Saturday, January 14th
I set my alarm for 1:15 am (old time) when I went to bed last night, so I could get ready by 6:45 (Ghana time). Ken, Jes (from NY) and I walked into the market in Ho to get fruit for breakfast. We bought 4 of the most amazing pineapples I have ever tasted, a watermelon and 2 bags for $5.00. After breakfast we met up with several of the local Ghanaian pastors, their wives, a young child and a nurse from a local village health clinic.
I had the pleasure of sitting with the nurse, Eunice, on our 2.5 hour drive to the villages we would be visiting. We talked at length about the health care system (or lack thereof) in Ghana and in the United States. She told me about the clinic that she serves in the southern part of the Volta region. It was started about a year ago as a partnership between the Ghanaian government and WHO (World Health Organization). She runs a child welfare clinic and family planning clinic (that includes AIDS prevention education). She would also like to start an antenatal clinic (prenatal care). I asked her what she saw as the most important needs of the clinic. She was quick to answer “Lights”. There is no electricity in the area so she uses a small battery powered lantern to read in the evenings and if there are any emergencies in the building. She said that she would like to have a solar panel for power. The second need is for medication. The most prevalent illness that she sees is malaria and she often does not have the medication necessary to treat it. The third need is for an exam table so that she could start the antenatal clinic. I found myself praying often during the day for God to show us how we can help in this situation. We will be going to her clinic in Hil Have on Wednesday and I am sure there will be plenty more to write then!
We visited one small village in Wli that had a well fixed this year (paid for by Eastern Hills/CrossRoads). It had been put in by another organization but had not been working for 3 or 4 years. There was a small ceremony in which the elders of the community thanked the team for the fresh water that is so vital to their health. We all had so much fun visiting with the children who swarmed us to see themselves on our cameras!
We then headed to a larger village in Wli. They served us lunch in one of their homes and then we participated in a church service with lots of dancing and singing. God was so obviously alive and with us in the church. After the church service the team handed out vitamins and de-worming medication. The children were in one line and the adults in another. Each person would go through the line and were marked with an X to indicate they had received the medication. One of my favorite moments of the day was during the medication distribution. The children surrounded me at one point while I was taking pictures. I was able to learn their names and talk to them about my children and how they were the same age as they were. We also visited another well whose repair was funded by the Eastern Hills/CrossRoads team. I attempted to carry one of the water bowls, empty of course, and I don’t know how they do it!!!
We have many pictures to share when we get back, but here are a few to tease you all! We are so blessed being here, God is working in all of us. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow!
Kelly (for Diane and David)
Kelly’s Reflections on the Day
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