Kelsey Adler Reporting from Ghana

I’m apologizing ahead of time for how long this is!

This is my second time in Ghana, and I must start by saying that this time, things are different. Not in a bad way whatsoever, but in a way where I can see God working in me, and through me. My first time in Ghana was my first time away from home, and my first time out of the country. I was only 17 then, a high school senior with so much more to learn. I experienced things I never had before, and I viewed Ghana as this exotic, far away land.

I knew this trip was different from my first trip when we were on the bus, leaving the airport heading towards the hotel. As I looked out the window, I saw familiar sites, but inside, I didn’t have the excited feeling I had felt once before. This time, I wasn’t shocked or amazed by a palm tree or small village. When I saw these things, it felt like I was home, driving in town, seeing things that were a part of my everyday life. This trip, I have realized that Ghana is my second home. And because if this, this trip can be all about serving the people of Ghana, and not about my wants. This time, I can fully devote myself to using God’s love to help others.

Now, here’s what we did today:

Today was a day that was surely blessed by the Lord. We started our morning with a breakfast of toast, omelets, oatmeal, and fresh fruit from the market (we are truly spoiled here in Ghana). Once breakfast was finished, the woman of the group were measured by a seamstress because dresses are being made for us as a gift from our friends here. After that, five of us hopped on the bus and headed to a school called the Brilliant Academy. On the way, we picked up our friends Johnson and Redeemer, and our friend Bless met us there. When we arrived, we were greeted with a warn welcome full of smiling faces and shouting children. Brilliant Academy is not how you would imagine a typical school. The classrooms are little huts with straw roofs and dirt floors. How can children learn like that, you Americans out there might ask? Well let me tell you, the children and teachers at Brilliant Academy smarter than most Americans their age. Many children can speak 3-4 languages and one class of 10 year old students were learning about the oxidization levels of the elements. It’s called Brilliant Academy for a reason! In comparison to America, the people in Ghana have much less material things, yet they are so much happier than us Americans could ever be. You could have a billion dollars and still not be as happy as my Ghanian friends! While at Brilliant, we read the children stories and painted their hands and placed them on a white sheet to send back to a school in America. We spent the afternoon drinking fresh coconut milk and spending one on one time with all of the children. There is no greater joy than sitting on the ground with a baby on your lap, completely surrounded and smothered by children, singing songs of praise. At Brilliant, we met so many new friends who will always have a spot in our hearts. Then John Doe, the founder of Brilliant Academy, announced that each of us would be teaching the students. None of us had prepared a lesson, so we all had to improv. I talked about animals and showed the kids pictures of my dogs. The children said that they were the most beautiful dogs they have ever seen! I discussed snow and New York and talked about the differences in water in Ghana and water in America. At the end of my lesson, I taught the children the Macarena, and then we all pretended to be chickens. The children even taught me how to dance like a Ghanian, and laughed when I tried to dance. Though this could be seen as embarrassing, I was willing to do whatever it took to make the children laugh. Everyone wrapped up their lessons and we were on our way back to the hotel.

At 7, the whole team got on the bus and headed to a youth service in Ho. Tonight, the youth service was conducted by our team, and was similar to YoungLife club. We arrived and immediately began singing and dancing and praising God in the way of the Ghanians, full of joy and passion. We taught the Ghanians how to play a game, we taught them a song in sign language, and the choir (Jes, Lauren, Kelly, Madison, Mick, and I) sang the group a song in Ewe (a Ghanian language). We then sat and listened while Pastor David and Lauren shared a message. We ended the meeting with more singing and even more dancing. When the service was done, and most people had cleared the room, Jes, Lauren, and I danced without any reserve to the beautiful music. It was an experience I will NEVER forget. I couldn’t stop smiling, and never wanted to stop dancing and praising the Lord. We all said goodbye to our friends and got on the bus. On the bus, Lauren, Barb and I sang Elvis songs and I thought to myself, “Could this day get any better?”. And it did. When we returned the hotel, we gathered on the porch and shared french fries and laughs. Two things need to be explained. First, it is that the French fries in Ghana are the best French fries in the entire world. And second, most of the laughing was at me (side note, I did not graduate last in my class, thank you very much Mick).

I love being in Ghana, and I hope that one day, all of my friends and family will get to see what Ghana is really like. Ghana is a country that is filled with kind and generous friends, all who love the Lord with everything inside of them. Akpe na mawu! Thanks be to God!

Hi mom and dad!

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