on our way to the school





and back home again - going down was more treacherous than going up!  (for me anyway!)






almost to the school -this was quite a hike for me! especially after a rainfall!





Raegan in the clinic where she volunteers in the afternoon







leavingGreat Falls



arriving in Germany for a 3 hour layover



trying to take in all the sights - first morningin Ghana

a warm greeting from children at a school near Accra

we gave this sweet little barefoot girl a pair of sandals - she loved them and stomped around in the dirt trying them out!



our first meal - beans, boiled plantain and yam



Slow and Steady on Day 3

Here we are on day 3 and still feeling the shock of such a changed lifestyle.  We teach at a school every morning and the children, of course are irresistable.  There are 20 children between 3 and 6 with one teacher in a small room with a dirt floor. The teacher has taught here for 15 years and built the little building herself so it is run privately.  The children are eager to learn and love whatever we bring to teach with.  Ben has spent a lot of time with little ones lined up to ride on his shoulders and Michaelas arms are always full.


We are staying with a very nice family who have 21 yr old twin boys and a 10 year old daughter.  They have electricity but no running water.  The cold bucket showers each day have actually been quite refreshing and i am especially grateful for the strong arms that carry all those many buckets of water each day for the 6 of us to use plus their own family!  One five gallon bucket provides a lovely shower including a hair wash!

Will try to post some photos soon .  We are at an internet cafe that is very slow and each photo can take several minutes.



We are off to visit Raegan's favorite orphanage this afternoon and are excited to take some surprises from the massive amounts of wonderful donations we were able to bring with us!

On Our Way!

Had a fun Parade Day and Family BBQ in Barnwell and left for Great Falls about 9 p.m.  Our border guy was awesome - was more interested in what we were going to do in Ghana than whether or not any of those 16 pieces of luggage contained anything illegal!   Drove through some wild lightening storms and settled in for a good nights sleep here at the Holiday Inn.  All having our last hot shower for a month and then off to the airport!

Remind me not to book a hotel with stay123.com - our printed off reservation with confirmation # was bogus!  Glad Great Falls had some other options for us! 

Posting again by Request....

http://youtu.be/3pDg4zLsCQ8

Veggie Peeler and Mascara!

From Riley this morning as we finish the last of our packing...we are so excited to show up with all our soccer balls!  

Some other good ideas to bring are:

Any drink mixes that you add to water. 

And those spongy, softer soccer balls that are a lot smaller are good.

The kids play soccer with balls of saran wrap in the

villages sometimes, or a tennis ball.

If you happen to remember some sort of vegetable peeler would be nice

for Alfred. His 13 year old son peels all the potatoes, yams, carrots,

and dices them all with a knife that is nothing like a peeler! lol

Other than that I wouldn’t be too concerned about bringing the right

things, people will love anything you bring really.

And Raegan says to bring mascara for the nurses at  the clinic who really like whatever Raegan is using on her eyelashes!

Yes bring sandals for sure. I have 2 pairs that broke but I got them

fixed for 50 cents! So they last a while. One pair of shoes is a good

idea for playing football with and any hiking or if you want to go

for a run...

Phone Lost and Found - Three Cheers!

The lost cell phone was returned...yay!  Raegan seems to be feeling better...yay!  EIGHT sleeps till we are on our way...yay!

peek-a-boo!

A Baby Backpack for Raegan!

An email from Raegan today...


Hello! so today was a good day! We taught in the morn and then went to the clinic ...today we worked in the wounds room...saw some sick wounds and got taught how to put in an IV and give a shot in the butt - havent done it myself yet... just watched to learn!  It was cool... then we went to the Jukwaa orphanage... I finally got to carry a baby on my back  - yay !  and I bought sme diapers so I could leave clean! Then we went to the Wawassii orphanage and taught a lesson with Ry and Patrick.


The antibiotics are working great and swelling is way down in my neck.. Ry lost his phone on the bus so we called it and someone answered and said they would be back at the bus station tonight in Cape Coast but they were a no-show so it might be a goner!  Can't wait to see you all so soon! Love ya and still wish dad could come!!! We will have to all do something special when we get back!  Love, Raegan

The Finished Product!

School in Progress...

The Completed Project!

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The children who will attend this school...

Ta Da!

Cape Coast and area

orphanage where Riley and Raegan spend time

Riley making 'apple pies' with the boys that live in the house he and Raegan live at

Add caption

The orphanage

sweet little baby who Raegan wishes she had a diaper for!  We are bringing some!

a coal iron - Raegan says it works great!

Suppertime!

Teaching body parts with sticky notes!

The school where R and R teach

Raegan going for a new look!

an afternoon at the beach in Cape Coast

Riley puts the 'flash' in flash cards!

Diagnosis?

Spoke to Raegan early this morning.  She is feeling a little better - still has a fever of 38.5 and sore joints and chills but saw a doctor this morning who is sure she has malaria according to her symptoms even though the blood work came back negative this morning.  She was given malaria meds yesterday before the blood test and doctor thinks this is why it is coming back negative.  We are hoping she is on the mend and can't wait to see her (and Riley) in less than two weeks now!

The school where Riley and Raegan teach part of each day

Riley and Raegan stumbled upon this brand new organization they can help with

Building a kitchen on to the school

Signs and Symptoms

Raegan called late last night to tell us all about the great day she had yesterday - discovered a new orphanage - a mom who is caring for 13orphaned children.  She cannot afford the rent anymore so will be moving into a little hut with her little brood at the end of the month.  Raegan was especially fond of a little 10 month old who will not go to anyone except a little 8 year old girl who is also orphaned.  No one knows why he is so attached to just her but she hauls him everywhere on her back all day long.  They are not a funded orphanage so their needs are great and we will be focussing on them when we arrive in two weeks as they have not ever seen volunteers.  Diapers and formula are #1 priorities as right now the babies only have one serving of rice a day.  It is so hard for us to understand how we can be so blessed just a short 29 hour flight away.

Raegan called again early this morning feeling quite ill.  Because of her symptoms, the locals fear that she has contracted malaria. She has been to a clinic but because it is Sunday the results of the blood test will not be available until tomorrow when she sees a 'real' doctor.  This was not happy news and we are hoping all will be well.

Two weeks today and we will be boarding a plane to join her and Riley.  HEAVY SIGH!!

Short and Sweet ... but that's ok...

Just received a text from Raegan...it is the end of their day and she simply said "Wow - what a great day we had today!! ( :  "

Although I am desperately wanting details, is there anything more a mum wants/needs to hear when her kids are half way around the world?!  ( :

Hoping they post more photos soon....