It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow! This December is going by so quickly. This past week has been so crazy, and it's finally hitting me that Christmas is actually here! All this hot weather is really confusing me about what time of year it is.

This week has been the craziest week since I arrived in Ghana. Sunday, after a morning of worship, we welcomed a family adopting from GMI. They're hoping to take their girls home very soon! On Monday, I celebrated two months in Ghana  by meeting the precious kiddos at another orphanage in town and welcoming my dearest friend into the country. On Tuesday, we welcomed another family adopting from GMI. They brought a ton of donations, so we spent the afternoon sorting through everything. After we finished going through the donations, Pastor John let me drive his car home! It was such a fun experience!

On Wednesday, one of the girls walked up to me and said there was something in her nose. I soon discovered that it was a watch battery. Where it came from and how it got there, I still don't know. But praise Jehovah it was removed successfully without any trouble! After that, it was time to clean out my room. So many donations and Christmas presents were brought in, and there was a huge need for some organization. After spending all morning between the two rooms, I still wasn't done. It was such a chore! We spent the afternoon getting things for Seth and one of the families here for Christmas, and after that it was time to measure and weigh all the kids. So thankful I had extra hands to help with that! 

Thursday, I didn't even get to finish breakfast before 6+ totes/suitcases were brought into my room, and Christmas presents for the children were scattered on my bed. The older boys in the house were getting ready to leave for an outreach, and Richard and I spent the morning at the doctor with one of the children. Once we got back in the afternoon, they were packing up to leave for the outreach, and I had some errands to run. After I got back, everyone had left and I quickly realized there were very few adults left in the house. Almost all the older boys went to the outreach, so it was just me and a few aunties left to run the home. Thankfully, three older boys returned home from school that night, and they have been here to help. Still very crazy, but we're glad they're home!

Friday was very busy. I had to take one of the children to the doctor for another test and to get the results from the blood work. After waiting an hour, they informed me one of the results wasn't ready yet, and we needed to come back in the afternoon. We went back in the afternoon, only to find out the results still weren't ready, and we needed to come back in the morning. That was a really frustrating situation. After we got back in the afternoon, I was hoping to take a nap while the kids had their nap time. Unfortunately, I was quickly called to come care for another sick kiddo in the house. There was still a little bit of nap time left, so I tried to get some rest. But then two of the boys came in a decided it was time for a pillow fight. So much for getting any rest! Seth stopped by to pick up and drop some things off, and he stayed for the rest of the afternoon. The kids spent some time coloring, which allowed me some time to clean up my room. Everything has been so crazy this week, I could never find time to clean it. After dinner, we spent the evening playing hide and seek. The kids don't completely grasp it, but they have a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we had to go back to the doctor for the fourth time in three days. After waiting two hours, we finally got the hear the results from his tests! Everything came back normal. The doctor thinks his liver is trying to recover from malnutrition, and that's what's been causing the pain. He has been feeling better as the days go by, and complaining of pain a lot less! So glad he's feeling better. Once we got back from the doctor, the kids wanted to act out the nativity story. It was pure chaos, but they enjoyed getting to act it out. In the afternoon, we had a tree climbing contest with the boys. Of all the ones who tried, the six year old climbed the highest. He is such a little monkey! Once we finished climbing the tree, it was time to clean up the yard and make things look nice for when Pastor John and the rest of the team returned home. All the kids helped, and it looked great! Seth came over in the evening, so I had some extra help putting the kiddos to bed. Such a blessing!

Sunday, everyone was gone for the outreach, so we didn't have church in the house. They had devotions in the morning, and were done by 7am. Once the kids were all finished taking their baths, I started getting things ready for Christmas. The kids are all looking forward to celebrating! The boys spent the rest of the morning building a fort. Once I put the kids down for their nap, I got to sit down and watch a movie with the older kids. It was nice to have some downtime with them. After that, I headed over to Nyame Dua to take some things to Seth. After walking for thirty minutes out in the sun, my heart took another thirty minutes to slow down. >.< Spent the evening over there, and walked back home. On the way there, we got yelled at in Ga. On the way home, a car accident took place just a few yards in front of us. You never know what to expect around here. =P Once we got back, I put the kiddos to bed and everyone arrived safely from the outreach. Including the cow we're eating for Christmas. Which was butchered and placed in my freezer at 11:30 last night.

So yeah. It's been a chaotic week, but the Lord has brought us through! He has blessed me so much this week, and I'm looking forward to this final month in Ghana!

Thanksgiving Ghana style.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1

Celebrating Thanksgiving in Ghana was such a wonderful experience! In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I asked people, both young and old, if they knew what Thanksgiving was. The answer was almost a unanimous “no”. Being reminded that Americans are the only people who celebrate the holiday made me realize how thankful I am for it, the history that it holds, and an entire day with my family. This was my first Thanksgiving away from home, and I got to celebrate with three adults who were celebrating Thanksgiving for the very first time in their lives. Can you imagine being twenty-eight and celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time? It was so neat getting to experience my first Thanksgiving in Ghana with other people celebrating their first Thanksgiving ever. 

The Lord blessed our day from start to finish, and I’m so thankful for that! He blessed me with a family to celebrate with, and so much more! After two feasts, playing games, fellowship, and laughter, we got to watch the sunset on the beach. I love how His beauty fills the sky!

Corn hole in Ghana!

Our Thanksgiving feast.

Once we got back to the Beebe’s house that night, I was able to Skype with my family. It was awesome getting to see all of them together. My prayer all day was that I would be able to Skype with them right before they sat down to eat. And sure enough, the Lord answered my prayer! Everyone had arrived, and they were putting the finishing touches on their feast. Once everything was ready, they asked me to pray for them. From Ghana! It was so awesome getting to share that moment with them, even though 6,000 miles stood between us. It was the perfect ending to our Thanksgiving in Ghana. 

I can’t count the many ways God blessed me this Thanksgiving! It was hard not getting to spend the day with my family, but I loved getting to experience Thanksgiving in a whole new way. God is so good!