Day 19: The Road Ahead Will Be Treacherous

4:00am came way too early! We all wanted to just hit the snooze button on our alarms and go back to sleep, but the day ahead would be one of our most memorable adventures on this trip. We all loaded up on the van around 5:00am and were headed from Accra to Kumasi where we would stay two nights and three days at the House of Grace. For those of you who don’t know what this special place is, it is a home that Dr. Mark Rutland, the current president of ORU, started about a year ago on the same compound as the Trinity Foundation School. Founded about 6 years ago, the Trinity school that provides education to approximately 225 children from preschool to fourth grade. The House of Grace is a girl’s home for Ghanian girls whose families are either deceased or are no longer able to care for them. Currently there are ten girls residing in the home.  The neat thing about this is that there are ten of us girls who traveled half way across the world to present one of these ten girls with multiple gifts that God has provided for them in various ways.

Our drive from Accra to Kumasi was about four hours long and it was a treacherous journey to say the least.  Bumpy roads that went on for miles, our heads bouncing off of our pillows with each bump, lack of sleep and having to go through three different police traffic stops along the way doesn’t even begin to describe how the day started off. We did however happen to stop at a red traffic light where we bought fried plantain chips through our van window…talk about a much needed and delicious treat! These chips are so much better than our potato chips back in America…much healthier too!

Our beloved plantain chips!

We arrived at the House of Grace around 10:00am on Monday morning and as soon as we got off of the van the children came running. It was such a wonderful greeting as the children were waving to us, hugging us and even got in a circle to sings songs of worship with all of us. We may have been distracting them just a little bit from their schoolwork but they were so accepting of us and so adorable that we couldn’t help not to play with them and ask them their names.

Singing songs with all of the little ones!

The children then went back to their classrooms and each of us went to go pick out the rooms that we would sleep in for the next two nights. The house we stayed in is Pastor Sammy and his wife Comfort’s home. Once again, I am in awe of how loving and accepting the Ghanian people are of us. Pastor Sammy and Comfort have made all of us feel so at home here. Comfort made us delicious Ghanian food and homemade cookies just about every meal, and Pastor Sami told us some great stories about his life and how he met Dr. Rutland. These two people truly are a gift from God to us.

Chelsea sitting in on one of the school classes.

After we settled in to our rooms, we all decided to lie down and take a much needed nap due to our lack of sleep from waking up so early. Some of us napped longer than others but once we were all awake we felt very rested. After our naps we decided to go meet each of our girls at the House of Grace, and as we walked through the front door we saw all ten girls standing in front of us with three different signs that they had made welcoming us to their home. It was such a heartwarming experience and one moment that I will never forget. We played with the girls for a few more minutes then headed back to the house where Comfort had made us a delicious Ghanain dinner along with juicy mango and pineapple.

Upon finishing dinner we gathered things to take over to the girls that had been donated specifically for our trip to Kumasi. Some of these donated items were from 2012 Alumni Matt and Rachel Ortiz who had come on the Africa trip last year. They graciously donated ten backpacks with all sorts of goodies inside for each girl to have as her own. Other items that we brought over for the girls included coloring books, crayons and a pair of shoes.  Each girl’s face lit up that evening as we kept showering them with gifts. It was like Christmas in February! It’s moments like these that make me want to stop and take a minute to thank God for the opportunities He has given me throughout my life and for providing me with a wonderful and supportive family. For these girls the road has been treacherous but thanks to the House of Grace, they can now look ahead to the future.

The girls with their new blankets and goodies from inside their backpacks!

The girls with their new backpacks donated by Matthew and Rachel Ortiz! The girls lit up when they got them!

These shoes were bought with money donated to our team...the girls were so excited!

We played with our girls until it was time for them to go get ready for bed. None of them wanted us to leave but we told them that we would come back over the next day as soon as they got out of school. Their efforts to try and get us to stay were so persistent but we had to let them go so that they could be up bright and early the next morning on time for school.

Coloring with our girls.

Just as God has plans for all of our lives, He also has specific plans for these adorable little girl’s, and He will richly bless them in their walk with Him. Dr. Rutland’s House of Grace slogan states that they are “Saving Little Girls for Big Destinies,” and through those big destinies, each one of these girls will one day go out and change their world.

Kayla J. Keiser

Day 18: A Day of Honor

 This Sunday was special. We sang “10,000 Reasons” and finally performed our long awaited Ghanaian song. Katelyn blew people away with her beautiful voice. Sadly it did not come out how we practiced it but the people still enjoyed it. Dr Ablorh was back from his crusade in Cameroon and we got to hear him preach for the first time. What made today’s service special was when the leaders of the church honored us unexpectedly.

We all got sashes with the Ghanaian flag colors and our individual names across the sides. Caren was the first to be called. “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness (Matthew 25:23),” they read out loud. None of us could hold back our tears of joy. It was like Jesus welcoming us into the kingdom. Wow, what an experience. We definitely did not expect that.

After service we were summons into Dr Ablorh’s office where he prayed for each member of the group. We each kneeled on a pillow and he laid his hands on our head. He prophesized over us and gave each of us a word. He told me that I would never be alone and that God was always with me. He was Emmanuel to me. He told Vanessa that she would bare fruit even in a drought. She would never wither but survive. He told Kayli to stop fighting the battle He already won. Kayla was told that she would exceed. He also prayed for the three medical students who are staying with us. Finally he had us pray for him, what an honor! He is such an anointed man of God.

We have been treated like royalty; we got to eat in one of his rooms while we waited for the second service. The second time around we sang our song without any instruments and were able to hit that key that we have rehearsed for so long. It was a hit! I think it meant a lot to people that we learned something in their language. After service we came home to change but ended up singing to aunty Grace, our cook, because she was not able to make it to service. Despite the many times she had heard us practice, it was as if she had heard us for the first time. Tears rolled down her cheek because she was touched. She said we were anointed. We all gathered around aunty Grace, Mercy, and Dina. I know they felt loved and appreciated, as they should.

After singing for Aunty Grace - this was such a special moment!

We later got ready to have lunch at Dr Ablorh’s house. We had yummy sliced yam, peanut chicken soup, rice balls, fried rice, and melon seed with fish. It was delicious. It was nice to just gather around Dr Ablorh and hear him tell stories about ORU students and their divine appointments including how he was accepted to ORU medical school.

Our delicious Ghanaian lunch!

They were only accepting thirty students out of three hundred applicants. The potential students were interviewed on camera and critiqued by a panel. When asked, why should we choose you over the rest, Dr Ablorh replied, “If you chose me, you will rejoice over it for the rest of your life. If you do not you will regret it the rest of your life.” His bold statement definitely made him stand out. But it is true, he has done a lot for Ghana and for the kingdom of God. It turns out that one of the panel members that reviewed his interview years ago took a missions trip to Ghana. Through a divine appointment, this panel member met Dr Ablorh in his office. When he saw his ORU diplomas hanging on the wall, he cried. He said, “ I am so glad I didn’t have to get to heaven in order to see this come to pass.

We also got to witness Dr Ablorh open his creatively wrapped gift of an array of teas, ranch dressing, and a coffee mix from America. His birthday is tomorrow. So the original plan was to go to Coco beach but everything changed in a minute. Dr Ablorh received a phone call and asked Ms. Poore and Dr Catts to attend his council meeting with the President! He was asked to bring four friends and he asked for some of us to come and sing the Ghanaian song. Katelyn, our song leader, randomly named some people from our group and we were asked to practice right then and there. We had exactly one hour to get ready and be on our way. This was all too exciting and unbelievable. The verse came to mind where it talks about a man’s gifts makes room for him.

Dr. Ablorh opening his birthday present!

So the beach plans were canceled and well the other half of the girls were supportive and actually prayed for the lucky half that got to go. We all had to rush and frantically get ready but we made it on time. We were able to get ready in half an hour. We were all excited and rehearsing in the car. Lina also gave a heartfelt prayer for Ghana and its leadership. We prayed that God would have His way in Ghana and for the president to be led. What an Honor!

Kayla, Kayli, Lina, Katelyn and Jennifer headed to the Castle and ready to sing!

We finally made it to the white house or Castle as they called it. It was a secured white building with history written all over its wall. The beachfront was beautiful and the castle looked mysterious. I wondered about its history, I did not know much about Ghana’s government. We were told that there were no cameras allowed and to not speak unless we were spoken to.

As we entered in the room, we squeezed into the few empty chairs in a small chapel room. We got to sit up front and definitely stood out from the rest despite us wearing our African –made dresses. The service was well structured and the Word of God was read. I kept wondering who the President was. When it came time for Dr Ablorh to speak we were introduced as the ORU nursing students that would usher everyone into the presence of God. My heart was pounding. We all crammed to the front and the pianist matched us wonderfully. What an honor!

The service was only an hour long. Towards the end we were informed the President did not make it to the meeting. I was disappointed but later realized that I sat with the President’s Cabinet! We sang for very important people in Ghana’s White house! I never considered myself a singer or privileged enough to get to meet such important people. But God reminded me that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood. Another divine appointment was when the minister of health asked Dr Ablorh about training nurses here in Ghana. Manna Mission is in the process of building their first nursing school. Dr Catts and Ms Poore were introduced to her and we shall see what God does. He truly is in control of every detail and works behind the scene even when we think our dreams are long gone.    

Jennifer Cordon

          

Day 17: Shopping and Beach Day

Shopping was so much fun. It was like treasure hunting. There were so many vendors and little shops. I wish we had enough time and Cedis to get something from every store. It was almost overwhelming. With all our estrogen combined, we were ready to shop. Some of us were ready to bargain and some of us dreaded it. It went a little something like this; you ask for the price of a desired good and act surprise at the response. Then name your price and they will repeat their price and the cycle continues. If they do not go down on the price then walk away and play hard to get. Pretty soon you will be summons and the negotiation continues. Eventually the price will be what you want it. Of course you do not want to drop it so low where they don’t get anything but since we are bronis (white people) they are tempted to think we are rich.

One of the neat handmade pieces at our first shopping stop! 

One of the roadside vendors in Accra. 

I really enjoyed bargaining. While most of us shopped, Ms Poore went around sharing the gospel by asking vendors if they knew Jesus. Many of the shops carried carved wooden idols and creepy masks. We made sure to stay away from those. We also asked what the symbols meant on our new toys. Our treasures ranged from drums, paintings, bracelets, knives, purses, and fans. After shopping we headed home for a quick delicious lunch. Then we headed for the beach.

This would make our second time at the beach and it was quite different. We didn’t expect to run into so many people. It was like a party. The music was blaring and the waves were high. It was a cloudy day but the heat was still present. We did get a lot of stares and some people actually started filming us. We had a group of people starting to gather around us but Dr Catts quickly became our bodyguard. After that no one really approached us. Despite all the attention we got, we still felt safe and enjoyed our time at the beach. Our time there came quickly to an end.

The group known as the Ka's (or Ca's..haha) during this trip...: )

So much fun in the ocean! 

We arrived at the house to eat our dinner and had our Doxy of course. This was the night before our grand performance so we made sure to practice our song. After devotions, Joe Fox also came to return our readjusted dresses and I got mine for the first time. I was amazed at his intricate attention to what I had requested. He did far above what I could have imagined. We all tired on our dresses once again and posed for a picture. We were so excited to wear our dresses and sing on Sunday.

Jennifer Cordon

     

Day 16: He is the Potter, I Am the Clay

Bitter sweet would be the words I would use to describe this day. It would be the last time that we wear our white nursing caps, white shirts and skirts, and white shoes. It was the last clinical day that we would have in the Manna Mission Hospital.

It was an eventful day just like any other! We all headed to the hospital for devotions where Katelyn, Jennifer and Kayli each shared a short testimony to a crowd full of hospital faculty and patients. God was definitely moving that morning throughout the hospital as we participated in devotions and worship. After devotions were over, we went to the different clinical wards that we were assigned. Abby, Lina and Kayli were all assigned to the operating room where Kayli got the opportunity to be first assist to the doctor during a myomectomy. Lina and Abby were able to stay with and comfort the anxious patient by holding her hands. It’s amazing what holding a patient’s hand can do…comfort is the best medicine! The surgery lasted for about two and a half hours and all three girls were exhausted when they arrived back home that evening.

Katelyn delivering her devotion. 

Kayli assisting with surgery. 

Janice and Jennifer went to the academy where they each got the opportunity to teach a class. Jennifer reviewed for a test with her class while Janice taught division in another. Helping these children learn here is such a blessing not only to them, but for us as well. They have all stolen our hearts…we’ve even begged Ms. Poore and Dr. Catts to let us bring a few of them home. They are all so wonderful, so full of joy and love to take “snaps” (as Ms. Poore calls it) or pictures with anyone.

Group A (Chelsea, Caren, Vanessa, Katelyn and myself (Kayla)) went back to the mission house around 11am to have lunch and get our things together for our second (and biggest) presentation of the three that we were to present for our group community project. This time around we presented in Morris Hall in the Manna Mission Church where we had quite a turnout! There were about 20 to 30 people who came to learn about our three different topics that included: pediatric burns, triage management, and neonatal resuscitation. There were many people that had really good questions to ask us and they all seemed like they were very eager to learn. Something that I noticed to be very different from our culture in America is that many tend to have the attitude that they know everything as an educated professional, this is not the case here in Ghana. They are all willing to ask questions to anyone no mater their own rank in society or how much education they’ve had…that’s why I love it here, these people are indescribable. They have amazing hearts and are willing to take the shirt off their back just to make our group feel at home.

Group A ready for their teaching. 

Kayla delivering her teaching on triage management.

Group B (Kayli, Jennifer, Janice, Lina and Abbey) also got the opportunity to present earlier today to classes one through three at the Manna Mission Academy. They taught the children on the topics of environment, nutrition, and hygiene. The children were very accepting and participated by asking and answering multiple questions.

The kids coloring their pictures during Group B's teaching.

Later Friday night Group A presented for the last and final time back at the hospital…the projects were fun but we were all so happy to finally finish them! As we were all walking back from our presentation up to the porch of the mission house, we heard a familiar voice. To our surprise it was Joe Fox…the tailor who was making our African dresses for us! He definitely has an amazing spirit and was willing to even lose some much needed sleep just so that he could finish our dresses on time for us to wear to church this coming Sunday. Joe handed each of us our dresses and we quickly ran upstairs to go try them on. We then ran back down stairs for the soon to be fashion show that we would put on in our living room for some of the Manna Mission staff that were helping us practice our two African songs. We were all in amazement at the astonishing details he had added to our dresses. Some of us got buttons or jewels, some had bows and others had lace…we all looked so beautiful! This is once again another example of how willing these people are to serve others for Jesus.

Most of us with our beautiful dresses made by Joe Fox!

God has definitely shown his presence throughout this place. His love is so great and we have been able to share His love with many people here at the Mission in many different ways. The Lord is our potter and we are the clay…he is molding us through our experiences on this trip to prepare us for a future that is unimaginable. It’s amazing the miracles that He has performed over the past 2 weeks during our stay here in Accra. I will never forget the faces I’ve met and the lives I’ve helped change all because God had a special plan for my life to come on this wonderful adventure.

Kayla J. Keiser

Day 15: Island Adventures

The sun was not out….neither should we have been, but indeed we were. 5:30 am came too early, but we were loaded and ready to hit the road. Off to Ada we went!

Ada is an island village. There is a school, church and many homes there. Some of the residents never leave the island while others commute, by boat, some days of the week.

Our team, plus a team of hospital staff, loaded two fishing boats ready to go have clinic on the island. It took about 20-30 minutes to get from dock to shore. There was a nice breeze blowing as we took in the scenery and mentally prepared for our day ahead. Our boat time was complete with sing alongs, of our new Ghanaian worship songs and, of course, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. We soon arrived on shore where we unloaded and headed back to where our clinic would be held.

The hospital team across the water from us. 

The island was beautiful. It was neat to get a glimpse of the way people live there. Our clinic included eye exams, blood pressure screenings, HIV testing, Malaria testing, breast exams, doctor visits, prayer and pharmacy. All of us got to participate in different parts of the clinic. The response from the people was incredible. We had to shut down sign in because we were running out of time. We ended up staying about 3 hours longer than planned, but it was evident that we were needed there.

Unloading at the island.

Janice performing Malaria tests.

For some of the ones who never leave the island this was the only medical attention they have received since this time last year. It was awesome to be involved with this experience.

Lina was in the prayer section for most of the day. Her experience there told us all our purpose for today. She had the opportunity to lead a woman to Christ. She did not speak English, but one of the Manna Mission pastors translated for Lina and they lead her through the prayer together. Lina’s experience was God’s reason for us all being there at the time that we were. He knew what that woman’s spirit yearned for, but He needed an avenue to fulfill her heart. That story will forever live in our memory, as will all of the people blessed by our services on the island today.

The woman Lina had the opportunity of leading to Christ.

It is amazing to see how God uses each person in a different way. Through the counting of pills, the taking of blood pressures, breast exams, prayer or even just a touch on the arm. God used our experience to touch the lives of His people. An island secluded from everyday civilization is still not secluded from God’s grace. God sees each one of us because He has a call on our lives. Even the people residing in Ada can see that God cares for them.

I, as I am sure the rest of my team feels, will never forget the experience of Ada. From travelling on bumpy roads, to loading up a fishing boat, to ushering a woman to Christ – God used today to bless so many lives.

Leaving Ada - the children helped and escorted us out. 

The children of Ada waving goodbye as we left.

Upon conclusion of the clinic we packed up and headed back to the mission house – our home here in Ghana. We ate, rested and talked about our day. After a couple of hours it was time for half of our team to do their first presentation at the hospital.

It had been a long day, but they went to the hospital at 9 pm ready to teach the night staff about neonatal resuscitation, pediatric burns and triage management. The teaching was successful and they had some good pointers to enhance their next two teachings in the days to follow.

Chelsea and Caren teaching over neonatal resuscitation.

The adventures of today will forever be engrained in the memories of this team.

Kayli Koger

Day 14: Morning to Night

Mornings in ghana are wonderful, the air is still cool and we all come together with our sleepy faces to share breakfast. Our day begins at the academy with Caren, Katelyn and Vanessa doing morning devotions with the kids. They spoke on 'the Golden Rule' and included a skit and questions that got the kids interacting and getting excited about the lesson. Janice, Lina, Abby and Kayli all got to be in the operating room today for 3 c-sections and a tubal ligation. A couple of them even got to scrub in and assist the surgeon with suturing. This was exciting because one of the reasons we all came to Ghana, was to take part in rare and amazing hands-on clinical experiences that we can only be a part of while here in Africa.

Katelyn, Caren and Vanessa speaking on the Golden Rule at Manna Mission Academy.

Abby assisting with a C-section.

Caren and Katelyn stayed at the academy and taught. Katelyn taught division to the 3rd graders. Caren taught 4th graders about synonyms and antonyms and since the teacher had called in, Caren took over and had her own class. The kids loved them and scored well on all their post tests. Vanessa visited the peds ward after praying for the patients in womens ward and found a 7yr old girl crying because she was in sickle cell crisis which can be very painful. She needed an injection and vanessa was there to hold her and comfort her. Afterwards she was much calmer and we were glad to hear that in a couple of days she could go home. Jen, Kayla and I were in the eye clinic today and all agreed it was one of our favorite experiences at the hospital. Joyce, the director and main examiner at the clinic was so welcoming and patiently went through every step of a patient's visit at the clinic. When patients starting coming she also let us be a part of the examinations and showed us skills in determining the diagnosis and treatment of many eye disorders. At one point we were left alone with an elderly patient who seemed a little uncomfortable. She didn't speak much English but  we asked her if she would like us to sing for her while she waited. She nodded and as we began singing the worship and then the praise song we had learned in tree, a huge smile spread across her face. Then Ms. Joyce came in and joined us and even the patient was soon singing with us and laughing. This actually happened twice while we were there, and I have heard similar stories from the other girls on my team... I don't think we had any idea when Patience taught us those songs that God would use them so often to connect and minister to us, our patients and with the staff here.

One of Caren's students practicing their lesson in front of the class. 

Kayla examining a patient at the eye clinic.

After clinicals, the rest of the day was spent working on projects and preparing for our trip to Ada the next day. Though we aren't looking forward to a 5:30 am departure we are so excited to travel to an island and be a part of a rural clinic there. Night devotions have just been getting better, as we are beginning to trust each other and open up about our lives and our walks with God. Going to sleep we hear the far off cheers to the televised football game, the crowing of our confused rooster and wind rustling the palm leaves outside our window. Goodnight Ghana.    

Day 13: Divine Appointments

Ahhh this morning started out beautifully, slowly waking up around 9:15 am. It felt amazing and it was much needed. We all got to sleep in a little extra this morning before starting the day ahead. There were already some up and studying before the others were around, but we were all soon to follow.

We studied until about 11, when several of us decided we needed a break so we walked to a nearby stand where they sell Coke, Sprite and Fanta. Plus we got some delicious cookies for later. Upon our arrival home it was back to studying. We got another hour in and then it was time for lunch. Today’s lunch was awesome – chicken pasta salad, salad with delicious juicy tomatoes and the amazing mango and pineapple. After lunch we had another hour to study before it was time for the, not so desired, exam. Test taking in a new place is not the easiest task. There are the normal things going on for school, like studying, project work and clinicals, but on top of it all we are in Ghana. Different surroundings and exciting experiences make focusing on our studies a difficult task, but through diligence we accomplished the task. It may have been a different experience taking the exam, but that challenging nursing exam was all too familiar! 

After our exam was complete we had some time to rest and hang out before T.K. and Patience came for our next singing lesson. Our lessons are fun and filled with so much laughter. Patience was impressed by our memory of the song we learned last week, but upon teaching us the second song there was a lot of laughter about our pronunciations. We had an audience of Mission staff watching and singing with us while we stumbled to learn new rhythms and words. As much as they laugh and shake their heads they never give up hope and they are so encouraging! We have a blast dancing and laughing with our new family here at the Mission. There are so many here that we have come to love and who love us. Their hearts are so pure and compassionate. They love to serve us. After our lesson we are not feeling super confident about our second song, but we are determined to have it learned and sing it well in front of the church congregation on Sunday!

Deborah, Patience and T.K. after assisting us with our songs. Such gorgeous ladies! 

Dinner time – spaghetti with meatballs, veggies, toast and fruit – Ms. Grace, our wonderful cook, spoils us! After dinner we were all preparing to work on our projects. Some of us preparing to head to the hospital while others were gathering to practice and prepare for their presentations, but the power had other plans. Another outage, but we have learned to laugh and improvise! So we prepared for devotions by flashlight and as we started the power came back on! We finished devotions and headed off to work on projects. Five of us headed to the hospital in hopes that there was Internet for our much needed blog loading and research! But, as we soon discovered, no Internet. At the time, we were upset, but later we thanked God for His divine appointments.

As we were preparing to head back to the house to work on our projects we noticed a man, who had several deep cuts, was being stitched up in the treatment room. So, we asked if we could observe and soon, Lina was assisting with treatment. As I was leaving the treatment room to check on my other team members I heard a commotion coming from the delivery room. I grabbed Janice and Jennifer, while Abby and Lina stayed to finish up in the treatment room, and we headed to check out the situation. As we walked in the baby had just been delivered, but he was lifeless. The mother was full term, but the baby suffered stress in the womb and upon delivery there was obvious complication.

The midwife ushered the baby to the nearby nursery crib and we all began to work. The only doctor was the anesthetist who was not scheduled to be there, but he was checking on his patients who will be receiving surgery tomorrow. Us girls gloved up, rushed the baby into the operating room – the only place nearby with suction and oxygen – and began assisting the doctor with resuscitation. Lina and Abby soon joined us and they were soon followed by the OB/GYN. They do not have a Pediatrician on staff so he is the main doctor they call. We continued assisting as they suctioned, administered oxygen and started an IV. In the midst of this all, the doctor was teaching us, as he always does, and thanking us for being there.

Janice assisting the nurse. 

Assisting Dr. Chike with suctioning, monitoring and breaths.

The baby began breathing after the first couple of times to be suctioned, but it was obviously labored and distressed. He continued improving as the time went by and he became stable enough for his mommy and daddy to see him. The doctor said that this baby’s prognosis was good and he would call the nearest general hospital so the baby could be transferred to the NICU for more observation. The ambulance was in route as we were heading home.

The series of events that led us to be right where we were at the perfect time was truly incredible. The power went out, the Internet was down, we almost went home, but something held us back. We were needed in that situation tonight – the right people were present and God knew exactly what He was doing.

God needed us there at that exact time to assist with breathing life into this baby. We immediately flooded him with prayers and song. One of the songs we are learning is in Gha – one of the local languages – and it talks about the strength of King David. What a fitting song to hum and sing in the process of working on His child. God has special plans for this little one – we do not know how this situation will conclude, but we have faith that God will continue the work He began.

Even if we were just there to pray over this little boy and his mother then that was enough. We thank God for His divine appointments of today and the special calling He has for each one of us, especially that baby boy who was unnamed, but we refer to him as David.

Kayli Koger

Day 12: Monday Fun Day!

The beginning of a new week in Ghana! Today Abby, Janice and Lina stayed home to study til 2 so they could be there when the eye clinic opened. The rest of us walked down the road to the hospital to enjoy devos, which starts the day off with prayer and beautiful worship. After devos, Kayla headed to women's ward, Caren to peds, Vanessa to outpatient, me to pharmacy, Katelyn to ultrasound, Kayli to antenatal clinic and Jen to l&D. The outpatient was every busy, Vanessa became a wonder woman helping check in over 80 patients before noon. Kayla and Jen were able to give a newborn his first feeding; more clothes were given out in peds and the kids were prayed for. It seems most of them are here due to Malaria, which makes them very uncomfortable, so one of our goals is always to make them smile. The kids here have such strong faith. One 3 year old boy being comforted by his mom after getting stuck for an IV, was reminded by her quietly that Jesus would heal him and quietly he responded "amen".  Katelyn was with the amazing Dr. Chike today in ultrasound, he has been so nice, explaining things to us and helping us get the most out of our time here in the hospital. In the pharmacy I was shown all the various drugs they use and how they organize and charge them. Soon I was deciphering doctors handwriting, learning drug indications and practicing dosage calc. Most of the scripts being filled was for malaria and it's symptoms. The pharmacy is amazingly open 24/7 and the staff there was so fun and constantly asked if I was comfortable and doing okay.  After a lunch of potato soup we all headed back to the hospital. Jen and Kayla went to the school and had a blast playing hangman and taking pictures with the students. After a hot day nothing beats leaving the compound to enjoy fan ice. This time all of us went to enjoy it. Surprisingly you eat it out of a bag, tearing off the corner with your teeth and then sucking it out.  The vanilla tastes just like birthday cake! We have become faithful customers.

Kayla with some students from her class.  

Pharmacy

Janice examining Kayli's eyes. 

Caren examining Abby's eyes

Jen with some students from the Academy

      Tonight our group devotions were amazing. We talked a long time about letting God have control and how our lives can be crazy but we still trust in God. The night before we began to take turns, going two each night, sharing about our lives and how we came to ORU. Only God can bring people from so many different places and families and situations to come here to Ghana to serve and to learn together. He is so creative and I thank Him for every person here because each person has brought something invaluable to our team.

Chelsea Lairson