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Our Blog from the Village of Hope
This entry was posted on 1/9/2007 10:11 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
Before we even left for Ghana a couple of weeks ago I told you about seven children who had been rescued from slavery in the fishing industry in the Volta region. It was amazing to watch these children change so drastically during our two week stay at VOH. They went from shell-shocked to happy. They went from stand-offs to jump-ins. During the first week, you would see the seven around the other activities but they stuck tightly together. As the week progressed you would see the two girls, Sarah and Hagar, playing together with the other girls, and you would see Richard, Kofi, and Kojo mixing with the other kids. Richard always wanted to fight someone. Not to be mean but just to find his place in the whole pecking order. What he is learning is that the pecking order is minimal and it is not set with knuckles, but more with age and responsibility. No one would really fight him and all the children, including some of the new ones, scolded him for always wanting to scrap with someone. He settled down more and more each day. It was rare to see Mark get very far from the house. He is the youngest and maybe the one who has been through the most. He is very quiet and smiles less than the others, but you can see him in a wait and see mode. He does not completely trust the whole idea of being taken care from here on out. After being sold by his own parents and treated so poorly by other adults, you cannot blame him. However, things are so good and so consistent at the Village of Hope that he will continue to come around. He smiled more and more every day.
In the picture above you can see him smiling, we gave the house two soccer balls and put the seven in charge of their upkeep. They were very proud. We also gave Mark a truck that lights up like a flashlight. The kids have watched the movie Cars so we think he ight have recognized Mater even if he didn't understand the movie. Every child at VOH needs some individual love and care and that may be one of their biggest challenges with twenty in the house, however Mark showed greater response when he was with his group but received some special attention. This child knows that he is only six and should have NEVER endured what he has already been through, he will find many people who agree with him at the Village of Hope, and he will not be disappointed in the days to come.
Even though we have seen great progress on these seven children pray for them today as they start school this week. These children have only seen VOH as a place of parties and leisure. They all mentioned looking forward to going to school but it is going to be a shock when the fun is over and the work begins. They will also struggle with being behind in their studies and having to learn English at a pretty quick pace. I have no doubt that they will do well but it will not be a cake walk. I look so forward to talking to all of these children in English the next time God allows us to visit.
I could go on and on about these children but several people have done a better job of telling their story. If you would like to learn more about these sweet children you can go to the following resources:
The Village of Hope Website
Thanks for your interest in this great work.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at my email address.
Stay tuned for more updates and stories about the great kids and the great work at Village of Hope.
Posted by J. Michael Hall at 12:19 PM
After all of our goodbyes, a few more packing details, we headed off to bed only to get up at 3:30 AM Ghana time to head off to the airport by 4 AM. Fred Asare took us to the airport and due to the new road construction and the time of day, we made it to the airport in an hour! That is unheard of at any other time of day. We were to check in and then go eat breakfast while we waited for our flight but with all of the problems in the airport, we decided to stay the course.
After we sent Fred on his way, we had the luggage checked at customs and then wrapped with pallet wrap (really big cling wrap) only ot find out that they would have to open the bags again for inspection. At the Kotoka airport, they do not have a bunch of xray machines so they emply about 15 young people (18-25) to hand check all baggage. They checked our paperwork, tagged all of our bags, and then sent us into the check in line.
We finally got into the line to check in and as we waited for check in we found out that the computer system was down. They had to take each person or family, weigh their bags, tag them, then take each person to the ticketing office where they printed out boarding passes for everyone, one at a time. We got our boarding passes and then proceeded to the baggage security check. Each bag was peeled out of the plastic, thoroughly hand checked (and they were very nice about it) and then re-packed (sort of, the cases closed back up) and then they escorted the bags back to the luggage wrapping guy and we re-wrapped the luggage. Please understand, I was concerned about our belongings, mostly gifts and souvenirs sitting in an airport for an extended time so I wanted them as secure as possible. However, I was way more concerned about the airport in NY than I was in Accra. Accra has crime, theft, shifty types, etc. but I find the people much nicer and seemingly more honest.
We made for the gate and filled our all of our customs paperwork and went casually through the security check point. I set the metal detector off with my wallet and they simply frisked me to check for weapons. They also hand-checked Sabra's carryon since we had some cables and a metal belt buckle. After that we strolled into the main area of the airport, we then prepared for a long wait.
About three days before we were to leave, everything became very hazy and the sun was basically obscured for those three days. It was a haze that was present all times of the day and permeated everywhere you looked. It was like a dry fog. They told us it was the harmattan and we found out that it comes in every year around December or January. It basically tons of tiny dust particles that blow in from the Sahara dessert from prevailing North winds. It makes things even drier, somewhat cooler, and it makes it very hard for planes to land. We had heard on the radio that it may be a problem at the airport and then got a report from some local Christian Church missionaries that some of their friends had not been able to fly out the day before due to poor visibility.
Sure enough, we heard fairly quickly that the plane was delayed due to visibility and had landed not too far away but could not presently land in Accra. The day before the 8 AM plane left at 6 PM. We knew that we could be in for a long wait. So many people had been grounded the day before that there was no food in the airport so we resorted to a bag of cereal that we brought and some bought cookies. It also gave me a reason to buy some chocolate. We did wait for five additional hours and then the plane did come. With no visibility, no solid computer system, it was interesting to see how the folks in Ghana can still get you on a plane and get you home.
 Notice how little visibility there is behind this really big plane.
Once we boarded the plane and took off, we could see the harmattan as we rose above it. Notice how the layers of dust are basically in the atmosphere but it does not look like clouds since it is smooth and notice the brown color. It was an amazing site from the ground and from the air.
The harmattan is hazy, it makes it hard for people to breathe, some folks say that it makes men and animals irritable, but it is also called "The Doctor" because some folks feel better since it is cooler, it makes things drier in a typically humid place, and of course, folk lore says it can cure many things as well. It made me think about what goes on at the Village of Hope.
As you see these really happy kids you almost forget what they have gone through in their short lives. It makes you wonder why did these children have to suffer through so many of the things they endured, but then you begin to see the happiness, the progress, and the success stories. VOH is not only saving kids from some horrible fates, it is raising children to rise above them and overcome them to be even more than they could ever imagine. If all they did at VOH was feed them, give them a basic education, and try to teach them about God, then they would be doing a really good thing. However, kids just don't survive, they thrive. They don't just get educated, they are some of the best students in the entire country according to their test scores. And they are not just getting an upper level education, they are already making an impact at the national level (see the story and link on Francis Sosu in a previous post.) and they are not just teaching Christ, they are raising children to follow Him and lead his church.
So as we could belabor all of the bad things that have happened, we must realize that God has been working through the adversity to make something even better out the circumstances. He is making these children better and he is making those that serve them better as well. We serve a good God. These children were put here for a reason. This blog has been here for a reason. You are reading it for a reason. If you are moved to want to do more. Please visit the Ghana West Africa Missions website and see what you can do to help.
We finally landed at JFK, made it through all of the customs, baggage claim, finding our hotel shuttle and on to a soft bed, a hot shower, and a hamburger. We were tired but we were good after a twenty four hour day and less than a two hour nap on the plane.
The boys were using their A&M hats and pillows because we didn't know about the bowl game!
I can't tell you how it was good to be home but how sad it was to leave. There are minor inconveniences in comparison with the blessings we receive by being at the Village of Hope. Even though our trip is over, the journey continues. Please check back to this blog as we tell you more about the seven children bought out of slavery, and give you some personal stories about some of the kids at the village. There is much more to come. Thanks for following our story thus far. Posted by J. Michael Hall at 6:14 PM
After a couple of full days of traveling we took our last day to pack and finish some final details of our trip. We spent time doing some things with the kids that we had wanted to do during our two weeks.
On top of some planned activities we had to fight a grass fire that was headed toward the school buildings. Not only was there no pressurized water, we had to fight fires with big tree branches (and it worked!). We took buckets of water from the big poly tank and put out some remote fires and extinguished some smoldering fires that could not be completely “beat” out. After being a part of the Fetteh Volunteer Fired Department (the first annual fish fry will be in March!) I had to clean up again so that I could spend some time with the kids.
We all spent the afternoon just trying to connect with as many kids as possible and making sure that we covered some ground with certain kids. Out of the seven children that were bought out of slavery in the fishing trade, two were girls. Sarah and Hagar are both absolute dolls who have been through some very difficult times. They are taking well to the love and care at VOH and are constantly smiling and interacting with the other children. We have had the wonderful opportunity to be here in their first days in Fetteh. It will be amazing to see how much they grow in the mean time but I look forward to a time when I can sit down and talk to them in English. They presently do not speak much English but they taught me some Twi and I taught them a little English, but they taught me much more. A sweet sister in our church, Eva Lee Pyle, had purchased some very shiny colorful flip flop sandals. We had them from the last trip and were finally able to find the right use for them. We felt bad that we had any items that had not been used in prior trips but these shoes, among some other things, were in God’s hands and he saved these shoes to perfectly fit the feet and personalities of two beautiful girls.
During the afternoon, Sabra brought in some of the kids we were really trying to encourage and read the book “Flat Stanley” and had the children make their own Flat Stanley. I feel like Stanely was so well received that he might travel back to Ghana in the future.
We also took a minute to take the boys to the beach along with some of the VOH kids. Leticia who always takes such care of us has two children and we were fortunate to have them hang out with us at the house. The staff at VOH usually tries to keep our house somewhat of a sanctuary from the kids and happenings that go on around the village. However, we came to spend time with kids and it was great to have both Leticia’s children, Mary and Columbus, among others come around to visit. We took Jake, Josh, Mary, Columbus, and Juliet to the beach. Only the Hall boys got wet while the rest watched the pasty white kids “frolic” in the sand and big surf.
Because we handed out the Christmas stockings at night, we needed a photo op of the children with stockings. So we gathered the troops and handed out stockings for some fun pictures. The giggles made it seem like we were still in the middle of the Christmas party all over again. And now you know what our Christmas card will look like! However, you will forget by next Christmas, so it is OK.
We also had Josh plant a tree with Belinda. She is the one that worked with Josh on the football field. It is a tradition for our family (and many other visitors to VOH) to plant a tree with different individual kids so we were very proud to plant a tree with such a beautiful young lady.
We also made time to take a picture with our good friend Charles. Charles and I planted a tree together in the summer of 2004 and it absolutely humbles me to see how they both have grown. Charles is a wonderful young man and he has taken good care of his tree. When I compared the following pictures I just absolutely lost it. It is an exact symbol of what happens in this place. People from all kinds of different backgrounds are working together to make something grow into something that is majestic and lasting. As you can see the tree and Charles are both taller and more hardy and will be able to withstand some adverse conditions that are sure to come along. Charles has been faithful to take care of his duties and it has been a reminder to me to do the same.
As you can tell, Charles and the tree have grown taller and stronger, and I and the tree have grown "fuller"
After supper, we visited the houses and houseparents to say our goodbyes, give and receive blessings (we got more than we gave) and to give the houseparents a little money to go out on the town without the kids. We have two great kids but Sabra and I look forward to spending time out without them. I cannot imagine the feeling that goes with time alone away from twenty children! It was a very small gesture for people doing big work. I was also able to give each of the house fathers a new Strong Father shirt as well. They are the epitome of what a strong father is and I still have much to learn from them.
It was very hard to say goodbye to some children (You KNOW that we did not do well with saying goodbye to Prince and Princella!) but we got through it and we know that they are in the right place. Later that night we discussed that these kids that we love so much are in the right place but it makes us question whether we are or not. I believe we are but I am afraid of what an empty nest may bring (a really full one?) after the next seven years. They do not need American evangelists or leaders in this country. They are taking care of their business. They do need support from our abundance. Not only are they doing good work for kids (many people are), they are also good stewards of the money that they receive. They are always focused on self-sufficiency while always believing that God has big plans for this small place. Sabra and I have talked before about perhaps adopting a child from VOH. However, our materialism and lack of depth in this country would just ruin the ones we brought over and we would take a potential church and civic leader from an emerging country that needs Christian leadership now and in the future. And the future of a church and a country is what we are really building in this work.
After some tearful and cheerful goodbyes, ee packed for good and got ready for an early trip to the airport in Accra.
We had another full day today traveling to Accra to visit some programs and take care of some business. January 2nd was also a holiday (hence the reason we were able to visit so many of the VOH donors-see previous blog post) Due to the holiday just being over we were able to get into the city without much traffic. We went straight to the Unimax-McGraw Hill offices. They were moving a little slow since they had just returned to work from a long holiday. We wanted to order a large quantity of reading books to be placed in each of the seven houses. When we asked to have all of the desired readers pulled, we were told that they most likely did not have them in stock. We asked them to find as many titles as possible and we would return to pick them up after lunch that same day. They didn’t seem too thrilled with our request but we were assured that we would have as many of the books as possible if we returned after 1:00 PM.
 We then went to the Nsawam Road church in Accra. There are many congregations throughout Accra, but this church is the largest Church of Christ in the city with over 1000 members. They are presently holding two services, one in English, and one in Fante (the formal indigenous language in southern Ghana). They are having almost 500 in each service. Across the street from the original building they are constructing a large auditorium that will have two balconies and be able to hold over 2000 African members.
Mike and Josh on the second story addition of the new building at Nsawam Road
They are building it as they go and are hoping to raise the funds so that it may be finished by this time next year. They are making great progress. It is going to It looked like it might hold 1200 Americans since we run a little larger and we won’t sit as close as Ghanaians will.
The folks in Ghana are more likely to share any available space and they are more apt to touch each other as friends than we are. It is not unusual to see men holding hands while talking and the typical national handshake is an extended version where you shake hands, you might throw in what we know as a “soul shake” where you lock thumbs and then you always slide it into a position where you actually snap your middle finger with theirs. It is somewhat of a lingering handshake and a good connection for good friends. You always feel better about the person you are greeting if the handshake is longer and and I always am sure that God is in the meeting when the snaps are loud and crisp. I would love to shake hands like that in the US but most people would pull away and look at you like you were trying to apprehend them.
The church building is one of three sites where the Village of  Hope feeds children who are now living in the streets of Accra. These children are typically over the age of twelve and have been abandoned or kicked out by their families. Some are actually sent from the Northern part of Ghana in order to work in the city and raise money for their own survival and the survival of their families. These children are living hand to mouth and the boys learn real quickly that you either take advantage of people or have them take advantage of you so they come with a rough edge. They are trained and supplied with equipment to shine shoes so that they can make a meager but honest living. Some of the boys buy goods from distributors and then resell them in the streets.
 The girls that we visited with were all from the north and are usually working by carrying goods for people in the market. We see almost every person in Ghana carrying things on their heads. It is an amazing skill as we have seen water, clothing, fruit juice, jewelry, laundry baskets full of chips and boxes full of live chickens being carried on their heads. On the road out the the Fetteh VOH campus you can almost always see mothers and children carrying large bundles of long sticks of firewood. Before we left I saw a girl that was carrying a large unsecured bundle of odd shaped wood on her head. I could not balance the stack on the ground much less on my head and she didn’t miss a stride.
The girls that are in feeding program come from a different tribe in the  north and they are known for their ability and strength in carrying large bundles so that is how they make what living they can. These are young girls who have to live, work, and sleep on the streets. All them have to deal with rough conditions and most have to deal with the constant danger of being raped and many girls are being taken care of after becoming pregnant from a rape. Because of the dangers, they stick together and the feeding program is working to feed them and train the ones that show that they have the resiliency and attitude that will allow them to be trained. They are lovely young women who also have an edge and a palpable sadness as well. We had some difficulties to get a reaction from them, one due to their lack of trust of outsiders, and may be more so from the fact that they cannot speak English and did not speak any Fante (we know like four or five words so it wasn’t a huge barrier. However, once we started clicking digital pictures and showing them the instant results the smiles came out. They had a great party with lots of food including rice, chicken, and stew, some cake, ice cream, soft drinks (minerals-as they are called here) bags of water and candy. They all ate well and had some extra kanke to take with them. Usually they are fed large bowls of rice that make up their only meal and they are not able to take more food with them, but they are fed every day by the program staff.
These children are fed everyday in three different sites and they receive food, love, Biblical training, personal guidance, and time with concerned adults. These kids can be fed for less than a quarter a day. For what it costs to have a cheap cup of coffee you can feed ten children who need to find their way after being sent out by parents who could or would no longer care for them. If you are interested in helping you can do so by clicking here.
From the church we “ran by” the Unimax offices to pick up the books that they had pulled. They had only pulled 25 books and some that we had not requested. We waited for the paperwork to be filled out and left somewhat empty handed. We found out later from some other folks that they most likely had the books in stock but just didn’t want to pull them on the first day back and they knew that we are not usual customers. We have left money with Tommy Drinnen to purchase at a later date. We hope to give a report on the books and their impact by the end of January.
 After the office visit, we traveled out to Ayawaso where they are training boys who have been selected from the feeding programs. These boys are trained how to make the traditional kente weavings and sew both clothes and handbags. These skills will give them some ability to make a living and get off of the street. They also receive constant supervision and daily Bible instruction. We supplied some food for a party for them and they were all eager to eat and enjoy the goodies. One boy gave me a hard time because I did not bring the other children from the Fetteh campus.
These young men have been through some amazingly tough times and they can be troublesome but they were (all but one) grateful and not any different than any of the teenagers that I have dealt with over the years. Their needs are not any different even though the obstacles are bigger and the program in Ayawaso in addressing those needs and working on helping them overcome the obstacles.
 The workers at Ayawaso are handling some tough situations and directing children to a better life by teaching them skills and eternal life by teaching them Jesus (which has a huge impact on this life as well!) The young man who is standing in the middle is Francis Sosu. He is a product of the Village of Hope and a fine young man. He is presently in law school and works at the Ayawaso campus as well. It was a joy to get to spend some time with him and have him be a positive influence on my own sons. To get more of his incredible story you can go to the VOH website by clicking here.
The other neat part about going to the Ayawaso was being on the first campus of the Village of Hope. The house where the boys live and train is the first space where children were cared for at the Village of Hope. Our great friends Roland and Gladys Bully who are big part of VOH in Fetteh were the first house parents at Ayewaso. They continue today to care for children as houseparents, child care manager and school manager with over 30 children in their house presently. It is incredible to see the Village of Hope has gone from this one house to seven houses on the site in Fetteh in just ten years, not to mention a clinic, and a soon to be three story school building. God is good and his people here are faithful and diligent. We have much to learn from the work here.
After a day of running around the big city, our great driver, Justice, took us back to Fetteh using the “back way”. You have to understand that many of the roads that we travel in Ghana feel like back roads. So when we used the back roads we bypassed all of the traffic of Accra and most of the civilized world. There is a lot of building going on in the area in which we traveled but it felt very remote. It was hard to determine if the road was constructed of dirt or just holes. Due to the construction going on in the Accra “suburbs” the large lorres (trucks) are taking their toll on already primitive roads. We saw a part of the country that we had not seen but I was not sure that we would ever see our VOH friends again. However, after the bumps and humps, some paved road (partial and fully paved) we finally ended up in Kosoa and right on to the highway that leads back to VOH. Justice knew his way and got us home in less time even with the road conditions. After a long day I just had to consider it the scenic route as opposed to the “this road is killing me: route. It makes us appreciate the good things we have in our own country and appreciate the resiliency of the people in this country. I look forward to the day when we travel from Ayewaso to Fetteh on the same road that is level and paved. At the pace things are changing in Ghana, it may be sooner than later, but I believe it will happen.
A Day for Donors.
We rose early this morning and jumped on a yellow school bus (donated by a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma) and went with a group of students to visit the local families in and around Accra that donated to the Village of Hope during the past year.
 Which one is Josh? Can you tell? Look very closely!
It was interesting to see the nice homes and families in different parts of the city and it was interesting to watch how gracious all parties were in the exchange of thanks and appreciation. We sang a song for the donors and offered prayer for their continued health and prosperity for the families that are so good to these children.
You must understand that even though churches in the United States and around the world donate to the Village of Hope, all of the children are presently cared for by concerned Christians in Ghana. If all of the outside support dried up (God forbid!) the children would still be cared for by people who care in this country.
The larger ticket items like a new floor on the school building, a new tractor, new homes for children, etc. are typically funded by donors and benefactors from the United States and around the world. The people at VOH and their local funders are very proud of the fact that Ghanaian children are being cared for by the people of Ghana, well they should be. Many times churches and individuals in this country donate cash and provide financial support. Some villages and churches in more remote areas donate crops and other farm items to feed the children. We are blessed to be able to be a part of the team that does such a good job caring for needy children who had no hope before they found (or were found) by this place.
The day was not an easy one because we walked quite a bit or rode on a yellow school bus. You have never had a "yellow dog" experience until you have ridden the roads of Africa in one of these monsters. It was a bit dusty and it was not too warm except for the fact that we were holding Prince and Princela. Of course, we would not have traded for that.
All the kids helped to carry the small ones as we walked. They are very good about taking care of the younger ones without a whimper. They are also quick to correct them which is usually a good thing. However, kids will be kids.
Prince kept encouraging me to keep up the pace. He didn't like it that we were not at the front of the line. He weighs about the same as a bottle of Coke but he can be a bit bossy! He kept calling me his donkey and he would say "Let's Go Donkey!" I wanted to tell him I have been called worse but not by anyone cuter. 
The day was a long one but we were glad to see more of the region including more of the residential parts of Accra (including a new gated subdivision!) and it was great to spend time with all of the kids in our group. The children were well behaved, they were very gracious and were fantastic ambassadors for the work that goes on here. They also all fell asleep on the way home.
January 1st,
You have read about the great New Year’s eve party that we experienced so as you can imagine, we rose a little later than usual on the 1st. Mama Leticia also was at the party but had her family calling very early (5 am) to wish her a happy new year. She is the baby of her family so she spent an early morning talking to her many brothers and sisters. We helped Tommy Drinnen with some donated items and Sabra began classifying them for use in learning centers. I think several of the visitors that come through will be involved in the development of various learning centers so that the Hope Christian Academy students can use some tactile learning techniques. These children have great teachers and are typically very quick to learn but every student is different in their learning modalities so we think it is a good idea to develop these centers. However, we have to be careful to make sure that the centers are culturally relevant. If you do not own a cat then it is not necessarily understood that kittens and yarn make a match. Or if you have never seen snow or do not live where it is normal to own a bicycle as a young child then you have to make sure that they understand what they are reading. We are working on keeping that integrity as well.
After another good lunch, we spent the afternoon watching the boys of VOH (and our son Jacob) play a football match. It was great fun and Jake learned even more about the great soccer players here in Ghana. For those of you who have forgotten, Ghana gained a bit more notoriety in Germany this year by beating the US team in the World Cup and Ghana almost beat Brazil. Many of the commentators noted that on the field the Black Stars won the match but it was not reflected on the scoreboard.
We spent part of the evening at a party put on by the children at the Carolyn Barnett House. The children collected the money and bought all of the food and supplies. A good time was had by all. The seven new children that we have mentioned in an earlier post were a part of the festivities and packed away their share of cake and biscuits (cookies). We watched as they gathered the extra food and put in plastic bags and even stuffed it into their pockets. These children NEVER had enough to eat while they were with their parents and especially while they were indentured to the fisherman that bought them from their parents. These children are still having trouble understanding that they will be fed everyday here. One of the boys was actually found crying at the party during Christmas Day and when someone asked him why he simply said, “Plenty food, there is plenty food here.” The family at the Village of Hope has not let them down. I will write an extensive post after our trip outlining the journey that these seven children are making at VOH.
After the party and seeing the seven children pack the extra food into their bags, we were even more thankful for what goes on here and what we have at our home. We are blessed for living where we live, and we are blessed for being here as well.
Not only did we learn a new (and better) way to bring in the New Year, we learned that God is at work even on the holidays!
We had a very busy Sunday where we were able to have a wonderful service (even though I preached) and a time for questions and answers between the members and the ministry leaders. The church at the Village of Hope is 90% children and staff members and then members from the local community of Fetteh. The children are very zealous and took the ministry leaders to task about things that were supposed to be provided in 2006 and asked very pointed questions about the plans for 2007. Even the younger children were interested and the ones who were not were very well behaved (or asleep!) The meeting was very good and it let us know that perhaps we should all be setting our sights a bit higher in the US for both church work and behavioral norms in our assemblies. Sabra and I enjoyed the meeting and were able to spend a little bit more time with our good friend Prince. He wouldn't sleep but he did lots of hugging!
After services we took pictures of all of the house parents and children and then also the children who have moved to the junior secondary schools (jss), the senior secondary schools, (sss) and the universities. They are the first fruits of the ten years that VOH has been in existence. They are a great example of what is still to come. We finally aborted our effort to take individual pictures of all 120+ children since we were approaching 2PM with our other efforts. We are hoping to get those pictures this week. 
One of the reasons that we were late is because the whole effort was sidetracked right at the end of church service. A bus full of American college students from Western Washington University got lost on one of their sight-seeing trips to a local slave fort and came by VOH to ask for directions. They saw that VOH was an orphanage and wanted to donate some things. So all of the children in their Sunday finest went out to accept the gifts. These sociology students were in Ghana to study the impact of colonialism and slavery in historical contexts and in present day Ghana. We were able to introduce them to the seven new children who were purchased out of slavery in the past couple of weeks and give them a quick lesson in present day slavery. Of course several students were in tears at meeting these children and all were in awe of the past predicament and the work here at the Village. I know that it was not an accident that they got "lost" and I am looking forward to see what God does with a bus of lost college students from Northwest US. Not only is God a good God, he has a great sense of humor. I directed the students to the news story about the new children and offered to help in any way that we can. We appreciate the fact that they are not only here to study but that they also came bearing gifts. It was appreciated and it was scheduled by the Holy Spirit himself.
Sabra and I met with houseparents to continue our discussion and to encourage them for the incredible work that they do at this place. They take children who have been through a lot and they not only have great results. The whole operation runs pretty smoothly. Children have some struggles with behavior from time to time because they are children and they are finding their way in this place. But the high expectations, the love shown to each child, and the "momentum" of good behavior keeps many of the problems that you would expect formerly neglected children to have at a minimum. We also all shared some ice cream together which makes everything seem better. We love these parents and enjoy our discussions with them every time we get a chance to have them.
Jake and I spent the evening visiting the indivudual houses to just do some "hanging out". We always enjoy the less formal visits. Every house was a bit preoccupied because they were all watching "Mentor II" which is the exact Ghanaian equivalent to American Idol. We watched the entire show by going from house to house until it was over. It was funny how things are so similar in a place that is still so different. 
After much waiting and anticipation there was a great New Year celebration on the basketball court. There was very spirited singing that was loud and non-stop, we had a fantastic bon-fire, fireworks, lots of prayers.
We then a great sermon from our dear brother Fred Asare. He encouraged us and then challenged to prepare for the journey into 2007. I have way more than just regular resolutions for my journey this year thanks to Fred. After all kinds of hand shakes, hugs, and many Happy New Years, we then helped clean up and then headed for bed. I am even learning to do the work appropriately, Ghana style, which always using your head-literally.
We hope you have a great holiday and we pray that your new year is blessed. The Hall family is already off to a great start thanks to our God and his children here in Ghana.
Posted by J. Michael Hall at 9:00 AM
On this Saturday morning we went to the cultural market in Accra with Fred and Faustina Asare and our boys. We had to make our regular souvenir shopping trip. It is our first time to be here during the holidays so the climate at the market was much more festive (and loud). We bargained for our goods and had a great lunch of chicken and rice of Papaye’s and ran errands including a Ghanaian barber shop trip for Fred. (it was exactly like the barber shops at home except the arguments where in Ga instead of southern English) It was a good time with the Asare’s and it was interesting to see more of the city besides just the tourist stops.
A neighborhood grocery store.
As we traveled to the cultural market place we were able to see parts of Accra that we had seen before but Fred gave us more information about the monuments and Ghana's history. They are preparing for a big fifty year celebration of their independence in March and most likely all of the year, and then in 2008 the Africa cup comes to Accra and other major Ghanaian cities (Kumasi, Tamale, etc.) so they were making improvements to the stadium in Accra and even building a new Hilton close the area. I would love to be here then but I am sure that it will be a bit crowded and a red-headed Broni (white man) might stand out a little at the Africa cup.
This is a monument to Ghana as it gained its independence from British rule in 1957. It was the first independent African nation and the black star that graces the Ghana flag and this monument is significant in that it points all other African nations to seek independence and democracy.
We feel that Ghana is also a great place that is busy pointing this country and all of the continent to Christ as well. Ghana's churches are sending missionaries thoroughout its won country and into other places as far as Europe. Some of the European churches of Ghana's people are also supporting the Village of Hope. I predict that some day Ghana will be sending missionaries to the US if we do not take care of things ourselves.
Saturday evening I worked on my sermon for Sunday morning. I have to make sure that my sermon has the depth and clarity that they are used to here. I have to make sure that I use plenty of scripture and I have to make sure that I stay away from my own colloquial English while preaching. My whole family sounds funny here because we begin to use much better English while in Ghana. Even though the accent is different and they emphasize different syllables at times, they actually use much better English and in a much more proper way here. We have to actually step up our own language to be understood here.
 Bags of rice and flour stacked up in a local store.
On Friday, after another teacher discussion session, we had gone into Accra to try and buy some children’s books at Unimax, an African McGraw-Hill distributor. We have purchased the African authored books from them before. They make a great difference for the beginning readers here since the books reflect the background knowledge of the readers. The kids are always excited to find a new title on the bookshelf.
We had called to confirm ahead of time that the Unimax offices were going to be open on a day between Christmas and the New Year. They confirmed that they would be open and in typical Ghana fashion, they were in fact closed when we got there. So we spent the rest of the afternoon running errands around Accra before heading out to Fetteh and the beautiful African countryside. The road from Accra to Fetteh used to be more than an obstacle first with traffic, that degraded into potholes and traffic that just became big potholes and no traffic. Now however, the roads are truly two lanes, well paved and what used to be the worse road on the way to the village is now the best.
Friday evening we had a weekly worship service with singing and annual ministry reports. It was interesting to hear all of the work going on in the local church here. They had some great results but the members were still pushing for even better results in 2007. The zeal for God here is amazing and humbling.
The morning was spent with Tommy Drinnen, the manager at Hope Christian Academy, and select members of the teaching and administrative staff. Two of the staff members were present when we came with a team of trainers in 2004. It was good to see that Richmond and Michael were still motivated to teach in a fairly tough situation. Michael is actually the principal of the school and works with Tommy and Mr. Roland Bulley in directing HCA. Their dedication to children and this place is humbling.
The three hour session was built as an open discussion and it was amazing how universal school issues really are. They were concerned about administration-faculty communication, teacher morale and motivation, dealing with difficult students who did not come to school ready to learn due to a lack of education and home support, and student motivation issues. It did not sound any different than many faculty meetings I have participated in as both a teacher and an administrator. However, we did spend a good bit of time developing a working plan for addressing these issues and will continue on Friday morning. It was interesting to see that the same issues arise with education here as they do at home. People are people and the school business is always school business.
Not only are people funny, they are all very similar. Humanity seemed to be the main issue that we share. The Christian nature of the school and the Village of Hope does give us a different perspective and hopefully a higher standard to reach for in our work here.
Sabra added a lot to the discussion with her work with both children in poverty and children with reading difficulties. She also has a love and understanding for these people that surpasses any knowledge we could bring here. This is definitely one place where you can see her in the Glory with which God has blessed her. I will get her body on the plane but I will not be able to get her heart out of this place. I think that will be OK with everybody.
The rest of the afternoon was spent working with children here at VOH. Sabra is running a reading program that was established when she came a couple of summers ago and then formalized by one of the interns that just recently returned home. The children are doing well and making amazing gains in their reading. The introduction of African-authored books has helped get children interested and then once they gain both some competency and confidence they are able and motivated to pick up an American book that has been on the shelf here for a while. It is hard to read about snowmen in this place unless you have a strong set of reading skills. The African authored books look more familiar, can be used in a more local context, and are a more comfortable read for beginning and struggling readers. We will purchase more of these readers prior to leaving.
I was able to spend some more time with Seth and Stephen (The wonder twins) and their compadres. We played a strategy game and these guys crack me up every time. They are growing up and as much as they have always been a handful around here, I know that in the future we will see great things from these two as young men. They came to the VOH after they were taken from their mentally ill mother who was both neglecting and abusing them because she felt they were possessed by demons. The are little devils but they are possessed by the love that has been shown to them at this place. They are a joy to be around and there is a good chance that they will someday be on the Ghana National team after having fought their many older brothers and sisters on the football field here at VOH.
Sabra and I were able to spend the evening with house parents and we talked about the great things going on with the children at the Village of Hope. Some parents were with VOH from the outset, and other parents have been with the orphanage since they moved to the Fetteh campus several years ago. There was much to celebrate and many personal victories with individual kids that have made great strides in their days here.
Another set of twins that continually come up in discussions here is Prince and Princella. They were in somewhat of the same situation as Seth and Stephen. Their mother was also mentally ill and neglecting their needs. In this picture you can see how small they are but they are not fragile. Everyone speaks to how big they are now compared to their fragile nature when they first arrived. They are very bright and I believe they are actually chronologically older than they look based on their present development. Of course , if you take their cookie (biscuit) gathering skills into consideration, I think they may actually be young adults.
Many of the children at VOH are smaller than their age due to the neglect that they suffered earlier in their life. We do not typically ask how old they are because some do not know when they were born and they do not physically represent their present age. We usually only ask about school levels since it speaks more to their abilities and accomplishments. Imagine not only not knowing your parents but not even knowing your own birthday. Again, I encourage you to hug your own children very tightly. We have ours and about fifty others covered here for you.
Stay tuned for more news to come. Remember to visit www.thevillageofhope.com for more information about this great place.
We were able to spend the day after Christmas with some of the children here at the village. Since we have been coming at different times over the past two and half years, we have known many children since our first visit and and are meeting many of the "new" (to us) children during this visit.
The children each received a stocking on the night of Christmas that contained, pens, pencils, bookmarks, some bouncy balls and some balloon rockets. The rockets seemed to be as big a hit as anything so we had a rocket replacement session for those who did not extract their balloon from the stocking or had a "bust one". So we spent some time playing with balloon rockets and getting to know many of the kids.
Sabra also spent part of the afternoon working with the children in their reading program in the library but the attendance was a bit low since they know that they are on holiday break. She was also able to spend some tutoring time with a couple of the boys with whom she had worked last summer.
I had a chance to spend some time with the seven new children (see previous blogs) and have them teach me some new words in Twi while I tried to teach them some words in English. They were much quicker learners than I. We also spent the evening at movie night with the younger children watching Ice Age and the older children watching King Kong. There was a lot more screaming going on with King Kong. Everybody had a good time.
One of the children that we have come to love in our short time here is our buddy Muhamed.
 From his picture you can see why but the picture does not convey how cute this boy really is. He is a joy to be around and precocious is not even the word. His story is very familiar here at VOH but it is filled with hope. Muhamed was found by one of the college interns working at VOH while they were working in the slums of Accra. Muhamed's mother was very young (16 years old) andhad no means to care for herself, much less a child. Muhamed was very ill, very malnurished, and was described as "almost dead". He was taken to the hospital where he recovered from his malnurishment and malaria. The intern of course knew that he needed to be at the Village of Hope so she used the "he followed me home, can I keep him" excuse and Muhamed is now an integral part of the activities here.
His mother is training to be a hairdresser and someday will own her own business, and she is being supported while she is studying and getting her feet on the ground. Muhamed is doing well also and can already say his letters, and many other things and he always says them with a big smile and a great giggle. He fits in the suitcase but we don't think he will pass through customs.
He was a big help with all of the dirt moving that went on this morning. (As you can see!)
The football field here at VOH has been re-graded and is ready for grass seed once the rainy season comes. We worked with the children here to spread two large piles of dirt (by pan, pail, and wheelbarrow) to all of the low spots and washes presently on the field. Everybody helped, some a little and some a lot.
Kids here are no different than the ones at home.
Jacob and Joshua got in on the action and were very helpful. They are going full steam and with the heat, some jetlag and some very different food they run out of steam pretty easily as well. They are doing well and having a good time. This time is invaluable for them and they are already ambassadors for our part of the world and for th elove of Jesus, and they should make all other Parker Country residents proud. 
Josh is somewhat of a star on the VOH campus and all of the girls between ages 8 and 11 are asking about him when he is not around. Josh doesn't seem to know what is going on but he enjoys the attention when he gets it. We are making sure that he is hanging out with some good future daughter-in-law candidates. He is pictured here with a beautiful young lady named Belinda. She is very smart, very sweet, and worked as hard as anyone else on the football field. We will be keeping up with her in the future! (and we already know her parents!) and she seems to be interested in keeping up with him in the future as well. Who knows?
 We would have posted yesterday but we were too busy partying Ghana-style. It was very warm and humid but it was an even hotter party. Lots of music, LOTS of food, and even more smiles. When you have Christmas with over 150 children, then you know it is going to be a party.
The children at Village of Hope are well cared for but they still do not always have their fill. That kind of abundance (or perhaps even decadence) is unheard of in this place. The staff at VOH was committed to making sure that the kids would run out of steam before they ran out of food. They succeeded.
Everyone had plenty to eat.
However, it was not exactly turkey and dressing. There was lots of great local dishes, including fufu, banku, beans and rice, rice, smoked fish, fried chicken (a real treat), crab cake, soup (with meat!) and many other goodies. We tried a little of everything and stuck to some things we knew we could handle.
Fish and Banku
Fufu and Soup
There was also ice cream and soda pop (both delicacies!) and lots of dancing and games. We started around 1 PM and we ended with handing out stockings (a new VOH tradition-we hope) at around 8PM. Food, more food, dancing, soccer games, basketball games, a morality play, musical chairs, family, and friends. It was a good day.
If you have read my previous posts, you know that VOH has taken on seven children who were purchased out of the slave trade.These children are already doing well even though you can tell they are still tentative. It seems that they are not sure that they will be able to stay which is understandable since they have been treated so poorly for so long. They all seemed to still be shell-shocked from everything but they enjoyed yesterday's festivities.
One of the boys featured in the New York Times story (I fixed the link if you want to try it again from the previous blog) is actually here on site. Mark, who is six is a very quiet boy, but very sweet, he speaks no English so I have not been able to talk to him but he held my hand today and showed me his room after some translation help. He is a study in a child who has been through so much.
 Mark ( you can see the fear and disbelief that these people will care for him so much) So many children at VOH enter this way since they have been through so much before coming here. We have seen it before and some of the happiest children here now were the saddest upon their arrival. This is a great place.
He had a great meal yesterday and when he was able to get some banku, then he made sure that he had plenty. He shared one with another one of the new children, and he held on to his own extra banku like it was a gold bar. (it is far more valuable to him) His story is heart breaking but because of God's grace and the work of many concerned people here in Ghana and around the world. He has a tremendous future ahead of him.
I look forward to telling you more about the great things going on in this place. It is humbling to even be considered a part of the effort here.
God Bless you in this holiday season.
God bless this special place and those that support it.
After a nice little trip to New York, and a very "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and busted elevators) " transfer at JFK airport. We got on the plane to Accra.
We had to change terminals so we had to leave the secure area, ride the airtrain, carry our luggage down several flights of stairs, and then cross a parking lot just to be re-routed to a different terminal because the security line was so long. We ended up with just enough time to check in and get in line for the Delta flight to Accra.
However, God is good because even though we were taxi-ing to the runway, they actually WENT BACK to the terminal to pick up fifty bags that had not made it. That is a Christmas miracle. I have no doubt all of our six cases were in that fifty. They all showed up at Kotoka in Accra this morning.
We made it to service to hear a fantastic sermon by Fred Asare, and then greet all of our good friends here at VOH. The Village officially greeted the seven children who were freed from the slavery after being sold by their parents. You can see the story in our previous blog entry.
We are looking forward to a great Christmas party on Monday.
Hopefully we can send pictures. Hug your children tonight and thank God for the blessings that are all around you in this (and every) season.
More to come.
I was able to speak to Tommy Drinnen from the Village of Hope today and they are preparing for our arrival. There are going to be some exciting things happening on this trip that Sabra and I are really excited about. The biggest news is that there have been some new arrivals to the Village of Hope and God has opened a HUGE door.
Village of Hope takes in children orphaned by parents who abandon them due to hunger and extreme poverty, because of the occult, and because the parents die of AIDS.
The newest arrival come as former child slaves in the fishing industry in Ghana. It is a devastating story except for the fact that these children were bought out of slavery by a benefactor and taken to VOH to begin a new life under care from God's people. It brings tears to my eyes to think about children being sold by parents and the physical, emotional, and spiritual hardships that they must endure.
It is my understanding that this has all come to light partly due to an article in the New York Times. There is a mutlimedia presentation that will explain the plight of these children. If you will go to http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/20060308_AFRICACHILD_FEATURE to view the multimedia presentation about child slavery in Africa, in particular, click on Ghana to see what these children must endure.
We hope to give you more details about program plans and perhaps even ways to help in the near future. I hesitate to give too much information since it is very new and I want to honor the present anonymity of both the children and the benefactors.
Pray for us as we leave Saturday and pray that we may be of service to all the VOH children, particularly the newest ones.
With great hope from Him who has already purchased us all from slavery,
Mike and Sabra Hall
This BLOG is for the Hall's Family adventure in Ghana, West Africa and the blessing of being involved with the Village of Hope and Hope Christian Academy.
Stay Tuned for installments about our Christmas trip. We leave DFW on December 23rd and will spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our extended family of 116 kids at the Village of Hope.
We can't wait to let you know how things are going.
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