Giant Plastic Smurf Spotted Today in Takoradi!

Today started out good for everyone because we got to sleep in until 9:00, so even those of us who have a hard time smiling in the morning were happy at breakfast. Then, our first event on the schedule wasn't until 2:00 so we had a lot of time in the morning to prepare for the youth variety show tomorrow night. Well we got a little distracted from preparing this morning because there was a downpour of rain and we went on a rain walk, where Nate was the only one to wear a poncho and it was bright blue. The rest of us just got soaked and a bunch of Ghanian workers pointed and laughed. It was pretty amazing. Some of us like Jada had deep philosophical thought in the rain, while the rest of us just had a little fun. Not that our trip has been anywhere close to short on fun:)

So our task today was to talk to a group of Christian high school students about 4 topics: purpose, academic excellence, quiet time, and abstinence. When we arrived we walked into a classroom to find 50 students all dressed in their pink uniforms. We were deeply moved by the beautiful voices of a number of the high school girls. It was really inspirational for a lot of us and it set the tone for the afternoon. We spoke for about a little over an hour total, with five of us speaking and then it was open for questions. Kim talked about God's purpose in her own life and how He had opened new doors for her when He closed the first one. She was really encouraging to the students and she answered a number of questions on the topic afterward. Next, Melissa spoke on excellence in school and in life. She brought up some very important points on the subject and if anyone knows about academic excellence its her:) Then, Seth talked about the importance of setting aside quiet time to talk to and listen to God. Next, I spoke on purity and why we should glorify God with our bodies. Last but certainly not least, Marty also talked about abstinence and had every child smiling and laughing about the subject. He made some very powerful illustrations and I'm sure no student will forget about it anytime soon. We were all very excited to have such an opportunity to share wisdom with the students. The thing I noticed most about them was their focus; no matter who was speaking, all eyes were on him/her. We had their undivided attention, so that was really encouraging.

Pastor Daniel liked all of our messages so much that he asked us to do it again at a youth service tonight. So we went back to the lodge and rested for a little while before Francis came to pick us up at 7:00 for round two. Well, it turns out that in Ghana a youth group can be people anywhere between the ages of 15 and 25, so we were a little surprised that the majority of the audience was older than us. Nevertheless, we got up there and spoke what was on our hearts. Melissa and Marty changed there messages to adapt to the crowd, but the other three of us stayed with the same message. I would say we all found tonight to be harder because the sound system was really distracting and the audience was not responsive at all, for good or for bad. Still, it is all for God's glory and we stay strong believing that God's purpose for us was fulfilled there tonight regardless.

So I need to go to sleep now for like four hours, because we have to get up really early tomorrow. We're going to be on the same T.V. show again, only this time doing worship music. It'll be cool, it's just so early. Oh, and by the way, who ever thought I would sing in front of people, or on national T.V. Well, I guess the musically inclined team members make up for those of us who are vocally challenged. Anyway, great day overall. Signing off.

P.S. Hi Family and Mark:) Love you all!

Quote of the Day: What happens in Ghana stays in Ghana...unless it makes it to the blog.

Jaclyn