Tippy Taps and Donelle the Star

Tuesday February 16, 2010

Second day at Amoakroam

Well I built my first tippy tap of the trip but it didn’t work as well as I would have liked. For those who don’t know what a tippy tap is, it is an “appropriate technology” fashioned out of a simple plastic jug, some rope and a bar of soap. It is used to wash hands without much water. I think I placed the pivot point too high so you had to pull hard on the string to be able to get water. If I can get the same type of jug tomorrow I might be able to do better.

Another huge day of seeing patients and Donelle really was a star. We saw around 325 adult patients and more than 280 school kids. Donnelle. a pediatric nurse back home, was assessing kids all day and sending the sickest to the doctors. The others received parasite treatment and some vitamins . The majority of the 280 kids passed under her loving hands. Her room was full to overflowing and always the noisiest by far. For awhile Woodmen’s two biggest guys—Louis and Mike—made a checkpoint in the hallway to prevent cutting in line and try and keep only a few at a time from entering. What a job! But after dinner they shared that they actually were able to have some good time talking with the kids and ended up enjoying the task. Sue was the enforcer inside the room, doing her best to keep chaos to a minimum.

Willi and Charlotte had a great group of about 25 girls around them outside under a shade tree and were singing and playing games all afternoon. Their entourage was sad to see me pull them away for a break and some water but I was harping on everyone all day about staying hydrated and watching out for overheating in the sun. Too little too late and you can really have problems with the heat in Ghana.

Our time in Amoakroam was punctuated by a ceremony by the chiefs and invitations to return. The kids stole several team member’s hearts as we drove away with their new companions waving goodbye.

On our way toward town at the end of the day we drove by Theovision’s new radio station in Assin Fosu and got the grand tour. My favorite part was the studio, not just because the DJ was live on the air and interviewed Cristian and Sheila on behalf of the team, but also because that room’s air conditioning was cranked way up and blowing cool air all down my back. I considered a stint as a DJ on the radio right then and there but a delicious dinner of chicken and rice and watermelon was waiting for us and my eyelids were already drooping.

Another good day.

Raw Sewage and a Throne

Monday February 15, 2010

The alarm seemed to beep way too soon but my excitement for the medical outreach still made crawling out of bed tolerable. Pickup at 630 and breakfast at 7 then hop in some hired minivans known locally as “Tro Tros.” About an hour got us the village of Amoakroam. A host of uniformed schoolchildren quickly enveloped the team members as we exited our vans, nearly overwhelming Willi whose vibrant energy seemed to feed the swarm and carry her deeper into the throng.

Soon Theovision’s project man Charles was leading the team down through the village to the new latrine project where footings a cistern and the cement forms for ongoing progress were in place. Our stroll through the village while carefully avoiding stepping in the raw sewage drainage was a great lesson in how simple things like a well-placed latrine can make a huge difference in village health. Amoakroam already has a good well so a nice latrine will complete that all-important village health “big two”—a well and a latrine.

Just a few minutes later the team was unloading the trucks to begin setting up for a day’s worth of mobile medical outreach. The flow of registration to vital signs to doctor to pharmacy was established and those not directly involved in patient care or pill counting soon were off with swarms of children eagerly playing simon says, duck duck goose or soccer. Manolo’s drama and mime were a hit and his unending energy was and is a great asset. But wait, word came that the village chief had arrived. Stop everything!

Chairs were gathered, a throne fetched and a small animal fur placed at its foot. The Chief, his staff holder and public announcer filed into the room with a dozen additional elders or so. Dressed in colorful draped clothes with one shoulder exposed, the chief was easy to spot in his crown with silver medallions. He took the seat of honor and his staff bearer sat in front of the group to act as voice for the king. At least that is how he seemed at that point—kingly, like royalty. The staff was nearly as tall as the men and towered over them once they sat. A carving of some sort adorned the top and all was painted gold. Later I was told that the carving symbolized that many hands must work together to lift up the village. Indeed this is the message we are living during this trip through our partnership with Woodmen Valley Chapel, HCJB Global and Theovision. All of us working together in dynamic partnership that accomplishes much more than any one of us could alone.

At the end of the day we saw 327 patients and filled around 1500 prescriptions. The children were entertained and heard a lot of stories about God and Jesus. By the end of the day I did not see anyone who wasn’t exhausted and ready to stop. An amazing first day. God give us new mercies for tomorrow!

Two Points and a Cockroach

Sunday Feb. 14

The team attended Rev. Theo’s church on Sunday morning. Most seemed to enjoy the energetic dancing and some even joined in. Deb Brown was able to coax Rev. Theo to join the dance line for a round and Mike joined in with a couple of the Ecuadorian docs and all seemed to be able to make their bodies express the joy of the Lord. Introductions were a large part of the service with the entire population of white folks rising at one time or another to be named. HCJB Global president Wayne Pederson was the final intro and he soon began his sermon highlighting two points—1. Love God and 2. Love others. A great Valentine’s Day sermon. After a wonderful lunch at Theo and Monica’s house we hopped on the bus to head to Assin Fosu to walk out Wayne’s marching orders with the medical outreach.

A couple hours into our 3 hour journey from Accra to Assin Fosu, as the road narrowed and traffic got more scarce, Dr. Steve poignantly noted, “It’s difficult to imagine a road like this leading to air conditioned rooms. “ Indeed, the hotel situation was not the best, but most had working air conditioning. A few glitches and a serious cockroach encounter later everyone was tired and seemed to settle in for a short night’s sleep. Tomorrow it is up early and out to the village!

At the market, “My Friend”

After a hard week of physical labor in the tropical heat, today the team got the chance to relax. We went to a local market area and discovered there are some serious power shoppers amongst us. Woodcarvings, Kente cloth and jewelry were among the finds. Hard bargaining was required and every time right as you exited a small shop you were met by another smiling face saying, “My friend, come this way. You look at my shop.” I did pretty well, getting most items down around 50 percent of the asking price. All part of the game. I hope Rachelle and Natalia like the little things I got for them.

After some rest and repacking this afternoon we finally got the entire group together at Lee and Michelle Sonius’ house. The team from Ecuador met the team from Woodmen Valley and the rest of the Woodmen Valley folks arrived safe and sound. Theo and his wife Monica were also there to welcome the newcomers and interact with those of us they already know. Even Duane arrived and is bunking with Louis and I.

We are all looking forward to working together and I’m looking forward to getting to work with the returning medical folks again. Go God!

A Celebration

Friday, Feb. 12

Last Day at Tree of Life Health Post

Work started in with a more subdued pace than previous days and fewer crew members were around because the work was becoming more specialized and fewer diverse workers were needed. I also think for the team that everyone was a little sad about having to leave at the end of the day. But as the sun beat relentlessly on our heads we settled into our various tasks. I felt very lethargic and took some good breaks—I think I had overdone it the day before with a few too many wheelbarrows of concrete. It wasn’t long until we all got a lesson on not overdoing it in the tropical heat.

Not long before lunch I noticed our team member Willi was looking red and overheated. She went down to take a break and drink something. But it was too little too late and she ended up really dizzy and nauseated from the heat. Emily, her good friend who is also an accomplished nurse, got some ice packs on some key cooling spots and we took her to an air conditioned office in the Theovision headquarters. By lunch she was back to walking on her own and feeling better. What was really great was how concerned the crew were for her and a couple of the men even said they were praying for her.

Right after lunch we posed for a picture with the team and the Ghanaian crew all lined up across the front of the building. They were as excited to pose with us as we were. A couple more hours of block work and then we got permission from the boss to teach our new Ghanaian friends a little American Football. Woodmen Valley team member Mike happens to be the offensive coordinator for the Air Force Falcons as well as a great athlete himself. I can’t say the Saints have much to worry about from a Ghanaian team yet, but we had a great time tossing the ball and chasing each other around. We ended in a tie after a no-rules, no-strategy game but more importantly a celebration of our week had occurred that transitioned nicely to a time of goodbyes.

The construction company owner gathered the team and presented us each with a beautiful Kente cloth banner that he placed around each of our necks along with his thanks. A great end to a great week. I’m really proud of my team.

The Water Lady

Thursday Feb. 11

I realized I didn’t know her name-- yet. The water lady. The young woman who must clean and take care of Theovision’s headquarters in some way has also been helping our group by stocking our water every morning and then several times a day and cleaning out coolers every afternoon after we leave. She has swept the area under our palm tree break station and provides a cardboard box for our trash. She is one of so many servants that make or break a trip like this. She is quiet and unassuming and has a beautiful smile, tirelessly providing something that everyone would howl about quickly if it wasn’t there—water and cold drinks. Edit: later I found out her name was Esther.

Later in the day I climbed to the third story of the Theovision building to get an overview photo of the construction from the balcony. Charles, a Theovision employee, was up there as well simply looking. As I came up beside him he revealed that Theovision workers were taking turns during theri day for a coordinated, all day prayer effort for our team. Again, it is the servants. God may I be your servant as well.

Cristian's Perspective

Wednesday Feb. 10, 2010

Day three at the construction site

The following day’s summary was written by team member Cristian Barcan. I think he does a good job. If you want you can follow his blog at http://cbinghana.blogspot.com/

It feels like it has become a routine... As if we've been doing this for awhile...

Wake up at 6 AM, breakfast at 7 AM, off to the construction site by 7:30 AM, worship time at 8:00AM... actually, not today - Theovision decided to have an internal devotional today... So we went straight to work.

More veil has come down all right. People were expecting us this morning almost as their crew members.

Ebenezer and Rashid have opened up a lot today. John is making friends among the concrete workers - they even asked him for his phone number: "Do you text, John?" Mike and Nate ended up arm wrestling with a few crew members. When Nate won a game, a loud cheer erupted in the whole compound. People were able to integrate more today and find niches where they can plug in better and communicate better with the locals.

We got concrete in this afternoon and some of us helped carrying the wheelbarrows to the pool located next to the building.

A great day overall. "See you tomorrow !!" waived the crew . We're part of the team now. It will be hard on Friday - we're making so many friends.

Today was also cloths washing day, but this is Ghana (we were told...) and the power went out. Kristin volunteered to finish the job overnight (how gratefull - thank you, Kristin !!).

Right before dinner, the rain came down... Not pouring down like around the tropics, but steady, straight, quiet, and beautiful. We all wished we weren't dressed up so we can get soaked after four days of oven-hot sun.

We had a great Chinese dinner at a local Chinese-Indian restaurant together with the leadership (global and local) of HCJB Global. The Chinese food was great and it was amplified by the Indian music in the background. Asia seems so far from here, with all countries in the same bucket. The waiters were Ghanaian, but dressed Chinese... kinda cute...

Tomorrow's a special day: the president of HCJB will help us with construction work and Jeremy (local HCJB missionary) will pick up his fiancée Jessica from the airport who's coming from HCJB Global in Malawi to plan their wedding. Jeremy's parents, Steve and Cindy, from Indiana are visiting and they are very eager to meet their future daughter... We've been teasing Jeremy around the whole day with this.

Dear heavenly Father, thank you so much for such a great day - thank you for opening veils continuously and allowing us to share your love with these people. Please help us find opportunities to witness before we leave on Friday. We are relying in your mercy and grace again tomorrow as we're getting ready to be amazed again by your beauty. In the Lord's Jesus name we pray - Amen.