Nyame Dua (God Protects) Needs Us

***UPDATE: Nyame Dua's Rent has been PAID! Your generosity provided for these children in less than 12 hours!! Thank you to all who gave!***

There is an urgent need at the Nyame Dua Bolga Home. This home cares for 19 children in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region. These children are not currently able to be adopted due to corruption in the region, but Paul Anaba and his staff continue to be dedicated to their care. Rent is now due at the home. Paul thought that he had all the money needed but at the last minute the landlord almost doubled the rent. This means that Nyame Dua now needs $1000 in the next three days in order to pay their rent by April 15th.

Again, it would be very easy for Paul to simply close the home. The children have no path to adoption at this point. For all Paul knows he will be caring for these children into adulthood. Paul is dedicated to these children. He isn’t caring for them so that he can in some way profit from their adoptions. He is caring for them because they sincerely have no safe place to go back to and he loves them.

If you are able to make a donation of ANY size in the next three days, please go to our website at www.adoptionadvocates.org and click the “Donate Now” button. Choose “Ghana” and then note “Nyame Dua, Rent.” Alternatively you can call our office tomorrow or Monday and make a donation by phone with your debit or credit card. Ask for Kathy. Every penny will go directly to Nyame Dua. We will send what is collected at end of the day on Monday the 15th of April.

Thanks,
Anita
P.S. Any amount donated above and beyond $1000 will be donated for the care and support of the 19 Nyame Dua Bolga children.

T+30 hours! home again!

Well, it took 30 hours, but i'm home again! one really big ironic thing is that our temps here in tulsa are only a few degrees cooler than accra (although much less humid) and our air conditioner isn't working! lol! seriously! this is my luck. oh, but wait! it gets better! the filter in the fridge decided it needs to be changed, which means that we also have no ice! ha! no ice. no a/c. i can't even say, "only in ghana!" =-)

i took the day to just be here with my kids. i was here but not HERE for a few weeks before i left for ghana. i think they deserved a full 24 hours of me without my computer after i got home. [they deserve 24 DAYS but i can't give them that.] it was a nice day with them, giving them my undivided attention.

the jetlag doesn't seem so bad this time, at least not so far. i've learned that sometimes the first day after travel can fool you. it's the days 2-4 that can be the worst. still, i'm happy for a good first day.

i'm so glad to have my puppies again. i think they are glad to have me too. just sayin...

i am so spoiled. later this week or this weekend we will go and buy a new cheap computer for me--because of a SHIFT key. A SHIFT KEY! We could get it fixed, i suppose. but that's why we buy $250 computers to begin with. it's served me well for 2 years. now i'll buy a new cheap computer that will last me maybe another few years. i will be glad to type properly again because honestly, this drives me crazy! plus, the aai newsletter will be due next week!

here are some things i've noticed and appreciated the last 24 hours (besides the normal stuff)...

*drinking out of the tap

*comfortable furniture in my living room

*ice--as much as i want, whenever i want

*clothes washer and dryer

*automatic transmission

*car radio playing contemporary christian music

*traffic, or lack thereof--the ability to travel 15 miles in 20 minutes or less

*the comfort of my driver's seat

*milk, glorious milk (with cereal)

*'i love you' -- it's said in my house so much, and i've missed hearing it.

*no bug spray!

here are some things i'm already missing from ghana

*pineapple (my kind hubby knows i like pineapple so he bought me some and had it waiting--not realizing that i spent 2 weeks eating the best pineapple EVER in ghana!

*shopping from the car (best from of capitalism ever!)

*the courtesy of strangers (still around my area, but not as much as in ghana)

*my sweet ghana family, you know who you are.

time for me to sleep.

anita

T-30 MINUTES

I'M GOING ALL CAPS TODAY BECAUSE I'M SO SICK OF SEEING NO CAPS AT ALL!

I'LL BE LEAVING THE HOTEL IN 30 MINUTES. I'VE HAD MY LAST SUPPER (CHICKEN ALONE, NO RICE OR CHIPS OR ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE). MY BAGS ARE PACKED. I'M PAYING HERE HORIZONTAL JUST BECAUSE I KNOW IN ABOUT EIGHT HOURS I WILL GIVE ANYTHING TO BE IN THIS POSITION!

IT HAS BEEN A GOOD TRIP. I LOOKED BACK ON MY AGENDA AND MOST THINGS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THERE ARE SOME DIFFICULT ADOPTION CASES THAT ARE STILL DIFFICULT. I HAD HOPED THAT SOMEHOW MY BEING HERE WOULD CAUSE BREAKTHROUGH, BUT I GUESS THE COLOR OF MY SKIN DOESN'T WIELD THAT MUCH POWER (OR ANY AT ALL REALLY). STILL, MOST THINGS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED THAT I SET OUT TO DO. AND SOME THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW I WOULD BE DOING WERE ACCOMPLISHED AS WELL.

I WANT TO AGAIN SAY THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU WHO PRAYED AND PAID ME HERE!!!!!

LOVE,
ANITA
P.S. FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURES, SMOKED GRASSCUTTER. I DON'T THINK I'LL BE TRYING THIS KIND ANYTIME SOON, BUT THE FRESH STUFF IS REALLY QUITE NICE!

trip journal, 3-23-12, kwahu to accra

well, i'm sitting back 'home' at rye manor in teshie. teshie will always be home for me in ghana.

it was a nice few days in mpraeso, kwahu district. mpraeso is way up high on the top of a mountain. you can't believe the view, and the photos simply don't do it justice! in fact, i honestly didn't even try to capture it on photo during this trip. i just allowed my mind to take it all in. the haze was too much for any camera.

we arrived in early afternoon on wednesday--the B family and i. we checked into the WAGS hotel (yes, like WAGS the dog!) and then quickly headed to the site of the brand new kwanu orphanage. the home is nearly complete now. almost all that is left is to hook up the electricity (which is a major undertaking) and get water to the home. the home is on a beautiful plot of land, outside of the village with plenty of room to run and play.

After our visit to the orphanage site we headed to the current foster home. the current home is in the middle of the village By the time we got there the S family and their group (a group of 10 maybe?) were already at the home. To say it was a bit chaotic may be a bit of an understatement! There are currently 16 children who live at the home, but there were quickly over 50 people in the house. neighborhood kids, American visitors, neighborhood parents, and anybody else who felt like coming. the ghanaian phrase 'you are invited!' was never so true!

i tried to find the kiddos that i had special gifts for--gifts sent to them by their American families. Even through the chaos those were special moments and i look forward to sharing those photos with their parents when i get home. one child giggled as he practiced his new last name. GREEN! THE COLOR, GREEN!

next we all went inside the home to pass out goodies and donations. i had goodies--the S family brought donations of clothes and such. my kids' homeschool choir had donated some litte stuffed animals, bracelets, and headbands. each child received one, gratefully. then they received their clothes from the S. family. it was hard to know who had gotten what, so we told the kids that once they got their new clothes to go outside and i would give them 'toffee.' that did it! i quickly had a long line of kinds formed to receive their 2 or 3 pieces of candy. before long it was getting dark and it was time to head back to the hotel for the night.

thursday was to be the day of the inauguration of the kwahu orphanage home--a sort of formal event for government officials and special guests within the community and abroad. i was very excited to be able to attend. i think i even wrote about it on the blog before i came. well, as it turned out, my stomach wasn't on the same page. i woke up feeling ill. since the home doesn't quite have restroom facilities it wasn't in anybody's best interest that i attend! i ended up sleeping until noon and then using the rest of the time to write some documents that i needed to write. the interenet connection in mpraeso was just about non-existent. if i could get it to work, it would take 10-20 minutes to open or send one email. so between opening/sending i worked on my documents and such. the lord had it all worked out and the day was still fruitful in the way. by late afternoon i was feeling better.

at around 4:30 the B family and i went back to the foster home for a while, where we met up with the S family and their group. everybody was playing out in front of the house. i humbly accepted a chair from an elder in the village, and got to know williams (written about in a previous post) and other children. Before long we were headed to a place called Eastern palace to have a bit of a party with the children.

my group was the first to arrive at the Eastern palace. we mentioned to the owner that there would be about 30 more people arriving soon. her eyes got pretty big! obviously, she didn't have prior notice. that might have been nice for her. there were probably more like 50 people by the time the neighborhood kids and parents decided to hop in the van uninvited. why would a little restaurant in kwahu have food ready made for 40-50 people? they wouldn't. as is always the case in ghana, the adults were served first--jollaf and chicken. by the end of it, 2 children were sharing pretty small plates of food, and i'm pretty sure some children were left with only sachet bags of water to drink. BUT there was music and dancing and i really think the americans were the only ones focused on these small details. =-)

after dinner the B family said goodbye to their amazing children they had just spend 5 days with. as they did one last 'family hug' it was all i could do to hold it together. there are many good parts of my job, but getting to see families and kids falling in love...that might be the very best of it all.

this morning we were planning to wake up and head to larteh village--a village near eastern, volta, and greater Accra regions. however, there was a misunderstanding with the scheduling and so our party (the B family and i) needed to head directly to Accra so they could catch their flight in time. we still made a good time of it. We had a more leisurely trip back to Accra so we stopped to buy pottery on the way home. [Eastern Region is the only place i've personally seen this sold.] it's so incredibly inexpensive. i actually paid twice as much as asked for a bowl i purchased because i just couldn't bring myself to pay the equivalent of $3 for something i knew would sell for $35 in america. next we stopped in aburi where we purchased a few last minute items. finally, it was lunch at the buujo restaurant just outside Aburi (love the setting of that place).

We got back in Teshie about 4pm. now the B family is gone and i am half packed. tomorrow will be a day for final goodbyes. i hope to meet with my friends muna in the morning. then it's off to paul's house to say goodbye and also to meet his volunteer james (excited about that)! finally a quick goodbye to my ghana mum comfort before heading back to the hotel for a final shower and packing up. joha will pick me up at 5:30 with hopes of getting me to the airport by 6:30 for a 10pm ish flight.

love,

Anita

I Can Love

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I can and cannot do, specifically as to how it relates to orphans, humanitarian work, changing the world, etc.. No doubt, the Lord has put this passion in my heart, but how am I to use it? Some people can work politics and government in order to do adoption work here in Ghana. Others take money they make working on adoption and use it to build grand homes and schools. Some Americans save up their money to do mission trips, spread the gospel, and do wonderful and worthy activities with children. Some can use their money to do wonderful and long-lasting humanitarian work.

As for me? I can love orphaned and vulnerable children. Yes, from afar, but I'm speaking of when I'm here (or anywhere). I have arms to hug, and lips to kiss on the cheek or forehead. I have an ample chest to cuddle into, and a fluffy lap to sit on. I don't care if a child is dirty or stinky or covered in fungus. I'm not saying that to brag. Maybe that's stupid. I just don't. God made me to love these children. I'm not fit enough to run with them. I'm maybe not young enough anymore to do some other things. But I can love.

Sometimes people wonder what they will DO when they come to spend time with children in Ghana. You don't have to DO anything. Just be available to these children. And not only in the orphanages. There are children all over Ghana that are hungry for the type of cuddly affection that we Americans give. It's sort of odd because I think it's a very huggy culture. Adults are always very friendly and quick to give me a hug hello. At the same time, I'm not sure whether or not it's super common for the adults to really sit and cuddle with kids over about age 5. [Babies are VERY coddled and cuddled, no question.] What I know for sure is that children I meet here—orphaned or not—are hungry for the love I have to give.

Tonight we hung out a bit in front of Kwahu Foster Home. It's a unique place in that it's in the middle of the village and when white people show up MANY kids (and some adults) also show up quickly. Before I knew it a boy of about 9 or 10 years named Williams had attached himself to me. He isn't a child who lives in the home. Not an “orphan.” But here is this big boy—bigger than most boys in America who would publicly cuddle their moms—openly competing for my affections among the other children. At every turn Williams would be there, holding my hand, or with his hand on my shoulder, or just quietly standing at my side.

Before long we started piling into vehicles to go to a restaurant for dinner. Another family that is here was hosting a celebration for all the kids at the foster home—16 kids. My group happened to be the first group to leave for the restaurant. When the first van of kids showed up guess who popped out? Williams. =-) Turns out, several of the neighborhood kids (and even some moms from the neighborhood) decided to just hop in the vans for a free meal! I just reviewed my photos from the day and Williams is in a good percentage of them—this child who is not an orphan and who supposedly has no real “need.” Obviously, he does have a real need.

I guess my point is, just be open to be used wherever the Lord will use you. I have no great skill. I am not very fit, or very young, or very thin. I mostly just sit on a chair when I am here and wait for the children to come to me. But they do, come to me. I can love. And the Lord can use even that very small skill to make a very big difference in the life of a child.

trip journal; 3-20-2012, shopping day!

Today I had a great time with the B family. It's their first time in Ghana so of course they needed to do a bit of shopping! Even though this is trip 13 for me (I think?), I also always need a shopping day! This trip in particular, I got to purchase some special items to be used for future AAI fundraising.

First thing we headed to the Art and Culture Center. Some families do really well with the heat and high pressure of the place. Others do not. To start with though, I always head to the side of the market to visit my friends at “No Food For Lazy Man.” In particular, Eric is my friend. I joke that he is my Ghana husband, since my husband's name is Eric. Above is a photo of he and I. =-) I always bring families to these guys, who are drum makers. They graciously played a while for us, before giving the B family a mini beginning drum lesson. Of course after that comes the part where the B family buys a drum!

Next we headed down the row a bit further to Anthony's shop. He and his “brothers” make Bolga-style baskets. Since they are the makers (not the sellers) they gave us whole-sale price on some baskets and fans that are sold within the market itself.

The thing about this market is that one guy always leads you to the next, to the next, to the next. We had to make a few more obligatory stops, where I purchased a few more items I needed. By this time we needed a break from the pressure so we headed to the front of the market to buy a drink and rest a bit. Whew!

Next we headed to the dress shop just behind the drink area. Set prices in there, but they are pretty fair. I bought a shirt and a few sets of earrings. I love buying earrings in Ghana. My ears don't mind cheap earrings, and I love all the cool dangly beaded and wood carved designs I can find here!

From the dress shop it was back to the wash rooms, which lead us to the very back of the market and a few shops in that area. This trip seemed to keep us in the parameters. I bought a cool rattle and mini mortar and pestle.

Last stop at this market was for clothes, where I purchased a pretty dress for Taevy, a dress for a friend, and a shirt for Bright. I also ended up buying a shirt for our driver (at his request)!

By this time it was WELL past time for air-conditioning and Frankie's! We enjoyed our first (and last) diet soda of the trip. I had an oh-so-yummy pizza.

Sufficiently cooled down, we headed back out to walk from Frankie's to Global Mama's. The best deal of the day was at a little stall across the street from Frankie's where they sold us jewelry and soccer jersey's at unbeatable prices right off the bat!

By the time we got to Global Mama's we were really ready to cool down with the A/C but it was not to be had. Actually, we ended up sweating there more than anyplace else, because the power was out and there is no moving air in the place! Still, I managed to find a super cute dress and earrings for Kendi as well as some fun things for AAI fundraising.

It was a fun day. It was a very HOT day! Actually, I was sunburned through my 100 SPF water-proof sunscreen! All in a day's “work!” =-)

Here are some items we purchased and the prices paid. You may do better (or worse) during your trip!

Sachel Bags--10 cedis

Large Drum with carrying case (13 inch drum head)--115 cedis

Dresses at culture market-- 25 cedis (these have gone up)
Traditional Shirt at market, child --15 cedis

Mask -- 5 cedis

Earrings -- 2 -3 cedis

Wood nativies -- 55 cedis

Stained Wooden Bowls -- 10 cedis
Oware/Mancala Set --12 cedis

Paintings--15 cedis

Small Mortar and Pestle -- 7 cedis

Bracelets -- 1-7 cedis

Bolga Baskets --35 cedis (these were the type that usually sell for 70)

Unity Men/Hugging Men carvings -- 18 cedis

Soccer Jersey-- 15-20 cedis

travel journal, minus shift keys

Greetings from the land of 'light off!' you'll notice the lack of correct punctuation/capitalization. This is because my computer has decided that shift keys aren't necessary in Ghana. [eric, please be scouting out a good computer deal!] the shift key has decided to give me exclamation marks, but that's all for now. Okay. [i'm typing this in word, which is auto-capitalizing some worlds. Yea!]

the timing of moving from beachcomber to rye manor was perfect, as we've had very few hours of electricity since moving here two days ago. I am so thankful that rye has a generator so at least we have the ability to keep a fan on at night. The generator isn't powerful enough for much more than that, but a fan is a god-send when there is no electricity. I'll take it! The poor family that arrived here two days ago thinks the brought very bad electricity mojo! Lol!

What have I been doing. [no question mark.] yesterday I went to central region with my friends m and j of the riply foundation. We went to visit elvis of the alliance for youth development. It was a great day! First of all, m and j are like family to me. Getting in the car for a road trip with them isn't like work or business. It's fun. We joke. We play around. We have fun. Of course we also talk about serious stuff, but it's just nice to feel so comfortable. Secondly, the work that is being done by afyd is simply amazing. Elvis has a whole laundry list of things he's doing around cape coast. I've asked him to write them all down and send me an email so I can share with everybody! It's so easy to want to support the work he's doing.

Like all ghana road trips, nothing goes fast. It was 4-5pm before we finally got to sit down for our 'lunch'! By that time we were absolutely famished! We were rewarded with gigantic plates of food at frimps road stop. I'm telling you, it was the most satisfied my stomach has felt since I got here. The fis was good, as was the fried rice. Most importantly, there was no spice to it! I took a photo of m's tilapia and fufu with light soup because it was huge even by ghanaian standards!

Today the b family and I were blessed to join my friend paul and family for church. It was the first time the b family had attended church in ghana. I think they did awesome! [goodness it's bugging me to have no caps!] we arrived a bit late. Song service was already in progress. Still, we were there 2.5 hours. I really enjoyed the 'praise' portion of the 'praise and worship' song service. Today the pastor's wife was preaching. She was good, but it was hard for us obrunis to understand her works when she shouted into the mic and it distorted the sound.

Well, as I finished this not it's several hours after I started. I'm finishing after a nice dinner at dutchotel, and in the cool of a fan and air conditioning! Yes! Light is on!!!! we are all praying that the electricity decides to stay on for a while now. For the first time since I got here I decided to luxuriate with a hot shower tonight. I didn't even do my normal conserving water shower where you turn the water off and on, using it just as much as you need for each step. I let the warm water trickle over me as I lathered up, and it was heaven. Stepping out of the warm shower in the cool room was a luxury we take so much for granted in america! Well, I supposed some people around the world wouldn't even find that desirable, but it reminded me of home so I am going to be happy tonight.

Tomorrow is a running around day. I'll be visiting kiddos in private foster homes and i'm also hoping to head back over to beacon house for a visit with the wonder ms. r.. sounds like a short day, but knowing ghana, I might be home after dark!

Feeling so Beautiful

I have to do a post like this every time I'm in Ghana! Here, my body type is considered pretty well....pretty! When I'm feeling down about myself in American all I have to do is go back and read these and remember I can always move to Ghana! Ha!

This trip as I traveled down the big ramp in the airport, looking towards the exit, a security official flagged me down. This is normally when you have to show them your luggage tickets and prove your luggage is your luggage. I started freaking out a bit because the nice lady who didn't charge me for my over-weight luggage also didn't give me luggage tickets! Yikes! Well, it turns out the guys just wanted to say, "Oh, you are so beautiful!!!" I said thank you with a smile, expecting him to ask me for my tickets. "Oh, seriously, God has blessed you!" Thank you again. "Is this your first time in Ghana?" No, I've been here over a dozen times. More smiles. "Oh, well are you married? Because I seriously wish to marry a beautiful American such as yourself." I tell him "Oh sorry oh! I am married, very happily. I have four children." He said he understands. Do I have a sister?" I tell him yes I do, but God has made her then. He said, "Oh, then that will not work. He needs a woman with meat! Do I have a friend? I tell him, "Oh yes, but you know, American woman are very difficult! We require much! He says, "Oh, I can manage it!" We end there with lots of laughs and smiles. =-)

The next day I'm at my friend Paul's house and he gets a taxi for me to go back to my hotel. I'm delighted to see a nice taxi (read, no holes in the floor) that even has A/C! As soon as I get in the care the man asks if I am American and I say yes. He said, "Oh, I like your structure very much!" I am thinking he is talking of American government and so I start talking of Obama and such. He says, "No, your structure! Your structure! How God has made you!" Oh. "Well, thank you." I tell him. We go on to discuss how I am happily married, etc. Turns out Ike is a super nice guy and a driver I will call upon in the future. He is actually picking up one of our families at the airport this afternoon! Cool guy!

This morning as I am checking out of BeachComber there is a group of men and women eating breakfast. A very posh woman says "Excuse me madam." Yes? "Are you German?" No, I'm American. "Oh, I was just wondering. We were all just sitting her noticing how very beautiful you are. God has blessed you." Okay, wow! It's one thing for a man to tell me I'm beautiful, but I am even more complimented with a (rather beautiful) woman tells me I am beautiful! Ha!

So, fear not all you fluffy woman who worry about coming to a "developing country!" In Ghana, you will be MORE than welcomed! You will leave feeling better about yourself than you have in a long time! LOL!

Anita

Light Out, Night 5/Day 6 (part 1?)

So I was just settling in to go to sleep last night when DZzzzzz (it's the sound of all things electrical shutting down)...."light out!" This is what they say here in Ghana when the electricity goes off. Goodbye air conditioning. Goodbye fan. Goodbye light. Ugh!

The ambien was kicking in but you do NOT want to lay there in a hot room with absolutely no chance of moving air, so I got up and opened my windows in hopes that the direction of wind was right for it to blow through. Not so much, but every once in a while I'd get a nice breeze. Oh, but I come prepared for light out and no breeze! This is why I bring the little $1-$2 handheld fans you see at wal-mart! I clicked on that baby and put it about 6 inches from my face! Ha!

You don't come to Ghana without some sort of flashlight. This time I came with not only a flashlight but also this $5 stand-up lantern thing that has come in very handy! It is bright enough to act as a reading lamp.

So, I have light. I have air. Great. But it's still freaking hot! Don't get me wrong! The regular PJ's won't due! I change out of them and into my little tank top and just wear that with panties. By this time I'm a bit awake so I decide to lay there with my little light and little fan and try to read for a few minutes before I go back to sleep. Remember, my windows (and curtains) are WIDE OPEN but I figure nobody is really around. Right? WRONG! As I'm laying there this guy comes right up to my window! ACK! "Madam! Madam! I'm looking for room 4. Can you direct me?" Oh, and he's taking the view for everything he can. Remember, my body type is considered pretty nice here. I fumble with the light to turn it off and then tell him where 4 is. Good gravy! At that point I decide reading time is OVER!

At some point during the night the electricity came back on. WONDERFUL! I got up, closed the windows, closed the curtains. I went to turn off my handy-dandy fan but realized it had already run out of batteries (fell asleep with it on). So excited for cool air, I quickly fell back asleep.

It was a short-lived celebration, as a few hours later it was "light off" once again. Ugh. I just kept sleeping. No more opening/closing windows for me during this night! By the time I woke up and took my shower this morning I was very ready to head over to Rye Manor Guesthouse.

I got to Rye Manor at 11am on the dot (check in at 11)! Randy escorted me in. His staff wouldn't let me lift a finger to carry in one of my bags. I saw them closing windows and bringing in a big fan. The purr of the generator kicked on. AHHHH! Yes, it's still light out--more than 12 hours in Teshie without electricity now, but here at Rye they are keeping the generator on so that the Obruni can at least have a fan blowing on my face. You'd think that a fan in 90+ degree weather wouldn't be enough, but believe me, if I were still at BeachComber I'd have NOTHING right now. A full size fan is LUXURY. Mighty nice! Thank you!!!

Anita

Refueled--Day 5 in Ghana

Thank you for the kind comments after my pity party post last night. Honestly, I was feeling better even before I finished typing my post. Seriously, writing it out makes things so much better for me. Seeing/hearing my words about the day sort of made me laugh at myself. If THESE are the worst of my problems, I suppose I have it pretty good. I know that people are going through so SO much worse. I was just hurting and tired yesterday. That was at the base of it, so everything else felt big as well.

I stopped making much sense while I was talking on the phone with my mom last night so she told me to GO TO SLEEP! That's pretty much the last thing I remember. Next thing I know I wake up half off the bed and the sun has risen. Oh, except it hasn't. It's just that I left the light on! I'm telling you, I needed sleep! =-) The sweet girl who brings my breakfast came an hour early this morning and woke me from sleep. I didn't mean to be but I was so rude to her. I opened the door half asleep and told her breakfast was at 8:30 and she said, "Oh, but I have it now." I said, "Come back at 8:30." and closed the door." Poor girl! I forgot to tell her she could bring the same breakfast (I didn't care) so she brought me a whole new breakfast an hour later.

Today was an "easy" day as far as days here go. I was able to meet the new Director of Social Welfare in Accra, visit Osu Children's Home, and visit a project that is in construction for CompAfriCare. Now, tell me how long you think that should take? I spent 30 minutes AT the orphanage. 3 hours tops, right? WRONG! 8 hours. EIGHT HOURS.

The traffic here is just crazy. It's not that I don't know that, but I forget. Ten months since the last trip, and I forget. You don't just "run to the store" here. You don't do a "quick errand" here. It seems like everything is at least a 2 hour commitment. Even our take out lunch today took 45 minutes. TAKE OUT! In America I can be in and out of a nice restaurant in 45 minutes!

I sometimes wish it was required for all adoptive parents (and adoption coordinators) to shadow an adoption/NGO worker over here for 24 hours to see what their work is like. I think then that we would spend less time complaining about how long it's taking for something on the adoption to be done. After I spend 2 weeks with these folks I'm honestly amazed that anything at all gets done!

I've been doing a small survey to see how many hours of sleep these folks get, on average. Do you know what a GOOD night's sleep is? 5 hours. 3 hours might be "average." Several get up and lose sleep in order that they can be up in the middle of the night to communicate with us online in America. Then, they are up at 4am to start their own day. They may spend 3-4 hours in traffic ONE WAY to get into somewhere like the courthouse or social welfare.

I've gone off on a tangent, but I guess this is my night to give appreciation to the folks over here that make my work possible. Without them I have no program. And when I'm here I am reminded that there's no way I could do the work they do. [They remind me that they would not like to do the work I do either! Ha!] We each one have a part in the whole, which is very cool.

*******

I visited Os* Children's Home today. This home has sort of a bad reputation sometimes, and so they are very leery of visitor's, especially white visitors with cameras. I therefore feel very honored when I'm allowed to go back into the area where the children are to visit them. I am asked only to take photos of the children that I am there to see, which I am happy to respect.

Our focus there are the precious special needs children. What a great honor to be asked to find families for some of them!!! Yes, it's a challenge, but with great rewards. Last year they brought out one little girl for me to see, and she is now home with her family and doing great! We hope that another little one will be home soon, and that more will follow.

*******

Well, the BeachComber Guesthouse is good for what it is--an inexpensive local (aka not western style) hotel by the beach. The people here are BEYOND friendly. I feel safe enough. The room is good enough. Everything is...enough. However, tomorrow I'm heading to tried and true Rye Manor Guesthouse. We have a family coming in tomorrow and they've never been to Ghana. I've gone back and forth about which place would be better. After much deliberation I decided Rye might be the best bet for a first-timer. As luck would have it they have two big rooms open starting tomorrow, so Rye it is. Honestly, I will be glad to be back by First Junction where I can catch a taxi without batting an eye, I can get all kinds of street food right at the corner, and everybody knows how to find the hotel. I will also be happy to be in a room with good lighting, hot water, and a fridge! Still, I think BeachComber might be a nice change of pace for some families.

******

Thanks again to those of you who lifted me up last night. Today was a much better day. I actually asked K if he read my blog last night because he kept asking if we needed to stop for food. He hadn't. Ha! I had 3 yummy (read, bad for me!) meals today for the first time since being here, and I will be in bed at a decent hour tonight. I was in the hotel room before dark, and all is good in Anita's World. =-)

Coming in Hot

Warning, a pity party is in session here. I'm sorry. Not normally the way I am here (I don't think) but I have to get this out of my system before I explode all over someone with tears over here.

I am totally sucking this trip. [Please, allow me to self-loath.]

I had the opportunity to introduce an awesome group of American folks to people over here--orphanage directors and kids and such. But I allowed my total love for this country to make me into this weird over-exuberant form of myself. I was putting my nose where it didn't belong. I was offering advice when none was asked for. I was basically being a know-it-all all day long. In the end, I don't think I represented myself, my organization, or this country well at all. I feel so embarrassed. I still just tear up every time I think of it. I just wanted them so much to love everything I love about this place, but I put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count.

I don't like this new "standards" of going to be past midnight that has been going on since I got here. More than that, I don't like getting home way after dark. Ghana after dark isn't my thing. I miss feeling safe and cozy in my room before the sun sets. I miss having time to digest my day. I miss having time when I'm not totally exhausted to post online and privately email people who are waiting on me. I hope that this getting in and to bed late stuff stops at this point. Honestly, that more than anything else has put a damper on this trip so far.

I left this room at 8am and forgot my medication this morning. A whole day driving and visiting various people and places without medication when you have fibromyalgia is NOT a good thing. I just kept silently praying for the Lord to make my first-thing-in-the-morning dose to last as long as possible. By early afternoon it was obvious it was going to be a long day as we were several hours behind "schedule" (whatever "schedule" is in Ghana!). =-) I took a long shot and asked K if he had any pain medicine but he didn't. [I didn't say what it was for.] He immediately offered to take me to a pharmacy but that would have just added another delay to the day so I told him that wouldn't be necessary. I'm thanking Jesus that I did make it through the day and without horrendous pain. Still, I will be VERY happy when the meds kick in, and I pray that there are no residual effects in the coming days.

As soon as I walked into my hotel this evening at well after 9pm I was greeted by the owner of the hotel. I thought it was because I hadn't yet paid (they want me to pay ever 3 days). No, it was because I left my a/c on. Thanks to me, the whole hotel almost burned down today. Literally. All of my row of chalets electricity went out. They caught the meter just before it caught on fire. All because I left my a/c on. Ugly American anyone? Yeah, that's me. I left my a/c on. I admit it. I love that feeling of walking into a cool room after a hot day. It's a bit orgasmic and I kept it on even though I knew most hotels in Ghana would rather you put it off. I didn't know it was a fire hazard to leave it on!

I'm hungry. I'm like constantly hungry. It's not for lack of food, but for lack of time to eat it. Eating a meal is normally a 2 hour commitment here. Who has that much time? We stopped to eat a good meal at around noon today, but my stomach is weird so I felt full and didn't eat it all. I should have. Forgot snack foods in the bag this morning. K was kind to stop on the way home (in ALL the traffic and get a meat pie and fan coco for me. Got back to the hotel too late to order food tonight, so it's granola bar again tonight. They didn't even have any soda left to drink tonight--only an energy drink. No thinks! I want to eat something and then SLEEP! It's not that I don't have food. It's just not normally a proper meal. It's street food and snack foods. But, thank you Lord for foods.

I'm getting bugs in my room. It's my own fault. I'm paranoid about having people clean my room every day (because of valuables) so I don't ask them to come in. After 3 days, they haven't sprayed for bugs, which means they start to invade. That's pretty much any hotel in Ghana (minus luxury). Last night it was a single cockroach, small. Tonight, a line of ants. Gotta break down and ask them to spray tomorrow. Not doing so hot with the mosquitoes either. The stupid buggers decided to attack where the DEET don't go, and I ended up with 22 bites where the sun don't shine--most of them in one bra cup!

The heat is pretty bad right now, but I must admit I've been totally spoiled so far, riding in cars with air conditioning. I'm not so used to this. I guess you could say this might be the highlight of my trip so far.

Sorry to be a downer. Things are being accomplished as planned, and that is no small feat. I am so amazingly humbled by how much work goes into a single day of living here, and something as simple as how short a normal night's sleep is for folks who are working on our adoption cases. I won't take it for granted anymore. As for my attitude, I'm sure it will brighten once I'm not in as much pain, and am feeling less embarrassment about how I acted with the Americans yesterday and with almost burning down the hotel today.

I am feeling quite exhausted so I'm calling it a night. Please forgive me, those who are waiting on updates from me. [Trust me, that knowing you are waiting only adds guilt my heart.] The condition I have (Fibromyalgia) is such that if I don't try to take care of my sleep and pain it will compound and I will end up too sick to go out. Then something really won't get done. I can update later, but if something doesn't get done, I've truly missed the opportunity for months. Thanks for your understanding.

Anita

P.S. Today, went to Central Region Social Welfare, visited Efua Green (!), and went to Royal Seed Orphanage Home. Yes, that took 13 hours.

Ghana, March 2012--Journal 2

Wonderful day. Past midnight now and I'm exhausted, mostly because of a horrid headache that decided to attack me in the last few hours. A few seriously random and unorganized thoughts (typed with my eyes closed).

Five hours of conversation with Paul Anaba will refuel my spirit to do this work for a long time coming. When I hear this man's passion for the work he does, and I see how much he sacrifices for the children he serves, I figure I can AT LEAST continue to do my job so that he can do his job. What a person of beauty.

Got to hang out for a few hours with the Kairos folks this evening! What neat ladies (and one gentleman)! All of these people are from my town, and yet we meet in Ghana. So weird.

One of my goals for this trip is to spiff up AAI's travel packet with more resources and/or more up-to-date resources. Today is the day the Lord decided to "deliver" some transportation resources! I met a taxi driver this afternoon that not only has a nice taxi WITH aircon, but he will actually turn on the aircon AND not charge an arm and a leg! He will hire by the hour and in advance as well. Very cool. This tonight, the driver for Kairos mentioned they had great rates after I mentioned I couldn't afford to rent a driver/vehicle by the day. He wasn't joking. They have aircon small cars starting at $50 a day! They start the day with a full tank and you just fill it again at the end of the day. That easy. That is a GREAT deal. I feel like I have all these goodies to share with my Ghana adopt friends when I get home!

My hotel is turning out very well. The staff here are so very friendly. They really seem to care for my safety and well-being. At the same time, they don't bug me when I'm just trying to be alone or get stuff done. Besides the fact that there is a fire alarm-like in my room that chirps constantly ever 2-3 minutes, I'm quite satisfied. I'm satisfied enough to ignore "chirpie." This is why I bring earplugs!

Okay, I must sleep now. It's past midnight and I am down to 6.5 hours sleep even though my medicines require at least 8 and my body is used to 10-12 (that fibro thing). Tomorrow more discussions will be had with Kairos, and we will visit Beacon House, Nyame Dua, and a few other homes. It should be a good day!

Anita

Ghana March 2012: Journal 1

TULSA OK: The trip has started off very well. My amazing and dedicated family stayed up crazy hours helping me get packed. They (and all of the people who are “helpers” to the “travelers”) don't get enough credit for their part. I explained to the kids last night that even though mommy might be giving the donations, them helping to load and sort and pack them is also a bit part of the service that needs to be done. We are all working together as one body to accomplish a single goal.

I was blessed this morning that they didn't just drop me at the airport curb. They all came in to make sure everything went okay with the checking of the luggage and getting through security. Sweet ones. Not only did it go okay, but they didn't charge us a single penny for baggage that they could have technically charged us $150 extra for (it was over-weight)!! They might let me get by with a few extra pounds here and there, but extra DOZENS of pounds? That has never happened to me!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: It's 9:45pm and we're getting ready to take off. The flight is PACKED! I tried something different and chose a seat in the very back (41c). So far, so good. The seat is back in a quiet corner by the bathrooms and galley.

I'm setting next to two cool guys. They are BOTH university professors. One is American, going to Accra to set up a study exchange program. The other is Liberian, currently teaching in America, going “home” to finalize talks to become the English chair at a major university in Monrovia. [Our flight goes on to Monrovia after Accra.] Ironically, one of the things he teaches here in America is American Religious History!

It's always nice to connect with the people you're sitting next to for 10-11 hours—makes it less awkward when arms and legs touch, and snores and slobber doth occur. These guys are going to be perfect because I can tell we're going to be friendly (exchanged contact info) but not chatty. I do NOT need chatty on a long flight! If truth be told, I sort of adore that many hours in a row of being alone with my thoughts and not needing to interact with anybody.

I have my second (or is it 3rd? 7th?) wind right now—energy I really no longer need. The goal for the rest of the flight will be to stay awake until they serve dinner, then try my best to sleep for the first time in over 36 hours. [I usually cannot fall asleep on a plane.] When I get off the plane the plan is to check into the hotel and then head straight over to meet with the Kairos 10 group (search Kairos 10 on Facebook and/or Google). There are several exciting things happening in that organization. We've wanted to meet for a while so it's interesting that it will happen in Ghana (instead of Tulsa, OK, where we are all from)! Hopefully I will catch my next energy burst right when I need it!

SEVERAL HOURS LATER: 1.5 hours to go! It's amazing to me to say, but I actually got a bit of sleep. Hard to tell how much sleep because I never looked at a clock. It was something though, and for that I am grateful. A few random thoughts floating around in my mind...

*For ladies that wear make-up: It makes me feel refreshed to bring a pre-moistened cleansing cloth and wash my make-up (and dried sweat, by that time!) off my face during the flight. Then, at 2 hours before landing I reapply make-up to look fresh when I get off the plane (for about 2 seconds, until the heat hits)!

*I really need the next wave of energy to hit because I am exhausted and I have a full day ahead. My eyes keep trying to roll back into my head and go back to sleep!

*Get the money you want to exchange into cedis at the airport situated before you land. You don't want to be in a situation where you pull out a big envelope of cash and start counting it out in public. Have it in a easy-to-locate place so that you can have a seamless transaction at the airport money exchange booth.

*Don't trust your opinions on things the first (or maybe second?) day you're in Ghana if it's your first time to travel to a developing country. The jet lag and the culture shock are REAL things and they will literally make you see and feel things that are not there. They will change your reality. Give yourself until the 3rd day to start making major decisions. Even your hotel might start looking better on day three!

MANY HOURS LATER: Well, it's now 9pm in Ghana and unfortunately I've caught another “wind.” My brain is just desperate to write! I think I've been writing (or talking) to people in my head since the moment I left Tulsa. Does anybody else do that? Someone could make a bundle if they figure out how to allow people to post through thought alone!

I'm at a new (to me) hotel in Teshie called BeachComber Guesthouse. It's a bit off the beaten track, but I guess you expect that if you're staying on the beach. It's about ½ mile from Ramada. If you've ever been to Next Door Beach Resort, imagine if Next Door had a hotel. It's sort of like that! They have their own little Next Door-ish restaurant/bar that is great. They've added little round huts they call “chalets” which are totally private. Then they have two “apartments” which are like suites (living, dining area, bedroom, with kitchen area and bath). No hot water, but A/C for an extra 10 cedis a day. I have my little chalet for 50 cedis a day ($35). They told me today the apartment is 60 (70 w/ A/C), but website says 80. Still, that's like $40-$45! The beach is very dirty, like most in Ghana. However, the ocean breeze, and the sound of the waves, and the smell of the salt water is all here! When electricity went out just as I was going to try to cool down and rest (of course!!!!) all I had to do was step out side and relax on the terrace to soak in the ocean breeze. The biggest reservation I have is about transportation. Don't know yet how difficult it will be to get a taxi out of here. We'll find out soon enough! All in all, I'm glad to have experienced the place.

My plans to hang out with the Kairos folks totally bombed. That's what I get for writing down the wrong phone number. =-( Thankfully there is another day planned. =-) Instead, I got to hang out and talk at length with my friend and colleague, J. He's always full of good information and food for thought. So much cannot be said by phone or email in this culture. Certain conversations only take place in person. I personally don't understand it, but I accept it. If nothing else, catching up with my Ghanaian friends is always exciting! I never know what I'm going to hear next!

I think I will try to post this and then really make myself go to sleep. Ms. Ambien is waiting in the wings for me, and she shall not fail me. This is unlike the book I read with much interest for the past few weeks that I finished as I ate dinner tonight. It had a HORRIBLE ending! I felt totally betrayed by the stupid book!

Love,
Anita
P.S. I don't think I have much internet units so I can't upload photos tonight. Nothing but ocean and hotel photos anyway. The connection is so slow that I won't mess with spell check. Just remember that I'm going on about 3 hours sleep in the last 48 hours!

Packed

Well, it's 5:30am and I'm finally ready to go. My sweet, sweet family stayed up really late (or early?) helping me. The 3 younger kids made it until past 1am. Taevy tried really hard not to go to bed at all but I finally made her to go bed at 2:30 when she stopped making sense. Eric called it a night/morning when all the packing was done at 4:30. Now I've checked my list twice and tied up lose ends on the technical side of things. Just have to record a new voice message on the machine and I'm heading to bed for a few hours before going to the airport around noon.

Ha. Just heard the first bird start to chirp for the morning. Good night all! I'll "see" ya when I get to Ghana!

Anita

Efua Green: 1000 for 1

Thank you to all of you who gave to Efua Green's FIG account! I heard from Polly Green who expressed her great thanks for everybody who is praying for her baby, and for everybody who said YES, I can give at least $10 for Efua Green! As of last night $600 had been donated this week. That's great! Thank you!

Here's reality. Efua needs another $3000 in her FIG account before end of this month so that her fees can go to Ghana on April 1st. Otherwise, she'll have to wait another month in Ghana. The Green family is doing EVERYTHING they can. Don't think that they are just sitting around waiting for people give. Not at all. But they are also praying that hearts may be softened and that everybody who sees this child's eyes might click on over and give $10 (or more). The thought is, over 1000 people saw Efua's eyes when she was waiting, and over 1000 people said, "No, I can't adopt her." Now, we same 1000 people can say, "YES, I can do this! I can do THIS for Efua!"

Efua means "Friday Born." Could today be a big day for this child?

It's easy. If you want to give a tax deductible donation, just CLICK HERE. Input the amount you want to give. I had a cousin call the other day and said, "Anita, my heart is broken for this child. I'm covering 10 people." That's pretty much how it works! If you can give $10 for Efua, THANK YOU SO MUCH. If you can give to "cover" for those that won't/can't give, THANK YOU for that as well! If what you can do right now is SHARE THIS on facebook, or on your blog, or with all of your email friends or co-workers, well that might just make the biggest impact of all!

]

My point is, every single one of us can take a few moments to get out of our own lives and do something for this precious little child in Ghana.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to consider this situation

Anita

P.S. The Green family has not asked me to make this request for Efua. They have only given their permission for me to share the situation, but very humbly so.

Welcome to Kwahu

Nothing deep or inspiring tonight. Well, this is inspiring to me. It's a little 2 minute video of the little foster home in Kwahu, Eastern Region that I'll be visiting during my trip. Actually, they'll be moving into a brand new nice beautiful home while I'm there. What's so inspiring? To me, it's just seeing those beautiful faces, hearing the talking and the laughter in the background, and even seeing the sweat on the kids foreheads! This all says "Ghana" to me. At the end of the video where the man says "Welcome to Kwahu," this is Kofi, for those of you who have been assisted with your adoptions by him. =-)

Not his friend

No, I'm not his friend, but I am his fan. I won't be around if he stops sharing his art, but his art will always remain in my heart. This man speaks to my soul! Go check out his photos and his words.

On the Beach!

I am a creature of habit. Truly, I'm not very adventurous. Traveling to a different town by myself stresses me out, so you can imagine how outside of the box traveling to Ghana on my own is for me! I've always stayed in Teshie, and I've always stayed at the same two or three little guesthouses.

Last week I was helping one of my families look for hotel options in Teshie--something nice but not expensive. I happened upon the Beachcomber Guesthouse. Unlike the Savannah Beach Guesthouse, which LOOKS incredible but actually FEELS a bit to rustic for my taste (I learned back in 2008), this Beachcomber place looks like it sets back from the beach just a bit. No sand so much IN the room. No thatch to deal with. And you can pay 10 cedis a day for A/C. Plus, there is a restaurant (a nice option to have in Teshie where there aren't an abundance of places for obrunis like me to eat). This place is very close to the Ramada. All of the sudden I realized I wasn't looking at this hotel for my adoptive family anymore. I was checking it out for me! I emailed them just to see if they had a chalet available for the nights I'd be in town.

For 50 cedis a night I can sleep in a little private chalet with double bed and private bath. No hot water, but whatever--it's Ghana. I can come home at night as the sun is setting and relax on the terrace they have set up right on the beach. I can imagine ordering a pineapple juice (my weakness in Ghana) and just....relax. I could even walk out a bit and let the waves wash over my tired dirty feet. The next morning I can get up and eat breakfast outside with the sound of the waves to welcome me into a new day. Pretty good for $35 a day, right?

I might be just a tad bit too excited about this new-to-me hotel option. Hopefully it's not one of those situations where it looks great online but in reality it disappoints. Online reviews look great. If it's bad I'll just head back over to tried and true Rye Manor Guesthouse. I guess I'm excited because I do have to deal with some not fun stuff in Ghana and IF NOTHING ELSE it will be wonderful to stay in such a beautiful setting!

Love,

Anita

P.S. Don't misunderstand my mentioning the not fun stuff as wishing I weren't going. I'm so thankful to be able to deal with the not fun stuff face-to-face! It's a God thing.

Take the Wheel

I am not a country music fan (anymore) but I think you'd have to live under a rock not to have heard that song "Jesus take the Wheel." The song comes to mind the last few days. Sorry about my one-liner scary post last night. I was just at the end of my rope. For lots of reasons I have been living, eating, breathing Ghana for the past two weeks (not all bad, but lots bad) and I had just had it. I miss free time. I miss lunch (instead of granola bars). I miss reading. I miss something as mundane as TV. I miss 8 hours of sleep. I miss reading blogs. I miss stupid Facebook. I miss LifeGroup. But most of all, I really miss my family. Like REALLY miss them. They are all around me fluttering by, but I am sitting here in this dang chair working constantly. It was 2 weeks until I left for Ghana, then 1 week, now 5/6 days, and I'm fixing to be gone for 15 days. It will feel like I have been without them for a month by the time I get home!

I can hear you mom. "Well Anita, just stop! Just stop working!" That's easier said that done. There are times when I over-work that I shouldn't, yes. But there are times when I can't not work. I don't work, and somebody gets hurt, or somebody doesn't go home, or somebody gets stuck at the airport. I know it doesn't sound like end of the world, but it feels like end of the world to that somebody. And I could have been that somebody at various points in my life. So don't tell me not to work when these people are counting on me. At the same time, MAN am I sick of it right about now! [Forgive me, didn't know it was going to be a vent post, but it's turning out that way.] I MISS MY FAMILY. I'm going to leave and they haven't really HAD me the past two weeks already. My poor babies. I sure would be jealous of Ghana if I were them.

I'm sure you can tell by the above two paragraphs, it's been a rough week. [She rolls her eyes because that's the understatement of the year.] There have been about another 2 dozen confirmations that I need to be in Ghana right now. There is way more to do than time to do it. I have no idea what God wants to do with me while I'm there. There's some fun stuff tentatively scheduled, and for this I am truly thankful. There is some not fun stuff scheduled, and for this I am also thankful (that I can be there to take care of the not fun stuff). There are a few "down" days where we will wait and see what the Lord has planned.

Back to the top. Jesus take the Wheel. This is where I'm at. Maybe this is where He wants me to be? Maybe this is His whole point? From this point forward I basically consider it my duty to get myself on that plane and to make myself available for whatever He has planned for me for the next 12 days thereafter. Do not take that as me saying I've given up and I won't be doing anything, or that I won't be coming up with an agenda. No, I will. But really, I want to be open to His leading. If I was "scheduled" to be at point A but it becomes apparent that point B is where I'm supposed to be only 2 hours before I'm supposed to go to point A, I will be heading to point B. I've got about 30 days worth of things I could do and only 12 days. So this is how it will be. If nothing else, He's made it clear in the last week that at any time He can throw curve ball after curve ball after curve ball my direction until I can't dodge them anymore. I give. Jesus, just take the wheel. I feel safer that way anyway.

Anita

P.S. Try as I might, I still feel excitement in my heart about leaving in a few days. I just wish my sweet family was coming with me. I have a fun new hotel to stay at. I hope to be more upbeat the rest of the week. Sorry to be Debbie Downer.

So much....

What a week. I have so much to write about I'm afraid it's going to spill out into the void before I get a chance to type it onto my blog where it is safely saved! Well, it won't be tonight. I'm all tuckered out. Just checking in to at least say this much....

The good and the bad and the ugly and the "only God" has been coming at me all week. Made one of the most difficult kinds of calls you could ever make in this work. [Gave me a better understanding of how doctors must feel when they lose a patient.] Experienced the normal sort of crazy-busy stuff that happens as soon as you buy tickets to Ghana. And stood in awe as God continued to fill up my agenda for the time I'm in Ghana. Not sure I can write that blog post yet because I'm sure there is still more in store than I ever dreamed of! I need to write an agenda of my trip for the AAI board, and I can definitely fill up my 12 days without blinking an eye, but I have a feeling that the Lord hasn't revealed all that there is to reveal about what my time will be spent doing.

I hate to bring this up, but I've gotten this question several times so I figure it's best to put it out there. If you feel so led to further support my trip to Ghana, you can do so in several ways. The best/easiest way may be to call AAI at 360-452-4777, talk to Kathy, and she can take your bank/credit/debit number by phone. You could also send a check to AAI at 409 S. Peabody, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Thirdly, you could make a donation on our website HERE (however the administrator of the site doesn't actually send the money until the middle of each month). All of the above would be TAX DEDUCTIBLE. If you don't care about that, you can email me privately (agillispie@cox.net) and I can send you my home address. I think/hope/pray that we can squeak by with what has been given already to cover my room and board. From here on out we are talking about donations to bless others in Ghana. Ya'll, the needs are great. It's overwhelming. I will write about more specific needs in an upcoming blog but needless to say, I could never take enough to meet all of these needs. I pray that I am a good steward of whatever small amount I end up with, that I make the best choices possible with the money I do have.

Okay, TO BED (she said).

Anita