Refreshment

So I'm writing this post from a different bedroom than the other two of this semester. Not that I'm shackin up with folks while in Ghana, but we've added a new member to our apartment family so we did some re-shuffling of bedrooms to accommodate. Ben McNeer has made a speedy return to Africa. He's doing well and just getting settled into the place and the school. We both are. I've been feeling a little too settled; meaning that for the past couple of weeks my little block of life (meaning that now my house, AIS, and Beacon House are quite literally on the same city block) has gotten a little monotonous. But Ben's return reminded me that there truly is something about this continent that's just a little addictive, so today I went searching. I got myself lost in the market where I was able to reconnect with eating meat pies full of onions and no meat out of a street cart, use every bit of the Twi language I know (this only takes about 30 seconds) as well as a little Fra Fra, walk some dirt streets, and just reconnect with this city on a real level. I do love it here. I do love the chaotic simplicity of every single thing from buying Tampico orange juice to catching tro tros (mini-buses) here. This is a beautiful place. These are beautiful people. All made by a wonderful creator.


On a serious note to all those who donated in some way. To those who sponsored orphanage kids: I have talked with Mama Laadi several times since my return, and will be sending money to her this week for all of your January commitments. Please pray for your children, and if I haven't e-mailed you about your child, it's because I don't have your e-mail address, so e-mail me @ benjaminstanton@live.com. For those who committed to educational sponsorship, I have great news! We've been updated by Ramonna, founder of the Beacon House and distributor of all the educational sponsorship funds that the 200 USD annual donation that you agreed to will stretch MUCH farther than expected for the children in normal public schools. This means that we will have enough to support more children! We have several attempting to go to trade school to become seamstresses, carpenters, etc. that will now receive help in addition to those you pledged to support! I'll be e-mailing you as soon as we know where the surplus will be going. And for the desk building support, pray for transportation. We can rent a truck in Kumasi to take the lumber north to the villages fairly inexpensively, but it would be much better if we had some sort of tra I'll be donkey hauling the lumber to these kids if I have to, but I'm still hoping for the generosity of some of our friends. I'll be going up March 26 and be there for 2 weeks, and it would appear that we're going to have quite a healthy team of builders coming along as well. Pray for this trip, that God would let us show that it's his hand that's helping.

Mi Dasi,
Ben (Kwasi)

Refreshment

Why am I here?

finally settled in

i'm back in accra at last. i mean i've been here for one week today, but my mind has just settled back in over the last 24 hours or so. mebre paa. 2 really lazy days this past weekend have finally cured me of any residual jet lag from 40 hours of transit. the laptop left on the sidewalk front of the airport in accra, the passport left in birmingham, the passport left in a taxi in accra, the cold-all seem to be fairly distant now as life in accra continues with the regular hussle. also, with the erasing of past anxieties comes the possibilities of the next semester. with the generosity of some people back home, there are storehouses of goods and blessings waiting to be poured over individual souls in ghana, and i praise his glory for allowing me to be even the fingernail of the hand that is bestowing. thank you, mississippi for being open, and thank you, jesus, for using the chief of sinners to do your work on earth.