School has started!

Last blog I left off right before school started.  So here we go!  The first day of school was Monday August 15^th.  The day started out with a quick chapel service to start off the school year.  They also introduced the new faculty.  When they told everyone I was the new PE teacher I received loud applause!  Everyone loves PE!!  The first day of school for me was very easy with only 3 classes to teach.

Second day was when school really seemed to start.  I found out that day that some secondary students considered me a mean teacher haha.  I think it was actually a good thing to start out the year as I am the youngest teacher on staff. I do not think the students were expecting it at all.  In the past at AIS the PE teachers basically allowed the students to play a lot of games.  The students did not have to do too many drills, and were allowed to play the sport they LOVE! That of course is futbol. My plan for teaching is completely different and it is taking a little while for the students to understand that. 

Overall the first week went as well, and maybe even better, than I had hoped.  Lessons I had planned went smoothly and most of the students understood my expectations of them.  AIS was able to start off school with a great first week! Praise the Lord!

Friday night I moved all of my stuff out of the Crosby’s house and into my second temporary residence! I am now staying by myself right next to the place I will eventually be moving into.  The place I am staying in now has two bedrooms and two and half baths! Way too much space for me to live in by myself.  So I am happy that  I will be moving into a smaller place, even if it isn’t as nice as the place I am in now.

Living with the Crosby’s was great in the area of food, as I almost always had a well cooked meal for dinner.  I thank the Crosby’s so much for their hospitality to me for the first 3 weeks here in Ghana.  My first meal living by myself in Ghana: Crackers with peanut butter and some dry cereal!  Both staples of any good meal. 

Saturday I cleaned up the kitchen some and got some errands done. (Construction here is very different than in the U.S.  When they are done they leave the place very messy.  They also do not have the high standards that we do for plumbing and other important areas, as you will see in the next couple of paragraphs).  Saturday afternoon/evening we went out to celebrate Christy’s 25^th birthday.  We went mini-golfing and ate at the Turkish restaurant.  Then came back and had icecream and fruit!  Pineapple here is so good!

The weekend flew by and turned into a great Monday full of classes.  Tuesday morning did not fly by as I was rudely awakened at 3 am by what I believe was food poisoning.  I threw up at 3 and 4 am on Tuesday and felt very week all day, but was still able to teach.  It was the first time I have been sick since I left home for college, and it definitely made me miss my Mom very much!  My stomach felt weird for a few days, but it wasn’t too bad and I didn’t have to miss any school.

Tuesday afternoon I helped with a Bible club that some of the other teachers run.  Monday night I helped put together the boxes of school supplies that we handed out to the 52 students that came!  When we were walking up to the compound where they have the Bible club around 10 Ghanaian kids came running up to us and jumped on us while yelling “Obruni, Obruni!!!” (Obruni is the Twi word for “white person,” I hear the term at least once every day while walking to and from school)  It is a blessing the way so many young students and children here in Ghana quickly love you, but sad to know that so many of them do not have good male or female role models in their homes.  During the Bible club we sang songs and shared the story of Creation with the children.  Then we handed out the boxes of school supplies and some cookies and water.  The hour that they were around went so fast and I look forward to the Tuesdays when we are able to share Christ with these searching young Ghanaians. 

The first two weeks of school are over and I am excited about the many opportunities I will have to share the love of Christ to so many students and also adults around Accra.  During the first two weeks I shared Galatians 1:10 with the secondary classes.  I challenged each class several times with the same challenge I need to hear each and every day.  I am not to be seeking man’s approval, but I am to be seeking to please Christ!

My room for now, still not able to unpack everything

My fun for the first night living by myself

My dinner for that first night

The washing machine hose that came off and was spraying water everywhere!

All of the boxes we made for the children who came to  Bible Club this past Tuesday

Now for some interesting side notes on my first two weeks living in Accrib (the new apartment’s nickname given by me and the other new teachers):  On Sunday I put in a load of laundry when I got home from church.  By the time I had walked over to my bedroom to put some stuff away the water pipe going into the washer had popped off and was spraying water everywhere into the cabinets below the sink.  I quickly ran over and tried to find the valve underneath the sink to turn it off, but what do you know? There was no valve underneath the sink!  I searched all over the area to find one, but could not find a valve anywhere.  By now there was a river running out of the back kitchen door (thankfully the house slants back and the water did not run all over the house!!).  I tried turning off the pump which was outside, but water continued to flow!  Finally, our guard realized what was going on and showed me that there was a valve on the outside wall which controlled the water to my kitchen.  Nothing was really damaged, but there was a lot of water that flowed out of Accrib on that day.

That is not the only flood that has happened in Accrib though! The other apartments have all had some type of leak, and a couple of them have been worse than that one.  The plumber evidently was a taxi driver who had no idea what he was doing.  He did not pressure test the system at all.  Almost everywhere that there is a joint, there is a problem.  It is not boring living in the new apartments we fondly know as “Accrib.”

Hopefully I will be able to update again early next week and actually catch up on the blog, but until then here are some more prayer requests! Thank you so much for your prayers!

1. God would continue to show me my need and dependence on Him for everything.  2.  For the other teachers and I, that we would not grow weary in doing good!  3. God would lead me in my decisions for where to serve outside of school (church youth group or leading a high school guys Bible study or anywhere else God may have in mind).  4.  God would continue to bring the many non-Christian students and families to Himself.

Something quick to encourage you which has been encouraging me recently: Christ is not always looking for you to glorify Him in spectacular ways, but He simply wants you to obey and glorify Him in “everyday” moments that He can turn into spectacular moments.

One more thing.  My Ghanaian name is Kwabena.  Which means I was born on Tuesday.  Many families in Ghana name their children based on the day they were born.  I tell people my Twi name and they just laugh and then tell me their name.  It is fun learning the culture and learning a few of the words so I can have short conversations with people in their original language.