Akwaaba, Ghana

I finally have a functioning, but very slow internet modem!!!

YEAH!!

This means that I will hopefully be able to blog at least once a week over the next three and half months.

My first week and half in Ghana has been absolutely incredible!! It has flown by so incredibly fast & I feel so blessed to be here experiencing Ghana with so many wonderful people.

Our first days here in Ghana have been filled with sweat soaked clothing, dusty red feet, water from the bottle, cold showers, trips to Cape Coast castle & Kakum National Park for the rain forest walk, the Ghanaian beach, vegetarian eating in a foreign country, doxy & b-12 induced stomach aches, mosquito bitten legs(over 20 bites on my left leg below the knee- thank the Lord they are starting to heal), dancing and clapping in church services, orientation lectures, fan ice(an amazing creamy treat) nights, mango, cooking meals in the ISH kitchen as a group, eating at Tasty Treats way too much, Twi, African dance classes, realizing the thousands of ways to cook plantains & which style we like to eat, lots & lots of rice, hanging out with our wonderful student guides, trips to the market, our first rides on tro tros, lots of group games & conversation, lots of great reading, the start of classes, and so much more.

Before coming here I was frightened that I would not love Ghana the way that I fell in love with Guinea. While these two nations are certainly different, I feel that Ghana has definitely started to capture my heart in a different way than Guinea. Ghana is a predominantly Christian nation & the majority of my ISEP group are people who are passionate about their faith. These next three and a half months( I can't believe it is less than 4 months already) will most certainly be filled with bible study(the girls are going to start doing one on Wednesday nights- I am so excited to have a community group here in Ghana:)), community, conversation, a lot of sweating, laughter, tears, volunteer work, and growth. Since being here my prayer life has improved dramatically and I have had more time to read a lot of the bible. Currently I am reading a Psalm & Proverb a day along with a chapter of Isaiah in the morning and a chapter of Romans at night. I am also reading a chapter of the Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claibourne every day. If you have not read this book I suggest you check it out immediately. I read half of it a while ago, but stopped in the middle of it because of a trip. I restarted the book and six chapters in to I can say I have been challenged beyond my wildest dreams. God is doing some amazing things in my heart already & I can definitely see a revolution happening in my own spirit.

I want this time in Ghana to be one filled with spiritual discovery & service to those around me. I want to learn how to better love people & how to better glorify Christ in all that I do. Since I have been here my attitude about things has changed pretty dramatically and some of my actions have changed dramatically. It is amazing to me what God has done in a week & a half- I can't imagine what he will do over these next 3 1/2 months.

peace,

kate