Ghana

The trip was wonderful. It amazed me to see the progress they have made and to see how different things are from the sad scenarios we are bombarded with by the media. I truly enjoyed my time there. I experienced everything from resorts and luxury homes to remote villages with no electricity or running water. One of the things I enjoyed the most was the smell of the air. It was a sweet, musky smell that I will never forget. A friend tells me it comes from leaves they add to their trash when they burn it. I just wish I could find it somewhere in a bottle and inhale it when life gets too hectic. It would remind me of a saying they have in Ghana, "The world is not going anywhere." There is no need to get stressed; the world is not going anywhere, but if you get to worked up over things you might go.

Ghana and Other Humanitarian Efforts

My departure date is almost here. All the major details have been attended to and my excitement is beginning to build.

On another note, my book club students have chosen to do a service project in response to a book we recently read. We will be sending boxes to Mongolia and Guatemala. I am excited about this opportunity as well. We will be working with AmeriCares and I feel that this connection will be an ongoing one.

Lately, humanitarian works have really been on my heart. I didn't say evangelical because humanitarian is what is drawing me. I would rather my life than my words be the thing I use to draw people. The Bible says that we should always be ready to give an account for the hope that lies within us. They should see my life and be drawn to ask. If people ask about my life, my passions, etc...that will be my opportunity to witness and share. For me, that has proven to be more productive and of lasting impact than some in your face, sugar coated, confrontational approach that can seem self-centered (aren't I good) rather than a genuine desire to share the Good News! with them. We call it "Good News", but do we live like we have heard it and that it is active in our lives. Even I must admit not always. Let the good news be the focus.

Update

It's been a while since I last posted. The Christmas gifts were a hit. I have all my shots and the countdown to my departure for Ghana has begun. I am beginning to get excited. This is a wonderful opportunity for me and a great experience to share with my students.

I am finding that life has been a lot more stressful than it needed to be. Yes, I am a very analytical person and I must confess overly so. Some may say to the point of obsessing about things, but I disagree. I just love to think things through and, truthfully, of late I have not been doing that. I have been allowing others, in "leadership" positions in various areas of my life, to set boundaries and priorities for me. It my not seem so, but that may be because it was my internal, personal boundaries and priorities that seemed to be influenced the most by external situations and people. That is not me. It explains the inner conflict I have felt and the overall feeling that I was further from being an authentic person than I have ever been. Those close to me were the only ones I felt I could be myself with. With everyone else I wasn't me because anytime I tried to be me they would put on the pressure to change me into what they thought I should be. That would lead to shut down and withdrawal on my part. NO MORE!!! I am happy with my purpose in life and with the point I am at in life. I understand that others might not be happy with this life, but that is probably why this is the one designed for me and not them. I chose to live it on purpose an in peace.

What are people trying so hard to change?

1. I am a happy, content, single person.
2. I have the job I wanted as a child. It is meaningful and rewarding.
3. I enjoy my own company. In other words, I am not a lonely person.
4. I don't require a lot of material things to be happy.
5. I'm an intelligent person. I don't take things at face value, just because someone else said it. I study things to find the merit in them, I am not afraid to disagree with something I find to be wrong, and I know how to disagree in an agreeable way (admittedly I don't always do the last part, but 90% of the time I do).