So I got off my one-a-day Ghana posts for the sake of working on a slideshow that I'll post later. It was a 'quick' project that evolved into a bit more because I have this perfectionism syndrome, and because I also became addicted to iMovie. However, I promise to more than make up for it as my next posts are lengthy. If you'd like to skip to photos, move on, and I promise I'll never know the difference! Without further ado... Lake Volta...
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If you've read any of my posts before our Africa excursion, or if you've had more than a 5 minute conversation with me anytime recently, chances are pretty good that you've heard about the kids on Lake Volta. From a wild crazy relay to t-shirt making to one extensive game of kickball and art project preparation... I've been blessed this past year to learn so much about the plight of the children enslaved in Ghana, to see pictures and videos, to hear of their rescues, to be involved in trying to help through Mercy Project. My mind was well wrapped around the factual injustice of the situation as we left for Ghana, but it wasn't until I witnessed it all for myself that my heart became completely and unequivocally invested.
Of course, I could tell you to look at a map and point out various locations, but I could never explain the vastness of the lake, the expanse of water and boats in every direction.
I could describe the nets, the ragged and bare clothing of the children, the signs of malnutrition and poor treatment, but I could never explain the feeling of reaching out to touch a child-slave in the boat next to me.
And I could show you images (which I will!) that may evoke some emotion, but I could never really explain the hurt in my chest as each boat rowed away, the children continuing to work... the children still working now, as I sit in my home in the 'land of plenty'. I won't try to explain those things, for I would surely fail. And to be honest, there is so much of it that I still wrestle with today and probably will for some time to come.
But I can't leave this portion of the journey out, for as much fun as I had with the Village of Life children, as much as they deeply touched us all with their smiles and singing and joy, I was most anxious to get in that boat on Lake Volta. I know every member of our team would tell you that they cannot return from our morning on the lake and continue living as if the things they saw in the eyes of those kids didn't rock them to the very core of their being. While that plays out differently for each of us, I can say that for me, there is no ignoring the reality that there are 7,000 7-16 year olds bailing water out of a boat right now. I knew all about it going into this journey, but now I've SEEN it playing out right in front of me. I cannot dismiss that experience with an empathetic look and remark of 'wow, that's really sad'.
So I share this, in part, so that there will be others to keep me accountable to the things I witnessed. Because what kind of person would I be to have seen those children with my very own eyes and simply walk away after putting their picture in a photo album? How could I ever claim to be a Jesus-follower and not do something to help? Help me remember, long after the words and images have been recorded.
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