Mid-Trip Thoughts

As hard as it is to believe, Anna and I have been home for three weeks. Some days it feels like we just got here and other days it feels like we’ve been home for months. Time has become a very weird concept since leaving for Ghana. Days feel long, weeks feel short and half the time I hardly know what day it is. And yet we are Ghana bound again in just three short days.

In the three weeks we’ve been home, we’ve squeezed in a lot. We have both been able to spend time with family and friends, celebrate the holidays, make multiple visits to Des Moines, visit classrooms to educate and share our experiences with others, gather donations of clothing, school supplies, and medical supplies to take back with us, and answer countless questions about what we eat, what our living conditions are like, the kids we live with, etc.

Back in June when Anna and I were preparing to leave I wrote about some of my thoughts here. Almost six months later many of my sentiments remain the same. Although since being home I have gotten to take warm showers, eat food that I so desperately craved while in Asikuma, drive my car, see family and friends, and enjoy some peace and quiet, the answer is still yes. Yes, I am excited to go back. Yes, some days I still feel overwhelmed and anxious about the work that I am doing in Ghana. Yes, some days I want to eat something other than chicken and rice. Yes, some days I want to be able to get in my car and go meet a friend for lunch. Yes, some days I want to have high speed Internet and watch something on Netflix.  However, every day I have been thinking about the 31 kiddos at the mission center, the 200 plus kids at the Kingdom Cares Community School and the village of Asikuma. So “yes, of course!” I’m excited to return, even though this time I have a much better idea of what to expect. 

I mean how could you not want to return to these smiling faces. 

I still feel extremely blessed to have such an incredible support system. The texts, emails, and messages I received while in Ghana make being across the globe a little bit easier. Having friends and family that were excited to hear about my experiences thus far, made me feel a little less guilty when I couldn’t stop talking or showing pictures. And having people we have never even met before reach out with donations reminds me just how blessed we are. We are truly blessed and thank you will never be enough for everything you all have done for me, Anna, and those that hold our hearts in Asikuma.

We are looking forward to sharing the next part of this journey with you. We have a couple of exciting things in store and can’t wait to see how everything plays out. Please continue following our journey on Facebook, spreading the word and supporting us. If you feel compelled to make a donation please visit https://acts2collective.cloverdonations.com/donation/ or email us at kccschool15@gmail.com.

Happy New Year! Can’t wait to see what 2016 holds - - let the packing begin!

~Mary

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard!"