It rained yesterday:
A drizzling downpour
A whirling whisper
A calming catastrophe
And all we could do was stop and sing, dream and dance.
So we did.
"Let it rain, let it pour from heaven. Let it rain and revive my soul. I need Your rain-I need your streams of refreshing-until I thirst no more."
About Us
- Jamie Anne and Lizziey June
- Kasoa, Ghana
- Back in the day, the old-days of the New Testament, it was honorable to be a disciple. It was so honorable, in fact, that a disciple would leave everything: house, friends, and family to learn to be exactly like the rabbi. During these times a blessing developed: “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” Right out of college, two girls decided to pursue the call to teaching in Africa. They invite you to join their words and thoughts as they shake the dust of their chacos off on their blog, hoping to reveal to you all that God is revealing to them.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Harmattan
I promise I will write a post about the super awesome events that have taken place over the last month. Two amazing friends came to visit me. One even decided that he wanted to marry me, so he proposed while on a beach in Akwidaa, Ghana and we will be getting married this fall! But those stories will all come later when the internet is fast enough to upload pictures. Today I wanted to post an entry from my journal.
The sands of the Harmattan blew in at the end of last term.
The Saharan traveler swirled in one morning, leaving the horizon where my steadfast mountain stands with nothing more than a dingy gray existence. Like a rapidly progressing depression, the sand both blocks the sun and creates a pseudo yellow tinge as if it is attempting to convince the land that its dry swirls of sand may actually be clouds full of water.
The earth cools down. Kids wear winter jackets as the temperature drops to 76 degrees. I wrap myself in 3 sheets at night. The cooler temperatures seem like a breath of fresh air - until you actually inhale the dryness that surrounds you. The Harmattan sands seem to separate me from the realness of Ghana. I miss seeing more than gray on the horizon, and I long to breathe clean air.
But the Harmattan-despite traveling quite the distance- is a part of Ghana. The dusty sands are a part of the authenticity of this place. It's not unlike sin. Sin, when first sweeping in to the Garden of Eden, must have changed everything. It must have tainted the taste of fruit and dulled the landscape. Its
very being clouded the vision of all of us, leaving only gray horizons where luscious mountains once loomed.
Then we woke up into the dust-covered world. We feel the impact-our lips are chapped from the dryness, our skin is dull, our throats parched. We realize that somewhere the grass must be greener: We know there must be more than this.
Jesus saved us, but the Harmattan hasn't lifted yet. There is more in store for us. I am anxious about leaving. I struggle that I may never see some of my students again. I struggle that I have not taught them everything that they need to succeed to be strong, to love people and to love God. My heart is constantly bursting between all of the people I am constantly leaving and I wonder if it will only be settled well the Harmattan has forever gone away.
"O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you for as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy."
The sands of the Harmattan blew in at the end of last term.
The Saharan traveler swirled in one morning, leaving the horizon where my steadfast mountain stands with nothing more than a dingy gray existence. Like a rapidly progressing depression, the sand both blocks the sun and creates a pseudo yellow tinge as if it is attempting to convince the land that its dry swirls of sand may actually be clouds full of water.
The earth cools down. Kids wear winter jackets as the temperature drops to 76 degrees. I wrap myself in 3 sheets at night. The cooler temperatures seem like a breath of fresh air - until you actually inhale the dryness that surrounds you. The Harmattan sands seem to separate me from the realness of Ghana. I miss seeing more than gray on the horizon, and I long to breathe clean air.
But the Harmattan-despite traveling quite the distance- is a part of Ghana. The dusty sands are a part of the authenticity of this place. It's not unlike sin. Sin, when first sweeping in to the Garden of Eden, must have changed everything. It must have tainted the taste of fruit and dulled the landscape. Its
very being clouded the vision of all of us, leaving only gray horizons where luscious mountains once loomed.
Then we woke up into the dust-covered world. We feel the impact-our lips are chapped from the dryness, our skin is dull, our throats parched. We realize that somewhere the grass must be greener: We know there must be more than this.
Jesus saved us, but the Harmattan hasn't lifted yet. There is more in store for us. I am anxious about leaving. I struggle that I may never see some of my students again. I struggle that I have not taught them everything that they need to succeed to be strong, to love people and to love God. My heart is constantly bursting between all of the people I am constantly leaving and I wonder if it will only be settled well the Harmattan has forever gone away.
"O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you for as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy."
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Tranquil Till's
Yes, finally a post!!! :)
School is back in session! Day one was not nearly as hectic as we had anticipated, and the rest of the week went by better than expected. I hope this trend is carried through this coming week...
Lizziey's friend Hannah arrived last Saturday and she has been helping us out in the school, which is awesome! I cannot see how I would've managed to get my B3 kids into the computer lab (you know, without them killing each other) on Friday without her help. Also, because Hannah is here we feel more adventurous, so we even decided to go to the beach this Saturday.
It was our first time at Till's, so after some short tro-tro and taxi rides, we arrived at the gate of the Till's Hotel. Lizziey and I had no idea that the beach was actually the hotel's beach! Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised; especially when we saw that the beach was deserted, save one lonesome obruni, which was perfect for us! So we swam (or more like waded) and lounged to our heart's content on our own private beach....
... and even discovered some treasures hidden in the sand...
...and others hidden among the rocks.
As we got up to leave in search of food, the beach was almost immediately invaded by a large group of people (presumably a school). Classic perfect timing! We decided to eat at the hotel's restaurant, and the food was excellent, even though some of the menu titles were harmlessly misleading....
School is back in session! Day one was not nearly as hectic as we had anticipated, and the rest of the week went by better than expected. I hope this trend is carried through this coming week...
Lizziey's friend Hannah arrived last Saturday and she has been helping us out in the school, which is awesome! I cannot see how I would've managed to get my B3 kids into the computer lab (you know, without them killing each other) on Friday without her help. Also, because Hannah is here we feel more adventurous, so we even decided to go to the beach this Saturday.
It was our first time at Till's, so after some short tro-tro and taxi rides, we arrived at the gate of the Till's Hotel. Lizziey and I had no idea that the beach was actually the hotel's beach! Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised; especially when we saw that the beach was deserted, save one lonesome obruni, which was perfect for us! So we swam (or more like waded) and lounged to our heart's content on our own private beach....
... and even discovered some treasures hidden in the sand...
...and others hidden among the rocks.
As we got up to leave in search of food, the beach was almost immediately invaded by a large group of people (presumably a school). Classic perfect timing! We decided to eat at the hotel's restaurant, and the food was excellent, even though some of the menu titles were harmlessly misleading....
God Bless,
~Jamie
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