s a little difficult to crack them. The little kids like me because they do not care so much about coolness yet. That is the main reason I like the little ones.

My windows are open and I can hear the night guards talking. I love their language so much. Its very soft, not harsh like English is. They use a lot of vowel sounds which makes it really smooth sounding.

I love the fact that the birds do not care about the power at all, they just keep singing their sweet lullabies outside my windows. Its fun to look out my window in the morning and see the birds in the lawn. Birds I have only seen in the zoo are right outside my window eating my lizards and they are welcome to them. There are so many lizards here! Small ones, big ones, and really big ones. The ones that really freak me out are the orange and yellow headed ones. Just thinking about them makes me shiver. They have orange or yellow heads with black bodies and then an orange or yellow tail and their big and fat and gross! They like to hang out in the gutter and run along side people. Yuck! Just don’t tell anyone, I don’t want to ruin my tough girl reputation.

Tonight I was thinking about being here and what a blessing it is. I still can not believe I am here. Its different than what I am use to, yes, but it just can not be real. My dad teases me sometimes because I talk of how long I’ve waited to come here, I mean I’m not that old, so in retrospect it was not that long but it sure felt like it. Especially the last four months. I knew it was coming, I was getting ready but it seemed to just drag on and on and then all of a sudden I’m here not knowing exactly what to make of it.

I was listening to some music tonight and this song came on and it was talking about saying good-bye to all the things that hold you back. There are a lot of choices that I made that were not good ones and if I would not have turned from those and seen what I was doing to myself there is a good chance that I would not be here today. I don’t mean not alive, just not in Africa.

Last summer Greg Ammons, pastor at FBC Garland, really woke me up with one of his many amazing sermons. He preached that it takes courage to let some things in our life go when we do not want to. We have to pray not just for things to be released from our lives but that God will give us courage to release them. There were some things that I was just too scared to let go of but if I would not have there is no way that my life would have led to this moment.

I keep saying it but that is because it is so evident here to me that God is so faithful. Even when we are not faithful to Him and do not serve Him like we should, still He is faithful to love us and take care of us even when we do not know that we need it. I am grateful for moments like these. Moments where I have no choice but to listen to God as I’m surrounded by His beautiful creations. Growing up I have been all over the States and seen many aspects of God’s creation but coming here has shown me a completely different side of Him. It just proves how endless God really is. There is never enough time in life to witness all the beauty that is on the earth. There are places that I would never think of going. Places that are so far hidden from me and the rest of the world. However, I have the joy in my heart because one day I will be surrounded by so much beauty and so much glory that my heart cannot even imagine and that’s Heaven. All the beauty of the earth will never compare to the beauty that will be there and I am so joyous that I will be able to share that with you and even those that we won't know until we get there.

I look at these children that are so happy and so joyful in life. Some of them do not remember life before coming here and then again some do. I have heard some of the saddest stories of children showing up here to Rafiki. The conditions that they came in break my heart but because they suffered so greatly they get to live so greatly. They are surrounded by people that love them and that love the Lord. At times they forget though what happens outside these gates that protect them so. They forget how lucky they are to be sheltered, fed, and clothed. Then again, don’t we all? I know I do. They are grateful that is evident but they are like normal kids they forget to show their gratitude to those that deserve it the most. The mothers that care for these children are nothing less than saints. They are a gift from God to these children and to this program. The village could not survive with out them. They raise these children as their own and they do become their own. They discipline them like a mother would and they love them like a mother would. And like any other mother they expect great things out of them.

My favorite verse has always been Psalm 126:3 “The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.” I’m living that and I pray you are too.

Always with love

Sarah

Prayer requests:
-That Barbra can find more mothers. There are so many children outside the gates needing homes and all we need are mothers and sponsors for the children and they can have a home.
-That the power will come back on and stay on.
- For health for the village.
- Please pray and consider sponsoring a child here at Rafiki. Not necessarily Ghana, but somewhere. I do not wish to sound like those t.v. guys but being here I see how this works and its beautiful. Its only $25 a month with a year commitment. If you are interested go to www.rafiki-foundation.org.