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!