Changes

February 18, 2008

Today was probably the busiest day yet. We started off with a trip to the orphanage. King James orphanage is a part of the SPANKO orphanage group (I add this only because I just realized it). The night before we had stayed up late and made packages for the children so that they can have school supplies and a new toy (beanie baby) as a reminder of love; we handed these packages out today and the kids were pretty excited about it. Some of the older ones weren’t so thrilled with the beanie baby but the whole package should go a long way. The first child that came up to me had a great smile on his face. I asked him his name and a said something, which I couldn’t hear, so I assumed he had responded in Twi, the main language. As it turns out, my new friend is deaf. So my goal between today and the next visit is to learn some sign. What I’ve learned however is the power of a smile and a hug. When I learned a small part of this child’s story, he was picked off of the street by police several days ago, my heart was warmed. He is a child who is more excited to be hugged and loved than to be linguistically understood. I am overwhelmed by the power of love here. I can’t wait to return and spend more time with the beautiful children there. After the orphanage we left for the First United Women’s shop. Our day had gotten off to a slow start so everything was very hectic. We arrived at the First United Women’s shop where there is no front door and all of the women are essentially standing outside. They sow in the “shop” and dye the cloth outside. The pictures from the surrounding area are pretty amazing. The level of poverty in the area is astounding. The vibrant colors of the dye that these women produce provide a stark contrast to the dusty, half assembled landscape. I can’t wait to show people the shirts that I purchased and the pictures of their cloths. Once we were done chatting with the ladies, buying cloth and making balloon animals for the women and some neighboring children, it was time to jump back on the bus and head to the Cultural Center. When we got to the cultural center we had about an hour and a half before closing so I had to rush around to get to the shops I wanted to see. I had been pulled aside by a man after making several purchases and he told me he had some good Djembes to sell. Well, he was wrong. His prices were high, his drums were small and they were not of good quality. When I made it apparent I wasn’t interested, his “associates” decided that they would try to persuade me to buy other goods. I learned a very good lesson; walk away. I then ventured up to the actual drum shop, where I got to see some fruits of some amazing labor. They showed me their “workshop,” which translates to a tree stump as a stool and a string to dry goat skins on. There were wood shavings everywhere, and they showed me a bunch of their photo’s of them making drums. They then let me hang out and drum with them so I could test the instruments and make a purchase. The three that I bought were pretty good quality and a really good value. The most important thing that I experienced personally was a realization of the change that God can place in our lives. We can never be comfortable with our situation or we become complacent and we will miss the beautiful opportunities before us. God has used this project to make Change and it can be seen in the dyed cloth of the First United Women, and on the faces of the children. This gives new meaning to our slogan, today has given it purpose and reality.