So Soon!

I cannot believe the trip is only a little over three weeks away! There is so much going on right now with the move (June 26th) and focusing on small details for the trip (last hepatitis shot scheduled, visas ordered, trips to the store for various items for the kids and myself...) that it's really snuck up on me. I will be in Africa, which has been my dream for so long, in 24 days. 

I keep imagining the kids, and I am so excited, yet a little nervous, because really I don't know what to expect. Will they be excited? Shy? Angry? Stubborn? Friendly? Well, I suppose it will depend on each of their individual personalities, won't it?

So many things came in the mail yesterday. Our passports came back from the Embassy of Ghana with our visas inside. Our mosquito nets came, and the books I'd ordered from Barnes and Noble. I got two educational books, a shapes/colors book and a picture dictionary. Plus I got three Don and Audrey Woods books. Piggies and The Napping House are board books so they'll be great with toddlers, and Elbert's Bad Word is one that I remember liking a lot when I was little. I read The Napping House and Elbert's Bad Word to Chris last night. 

Because we're packing the condo, I've been putting all my Africa paraphernalia in a suitcase to keep it separate. I don't have my clothes or most toiletries packed, but the case is already very heavy. Our trip came just in time for the airlines to start charging for bags. For as long as I can remember, it has been two bags under fifty pounds free, and this is how I planned to bring the school supplies and all these other things to the orphanage. Oh but wait, I just went on the Delta Airline site, and it looks like they're down to one bag free if you're traveling inside the US, but two free bags if you're traveling outside the US, so I think I'm still in the clear!

Checked Baggage

You can check one bag per passenger free of charge when traveling in the U. S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. If traveling outside the U.S. you can check two bags free of charge.

Each bag must:

• Weigh 50 pounds (22.5 kg) or less.
• Not exceed 62 inches when you total length plus width plus height.

 

 

Supplies

Yesterday I went to the store to buy supplies for the trip. I'm expecting it to be a bit like camping, so one of the items I picked up were a bunch of wet wipes. I figure I can use them to wash my hands before taking out/putting in my contacts. I also got face wipes in case I don't have water to wash my face. I'll go ahead and list the rest:

*Lotion (I have no idea if I'll need it because of the humidity, but I'd rather have it than not because I don't know if it's something I can buy there!)

*Aloe Vera gel (What if I get sunburned?)

*Shampoo and Conditioner in one - might as well skip a step if I'm going to be bathing in a bucket of water! :)

*Off spray with deet to keep away the mosquitos

And here's the fun stuff!

*Flash cards (numbers, ABCs, addition, and subtraction)

*Coloring books

*Stickers

 We will also be bringing over the school supplies from the earlier fundraiser, a bunch of frisbees that Chris's friend Mark donated, balloons and a balloon pump to make balloon animals that Denise donated, books that I've been collecting from Scholastic sales through the year, and a few puzzles. Chris plans on buying some soccer balls and pumps to bring along as well.

Please let me know if there's something you think the kids would really enjoy that I'm missing. I'm pretty excited that Chris is following me over there, so that if I get there and there's something I think of that would be really fun for the kids, I can email him and have him bring it.

If you have a favorite children's book that you'd like to have me bring and read to the kids, feel free to give it to me. I will be leaving everything at the orphanage when I return home in August.

Thanks, everyone, for all your support. I am so excited!!! 

Wow!

I cannot believe how fast time has flown! I have finished the school year at Big T, so I've been able to slow down a bit and focus on this huge adventure coming up in the very near future!

Here is some information cut and pasted from the Global Crossroad website. I was looking for any new information so I can daydream a bit more about what it's going to be like! 

Orphanage Work in Ghana

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Overview of the Project Due to extreme poverty, neglect and abuse, many children in Ghana are forced to leave their homes. These children live in the streets under harsh conditions. The society also looks down upon them. Some children who have lost their parents also choose to come to the streets and lead their lives with alms. This project that includes orphanage and day care center for children is an opportunity for these street children to live and learn under one roof until they are adopted or placed with family members who can take better care of them. Most of the orphanages in Ghana are resource poor, under staffed, and are facing lots of problems to run their programs. The orphanage needs extra pairs of hands to help with the day-to-day running of the project with works like cleaning, cooking and serving food to the children. Volunteers are also required to provide some basic English education to the children, and organize physical and sports lessons and assist the staff in counseling the children. Role of Volunteer The job responsibilities of orphanage volunteers in Ghana depend on the need of the orphanage as well as the skills and interests of the volunteers. However, the volunteers will be involved in the following tasks: •  Teach basic English  •  Develop creative programs such as dance, arts, music, etc.  •  Clean, cook and serve food  •  Organize physical and sports activities  •  Assist the staff in counseling the children Skills/Qualifications Needed There is no of specific qualification required for orphanage project in Ghana . However, volunteer interested to work for orphans must have love for the kids and willingness to share their time and compassion with patience and high flexibility. Room/Food/Supervision Global Crossroad manages room/food for volunteer. Volunteers stay with the host family. In most of the cases, volunteer stay with kids in the orphanage where we manage a separate room and local meals three times a day. Volunteer will also have 24/7 access to our office in Ghana and mobile number of our coordinators. Moreover, head of the orphanage serves as a local contact person for volunteers. Our staffs also visit volunteers in each 1-2 week interval as a part of the program. Location Descriptions Orphanage project is in various towns including Kumasi and Hohoe, with shops, banks & internet cafes nearby. Ghana 's vibrant cities are renowned for its friendly atmosphere where visitors are always welcomed. It's full of contrasts: from traditional culture and history to modern infrastructure and most of the amenities you would expect from a city. Volunteers can organize different possible excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place the volunteer can use during weekends. For example: water falls, monkey sanctuary, markets, purple princess designs, mountain biking, drumming school, community based eco-tourism project, Volta river, Pottery village, hotels, Kente weaving studio and many more. A typical day of a volunteer in the Project Morning: Help the children to brush their teeth and get dressed. Serve breakfast and tidy their beds. Teach the children about health and hygiene Day: Serve Lunch. Take care of the children in the orphanage. Help them to learn some basic conversational English in fun and playful manner. Arrange for activities like games, music, drawing, etc. Bring children back from school and help them in their homework Evening: Serve dinner to the children. Help in the kitchen and also in washing dishes, clothes and cleaning of the orphanage premises Remarks: This itinerary gives a generic picture of daily life but it may vary

Ghana

It’s amazing how much can happen in a month.

Chris also applied to Global Crossroad, and we received confirmation of our placements last week. We will be working in Osu, an orphanage in Accra. There are 140 kids between 2 months – 13 years old at the orphanage. Along with our placement confirmations, we each received a packet of information about the assignment and accommodations. We will be staying in the Global Crossroad hostel in Accra, which includes “24/7 security, separate dining area, terrace, purified water, fan, and kitchen.” I am going to cut and paste a few things here:

ü  “The facilities at theroom are basic…the single wood bed is equipped with mattress, bed cover, one pillow and no mosquito net so you are requested to bring your own mosquito net, bed sheet and pillow case.”

ü  “Our kitchen staffs will provide you three meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Breakfast will be bread, boiled or fried egg and tea. Lunch and dinner will be rice with stew, yam or plantain seasonal vegetable, red beans.”

ü  “The toilet is WC typewith flush water, but in some cases you must use bucket water to flush the toilet. You will be provided with a bucket of cold or warm water for a shower.”

ü  “Internet cafes are available in the area, which is 15 minutes walk. The internet fee cost 1 USD per hours, in some place you may have to pay more or less. It is strongly advised that you must contact your parents as soon as you arrive in Ghana.”

 

MoreNews:

Chris did get a new job. He will be starting at Apecs, a consulting company based in Boulder, on Monday the 21^st. Yay!

 

The assignments with Global Crossroad begin on the first and third Mondays of each month. Our original plan had been to start the first Monday in June. I would stay for 4 weeks, and Chris would stay for the first 2 weeks. This plan was a bit ambitious as we were planning on flying out ofDenver on Saturday, May 31^st – the day after my last day of the school year at Big T. So, that last week of school I would have been wrapping up the year with my third graders while simultaneously packing for a month-long trip to another country. I began wondering if the third Monday sounded a bit better.

 

Then Chris got the job at Apecs, and they have a very big project going on in June, so his new boss asked him to book his trip as late as possible. Jennica is getting married on August 7^th, so July is the best month for us. So, the new plan is that I will leave at the beginning of July, begin my assignment on the first Monday in July, and then Chris will come join me on the third Monday and we’ll finish out the month together.

 

I am so excited! I just got off the phone with Cheryl, our Global Crossroad coordinator, who has been an amazing and inspiringperson to have along on this journey. I talked to her for the first time in February, while I was still feeling very sad about abandoning the original Tumaini plan. She is based in Texas, and has that wonderful warm Texas accent. She got me so excited about the idea of volunteering in Ghana.  During our first conversation, I became overwhelmed with all the options she put in front of me. I could work in an orphanage in Accra, it’s right by the ocean and there are museums I could visiton the weekends, or I could go with a bit more rustic experience and work at an orphanage near Lake Volta. Do I like the water? Well, in that case, maybe I should got to Tanzania and work near the Indian Ocean. It’s very safe there. Or I could go to Uganda or…or…or…“Honey there are people all over the world who need your help, you just have to decide where to go.”

 

After some talk with Chris, we decided on the orphanage in Accra, and we would take weekend trips to the rain forests and/or the area around Lake Volta.

 

This morning when I was talking to Cheryl about changing our dates (which is no problem at all “we understand how life is,”Cheryl said, “sometimes things need to change.”) she told me a bit about what we could expect to work on when we get to the orphanage. She told me to go in, walk around, and we would see where we are needed. I asked if I could change diapers and she said, “Absolutely! But if a diaper changing assembly line doesn’t sound appealing to your husband, he can go outside and play with some of the boys.” I told her that Chris was planning on bringing some soccer balls.She told me that was a great idea and also suggested Frisbees, “They don’t really get the concept of playing Frisbee, but if you throw it they’ll go run after it and bring it back to you, kind of like fetch.”

 

She also said if we wanted to bring something that would be a really big hit, we should buy some of those long balloons with a pump like they have at carnivals. Even if we don’t know how to make any balloon animals, if we just twist a balloon around and make a hat, it will make the kids’ day. She told me, “You know, some will never have seen a balloon.” That gave me chills, to think that something as simple and cheap as a balloon could provide such amazing entertainment.

 

Cheryl also suggested bringing flash cards.“Although,” she said, “some of these kids have never owned anything in their lives, and if they get a hold of one of those flash cards, they just might keep it. You can’t get offended by that.”

 

         I told her about the school supplies I was planning to bring. (I’ve been having a really hard time knowing if they should go to Tumaini, I may split the lot in half and give a bunch to Jeff to bring to Kenya the next time he goes). Cheryl told me that the trip will be like going back in time. Paper is extremely valuable, and the schools use chalk and chalk boards. So, if I wanted to make the teachers really happy, I should bring boxes of chalk. I’m so glad I talked to her, because I never even would have thought to bring chalk!

 

         She also said that the little Golden Books would be a big hit. The kids love to be read to, they are amazed by books. She said they’ll crawl right up into your lap to see all the pictures and listen to the story. She also suggested coloring books and jump ropes. Then she said, “Oh but you’re going to have to watch how much you’re packing, you know your bags can only be so heavy.”

 

         I am so excited, I just can’t wait!!! J

Ghana

On Thursday I did officially apply to Global Crossroad to volunteer at an orphanage in the city of Accra. The plan is that Chris and I will go together for the first two weeks, and then I will stay for an additional two weeks. Right now we have tentatively decided on June, but we're waiting for news on Chris's job search before buying plane tickets. On Thursday morning, I heard a promising news report on NPR about a deal that has been struck in Nairobi between the elected president and his rival. It sounds like the two men are going to share power. Here's a bit from the NPR report: "Kenya's government and opposition party leaders signed a power-sharing deal on Thursday in an effort to end post-election violence that has left more than 1,000 people dead." If you want to see more or listen to the report, go to 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87764779

While the news is encouraging, I think it's going to take a long time to heal the wounds that the election brought along ethnic lines. So, it looks like it will be Ghana this summer, but I will still want to visit Tumaini some day. Thank you for all your support, everyone! 

 

 

Update
Actually, the closest contact for OrphanAid Africa is in San Francisco. I found my phone conversations with Elaine most helpful. You can only get so much information through email. Maybe I'll call the office in San Francisco. In fact, my goal is to call that office sometime this week.

Decisions...

At the end of January, I was starting to feel pretty anxious about not knowing where I would be going. I didn't want to let go of Tumaini, but part of me knew that was going to have to happen. Jeff Johnsen advised me to wait, to pray, and to set a decision deadline. My mom and dad also told me to wait. My dad quoted some great scripture,

 "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

 We went to church on the last Sunday in January, and the message was all about listening for God's plan. The minister talked about the importance of being truly open to God's plan for us, being careful not to let our own voice become louder than God's. I've been trying hard to listen.

We've been getting updates from Eunice. She is part of the majority tribe, so is fairly safe. However, all the people working for her who are in the minority tribe were forced to leave. Eunice has hired security guards to watch the children's home at night. Honestly, it just doesn't sound like a great place to be right now. The death toll in Kenya is up to 1,000 now. I feel so horribly for the people there. The unrest, the anger, the fear, it must weigh so heavily on their lives. 

I've been looking more seriously into the application form from Orphan Aid Africa. There are a few questions I have about the program, and it's hard knowing that the closest contact for the organization is in Paris.  

My dad sent me an email last Thursday telling me about his friend Amy who goes regularly to Mozambique. She goes with an organization called Children's Relief International. I have emailed back and forth a bit with her, and I've looked further into CRI. However, it looks like it may be too late for me to join one of the teams heading over there this summer.

Tumaini seemed so figured out, so solid. The decision had been made, the plan was set. Only small details needed worked out. My mind kept wandering back to Kenya. How much easier it would be to just stick with 'plan a'. Then on Friday, I found this clip on NPR, about the Peace Corps pulling their volunteers from Kenya.  

 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18770524&sc=emaf 

The Peace Corps is pulling out? The decision was made.  I need to look more seriously into 'plan b'. I need to make plan b the plan. So what is plan b? 

We're going to call a guy who knows a guy who works with Chris tomorrow night. This guy's been over to Ghana and his wife is getting her master's in African culture or history or something. Maybe he will be able to give us some good information. We'll see. 

Good news?

The headline reads "Kenyan rivals meet face-to-face". I heard the news on my way to work this morning, Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga were in the same room with each other! Kofi Annan mediated a talk between the two. This news put a huge smile on my face and in my heart. The situation is still unstable in Kenya, but this seems like a wonderful step in the right direction towards peace.

Wow.

A couple things. One, Chris and I did go and get our follow-up Hepatitis shot today. We'll need one more in June and then, other than the oral anti-Malaria medication we'll take over there, we're all done with the preemptive medical details.

Two, I just received a substantial donation in the mail. Should I take this as a sign? "Don't worry about the extra expense of going to Ghana through an organization, it's covered."

The "other options" I sat down to write about on Sunday (but ended up getting distracted writing about all the wonderful aspects of Tumaini) are OrphanAid Africa, which costs 800 Euro (today that translates to $1,170), Global Volunteer Network, which costs $797, Disaster Volunteers of Ghana costs $550, and Global Crossroad is $1,259. As far as I can tell, these four organizations are not evangelical, and I would be able to work with children, either in orphanages or schools, in Ghana. The cost is definitely more than the $20/week at Tumaini, but it's also not nearly as high as Cross Cultural Solutions.

Again, prayers would be appreciated. 

Other Options?

When I first went online to look for alternatives after I wasn't able to go into the Peace Corps in '03, I was discouraged by the high price of volunteering. Many of the big organizations like Cross Cultural Solutions charge quite a large sum of money. If I want to spend 4 weeks abroad with this organization, I would have to give them $3,182. This money does go towards room and board, but I would still have to pay for the plane ticket, vaccinations, travel insurance, visa...... When my dad told me about Jeff and how he was able to go to Kenya to help at Tumaini and all he paid for was travel expenses, I was excited to learn more.

       When I started researching Tumaini last summer, I discovered that the only fee I would be charged was $20/week for room and board. Jeff told me that they don't charge a donation fee up front in hopes that a person will see Tumaini, fall in love with the children, agree with the project goals, and become a lifelong supporter. This philosophy makes so much more sense to me. 

       Everything about Tumaini makes sense to me. I want to go so badly that alternatives don't seem realistic. Let me tell you a few things I love about Tumaini. First of all, the way it started seems a bit miraculous. Eunice felt a calling to help the children in her country. She had a dream, but she didn't have funds. Jeff told me this story when we first met for coffee last summer. I don't remember the details perfectly, so bear with me. Eunice happened to meet a woman in a bathroom (she was at an event, maybe for the Denver Rescue Mission?). This was a white woman who had adopted a black child. The woman told Eunice that she was having a hard time doing her daughter's hair. Eunice agreed to help teach this woman how to do her daughter's hair. Later, when Eunice was demonstrating hairdos on the girl (I believe they were at the woman's house), she told the woman about her dream to start an orphanage in Kenya. The woman turned out to be in the Coors family, and, moved by Eunice's dream, agreed to give financial support. Now, talk about being in the right place at the right time. God had to have been involved. 

       I also love the fact that Tumaini is a home for these children, not an institution. The kids go to the local village school, they go to the local village church. They are not in the bubble of what I picture a conventional “Annie” orphanage to be. Elaine told us a story about a time she was there while the kids were in school. She would help the older kids with homework in the evenings. One day after school, she peeked into the room that the older boys share, and she found that some of the boys had had friends over and the room was full of Tumaini and village boys, watching a soccer match on TV. I never pictured an orphanage as a place where kids could have their friends over after school.

       I feel comforted by the fact that the US base for Tumaini Ministries is right here in Colorado. It’s easy for me to talk to Jeff and Elaine, and I feel a bit like I have gotten to know these people who have actually been to Africa. They’ve each traveled to Tumaini several times, and they are more than willing to share their experiences with me. Elaine has painted a picture of the children’s home so clearly, I don’t feel like it will be all completely unknown when I get there.

So many of the organizations I'm looking at online are evangelical. I don't want to push the bible on anyone. Tumaini is Christ-based, and people have gone there to teach VBS in the past, but that isn’t what I would be expected to do. I love that about Tumaini.

I really was looking forward to having my own experience at Tumaini, and it’s sad and frustrating to think that this may not be the right time for me to go.

I would like to ask for your prayers. I am seeking guidance and I feel like my own overwhelming desire to go may get in the way when I’m trying to listen for God’s direction.