Trotro, School, and dinner with an archbishop . . .

Praise the Lord!  Glory to God!  May the Lord be exalted and lifted high on our praises!

Today was a good day.  We were given the option of either taking a boat tour of the man-made Volta Lake in the Volta Region or staying around Accra for the day preparing for our ministries tomorrow.  After a vote, our group opted to stay in Accra.  Although we heard the Volta Lake is gorgeous, we've just been kind of run down with all the traveling and non-stop go recently.  Instead, we had a fantastic day in Accra!

First of all, we got rid of all private transportation for the day.  Thus far most of our traveling has been done by a private bus or our own van.  Today we chose to use the public transportation.  So much fun!  We started off with the trotro.  Bascially, it's a van that comes to certain areas, picks people up and drops them off in different set locations.  It's pretty much a bus system, but on vans and in very tight quarters.  We loved it though!  Whereas before we were watching the people from behind a plate of glass, today we were literally shoulder to shoulder with them.  What an awesome experience!  Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity!

Next came the taxis.  We were headed out to the orphanage we will be serving in tomorrow and since the trotro would take to long to get there Dr. Clarke hired two taxis to transport us there.  Nearing the orphanage one of the taxis broke down.  Praise the Lord it was next to a convencience stand so we were able to spead to the woman who owned it - Magnificent - while we waited.  Such a wonderful woman.  When the car was "fixed," we were able to get the rest of the way there.  We met with the director of the orphanage who told us about the history of the institution, then got to meet some of the kids briefly.

We once again caught the trotro and headed to a local public school where some members from our team will be serving tomorrow.  The teachers came out to meet with us for a long time to discuss their struggles and challenges.  It was so great to hear from them and we're looking forward to going back to encourage them tomorrow.  After talking with the teachers we each greeted a class (95-100 students per 2 teachers!  Never again will I complain about class sizes!).  The kids were able to ask questions of us about America.  One boy asked me if life was difficult in America.  I explained that for some people it is very difficult while for others it's not so much.

This meeting was followed up with a light snack at Redd Lobster (no, you didn't read it wrong).  We got back to the hotel with an hour to wash off the think layer of sweat and red dust that had accumulated on our skin throughout the day.  Next came dinner at archbishop Duncan Willians' home.  It was a very beautiful home and the food was delicious!  The bishop even came over to our table for a while to talk to the Regent students specifically.  He then prayed for us which was absolutely beautiful and empowering.  At that point we headed back to the hotel, did a quick debriefing with the group, and are now headed off to bed. 

There's is obviously so much more to tell, but, as always, it is late and I need to get sleep before playing with the kids tomorrow.

Praise:
- Our God is simply amazing!

Prayer Requests:
- That we would be guided by the Holy Spirit in all we do.
- Pray that we would have an impact on the kids tomorrow and take time to listen and learn from them.
- That God would use us to bring Himself glory.