Team Updates

We had a day in Carpenter that is hard to put into words.

After morning devotions the team was summoned to the chief’s palace before breakfast and we were greeted so warmly. After breakfast the rookies went on a tour of the development compound and saw with their own eyes the different sectors and how the medical work fits into this big picture.

We set up for the staff clinic and before we even began our work a contingent of elders from the village arrived with yams, a white ram, and words of gratitude that left many of us teary!

This incredible team went to work and this half-day clinic resulted in care being given to 260 patients and 17 hernia surgeries were completed! My favorite moment of the day was when David’s mother told us that ” before you were created you were all destined to be my sons and daughters”.

While we gave our all today to these dear people, I am quite certain that we received much more. Thanks be to God.

Jennifer Wilson, a physician in Uxbridge, Ontario, launched GRID’s annual health team several years ago and continues to lead it. She and her husband Graham are committed to alleviating suffering among Ghana’s poor. Jennifer is a board member of GRID.

The four vehicle convoy carrying the entire Health Team and more than 150 pieces of luggage arrived in Carpenter at 6:30pm after a long eleven hour drive from Accra. [Read more…] about Health Team Arrived in Carpenter

We have landed safely in Accra and were welcomed by the Minister of State who simply waived us through customs with all of our bags. An African band played while the luggage was loaded onto the truck. [Read more…] about Arrival in Accra

It’s Saturday afternoon and everything is relatively calm here in Carpenter … at last.

For the past month the preparation work has been extensive and particularly intensive this past week. The grocery order is in (two days of open market shopping – two truckloads), the cow has been butchered, the beds are ready, the translators have been briefed, the drivers are waiting in Accra for the team, and that’ just a brief sampling of the pages of logistics in place to ensure that as many patients as possible are helped while the health team is here. And because this is Africa, for every plan A there often needs to be a plan B.

So, we are ready at this end. Bring it on.

I was reflecting last night on all the preparations that have been going on in Canada, in Ghana, and in the UK and how results will only be seen, and the purposes of the program carried out when all the teams come together here in Ghana. The Lord has a purpose for all of this as well and it is certainly exciting to be part of His plan.

Greetings from England! We had an uneventful flight (sans medical emergencies) and are enjoying a Starbucks as the sun rises in London. The team is doing great, our tears have dried up, and we are using our layover time to get to know one another better. The Euchre tournament has begun! We are awaiting the arrival of our UK team members who will join us on our flight to Accra.

When we left the church yesterday Pastor Dale prayed a very moving prayer for our team. He read from Psalm 139 and verse 9 is just so fitting for this moment in our journey….. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

We are thankful this first leg of our journey to the far side of the sea has gone so well and look forward to getting our feet on African soil tonight!

(By the way, I about sent a photo of our team all drinking their Starbucks from my iphone….then I realized it would cost 51 dollars/MB….. I’ll let you use your imaginations!!!)

Jennifer Wilson, a physician in Uxbridge, Ontario, launched GRID’s annual health team several years ago and continues to lead it. She and her husband Graham are committed to alleviating suffering among Ghana’s poor. Jennifer is a board member of GRID.

Step one is complete! 6000 pounds of luggage are checked, sleeping pills being dispensed like candy and we are just about to board. Love to all!

Jennifer Wilson, a physician in Uxbridge, Ontario, launched GRID’s annual health team several years ago and continues to lead it. She and her husband Graham are committed to alleviating suffering among Ghana’s poor. Jennifer is a board member of GRID.