Lessons of Damongo

My stay in Damongo has come to a close. Tomorrow I go to Tamale, and I have no idea what I will be doing there, but I guess I’ll just roll with it… it’s what I do!! However, it is Abraham’s birthday tomorrow so he will accompany me on my trip (thank God) and meet up with Zee. It will be great to see her again. It will be a bittersweet goodbye as I really don’t like this town but LOVE the kids. The Dutch girl who was here when I arrived had been here for 6 months… I cannot even imagine how she felt leaving after that long.

Abraham and I went to say good night and good bye for me to the kids. They never cease to amuse me. He is so good with these kids. It’s really quite moving. They love him to death and light up like 46 little Christmas trees whenever they see him.

This has been a very good experience for me in many ways. Heaven forbid I get too comfortable right?

Here are a few things I have learned the last two weeks:

 -I am no longer a dirt-a-phob

-The walk to the orphanage takes me roughly 30 minutes right through the heart of Damongo. I really hated it for a while because of the why I was treated, but as my good friend Shad wrote me, “the shortest distance between two people is a smile.”

-I really don’t want to get over-confidant here, but I MIGHT be done complaining about the heat. Time will tell.

-I learned way more than I wanted to about how naïve I am when it comes to helping people. More importantly, I learned that when you hear God’s voice, you act but the result may not be what you expect.

-I have such a better concept of what it means to be a servant, which why I came to Ghana in the first place. I have been doing this fabulous study on just that and this has been an ideal place to put what I am learning into practice.

-I have been eating Ghanaian food for two weeks and didn’t die or get the runs. SUCCESS. It was very good and I got to eat with my hands!

-Real papaya is a total let down from the papaya-flavored Lip Smackers lip gloss I had in elementary school. Don't even pretend you didn't put it on just to lick it off.

-Being 9 degrees from the equator means that a person with white skin, oh like myself, who does not wear sunscreen for the first time outdoors WILL get roasted… did get roasted.

-People are not meant to be islands, and I have been prideful in thinking I could do this by myself just fine. I had my first break down and realized I still really need my mom and dad. Thank you Vodaphone.

-I learned how painful heartburn is (haha). I am finally sleeping through the night woo woo!

-I really, really hate rodents a lot more than I thought I did. I hate them more than lizards.

-I have mastered the bucket bath.

-I am writing the makers of the Clif bar a thank you when I return. They are saving me.  

-I sincerely love motorcycle rides, especially at night, though I risk my life every time I get on one. These people are the worst drivers on the planet. Galen- I am still obligated to say I think it’s a really dumb idea to get one, but if you do, I’d like to ride a long… a lot.

-Perspective is everything. Poor, little dirty orphans… not at all. They are the happiest kids in Ghana, and they are sooo loved. If you have money burning in your pockets, send it to Abraham at the Redemption Chilldren’s Home. This place is amazing.

-I am so very fortunate to have grown up the way I did.

-God answers prayers… that could be a list in itself.

I have just spent about a minute longer than I had patience for to upload pictures for you. I will try again in Tamale.

Two more things:

-My dear friend Lynn Fross made some little crosses for me to take on my trip and give to some special kids I found along my journey. He did this for me when I went to Fiji as he is always so supportive of my brothers and I. The kids absolutely loved them and were thrilled to have new “toys.” Thank you Lynn! I will get you the pictures. Your kindness has touched little hearts in Ghana, and mine as usual.

-My Carroll girls have their first post-season tournament game this evening in Billings. The kids and I worked on a “good luck” picture to send them which I will include (eventually). Good luck girls!

And finally...

Rodent Killing Advice from Aunt Deb (this made me laugh so hard- love you!):

“I was thinking if there is a way to make a trap of some sort to catch the dirty buzzard.  I've seen some traps that the animal crawls down into a hole (Kind of like a funnel) but then once it's down there it can't crawl back out.  To make it a little more cruel, you can make the end of the funnel jagged, in hopes of helping his life to end sooner than later. Now I don't know if they have anything there so that you could make something to capture the ugly mutt.  It would probably need  to be metal or something hard, otherwise he might chew thru it.  Or just get a big baseball bat and play ball!  If it didn't take so long for mail to get there I would send you a trap, but you'd probably be home before it got there.  Or since he seems to like your candy bars, You can crush up some glass and put it into the candy bar then let him eat til his bloody heart and guts can handle no more.  Then you can sleep in peace knowing that your poor friend is lying somewhere in agonizing pain, probably with a smile on his face knowing that he at least got some of your Snickers.”