GOD IS GOOD :)

One last post ...
Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has posted on my FB, sent sweet messages, and prayed for this trip over the past month. I have never felt so loved and my heart has been so full :) This was a truly amazing month and I'm having difficulty putting it all into words. Thank you to HCJB Global and the inspiring missionaries who I got a chance to meet and be blessed by (Curt, Karen, Lee, Michelle, The Iwan's, The Walker's, Jeremy, Dr. Steve, and Sheila).  Thank you to the wonderful interns from all over, it was great to get to meet every one of you. We made some fun memories and had lots of laughs :) Thanks to the people who supported me financially.  Thank you to Methodist Univ for allowing me to have this adventure in PA school.  I will never forget the things I have learned and the way my life has been changed. To God be the glory :)

Curt posted a short video of clips from the month on youtube. In the background is the live interview on the radio with Annie and Staci who did a great job answering questions!

the AMAZING race, Coconut Grove Beach Resort, Kofikyere Village

The last week has been VERY busy and full of memories :) Sorry for the late post (once again blogging is not my thing but I'm trying)

Group pic before the Amazing Race around Accra.. 

Money to use for the race.. 

Yes these are SNAILS we had to eat :( They were HUGE and there were antennas and all still attached. 

We had to eat 8-9 between 3 of us in a group. I'm still gagging thinking about it 

I haven't included all of the details and pics of what all we had to do. But the winning team was ....

Team L-T-L :) Had fun girls!

Staci and I at the Canopy walk. There was a total of seven. 

Once at Coconut Grove Beach Resort we had a weekend of R&R which was much needed!

Some of the girls took horse-back rides along the beach. Hi Joy!

We stayed in the "African Village". Staci and I shared a hut with
a couple of geckos! At the end of the weekend they were our friends
because they ate the mosquitos. 

I've got hops. 

We stopped by a crocodile farm on the way. It's really alive! But luckily sleepy 

El Mina Salve Castle is the oldest and largest slave castle in sub-saharan Africa.

Was very sombering while taking a tour. 

We spent 3 days in the last village of Kofikyere. My favorite village with the nicest of people. 

To be honest, I will not miss the long and draining van rides.

We stopped at Asumakasee (Im sure that's not spelled right)  radio station which is one of
Theovision's and took a tour. Staci and Annie were our spokes girls and did an interview
live on the radio. They did a great job :)

One of my goals: to learn how to carry a child on  my back.  Did not feel secure, I think I like the way
we do it on our hips!

Staci with a child I'm sure she wanted to bring home

The glow-in-the-dark bracelets were a hit Sis! However they started a mini-riot 

with the older kids knocking young ones over to get one. 

Other blogs..

So since I am not a good blogger ... I have copied a post from Elaina Truax with information about the group I'm with:

Annie: A student at Wheaton College. http://annieafrica.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/azonto/

Joy: A student at Michigan State. http://joyburrell.blogspot.com/2012/07/ive-arrived.html?spref=fb

Katy: A student at Colorado State. http://kmccrimm.wordpress.com/

Elaina: A student at Elizabethtown College. http://linkedhearts12.wordpress.com/

Lindsay: Just graduated from nursing school as an RN. http://kansasgirlinghana.blogspot.com/

Staci: A physician assistant student in North Carolina. If you have Facebook, you can request to join her prayer update page. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/318674874871076/

Toleshi: A nursing student in Tennessee. Toleshi doesn’t have a blog, but you should know she’s really cool anyhow.

Here are the people that really make this internship possible:
Lee and Michelle Sonius: Long time missionaries in Africa
Curt and Karen Cole: Long time missionaries to both Africa and South America
Dr. Steve: He and his wife have been missionaries in Ecuador for many years.
Doctora Yvonne: A doctor in Ecuador
Sheila Leech: A nurse originally from England but she has spent many years in Ecuador
Eva: The great cook! She keeps the house running and takes good care of us!
Steve and Cindy Iwan Family: Long time missionaries in Africa
Alex and Mari Walker (and Addie and Nate): These are the missionaries I am staying with. They are originally from England but have spent a lot of time in Africa. Their three year old daughter generously gave up her room and is sharing a room with her one year old brother Nate. Such a nice family!
Jeremy: originally from Indiana, he has been with HCJB in Ghana for about 5 years.

Aketeyensua Village and Hateka Village

This week we went to Aketeyensua Village for two days. Hateka village for one morning and a pineapple farm for the afternoon.

Loved this little girl, she was such a snuggler :)

Just another example of the madness of roads here in Ghana.
Interesting observation: it's OK to cut people off as long as you throw up your hand afterwards...

The Chief of Aketeyensua Village was my patient. 

This little 8 month old girl lost her mother 4 months ago. Now she suffers from pretty severe malnutrition
that was causing her to lose her hair. I carried her around for atleast 20 minutes and wanted nothing more than to bring her home and put clean clothes on her and feed her well.. Hoping and praying that the Aunt will be able to provide formula and high calorie foods to keep her healthy. 

Village folks waiting to be seen 

Emma is my new translator. She is an angel and was amazing! 

Hateka Village was a small village of only about 100 people.
They still  have huts made of grass and mud , the people there were wonderful. 

The kids at Hateka Village loved playing with the parachute

Our gift from the Hateka Village women 

They have some major ant hills in Africa!

We went to a pineapple farm .. who knew pineapples didn't grow on trees? NOT ME

Pineapple 101: The more crowns a pineapple has, the variation of genetics and the sweeter the pineapple will be

The best most fresh pineapple I will ever it! It was delicious!

Asuokaw Odumase Village, BEACH DAY, and Tema School

It's been a busy busy week with LOTS of fun in between. It's hard to update the blog because the pictures take so long, SORRY.. Love you All xo

Asuokaw Odumase Village - we spent Monday and Tuesday

yes this is the latrine. yes it had lots of flies. yes i purposely dehydrated myself. 

the village.

This is how all of the women carry their children.
They strap them to their back. This little girl was 10 years old.
Had epilepsy and some major developmental delays.
Was grinning from ear to ear though :) 

the village goats. All villages have goats that roam everywhere. They walk
around unnoticed but to us are hilarious at the things they do!
Unfortunately they are pets until they become food. 

Traffic lanes in Ghana, what are those? No stop signs, no speed limits, LOTS  of pot holes, LOTS of honking.  It is exhausting riding in a car on these roads, but thankful for our safety so far and for the fearless drivers we have (Thanks Lee, Curt, Jeremy, and Steve)

The largest goiter I will ever see and feel in my lifetime! It wasn't painful but the lady said it had gotten worse over the last 5-6 years. Unfortunately we couldn't help her because we don't have a surgeon :( 

Till's Beach - a BEAUTIFUL day, I was in heaven!

Driving through the bush when we top a hill and this is our view!

The biggest waves I've seen. Wonderful day to say the least.

We were the only people on the secluded beach besides a couple of women
collecting seashells. I'll have to post a picture of the seashells later., they were
all kinds of bright colors and very unique!

Tema School - Thursday and Friday 

Elaina, Joy, and Karen teaching the kids about handwashing and doing the children's program.

Playing with the kids. They are so much fun and think we are hilarious anything we do. They love to touch our skin and think the hair on our white arms is so weird. 

I have 20 new best friends! This was right before more came and I got knocked over!

John 13:15

Attempting to communicate, my translator on this day was from the village and was asked to help last minute. Most patients had the same problem which included "waist pain" and a "headache". Thank God for good translators! They make the world of difference!

Rain or shine these kids were having fun :)

Thanks to sis for the stickers. Brought so many smiling faces :)

Dr. Nelson letting a woman hear her baby's heart beat. So special!

This little boy was out-casted from the village community because he has epilepsy. His parents were divorced and his mother left the village leaving his dad (who worked in the fields all day) to take care of him.  Our group took to cleaning his filthy body and putting bandaids on his wounds. A sign of our love to ALL children of God!

All of the girls at the wedding.

The bride and groom.

Bridal Party

Eva looked gorgeous!

"Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out; yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now." ~Saint Teresa of Avila