Thinking bigger!

There comes a time when anyone is doing short term ministry that you begin to realize that you are not going to be in the field forever. I can still so vividly remember arriving here in Ghana in August and thinking that I would never be going home. Ten months felt like a lifetime. However, now with less than 8 weeks left, I am feeling a sense of urgency in accomplishing all that I set out to do here. In doing so, it has been very important for me not to look so closely at the next few weeks, but really examine the big picture and think about what lessons I can teach the kids and what experiences I can provide them with that will last long after I am gone. First and foremost, I want the kids to know that they are loved, that I love them and that God loves them. I think that goal has been in the slow process of accomplishment since the day we got here. More specifically, there are things I would love to instill in them in regards to their education.

I know that in one school year, I will not be able to equip my students with everything they need to know in the subjects of math, reading, and science for the rest of their lives. With that in mind, I am desperately searching for ways to show the kids that there is a purpose in their education and that if they work hard, they too can go to college and make a life for themselves with greater opportunities than their families were afforded. I understand that is a difficult task, so that’s where I ask for your prayers. At camp last week, Elise and I were able to meet some great Ghanaians who are our age, and nearly all are in some sort of college or University. Some already have jobs as engineers or nurses and are making a way for themselves via a quality education. My goal is to get the youth at Calvary Baptist connected with our kids here at the home so that they may see that even Ghanaians can go to college. That realization might possibly give them the motivation they have been so lacking in their school work. All the while I hope they will be developing relationships with young adults who can be good role models for them after we leave. I also think that connection would be great for the youth as well because it would help them to see the dire need just within their own country that many of them are oblivious to in their middle class neighborhoods and private schools only an hour and a half away. So I ask for your prayers as we attempt to make that connection in the next couple of months.

The other main point that I am trying to convey to the kids is the importance of reading. If these kids know how to read and read well, they can teach themselves everything else they’ll need to succeed. In order to emphasize that, while we are on vacation I have been doing a reading club with all of the kids from our school (whether they are from the home or the village) who are struggling with reading, as well as anyone else who would like to attend. Initially I thought my attendance would be low, but since the word got out, there have been over 35 kids in my class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings! What an awesome, fulfilling, and chaotic experience it has been. We have been making our own books, doing a variety of phonics activities, playing games, and even expanding our imagination through story writing!

It is definitely a change in perspective when you begin to realize your limitations, but I pray that I am being a good steward of my time here in making a lasting impression on these kids!

Today’s child is Abby. She is 10 years old and in P5! She is a subdued personality and can be overshadowed by others in her class, but she works hard and does well. She is also really great with the little girls and loves being a mothering figure for them. She can be quiet and hard to figure out sometimes, but I thank God for the glimpses into her heart that He has allowed us!