Bless the Lord! Oh my soul! And all that is within me bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord! Oh my soul! And all that is within me bless His holy name!
He has done great things! He has done great things!
He has done great things! Bless His holy name!

It’s Friday night, the night before I leave for language school in Abetifi.  I have been in Africa for 10 days, believe it or not.  Sometimes I think to myself, “I’m in Africa!” and other days it is like it is no surprise.  The most frequent question I have received is, “what has surprised you most so far?”  Well, I don’t really know the answer to that question  I don’t think.  My original thoughts of Africa were that it reminded me a lot of Honduras, but since a few more days have gone by, I have come to the conclusion that Africa definitely is different than Honduras. 

            What is it like?  It is very busy.  People everywhere.  But they are friendly.  Dirty, dusty land.  Lots of honking.  Extreme poverty.  Just like you can see on TV, but this time you can smell it, hear it and taste it. Different smells around every corner. Anything is for sale in the middle of the street.  Spicy foods.  People scraping to get by.  Funny signs.  Crazy driving.  More honking. 

            What have I learned in ten days?  I have learned that Ghanaian people are happy people, willing to smile back at you and even stop and chat along the street.  They are very welcoming, usually greeting you with “You are welcome.”  I have learned that Africa is a different way of life.  Different is not wrong, it is just that- different.  I have learned that life is pretty “normal” for a missionary here, it’s just doing life in a different part of the world.  I have learned that God is here and is moving in Ghana.  I have learned that I can be more expressive in my worship.  I have learned that Africa is a wonderful place to be.

            What have I been up to?  The last ten days have been spent trying to get over jet lag, getting oriented with the Director here at SIM, and getting to know my fellow co-workers.  We were able to spend a day at Cape Coast, at a slave castle there.  I heard stories of what went on there and actually went into the dungeons where Africans were left to die.  I can’t imagine the hurt and pain that they have had to deal with within their past. 

            I have also enjoyed my time spent with fellow co-workers. I was reunited with Sherri Paulson whom I haven’t seen since SIM-Start.  I am so thankful to God for bringing us both here at this time.  I  pray that He will continue to bless our time here and our friendship also.

            Tomorrow we both will be leaving for Abetifi, which is a 3 hour drive north of Accra, where we both will be attending language school.  We will be learning Twi, which I suspect is a very difficult language to learn, but we are going to try our best. 

            God continues to give me what I need- He surprises me everyday in how he provides for me.  His constant presence is enough to bring me to tears- oh how wonderful it is to be able to worship Him!