Week Of June 20

This weekend was Amazing! We had Katie Pendleton (one of my friends from back home) who is volunteering in the Eastern Region at a Deaf School come to visit with 2 friends that she volunteers with named Britteny and Shayla. It was So wonderful to have them, and it made me feel like I was a lot closer to home! On Friday we went to the School for the Deaf in Hohoe and the kids there were so excited to sign with them, and Paul and I loved watching it, it is So amazing that people truly can communicate in that way. Saturday, we took them to Wli Waterfalls, my orphanage so they could play with the kids for a bit, and then the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary and the monkeys were more hungry for the bananas then I have ever seen going there and were jumping all over them, it was great! That night we made banana bread and it was a delicious success and then they taught me a new card game which was So fun. Sunday we were able to make it to church in Ho (they are all LDS) and it felt so great to be at church, the topic in every lesson was Exactly what I needed to hear. Then we said goodbye to them at the trotro station :( And I really will Miss them, I hate saying goodbye to Everyone but I've just learned that's kind of just life here with the situation we are in.

Paul's brother went to the immigration office and they said that Monday (June 27) they will be giving him my resident permit, which would be Fabulous if it really happened! Also, we had more bad luck with the car this week (seems endless) but Paul was driving the car to pick up tape to put up the For Sale sign and a taxi ran into him so the rest of the week he was hassling with the police, the mechanics, and the sprayer but finally on Friday it was restored to it's right condition. We seriously just need to be rid of it! Oh and big news :) My ring is Finally finished and all the right diamonds are on it and there is no gold missing. The design is way is different than my original ring but honestly Paul and I are just grateful to have it all back! Also, I visited CCS this last week and was able to spend a while talking with Christine, Atsu, George and of course Alfa, it is so crazy to go back there to where it all started, Good Memories! Other than that though, the week was pretty routine just going to the orphanage at 2 everyday with my adorable friend Beth and having a blast with the kids. I love my life and I'm So grateful for all my blessings I've been given, and all the support I feel from home. I know that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Week of June 13

Since last week’s blog was FOREVER long, and we are now more limited on internet, I will just make this Super brief! I still have one friend left here from the UK named Beth and this week we made some Delicious banana bread, which no one has ever tried anything like it here and Paul’s family Loved it. She and I have also been having a Blast with the kids at the orphanage this last week, bless their little hearts. We didn’t hear any news on the resident permit, but we are hoping to have it by this coming week. The jeweler said he would bring the ring by on Friday night (he of course didn’t) but Saturday when we visited, he assured us that it “I Beg” it will be done by Monday night and he would bring it over, we shall see. The Honda is finally sprayed, the starter is fixed and we now have it up for sale. We want to get rid of it so that Paul can just get an ordinary job and stop hassling everyday with it, and we can get back (hopefully) most of the money that we have spent. Paul’s dad said too that I could get a job once I get my resident permit which will be So nice for me to be busy working in the mornings and then still being able to volunteer in the afternoons. Paul and I also lately have really been getting into playing "Kings In the Corner," our favorite card game which we play for the stakes of loser buys the other juice (for Paul) or soymilk. (for me)  Everyday, we just do the best we can and as we used to have on our quote board at CCS “T.I.A. Expect the Unexpected.”

Week of June 6

This week, the phrase “This is Africa” truly was reiterated over and over again. The first couple days were spent with my friends and I with 4 of the orphans at the hospital trying to get them seen by an Actual doctor to treat two herniated Belly buttons, and a heart murmur. After a total of 11 hours spent there, getting yelled at by other waiting Ghanaians, and having a medical officer have No idea what we were talking about, we admitted the utter failure and realized that next time, we will be taking them to Accra, the big city to hopefully get help there.

Paul and I then spent the next 3 days fussing with this whole visa mess. We got up early and took the 4 hour tro tro ride on Wednesday to the Ghanaian Immigration Service in Accra, only to find out that the documents weren’t prepared for us yet so we would need to come back the next day. Well we didn’t have money to stay the night in Accra, so we had to trotro ride back to Hohoe that same night. Then Thursday morning we got up and took the most wretched trotro I’ve ever rode in, but made it safely to Accra. We filled out the forms, and Paul’s older brother Richard came to bring us the money to pay. For me to obtain a resident permit, they require my spouse (Paul) to own land? and have tax slips? haha which is So crazy because NO ONE would have that. So we ended up having to pay for not having those so the total fee was 800 cedis. (including the bribes for the missing information) Paul’s dad had sent Richard a check but the bank couldn’t cash checks that day (typical) so Richard paid for us from his pocket (so generous) and is also the Guarantor for us. Then the officers told us we would have to be coming back the next day for the final signing…. So we slept at Paul’s brothers house that night and then went (unshowered) back to the office Friday. The officers we had paid had forged like a whole file of land that Paul supposedly owned with like signatures, and stamped seals and even a blueprint of the house that was on the land haha I had Never seen anything like it. Paul just said, “It’s how things are done here.” We went up to the main office, and after being drilled with questions by the Head Commander, we were able to have the final signing and officially were accepted for our application of the resident permit. They said it would be finished in 2 weeks, and then from there we will be able to take that and file for the spousal visa with the USCIS office. After going through all that, we just marveled at the fact that the Colonel could really have fooled us that he could be “processing” anything for us… Like there is No way!
 I haven’t really mentioned this in earlier posts, but Paul gave me the most beautiful ring on the day that we were married. Both of our rings were melted from the same gold, and mine had 3 beautiful diamonds on it, the one in the center was from Paul’s mom and it was the biggest and it was square. There was a slight discoloration on one of the holders for the diamond though, so the jeweler that made it said that he could take it and remold the holder so that it fit well. Seems simple, right? Well, all the way back in February, he took the ring and removed the holder needed to be fixed, which would have been great except that he didn’t have enough gold at the time to remold it. So for 4 months, I have been wearing a ring with a missing diamond and going to this guy every week asking if he is ready to fix it. Finally, 2 weeks ago he said that he would start it and have it done by last Monday well long story short finally on Saturday he told us to come for it. He handed me the ring with this like sneaky look on his face (and he’s illiterate by the way so his English is very broken) and it was like Not even the same ring AT ALL. The middle diamond that used to be square was now this teeny circle one and the diamonds were now set straight instead of diagonal, and the gold which before had been thick and high quality, was now this thin unevenness. Needless to say, I had like a meltdown/freakout at the man and just kept yelling, “This is not honest!” Paul also (although much more calmly) told the man that we are Not stupid and that we had trusted him and that this was totally unacceptable. He gave So many excuses but finally after like 30 minutes of negotiations, he admitted he’d taken out the middle diamond and that he’d lost some of the gold when he’d remolded it, (which he was never supposed to remold it in the first place) and said by next Friday, he would remake it again, add the gold back into it and put the right diamonds on it. Such an ordeal and if Friday, it is not done, I seriously am calling the police on him but then haha there’s always the problem that Ridiculously corrupt and will end up making us pay for their help.

     Okay, other than those lovely experiences, my friends Adrienne, Rachel, Julie and Amanda also left on Saturday L And I miss them So much already. They like left us So much stuff though like I’m now stocked up on bug spray, shampoo, wipes, and even some granola bars, Gatorade powder, some tuna fish, and I feel like I’m living in luxury sleeping on the American pillows that they gave me. Adrienne gave me her running shoes which was like the Nicest thing EVER because I’ve been dying to get out and run again and have already started putting them to use. Plus she had a seamstress make us Beautiful matching Batik dresses and I am like in love with mine. I will really miss having them around and us having our “Girls Girls” talks. I just realized that this blog is already too long but I Really was amazed at the difference that they made...

Week of May 30

Well, can't say that this week has been my easiest week in Ghana....This week was the week that we thought we were going to get our visa and get to the states and really start our lives haha and I should have known that it sounded way too good to be true. Paul's dad had a man in Accra (the main city) supposedly working tirelessly on it for the past 4 months. Paul and I went to Accra on Wednesday to meet this man at the embassy for what we thought was our interview for our visa then to be handed to us. Long story short, this man was a complete fraud and had been taking Paul's dad's money and lying to us this whole time. So basically, we have spent 4 months patiently waiting for NOTHING. The shock of it all was quite overwhelming but atleast now we know and can do something about it and after two days of driving around Accra, meeting with the US embassy, calling USCIS, going to banks, going to the immigration office, meeting with Paul's dad, having all 4 of Paul's brother's sitting down with us to make a game plan, emailing my extremely helpful U.S. contact who is in the government, doing massive research on the internet and also getting help/counsel from my sweet dad.... We have now made a plan of what we can do to really get this process started. First step is getting my resident permit which must be done through Ghanaian immigration services (which we pray won't be like everything else in Ghana and just not work) but we are going back to Accra on Tuesday to pay the Outrageous fee and hopefully have it processed within a week. Once we obtain the resident permit, we then will be able to begin the process of filing for the actual visa. It's going to be a long road, but atleast now we're heading somewhere. And as Paul sweetly reminded me amidst my ocean of tears after finding out, "As long as we're together, that's all that matters." I know that God will provide for us and that obviously we are meant to be in Ghana for a while longer...

Week of May 23

This week I feel like I have So much to write about but will try to condense it as much as possible. I wrote last week about my 2 friends Adrienne and Rachel that came in, well this week a huge group of people from Huntsville Alabama (where they are from) and will be here for a week. There is 36 of them with most of them being teenagers from the high school Madison Academy and then a few of their parents. I actually was here last year around this same time and met lots of them then. They are all Super nice, Super hardworking and Super devoted to the children. They completely entertain the kids to the point of me almost feeling worthless haha but it's great because the kids are all getting complete attention.  They are building a new outhouse for the orphanage which is So great because the one the kids have now is So revolting that I can't even get within like 30 feet of it without wanting to vomit, seriously. Also, yesterday they dedicated the AMAZING school that they have funded to be built for the kids in the name of a woman named Peggy, (I had the pleasure of meeting last year) who had devoted herself to the orphanage for the last 7 years, and after returning from her trip home last year had died of complications from Malaria. It was a wonderful event in honor of her and the school is seriously the nicest school I have seen anywhere close to Hohoe, I really think it will make Such a difference in the kids getting a better education and will hopefully help the orphanage raise more money to support themselves.
Other than a very entertaining week at the orphanage, this week was great! One night after getting home from the orphanage, me, Beth, Adrienne and Rachel wandered into the open market and bought tomatoes, onion, garlic, avocado and pepper and went back to their hotel and made surprisingly delicious guacamole. We had no chips but ate it with bread/club crackers and it almost for a second felt like I was eating something from home. After Paul was done at the mechanic, he came over too and tried what we made and really liked it which gave me hope for him enjoying the food once we get to America :) Adrienne's cute mom also brought with her a package that my mom sent to us and Paul has loved the 3 action movies she sent, the kids at the house have Loved their bubbles and coloring books (nothing like that here) and we have enjoyed the easter candy as well. Also, Paul's friend Matthew went back to Canada this last week after spending a total of 11 weeks staying with us. The jeweler still doesn't have the rest of the gold to fix my wedding ring (after waiting for 3 months) but Paul told him that Monday is his last chance before we take it to someone else and he promised that he'd have it and also gave me a pair of really cool earrings to say sorry for taking so long. Paul's dad also took us to his farm today which is like humongous and is spread out all over these beautiful mountains. He and Paul worked on fixing the yam growing while Felix and I picked pepper, it was a fun experience for sure. It's been raining a ton here also which is great for the scenery, it's like So green here but it also brings out even more bugs and as of now I have 33 mosquito bites just on my legs and am so thankful that I brought anti-itch cream or I'm pretty sure I'd be miserable. I love Paul more and more everyday and am So grateful for all of our blessings that we have received. We have some exciting things to look forward to this coming week, which I don't want to say and jinx them actually coming true (the way things go here I wouldn't be surprised) so hopefully I will have a very happy report to blog about this coming week!

Up To Week Of May 15

     Last Sunday, my friends Adrienne and Rachel from Alabama came in and we went and picked them up from the airport in Accra. Rachel's bag was missing but they told her it would arrive in 24 hours so we should stay in Accra somewhere. They had the Wondrous idea of going to Kokrobite (mine and Paul's beach) and it was Such a nice surprise to be able to have a little getaway from Hohoe and just relax. We went back in the morning to the airport and miracle of miracles, Rachel's bag was there so we were back in Hohoe by Monday night. That is the reason though too for my absence in writing last Sunday about the previous week but it was Well worth it :)
     Basically though, Paul and I now spend as much time as we can in the mornings and then I'm off to the orphanage which has been So fun! The kids are just endless amounts of energy and laughs and time really flies when I am there. There are 6 new little ones there too and another 8 year old just came last week making about 50 kids, so there is definitely never a dull moment. Rachel and Adrienne's community/church actually funds the whole running of the orphanage and they have been coming for years to Ghana to visit, and LOVE the kids too, so it is So nice that we can go together. Also, our friend Beth who volunteered at Eugemot last year came in on Wednesday too so we are just all having a blast. It is unexplainably wonderful to have friends here haha and Paul has been really great about just letting us have our "girls girls" talks, as he calls it.
    The only bummer this last week was that I was sick for a couple days again this week with a "runny stomach" which was the worst it has ever been so I finally used my Siparo medicine that I have been saving up for when it's really bad. It stopped it up though and I am now back to good health except for a cold haha which I always find odd to get here in the Blazing heat of Africa. Paul has been the perfect caretaker as always and actually went out this morning at 5:30 to get me some Milo because he insisted it was the only thing that would help my throat, he's the best. It's crazy to think that I've been away from home for almost 5 months, but there is No where else in the world that I'd rather be than here with Paul.
 

Week Of May 2

     This last week was pretty great actually J  After 3 months of non-stop problems with our wretched excuse for a taxi... We are finally rid of it! Paul found a man in town and after 4 days of going back and forth, we successfully sold it. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders and although we lost too much money to even think about, we are not looking back for a second! 

     Also, my good friend Tina, who I met 2 years ago on my first trip to Ghana with CCS, came back for a whirlwind week trip and it was So good to see her again! She has a very successful business called Della and was here checking up on things. It was so fun to visit the headquarters, see her amazing seamstresses at work creating fabulous items out of the beautiful African fabrics and see all that she is accomplishing. She will be coming back in July for a whole month, and I can't wait!

      A really exciting thing for me too, is that I have officially reinstated myself at Eugemot Orphanage. One of the boys from there, visited Paul and I at the house and told us how much the kids miss me. We discussed the issues that had kept me away and he assured me that if I came back that evening, I would see that it had all been resolved. Paul and I went together and I had such a great time, honestly, I had almost forgotten how much I loved being there. My kids greeted me so warmly, and then took me on a tour of the whole place showing to me that all the work I had done over my total of 5 months volunteering there had truly made a difference for them. We pulled out a bunch of the storybooks that I had left the last trip, and read for quite a while. I went back the next day and went with the kids to the river where they bath, it's filthy water and most of them didn't even clean with soap but they had a great time swimming around. Last trip, I swam in that river and got really sick so this time, I decided to be a little more wise haha. I helped the kids collect the clothes that they left drying in the grass.We played a lot of cards, reminisced on old times and just laughed.  Going there, I felt again a burning in my heart that I only feel for those kids, and I feel like I'm back at the place I'm supposed to be to make a difference with my time here in Ghana.

     We also went hiking on Saturday to the upper falls at Wli with Paul's friend Matthew. I had done it before on my first trip to Ghana and had remembered it being pretty difficult but had made it okay. This time, on the way up, even my strong and perfectly in shape husband was asking if we could take breaks haha. At the top it was as beautiful and breathtaking as ever and the breeze from the splashing falls felt glorious. However, on the way down my legs literally would not do what I wanted them to do and were like seizing up but with Paul's encouragement and help, we eventually made it down haha I felt SO lame. We woke up today SO sore too that we are both hobbling around and taking turns trying to rub the tensenesss out of each other's legs haha we make quite the pair.

      I have No idea when we are going to get back to the U.S. but I’m really just learning to let go and put my faith in the fact that Heavenly Father does have a plan for us, and that it will all fall into place when it’s supposed to. In the meantime, I’m with Paul so what more could I really need?