Pick Up Trip - Day 2 - 2/28/2012

Pick Up Trip – Day 2

Just like the first trip we made today was the longest day EVER!  We went to bed at normal time (around 10:00) but since my internal clock was still set on Idaho time my eyes popped abruptly open at 2:00am.  My body thought it was merely Sunday naptime.  The hotel we’re staying at didn’t have our ‘big’ room available until tomorrow night so we had to take two small rooms which each had one double bed in them.  We decided it would be best if we divided into girls and boys room.  I took the boys and Brandie took Shandi and the girls.  The hotel doesn’t have any roll away beds or mats so we had to just make due by putting all four of us in one bed.  Maybe that was the real reason I was awake at 2:00!  Or maybe it had to do with the power being out since before dinner…and with no power that means no A/C…and I REALLY don’t do well trying to sleep in 88 degree weather when I’m sweating like a rotisserie pig!

Once awake I really couldn’t do anything other than just meditate and think about how the rest of he week would go. It was peaceful to sit and watch my three boys quietly sleeping together.  If only Gage were here it would be the culmination of nearly two years of waiting.  I was so pleased to see the three of them getting along so well together.  Watching them sleep was really a payday for a dad.

Today we rented a van and driver to take us out to meet our new friends Johnbul and Stacey.  This amazing couple has done some great things near Doryumu, which is about two hours to the west and north of Accra.  They’ve been working with Feeding the Orphans on some projects where they’ve built some orphan homes, a school, and other amenities to serve some of the poorer communities of the greater Accra area.  In just two years they’ve made HUGE strides.  I was talking with Johnbul today and he told me that just last year (just their second year of operation, mind you) they were able to feed 18,000 meals to hungry children.  We were introduced to them on our last trip, but were referred to them as someone Brody could talk with about his Eagle Scout project.  Brody had reached out and worked up a plan where he could use the money they’d earned in our garage sale toward feeding several hungry kids.  His plan involved two days of work.  The first day was going to the market and buying all the food, which would be cooked for the kids and then delivered and distributed.  I’ve been looking forward to this part of the trip for my American kid’s sake.  What a wonderful lesson to learn while you’re still young.  We really do take so much for granted where we live and being here puts that front and center in your face!  I’ve been praying ever since we knew the kids were coming with us that God would grant them the blessing of seeing ‘real life’ while we’re here.  I believe that has started to happen.

This market we went to was absolutely CRAZY!  I’ve never seen anything like it…including the other ones we’d been to on our first trip.  There were literally THOUSANDS of people running around buying and selling their stuff.  John mentioned this was the largest open-air market in all of West Africa – and I could see why.  If I had to guess I’d bet there were literally 100,000 people there.  You could by anything – and I mean ANYTHING you could imagine.  It was really an amazing site.  All of the gorgeous colors, the individual kiosks each of the farmers or merchants were selling was a work of pride.  They made sure that everything was just exactly as it needed to be in order to attract the most buyers.  It was so crazy we decided it would be best if only Brody and I went with Johnbul and his people into the market.  I didn’t feel it a good idea that Brandie and the other kids went in – not because anything bad would happen to them, but I was afraid I would lose someone.  There is no ample way I can explain what the motion and commotion of this market was like.

As we walked into the entrance of the market I could tell Brody was going to be a huge hit – tall, young, blue eyes, and as we entered he immediately started turning heads and attracting the ‘hissing’ sound made by Africans when they want your attention.  Brody must have noticed as well because when I turned around and looked at him his face was bright red and he had a huge sheepish grin.  At one point when we stopped some of the more bold women merchants behind us started yelling for him to come over.  As he walked over they started talking to him – it was no doubt a ploy to see his blue eyes and hear his accent.  He only understood about three words of what they said and started feeling silly so he turned around to come back to me.  As soon as he did that the cackling in the background really ramped up.  He didn’t know what to do but I could read in his face he wanted to evaporate into the air.  He hates being the center of attention…especially when it’s a whole gaggle of 40-year-old women!  The women of the market were like a bunch of hungry piranhas – working themselves into a blue-eyed flirting frenzy.  As soon as Brody got back with Johnbul and me another lady walked up and noticed Brody’s braces.  In her heavy accent she said she liked them and wanted to know if he could get some for her simultaneously giving a huge cheesy smile showing her jacked up teeth.  Now, I love a little self-incriminating humor – and I feel that being a middle aged, slightly overweight, bald guy I’m better than most at it – but that was flat funny!  I couldn’t help but laugh…Brody just continued to nervously smile and wish he was somewhere else.  It was a great laugh for me and something I’m sure Brody won’t soon forget!

I did have one of the more tender moments I’ve had in a long, long time.  One of the things I felt very strongly about the last time we came was that God wanted to make Himself very aware to us personally while we were here.  I get the feeling that he’s doing the exact same thing this time – maybe I didn’t learn everything I was supposed to on the first trip – or maybe He’s just being extra merciful to me…either way I’m grateful beyond words to be used by Him. 

As I waited on the side of one of the major passageways at a market cross street Johnbul and I noticed a little girl – maybe 8 years old – selling her items.  To me, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary with her being there, but Johnbul’s first thought was, “why is this child not in school?”  As he spoke with her I looked down and noticed the young girl only had on one flip-flop.  I could hear some of the questions Johnbul was asking her and could tell by her nervous demeanor that she was there selling because she HAD to be there.  She’d mentioned to him that the reason she only had on one shoe was because that was all she found on the road.  My heart broke and I said a silent prayer asking Father to help this young one.  As I finished I felt the need to turn around and look behind me.  I was astonished – although I shouldn’t have been – there, standing less than 5 feet from me was a shoe vendor with a basket of flip-flops on her head.  I immediately grabbed some change out of my pocket and asked Richard to see if she had the girl’s size.  The vendor reached up over her head and put a pair of shoes on the ground.  It was the girl’s exact size!  To some, these two ‘insignificant’ things (the vendor being in that very moment and time and then without looking pulling the exact size of child’s shoe from her basket without seeing) would be nothing but mere happenstance.  But to me – this was just another testimony to me that NOTHING escapes the Father’s eye.  He knew this little girl had needs and for whatever reason he chose us to be the ones He’d use to help her.  I’m so grateful to Him for using us because while the little girl got a pair of $1.50 flip-flops out of the deal…I got a feeling in my heart and memory in my mind that I’ll never forget.

At the end our the trip to the market we purchased just over $700 worth of food which was: 150 kilos of rice, three flats of tomato paste, some vegetables and meat for stew, 44 crates of eggs (30 eggs per crate), some spices, and some little take home boxes.  It filled the back of Johnbul’s SUV. 

We left the market and went back to Teshie.  We decided it would be fun to head to Next Door to eat for the night.  This is the fun place down by the Oceanside.  We decided it would be fun to take the kids early enough where they could play near the water for an hour or so before eating.  We had a great time chasing crabs, scavengering for items, and just playing with each other.  It was so fun to watch the kids be kids and play like they’ve been siblings their whole life.  Big Richard has been with us and fits into the family just like any of the other kids.  We love him dearly and hope to have him in our home soon as well.  He’s been a huge blessing to us having him around.

In summary, today was by far the best day we’ve had in country.  Both A and M behaved amazingly and B, B, and T were simply better than we could have imagined.  It was a great day with a great ending.  We all shared a great meal listening to the ocean break in the background while I soaked it all in and tried replaying the whole day back in my head minute by minute.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us tomorrow!!

Until then…