Made it...

Sept. 24, 2009 – Accra, Ghana

Nine hours flying Seattle to London. Three-hour layover. Seven hours flying to Ghana. Actually, when you think about it, it was a pretty easy flight considering the distance covered – only one layover and it only lasted a few hours. But it took a toll nonetheless.

Last night, I slept until about 3 a.m., then tossed and turned until I finally decided to wake up at about 6 a.m. and catch a beautiful African sunrise. At about 3 p.m. today, my body suddenly decided that it needed eight hours of sleep... I cut it short to a three-hour nap, hoping for the best. Definitely not adjusted yet...

We arrived late Wednesday night in Accra and, to everyone's surprise, sailed through customs. Ghana is one of the most economically and politically advanced countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Obama visited here a couple months ago), and they apparently do a good job at making it convenient for visitors to go through customs – something that can be a huge hassle in other countries.

A man named Joe Ayee, who is the Ghana director for the Navigators, drove us to the Presbyterian Women's Conference Center north of Accra. This is where we're having our Navigators conference – at a women's center. It's also where we're staying for at least the next four or five days. The campus is a relatively small, walled-off compound that has a cafeteria, some classrooms, and a 130-bed dorm. It's a pretty nice place with a few gazebos scattered around that make for relaxing spots to hang out in the morning.

I talked with the Center's accountant today – a guy named Ben who recently took his holiday to Indiana – and it sounds like this place does a lot of great stuff, like training women in villages about farming and giving them the basic tools to do that. There are also dorms here for women to stay and take two-week business courses. For now, however, about 65 people involved in the Navigators will be filling up the rooms at the conference starting tomorrow night.

We're staying at a five-bedroom guest house at the Center that is pretty comfy. There are a number of other people sharing this house, including some guys that are attending a conference for Sunday school teachers. We also get to eat at the cafeteria where the food has been wonderful – chicken and rice with mole sauce for lunch, and shish kabob with the best-tasting fresh pineapple ever. The closer to the equator, the better the fruit. And we're pretty close.

This evening, a 26-year-old guy name Nii Ayi came by to visit. Nii is the new administrator for the Navigators here in Ghana. He's also organizing the conference. Soft-spoken but obviously very passionate about what he does, Nii told us about his dreams to get a master's degree in community development and work on improving the lives of those who live in rural Ghana, where education and healthcare is lacking. I asked him if he's done any work with World Vision, and he smiled and said that he has – and hopes to be the World Vision director in Ghana one day.

Nii also told us about a rare disease that affects only a small region in Ghana called the Buruli Ulcer. It apparently starts off looking like a normal ulcer, but then grows to the point where it severely disables a person's arm or leg, rendering their limb useless in the long-run. For those who don't receive treatment, the disease can destroy their livelihood since they would have no way to farm with a disabled limb. Thankfully, World Vision offers a months-long treatment program for free, but many people in the rural villages instead turn to local fetishes that don't work, partly because they can't afford leaving their families behind for a few months to seek treatment at a hospital. Nonetheless, it sounds like progress is being made in combating that disease despite the challenges.

Overall, the day has been very relaxing. I've enjoyed some great conversations with Al and Tom and have had some time to recuperate from travel and do some reading. Ben is staying with his friend Isaac. I'm looking forward to the conference starting up tomorrow night, though I'm sure things will start to get more busy. Thanks for your prayers and emails. They're greatly appreciated. So far, no signs of malaria...