By His Grace

Yesterday I went into Accra with Auntie Nancy. She let me bum around with her while she ran some errands. While we were out we went to Military Hospital to visit her house keeper that was involved in a horrible car accident on 23 December. She was standing behind a kiosk and a taxi hit her breaking both of her legs. She was in the hospital a month before she had her surgery to put a pin the left ankle and then to put a p.o.p. (cast) on the right leg. She was suppose to have the surgery on a Saturday but they came a day early and got her on Friday for the surgery. The problem with that was that she had already eaten so they could not give her the anesthesia so she was awake for the surgery. I heard about this in January and it turned my stomach hearing about it I can’t believe actually going through that. Someone cutting my ankle open and putting a pin through the bone while I’m awake! No thank you! But she did it. This wonderful lady has four children (one of which just started working for Libbie and Rob) and no income at the moment because she has been in the hospital for so long. I tell you all this so that when I tell you about our visit to her you will understand my amazement.

When we walked into the hospital room there were six beds in the room all there for different reasons. Madam Comfort’s bed was the second one in the room and I could instantly tell that she was the light of that room. Her smile was so bright and welcoming. For our entire visit she did not have a single bad thing to say about her situation. Instead she gave all glory and praise to God for sparing her life and helping her recover. I sat on her left side and I looked down at her left foot and there was a huge metal pin sticking out of her heel and a p.o.p. on her right leg from her thigh to her ankle and no word of discomfort from her lips. She sang a hymn to us saying that if she ever starts feeling sorry for herself she sings this is hymn and it makes her smile. “God gives me nothing I can not carry, that’s what the Bible tells me.” There is really no word when she will be discharged yet. The doctor did not come last week so hopefully this week they can get an x-ray done and she how she is healing. I tell you it is people like her that make me want to sing and shout glories to God for bringing me so far.

I have met people with more courage here than anywhere I have ever been. People live on top of each other scrambling to sell water for c300 (three cents), taxi drivers giving almost eighty percent of their daily wages to the man that hires them, mothers carrying their babies on their backs everyday to work selling bread on the street. Everyday I see this and when you ask them how they are doing “Oh by His grace” is their response. One thing I admire about Ghanaians is that I have not heard one person take the credit for anything they have. It has all been given to them by God. May it be talent or success or a beautiful baby its all through God and they know it.

I thank God for people like Madam Comfort that show me that God is sovereign in every situation. He is faithful and true to those that follow Him. Everybody needs to be reminded of that and I am everyday by looking at the children that I teach and love. God has been faithful to them by bringing them here to a place where they can be safe and be shown God’s love everyday.

A very thankful Sarah!

Here I am again.

Another week has gone by and I'm still standing. This week has been a little rough with my kids. The weather is changing and I think that has something to do with it. Today was good however. Its so amazing to see how far they have come since the beginning of school! It makes me so excited to watch them write and sound out letters and to watch them actually think things through. Its a rush!

We just got a really nice rain storm. Its still kinda dark outside but its really nice. The breeze is blowing and all the animals are going crazy with excitement and praises! Last night light went off around 11:00 or so. I was already in bed and did not notice until I woke up about one a.m. and was a little warm. I got up to open my windows and the sound that came from the outside was so beautiful I had to record it. All the frogs and grasshoppers and owls were having a grand ole time singing together. I woke up this morning to the same level of sound but it was different. Not the sounds of the night but the sound of night ending and morning beginning. I love listening to the birds here. They are completely different from the birds at home. They remind me of the birds in the opening scene of Cinderella.

I have gotten a few comments from people that I should give you an update on how I'm doing personally... I'm great. How's that? I love it here. I have never disguised the work here as easy and that is because it isn't, I work really hard everyday but everyday I look back on what I did and it was all worth it. Besides my family and friends that are not here I don't miss much. Everything I could ever need I have here. I am healthy and tan and completely and disgustingly happy.

I love you all very much!

A very tan Sarah.

MABA!

Sorry, I had not intended for it to be so long in between blogs but the internet has been funky for a while now so I write when I can.

Last week we resumed school from our two week spring break. My kids were so good the first day but then they went crazy! Needless to say last week did not just fly by like the ones previous. It ended on a good note- Friday was a great day with my kids. I let the three year olds play dress up for the first time and that was a total blast!!! I was worried about them throwing fits and not sharing but just the opposite occurred- they were great! They were so excited to be dressing up that they did fuss a bit. I have one little boy in my class that reminds me a bit of a baby mobster. He's really sweet but the way he walks and talks- its hilarious. Anyway before I knew it he was sporting a pink ballerina tutu and walking around saying "I'm pretty!" I laughed forever!

I'm trying to tell the kids how much I love them so they don't forget then I quiz them, "Who loves you?"
"God loves me."
"And who else?"
"Jesus loves me."
"And who else?"
"Madam Sarah loves me!"
"Very good. God, Jesus, and Madam Sarah love you."
Its rather similar to the Trinity with a slight variation.

Last Sunday I was asked to sing with the Calvary Baptist Church choir. That's pretty much the highest compliment I have received while being here. Rob Seaton and I are going to take them up on their invitation we have decided. Tomorrow we are going to talk to the choir director about joining the choir. I'm only here for a few more Sundays but how many times will I have this opportunity?

It is hot! I'm not talking Texas in August hot either. I'm talking sweating while you're taking a cold shower hot! I go to walk out my door in the morning and sweat before I even touch the door knob. I've grown accustomed to the way I smell which worries me a bit. Not going to lie about that. I've gotten used to seeing myself in the mirror looking the way I do and it does not frighten me as it used to. Being the Texan woman that I am, that frightens me. At the same time I love it and wouldn't change it for the world.

Tonight we are having a going away party for one of the missionaries. Melissa has been transferred to Liberia. Sad for us but this has been the plan for her the entire time she has been here. She will go home first for a little while and then to Liberia. The village there is just getting started and she is so excited!

I am so thankful for the chance to write this to you. I pray you are all well.

Stinky and loving it!

Sarah

Its good to be back... if only for a while.

Hey everyone!

It has been a long couple of weeks without school, internet, and constant electricity. No one has any idea what’s going on with the internet, even the internet people. And the early coming of the rainy season has caused the loss of electricity. We are on generator eight hours a day, four in the morning and four at night. It makes for some really hot afternoons and really hot sleeping but its all good. Because right now the problem is stretched to Nsawam hopefully it will be fixed soon. We’ve been out for four days now and then before that we were out for three days with a two day grace period in between. As Dr. Joy puts it “you don’t really know what a fan does until its not there.” I know it sounds like I’m complaining and maybe I am but it has not been too bad. It gives me a lot of time to read and I have fallen in love with Philip Yancey. (Thanks daddy!)

While I’ve been away we (like most of the rest of the world) had a holiday. Easter. I had not heard too much about Easter here so I did not think it was that big of deal. Silly me forgot that if there is something to celebrate Ghanaians do. The banks were closed for two days: Good Friday and Easter Monday. On Good Friday I went in with the Seatons to Calvary Baptist and had an amazing service there. On Sundays Calvary has three services: the first in Ga, Twi, and Ewe, the second in English, and the third in French and English. Well on Friday they combined them all into one service. I felt like the typical ignorant American only understanding the English. Everyone else was laughing and carrying on with every other language. Most Ghanaians speak AT LEAST four languages and then understand small of several others. It was a beautiful service full of singing and five amazing mini-sermons of which I only understood one. However beautiful that service might have been nothing could compare to the service we had on Easter Sunday. It was so good we ended up going forty-five minutes over but no one minded. There was more dancing in that Sanctuary than I have ever seen. Handkerchiefs waving in the air. Holy hands reaching to heaven. Pretty much a glimpse of heaven.

There are a lot of things I will miss about Ghana when I leave but I think that church will probably be close to number one if not the number one thing I miss the most. I know everyone worships different and I love worship in all types of ways. From a single guitar in an apartment church to a hundred voice choir in an mega church sanctuary to a small Baptist congregation with a heart of gold at 7200 feet to a dancing, foot stomping, amening church on the Golden Coast of West Africa. I love church and I really love church in Ghana.

Today we get a new mini-missionary. I do not know much about him except he has been traveling through the Rafiki villages since the beginning of January and is ending his journey with us in Ghana. By the time you read this he probably will be leaving so I will update you on him in the “p.s.” section at the bottom.

Dancing down the aisle for Jesus!

~Sarah


That was then... this is now.

I wrote that two days ago and since then we have gotten back power and a random source of internet. I'm liking it so far. The new guy, Paul, has actually been touring the world since October. He's been all over Asia and now in Africa and he's going and going until he gets to Antarctica. Cool, eh? Well, not too cool. He woke up really sick this morning, he will live but doesn't feel like it at the moment.

Teachers started back at school today. That was nice to be back. I'm excited for Monday when the kids get there. Get back in a routine at least.

Signing off again... hopefully this time not for good.

Sarah

Prayer Request:
-Paul, that he gets to feeling better
-That the electricity stays on and the internet
-School will start nicely. We've been on break for two weeks so this might take some time getting back in the swing of things.

Pictures of Rainy Season

These are just a few snaps I took of the huge storm that knocked us all out of whack.



This picture was taken at eleven o'clock in the morning. It looked like dusk because it was so dark.





This was taken right outside my classroom after the storm. It was still raining which it did for five more hours after the huge blowout storm.







This last one was the daunting cloud that started it all!

God Feeds the Birds

At church on Sunday the pastor preached on Matthew 6:25-34 and it seemed to really fit my life at that moment. The title of the sermon was “God Feeds the Birds.” All these things have happened all on top of each other lately. The storm that blew out the electricity that blew out the internet and blew out everything else along the way. I got sick and could not work. Then there was another storm and now we are without electricity again (we are on generator at the moment). However I just keep saying, “if God feeds the birds just think what he will do for me.”

Thank you for your prayers. I am getting better. I only ate small small from Monday to Saturday. By Friday my appetite was there but my stomach was not. I know malaria may seem like a huge ordeal but its really common here and very easy to treat. The worst part was at night. That’s when the stomach and head pains were the worst and also when the fever came.

Yesterday marked my three months in Ghana day. I can not believe this. We started our spring break this week. Two weeks with no school. For the next three days we are going to go swimming. We take the kids in groups so it should be fun.

Today I went in to Accra with Barbra on a sad note. She has a man that works for her, Pascal, and his house completely burned down last night. He has a wife, Stella, that is eight months pregnant, a daughter, Cherry, that is four and a sixteen year old stepson. I wish I could explain to you properly the area that he lives in but this should give you a clue: he lives in the most densely populated area of Ghana. The entire country! It is only by God’s grace that his entire district was not burned down. They only have the clothes that they were wearing last night while they slept. The entire compound sleeps outside except for during rainy season so they were saved because of that. Also, it rained last night before they went to sleep so everyone had taken down their laundry from the lines which is a God thing because if they had not that would have burned down a compound that houses about two thousand people. It was devastating just walking around his house. To know Pascal he is such a chipper man. Always laughing and cutting up but today he was all in tears. His wife cannot work because of her pregnancy so she will go out with their daughter and live in the village until the repairs are finished. Please pray for them. Their landlord is on them to pay for the repairs and expects Barbra to because she is white. The Lord has shown them mercy so much already so I know He will work things out and they have faith of that as well.

I know you are probably thinking since I have not been online for so long there must be a lot to write but really there is not. Life here has been good and uneventful except for the storms that bring the bugs. By the way... I hate termites!

Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for us here.

Watching the birds eat!

Sarah.

Praises:
-We got a new mother! She will not start until May first or so but she is coming. Her name is Mama Florence. God is great!