Ghana Update #9

Still in Accra

Did you think I had slipped off the face of the earth? I haven’t. I’m still here in Accra. The flights do not look good for me to fly standby due to spring breaks cropping up all over the world. I am 95% packed ready to go in 2 hour notice, but am content to await God’s timing for my return home.

In the meantime, I continue to have fun with the children.

Some of the older children and a couple of staff members enjoyed several sessions of bead stringing, making bracelets to sell for fund raisers. They copied some prototypes at first, and then made some designs out of their own imaginations.

Little miss ‘G’ has blossomed in the past number of weeks. She interacts with visitors and other volunteers, turning on her charm and beautiful smile. She is still very happy to play with a ball. Each meal, she takes the baby silverware and bibs to and from the dining room. She is soooo serious when doing her chore.

Master ‘M’ is one of our toddlers. He too loves balls, including the big ball under Dinah’s dress. He tries so hard to find that ball. Dinah is hoping to present that ‘ball’ to him any day now. She is more than ready to give birth.

Last week I was invited to attend a special celebration at the private school two of the girls attend. They performed cultural skits, readings, dances, and singing. It was wonderful!

Since the donation money has now run out, the kitchen staff must prepare food with the normal BH budget. What a difference the donated food money made! The vegetables, fish, and chicken were so evident in the dishes when we were involved. Now the cooks must make due with two small cabbages, several onions, and half dozen carrots to feed 50 people for a week. There is still some fish and chicken in the freezer and on Saturday a women’s group brought over eggs plus some packaged supplies. If I do not leave by this Saturday, I will give the shopper money for vegetables again.

Peace and Joy,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Ghana Update #8

Sorry for the lack of communication. There have been numerous power outages, Internet outages, another water crisis, and I have been fighting a sinus infection for almost 2 weeks. Just when I think I am getting better, another fever crops up.

In the meantime, life goes on here in Ghana and I don’t make a good patient. Staying in bed is just not my cup of tea.

Stay tuned for more interesting things after the brief commercial message directly below.

Financial accounting for the donated monies used in the north:

Pastor John & family health insurance for year 70 $47.95

Pwalugu village ladies group 50 34.25

Bag of millet for the three boys 65 44.52

Bread for boys 10 6.85

Large sack of oranges for boys 17 11.64

Bananas for boys 6.50 4.45

Berthilda to help with petrol to go to boys 30 20.55

Car and driver to go to boys’ village 60 41.10

Buckets, soap, clothespins, line ** 70 47.95

Internet café money 20 13.70

Photo album 2.5 1.71

Photo printing 15 10.27

Total of ‘other’ up north 426 291.78

First term sponsorship for boys 500 342.47

** The driver told me that Nurse Berthilda had threatened the boys with a ‘beating’ if they greeted guests again as dirty as they were this time. The above **money will cover 2 stainless steel buckets (the plastic ones won’t hold up to three boys), enough soap to choke a horse, 100 good clothespins, and an appropriate line for hanging clothes. The same buckets can be used to bathe the bodies. I am sending this money up to Berthilda, along with a photo album for the boys and Internet money to encourage Berthilda to stay in contact with us. Romana is going up this Friday.

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Little Miss ‘N’ spent a week with her adoptive parents from the Pacific Northwest. While in their care, N visibly gained weight, began walking, and thoroughly enjoyed her time with Mommy and Daddy. It was hard for them to leave her behind and head for the airport. Since then N is doing very well. She looks right at me, stands up, grins, and starts walking. She gravitates to every obruni (white person) that comes in. She clearly misses her parents.

While fighting a sinus infection, I am not doing much touchy feely with the children, but am talking, clapping, and smiling to make visual contact. I'm sure I got the katah (cold) from the children and staff here, but no sense giving it back to them.

There have been lots of electrical, Internet, and water outages. The tanks and buckets purchased with donor money have come in very handy the past week and 1/2.

I spent Monday (28^th) morning in the Accra market (like Medina market, but larger) with Dinah buying second hand sheets and towels to replace ragged ones. This was at Romana's request. She had thought there was other money coming for linens, but this did not materialize. The donated money I brought is almost gone, so I will not be doing much shopping. That will leave more time for the children.

Do you remember the girl that attends public school while awaiting her adoption process, the one that I have been working with after school and/or in the evening? She is almost certainly dyslexic (my diagnosis) and has what she and I are calling ‘brain freezes’, something like having a clamp on her head, where she just can’t focus. Yesterday she came to me after school, all excited. She said “Grandma Judy we had hard math problem at school today and I put my hands on the sides of my head and said to myself … ‘I know its hard, I know its hard, but I can do it, I can do it’ … and I did it, I did the problem right”. Leaving her here without special attention is going to be very hard.

Eight year old ‘B’ came to me late this afternoon (Tuesday 1^st) and asked if I would be ‘taking’ supper. (He knew that while sick, I sometimes have not been eating a meal.) He was greatly relieved when I said yes and asked if he could take my bowl to the kitchen for me. Last year he was such a rascal, but this year he is a sweet, thoughtful, helpful young man. What a delight! [See photo]

Yesterday (Wednesday 2^nd) I became acutely aware how much I miss our telephone books. There are none here in Ghana. How do you find a needed item without your fingers walking through the yellow pages? You get the best word of mouth advice possible and then hire a taxi to go look for the item. Dinah and the taxi driver Angie (BH teacher) uses drove for an hour trying to find more of the antibiotic I brought with me to no avail. Finally a pharmacist talked me into a substitute in the same family as the one I brought from the US. It was manufactured in the UK so the quality should be OK. Several staff members have already asked me this morning if I am OK … did I have any bad reaction? They know my body does not handle antibiotics well. The Lord has surrounded me with caring folks.

Monies spent last Saturday and Monday

3 flats eggs 21

1 bucket onions 8

6 cabbages 12

Bananas & mangos 20

Total food 61 $41.78

Linens 96 $65.75

(13 bottom sheets, 6 top sheets, 24 towels)

Mercy is pondering how we should spend the 65 Ghc that remain … chicken or eggs or fruit. Even though the funds are short now, due to the linens purchase, the children have benefited from more protein, vegetables, and fruit than we had originally planned. It is time to get back to reality of the limited BH budget.

I am hoping to start working with 2-3 of the older children at a time stringing beads for bracelets. The bracelets will be brought to the US to sell for fund raiser. The word is they enjoy the stringing even though they cannot keep any.

I just picked up a message from the masters degree student at the teachers college in the north. He thinks there are FraFra-English materials available at a university in Winneba. If so, Isaac might be able to help me get there as he is from Winneba. He says the journey there and back by public transport can be made in about 5 hours. It should be yet another interesting adventure.

Time to wrap this rambling message up and send it.

Peace and Joy to you all,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Ghana Update #7d -- return to Accra

Returned late this afternoon to Accra after a lovely visit with Bright's family in Kumasi. They are delightful folks and Mom is a splendid cook! They say next year must be a three day visit.

It was nice to experience how people looked out for me on the long trip south. Due to the stop over in Kumasi, I could not take the plush, express bus. The alternative was the older, stop-and-go type bus that had mechanical troubles that added yet another interesting twist to the journey. People were protective of me and very helpful.

I have packed a duffel bag ready for a Lynden family to take back for me. Another family took some things for me on Saturday. Their willingness to do this has allowed me to bring back a greater number of craft items to sell as fund raisers.

I'm going to sleep at the switch ... time to sign off.

Grateful to be 'home' at BH.

Grandma Judy

Ghana Update 7c – Up North

Saturday 19^th Nurse Berthilda and ‘her’ boys.

Nurse Berthilda is a big woman with a very big heart. We met her last year at the Presbyterian Clinic in the Namolgo Village. She introduced Rachel and me to Victor, a teenage boy Rachel’s age (then 16) and to three little boys and their blind grandmother. All four boys were in need of sponsorship so they could attend school.

Rachel and her family are sponsoring Victor, including the purchase of a bicycle to ride from his village into Bolgatanga, four miles away. The town school is better quality than the village school for a youth of Victor’s age and capability. Last year I had a hard time reading him and thought he might not really be interested in attending school. Today there was no doubt in my mind … he does want to continue with his education and is very appreciative of the sponsorship.

After meeting with Victor, we continued on our way down the very rutted, dirt roads … let’s hear it for Gafaru. These are roads that would be tough on a 4-wheel drive vehicle and Gafaru’s taxi is just a regular old beat up station wagon.

Berthilda introduced me to the ‘Landlord’ of the three little boys. I now know that term is used to mean the most senior member of the extended family or compound. The man is the great uncle of the three boys, the brother of the boys’ deceased grandfather. [The boys’ father is dead and their mother disappeared years ago.] Berthilda explained that even though the boys and their grandmother live in a family compound, each unit is expected to be independent financially. The boys are not supported by the rest of the family. The great uncle expressed his appreciation (in English) that we have interest in the boys and are willing to offer sponsorship for them. He went on to explain the obvious … that he is no longer able to farm and provide for the boys and their grandmother.

We were led though the compound to the boys’ ‘home’. I am so glad I video clipped this journey and took photos of their home. Tomorrow I am sure I will think I was imagining the whole thing. Their home is a small room with no window or ventilation … just a small, low entrance opening. It was stifling hot; it must have been 20 degrees hotter in the room than outside. The dirt floor was swept clean and everything was neatly put away.

The boys themselves were not so neat and clean (as was the case with the other children in the compound). Gafaru told me later that Berthilda told the boys, in FraFra, that if they were not clean the next time they had visitors, she would ‘beat’ them. In Ghana, ‘beating’ is the same as our spanking and is used more as a threat than as the real thing.

After a short conversation with the boys and their grandmother, we went outside, in the shade of a tree … whew!! … and the boys drew pictures with the pencils and crayons that we bought them as a form of thank you letter. Knowing money was coming, Berthilda returned them to school, but they have missed so much since their father died. Even eleven year old John had to have ‘thank you’ spelled for him. Hopefully the educational advantage we are providing will help them improve their life situation.

Back inside their home, Berthilda had each boy say his name for my video clip. John is the eldest, is the ‘man’ of the house and does all the cooking. Peter who is 8 brings in the water and helps John. Joseph is the youngest, is very shy, and gathers firewood. The boys were delighted with the huge bag of millet we brought and gladly posed as if they were trying to pick up this 2-ton object.

We have promised 8 months support for the boys. I was told it was important for them to know that there was no promise of continued support after that. What I did not tell even Berthilda is that I am reasonably sure we have enough to do the whole year. Berthilda uses the Internet occasionally and says she will send me updates on the boys now and then. It is Berthilda who will be visiting them every weekend to take groceries to them; it is she who will purchase material and have a tailor make them new school uniforms. Even though they started school already, the uniforms they have are ill fitting and are rather worn. She will also buy their school books. All this she will be doing while attending a two year program of mid-wifery training. She’s a great lady.

Well, my computer is overheating, my hair is almost dry from an early shower to wash off the road dust, and I am tired, so time to bid you all goodnight. Tomorrow is another day and I will be off early to the bus headed for Kumasi and Bright’s family.

Grandma Judy

Ghana Update #7 – Up north

Wednesday 16th I boarded the bus late Wednesday afternoon dreading the long confinement in a seat. Instead, the ride to the north was really not too bad. The seats were similar to those on an airplane, so with the help of modern medicine, I was able to at least doze much of the time.


I have photos of the roads out of Accra which were typical of the whole journey … very bumpy. My sister-in-law, many years ago, used to drive on the bumpiest roads, even railroad tracks, to induce labor; she could have ridden on the Ghanaian road and done just as well. Actually, some of the roads in Ghana are splendid and quite modern. Some are waiting to be updated!!!


Vida, my companion for the journey, was the last to board and almost missed the bus. The traffic in Accra, especially in the more congested areas (such as bus stations) is dreadful. It took Dinah and me 1 hour and 20 minutes by taxi to get from BH to the station. I use the word station lightly because the one bus parked there was the only indication it was a bus station. I am soooo glad Dinah suggested she come along. There is no way I could have found the place. Even the taxi driver went past it and Dinah had to direct him back.


Thursday 17th A day in the VEA village

Pastor John first took me to see Granddaughter Lydia’s grandmother. She was delighted to see the photos in the album Lydia sent and happy Lydia is looking so well and so happy. Grandma’s son understands English, so I showed him and grandma how to use the Proclaimer, a solar powered audio New Testament in the local FraFra language. Grandma was so surprised and pleased to hear this magical box speaking God’s word in her language that she got up and did a spontaneous dance. It was wonderful.


Grandma gave me a large, beautifully made basket to bring back. She also let me purchase five additional baskets to sell at home for fund raisers.


Upon arriving at the chief’s house, Pastor John greeted the chief with a handshake, and then he indicated I should do the same. I was somewhat surprised as women are not even supposed to speak to the chief. So, I turned to the chief, asked permission to shake his hand and he did so. He did explain that doing so was not protocol, but that it was OK because I am a foreigner. After some chiefly/visitor conversations, I purchased more beautiful baskets from the women.


We went on to Pastor John’s home, visited with his children, and set up 3 more Proclaimer groups, one in John’s home, one in the home of a neighbor, and one with the men’s group in the church. While at Pastor John’s, I pulled out of my bag a solar lantern and a solar flashlight. This he said would be so useful as they, of course, have no electricity. Later, after mulling over a comment made by Mama Laadi, I gave Pastor John the 70 Ghc needed to cover medical insurance for him and his entire family for one year. [Friday he called me to say that he had ridden his bicycle the many miles to pay the fee; he was first in line and so thankful that his children would receive the ‘excellent’ medical care available to those with insurance.]


After lunch and saying goodbye to Pastor John, the taxi drive, Gafaru, helped me purchase some of the goods to bring back for fund raiser sales. Shopping is fun.


Over dinner I shared some of my experiences with Bernard (Romana’s right hand man) and with the Stewarts who were here with their new daughter doing some of the visiting, paperwork, and court stuff for their adoption process. After dinner, Berthilda surprised me with a brief visit to make plans for Saturday. This was great opportunity for the Stewarts because it was Nurse Berthilda who rescued their little girl from probable starvation and brought her to BH. Berthilda posed with the Stewarts for photos.


I did a major crash after dinner and sending out the brief ‘I have arrived safely’ message.


Friday 18th A morning in Pwalugu Village where house mother Juliana’s family lives.

A sizable group of women gathered at the church … women who walked there from various areas of the village. Most of them are my age or more, some of them are blind. One of the younger women in the group spoke English was my interpreter. Another somewhat younger woman was introduced as the chairperson of the group. They told me what their group does and it sounded much like the Methodist Shepherds and the Presbyterian Deacons … they are caregivers for the congregation. I told them my church family wanted to help and I gave the chairperson 30 Ghc to use in their care giving efforts.


When I started the Proclaimer playing and they heard God’s word in their language from what appears to be such a magical box, they cheered, clapped, and even danced. They were wonderful! When I was ready to leave them, they sent forth a very loud cheer. I responded with a thumbs-up and a ‘wah-hoo’, which delighted them.


Julian asked me to deliver a package to her family who take care of her 9 year old son Michael. The package contained soap, toothbrushes, a water bottle & textbooks for her son to take to school, and a photo I had printed of little Josephine who lives with Juliana at BH. I took a photo of them to take back for Juliana. She misses her family.


Next we visited Michael at his school. The little boy looked so frightened, but I took his photo with some friends and showed it to them on my camera’s screen. He relaxed a little. The Gafaru said I was probably the first Abruni (white person) he had ever seen; I must have looked like the ‘purple people eater’ to him. Later, I told Gafaru that I forget I am different from them, because I don’t feel different. Certainly I am very aware that my circumstances are very different from many people here, but I don’t feel like I am a different as a human being or as God’s child.


Gafaru has shown such patience and he is an excellent problem solver. I told him I wanted to find printed material to help Lydia and Victoria relearn their native language. It took some doing and a 36 km drive, but we finally found someone who was not only willing to help, but was so pleased that the girls want to hold on to their culture, he will let us have access to material he is in the process of publishing for his master’s degree. Today, we photocopied a 110 page manual for teaching beginning FraFra to English speakers.


The second problem Gafaru solved today was to find a place where women were sewing bags. I wanted to go to the source rather than paying middle men. Hopefully the craftswomen will benefit and there will be more profit when I sell the items, therefore more money to bring back next time. The people were pleased to hear how their work would be benefiting Ghanaians in the future.


Back at Mama’s Place (Mama Laadi’s guest house), I am typing, packing away goods, and getting ready for tomorrow’s adventures. Gafaru and I will pick up Nurse Berthilda soon after 8am and head for the village where we met her last year at the Presbyterian Clinic. We will meet with Victor, the teenager the families attending school together with the Daileys is sponsoring, and then we will visit in the home of the three little boys that a number of you are helping to sponsor. I hope to video clip the children, get them to write notes and/or draw pictures for me to bring back, and leave with them pencil cases and either crayons or colored pencils to use at school. Also, two of the four solar lanterns will go to the children at Romana’s suggestion. Victor will get one and the three boys will get one. (Nurse Berthilda has the fourth lantern to use during the many power outages that happen during the midwifery training program in which she is now a student.)



Peace and Joy,

Grandma Judy

Made it NORTH

Just a short message to say I arrived Bolga via bus this morning safe and sound, although very tired. Spent day in VEA village visiting lots of folks and taking lots of photos. A report will have to wait as I need to go to bed. Thanks for the prayer support.

Love, Grandma Judy

Ghana Update #6

HEADLINE: Lots of power outages and Internet unavailability.

HEADLINE: I leave Wednesday (tomorrow) afternoon for the north.

PS: no photo this time; I'll try to make up for it next time



Saturday digression … You should have heard all the exclamations when we arrived bearing not only groceries and kitchen supplies, but also three water tanks. Every staff member approached me and said “Praise God, praise Grandma Judy, and praise the friends who have provided the money to make these purchases”. They all know that you folks at home are praying for us and funding these projects.

Sunday 6th

The various children who needed medical care on Saturday are looking much better today. Even master ‘G’ is tolerating the eye drops with only a little protesting. Little miss ‘G’ did not develop a fever today and is interacting some with the other children. She sure does cling to a ball when they are handed out. One of the two older children who were thought to have malaria is acting much better; the other one is still droopy.

I am eating well. The BH food this time has more protein and vegetables and is very tasty. There are some dishes that I do not eat, so this year I am doing some of my own cooking in the microwave in my room … mostly rice, cabbage, and eggs mixed together in one micro pot (lunch/dinner) and oatmeal for some of the breakfasts. I fix mango and yogurt for snacks. The added protein and avoidance of salt in what I cook is hoped to help lessen the health issues of last year. As is our custom on Sunday, Romana and her children and I eat restaurant fare after church. It is good to look forward to a western style lunch once a week.

Monday 7th
Everyone had their fill of water. The new tanks are filled as well as the old containers and all the buckets and basins. There was cooperation all around. Hurrah!!


Wednesday 9th

Medical problems here among the children. Three went in for checkups and one of them was admitted to the ‘ward’ (which means she was admitted to the hospital). She is one sick girl. She was put on fluids and antibiotic via IV, otherwise all care must come from the staff member that must stay 24/7 with her. The hospital does not even supply a thermometer; the child’s ‘family’ is expected to bring one or buy one. Everything must be supplied by BH … water, food, bedding, paper supplies … everything but the IV with meds.



Runny noses continue and two of the 4-6 year olds continue to show symptoms of malaria. Their symptoms run like a roller coaster … feeling fine, then feeling miserable. There is infant pain/fever meds, but no child version of same, so I am giving maximum dose of the infant type when one comes to my attention. Their usual treatment for fever is bathing and fluids, but when that doesn’t do the trick I cannot just sit on my hands and do nothing. So far, as long as I enter the med into the child’s chart, Romana has not forbidden me to be involved. Next year, I will bring both infant and child fever meds.

Thursday 10th

Crash, bang, and gulley washing!! A fantastic storm hit right after lunch and lasted almost 3 hours. It was pretty spectacular, like the ones I remember when traveling through the Midwest. The children where kept inside the rest of the day, except those doing the dishwashing which is done outside. The rain here is not cold so getting wet is not really a worry. When rain starts all adults, including me, run to the clothes lines and frantically gather anything that is even partly dry. The little ones all jump up and down and think it is just a splendid show.


At 5 o’clock the little ones were dressed in their night clothes. I asked how they bathed the children … I knew the tubs were still full of rain water from roof runoff. The answer: Oh, it is too cold to bath them, so we just changed their clothes. Would you like to guess the temperature here after a rain storm? I have a small thermometer with me and it registered a very low 80 degrees. Cool indeed.


There has been no electricity during the day yesterday and today. The power went on this evening about ½ hour after the sun went down. I distributed the solar flashlights various folks funded. Everyone asked me to say a big thank you to all who helped provide the lights. They are most appreciated, particularly since they do not have to buy batteries.

My trip north has been postponed once and will, hopefully, happen this coming

Tuesday (15th). I have lots to do while up there …

Wednesday 16th – leave Accra via bus with a friend of a friend of Romana’s

Thursday 17th – arrive Bolgatanga (it is a very long trip, but costs only about $40 round trip); shop local ‘market’ for bag of millet for Lydia’s grandmother then ….

Thursday 17th – spend the day in the VEA village with Granddaughter Lydia’s grandmother, Pastor John, and other folks who will be receiving the Proclaimer (solar powered audio New Testaments); this visit starts with a visit to the village chief

Friday 18th – visit Juliana’s (baby house mother) village just south of Bolgatanga (church [Proclaimer group], school, her son’s home)

-- shop at the craft market and bookstore, if not done on Wednesday

Saturday 19th – go with Nurse Bertilda to the village where she runs the Presbyterian Clinic. There we will visit the three boys we are collectively sponsoring. Also we will visit Victor the teen Rachel’s family is sponsoring. I may not be able to visit Lamisi, the deaf teen I am sponsoring, as her school is way out in the boonies.

Sunday 20th – head south to Kumasi; stop there for the night to visit with Bright’s family (Bright is a Ghanaian who is a member of my church in Sequim, WA)

Monday 21st – complete the journey south to Accra


Friday 11th

Five days after the last water flowing in the pipes, those who take care of the children still had some water left. Water flowed again today and all containers were filled. The only hiccough was the kitchen. They must still rely on water from the huge ‘estate’ tank. Romana is still trying to work out a schedule for satisfying the kitchen needs.

In the meantime, the water filter systems were allowed to run dry because there was no water in the kitchen tap from which the filters could be filled. The cook and I did a toe to toe grumble session and came away with a solution that we think will work. Tomorrow I will purchase a 5-bucket size container to be placed in or near the kitchen that will be filled whenever the water is flowing in the pipes and will be used only for the filters. Mercy (cook) has promised this will happen.

Our little seven year old came home from hospital today able to walk on her own, but still looking pretty miserable. She will go back to hospital on Monday for more tests. In the meantime, she will sleep in Romana’s room and will be kept away from the other children. There is no provision for isolation of a sick child in the present property. The new Beacon House, if/when it is built, will have an isolation room.

Little miss ‘G’ giggles when she sees me now … most of the time. The exceptions are when she has to do something she doesn’t like to do and when strangers are about. Such a refreshing change. She will be a blessing to the family fortunate enough to adopt her.

Saturday 12

Vero, Faustina, and Isaac all ran my legs off at the Medina market today. We accomplished a lot, but oh my goodness the miles we walked. At one point Isaac and I were trying to find a toilet seat to replace the flaky, grungy one in the baby house bathroom. He finally asked directions; he said it was just down the street. We walked easily a mile before finally scoring. I suggested we reverse the mile via taxi. Isaac said we could take the short cut. My response: ‘But isn’t the short cut just as far as the way we came?’ ‘Oh no, it is not just as far.’ Well he was right … it was not just as far. It was much farther … or so it seemed.

Purchases …

Fish 90 $61.64

Eggs 42 28.77

Onions 24 16.44

Cabbage 12 8.22

Fruit 21 14.38

Total food 189 $129.45



Hose & fittings 40 (for running water to tanks and general use)

5 pencil cases 18 (for sponsored children)

Biscuits 7.50 (for snacks for the children)

Water container 15 (storing water for the 5 filters in the kitchen)

3 buckets 12 (continued solutions to water problems that are improving)

Toilet seat 10 (the previous one was despicable)

Clothes pins 20 (unpinned clothes just blow off the lines and get dirty)

Dash (tip) 2 (the poor women who carry the heavy loads and the old men who help load the taxis sometimes get a dash or tip from me)

Pens, erasers, rulers 2.80 (for sponsored kids)

Total other 127.30 $87.19



Sunday 13th

During testimony time at church today, one man said something that reminded me of event of yesterday at the market …

‘You, Lord, turn mourning into dancing

You, Lord, turn sorrow into joy’

Yesterday, as we were walking though the area of the market that is covered with charcoal dust, I noticed folks dancing to loud music and having a grand time … shoppers and venders alike. Vero came back to me and explained that a vender in that area had just died and the people were celebrating her life.

I think next Medina market (in two weeks), I will do some video clips with the camera beside my right eye so you can see what I see and hear what I hear while walking through the market.

The electricity was off from soon after we arrived home this afternoon until about a half hour ago and the Internet is still not available. The sending of this will have to wait until tomorrow to send.


Bernard thought he could get me a universal gizmo that would allow me to be on the Internet without a hookup or nearby router. If that comes through, I will be in touch while in the north, otherwise it will be one or two times at an Internet café.


Monday 14th

I was greeted this morning with many ‘Happy Love Day’.

Another day without Internet and some power outages.

I made a side trip into the countryside and was in mango territory. I bought 30 Ghc worth which is enough to do 3 fruit snacks for every child.



Tuesday 15th

There is never enough time on Saturday to find all of the things on my shopping list, so Dinah and I went to Medina market via TroTro. Oh how I dislike this conveyance, but she is trying to make me more frugal. Here is the purchase list:

40 small bowls 10 (so bowls can be properly washed between uses)

10 plates 19 (never enough)

12 kitchen towels 14 (the current ones were rags)

5 clothespin bags w/pins 30 (so clothes don’t fall off into the dirt)

Large metal bowl 35 (the baby bathtub that Rachel and I purchased has served them well, but will not last until I return next year)

Powdered milk 22.50 (so the babies/toddlers can have an afternoon snack of milk now and then)

6 wooden stools 24 (2 for baby side, 2 for boy/girl side, 2 for kitchen)

Total 154.50 $105.82



I am giving Vero the usual food money so that she can make the purchases on Saturday …

Eggs 42

Onion 24

Cabbage 12

Fruit 20



Peace and Joy to all,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Ghana Update #5

Greetings from Ghana this beautiful Sunday morning.


HEADLINE: Water arrives Thursday!! Thanks for all the prayers and rain dances.

HEADLINE: Byte size of photos reduced so numerous included.


Wednesday 2nd Folks are in remarkably good spirits, considering the water crisis. Staff members and children alike have gone outside our compound retrieving water in buckets, bottles, and large containers. The attached photo (P1000181(1)) shows children in the foreground with various containers and way in the back is Isaac with two huge containers. He is resting from the almost a mile trek with his heavy load.


Some of the water retrieved is being put into the filtering systems so there is water to drink.


This morning Juliana is sponge bathing the 7 little ones with one of the two buckets I had here in my room. She uses the same water to wash a few of their clothes. Even the dirtiest water is kept to flush the toilet.


We are hoping Romana can get someone from the ‘water company’ to come and see why others have water and we do not. It may be the direction of the city water pipes or it may be something wrong with the Beacon House supply pipes. I am hoping the next entry regarding water will be good news.


Partial good news … maybe. The scuttlebutt is there is a broken water main that affects us and the houses down the street, but not up the street. In the meantime, the bucket brigades to the neighbors continue.


Evening water news: The broken pipe is supposedly fixed, but water is not flowing yet in any of our area … up as well as down the street. We are hopeful for tomorrow.


One neighbor is the gatekeeper taking care of an otherwise empty huge house. He has befriended us and our predicament. He says we are welcome any time to come for water which is stored in their huge tank. As Dinah and I were headed out toward the A & C market (a small western style store) after bottled water for drinking (and for bananas to feed Dinah’s pregnant hunger) this gatekeeper insisted we come in to fill the two buckets I was carrying as shopping bags. We detoured to fill the buckets, returned them to BH, and then continued on our way.


Upon arrival on the main street, Dinah convinced me to ride for the first time on a tro-tro. This is something like a mini-bus that is usually so crowded with humanity that this claustrophobic granny was never going to set foot on one … ever. Dinah spotted one that had no passengers so I managed to climb into the rickety thing and we rode the short way to the store. I survived, but hope never to get on another one. As we went through this process, Dinah and I laughed at the way folks were staring at the crazy American abruni (white woman) with her bucket shopping bags.


Dinah is a fun loving young woman. She is a high school graduate. After the birth of her baby boy, she hopes to attend nursing school. She has been helping the two girls who attend public school, with their homework. Dinah is good at it.


Tonight the fifth grader read from her cultural text to me and the second grader. This reading inspired me to purchase several similar texts to take back for my Ghanaian grandchildren.


Friday 4th Would you believe there are miles of lines filled with clean clothes fluttering in the cool breeze? Well, the miles part is a slight exaggeration, but the rest is wonderfully true. We are all tired, but very happy to have clean clothes and every tank, barrel, bucket, wash bowl, and bottle filled with water for the first time in at least 10 days. The attached photos (DSCN2785-92-94) show the process.

The water pipe is fixed; water is flowing through the pipes; and, thanks to the pump, we all have water. There still is not enough pressure to get water through the faucets, but we have been allowed to fetch water from the large tank that is filled by the pump.


A friend who has a very big heart for mission work has deposited funds into my bank account upon which I can draw via the ATM machine in the mall. Tomorrow will be a big shopping day. Vero will shop for the normal food items (with an enlarged budget) plus some needed things for the kitchen, while Isaac (on his day off) and I make some other purchases that have to do with the kitchen, water storage/fetching, carpentry, and playground balls for the little ones.



Isaac is a great staff member. He is honest, loyal to Romana (BH director), loves the children, does his best to help each of us, and thrives on the carpentry/fixit tasks I pose to him. We are hoping to rig a shelf up high on the outside front of the baby house that will be a safe place to charge the solar panel on the Proclaimer (audio- New Testament) and the solar powered flashlights that I will be giving to the staff members.



Each of us has celebrated the water supply in different ways. Most washed clothes; Vero cleaned the clay filters for the water filtration systems; Mama Comfort scrubbed the cemented toddler/baby play yard and flagstone walkways (photo DSCN2812); and the toddlers played in the bit of water runoff from the scrubbing, played in the dirt, and thoroughly enjoyed getting messy (photo DSCN2838). Isn’t water wonderful? Jo and Deb show their delight in photo DSCN2824.



Saturday 5th More celebration of water in the form of washing all the toys and spring cleaning the baby house from stem to stern. It continues to be wonderful.



Dr. Julia has arrived to check on any children who might need her expertise. She is originally from Romania; married a Ghanaian medical student taking classes at the same university some 20 plus years ago; and now has a practice with her husband here in Accra.



While her daughter Julie helps some of the older children with their school work, Dr. Julia checks with the various house mothers regarding any sick children. In the baby house, ‘I’ is ‘looking very handsome’, ‘G’ needs some drops in his eye (which I started last night), and little miss ‘G’ needs continued care for what is thought to be a boil on her cheek. Dr. Julia changed the antibiotic she was on. By evening little ‘G’ was running a fever and feeling miserable. I’m sure glad folks sent me here armed with infant pain/fever meds.



Medina market shopping

Eggs 42 $28.77

Onions 24 16.44

Cabbage 14 9.59

Oranges and melons 18 12.33

Total food 98 67.12



Spoons & forks 7

2 metal trays 9.50

2 plates 3

10 bowls 16.50

3 water tanks 168

Taxi to get tanks back 15

Small balls for toddlers 7.50

Hardware/rope 5

Water buckets 36

Total for other 345.50 $236.64



Peace and Joy,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Ghana Update #4

Saturday 29th Medina market shopping. Eventful as usual; I come home exhausted, but happy. See accounting below.

Sunday 30th Halleluja!! Two breakthroughs!

Remember the little girl, ‘G’, on which I did the first assessment? The one who always looked so solemn and sad? This afternoon, after all the other toddlers had a chance with the four balls I purchased (definitely not enough), our sad little girl brought a ball to me and threw it to me. This is the one that I could not get to even hold a ball a few days ago. She not only threw it to me, she caught it when I threw it back … and she giggled! [Photo is of her]

Tonight after dinner, some of us were sitting out on our ‘veranda’ and while the toddlers took turns getting their teeth brushed. ‘G’ came up to me with another child and the two of them leaned against my legs, watched the antics of other children, and started giggling. Little miss ‘G’ looked a very happy little girl. Hurrah!

The other breakthrough is with the staff. I have spoken one-on-one with each of them, asking each to pray for all of us and in particular for all of us to work together in peace, kindness and sharing. Each one said they would and, although they are skeptical, they are willing to give me a chance to organize the drawing of water a bit differently … as in taking turns (novel idea what?). I will draw the water from the faucet in small buckets that I can easily handle, then pour the water into the various buckets (and there are hundreds of them, or so it seems) in a way that all get equal chance at getting water while it is running whether it is for 5 minutes or 5 hours.

I told each staff member that Granddaughter Rachel, whom they all remember from last year and hold in high regard, wrote “I am praying for water, but I am also asking that the Living Water of His Spirit would be poured out on everyone there … and that it would bring love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. All are needed!”

Monday 31st Isaac (the gatekeeper and general handyman) repaired 6 chairs, using the material that Emanuel (driver) purchased on Friday. Perhaps I should say that Emanuel purchased them with my money; I stayed in the car so the craftsman did not see me and double the price. We needed some bamboo slats, one small board, and three sizes of nails. When we do a project like this, Isaac and I problem solve, then he does the doing and I do the holding. He must use old, inadequate hand tools that I no longer have the strength to use. Oh, how I wish for the presence of my power tools here.

We (Isaac, Juliana, and I) are mentally designing a modification of a rocking horse that three children can ride on at the same time. I think I can build it at home, assemble it with woodscrews, take it apart, pack it, and bring it here next year. Perhaps even two. Why don’t I just make it here, you ask? The only available wood is rough and splintery, there are no decent hand tools much less power tools, and things constructed with nails soon work loose and become dangerous. The toddler play yard has a plastic version of what I want to build and the children just love it. It, however is cracked and soon will be causing cuts on little fingers and toes.



Early afternoon, there was no water in the pipes, so Dinah, our young pregnant baby house mother, went to a neighbor and asked if we could draw water to bathe the babies. [There water was flowing in the pipes.] Dinah and I hustled enough to bathe the babies/toddlers tonight.


About 4:30 the water started flowing through the pipes. The staff let me take charge and were cooperative and hopeful. We managed to squeeze the equivalent of 4 of our 5 gallon paint buckets (about 20 gallons of water) before the water finally stopped at 6:30. It was enough for all the children to bathe tonight … sponge-bathe that is.


Tuesday April 1 Are you familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? It is usually shown as a triangle or pyramid, with the most basic needs at the bottom … that of air, water, food, etc. People need to have the basic needs fulfilled before they can focus on the higher levels such safety, then belonging, then esteem, then self-actualization.

Would you believe we are stuck at the basic level? WATER WATER WATER

Mercy (cook) had to hustle water from the neighbor in order to prepare lunch and wash the breakfast dishes. I had to follow her to bring back a bucket to flush the toilet. Several of us made a bucket brigade to get enough to wash the toddlers, their clothes and diapers. I even brought a half bucket more so I could wash clothes to wear tomorrow. I am not fooling myself to think the clothes are really clean, with that little water, but I can pretend.


In the meantime, a new crop of college volunteers has started. They get college credit and their help is greatly appreciated. They work directly with the children. One of them did a paper on water last term and is very interested in our water predicament.



Accounting for Medina market shopping for January 29

Eggs 21.60 $14.79

Cabbage 6 4.11

Melons 18 12.33

Total food 45.60 $31.23



Other

Sm & lg balls (2) - 3.50

2 more balls 4.98

Bucket for assessment - 3

Water bucket for baby house filter Sys - 4

Water scoop for baby house filter Sys - 1

Container 3 bucket size for filterSys - 10

Total other 26.48 $18.14


The top three items in other are for the assessment process (and for the toddlers play) and the rest are in support of the water filter system purchased the previous Sunday for the baby house.


Peace and Joy,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Ghana Update #3



The previous update failed to include the cost accounting for purchases. You will find that at the end of this message.



Monday 24th There was no water flowing to the Baby House all day today. There was only one bucket left at bedtime. I asked how they will bathe the little ones in the morning; only a shrug of the shoulders came as answer.



Tuesday 25th The seven little ones got what we would call a spit bath or sponge bath. The dirty diapers were mounding up in a basin with a dribble of water poured on them. The children’s dirty clothes were heaped in another basin with no water in which to soak. I ‘borrowed’ some water from the housemothers for the older children (2-10 year olds), enough to get the wash soaking properly.



Finally, the water started flowing (from the city pipes to the Beacon House pipes), but not to the Baby House faucet (not enough pressure as it is slightly uphill). They are the last ones to get water, but are the ones with the greatest need for water because of the soiled diapers and clothing.



I watched the older kid area faucet flow long enough for them to fill a number of large bowls and buckets, then turned off their faucet, saying it was the baby house’s turn to get water. There was some grumbling, but I stood firm and started filling buckets for the babies and toddlers. The water pressure was so weak that it took up to 5 minutes to fill a bucket. Even so, it was enough to wash the dirty diapers and clothes.



By mid-afternoon, the water pressure was sufficient that we could fill the two small storage tanks. I don’t know the capacity of the tanks, but it is sufficient for about 48 hours of normal use (bathing the 7 littles, baby house mothers, diapers, and clothing). If it must go longer, as described above, drastic cutbacks of usage must be made.



The baby house mothers do not waste the water and in fact double use much of the water … such as rinse water for clothes becomes wash water for the next batch of clothes. Wash water for clothes becomes soaking water for the dirty diapers. These are the same type procedures we were using during the 7 year drought in California in the 80’s.



A photo-op presented itself tonight at dinner. The children were all smiles when they spotted a hard boiled egg on their plates …. Yummmm!!



Wednesday 26th The water is not flowing from the city today. Isaac (the keeper of the BH water key) assures me that IF it flows, I may re-fill top off the tanks. The housemothers tell me the water often flows only twice in one week and even then, the baby house gets last crack at it. Can you guess that one of my campaigns while here is to advocate for the baby house to get their fair share of the water. Also I will look into the cost of one additional tank for storage.



Our dinner dish tonight had so much vegetable, fish, and chicken in it, the pieces were even recognizable. More ooohs and aaaahs from the children.



Thursday 27th Another day without water to the baby house and I am a little crabby!! The other two zones got minimal, but sufficient water. I have warned them that the baby house gets first crack tomorrow … IF the water is flowing in the pipes from the city. One of the baby house storage tanks is empty and the other one has only 12 inches in the bottom.



In the meantime, I am having a great time with the kids. One of my duties this year is to do some developmental assessment of the children, starting with the toddlers and three year olds. There was immediate need for data on a new girl. At first glance, she appeared to be very forlorn, withdrawn, and non-verbal. She warmed up to me, though, and I am convinced there is a lot in that little head that she is very stingy sharing; I am guessing there has been some trauma and/or deprivation in her short history prior to coming to BH. I will try to spend a little time with her each day. These children are well cared for and loved, but have little or no one-on-one time.



I spend a little time in the mid to late afternoon with the oldest girl here. She attends public school now and is struggling. We are working with reading, writing, and math at about the second grade level. If she were in the US, she would be getting some additional help from a learning specialist.



I look forward to another Saturday shopping in the Medina market. It is great to see a need and right away put into motion the filling of that need. The staff knows that money does not grow on my tree and that I must follow a process. First I must determine if the need is real. Second I ask if there is no other way to satisfy the need. Third, is the item available at the Medina market (as opposed to a western type market) and if so for how much? Fourth, I consult the spreadsheet that I am keeping of donations and expenditures to see if the item will fit. Fifth ... make a decision. Sixth, IF I get this far, make the purchase. On my list for this week are a few small items needed for the assessment process that I could not scrounge here at BH. The items will do double duty in that they will be used for assessment, but also for other uses. The baby house now has a water filter system, but needs a bucket, scoop, and small storage container to service the filter system; I will get those. An additional outdoor water storage tank is still under consideration at the second level … is there no other way of providing enough water? At the moment, it looks pretty bleak.



Romana is working on contact with Nurse Bertilda, the facilitator for the sponsorship of the three boys up north. Bertilda is currently attending midwifery school and can take phone calls only on the weekends. Hopefully she will be able to visit the three boys this weekend even though it is quite a drive for her. Things move rather slowing here; it is hard for me not to show the considerable impatience that I feel.



Another dinner (supper) loaded with veggies … this is soooo American! What is not American is the bones in the chicken and fish. That is soooo Ghanaian, so get used to it Grandma Judy!



After dinner, I went to the bookcase in the volunteer room that says ‘Do NOT take these books from the room’, to look for something to use for ‘H’, the older girl. I chose a series of beginning readers which are definitely aimed at younger children, but we will have to make do as they are what she needs in order to learn the different vowel and consonant sounds. She does know some of the sounds and some words, but it is really spotty. I also chose ‘Charlotte’s Web’ to read to her. These books will live in my room while we are using them … the privileges of age.



While sitting in one of the new chairs outside the baby house, in the cooling breeze, I was looking over the selection of books when ‘H’ walked up. I showed her the books and suggested that perhaps after going over the highlighted sound, I would read a book to her, then she could read it to me. She thought that would be good. She also spotted ‘Charlotte’s Web’; she had seen the movie, but didn’t remember the plot or the ending. I read the first chapter to her right then. We talked about how she might have to share me with my water duties after school since that seems to be the time we are able to get water when available. She agreed we could read while tending the water, leaving the math project (using base ten blocks) for days there is no water so that we can work in my room, away from the reaching hands of the toddlers.



I should send this out tonight so that you all can either pray for rain (water pressure through the pipes) or do a rain dance, but I am too tired and I know there have been many children in the big house who have prayed for water along with their prayers for families and to come to American. So … good night for now.



Friday 28th Thanks for all the rain dances and prayers … those of you who read my mind. We did indeed get water today, however not quite enough. I have realized loud and clear that part of the water problem is in the staff dynamics, so I am putting on hold the thought of purchasing another storage tank. We shall see what happens as this saga unfolds.



Late this afternoon, some of the children and I looked through the two photo albums I brought. Most of them remember Granddaughter Rachel, and the daughter of one of house mothers even remembers my three Ghanaian grandchildren. What fun we had!



9pm … ‘H’ just left my room after a very productive math session. I am beginning to see the light come on and her confidence improving.



As promised at the beginning of this message, here is the accounting of donated moneys spent last weekend.



10 Ghc $6.84 Large bowl for water storage/bathing

18 Ghc $12.32 Stainless steel bucket for water fetching and storage (will last for years)

80 Ghc $54.79 Large, but carry-able propane cylinder and regulator

24 Ghc $16.44 2 large buckets of onions

9 Ghc $6.16 Pile of carrots and cabbages

24 Ghc $16.44 3 flats of eggs

90 Ghc $61.64 30 kilos of frozen fish (enough for 4 weeks)

50 Ghc $34.25 2 water filter systems (making 5 in the kitchen & one in the baby house



My brother sent me the link for a program to reduce the bite size of my photos, but I cannot connect with Microsoft. I will continue to try so that I don’t continue to clog the Internet.


Hmmmm … no Internet reception tonight; hopefully tomorrow I can send this.


Hope all is well with you and yours.


Peace and Joy,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Another Update

Ghana Update #2



Friday 21st I did indeed to go the bead factory and oh my what fun!! I am now taking them off the strings and putting them into ziplock



Saturday … Oooops … another power outage lasting until well after bed time. …. To continue from above … I am putting the beads into ziplock bags, marking the prices as I go … a little more organized this time. On the way back to town, we purchased mangos from a grower’s roadside stand … mmmmmmmm-good!!



Saturday 22nd Madina Market Day – Hurrah!! I know that Rachel does not share my enthusiasm, but it was again a blast … very tiring, but great fun. We may have to alter our purchase plan each week due to what comes in from other donation sources. Fruit is the most readily donated and did come in yesterday, so we did not get fruit. Instead, we bought twice as much vegetables (carrots, cabbage, and onions). My purchases are over and above what is on the BH normal shopping list (only enough vegetables to fit easily in your two hands, used mostly as seasoning). We bought a huge box of fish … 30 kilos; I thought the poor spindly young woman carrying our load would surely collapse. Three flats of eggs top the list of eatables.



Two days after arriving, Mercy (the lead cook) asked me if I was planning to do something for the kitchen this year, and if so, she had a suggestion. Last year they used both propane and charcoal for the cooking. Now they use only propane, but have not purchased additional tanks (the large, but totable type). They, therefore, frequently run out, making meal preparation very difficult. If you have guessed what some of the undesignated money has gone for, you are correct. We purchased a cylinder and regulator.



The water shortage (this is the Ghanaian summer) has made water storage more important than ever. Soooo … we brought a huge, heavy plastic bowl for the boys and girls wing and another stainless steel bucket (with lid) for the baby house. I bought another water storage container with my personal money so that while I am here, I will not be a drain on the baby house water storage tanks.



You should have seen the taxi that brought Vero, one of the older boys, me, and all of our stuff back to Beacon House. [Did I mention that I also, personally, purchased sturdy chairs to be used for the baby house staff so they don’t always get up to offer me their one chair?] It was quite a sight and the children and staff were amazed at the load.



Sunday 23rd Church with Romana at the Asberry Church (on Methodist property). It was a rousing good service, complete with the installation of the head elder who is elected from within the group of elders. This was a two hour service (in case Pastor Bill wants to make another hurrah!). After the service, we purchased two of the three water filter systems pledged (it is the Methodist Relief group that organizes the distribution of these filtering systems). ….. Mercy (cook) just came to my window and said “God bless you all for the new filter systems.” The folks here are so grateful for all the Lord is providing through us. I get lots of hugs!



Time to attempt to send this message. Internet service here is slooooow. I will work tomorrow to see if I can get the size of my photos reduced so it doesn't take so long. I also need to work on using a fill flash so that you can see the faces of the people.



Love to all,

Grandma Judy Griffin

Ghana Update

Ghana Update #1



The adventures begin: This afternoon (Tuesday 18th) three of the older children (8-10) were assigned to take buckets full of corn to the ‘ground mill’ … what we used to call a miller … to have the grain ground into flour for banku. I went along to take photos. The ‘ground man’ was not there and we were not far from the A & C market, so we left the grain and went shopping for two essentials … bottled water (so I would have bottles to fill with Beacon House filtered water and put in the fridge) and tissues for doing my dishes (Purel and tissues make dishwashing easy in Africa).



On the way back from the market to the miller, ‘J’ took a tumble into a drainage ditch … ouch!! We cleaned her hands with Purel and left the rest dirty. Since I wanted to get her quickly into a ‘shower’ (bucket shower), we found a taxi to take us and our flour back to BH.



Just this morning, a volunteer asked me how we showered here; she knew the actual showers did not have water flowing to them. After describing how I take a bucket shower, she asked if the children do likewise. My response was that I did not know, but thought it was also by using a bucket. I now know this is true. Two of the younger girls and I helped ‘J’ shower and I bandaged her scrapped knee. It will bleed for a couple of days, so of course, she must keep it covered … house rules.



Upon returning to BH, I realized I had opened a can of worms. While at the store, the children spotted little 8 ounce size bottles of water and I bought them to drink on the way back. A few minutes after arriving at BH, some of the other children swarmed on me asking for the small bottles. Also, one of the baby house mothers tried to take one away from one of the children to use for mixing formula. I managed to get the bottle returned to the child with the promise to buy some small water bottles for formula. However, letting the children have the bottles is not allowed, I now know, so I later had to collect them and put them in the kitchen for general use. I must learn and relearn the BH rules to avoid making faux paux!



Mama Laadi, from the north, was here when I arrive and we shared the guest room for 24 hours. It was good to see her and talk briefly about my coming up to the north and what I hope to accomplish. Now … Tuesday evening … I can move my large duffels and packer box into the room and unpack and reorganize. There is a dresser in the room and it is much better than duffel diving for things.



New rules about water: It is turned on for an hour late afternoon each day M-F and none on the weekend, so I must rush out right now and draw water for my bucket bath tonight and borrow a second bucket on Friday to store enough water for three bucket showers. On Saturday, I will purchase another stainless steel bucket, so that I have two ... one for use and one for storage.



Wednesday Jan. 19th: The power has been off all day and even though it is on, it is taking several attempts to send one short message. I am learning to copy the message before hitting the Send button. Saves retyping. With the Internet not behaving, I will spend my time tonight continuing to type Ghana Update #1 into Word.



The children keep asking about Granddaughter Rachel, who came with me last year. They do not understand why she is not here this time. Rachel do you feel needed/wanted/adored???? I really miss having her here. There is nobody with whom I can bounce my multious alternatives or overthink each situation!! (Last year Rachel noticed those characteristics about me.)



Some of the children have gone home to their American families, a couple of older children have been placed in schools here in Ghana, and sadly one little, very sick baby died over the summer. I was so looking forward to seeing her and hoping she had improved. Most of the children remembered me and surprisingly, I am remembering most of their names. There are a few new children so I am working on learning those new names.



Some business attended to: I spent some time (short, but productive) with Romana (Beacon House Director) and got some questions answered regarding specific disposition of the goods I brought. Bernard exchanged all my US dollars and got 1.46 exchange rate ... very good … our (mine and the donated funds) money will go farther. He has my cell phone trying to get it coded so that I can use it with a Ghanaian simm card.



The lead and assistant cooks and I conferred regarding food that I have committed to purchase. They asked that I slightly alter my original shopping list to adjust to recent donations from local folks/merchants/growers. We will be getting four weeks worth of fish this Saturday instead of chicken (they have chicken in the freezer).



Rachel, they still/again come to me for the video in the evening. The ladies don't know how to work it. Luka does it when we are not here. I will ask Romana if I may teach the ladies how or if she would prefer Luka to continue doing it. It is too hard on my knees to get down on the floor (my trifocals don't line up right if I try to just bend over).



Wooooops … the power went off again sending me scrambling by brail for my flashlight. I must remember to carry it with me after dark. The things I must relearn!!!



Some time in the next few weeks, Bernard (Romana’s right hand man and legal/paper shuffler) will take me with him when he drives out to the new land parcel. On the way he will drop me off at the bead ‘factory’. My grandchildren and I had a fine time stringing these beads, so I will bring home another load of them, to again use as fund raisers.



During my brief trip to the north, I plan to visit with the three boys we are wanting to sponsor and with Lamisi, the teenager attending the school for the deaf. Romana explained that school here is year round. There are three terms per year: Jan-May, May-August, Sept-Dec. … approximately. We (through donations) have funds to sponsor the three boys until August. Romana is reluctant to start sponsorship without good reason to believe the sponsorship will continue. I told her that I could not guarantee continued sponsorship, but would be sending/bringing home photos, stories, and video clips of the boys in hopes there might be enough interest to do so. The price tag for the boys and their blind grandmother is $82 US dollars per month to provide food, shelter, and school costs for all of them.



Thursday morning 20th: Fraught with technical difficulties, but finally have a photo of the toddlers to send. They have all grown, especially the two who were infants last year. ‘E’ has changed so much I don’t even recognize her. ‘A’ still has beautiful dimples, ‘I’ and ‘G’ still compete over everything, ‘I’ still has a runny nose most of the time (perhaps a future of allergy treatments in store), and ‘N’ still looks soooo serious.



Tomorrow Bernard will take me to the bead factory. I will shop ‘til I drop!!!



A big thanks to all who have provided the funds to shop for food and other necessities for Beacon House. The next update will have an accounting of monies spent on Saturday afternoon at the Medina Market (local, open air market used by the locals). I’m sure Saturday will prove to be another adventure!!



Peace and Joy to all until next update.



Grandma Judy Griffin

First Report from Ghana

Twelve hours after a call saying the flights look good, I drove to Oak Harbor, finalized packing, slept 2 hours, was escorted to SeaTac by Jamie, and checked in. A layover in Dulles, then off to Ghana. I am tired, sleep deprived, but happy to be at Beacon House and with the great staff and children. Many of the children remembered me!!


Peace and Joy,

Judy Griffin

She is OFF!!

Well

Grandma Judy is on a plane and headed back to Ghana, Africa. I must say I have seen a bit of envy in my lovely Rachel's eyes. We are all so happy that God has made the way for Grandma Judy to go back and continue to be a hand in His work.

She should arrive tomorrow. I will update this blog whenever I receive information from Grandma Judy.

Please pray for her strength and health and that she will be led to where she is needed.