This was it…our final day. The excavation team worked a full day and they left the pond in Teselima with the project complete and the machines in wonderful working order. The build/teach team spent half of the day in Babator and were able to paint most of the exterior of the church, finish up renovations at the school, and sort out all the teaching materials left.
A few of us stayed in Carpenter to finish organizing the materials left here in storage. In the afternoon, many of us headed back to Teselima to see the work the excavation team had done since our last visit there. It was great to see both machines working beautifully together.
Tonight in our closing ceremonies, after our fabulous dinner eaten outside, and after watching the soccer match on a borrowed TV, some team members spoke on behalf of all of us. Phil praised the Ghanaians for their part on the team, noting that they rose earlier than the rest of us to fuel up and prepare the machines, and admiring how well and how quickly they were able to replace the bulldozer chain considering they did it all ‘by hand,’ with no fuel pumps to fill the tanks and no air compressors for powered wrenches.
Joyce encouraged and blessed the teaching team for all of their efforts and true investment of themselves to the challenging task at hand, and Pat thanked Abraham and his hospitality team for the amazing job they did feeding us three hot meals every day, cleaning up our living quarters each morning, and working so hard to get our very dirty clothes ‘whiter than white,’ scrubbing it all by hand and hanging it out in the sun all day. Joe praised the build team for their hard work that effectively touched the village in three areas: the church, the latrine and the school. Gifts were exchanged and it was such a joy to see each Canadian team member in awe of the beauty and forethought that was put into each gift. We missed Brenda’s presence these two weeks, but David and the NEA team did a wonderful job in her place!
Luggage is packed, weighed and sitting in the gazebo for its early morning pick up. We board the bus with ‘breakfast to go’ and start our way back to Accra. Please pray for continued health safety on the roads. Pray that as we watch the landscape pass by through the windows of our bus, God will remind us of the lessons learned. We are all aware that we are soon returning to life and business as usual three weeks away, but we rejoice in knowing that back here in Ghana, there are wonderful pastors and friends lifting us up in prayer as we do what God has called us to do.
May you too be encouraged and blessed for holding down the fort while we were away, and holding us up in prayer. Thank you all!
Kim
Ryan says
It is amazing to hear all of the work you have accomplished alongside your Ghanaian friends, it has been inspiring to hear all your stories each day (even as brief a summary as it was) neat to be able to follow along in your journey. I wish you all safe travels home!
And to you Braden; I just found out from mom that you get to read these comments! (Soooooo better late then never I wanted to post something to you.)
I am glad to hear you have been sharing your musical talent on the guitar with the ghanaians, bet you are feeling right where you belong among all their singing and rythm. Beats staying at school to write exams eh? I can’t wait to hear all your stories, and share in hearing about your experience. I am betting you have grown in many new ways during your trip. I can’t wait to catch up with you! Love you lots bro!
Safe travels home.
Ryan
Carol Peterson says
What an amazing writeup for super Saturday (and final day) highlighting all that GOOD WORK!
I am speechless and in awe, truly.
Congratulations to all of you for everything you’ve done in Ghana this year. Looking forward to photos and stories, Joyce and Les, and yes, we’ve held down the fort- no problem!
God’s abundant blessings on you as you travel to Accra. Avoid buying and EATING groundnuts for sale along the way! Roadside bathroms, for us, were concrete boxes, maybe shoulder-high, no roof, no seat, no hole….not so good. I recall seeing Kenturkey Fried Chicken on a menu more than once, have you!? (That really says turkey)
FYI I do not see any shadows here today, so it may be an early spring!!
Carol
Caro - Claire Wiles says
Hello to Kim and the team
As we have read your faithful daily updates, we have felt like we were there with you and were sharing in a part of the excitement and challenges that you were experiencing with the tasks that each one of you were working at.
For those of us who cannot go on a trip like this, we pick up on the excitement and the challenges that you have as you each carry on with the your individual and team projects.
We realize without much prayer that you could not do it and so it is that much more important that we pick up at our end and be aware of the requests that you have given us to be in prayer for every day.
Again for most of us who have never had the opportunity to go too far from home, we can only imagine the enormity of the tasks and how much it means to the people there to have the various projects that you accomplish completed and realize just how much it will improve their lives.
You have worked side by side with the people there and we are also thankful for those who have cared for your needs as you have been there as well and that you have been able to again teach them various things that will also make their lives easier.
Now that you are packed up and preparing for the long journey home, we will pray that everything will go safely for you as you travel and that you will soon be home with your families, who I am sure have missed you very much.
Thank from us for being the hands and feet for those of us who are unable to go on a mission trip like this and we send our love to David ad Brenda and all there and to each and everyone on the team.
Blessings from Caro-Claire and Martin Wiles
jean says
Blessings on your journey home.
Weather still looks OK for Tuesday.