Our hike on Pride Rock! (aka Mount Adaklu)

With only two months left in Ghana, we thought it would be good to go on a weekend vacation to the most wonderful refuge we've found yet; Sky Plus Hotel.  It's our favorite place to relax and recharge when things get crazy at the house. The hotel sits on a summit where it overlooks the entire city of Ho and has a great view of this mountain that strikingly resembles Pride Rock from "The Lion King!

We've spent many an evening admiring this huge mountain, so when we found out it was hike-able, the obvious response was to schedule a trip! The mountain is actually called "Mount Adaklu" and is one of the tallest mountains in Ghana.

This past weekend was our scheduled hike. Unfortunately, Landon was still recovering from malaria at the time, so he wasn't feeling his best, but nothing would stop him from hiking. He tends to be a rather stubborn patient ;) We drove to a little town called Helekpe where we were told that our guide "had gone out, and is coming right now." We've been in Ghana long enough to realize that this means "I have no idea where he is or when he's coming back." So, this little boy named Evons (he couldn't have been older than 10!) agreed to take us halfway up the mountain. It was such a beautiful area! 

Evons and I

We then arrived at this small village where we met our second guide, Christian. We began our long and very tiring hike up the mountain. It took us two and a half hours to reach the top! The scenery was absolutely beautiful the whole way up, but the trail was rugged and quite dangerous at times! We came to a very steep rockface that had a knotted rope secured to the top. Christian quickly climbed it and yelled down his advice, "do not delay, there are many black ants on the rock!" Sure enough, there were swarms of them! We scrambled up the rope as quickly as possible, but we did not escape the wrath of the black ants. I didn't realize how much those bites hurt! Anyways, we made it up two or three of these crazy make shift rock-climbing obstacles, (dodging black ants all the way) and then we arrived at a resting place. Whew. We were exhausted by this point and  asked Christian how much farther we had until the top. Two hours, he said. We had already been hiking/climbing for two hours-we really didn't think we could make it another two. Thankfully we've also learned by now that most Ghanaians don't estimate time well. So after a good long rest, we decided to continue. 

Doesn't this look like it could be straight out of the Lion King?!

Purple mushrooms! This one's for you Parker :)

Upon seeing this pictures, Mercy said, "these creatures
will go inside your nose when you are sleeping and kill you!"
Yikes! I hope to never see one again!

After another 45 minutes of hiking/rock-climbing, we made it to the top! And it was well worth the difficult hike! The view was amazing, and there were monkeys chattering in the trees! Landon caught a glimpse of them, but they stayed pretty well hidden.

Climbing down these rocks was so scary!
It's kind of like rappelling...but without the harness!

We saw so many beautiful butterflies!

We did it!

Who knew chacos could be used to rock climb?!
Both of our guides put us to shame in their worn out
flip flops!

We went back to Sky Plus feeling accomplished, muddy, and so hungry. Pizza and hot showers never sounded so good! 

Around here

It's been quite awhile since our last blog post, so I have tons of pictures for you! The last few weeks have been busy with the girls starting school, a visit from Teddy, and ongoing projects with our social worker, Destiny. Landon had the brilliant idea of building a fort (complete with Christmas lights and tinsel) for the girls a few nights ago-they absolutely LOVED it!! I haven't seen them squeal and shout so much since last Christmas morning!

The girls are all doing well. They were excited to be back in school and still love to learn, which we hope will serve them well! It's hard to believe we'll be leaving them in just two and a half months! We will miss them dearly and will try to visit in the future if we are able.
Now for some pictures!

First day of school!

Richlove

Dina cutting paw-paw for the girls

Godsway, Dina and I!

Godsway 

Small Sarah and Gloria-
they decorated this chair with flowers to celebrate
Jesus' birthday! :) So sweet!

We made pipe cleaner hairbands for a fun craft!

Sweet Sarah

Godsway, Uncle, and Sarah

Rosemary

Mama and Mercy, all dressed up for a wedding!

Love these goofy faces!
Godsway, Gloria and Regina

Also, meet our amazing social worker, Destiny. He cares so much for the girls and their families, and has been wonderful to work with. 

Thanks for checking in!

Much love from the Yellow House! 

One year in Akatsi!!!

It's crazy to think that exactly ONE YEAR ago, we were getting off a plane, feeling excited, nervous, and ready for an adventure. We've learned and grown SO much in the past 365 days. It's certainly not been easy, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. We’re so grateful to all of you for your help, support and encouragement, and most importantly to the Lord for leading us on this journey! We’d like to share with you a few things we’ve learned/observed about Ghana during our time here.

1. Ghanaian women are incredibly talented. They balance large baskets of fruit, water, eggs etc on their heads while carrying babies on their backs and maneuvering gracefully through crowded areas! I don’t know how they do it.


2. DO NOT watch the road if you’re a passenger. Let the tro-tro/motorbike driver do his job-otherwise, you will have a panic attack! (I continue to be amazed at the minimal amount of accidents here...I suppose it’s organized chaos!)


3. Embrace the Ghanaian culture as much as you can! Any sloppy word of Ewe brings a huge smile to a Ghanaian’s face! They love to see us riding tro-tro’s and motorbikes, learning their handshake, and walking to the market each day. They say “now you are a true Ghanaian!”


4. ANYTHING will fit on a motorbike! Be it a propane tank, large basket of food, or a few goats tied up and ready for slaughter, it’s nothing out of the ordinary!


5. Even after living in Akatsi for ONE YEAR, we are still a novelty! Ghanaian children will never tire of chasing after us and yelling YAVU (white man) halfway down the street. The 500th time is just as exciting as the first!


6. We’ve realized that VERY few foreigners have ever lived in Akatsi. In a sense, we are representing all foreigners to the Ghanaians in this area. They probably think all American men are very tall and have beards, and all American women are petite and wear chacos. There could be worse things.


7. Being the only foreigners living in Akatsi, we’ve gotten quite desperate to talk to other Westerners. If, by chance, we see another Yavu traveling through Akatsi, we will follow them, chase them down, and yell after them, all just for a few minutes of conversation. It’s gotten pretty bad...


8. DO NOT drink water before leaving for a long trip! The only “restrooms” along the way are in the open grass on the side of the road…

             (also, do not walk in the grass on the side of the road…)


9. If a Ghanaian says they’ll come over to your house that afternoon, they may mean that afternoon, any afternoon that week, or never. They have a VERY laid back concept of time! Which can be a wonderful thing-just slightly frustrating at times.


10. Chickens (although obnoxiously loud in the early morning hours) keep away nasty things like rats and roaches! I have a new-found love for chickens!!!


11. Ghanaian children know how to work! There are days when the girls will be doing their wash, cleaning the house, and making food for the better part of the day-and they are HAPPY to do it! American children could take a few notes.


12. In Ghana, both power and water are extremely unreliable. Our power goes out for several hours (sometimes allll night) 3-4 times a week! It’s been one of the biggest struggles for me (no power=no ceiling fan=SO HOT!). Those of us who have consistent water and power easily forget just just how good we have it.


13. Waiting 4-6 hours for basic medical care is the norm. I will never ever complain about sitting in a waiting room for 30 minutes again! Also, I will NEVER take for granted the beautiful, comfortable, clean clinics/hospitals/Dr’s offices we have. We are so fortunate.


14. Malaria and malnutrition are the biggest killers in Ghana. Many people can’t afford insurance, which pays for EVERYTHING and costs the equivalent of $4.00 a year. Those of us who have jobs that include insurance, and transportation to get to the nearest clinic should be very grateful.


15. Our food options are as follows: carrots (sometimes), potatoes (sometimes), onions, tomatoes, peppers, rice, bread, pasta, eggs and various fruits. We go into shock when we travel to the grocery store in Accra, and could spend hours roaming the aisles….


16. Washing clothes by hand was a big adjustment. It's actually not too difficult, just very time consuming! I'm so thankful that the girls love doing their own wash! :)


17. Traveling anywhere means being crammed into a public tro-tro with 10-15 other people. It’s a very sweaty, bumpy, long long ride. 


18. I will NEVER forget the first time the girls saw a toilet and a sink! They were ecstatic! I think they giggled for half an hour afterwards. It’s amazing the things we think of as necessities. (Granted, they are MUCH easier to live with than without. I’m VERY VERY thankful for our toilet and sink. Squat holes just aren’t fun-especially at night.)


19. We’ve gotten used to seeing a lot of bugs all the time. Crawling on our skin, in our clothes, and most disturbingly, in our FOOD! I can not even tell you how many hours Landon has spent sorting through beans to remove the ones that obviously have bugs inside them. Prepackaged rice, flour, sugar, bread-whatever food product you buy will most likely have bugs in it. Extra protein I guess? I MISS THE FDA!!!!!


20. We've learned so much from being immersed in the culture here. Ghanaians are a beautiful, joyful, energetic people group who have graciously welcomed us into their lives. We've seen their celebrations and dances, worn their colorful clothes and eaten more fufu and ak ple than we can keep track of. The best word to describe them as a whole is happy! They are constantly smiling, laughing and dancing (there's actually a dance party going on in the living room at this very moment!) and will gladly give you anything you need at a moment's notice. We've enjoyed observing the culture, but have come to realize that we are Westerners through and through! We've learned so much about a new culture, but also about the many things we love and take for granted in our own culture! There's nothing like spending a year away from home to make you realize what you have.


We are so thankful that the Lord has provided us with the opportunity of living here with the girls.  We dread the day we say goodbye to the girls, but we are excited to live in America again and see what God has for us next. We have been able to spend a lot of time readjusting our priorities and future plans, realizing first, that any plans we make are tentative and subject to radical change….neither of us had ever “planned” to live in Africa! When we do return, if we do live in the States, we desire to live as simply as possible. Many of the things that we counted as necessities really don’t warrant the word. We'd like to live simply and be good stewards of what we're given. Our time, money, skills, possessions etc are not really ours anyway!

Thanks for reading and remember to be thankful

today for all you've been given! 

Much love to you all!

Kate and Landon

Picture Post!

Hey everyone!
It's been super busy here at the Yellow House lately. The girls have been out of school for SIX WEEKS and have one more before they go back!!!!!! We've colored thousands of pictures, done hundreds of English lessons, read many books and done many crafts. We've had a blast, but we're ready to have a regular routine and maybe some quiet time? They're counting down until September 9th, and so are we :) Here's some pictures:

The girls know this insect as "Uncle's friend."
Lizards are also known as "Uncle's other friend."
Haha

Rowing their makeshift "boat"-they're so
creative!

These three girls are learning to READ! They couldn't
say the whole alphabet 10 months ago, and they're
learning to read! It's amazing.
(Dina, Richlove, and Godsway)

Reading their "Jesus book." :)

Date night in Accra!
We were finally able to escape for a few days :)

Best. Restaurant. Ever.
This is the only place we get meat in Ghana. It never disappoints!

Our backyard is looking wonderfully green thanks
to Landon's gardening skills and rainy season!

Gloria

Small Sarah

Dina, all bundled up on a "very cold" 80
degree day.

I finally took pity on them and gave them my
sweatshirt. I certainly won't be using it!

Regina making akble!

Her little play kitchen-how cute!

Cooking (for real now) with Sister Mercy!

Happy Landon with the pizza I made him!

He said, "If you'd offered me an egg and carrot pizza
with no cheese in America, I would have politely declined. But here,
it's AWESOME!" Haha. It's all about perspective!

Beautiful artwork!

A lovely looking sheep we encountered on our daily walk.

That's about all from here! 

Thanks for checking in! 

Much love to you all :)

ALS ice bucket challenge

We were nominated by Parker Bohm to do the ALS ice bucket challenge! We didn't have access to ice, but I promise, it was still cold! :) For those of you that are unfamiliar with the challenge, it's purpose is to raise support for ALS research. A few dollars donated from each person will go a long way to help fight the disease! Along with those mentioned in the video, we nominate Maria Horning and the Haugh family :)

Video credit goes to Dina :)

"Jesus Loves Me"