A little while ago, the ranch hands at the 4N Ranch (as we fondly call the Canyon Casa) took a poll and realized that they indeed did not have enough mouths to feed. After those results came in, it was determined that not one, but TWO, equine were needed to even out the "herd". Meet Breezy (momma Buckskin) and Little Gila (4 months not-sure-what-color), the newest additions:
Meeting the kids:
Breezy will actually return to her home at the appointed time. Rumor has it, Gila will be staying for what DM and I refer to as "Ranch Bootcamp". He's gonna need it; the kid has quite a kick for such a young pup!
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Dallas life has been clipping along at a solid pace, with many of the typical summer happenings: overdoses of humidity, way-too-early morning runs, long commutes to work, and ice cream on the weekends. Recent activities include: extending my current work "contract", apartment hunting, and amping up to train for this fabulous race here.
Archive for July 2011
And... it's been awhile. Life has been slightly hectic this week which translates to me getting lazy on posting.
Ventured to the Dallas Aquarium last Saturday and enjoyed some time there with my two favorite kiddoes. The place is huge!
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Sunday was the Harry Potter finale! It's been a good run. Stole this off a FB post:
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Google gave a shout-out to Alexander Calder today, commemorating his 113th birthday. Calder was instrumental to 20th century sculpture, creating the first hanging mobile as well as wire sculptures and large installation pieces. His work is a study of suspended abstract elements that move and balance in harmony.
Here's Google's short video on their logo today: Love the interactive abilities!
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And for our Flashback Friday fun... a trip to the Colorado Gator Farm in Alamosa from quite some time ago.
I believe that's enough randomness for the weekend. Cheers!
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Small gifts: One of our team members brought an entire suitcase full of bubbles, futbols, candy, coloring books, and school supplies to share with the village kids. We had such a good time seeing the excitement on their faces over these new and colorful things. True story: A bit of violence broke out when we were blowing bubbles and a "time out" was awarded to one particular girl who got a little over-zealous in her shoving of other kids! The children colored picture after picture and chased soccer balls long after we (all except Jeff) were ready to stop.
Tool delivery: In addition to planting the cassava, we also took new processing tools to the village. Everything in the past had been done by hand, so the diesel grinder and pressing tools will help the people process quicker and in larger quantities so that they are actually able to glean some profit at market. Getting the tools to the island was quite a task!
Little shadows: I feel like anyone who has traveled to Africa would agree that there is just something about African children that just captures your heart. The village children were no different and couldn't care less that we were unable to speak their language and understand their conversation. They latched onto our hands, climbed in our laps, followed us everywhere we went, and became our little shadows for the week. As we walked the mile from the lake shore to the school area, little faces would run out of the huts and bushes to meet us. Their clothing was dirty, mis-matched, and often non-existent. Their feet were bare. Their smiles lit up not only their faces, but ours as well. I can't help but think that these are the little ones we ought to be more like, these are the children welcomed by Jesus.
We ended the week with a time of celebration, a coming together of two very different worlds for one common goal. The biggest thing affirmed in my heart this trip was the continued knowledge that when mere ordinary individuals are willing to be His hands and feet, God shows up. And He shows up over and over and over.
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Machete swinging: The main attraction of the week? Planting cassava! Farming was the agreed upon economic project for the village: 40 planned acres of cassava, which is a root-like starch that tastes similar to a raw potato. We spent time clearing the designated area of trees, brush, and thorn bushes, then waited for a tractor to come plow the field. I will say that farming in Ghana is much different than in America. Where we would plant in neat, clean little rows, the plowing was much more hap-hazard… stump-dodging and grass-cluttered dirt, complete with large mice and scorpions. Awesome. But we worked in the field a little each day and then finally were ready to plant on Monday morning. While I loved the time with the kids, I honestly felt a little more in my element in the field. Country girl returning to her roots! The Ghanaian men came out to work alongside us and teach us how to plant and chop the cassava sticks. It was one of those "I just got chills" moments as I looked through the lens of my camera and saw Ghanaians and Americans working together in the field on MP's first project. SO very cool. Even cooler than getting to swing a machete! 
Sunday church: I've mentioned in the past about the amazing church services we've gotten to attend. This time around was perhaps the largest one I've been to; two churches on the island combined to worship with the Americans and to hear Osofu Nah-Nah Yaw preach about Heaven. The gratitude of who we would deem "the poorest of poor" is staggering. The people thanked us over and over, but it was our team that received the gift of pure worship that morning. One thing I noticed was during the offering: after someone placed a few coins in the collection box, a few others would subtly take it back out and share with another individual or child who would go up and put it right back in the box. For those who weren't able to give that week, they were still able to take part. "And they shared everything they had…" I wonder what would happen if someone did that during a church service here in America.
I seem to still be operating on Ghanaian time this week. "I'll post trip pictures in a day or two" turned into a good week. Anyway, here we go. In no certain order, some top highlights of our excursion:
Group dynamics: One of the neatest things about traveling with a small group internationally is that you get to know each other really well in a short time period. That is no doubt multiplied when you cram 14 people plus all their luggage in a 15 passenger van for 8 hours. We shared a whole lot of chicken and rice as well as hysterical moments, like Danielle "cleaning" her feet in the toilet one night. But for me, it was really neat to watch most of our team members who had never been to Africa before as they learned about the culture and work on the lake. It was fun to see their excitement over the little things and to see Ghana through fresh eyes. I loved learning about the unique talents of each person and seeing those expressed throughout the week.
Simplicity: Though counter-cultural to the typical American, I love the simplicity with which the Ghanaian people live life. I feel as if that's been pressed upon my heart in the last several years, to attempt to live as simply as possible. After stepping foot on African soil, it's obvious that even a huge attempt at simplicity falls quite short! But I love the slower pace of life, taking "spit" showers, washing clothes in the sink, and eating rice every single day. Granted I was glad to get home to my washing machine and shower, but there's something very compelling and natural about doing what is needed to function and live without all the extra garbage we throw in the mix.
Fishing: I previously mentioned the significance that July 4th took on during our trip and posted some pictures from our time on the lake. But we also got to experience (or document, in my case) another part of village life one afternoon. Most of our crew was sitting under the mango tree with the kids when Hope, one of the Ghanaian teachers, ran up, pointed at me, and unleashed a stream of combined English and Twi, out of which I only understood "come quick, snap, snap". I followed him out to the boats and pieced together that Chris went out in a canoe to help set a fishing net, Jeff and Jeremy were waiting to help pull it in, and I was needed to "snap, snap" with my camera. 45 minutes these guys worked to pull the net in, and it was no small task. The end result was a tub of fish that hardly seemed worth the effort to me, but the men were so proud of their catch and proud to share their work with the American men. It certainly gave us deeper insight into the hard labor of the trafficked children.
Cruising Yeji: We stayed at the Anini Lodge in Yeji for most of the week, a "home base" of sorts. Yeji comes alive at night, especially on market days. The streets are packed with people, vehicles, children, vendors, carts, bicycles, and goats. Most nights after dinner our group would head out and walk the "main street" down to the lake and back. Enjoyed trying beef (maybe!) kabobs, watermelon, and the ever favorite Fan-Ice (Ghana's version of ice cream). These evenings reminded me again about the community/family dynamic that is so present in Ghana. 
