Best Days Yet

Hello everyone,
We are not really sure what days we are writing for right now but we can promise you this: the last two days have been so incredibly successful. We have really made a huge impact the last two days and have gotten a great start on what will be the last two weeks of our time here.

Thursday began quite early as we decided to make a stop at the building site and see if they could use our help. We arrived around 9 am and the carpenter gave us a few small things we could do but other than that they had everything under control and moving along rapidly. As of today they have the frame up and they will begin working on the roof Monday. Because it is so hot here, the workers are only able to work until around 1 pm everyday.

After the working we decided to take a 45 minute drive to the near city of Kumasi which is the oldest city in Ghana. We decided to go to meet a woman we had met on the plane and talk to her about further trips here and because she invited us and it is quite rude to say no to an invitation in the Ghanaian culture. After a delicious lunch we spent some time talking with her and she took us for a tour of Kumasi and then brought us to the King of the Ashanti Region's palace. Although he was not there it was very interesting. Before we left for Obuasi she insisted we call her Mom and she said next time we come to Ghana she would be happy to provide us with a car and a place to stay if needed. She has a home in both Accra and Kumasi and invited us to use her home in Accra the night before we fly out.

This morning we woke up quite early again and headed to the bank to pick up the money that was wired to us using MoneyGram that we will be using for the orphanage. It took some time but it was well worth it! (Thanks to those who sent money). After receiving the money we went home for lunch and then walked to the orphanage.

Matt brought a couple toys and tennis balls for the kids which they loved. He was playing baseball with them with a wooden pallet as a baseball bat. Janie and Genna spent most of their time with the babies and then with the older girls just talking. Michael spent his time taking care of Joseph because he was having a sore throat. Michael took him to the nurse and she gave him some medicine which made him feel much better. While there Michael asked the nurse if there was any medicine he could pick up at the market because we already have a list of all the food and things they need and the nurse was so excited and she wrote up a long list of things including Malaria medicine and multivitamins.

While we were there the kids from 3-6 years old were having bath time. We decided to watch and see if we could help. When we saw the kids line up it was so sad. They have a giant bowl that the kids stand in one by one and the woman wearing rubber gloves uses a really rough sponge and the kids are first drenched with the cold water and then the woman scrubs their little bodies as if they were cars going through a car wash. The kids are so strong; they stand there as if it doesn't hurt but when you look at their eyes you can truly see the pain. They are so strong. When it was Josephs turn we watched closely because we knew he wasn't feeling well and he first bent down and everytime the woman would pour water over his face we thought he would start to cry but he closed his eyes and struggled through it. It was probably the hardest thing we have seen since we have been there. In one hand it hurts us to see this but on the realistic side we understand because there are over 200 kids at the orphanage and only 10-15 "mothers" it is impossible for them to take more time.

It is truly incredible what this orphanage has done for the kids over the past 10 years. It is a private orphanage which receives no help from the government but they have managed to consistently find enough food to give the kids meals every day. The Director, Louise, has told us that sometimes she really does not know how they find the funds because it is often the case that at the end of the month they have no money left.

I hope that wasn't a too depressing email, we were just trying to give everyone a stronger understanding of what these kids experience on a day to day basis. Something that has kept us going since we have been here is after seeing how little they have and how much they have suffered, they never fail to have a smile on their faces and are never afraid to show their love to anyone.

Thank you everyone,
Michael, Janie, Matt, and Genna