From Eric

Paige & The Rugrats:




Sorry for that incomplete entry from yesterday. I was just blogging along when the Senya preacher came calling at the front door to talk about the work there. We ate lunch here at base camp and had a great conversation. Anyway, by the time I tried to get back to finish my entry, there was other work to be done.



And so, to reiterate, this place is everything I remembered - - and then some. It is as if I have lived in Fettah all my life. Phelpsy and I sat in the village center with some of the church members after my sermon last night, and the folks just kept coming around; to see, to observe, to greet, to talk, to listen. Twas my best Fettah moment ever.



We took an hour or so to go down to the ocean yesterday. Jonesy and I swam. The rest of the group laughed at our craziness. The dip was SOOOOO refreshing because it is SOOOOO unearthly hot & humid. The sweat drips into your plate as you eat, and when I went to steal a stick of Phelpsy's gum an hour ago, I realized it was almost completely liquidified and poured out of the pack like maple syrup. . . . . I AM NOT KIDDING!



I have spent most of this day back up in Fettah with a couple of the church members from there. We have been going around encouraging the Christians there, just sitting and talking. The thing that seems more dire to me this time around is the number of children in the village of Fettah who have pertruding stomachs; lots of flies around, more typical of the poverty most Americans associate with Africa. That is so hard to for me to accept. Yesterday, this girl about the age of Reilly who appears to be the primary caregiver for 2 or 3 little bitty ones, handed me her baby brother. His stomach was 4 times normal size, and again, flies everywhere. After I had been holding him for a few minutes, the flies went away. Maybe it was my mosquito repellant. Anyway, the girl was saying to me (I am quite sure this is what she was trying to communicate to me) that if I would keep holding the baby that the flies would not come back. It just rips your heart out.



The Ghana cede was at a 1-1 ratio last time we were here. In other words, one dollar was exactly one cede. Now, it is 1.40 cede to 1 dollar. Their currency is devaluing in an already impoverished area.



All is not doom and gloom at all. The children are bright, resilient and hopeful. Little angels they are. The men and women here are generally very strong, full of dignified pride.



My travel companions are the best human beings in this world. They run the clinic with total professionalism, empathy, humility, ever deferential to the Ghanaian doctors, which is both wise and effective. I love these guys. If there is a better church in America better than the Farragut Church of Christ, I wish someone would show me.



We are going to Senya after clinic today. Dave, Julie, Jean, Jon and I are taking the hot and bumpy road there to meet with the preacher at 4:00. He is tirelessly trying to replicate a scaled down version there of The Village of Hope. That will be quite the trip. We don't want to over-extend and water down our efforts here at VOH, but the need in Senya is SOOOOO massive, and the Christians there have been so faithful and so patient for so long, I think it at least behooves us to check it out again. Jean, Jon and I have been there before, Dave and Julie have not. It will be a shock to them. Soon as we leave Senya, we will come back through Fettah and arrive there for church service right at 7:00. In other words, long and busy afternoon ahead



Gotta go. I love you guys SOOOOO very much. Don't know why I keep typing the word "so" like that. HA! I will see you beautiful things in 5 and a half more days. Thank you for being such a wonderful wife and family.



Eric (Daddy)