Happy 4th of July!!!

So it’s Independence Day and going by Hollie and Rebecca that’s a pretty big deal!!

So we celebrated!!

Hollie bought lunch for all the workers on site today – there were approximately 30 guys and they were so appreciative.

We had ‘beans and gary’ with bread and coca cola! Hollie had Michael explain that it was a national holiday back in the states and it was traditional to go on a picnic or do something together. This was met with a great round of applause – they can understand the idea of Independence Day as it was actually Ghana’s national holiday on Monday 1st July. So they all sat under the huge mango tree while Hollie and Rebecca set about handing out the food and bread while I went round removing the lids from their drinks.

This was a great time of fellowship and gave us a good opportunity to sit and chat with the men as it’s usually just a case of walking past and waving over as they are working.

Spot the Obruni's!!!

One man I spoke to, Asempa Peter (pictured below), lives in Doompa one of the local villages which is around a 2 hour walk from the clinic and he does that daily, he told me about his wife and 5 children which he has to support.

I was also taught a new game by my new friend Osei Kwabena…I had collected all the tops from the drinks bottles and he came over and showed me how they play a game by trying to flick your lid on top of the other persons!! There seemed to be many rules which I wasn’t quite getting but it was fun any way!!

Then they were back to work…they really are very hard working.

I would ask you to pray for these men as we try to build up relationships with them in broken English and Twi combined!!

That of course brings me on to how the work is going. It has been progressing well this week with the founds dug, filled with cement and the first bricks being layed, it's exciting to watch the progress.

Who needs a cement mixer!! :)

So what else has been happening this week…

We have also built up a friendship with the night watchman who has been busy weaving baskets for us during the long hours of darkness while he is working. He presented them to me on Tuesday morning as the other 2 girls weren’t about. So he called up later that night to see the other 2 and he was very pleased with our reactions. They have already come in handy carrying laundry to and from the laundry room.
Real african ladies!!!

There has also been good times just hanging out in the house. There is always good fellowship over meals whether that’s us 3 girls or along with our close compatriots Michael and James. Food seems to figure high up on the scale of importance. Hollie tried out a Ghanaian dish again – ground nut soup and rice balls. It was impressive as she didn’t have Anas there to keep her right…but Michael came along and was able to explain to her how the smell of the soup was very important and was able to tell her what stage the soup was at by smell alone!!

Hollie was then impressed last night by my chips or as she called them ‘board walk fries’…my mum has taught me well in the making of chips!!!! So she was disappointed to hear we had used the last of our potatoes on them and has been on the hunt for more potatoes all day!! I think the Jernigan’s may find some missing when they return next week!!!

We’ve also had some fun evenings, such as Rebecca and I playing Apples to Apples with James, then there was the girly night which I’m giving nothing away about – what is said in the intern house stays in the intern house!!!
Then there was our movie night which began with some dancing an impressive rendition of 'Walk like an Egyptian', James was certainly getting the moves anyway!!

– Casino Royale it was…and can I just say Daniel Craig is no James Bond…Pierce all the way ;o) but everyone was a little tired and we didn’t manage to see the end of the movie as I think even the laptop was a little tired!! And we did manage to drag Hollie to bed eventually.

One other "friend" we have made is Rusty, as Rebecca has affectionately named him. Rusty the Rooster whose internal clock seems to be a wee bit mixed up as his cock-a-doodle-doo is not limited to a wake up call as he can be heard constantly as he wanders around the compound!! Alan i was wondering if you would like to introduce him to Honey and Chilli??!! :)

So all is good lakeside and I would ask you to keep praying for us all as we share in God’s work here.