Valentines day from Ghana

Happy Valentines day to all....

and remember this is public space!! (to all you lovebirds from home)

Good evening everyone. Well, it took us an hour online, but we finally managed to download all your comments and enjoyed reading them aloud after supper this evening. Kelly and I went to the clinic after work yesterday, but they told us that the afternoons are quiet and we should come in the morning. Of course, we do construction work in the morning so we haven’t been over yet, but tomorrow they are going to make do without us on the worksite. Comfort, who lives here at the YFC site asked me tonight why I hadn’t been to the clinic yet, so I thought I better get over there soon. Especially since tomorrow will mark the half-way point in our mission. Half way!! This morning we were at the market, and this afternoon we took the team to the ocean for a swim… or to be more accurate…. To play in the ocean as the waves are much to big for swimming. I’d tell you more, but there is a lineup for the computer, and Kelly and I need to be out to door by 7am to go to the clinic…… I’m off to help some team members figure out “
intestinal issues” now

Hi from Hope!
As I wrote in my journal today, “just” another perfect day in Ghana. Lots of fun buying gifts at the market and fun playing at the beach. Don’t worry, we’re doing a long day at the worksite tomorrow. ODK, Atta, and Samuel can lay blocks as fast as we can haul them upstairs. How is my family doing? I’d love to hear about the animals and Mikaela’s speech and how you are all enjoying Heather. Love to all at St. Paul’s. Hope

Happy Valentine’s to my guys! Thank you for my cardJ Greg, congratulations to you and your team on the big win…you must be very proud!!! Can’t believe how quickly the time is going. We’ve used approx. 450 blocks so far (and we had to move all of them up to the second floor first…talk about a workout). Have done some shopping and we went to the ocean this afternoon “to play”. My 6+ month streak ended Tuesday, but I was well taken care of. Before I forget, I checked out the prices of the Romeo & Juliets at the Milan airport…118 Euros for 25…let me know. Hope you are all keeping well. Miss you all. Hugs & Kisses. Love you guys bunches. Janice/Mom

Hi Kate:
I was so thrilled to hear from you and yes, I sure do miss my laptop and our talks on MSN! (especially our ending). I hope to hear from Care and kids, and any friends/relatives but I am thinking I might have given the wrong blogspot. Could you please check on that for me! The team is working hard to help the masonry workers put up walls on the second floor of the Centre. I have done work right out of my element, carrying blocks, sand pails on top of my head! And water buckets. The people here at this centre are really special and the Cook, Esmeralda is a fantastic person with multiple talents of cooking food I have never tried before and really enjoying the fish, of course! I want to hear about Mary for sure! I miss you all and hearing about the weather and I can’t tell you how different the heat is here in Africa. Lots of stories to relay and love to all. The children are so special here. Love you, Cheers, Mom/Grams/Mary Monti xo
Hi Dick: I presume you are checking with Beth on the blog, Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hope all is well with everyone and look forward to hearing from you. Love,Cheers, Mary.



Great to hear from you, Cassie, Joan. Sorry your surgery has been postponed, but I’ll be home in March and perhaps I can take you. Super news about Taylor and Kristen and I’m glad Eric is being Eric! We continue to do well, have been meeting lots of wonderful people. Learning lots about Ghana and its people by talking with them. Went to the beach today, wonderfully warm, I’m sure you’re all jealous. Thank you for all your prayers as they must be working because I have been so well. Take care, look after yourselves and each other, Lots of love, Mom /Donna

Hi everyone – David & Ellen here. You people on Ontario will be pleased to know that it was 36c today – a no work day, some time at the market and some time in the sea. Now regarding the sea – well more exactly the trash in the sea. We’ve never seen so many empty trash bags – even a WalMart bag, floating in the sea, coming ashore, breaking the fishing nets and causing general havoc. It’s an item brought in by the Western culture – we have to do better – even though we’re teaching the locals how to make satchels out of plastic bags by crocheting them together – even we can’t make a dint in the trash bag population. Ok stay well and keep warm and remember use a cotton bag.
David & Ellen

Jake and Kelly. Too much to say not enough space. Love hearing about the snow. I can’t wait to go for a roll in it. It is hot, very hot. I’m managing but not always the best. It has been a nice balance of work and site seeing/cultural experiences. Miss you kids. Thinking about you. Hope you are getting outside and playing in the snow. Food has been more than great here. We get to try all kinds of Ghanaian dishes, they love their spice. Have to bee carefully with how much you eat. They eat several things that look like dough balls, but they have a much, much, much different taste and texture. I’m trying everything, Kelly she is being a quite conservative with her eating. Hope everything is running smooth. I will have to say one thing the waste and garbage from plastic’s here is wild, it is everywhere. Much love.


Hello everyone, glad to see you are responding to the blog. Things over here are going well and it is very hot. Today we had a dip in the ocean, and despite the large volume of garbage floating around, it was quite enjoyable (the waves are huge!). Gonna keep this short for now as it’s coming up on 10 pm and I need some sleep, as we have a long day of construction on the site ahead of us. I miss you all very much and hope you all keep well until I return. Lots of love to the whole family and TONS of hugs and kisses to Danielle as it is Valentine’s Day (I’m so sorry I’m not there! L) Hope to blog to you all again soon,
David.

P.S. Danielle, what did you mean by “interesting words from my sweet little fingertips”? I’m sweating enough here as it is and that statement isn’t making it any better… (remember, sarcasm doesn’t translate well [insert finger biting here])

Hello everyone, so glad to here from you heather, whitney, and aunt Kathy and uncle ivan. Work is going very smoothly here we are getting a lot done!! Today was an amazing day, we went to the market for the second time. That is where you buy your stuff to bring home, but you have to bargen to get the good and decent price. Well the first time I went with a man from YFC and today I did it all by myself and I did amazingliy great. Then to top the day off I got to swim in the ocean. First time for everything here. Then I watched the sunset over the village below us as I listen to there music. What a wonderful and passionate group of people they are here. Strong and hard working, everything that you want to be. It is an inspiration to be here. SO how are you all doing?






Penny and Lawrence said,
What a couple of days we had! Working hard in extreme heat is tricky, but thanks to Dave and Ellen, work is possible and do-able. Work is gratifying and when it’s done we are glad… I mean proud of what our God can do! Our trip out to the proposed school site in a very rugged place was interesting. But our God is Good! I saw pictures of this site from last years mission. You could only get to it by walking a path, now there are roads! Dusty rugged roads though…
Today we were tourists! We tried our parts at bargaining at the culture market, and got some really cool things! I can’t say because these cool things are coming home to you people as gifts… only if you been good! In the afternoon we went to the ocean for a swim. Refreshing. This was the first time for Lawrence! And the most favorite thing to do is sit and chat with our new friends, and friends we already know.
Thanks for the posts it means a lot to hear the news and well wishes from home. Keep those comments coming! Our Love goes out to all the people praying for us! Keep it coming! Hugs to Lawrence, Benjamin, Christopher, Nana, Nanny, Amy, Evan, Noah, and Chester! We love you all! Continue to take care of each other.
God bless!


FROM DARYL,

Dear friends,

My apologies for not being more consistent in communication, but this time around we just can’t seem to get the internet stability that we would like. It’s not like home. The closest internet café is an hour away (in good driving)….so we will keep trying and tweaking, as so on.

We have spent most of our construction time helping to lay block, the first day 110, the second 168 and the third 180. Of course, this is all on the second floor, and they are all carried up by hand, etc….

We visited the site of a proposed school on the 13th – it was a daunting ride….the dust is very thick. Our friends in LA have a dream of a new school and faith that God will provide what it needs to see the dream a reality, and they are patient. Most of us would give up if we looked at the obstacles they must overcome – but they will not. I hope we can help them.

Personally, I find myself still haunted a bit by the conversations I had in Liberia. These young men, so wounded by years of fighting a war as children….the stories of brutality committed against them, and by them, and their struggle to be free to grow and heal. It only takes a few seconds of recalling their stories to feel the tears begin. I have come to the conclusion that diamonds are not a best friend to the majority of the world.

On a happy note – our son in Africa, Emma (Ee-maw) has come to see us each evening and we have had a terrific time with him.. Hope and I will go to meet the rest of his family and see where he lives on Monday evening. We are excited by this.

My health is still not perfect – I have gone from a flu that I think I brought with me, to a bout of heat exhaustion (brought on by my weakened state to begin with) to a cold….but I seem to be OK when I need to be. It has been frustration though, as I cannot eat much of the food I love to eat here. Your prayers have been welcomed and I look forward to being fully well very soon – each day is better.

Well – I need to try and get this posted – then get to construction. I will try again later today to get pictures up.

Blessings to you all

Love from Ghana,
Daryl