Coming of Age and Elmina Castle

Hi everyone! It’s been 8 weeks in Ghana now and it feels like only a week! Crazy how time flies! The past few weeks have been busy and wonderful! We celebrated Father’s Day with a special church service prepared by the women and a catered dinner for all the male staff members. I missed being with my dad extra that day! We then celebrated my friend Grace’s birthday with a party full of snacks, encouragement, and dancing. Then the big week: Coming of Age. This program is completed every 2 years for the kids that are between the ages of 15 and 18 who have not yet completed it. There is a full week of lessons, activities, field trips, and group bonding that all have a purpose in preparing young adults for their future. Spiritual, emotional, and practical teachings helped to build up each student and provide opportunities for them to take responsibility for what is beginning in the next few years of life. The two men that lead this program, Pastor Phil and Shane, received their visas just in time and arrived the night Coming of Age kicked off, praise the Lord! They were an incredible blessing. My role was as the girls’ dean so I woke them up in the morning and spent time with them throughout the day, checking in and being there to support them, then checking on them at night. All the students called me their “mom” so I still hear the boys yelling “MOM” across campus! Always makes me laugh. Being a dean was not a huge role but WOW. I cannot believe the ways that God blessed me in friendships and opportunities to encourage students. Coming of Age week is one I will always remember and feel grateful for. Some of the Senior High School boys went back to school on Monday and those were some tough goodbyes! The program is for any students, Ghanaian or American, so if anybody reading this knows of a young adult that would benefit from intentional time to prepare for adulthood, let me know! This past week went mostly back to normal after a trip to Cape Coast on Tuesday. We visited Elmina Castle which was one of several slave trade sites. Being in a place where so much pain occurred was both upsetting and such a blessing. It was heartbreaking to witness and stand in the exact places where people suffered such terrible evils. And, it was a blessing to listen and try to understand the history. At the end, our guide shared with us that the whole purpose of preserving the Castle is to remember. Remember the history so humans never enter into those evils ever again. I wrote down one quote exactly because I thought it was so beautiful; “Forgive, but never forget our history as humans. Do not let history divide us. We are a united people.” Something to think about today! The rest of the week consisted of math tutoring, math classes, and rest! It is nice to be back into a more consistent routine! My roommate and I are working on learning some of the local language, Twi, from some friends so please be praying that we pick some up quickly! One more prayer request; several children who were placed at CORM by IJM have been placed back in their own village. IJM had them living at CORM for almost 2 years which means the transition back becomes very difficult. Please be praying for their spiritual and physical safety as they make that transition! We are missing them so much here! Thank you all for supporting me and CORM with donations and prayer! Love you!