Things Draw to a Close

Well, everyone, it appears we have just about reached the end of our trip. As much as it feels like we've been here a long time, I can't believe that we're coming home on Saturday. But there will be time for reminiscing later; let me tell you about this past week.

On Saturday, we went to Takoradi, a costal city in the Western Region. Matt and I woke up really early, because we had to take a taxi with Rich to a meeting place and then ride a tro-tro (van) with some other people to Takoradi. The place really isn't all that far, but the roads to get there are bad, so everything takes longer. It probably took about three hours to get there. We went to participate in a Navs conference on discipleship. The speaker was a Nigerian man and he did a great job. Some others shared, and then we had two Bible studies and talked about the topic in small groups. It really wasn't that long of a program, just a few hours, but it was good. Then we climbed back in the tro-tro and started the journey back. The thing about Ghana is that traffic is an incredible factor in going places. Somehow the trip back took over six hours. But we made and Matt and I were more than happy to crawl into the comfortable taxi to go the rest of the way home.

Sunday, we went to church with Rich and worked with the youth again. It felt good being in the Bible study, especially, because I knew people a little better this time and felt like I could challenge them with a few things. We had a really good discussion on receiving peace from God.

Monday was a fun day. We went out with our team, Kwesi, and Akwia on a trip to see the largest dam and lake in Ghana. This was another pretty long trip, but it was good just to spend some more time hanging out as a team. And, as usual, some really good challenges and encouragement came out of conversations with people along the way. The dam was pretty impressive and the area around it was beautiful. Definitely a good time.

Tuesday was a recovery day. Matt and I went out and had some fun around the city. Oh PS, if you're in a foreign country, don't assume you can walk anywhere you could in the US. Matt and I stepped on this little patch of grass and were seconds later threatened with our lives by some renigade mall employee. Classic line from that interaction: "Don't you here me calling you?! Don't you know this is my country?! I can harm you!"

Wednesday was the day of our closing team meeting. Tom asked Matt and I to lead the devotional for the morning. We had a really good talk about Luke 17 and Philippians 3 that made us think about what we're taking away from this trip and where we go from here. I'm really thankful for the team we've had here; they've been awesome.

On Wednesday night, Matt and I made an "American meal" for Rich and Gina. The menu: pancakes, bacon, and Jello. Gina had seen pancakes before because she worked with an airline and traveled around, but they were new to Rich. Syrup was new to both of them. And I think the Jello was the biggest hit of the evening. We made it in glasses and Rich thought it was pretty cool that he could turn over his glass and the Jello would stay put. We gave them some small gifts and said thank you. It was a really nice evening.

Tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday morning are all that stand between me and the plane taking me back to America. I've really enjoyed this trip, but I'm ready to come home. See you soon!