Seedlings

Over the years Ghana has experienced depleting forests. There are numerous reasons for this such as: forest fires, Illegal charcoal production, China’s exploitation of Ghana’s rosewood trees, uncontrolled mining and logging as well as the expansion of cocoa farms. In April 2021 Ghana’s Lands and Natural Resources Ministry launched a GREEN GHANA initiative which aimed to plant 5 million trees in a single day across the country. The government provided free seedlings to people of all walks of life including those in our little village here in Damongo.

The date set for the big event was June 11, 2021. On Thursday, June 10^th 6,600 teak and 700 mahogany seedlings were delivered to our Secretariat. That very day over two hundred Primary and Jr. High students came and collected 460 seedlings. On June 11^th, the day of the event, hundreds of trees were distributed.

Fr. Felix from St. Anne’s Cathedral collected 200 mahogany seedlings to plant on the grounds of the new Cathedral. Fr. Francis Xavier drove over two hours to deliver 250 seedlings to one of our Diocese’s 13 parishes. Other parishes sent trucks and cars to collect their share of these very healthy gems. When I left the Secretariat Friday at 5:00 p.m. men were busy planting the 500 trees they were allotted. The students at St. Anne’s Girls’ Catholic Senior High School where I live planted over 500 teak seedlings in just two days.

I am so proud of the country which I have called home for over two years now. WAY TO GO GHANA!

Climate Change

There are two seasons in this region of Ghana, the dry season and the rainy season. The dry season is just that; HOT and dry! There is no vegetation and everything is brown.  

It is not uncommon to have bush fires at this time of year. Several have come very close to my bungalow. The girls here at St. Anne’s Girls’ Sr. High School where I live are used to battling the flames, one bucket of water at a time. At first I ran in the other direction when the blazing flames were approaching. Now I help fill buckets.

The rainy season has just begun. It is beginning to look more like a jungle than a desert. It is amazing how quickly brown turns to green. 

While fire destroys the environment during the dry season, rains and wind will take a toll during this season. This year’s rains and wind, however, have caused immense damage not typical for this area.  Roofs have been blown off homes and shops, and floods have washed away entire dwellings. Here at St. Anne’s several sections of the wall surrounding our compound have been washed away.

Climate change is occurring here as it is all around the world. The changes can be devastating not only to the environment but also to the health of those already marginalized. Flooding increases cases of malaria and cholera. A decrease in the water supply due to an extraordinary dry season, which we had in Damongo last year, increases the incidence of guinea worms, and an increase in temperature causes more cases of cerebrospinal meningitis. Unfortunately, these are just a few examples of how climate change can affect the health of those I live amongst. Living in this part of the world makes me realize more than ever how important it is for us to slow down the global warming that our way of living in excess has caused. Let us pray that the world comes together to save our planet as well as all of us who call it our home.

Resourcefulness

One way to survive is to be resourceful. Ghanaians living in my village have to manage with what they have available to them. I witnessed this recently at St. Anne’s Girls’ Catholic Secondary School where I live and help out when necessary. Every Sunday after Mass, when money is available, I drive the Headmistress into the village to buy 23 loaves of bread. This is a real treat for the girls. They enjoy bread and tea. If they are lucky milk will be provided as well.

Recently the school decided to build their own bread oven. The ant hill you see here, which is made from clay that the ants obtain by digging down into the earth, was knocked down and mixed with water. Bricks were formed and an oven was built. An old bicycle wheel was used to form the opening. Because the rainy season is approaching a roof was erected using fallen down limbs from trees. 

Now that is being resourceful!

I can’t wait until the oven is fired up and the smell of freshly baked bread fills the air.

Mission Dream

Being a missionary is something I had dreamt of for years. I would picture myself working overseas in an orphanage. I love being around children; holding them, singing to them, laughing with them. 

God had a slightly different plan for me, so it seemed. The Diocese of Damango, Ghana, was looking for an accountant. Lay Mission-Helpers felt I was a perfect fit. I wouldn’t be working with children in an orphanage but I trusted this is what God wanted of me. 

Little did I know as I traveled to Ghana that I would get exactly what I had dreamt. I am around children daily. I hold them, sing to them, laugh with them. My joy is twofold. I use my expertise as an accountant working with the Diocese, something I enjoy doing, plus, I experience daily the happiness of being around God’s little ones. 

God is good all the time. Jesus, I do trust in You!

Joyful in Ghana

After eight months being isolated in my son, Joshua’s, apartment, two Covid-19 tests in the USA and one when I arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, as well as 12 days in quarantine at my bungalow, I was finally back to my Ghanaian life.  It will be a bit different here now that my fellow missionary, Diane, will not be returning. Diane is well missed not only by myself but by the entire Diocese of Damongo community.

I have been back nearly two months. While in the USA I had time to fully comprehend the 14 months in which I lived here. I thought, WOW, did I really do that? Was I really chased by an elephant yet not able to wait until I could go on another safari? Did I really find a scorpion in my washroom yet not worry about how many more were living in my bungalow? Did I really eat dumplings and sauce with my hand and decide I would never go back to eating certain meals with a fork or spoon again? What seemed like unusual behavior when sitting in my son’s apartment in the USA reminiscing about my way of life in Ghana is not unusual at all now that I am back. 

Since returning I celebrated Thanksgiving with my adopted Ghanaian family Francis, Paulina and children Anne and Nathan. As I did last year I made a Christmas tree to give my bungalow some Christmas spirit. Ghanaians do not typically put up Christmas trees; evergreens do not exist. This year I made a tree out of plastic bottles. 

I enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve watching a live stream of my home Parish’s (St. Florian in United, PA) Vigil Mass, attended Christmas day Mass at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus church in Canteen, Ghana, the parish of my dear friend Sr. Rubina, and watched a live stream of Christmas day Mass from the Greensburg Diocese Cathedral in Greensburg, PA.

For the New Year’s celebration I traveled with Madame Pauline, the Headmistress of St. Anne’s Girls Catholic Secondary School (SAGISS) to her hometown of Nandum. Many of Madame’s nieces and nephews were there for the Holidays as well as her brother, Fr. Remigius Siesegh who works at the Vatican in Rome. The children and I kept busy doing what I am now famous for, making Christmas trees.

I attended a vigil Mass on New Year’s Eve and a Mass on New Year’s Day. Both Masses were held outdoors. 

An ensemble of xylophones and drums played as anyone who could stand danced. The congregation enjoyed seeing me join in. Many young men gathered around showing me steps and helping me dance to the rhythm of the drums. During one Mass it was announced that a clan had adopted me. What an honor. In the village everyone has two names; one English and one tribal. I was given the name Noriree (I’m sure I spelled it wrong), which means JOYFUL, and joyful it is to be back.  

GOD IS GOOD 

God Is Good All The Time

 

God has been especially good to me. He called me to serve and I answered. I was sent to a place that suited me. I was more than delighted to be in Damongo, Ghana; it had become my home. Then this explosion! The COVID-19 pandemic broke out and for safety reasons I travelled back here to the USA. 

Frankly this is somewhere I do not want to be. Don’t get me wrong, I am so well cared for. Joshua, Jacob, Trevor, Debbie, Kate and Audi welcomed me back with open arms. I have been living with my oldest son Joshua since I returned on March 19, 2020. The accommodations are terrific. How can I complain about a bedroom with at 65” TV? Who would ever complain about living with a son who is an excellent cook? He knows what I like to eat (sushi, buffalo wings, shrimp cocktail, steak) and is willing to prepare what I want whenever I ask. A little side note: I want to blame him for the 45 lbs. I gained in the last 7 months, but we all know I can’t.

When I left Ghana I thought I would be here in the USA just a few months. Obviously I was wrong. This return has been difficult for me. I started thinking, “What if I can never go back to Ghana? What will I do?” I know that Jesus is with me and I trust in Him, but hey, I need some help here! I’m getting a little concerned. I needed someone to talk to, some spiritual guidance.  I heard of a seven-day Silent Directed Retreat being held at St. Paul of the Cross Monastery in Pittsburgh and decided to go. Yes, ME, silent, even at meals. No, I did not get kicked out. Amazing!  

I had never met with a Spiritual Advisor before and had no idea what to expect. The moment I sat down in front of Fr. Curtis Kiddy I felt a bond, a connection. Fr. Curtis did not just listen to me, but he heard me. From the beginning he knew exactly what I was feeling; he understood. The way we were able to communicate with each other seemed somewhat mystical. When I left the retreat I did not know what was going to happen next in my life.  I did leave; however, once again believing that God would help me through this.

I began writing this blog weeks ago. Since then I found out I will be boarding a plane on November 9, 2020, in Pittsburgh.  I hop on another in NYC, and another in Accra, Ghana, where I will fly to Tamale, Ghana. From there I will be driven two hours to Damongo, my home!

 

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME

ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

Coming Home

Although not mandated to leave, Lay Mission-Helpers (LMH) recommended that we missionaries return temporarily to the United States until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. It was fairly easy for me to make the decision to return. I feel I am healthy, but I am over 60 years young and at a higher risk than others.

Am I happy to be here? Not really. I unexpectedly had to leave my home. I left a life in which I was comfortable.  As strange as it may seem to most of you, I will miss hand washing my clothes, bucket bathing, and eating my favorite Ghanaian meal with my hand. I will miss the look on vendors’ faces when I speak to them in Gonja, the language of the largest tribe in my home town of Damongo. I will miss the security guard at the Secretariat where I work struggling to teach me the language (I blame being 61 as the reason for my slow learning). 

Though my son’s will always take care of me, you could say I am technically homeless. I sold my home and gave away nearly everything I owned before leaving for mission. Right now I am living with my oldest son in Greensburg, PA. Once out of quarantine I will visit my youngest son in Pittsburgh, PA and at some point fly to Colorado to spend time with my son in Boulder. I have friends that say I am not homeless, for as long as they have a home I have a home.

One might ask: “Does not having a permanent home scare you?” The answer is a definite NO! If I do not make it back to Ghana, I will find a mission house in the U.S. in which to live while I continue to serve God’s people.

God has called me to mission and that is what I am meant to do. Every day I end my prayers by saying:

   

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!