Saying goodbye to Ghana was hard to do, but look what God had waiting for me the next day. Olivia Grace was kind enough to wait until Monday, March 31 at 5:49 am to make her entrance into the world (I don't know how excited Tiffany was with the wait, however). Of course, she's beautiful and ever so precious. She has her Daddy's eyes.
Look below at what I came home to. I won't lie and say I miss the 95 degree humid heat of Ghana; however, it was a bit of a shock to see snow as we flew into Flint on Sunday evening. Then, only two weeks later, we awoke to two inches of snow yesterday (April 15). Welcome to Michigan.!!!! It was great to have a week to catch up on all the work my students did while I was gone since I came back to Spring Break. However, I was also excited to catch up with my "kids" and share Ghana with everyone as well. The first day back to school (April 7) was great. I wore my Archbishop Porter skirt and spent all day sharing with my students. Can't wait to do more once I have had time to process the experience and organize everything. Ghana was all I expected and so much more.
The hardest part of leaving was saying farewell to so many new friends. Below are Christian, my host teacher, Bentum (another teacher at Porter), and Linda, my fellow teacher and traveler from California. I would have loved to stay longer and really get a chance to work with the students more personally and to talk with and learn from them. There was so much we didn't get a chance to do (and I'm not talking about seeing Ghana). It's the people I'll miss most. The girls and everyone else made us feel so welcome; I just wanted to be a real part of their school and their lives for a longer time. Yes, we were all tired and ready to return to home, family, and school (and I couldn't wait to see what Josh and Tiff would have as a welcome home); but now, three weeks later, there is a hole that only Ghana can fill. Many people have asked about my experience and I find it difficult to put into words. Again, it all comes down to the people who welcomed me into their lives and world--that's hard to share with anyone who hasn't experienced it.
I need to find/make time to keep the connections that were established and make sure this experience is more than simply the two weeks spent in Ghana. I know God had a reason for my going and has a plan for what comes next. Jeremiah 29:11 seems a fitting way to end this post.
God says to me (and to all of you) "I know the plans I have for you. ...Plans to prosper you ...and give you hope and a future." I don't know what that plan is, but then again, a year ago at this time, I didn't know that Ghana was part of His plan for me. I need to trust His plan for me and for my new Ghana "family" as well. I hope and pray that all who read this can also place their trust in our God who has definitely proven Himself trustworthy.
Thanks for joining me on this journey. While this may be all from Ghana, there's always Olivia to chronicle. Who knows what God's awesome plans hold.
