The Team

It is about time I posted a little bit about the wonderful people I get the opportunity to work with this summer. We have all become brothers and sisters and get along very well. I really think it has been a blessing having the group that we have. We all enjoy spending time with each other and complement each other very well. This blog post is dedicated to highlighting a little about each of the people I get to serve with. I could go on and on about things for each of them but I will just stick to a couple highlights for each that stand out to me.

Nate (aka Nasen)

Nate has been a great example and friend to me. There are a few things about Nate that stick out to me. First of all, he truly lives up to the definition of “every member a missionary.” I can’t even tell you how many times he is sharing the gospel. ANY time we are in a vehicle with other people I hear him talking about the gospel and sharing his testimony. He really is a great example of doing this.

Nate started a campaign of becoming president of Ghana. He will always tell people he wants to become president of Ghana so he can fixed the roads. We have 33 votes so far. Most the time people start laughing, or tell him he can’t, or say they won’t vote because he is white. I have a lot of fun listening to his speeches on Tro Tro’s and watching people’s faces. Nate is so popular he even has drunk men trying to kiss him.

The other thing about Nate that really impresses me is his deep love of children and people. Nate is always showing kindness to the people and the kids especially love him. It started out early with giving out candy, then just anywhere he goes he holds or hugs or just shows love to the children. They love him and so do I!

  

  

  

Maddie (aka Akua)

This girl always has us laughing. She seems to find the good in any situation and loves to laugh. Some of the best one-liners also come from Maddie. Most the time she shares her thoughts by serenading us with song. Pick a topic and Maddie will make up a song about it. Madde is always smiling and sharing the happiness which exudes from her like rays from the sun. 

  

  

I love the integrity which Maddie has. She is someone that does not take advantage of what is given to her and works hard, even when others are not watching. I once heard that the true measure of integrity and character are not what you do when people are watching, but what you do when no one is watching. Well, I have seen her many times do things which show me she has a solid character, just by how she behaves.

Chloee (aka Paige, aka Yaa)

Chloee truly is like another sister to me. We had the great opportunity of getting to know each other in Scholar Semester (Fall 2011) and traveling Europe together as well. Chloee is probably one of the most laid back people I have ever met. The nice thing about her though is that she is not afraid to work and get her hands dirty. A lot of people who are as laid back as Chloee is may not know how to work hard, but not her! On top of knowing how to word hard, she plays harder than the best of them as well!

I have a tendency to rush rush rush and stay super busy. Between the slower pace of African culture, and especially Chloee, I have found it much easier to slow down and enjoy my time more. Choee has helped me see that it is okay to step back and breath a little and enjoy what is happening now. Chloee has also helped teach me the importance of picking your battles. I have come to find that Ghana does not have the best customer service (in Accra mainly, not so much the village), and people can be frustrating. Chloee has helped me see better perspective of what really matters or not.

  

  

Chloee enjoys life and it shows! She is a friend to all and does not judge. Her and I have been teaching partners while out here and it goes really well. I am grateful for what she brings to the lessons and how much better she makes what we do here. The people love her and she just blends right in (minus the white skin of course). This is especially true when she starts to dance. Just ask her to show you her Azonto!

I could go on and on about the wonderful lessons I have learned from each of these individuals but I won’t. More than anything I know that I have found some lifelong friends and I am very grateful I have been able to serve with each and every one of them.