Nothing Without Love

A week ago today I got on a plane and set out on my biggest adventure yet. With one backpack, three suitcases, a passport and lots of prayers, I was ready.  I met up with a missionary team in Atlanta and ventured across the ocean on a long, but exciting flight to Accra, Ghana. After spending three very long hours in customs because of items the team brought to give to the village children, we headed to the GILLBT guest house not far from the airport. I had been traveling for over 24 hours by the time we arrived at the guest house and was exhausted. We had to be up by 5 am the next morning to take one more short flight to Tamale (Tah-mah-ley). Once we arrived at the airport I was greeted by Dan and Di Dzokotoe, the lovely couple that I am now living with.

The drive from the airport to their house was the first time I really saw Africa, but it was like I had been here many times before in my mind.  I was not shocked by the women carrying babies on their backs and baskets on their heads, or barefoot children with ragged clothes, or homes made of scrap metal and trash that lined the streets. I was shocked that I wasn’t shocked by it all. After arriving at the Dzokotoe’s home I walked through the backyard to the school. The children greeted me and yelled out “Auntie Becca!”, I was told that the last American girl that left only days before I arrived was named Becca and we look quite a bit alike. Meeting the children for the first time almost brought me to tears because I have waited so long for that moment. Before I left America I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I would really be teaching in Africa soon, but standing in front of them made it all very real.

goats in Tamale 

A few of the kids at school

On Friday I was able to go out with the IHH team (the group I flew over with) to the village of Tarikpaa which is about a 40 minute drive from Tamale. We met with the Ghanaian team in the church that is being built in the village. We had an hour of prayer to start the day off. It was more of a traditional Ghanaian prayer meeting so there was lots of loud singing, praying all at once, and translating from English to Dagbani.  At the end, Pastor Mohammad called me up to the front and told everyone there what I am doing at the school and the entire group prayed for me. It is hard to describe how that moment felt. But try to imagine over 50 people, young and old, different languages, all praying for you and the work you will be doing. It was an untouchable moment.  We then walked into the village hand in hand with beautiful, barefoot, dark skinned, little kids. My heart was so happy. We got to meet the chief of the village. He has a nice hut where he was sitting up on a platform and we sat around him in chairs and on the floor. He was very kind and even let us take a picture with him at the end. It is acceptable in Ghanaian culture to have multiple wives and he currently has 3 and over 40 children. The last thing we got to do in the village that day was visit Pastor Mohammad’s home. He lives in a very small hut with other huts connecting to his that his wife and children sleep in. He wishes that he and his wife could sleep in the same hut but it is their culture that the wife sleeps in a room with the children and since their goal is to reach the people of the village they want to be as much like them as possible without going against their own beliefs.  Something that I just cannot get out of my mind is when his wife showed us where she sleeps. Two plastic mats sit in the corner that she rolls out at night on the concrete floor. Beside it was just her bible. She was not ungrateful or ashamed of her living conditions, but she was satisfied with what she did have. It painted the most beautiful picture of simplicity and truly relying on God. It made me feel very ashamed of the way I have lived so richly in America. I was reminded how overly blessed I have been growing up with more than I could ever truly need. I never want to forget her and her similarity to the woman described in Proverbs 31. I’ve never met a woman that depicts the scripture as well as she did, and I had only just met her.

walking through Tarikpaa

huts in Tarikpaa village

The IHH team with the chief of Tarikpaa

just love 

the woman in the center is Pastor Mohammad's wife, this is her kitchen

this is where Pastor Mohammad's wife sleeps

saying "goodbye"

In this city of about 1.5 million Ghanaian people, one white American stands out and there is no other way to put it. I am getting used to all of the stares and waves because of my skin color, people telling me they want to be my friend just because they think I have money,  the Muslim call to prayer that wakes me up at 4 am every morning (also after lunch and dinner, every day), cold showers, power going out at any time and for however long, never using my left hand (it is considered and insult), never being in a rush for anything, going to bed early, never wearing makeup, and long skirts every day.

 However, I was fearful of what I would teach these people and how I was going to help them. Twice within two days before I arrived in Tamale the scripture 1 Corinthians 13:3 was shared with me in America and in Ghana by different people.  "If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.”  God was so clearly telling me that all I have to do is love them. I complain to God often that I hate how much love my heart has to give, because it often just leaves me with a broken heart and people to miss. This is absolutely why God gave me the heart he did, to love these people. I may not have any clue why God has called me here or what exactly I am doing to help them, but I do know that I can love them. 

village children 

12 Bittersweet Days!

I haven't posted in a long while, sorry about that!  A lot has changed since I last posted. I graduated college, moved out of my house into my parents, switched towns, changed jobs, and a lot more little things. I am a bit of a procrastinator, so my "Africa to-do list" has been sitting on my bedside table and rarely does anything get marked off. Until now that is! I am 12 short days away from beginning the journey to Ghana!

 It is amazing to me to see how things come together. I am easily overwhelmed by the amount of things I have to get done before a certain point, but when I truly hand it over to God, it always gets done at just the right time and in the right way. I now have my passport, visa, vaccines, malaria pills, itinerary and more long skirts than I will ever need!

Story time: I was expecting to pay about $200 for my prescription medications to take with me so I was putting it off till the last minute (because that will make it cheaper, right?) and yesterday I went to get them filled, said a little prayer on my way there that they would be affordable and if they weren't that I just accept it and not dwell on it. When I went to pay, they were only $50! 1/4th of the amount I was prepared to pay! When I got home I was then even more blessed by my dad giving me that same amount to cover the cost. I was busy worrying about how much they would be because it would cut out of the funds I have to live on while I am there, and the whole time God knew I wouldn't have to pay a penny for them. I'm truly learning to cast my cares on the Lord in this whole process.

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

When I have read this verse in the past, I just thought it meant tell God what you are worried about and he will take care of it. After just reading it again, I began to really think about what "cast" means. The definition is to "throw something forcefully..". Throwing forcefully and casually sharing are two very different things. If we are intentionally casting our cares on the Lord, we are giving all of our worry to Him and leaving none left for ourselves. He will work in amazing ways if we begin to follow this command.

I am more than certain that God is going to keep me safe and provide for me on my journey, but I ask for your prayers too. If you feel called to pray for me please focus on these specific needs:

-Safety in all of my travels to and from Ghana.

-Openness and flexibility to things that are different from what I expect.

-Financial support for living expenses while I am there and funds to return to Ghana after the first 6 months there if it be in God's plan.

-Ability to recall what I have learned and use it to my best ability to help teach the students and teachers of Greater Heights International School.

-Confidence to share God's love with the Ghanaian people.

-To clearly hear God's voice and learn why I am called to Ghana and what my future holds.


I will hopefully be posting more often with updates from Ghana!

Grace and Peace,
Shelby