Accra/Tamale

Irene writes:
After a long flight day, we arrive in Accra. As we disembark the plane all reference points are changed again...the first impact is the heat with high humidity. It hits us like a wall as we walk from the bus to the terminal. As we enter the terminal we begin to note the changes..hey it's air conditioned!...look at that mural on the wall, it's beautiful!..passport control is a breeze...bagagge claim is a breeze....hey where are all those guys pulling at you to grab your bags???...it's all very orderly and people are actually friendly. One of the porters says that the government is working hard at making things easier at the airport so that visitors (tourists) feel welcomed....it's working! A driver form the GIL guesthouse where we are staying is waiting outside with our name on a card. Very comforting to see. We fall into an exhausted sleep at the guesthouse!

The next day it's back to the airport and we fly to Tamale. There are now regular flights to Tamale and the 1 hour flight sure beats the 7 hour drive by car! We are met at the airport by Simon (David and Brenda Mensah's driver. They have graciously offered their home and support network for our stay in Tamale. We are so grateful to them for this. It has made our time in Tamale such a wonderful experience! (It would have been nicer had they been here too but they are still in Canada, spending time with their 3 daughters). After a nice lunch prepared by James, we are eager to explore Tamale and find Nancy at her office. Nancy is with Wardrop Engineering and is still working with Community Water projects. She and her husband Frank host a summer Ghanaian party at their cottage at Bel-Air hwere we hear stories about what's going on in Ghana. They invite us for dinner in the evening. We also find Victoria down the road at The Catholic guesthouse where she has been working as the cook since she left our employ. She comes around the corner and sees me but doesn't recognize me at first...but when she does she almost "bowls" me over, she is so happy to see me. Victoria looks well and she says she is managing. She even has an assistant cook. We then move on to find Sister Jackie. She's a Canadian nun who has worked in Tamale for over 30 years. She used to come swimming at the pool when we lived in Tamale. She looks great, is as bubbly and full of energy as everand tells us of some of her latest projects. She works with prostitues and is helping them to learn other trades to support themselves. She has set up a shop in town where the girls sell batik cloth and items that have been sewn out of the cloth which they have made. She has had some success and some failure in helping these girls go in another direction...often a thankless job...and I admire the dedication of this Nun to the work she feels called to do. She is 100% committed to doing God's work by serving those deep in trouble in rural Ghana.

We spend the second day on a road trip to Carpenter...the latest project site for the GRID organization. (I will turn this over to Rudy and again visit this posting again, as I will publish pictures as soon as I can get a camera connection...maybe in Accra).