Pictures From the Millbrook Ghana Trip!

Hello everyone! We hope that you've learned a lot about the needy children of Ghana from reading this blog. We're very thankful to the entire Millbrook Team for putting their time and effort into this trip. Here's a great slideshow of pictures from the trip. Be sure to keep reading the blog, as we have more stories, more events, and more children yet to share. Enjoy these pictures!

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TEAM ARRIVED SAFELY

July 27, 2011 7:00 a.m.

Just heard the news from John Moritz that the team landed safely at JFK and sailed through customs, loaded the bus and just waiting for Sebastian to clear customs. They are headed for Millbrook School and glad to be home! Watch for more details and terrific photos. The internet was difficult to access in Ghana but the best is yet to come. Thanks for following the team and we look forward to sharing more with you.

Bonnie Marks

Want To Learn More?

The children of the JoshKrisDan Home of Refuge are not the only orphans and abandoned children that Hearts of the Father Outreach cares for. We have over 250 children in five countries who look to us for assistance. If you want to learn more about future opportunities to help, you can sign up here. It goes without saying that we won't share your email address with any other groups or organizations.

Sunday, July 23 Cont.

Hi everyone!

Sorry for cutting short the last post. The slave castle was incredible. We walked off of the bus and the castle was painted white and looked over the ocean. We walked under the archway and a sudden rush of emotion came over all of us. We first went to the museum and learned about the triangular trade, what the slaves went through, and what happened after Ghana became an independent colony. While we were learning about the slave castle, Jill purchased drums for her family and a knife for her son. She definitely knows how to shop!!

Soon after, our tour guide greeted us passionately and began to unravel the tale of the slave castle. He led us down this long dark hallway and we went into a room that held 200 strong men, Mr. Allen said it was about approximately 15 * 20 feet. It was an eerie feeling because none of us have ever actually touched a place were thousands of slaves had crossed through. The fact that we were actually standing in the cells where the slaves had been kept made everything feel so real. The cells were only lit by three small holes in the wall. The air was damp and stuffy. The guide also explained to us that the men lived there for a 3 month periods, there was a white mark about a foot and a half from the ground which marked how high the level of waste in the cell at all times. As our tour continued, we saw a section of the huge underground path that led to the "door of no return" where the slaves were brought out to the slave ships. Furthermore, he explained how the women were treated disrespectfully and how if a women was pregnant the guard who fathered the child could decide if he wanted to keep her, if he did she was free of slavery. However, if he chose not to they were sent back to the holding cell the day after giving birth. The slave castle was a valuable learning experience for all of us mainly because we not only heard about the history, but got to see where it really occurred first hand.

Saturday, July 23

We are on the road again and headed to Cape Coast from Sewdru, where we visited four homes, dropping of supplies at each. We started off bright and early and meandered toward the bus. Our duffels in hand, we tied the bags to the roof, with colorful string. However, we had to make a quick pit stop to buy rice for the next couple of children’s homes we were going to visit. The bags were stacked tall and neat. Every brand had a different color and logos then the next. They were so high it looked like it was never ending. We put the three bags of rice we bought along the aisles of the bus presenting the task of maneuvering over each to get to your seat. On the road we talked and chatted with Jill Lipsky who enthralled us with her stories of her ever-present generosity, always having snacks to share on the long bus rides. John Moritz told us in detail about the culture of Africa, including stories about Fetish priests, Anacondas, and traditional Ghanaian rituals.

When we arrived at the Kakum National Park, we were lucky enough to get a tour of the park as well as the chance to walk through the canopy walkway. Our guide led us up a steep hill, along with steeps that were high and wide. The forest was so rich in color and smells that it left us breathless. Every now and then the guide would stop and give us some detail about the forest. At one point he talked about how the forest is like “a pharmacy and a supermarket in one”. He allowed some of us to touch the sap off the incest tree, which smelled like lavender. He then showed us the leaves of another tree that is used to cure skin diseases. He also gave us some more information about the carpenter’s glue that is found in huge roots, which is used in many households everywhere. We then made the daunting task of walking along seven canopy walkways, each one presenting us with a different view. Mrs. Keller-Coffy and love led the way followed by Mr. and Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Hardy and the eight of us.

The slave castle was our next destination.

We are sorry to cut this short… we will write more about this later! We are off to the baby home- an orphanage three hours away that burned down a few weeks ago. We hope we get to hold and love the babies!

Love, Olivia and Elena

Meet Lily Joy and Libby, Twins at the JoshKrisDan Home!

Lily Joy

Lily Joy is the older twin of Libby. She joined the Joshkrisdan Home of Refuge For Children for the same reasons as twin older brothers John and Jonathan on the 5th of October, 2005 at the age of 4 months. She is now almost 6 years old and a kindergarten pupil of kinder Paradise School. She is shy but adorable

Libby is quite opposite her sister in behavior and not the least bit shy. She likes school and is very confident in herself. She’s very lively, friendly and very sociable to visitors and siblings alike.

Libby

Incidentally, the twins are named after Lily Joy and Libby Moritz. Visitors that come to the home for the first time, beware! Libby and Lily can talk you out of your camera, water bottle and any other possessions before you kno w it. You can’t help it, they are so cute!

Wednesday 20 July

For the fourth day in a row, we awoke early to have our morning devotion before breakfast and reflect on our interactions with the locals and the friends we had made. John Moritz and Cam Hardy lead the group in discussing the spiritual relevance of being as in tune with the cultural practices of the Ghanians as possible, as our friend Humphrey had outlined every night prior. After our reflections and breakfast, we began a hectic day with repacking everything we had taken out during our stay at the Sea Lane Hotel in Pram pram and began bringing all of our things out to the parking lot. Because our driver, Teddy had been out driving our hired drummers to their early morning destinations, we got off to a late start.

For the first time during our stay, our first destination on the bus was not to the HFO home in Old Ningo, but just past it at the Ningo Secondary School. When we arrived there we learned that the students would be taking important exams all day and unfortunately could not join us in our presentation of gifts to the School's headmaster. Our gifts consisted of soccer balls, frisbees, tennis balls, Millbrook T-shirts, and other various items to show our appreciation for the time allocated to participate in our day camp that was taken from their schooling hours. The headmaster, and each subsequent headmaster that we visited, could not have been more grateful in receiving our gifts. We then said our goodbyes and departed Ningo Secondary. From there we picked up Michelle from the HFO home in Old Ningo. She is the daughter of a good friend of John Moritz's and had already spent a week working at the home before we arrived. She collected her things and joined us on the bus, as she will be spending the next week with us visiting various schools and homes across Ghana. From there we moved on to Global High School in Ningo and presented our gifts to another friendly crowd of students. Ed Allen and I demonstrated the awe-inspiring aspects of the frisbee for the students who had never seen one before. Pictures were taken, more friends were made, and names were exchanged for social-networking purposes. More goodbyes were said and then we departed to thank the Regional chief for allowing us to hold our festivities.

When we arrived at the Chief's compound, we were seated under the shade of a small grove of trees as we awaited our revered company. Humphrey, acting quickly to prevent a cultural faux pas, rearranged a few of us in order to consecutively seat the Chief and his council before they actually came out to greet us. As the Chief entered we all fell silent. A better looking Denzel Washington of about 40, he cordially shook our hands as we said muchoom (thank you) for allowing us to have a loud gathering during what is traditionally a time of no loud disturbances in the village (for lesser-god pleasing reasons). John explained to the Chief about the Outreach he has been doing in Ghana since '93 and how he would like to continue that work in the area pending the Chief's blessing. Although the Chief spoke fluent English, our friend Pastor Moses interpreted John's words into Tri to be respectful of their customs. The Chief happily sanctioned the outreach and thanked John and all of us for our work.

After leaving the Chief we visited the two other schools in Pram Pram that had sacrificed class time to join us for the camp. We said our thank you's and gave our gifts and left Pram Pram for the last time at around 3. From there we had an hour drive to Accra where we picked up our only lost bag from the airport and then headed out to the mountains to visit another school and note the differences in facilities there in a wealthier neighborhood. The school had a French, as well as English, program, playground, basketball court, and their own busses. We left shortly after dropping off what supplies we could and moved on to our hotel. We unpacked the bus at our Mountain top hotel, got settled, and ate dinner.

More to come

Taigh

Tuesday 19 July

Tuesday was yet another day filled with excitement. We woke up at 6:30 to have our morning devotion, as we do every morning here, and then went on to the home. Our first task was to finish painting the perimeter wall that we had scraped the day before. Though clouds of sanded paint billowed up from the walls and covered us in a layer of white, we managed to continue to joke and laugh with each other. Once we had finished, we began painting. A shoe company called "ToeGoz" was nice enough to send a shipment of hundreds of sandals for donation, and as they were packaged individually in plastic containers and separated into 13 different boxes, we spent quite a bit of time removing them from their plastic and sorting them by size into boxes to be given to the homes we visit.

Amongst the commotion, we had our first encounter with the internet since we have been here... VERY EXCITING, and continued to work on the blog. Nancy Keller-Coffey, Cam Hardy, Lena Hardy, and Elena Kikis tackled the job of "picking beans". We were given large bags of tiny little white beans that later would be cooked, and began picking the discolored, broken and inedible beans. Unfortunately, each bag had its store of tiny little bugs attempting to get their fair share of beans as well. Despite Olivia Dolan's screams each time she found one, Elena became a master and managed to eradicate the bugs without a care in the world.

After we had enjoyed a light lunch of delicious fresh fruit and biscuits, we ventured to the sports fields in the center of Old Ningo where the soccer tournament had begun the day before. The original plan was for the tournament to begin again at 1 o'clock. Running on Ghanian time, however, the games finally began at 3 o'clock. Each time the games were played, the oldest and most skilled players would play first. One team in particular, which seemed to be the favorite, wore jerseys that looked almost brand new and had Nike cleats from just a year ago. Though they didn't wear any shin guards, the team was fully equipped with some impressive gear. Upon conversing with a local, we found that many people sponsor these teams--some sponsors living in the U.S.-- and that the FIFA Academy located in a neighboring city attends each game and recruits players who will train at the academy until they are ready to start a professional career. Impressed, yet not surprised at all, we sat on the edge of our seats watching one of the most intense soccer games we'd ever seen. Each time a player made a move, or missed a ball, the crowd would go wild. The game ended with a victory for the favored green team with the winning goal being a bicycle kick from the top corner of the eighteen yard line; a true testament to these players' extreme talent.

Continuing with the activities and themes of our day camp, Tuesday evening was devoted to arts and culture. Hundreds of people, all of whom attended the soccer matches, gathered around a small section of the field designated for the performances. Drummers began drumming, beautiful traditional African clothing grabbed our attention, and as the performers prepared, we were graced with the presence of another chief who arrived in a white eyelet tunic and pants. It was impossible to keep one's eyes off of him. The first school to perform was the Ningo Senior Highschool. The girls to the floor and performed a traditional dance with some personal flare. Several more groups of dancers performed, most of which attend the schools here in Old Ningo. As the performance continued and the African sun fell lower in the sky, the dances became more and more entertaining and impressive. At the end of the dance portion, a male dancer came towards where we were sitting and grabbed Olivia Dolan, pulling her onto the floor. She impressed us all with her moves and the huge audience roared with laughter, which only increased when he pulled all of the team up to dance. We did our best to keep up. We were later joined by two magicians who produced a magic act that we agreed to be one of the most spectacular and mystifying shows we'd ever seen.

When the festivities finally concluded, we said goodbye to all the friends we'd made that day and loaded everyone on to the bus to return to the hotel. No matter what each day holds for us, as we drive home each night, we are still overwhelmed by the beauty of the African people and the land they call home.

Lena

Monday July 19

When we arrived to the JohnKrisDan home on Monday, we were surprised because the children did not come out and greet us. They actually were at school, except for christian, who was doing chores. Promptly we started with our labor work which consisted of scraping paint off of the perimeter wall and cleaning all the windows in the home. After two hours of working around the home a group of traditional African dancers arrived who had the challenge of teaching us how to dance. we gathered in a large circle and learned a dance that involved clapping hands and moving our legs in a circular motion. The clapping pattern, singing, moving and dancing proved to be quite difficult for some of us, but after about an hour of rehearsing we managed to produce a work of art... sort of. Later that night, when we performed the dance for our group at dinner, our driver named Teddy couldn't recognize our rendition of this traditional dance until about 15 minutes into our performance, when he began to laugh and sing along; like we said... a work of art.

Now Sebastian and Winston are sitting in an Internet Cafe in Old Ningo posting this, as we speak. Sorry for the delay in posts, as you can see it's been difficult to find the time to get internet. Hopefully we'll be able to post again soon.

Love, us.

SUNDAY JULY 18

Today we went straight to the home where we attended a traditional Ghanaian church service. This was a new experience for all of us, even those of us who have been to church. The two hour service, which was held outside under a tent in the yard behind the house, was filled with joy and songs of praise. We were blessed with the opportunity to meet a tribal chief who left us with inspiring words of wisdom. The service included much singing and customary dancing and drumming performed by the kids. The children kindly included us in the service. Lilly and Libby, two girl twins of the house performed songs and dances for the group. It was incredibly cute. Belinda led a group dance which was beautifully choreographed and well thought out.

After taking lots of pictures with the children and thanking both Pastor Moses and King Jim, the tribal chief, for their kind words and warm welcome, we finally loaded everyone on to the bus beach-bound in the hot African sun. Upon arriving, we saw fishing boats lining the shore, ready to set sail and bring back their day's bounty. The fishing boats here look nothing like the ones in America, as they are sail boats, constructed of wood and are at least 50 ft. long with beautiful paintings lining the hulls. Once we had settled in on the balcony of the beach house, which looked over the ocean, our crew of 7: Jeremy, Winston, Elena, Taigh, Sebastian, Sara and Lena led the parade into the water. We were so excited to swim in the ocean, and stayed in the water for a good long time. As the sun crept lower towards the horizon, the children from the home and some others that joined in the festivities learned many fun American games and dances such as, "Red Light Green Light", "Button Button Where is the Button?", the Macarena and even some more modern ones like the "John Wahl". Our time on the beach was incredibly fun, but we were also faced with some harsh realities.

Though we did our best to entertain the children, many of those who are not so lucky as to live in the Joshkrisdan Home; the children who spend their days on the beach, began to ask us for money, tell us to buy them food, and that their mom and dad had no money to feed them at home. Due to the communication barrier that we have here; the children speaking primarily Twi and us English, some of the kids from the home who speak English attempted to mediate for us. We were told by everyone to ignore the kids from the beach and not pay them any attention, but it was still difficult to turn them away. The most prominent cultural difference here is that the children who live in the home are the privileged ones and have a better life, whereas the children from homes with mothers and fathers are not so lucky. A concept that is quite different from what we are accustomed to.

After a very long day of fun in the sun, we returned to the home to say our goodbyes, then voyaged back to the hotel for another delicious meal and a much needed sleep.

First day in Ghana

SATURDAY JULY 17

After a long and exhausting 10 hour plane ride from JFK, we finally arrived in Accra, tired but ready to see what Ghana had in store. We were welcomed by the staff of Hearts of the Father, and John Moritz, who traveled with us, happily introduced us to every one. Immediately after leaving the airport, we were quickly immersed in Ghanian culture. As we drove down the motorway, we were continuously inundated by hawkers who were persistent in trying to sell us their goods. This was a very interesting experience for many of us, including Olivia Dolan. Olivia and Elena Kikis were surprised when a man came up and started kissing their window trying to cajole them into buying his plantains.

We arrived at the Sea Lane hotel in Pram Pram, which is located next to the town of Old Ningo. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the hotel was equipped with AC and king sized beds. After a short nap we headed out to the JoshKrisDan home where we met all of the kids. We turned into the driveway and we were greeted by orange gates and white walls and the smell of the house mother cooking a delicious lunch. The gates opened and we saw the house with a deck, and an open court yard in the middle.

Winston Boney finally had the opportunity to meet her sponsor children, Belinda and Emmanuel. Everyone fell in love with the kids almost instantly. The kids were eager to play with all of our cameras, they were mesmerized by all the electronics. Elena made friends with a boy named Atteh, later to find out he only liked her for her nice camera. That was a huge disappointment for Elena, but as of now...they are friends.

The newest member of the home, Monica age 3, quickly stole all of our hearts. Especially Winston's and Taigh's who want to take her home with them. Jeremy was only referred as "tattoo boy" and all the kids were fascinated by them. Sebastian was often confused with a girl, due to his long luscious locks, because the kids aren't used to boys with such long hair. Lena and Winston being blonde and fair skinned was entertaining to the kids. Sara Cox and Olivia taught Richard, Emmanuel, and Jonathan how to play chopsticks on the piano. Olivia managed to get everyone's phone number....of course.

We made it back to our hotel in one piece, tired and ready for dinner. Agreed on by everyone, the food here is absolutely unbelievable. Olivia says "I would pay so much money at a restaurant to have what I just had." We ate chicken, fish, and two kinds of fried rice. Our weak taste buds were not conditioned for the spice, but it was incredible all the same. We all slept like babies and had crazy dreams due to the Malarone.

Love, the team in Ghana