Last Post from Ghana

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Hi Folks!!

Well, this is it….the last post from Ghana.We will update the website with pics in a few days, from home.God Bless you all…it’s time for the bus!
Love and Peace,Daryl

Hi to Everyone!

We are packing up to come home with very mixed feelings,satisfaction with what we have accomplished and some sense of sadness at leaving the new friends we have made. Last evening, we had a kind of a farewell party and we enjoyed each other’s company, the team and our Ghanaian team also. I never cease to marvel at the joy they take in life and how apparent it is in everything they do. Their welcome has been truly heartwarming, accepting and totally without judgement of any kind. By the way family, I did leave the key with Alma over the road at number12 for future reference. I am looking forward to seeing you all on the 1st. Be prepared not to get many words into the conversation as I imagine even after a week, I will still be bursting at the seams! Till then, lookafter yourself, drive carefully and I will phone you all when I get into the house. Eric was wonderful to get a message from you. I was not holding the scorpion but I was close by. Pat and Rog, great to hear from you too and I am appalled at the price of fuel! Talk to you soon. Debbie:I just love your updates and I am really sorry you could not come and Ik now that you would have enjoyed it as much as I did. Lots of Love,Mom/Donna

Greetings from Africa:
The ‘Bishop’ is returning home! Kate, everyone gota real chuckle out of that LOL. I am in the computer center room where Jake has spent all week building this up to now welcome students to learn! It has been amazing how much we have done to help build some more of this worthwhile center which will make a difference to the students of Ghana,West Africa, a job well done for our friends here! I am extremely proud of the team, we worked hard, we had time to enjoy each other’s company and I always enjoy meeting new people in my life and I got a double bonus gift of meeting the Ghanaian people here. The farewell party last night wasjust up ‘my alley’. The kitchen staff, Doreen, Price, Cynthia and Esmee with Samuel led the dancing and singing. They are so spontaneous and getright to it in a second, playing the drums, singing, fantastic and theirs ongs reflected the love of God which is everywhere here in Africa! Ibelieve they have learned good things from us and we have certainly learned valuable life lessons from them. I hope you will bear with me asI need to tell the story of Africa. To my awesome, amazing family and thevaluable fun loving friends I have, thank you from Africa and can’t wait to embrace you all! Cheers, Mary Monti /Mom/Grams

Hey The Dickster:
I can’t wait to hear about your trip to Hawaii with Carolyn. We will have definite different perspectives to what we did onour trips but all good! We are going to leave tonight at 7pm and won’t gethome until Sunday around 1:30 pm. I know we will both be on a long journey to Woodstock. I hope to connect to Kate and Care upon arrival and then will call Beth too. So hope to hear from you upon arrival at Carolyn’s,Kingsville. Love to all the family! Mary xo

Hi everyone, well we are leaving and find it very hard leaving our friends we have met. Especially; Kimberly who is 8 months and Joshua who is 2years, who we have been living with. Jake might have to check my suitcase.We are missing you lots and can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Jim drivecarefully when coming to the airport and remember to drive the bus we will have lots of luggage and people so we are told. Lots of Love Kelly(mom)
Hope there is still some SNOW left. Can’t wait to go for a roll in it.

Hi there,
Yes I am still here and have been busy making a record of our combined activity. I just took my last video shots of Ellen and David running aworkshop for Ghanian leaders. Great stuff. To be honest I’d like to stick my head and hands in a snow bank (hope there is some snow left) and getcool. I had the privilege of working with the team on doing what they have been doing: hauling sand, water, and cement blocks. My trip to Liberia and Sierra Leone was awesome and I hope some of you get to see the video once Daryl and I have done some editing sense. Pray for us as we fly…Luke

David & Ellen here:
Well last day, we’re packed, teaching our class –then lunch, then rest then the trip to the airport, then to Milan, layoverfor 3 hours, then onto Toronto. We’re excited to return, yet sad to leave. It’s been a wonderful experience and we’ll have lots to tell andtry and explain. See you all soon, OK, maybe talk to you all soon.

Hello from Lawrence and Penny,

Let’s see; it’s our last day. What has it been like? Breakfast, followed by organizing and packing things to comehome or to stay; cleaning our room; playing ball hockey with Joshua and Theodosia; watching Kimberly; talking with George; and now saying good-bye from Ghana and preparing to say hello in Canada! We hope to enjoy a relaxing afternoon with perhaps a last visit to the village. We’ll be loading up the bus just before dinner, and then the crying is sure to begin! We are happy to be coming home, but sad to leave friends here. Wewon’t be the only ones crying! We are sure to arrive home weary after all our traveling and adjusting to life at home again is difficult after living here for a while. We will want to explain everything to all of you, but it will be a slow process as our thoughts and emotions are sometimes near impossible to put into words. Please be patient if you don’t hear much from us for the first little bit. That excludes those we’ve entrusted with our most prized possessions: our children and pets. You are sure to hear from us as soon as we are home to make arrangements. We can’t wait to hug everyone; be prepared for tears! We love you all and ask for prayers as we travel, in particular Lawrence has been fighting with an ear blockage and flying might may it painful. Thanks everyone at home for everything, this is us signing off from Ghana!

Hi Guys, it’s me, Janice. Suitcases are packed…just waiting until the last minute to get showered before heading to the airport. When I was getting ready to come to Africa, I did a countdown of how many sleeps ‘til departure, but I haven’t done so for my return home, nor have I been doingmy “happy dance”. As much as I’m ready to come home, I’m going to miss ithere. We’ve accomplished so much, but there is still so much to be done. As David Jr. so aptly said, we’ve completed a chapter in a book, and when the next mission comes, another chapter will be written…it will be awonderful book when completed. A few of us went to the beachmid-afternoon yesterday…we only needed to go out about 20’ to catch the waves…once again lots of fun & a great way to relax after work. David G.is going to give us a ‘final’ tally as to the number of blocks we moved while we where here. The “block sorters” did a great job of killing the scorpions, centipedes & spiders, and sparing the toads & lizards, so we didn’t have too many surprises while carrying the blocks. I’m not even going to try to count the number of headpans of sand we carried, nor the number of buckets of water hauled up to the construction zone. It’s been a great team (Canadian & Ghanaian) to work with! Steve, I’ll be wearing my sandals (have given the rest of my shoes & jacket away) so can youplease bring me some shoes and a jacket to wear home??? Can hardly waitto see you at the airport J Hugs & Kisses. Love Janice/Mom