Tales from Africa: part one

I have just returned from my long-awaited trip to Ghana, Africa. 

I left June 30th and got back July 14th.

After practically two weeks away from home, I had many unsure expectations of how the trip would go.

But God exceeded all of them in ways I never would have predicted.

So, over the next few blog posts, I shall divulge into some little snippets of my experiences in Accra, Ghana.

Preparation:

I'm not going to lie to you, but a couple days before this trip I was dying inside...freaking out is more like it. Questionable thoughts of, "should I even GO on this trip? is this where God wants me? should i be spending this much money before leaving for college? will the fact that some of my close friends going on the trip with me become a distraction?" yes...the cycle went on and on. Not to mention, the preparation for the trip was super intense, which didn't help things since I was spending like over $100 on stuff like toiletries, long skirts and scrubs, medicine, snacks up the wazoo, work boots, and other things like that. There were nights where I would lay in my bed at night thinking about whether or not I should back out. I would talk to my friends who were already packed days before we would leave with all their stuff together and they would say, "I'm so excited! Can you believe we are going to Africa?!?" I would nod and give a half-hearted-fake, "yeahhhh..." but inside I was about to burst into tears and run away from all this fast-paced chaos. I kept thinking that if I just had more time to think it over I would feel better. But it wasn't time that I needed. It wasn't excitement that I needed. And it wasn't the right "stuff to bring" that I needed. I simply needed God. And if it took a trip to another continent to realize that was what I had been brushing to the side for the past 2 months then so-be-it...because the experiences that I had, I would not trade those for all the money in the world. 

Day 1: 

After a 10ish-hour flight from Atlanta, Georgia (even with sleeping pills, it is never fun to sleep in the upright position just saying), we were finally in Accra, Ghana!!! The feeling that "I was in Africa" did not hit me, but the wave of nose-clenching B-O from the airport definitely hit me like a hurricane. As we were departing from the airport to the outside world, everywhere I turned were dark-skinned Africans...yeah we were definitely in the minority now! Men who randomly came up to us from the parking lot kept trying to take our bags from us claiming that they would help us carry them (but actually all they wanted was money). The drive to where we would be staying (which was a college called Maranatha University College) was a culture shock within itself! The driving was terrifying as cars just did whatever they wanted coming in such close proximity with each other that to Americans, it would be considered a wreck. People would just be strolling by with HUGE baskets, stacks of food, items for sale, or laundry piled high on their heads. People would walk straight up to a moving car and try to sell stuff and random kids would just be sitting or walking beside the street. 

Once we got to Maranatha, we were greeted by Enoch Thompson, the pastor of the church that we would be partnering with and helping clean up (Messiah-Baptist Church). Little did we know that that man would greatly impact all of our lives. We had our first meal that wasn't too questionable, rice (alot of it), chicken, and water. I was surprised at how, not only edible, but how good it actually was. First fear of the trip, conquered :) 

Sleeping accommodations were pretty decent as well! I got to room with one of my close friends Meredith Velez...what a blessing she was to sleep next to every night (not to mention we both slept under her mosquito net which made us feel like two little princesses haha). Bathrooms...well at least we had toilets...now did they always flush? no. Did the water for the showers always work? yeah...definitely not (BUCKET SHOWERS ALL THE WAY) but...God blessed us in so many ways that by the end of the trip, it was nothing :) 

Oh here's our room: