Well, after two days of travel, it was finally time to get to work. Patricia is a Dagomba nurse, and had prepared detailed notes for her passionate, health lectures on Cholera, Malaria, Meningitis, breast cancer, prostate cancer, Ebola, Tuberculosis, and HIV, just to name a few. She arrived with a large smile, ready to help. Everyone, when they first step up to a black carbon fiber tripod with large microphone angled up at their face, and a silly-looking white guy hunched over a laptop, studying sound levels, feels a bit intimidated. “Take a small step closer to the microphone”. “Ok, now take one more”. Ok, how about one more”. However, after a few timid steps, Patricia was a Lioness! Her explanations became more passionate with every passing hour as she stood in the blistering heat under a hot metal roof. She provided critical health information in her native language. Her passion and strength was exciting!   I, on the other hand, melted into a colorful, but still smiling puddle on the floor.

I’m not sure how well this will work, but here is a link to a short video of Patricia’s lecture on HIV (<– click that link)

 

Later in the day, we took a break by cooling off outside the small church and playing with the local kids who were returning home from school. This area of Ghana is about 90% Muslim, so some of the children attend Islamic schools and a few were on their way home for prayers, which are called out from the loudspeakers of the mosques five times a day.

Michael and Matthew played some games with the children and then got out the bubble wand, for some silly time. As the afternoon sun began cast longer and longer shadows, several of the women brought out chairs and grass mats to talk and tutor their children as they did homework. Others prepared food, chopping or grinding tomatoes and hot peppers. Beth spent some time talking to them, learning their names, and of course laughing together. The children learn English in school, and the colorfully dressed women encouraged the shy kids to tell us their name, and their age.

 

 

 

In the evening, we cooked ourselves a meal at the guest house and talked about what we had learned during the day.

Michael:  Everyone said that Ghanaians were friendly, and they are the friendliest people I have ever met.  They are so nice.

Matthew: The kids are very independent.  They are on their own, walking to school, taking care of each other, and some are quite young.

Indeed.

Truck update: The repairs were completed in Accra yesterday, so Ray began the long drive north at dawn. He made it to 1.5 hours from Tamale, and it broke down again. He was able to get it towed to Tamale where he hopes to get it repaired tomorrow. So, we are still without a dedicated vehicle, and very grateful to our new friend, Stella who continues to drive us around, depending on others to help with her own three boys (ages 3, 5 & 7). Please pray for Ray and his truck!

Oh, and you can leave a comment by clicking the link at the top, under the post title.  I’ll read it to the team members.

-Pete