Hospital Dreaming

Before I post the backwards photos, I should say this is Diane posting a few photos from the "comfort" of my hospital bed stateside. I was diagnosed with malaria in Cape Coast and decided to head home. I went straight to the hospital on my doctor's orders where they found a bacterial infection as well. I'm continuing to be treated, feel fine and should be home, real home, tomorrow when the rest of the group flies in. So we all had the same length of time away from home, just in different spots.

In Ho we had beautiful clothes made. Sarah, Kara, Patt, Chris and Debbie modeled them for us.

In Accra we dined at the Poloma Restaurant, a favorite haunt for expats. Seth, Curt, and Steve were enjoying one of their last nights together. Ralph and Alice were relaxing as they waited for their taste of the west meal.

One of the previous post showed the slave fortress at Elmina with Seth enslaved to his cell phone. Here you can see Traci taking in the emotion and history of a place of her ancestors.

And finally we found a place to get a miracle if we had a problem. We decided to turn things over to Jesus instead of the miracle prophet on the sign.

After I left Ghana accompanied by Chris, whose help was imperative on the journey, the rest of the group had a change of plans and traveled one more hour west of Cape Coast to Takoradi. There they were hosted by the good and generous people of the EP church there. These fine folks have hosted us in the past and were flexible with their schedules to include the group. While I'm not sure everything they did, I know they shopped in the market to find food for 4 for $1, the wages of many Ghanaians. They returned to the home of the pastor to actually prepare the food they had purchased.

The remaining travelers are due home at 9:30 PM Monday night, God willing and connections are made in NY. I'm sure more posts will appear in the days to come as students continue reflecting about their experiences. Ghana is mysterious and known, hospitable and strange, people welcoming but environment off putting. It is a land of contradictions as all countries are. Look forward to meeting and greeting the travelers as they return. They will need your willing ears as they share their joys and adventures from this grand journey.

Last minute photos and thoughts

I'm posting a few photos from different parts of the trip. Curt and Steve are home safe and sound after an unexpected night in NY. Here's Curt giving the Kindergarten kids some gum and balloons after we presented the teacher with the toys we had brought. This was the morning we were leaving Ho to go to Accra and places farther on.

On the road we found a bit of home, or so it seemed when we saw the Redd Lobster sign.

At the women's center at Trinity Seminary we were reminded not to lynch women for witchcraft, just in case we got carried away with thinking we were indeed home after the Redd Lobster sign.

Once in Tema we relaxed at the hotel pool, referred to in the last post.

It seems I am writing but posting the photos in the opposite order as what I'm writing. Hmm...I'll try another post just to keep you all on your toes.

Just Shoot Me

Really. Please. Talk about a depressing day. We already knew that 2 of us would be leaving the pack that day. We also knew that we were up for a double whammy of depression with the 2 main entries on our schedule for the day. What we didn't know was all the other junk that would pile up to make this the roughest day (we pray that's the roughest of it) of the trip.
We ate a late breakfast in Accra and departed (late) for Coconut Grove. On the way, we stopped at the Lutheran Church at the Liberian refugee camp where Steve Ben-Naimah pastors. The camp used to house over 70,000 people but now is down to about 10,000 and the U.N. is now moving toward disbanding the camp all together. It was a humbling experience. Words cannot really express the depth to which this impacted us. We'll leave it at that for now.
Next, it was off to Coconut Grove where we hoped to lunch, but given time constraints, we settled for a quick snack before heading off to Elmina Castle--launching point for a high percentage of the slave trade. We walked through the cells slaves were held in. We listened as our guide recounted countless atrocities comitted by humans upon one another--from the rival tribes who brought their enemies to the Western slave traders, to the Westerners themselves. Even over 100 years later the smell of blood still wafted through the salty-sea air.
So then the day was over? Right? Not in the least. After Elmina, we ventured back to Coconut Grove to settle into our hotel rooms and grab a real meal. We walked on the beach and bid our farewells to Curt and Steve but one was not with us. Diane was sick.

Ho, Dam, Seminary, Pool

Greetings! We're still here and kicking (well most of us that is, . . . more on that later). On Monday, we said farewell to Ho and then headed out into the land of little-to-no internet access. Since that, sooooooooooo much has happened.
Upon leaving Ho, we travelled to Accra by way of the Volta Dam. We then lunched at the restaurant run by the wife of the president of Trinity Seminary before heading to the seminary itself, where we met with the renowned Mercy Oduyoye. Following our meeting with Mercy, we then set off for Ricky Nelson's hotel. It was bliss. I don't think any of us didn't indulge in either/both the swimming pool or/and the hot showers.
Next, it was off to dinner. Seth, being true to form, suddenly materialized on the roadside next to a pile of burning tires and led us to Paloma. It was nice to indulge in a bit of Western food for the evening. However, the people watching was a wee bit disturbing. As one of our group pointed out, it wasn't until we left Ho that we saw anyone practicing the world's oldest profession.

The first photo is of the Volta Dam. The second is of Diane presenting a signed copy of Deb Krause's book on I Timothy to Mercy Oduyoye--and yes, that's Bridget in the foreground.

Fearless Leaders

Most of the photos until recently have been taken by Diane Windler so she's not in any of them. Just so you know she is really on this trip, here is a photo of Diane and one of our Ghanaian hosts and creator of the Shepherd Centers, Seth Agidi at the Wli Waterfall. We decided to watch the others wade around.

Shepherd Center in Peki

The Shepherd Center at Peki was the first one created and by far the largest. When we visited the elderly had a grand program for us. Speeches, dancing, skit about nutrition, lunch. The entire village joined in the celebration, including some local Muslims who are included in the chapter. The photo of them shows them leaving for their afternoon prayers.

They are building the national headquarters across the street from the church.

The second photo is of the dancing that is celebratory but also practical as exercise. The green t shirts have the Tips for Living Healthy and Longer Life. Be committed to your Faith. Get regular checkups. Keep your mind active. Volunteer your time. Be active for others. Develop a positive attitude. Eat a health well balanced diet. Get regular exercise. Practice random acts of kindness. Smile. Be open to new experiences and possibilities. Get a hobby.

Wise words for all.

Shepherd Center in Hohoe

Eden grad, Rev. Dr. Seth Agidi, wrote his dissertation on creating centers for the aged in Ghana. It started as a paper for Eden and now just five years there are 60 centers around the country.

Each chapter provides meeting space for the elderly, monitors health, provides a meal, teaches about nutrition and exercise.

In Hohoe Aaron Ban and his new friend were hoping they could look like these fellows in the magazine after their exercises.

Traci Blackmon used her skills from her "former" life as a nurse to help take the bloodpressure of the good folks in Hohoe.

The Worship Pool

Last night we were guessing how long worship would be today, creating a worship pool so to speak. The guesses ranged from 3.25 to 5 hours. Turns out Ghana won. The service was 5.5 hours long! We didn't bet money, instead put it all in the offering. So the house truly won today.

We also monitored the temperature during worship. At 9 AM it was 83 degrees. By the end of the service at 2:28 PM the temperature was 94 degrees. Luckily there were numerous fans to keep us from turning into puddles that would fill a worship pool.

The photo is of the new moderator of the EP Church, Rev. Francis Amenu. Alice Price and Diane Windler are seated behind him, but you can't see them in this particular shot.

Now we're packing to leave early tomorrow for a night in Accra before heading to Cape Coast.

Kente Cloth Factory

Today we visited the Kente factory where the beautiful African cloth is woven. The word Kente comes from the sound the shuttles make as they fly back and forth across the loom.

Due to technical difficulties we have been unable thus far to post our group rocking out.

Tonight we attended the farewell party for the outgoing moderator and general clerk of the EP Church. There was dancing, feasting, drinking, speeches. Bridget was part of the program.

Sunday we will attend the installation service of the new moderator and general clerk. We're sure it will be between 4-6 hours in length. You all can think of us as you leave your own Sunday services after an hour. We're six hours ahead so may still be worshiping as you leave church.

Dzemeni Market

Here we are at a very crowded market right on Lake Volta. Seth was showing some funny posters as the market swirled around us. The poster seems to be the Ghanaian version of a tabloid.

We were served a picnic lunch under the trees at the Dzemeni Clinic which was built by the Nebraska Conference UCC.

The evening brought cultural dancing. The photo of our group "rocking out" will be in the next post.

Grasscutter

In case you were wondering from the last post what grasscutter is, here's a photo.

Street Children in Ho

After lunch we visited a center for street children in Ho. The EP Church has recently taken this on as a mission project. We met with the director of the program who opens her home to the children. We met with a few of the children who, through the center, receive training and basic necessities and a chance toward education.

We are posting a photo of the presentation of the shoes we brought for them.

Dr. Klu at Kekeli

The bottom photo is of Dr. Klu who is finishing the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Ewe and will soon begin the New Testament. He is a true scholar of the church and and a font of wisdom about traditional African spirituality. This morning he gave a presentation to us and the gathering of the pastors in preparation for the induction of the new moderator.

The top photo is of our lunch which included fufu and grasscutter, a large rodent which lives in the forest. The people hunt this creature for food. The Bremen Village training farm is teaching rural farmer how to raise them for food and income. Zimmerman and Bourdain be warned, we too are up to adventuresome food.

Wli Waterfall

The tallest waterfall in western Africa located outside of Hohoe in the Volta Region. Enjoy our photos.

Bremen Village and Leprosarium

Our first stop of the morning was a training farm called Bremen Village. The EP church trains farmers in organic farming and families in health issues among many other things. This is the outreach to the rural poor communities in the area.

We saw the rabbits, grasscutters, snails, turtles, mushroom growing, all things the farmers can use for sustainable farming.

The photo is us at the leprosarium. This is where the cured lepers live since their families have shunned them thinking the disease is contagious. the stigma attached to leprosy keeps them exiled from the community. The EP church treats the few people who still contract the disease and houses them for the rest of their lives. We came to bring greetings and a box of flip flops as a small token of our love for them.

The morning has been amazing and meaningful. We are off now the Women's Activity Center on the church campus.

Monday Morning Journey

This morning we made a slow journey down the road through the market. Market day outside of Ho is every five days. You can see it was a "mob" scene, so busy with people selling and buying. This was after our early morning introduction to the new admininstration of the EP Church. We will be present for the installation of the new officers on January 11.

Sunday Worship

Here we are after worship Sunday having lunch at Dr. Fiakpui, a gyn who lives in Chicago. His family hosted us for lunch after a very long worship service. It started at 9:30; we arrived at 10 AM and ended worship at 1 PM. Most of us took videos so you'll have to wait a bit to enjoy the photo of the actual service.

Our host, Rev. Dr. Seth Agidi, an Eden grad, was preaching the sermon in honor of the retired manager of the Kekeli Hotel on the church compound where we are staying. It was a joyous celebration and a great lunch afterwards. The drive from Ho to Alavanyo was about 2 hours so we were happy to get out of the bus and dance in church.

Our program continued in Ho after supper where the program officers of the EP church shared with us about the women's, men's and youth programs. We were all tired and happy to retire after the program.

We have airconditioned rooms with ceiling fans. Some of us have turned our air off during the night because it cools off enough to sleep comfortably without it. The cold showers feel wonderful in this heat and really don't feel cold at all....

We are missing home, of course, but have found a new home among the Ghanaian people.

Election Celebration

The elephant is the symbol of the losing party so the people were saying the elephants have been sent to the bush. You can see in this photo a mock coffin with the letters NPP on it, the initials of the losing party. White is the color of celebration so you will see white scarves and even white chalk on the faces. The parade went back and forth for quite a while crowding the road so no traffice could get by. When the people saw us, they chanted Obama....There is a sense that oppression has been lifted.
The inauguration will be on January 7! So we'll be here for that as well. The transition is so quick because there were two run-off elections after the main one. This has been an exciting and quite different experience for the people here. So far this election celebration is the highlight of the trip...Of course we have a lot more to go.

Here we are just arrived at the airport in Accra, Ghana. It was a 9 hour flight from JFK to Accra. Our hosts were waiting for us when we left the terminal. They scooped us up and ushered us to brunch at a lovely hotel, complete with swimming pool. We were wishing we had our suits on to jump in.
After brunch we drove 2 hours to the city of Ho, where we are staying for a week. After getting settled in the hotel, we had lunch and rested for a while until dinner. We are well fed as you can see.
Saturday we had a driving tour of Ho which ended at a fabric shop on the main road through the city. Just before we pulled up, the national election results were called and the celebration began. There was a spontaneous parade with a mock funeral of the losing party. The new president is named Atta Mills representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) something like our own Democratic party in the States. The music and dancing is still going on throughout the city.