Journeys

Today we got up early and made our way by plane to Tamale and then by car to Bolgatanga. The northern part of Ghana is a gorgeous, a landscaper of agriculture and small villages. A beautiful road took us to Bolgatanga and I was amazed to see power lines run with us the whole way (very different from Guinea 20years ago!).

Vesta is in charge of us now and doing a terrific job of making sure are all hydrated and safely wherever we need to be. She exudes joy and and a terrific sense of humor.

Monday

And we are off again!

Today we travel by plane to Tamale and then by bus to Bolgatanga. We will visit a slave camp this afternoon where people were held until they came to the coast. We return to Accra on Thursday. 

Sunday!

The pilgrims!

Sam, Charline, Nina, Heidi, Lisa, Joe, Tom, Sarah, CJ, and me! (Sean is taking the pic)

It was a beautiful morning for worship at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity! What a gift it was to gather and pray as our first activity together in Ghana.

Like any Anglican Church the liturgy was familiar, just with a Ghanaian twist. As mentioned from the earlier group in January, the service was lengthy (4hrs) and the offertory was done twice. 

While attending we noticed that there were many parishioners who had clothing made from the same fabric that celebrated the 150th anniversay of the cathedral, a festive print complete with a photo of the church! All the same fabric and yet so many individual styles. 

The joy of the congregation was most felt during the offertory when each person came up to give their tithe AND a special joy offering for the day they were born (Monday was the day that had the most money donated)--- everyone danced their way up singing to the music and giving from their heart. I do believe this portion of the service was longer that the sermon!!

Another moment was at the conclusion of the service when special blessings were given. The Dean of the cathedral asked for a special blessing for his daughter, a major in the army, going to do peace keeping work in Lebanon for the next years. 

We have eaten lunch and continue to get to know our group of ten and the SMALL episcopal world we live in! 

Arrived. Safe and sound!

Here safe and sound, not sure what day it is but tomorrow is sunday! 

More info and such tomorrow!

Thankful for safe travels, new friends and the adventure that lies ahead!

Where are you going and how are you doing?

Yesterday my second flight was scheduled to depart at 7pm. We did not depart until 9:30pm for several reasons. The good news is that we arrived safely.

When you travel have you noticed some people are traveling a small window and need to get there and get back, no diversions. Some people are not pressed, when they get there they get there.

We all got to deplaned last night at one point and if you want to hear discontent, just watch a plane that deplaned and not given any idea if they will leave that night or not. There was angst!

I ended up sitting down by a woman in the terminal who was waiting for a flight to Miami to see her dying sister. While the delays of her flight added almost 12hrs to her day she also knew when she arrived things would not be easy.

I also ended up leading the 'parade' of a pregnant mother with a 2,4 and 6year old. I helped schlep the car seat on and off the plane.... they were moving to England, dad already here and serving in the military. Reminded me a lot of my family when we moved from Tacoma Washington to West Berlin, Germany. All 4kids and mom and dad- quite the adventure.

Now I sit in Heathrow, people watching and eating a salad. YUM. My six hour layover became 3hours and then I have one more 7hr flight til arrival, where new friends await!

All checked in!

And so it begins!

All checked in and now waiting at the gate. I will arrive in Accra tomorrow at about 3:30pm EST. three planes and lots of time in between! 

I realized recently that 20years ago on July 1, I got on a plane to begin my peace corps experience in Guinea. God has a sneaky sense of timing to have me flying at the same dates this year to meet a new group of travelers looking to see incredible work being done in this world, this time in Ghana.

I am excited to meet new friends, learn about culture and programs, and see what God has in story!

Thank you for your prayers! So thankful for St. John's support in this adventure!

(I am back on July 9)

Abi

A little bit about Ghana

Hey there- I am 48 hours from departure and I wanted to update you a little bit more about WHERE I am going.

For those of you who know very little about Ghana, here are some facts:

• Ghana is located in West Africa, west of Togo and Benin and East of Ivory Coast.
• Ghana's Population is about 27 million and like many African countries is comprised of a variety of ethnic linguistic and religious groups due colonization.
• 71% of Ghana claims Christianity as their religion, 18% claim Islam as their religion.
• There are varying climates, coastal life, savannahs and jungles in this country.
• Ghana is a democracy and is a part of the African Union, the Economic Community of West African State and other collaborative groups.
• The currency is the "cedi" and currently exchanges at a little more than 4 cedi per US dollar.
• While there are many languages in Ghana, English was the colonizing language.
• It will take three flights and 27 hours for me to get to Ghana. I depart Friday and arrive in Ghana (4 hours ahead of EST) Saturday night.

According to the Weather Channel, it's actually cooler in Accra than Tallahassee, FL next week! Here is an article that was sent to us as began our preparations for our pilgrimage.On Slavery's Doorstepand a note about the The Presiding Bishop Pilgrimage in January 2017