I see the well. And next to it, a kiosk where women are selling breakfast porridge. I park the bike and greet them. Then I ask, “Do you know where Mr. Atta lives?”
Continue reading A Child’s Garden of Gratitude →

Most of you already know the back story to this, but this is something I wrote for a couple of our internal newsletters and I thought I’d just include it here.
Continue reading Our Malaria Event →

When someone shares their food with you, or offers to share their food with you, the polite response is “Ya mashara”. It means “I am satisfied.” If you walk by someone who is eating, they will invite you to join them, every time. “Pine lee” (“Come and eat.” or “Patoylee” (“You are invited.”)
Continue reading Ya Mashara →

I’m recovering from an infection that invaded my foot and lower leg, via a mosquito bite that I scratched too much. It’s a bad habit, that scratching and picking, precisely because it does open the door to various infections that enjoy the tropics.
Continue reading Fever →

While I’m pulling myself together here, you might enjoy this video: Continue reading A Little Vid →

The topic for reflection in church on Sunday was “One Year in Ghana”. Well, that was my topic; I’m never sure what everyone else is working on. But Saturday did mark the one year point for me in Ghana. Hard to believe.
Continue reading One Year in Ghana →

One night I woke and heard angry voices. I could tell that it was Esther and Francis “senior”, her husband. I heard neighbors calling, too, but sensed that it was probably best to stay inside and see if it died down. It did. There was lots of chatter the next day between her and neighbors.
Continue reading Porch Conversations →

Near the equator, the crescent moon hangs in the sky like a faceless smile or a delicate bowl. I sit on my porch and can see its light through nail holes in the roofing sheets, and watch as it dips beneath the roof line and comes into view, and listen to the sounds of the night.

I sit and think about a question that’s been on my mind.
Continue reading Questions in the Dark →

The next day is full of introductions and power point presentations. In addtion to us, attendees included volunteers and staff from Benin, Guinea, and Togo.
Continue reading Senegal, Part 2 →

Our flights to Senegal were long and tiring. And left three days earlier than they had to. They waited until the last minute to buy tickets, and that’s how we flew across Africa and back for a small paid vacation in Senegal.
Continue reading What I Did On My Summer Vacation →