Ghana – Day 14
Honestly, I can’t do anything but laugh today. Just when I thought we’d done it all and saw it all. Really, in just two short weeks we’ve been in two auto accidents, had to go to the hospital twice, been pulled over by the police and watched the taxi driver get toted down to the station, nearly watched a fist fight between our taxi driver and another driver, and had our room broken into last night. I woke this morning thinking there wasn’t anything that could top all of that. Well, today didn’t necessarily top that, but it certainly added to the list. Unreal!
After we all woke and got ready for the day Monica asked if I would go down with her this morning to talk with the hotel supervisor about getting a refund for last night’s stay. As we entered the courtyard we could hear an obvious argument taking place. The supervisor and a woman were going the rounds and even though we couldn’t understand what they were saying, we had a pretty good idea what was going on. When we rounded the corner our suspicion was confirmed. The hotel supervisor was arguing with the housekeeping supervisor. When they saw us standing there the hotel supervisor came over and said they’d called the police and they would like to come see the room and visit with us.
About 10 minutes later a police detective and about 15 other people were standing in the small, dimly lit hallway in front of Monica’s old room. Monica opened the door and everyone piled into the room. The detective asking Monica questions about the items stolen and their values. The conversation lasted maybe 15 minutes. When he was finished he said he would like us to come down to the station and make a statement. OK??? We all piled into a taxi with the hotel supervisor and another gentleman who we supposed worked at the hotel. On the way to the station we realized the other man wasn’t an employee but another patron of the hotel who had been robbed. We felt lucky that Monica had only lost her iPhone – this man had been robbed of his laptop, a DVD player and several other items.
Once at the police station we were asked to sit out side and wait for someone to call us in. I started laughing as I realized how this would add to the story of the whole trip. I told the girls to stand in front of the police station so I could get a picture to document this strange occurrence. I’d just barely snapped the first photo when two policemen came running out screaming at me. Apparently – they called this a secure area and I was supposed to get permission before taking the pictures. Funny – the only thing that hasn’t happened this trip was spending a night in jail – so I decided it would be best if I just apologized and tell them I wouldn’t do it again. Too funny.
We were all finally called into the detective’s office – everyone together. There were three detectives who all started asking questions. Pretty soon I was confused whom they were suspecting. They were grilling the hotel supervisor pretty hard and it seemed as if they were trying to pin it on him. I wasn’t quite sure how he was getting the blame (if that’s what it really was) but I just kept my mouth shut. We were interrogated for a few minutes then they finally asked Monica and the other man to give a written statement. Both of them wrote their statements and handed them back to the detectives. They asked us a few more questions then told us we were free to go. We walked out of the office and Monica’s phone rang – it was John. He wanted to know where we were and if we were ok. Monica laughed before answering the call and handed the phone to me.
“Hello John! Guess what? We’re at the police station!” was how I answered the phone. John didn’t see the humor in the situation that we did. He asked which station we were at and told us to stay put, he was coming right over. He and Kitt arrived at the station only minutes later. I think Kitt was there just for the entertainment value! John was there to protect us and make sure we were being taken care of properly. He walked back into the station and I introduced him to the detectives. John went into the office and listened/visited with all of the policemen to get a pulse on what was happening. Once he felt comfortable that we were not being incriminated he walked out of the office and we were free to go. Before we left, however the police had decided to go back to the hotel and bring all of the employees to the station for questioning….ALL of them. When we left the station there were 15 people waiting to be interviewed.
When we left the station and returned to the home I reminded John we needed to swing by the bank and pick up the anonymous donation that was sent to us. We dropped off the girls to the home and proceeded to the bank. At the bank we confirmed the wire and withdrew the funds. I was a little uncomfortable leaving the bank with 2,300 Cedi in cash, but John assured me it would be fine. We jumped back into his car and headed off. On the way back John received a call from the head of the Social Welfare telling John she wanted to see him in her office ASAP. He asked if I was OK to ride into Accra with him – I told him yes. Besides, I’d like to meet all of the people who up until now were just names to me.
After a 20-minute drive back into town we arrived at the municipal offices. We walked up three flights of stairs and knocked on her door. We sat and visited with her about a couple of the other cases John is working on with her. After they determined what was needed for the files we left and headed back to Teshie. On the way John received another call. This one was from another orphanage – they were completely out of food and wanted to know if John could help.
This adoption process has taught me many things. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned has been that there are no such thing as coincidences. God is in control of EVERYTHING – big and small. This was no exception. I thought about the timeline and the series of events. Men in the United States watching children through a blog were touched by His spirit and moved to make a donation to feed kids. The money is sent and then received only hours before a call is received. John looked at me and asked if I thought my friends would be ok with using some of the money to feed the kids from that orphanage.
John and I made a quick stop to the store and bought 450 Cedis worth of food. We loaded it into the car and drove to the home. As we delivered the food I wish I could have aptly documented the looks on these children’s faces. I felt honored to be allowed to watch this process. We found out the food we were delivering (around 3:00) would be the first meal of the day these kids would eat. I thank God for his kind direction and for men and women who listen to the promptings they receive. This is just one more small example of how we’ve been shown His hand in the care of these children.
Back at the home the children started to realize tomorrow is the day that I’ll be leaving. M is bothered by it, but she’ll still have her mom here which has obviously given her comfort. I also think that since she’s a little older she understands better that we’ll be coming back to get them soon. A, on the other hand, is struggling a little more knowing that his daddy (the only daddy that he’s had to himself and not shared with 40 other children) is leaving. He and I sat in the dark courtyard and talked about it. He asked a hundred questions: what’s the airplane like? How long will you be gone? When will you come back? Why can’t you stay? Why can’t I come with you? And many, many more as his little mind tried to understand the complex process. His eyes told me the feelings of his heart and I knew then it was going to be difficult for this little boy to see me get on the airplane tomorrow. I’m so grateful that Brandie will be there for a few more days and that Emily will be there longer to give him the love he’ll need.
This day – different than most the others – started off a little dicey, but ended up with a neat discussion. It was a wonderful day where we were shown the hand of the Lord again and the love He has for these children. I hope we’re never in a position where He feels we don’t need to see these miracles. Watching Him work has one of my favorite parts of this journey.
Until tomorrow….
No comments:
Post a Comment