So during the day im usually always up at the school just going into classes to see if anything needs help or what not and yesterday me and laci were walking around and ended up in a class and Madam Chealsea told the kids we were there to help her teach SexEd. haha so that was fun. we just winged it and some of the kids had the FUNNIEST questions....But today I went down to the clinic to help out there. I re-did some of the files and put them in new folders. I was reading some of them and it has their medical/family history on it and one persons I read said that when he was 10, he had abdominal surgery because of an evil spirit inside of him. Another said that her brother died after a brutal beating. And another said she presumed her brothers were dead because they traveled somewhere and she never heard from them again. Its a crazy, sad place over here. But...I love every second of it. Yesterday in the clinic there was a little girl in who had gotten hit by a taxi. I think im going to continue going up there to help out.

Its still up in the air if were going to go up to Northern Ghana for a few days. I wish this would have been scheduled earlier in our trip because we have 2 weeks left and i'd rather spend every second with the kids, but then again when else am I going to have the opportunity to go help out on a farm in Africa. Today I found out that ive been mis pronouncing this kids name since the first day i met him....haha awesome! oh well he's one of my favorites that im going to miss extremely.

This summer has gone by so fast. When July 15th rolls around, it will definately be bitter sweet.

**God can't give you the blessings He has for you until you first put down the other things you are clutching in your hands**

LOVE YOU ALL

:]

Hellooooo! well today the kids didnt have school, which was nice we got to hang out all day. I said that I was going to attempt to get up for the sunrise this morning...well that was an ultimate fail on my part. I woke up at 4:45 and just couldnt get myself out of bed to walk a mile to the beach. I told myself I still have almost 3 weeks left here so I could try it again. There was a group here from Oklahoma that left today. I actually had gone to Blue Haven with 2 of them so it was nice to have them here. It was sad watching them leave because we all got along really well, it was even more sad watching some of the kids they were attached too say goodbye to them. This group was here for only 2 weeks so I cant imagine how our goodbye is going to be...its going to be here sooner than we know it!

 Today I spent pretty much all of it playing soccer with the guys. We started out just doing a shooting game then it went on to a full out soccer game. It still amazes me how good these kids are. Ive gotten really close to so many of them and have found out what has happened to some of them and why they are here. One girl told us her parents had been poisend..another said she lost her parents within months of each other. It just breaks your heart hearing stuff like this and then seeing how happy they are during the day.
 
 I've gotten real close to a bunch of the younger guys, mainly because im always out playing soccer with them, anyways they wanted me to come with them to talk to one of the security guards...there are a few guards that walk around at night and stay at the gate to let people in. Anyways this guys name is Peter. Now Peter is in his 30's, a really nice guy but his english is really bad and he studders. The kids live off of making fun and laughing at him when he talks. I felt bad when I was up there talking to him. But I think every night im going to go up and sit with him and just talk to him, who knows it might be something he needs....Well were going to have a movie night tonight. We found a dvd and were going to just use my computer to watch it. Relaxing night that is much needed!

Hope every one has a superb week!! :]

** And yet God uses broken and imperfect people to challenge others and inspire others. He utilizes our mistakes and our victories to shine a light on the path so that others might follow the transforming power of the gospel in the life of each person. **

So the big USA vs. Ghana game was last night...and for those of you non soccer fans, USA actually lost in extra minutes! 1-2. The kids went CRAZY...and crazy is an understatement. They were dancing and running all around the building we were in. I was excited for them. They loved letting us know that Ghana won ecspecially since we all painted USA shirts. Anyways I hope they go a long way because we will be here till the Final game.

  Tomorrow morning we are going to attempt...keyword...to get up, walk down to the beach, and watch the sunrise. There is a group here from a church in Oklahoma and they are leaving tomorrow so they're doing this on their last day and invited us along...so hopefully i'll get myself out of bed by 4:45. The kids dont have school tomorrow for some reason they didnt have it friday either. I think its a long weekend so the boarders (kids that stay here during the school year) can go back home and see their families. A professor at ACU who taught one of our missions classes is in Ghana and I think he is going to take us up to his farm for a few days. He has some crazy stories about things hes been a witness to, relating to spiritual warfare and witchcraft ,up there which kind of makes me nervous but this is all about being out of your comfort zone.

   We now have 2 weeks and 5 days left in this amazing place. I am excited to get home and see everyone, but I really am going to miss the kids here....alot.

love from Africa.

shelbyyy

well this afternoon after lunch, we played the kids in a game of soccer. We got spanked. well....it was 3-1 which wasnt terrible considering half our people had never kicked a ball before. But I know for a fact some of the kids were takin it easy because i've seen them play. They are all AMAZING. but they also play every chance they get. I had a few shots on goal and an assist...which was good for not playing in forever. Anyways tonight is the big USA vs. Ghana game and everyones getting ready. I painted a shirt of mine red white and blue and put a big USA on the front to wear :] Im covered in mud because its been raining and the field is well..mud. but still it was a fun day. I was told I was a good player..haha I dont think they were expecting some of us to be decent. Sorry I dont have anything else really exciting to fill yall in on. 

African Saying:

 'If you think your too small to make a difference..try spending a day in a closed room with a misquito.'

like I said before...your never too small or inadiquate to change someones life. :] 

  

well today was a success! We went to the rain forest and went on the canopy walk.....might possibly be the best thing i've ever done. You walk on this board held up by a net and a bunch of ropes from tree to tree and your up so high in the canopy! The bridge thing would sway so you had to keep your balance which made it kind of scary, but more fun! We kept saying that the fact that were in a rain forest in Africa made it 10xs better! So if you ever come to Ghana....that is a MUST DO!!!! i took a lot of pictures and even some video too :] Then we went to Cape Coast to the Elmina Castle. That is where africans were kept before being sold into slavery. It was so interesting and really sad..all kinds of emotions are felt walking throught that place. We saw the 'room of no return' which was were they were held until they got onto the boat and heard of different things that happened to the people there. It was pretty unreal, because you grow up hearing about that happening back in the 1500's but to actually walk their walk and touch the walls of the dungeons was intense. Makes me so happy that the world we live in today is so different than that. I have more stories about the castle but im exhausted so i'll tell y'all later!

  Tomorrow me and laci are bringing some of the kids down to this football [soccer] camp because they want to play a game and apparently the man in charge down there said to get 11 players and a adult...so we were the chosen ones! im pretty excited. Then after that is our big game. well see how much skill i still have haha! Its crazy that we have been here 3 weeks already! and 3 more to go....it really is going to be hard to leave here!

oh && if you need anything just email me!! sad07a@acu.edu

peace.love.africa

well last night we all crowded into the campus center and watched Ghana play Germany....they lost 1-0 but since Australia won last night.....Ghana is going to the next round!! They are the only african team to make it through and who would of thought i'd be in Ghana during this time.

but check this out::

THIS SATURDAY GHANA VS. USA!!!!

....its going to be crazy some of the kids have already been talking smack about how were going down. hahaha. But they all ask who we are going to go for. I told them i'd paint half my face red,yellow,& green and the other half red, white & blue :] they thought that was funny...anyways saturday afternoon were having a soccer game and its going to be the americans here vs the ghanaians. it should be interesting...im SOO excited!

**leaving yall with this**

  You have the opportunity to be that one person to someone who needs what you have to offer. And what you have to offer is never small & insignificant. Again, the great picture of what God is doing in our world is incomplete without your unique puzzle piece -- the one that only you posses. But you must choose to place your piece in the puzzle. No one has ever lived the same life as you...and that is one of the things that makes your 'puzzle piece' extraordinary!

I am FINALLY back in Fettah at the village of hope and its sooooo nice to be here! Today we got up went to school to say goodbye with every intention of leaving around 10..because that is what time we were told our ride was going to get there...at 1:30 he drives up...haha everyone here is on ghanaian time and usually I dont care...but I really wanted to leave this morning. So we got back here around 7ish. The drive back was long and I only wish yall could experience how bad the roads are here in some areas. You have to dodge potholes even if it means almost hitting other cars head on. There were a few times tonight were I truly thought we were going to get hurt haha. but we made it back and this LONG day was all worth it when I stepped out of the car to hear some kids running up saying my name :] they rememered me even after the 2 weeks we were up in the mountains!

 So..I will admit that I do miss the weather we had in Abetifi. It was cool at night and I wore a sweatshirt pretty much everynight and here all you do is sweat. but like I said, being here is 100% worth it. 

 On the drive back we took a detour and went through a really poor part of this country. I mean I wouldnt guess but that the peoples only possesions were what they had on their back or in there tiny house made of scrap metal. I saw houses made out of mud bricks with leaves as a roof. I mean Ive always known that's how a bunch of people live over here, but once you actually see it in person and see the people face to face that live like that, your heart goes out to them. I kid you not, the majority of the people I saw had a smile on their face. If only we could be more like them...be literally dirt poor but still treakin each day. I know I complain when I have to clean my room sometimes, I should be thankful I even have one.

on a happier note, all is good in Africa. Ghana and the USA play tomorrow at 2 and 6:30 so if you are football....'soccer' fans you should deff. watch and cheer for both teams. OH and did I mention how EXCITING it is to be in Ghana when their the only team in Africa making it through. This place goes CRAZY and I love every second of it :]

  ** Preach the gospel always; when necessary use words**    

- Saint Francis of Assisi

Loveyouall

well hello!
 all is still good here. it rains everyday so thats nice, makes everything cool. I can not express how exciting it is to be in  Ghana during the world cup, after they won their first game. Celebrations went on all day and night and everyone here has sooo much pride for their country. Today we went into town instead of hanging out at the school which was nice because these kids can be little terrors. We found out that due to transportation issues, we have to stay here past the weekend....I was really mad at first, but eh Im in Africa up in the mountains enjoying life...i can stay and hang out with these kids a little longer.
  I hope everything is going good back home. OH! today while in town we went and met the chief of this village. It was pretty awesome, he was nice....but besides that not much to let yall in on. i miss home...but i like it better here :] 
\

count your blessings

Today we found out that Brittanys grandmom passed away. i really couldnt imagine being thousands of miles away and finding something like that out. She needs to know that Gods arms are around here and to just feel the warmth. We need to remember that to live each day to the fullest because we are not promised tomorrow. I just want to take some time to let my grandparents know what they mean to me....
I have been so unbelievably blessed to have you in my life. Not a day goes by that i dont thank God for yall you each have made me into the person i am today. you have each been a part in molding me into the person i am now. Whether from long weekends out at the ranch or long road trips singing that 'oh the buzzin of the bee' song. Nanny, pop, nana, papa, words cannot express the gratitude i have towards you. i love you to the stars and back thank you for always being there for me. thank you for showing me Chirst. thank you for loving me in all my faults thank you for laughing at my jokes. My world is a better place with each of yall in it. i look up to each of you in different ways each of which makes yall my heros. Life wouldnt be the same if i didnt have yall to call my grandparents. I cant wait for the day that were all one BIG happy family with christ, until then i want to express how much i respect you, how much you mean to me, and how my love you you is undescribable!
with alllllllll my love :] 



we go back to the village of hope on friday!!!! that means ill get to start updating this more!

**** okay so the school im going to tomorrow may or may not have internet access..I have no idea at the moment, so I might not get to update this for awhile. Just know that I am hanging out with a bunch of kids up in the mountains :]

&& I really hope these malaria pills keep workin. Im swamped in bites and they itch soooo bad. & the whole 'sleep tight dont let the bed bugs bite' is a literal statement here! haha.

count your blessings!!

well we ran out of internet minutes so I didnt get to get on this yesterday. Sunday was good, went to church in the morning. It was fun, half of it was in twi which is the local language and the other half in english. It was on campus just outside of the school under this big pavillion. It was breezy so that was nice. When the kids sing here they SCREAM haha its awesome. All day after that I just hung out with the kids and let them take my video camera around and take videos....they love love love doing stuff like that. OH! and I helped move bricks and these are like normal little bricks but big huge cement blocks. I had to put a towel on my head and then the brick on top of it. I saw these little kids do it with not problem so I thought id be golden....oh my word. I really thought I was going to fall over. Those things were soooo heavy and we had to walk them a ways. I thought I had okay balance too but i almost fell once or twice...that'd of been quite the show haha.
   Today is day 6 of being here. Im finally starting to remember names with faces. Just in time for us to leave....tomorrow were going east to a school up in the mountains that need some help. Thankfully were going for only two weeks because its pretty remote and the kids go home after school not stay there like they do here. So from 4 till the next morning ill have to find something to do! At least the scenery is beautiful. Again im super annoyed I cant upload pictures.

Oh mom you'll appreciate this:: today I was up at the school just looking for something to do and the p.e. teacher came up to me and was like would you mind watching my class I have to go teach the 1st graders. So obviously I wasnt going to say no, so i took the kids out to the field and we played soccer. I played for a bit, I think they were suprised when I was actually kind of good haha. but their talent blows mine out of the water. its unbelievable. :]

Anyways tonight we went down to the beach to eat dinner, it was nice no one was down there again. Then when I got back I went to one of the kids home and helped them do a puzzle and they took my camera and took pictures of anything and everything. Then they wanted to see my 'American' pictures...so morgan and mckenzie, they saw your pictures of New York haha. When we were sitting on the porch this boy names Shine came and just fell asleep in my lap. He's pretty much the cutest thing ever in the whole world. yall will see a picture of him later. but time to go to bed...got to get up early in the morning to go to town.

say a special prayer for my papa for me :] I love you all and I miss you.....but not enough to come home any time soon!! haha

ACTS 1:8

Well hello!
  today was our relaxing day && i loved every second of it. We got up this morning around 8 and ate some breakfast...pancakes...yumm. Then we walked down to the beach and hung out there for awhile. we were litterally the only ones out there and it was soooo pretty! On the walk down there we walked by many people houses and the little kids would always yell 'Obruni' which is white person in trie...which is the native language around here anyways all the kids are PRECIOUS outside the village and here at the orphanage. So spent a few hours down at the beach, then came back here and read some of this book under my favorite tree. I wish i could show yall pictures....but that'll be something you get to see when i get back :]
 Tonight we had a movie night for the kids. We had them all in the 'campus center' which is just a big old room that gets really hot with everyone in there. But it was worth it because they all absolutely loved it. We watched Cronicles of Narnia..Prince Caspian. not sure if its spelled that way but whatever! i sat next to this boy seth and he fell asleep in my lap. The power kept going out..then when it would come back on they would all cheer and stand up and clap. It was more fun watching them during the movie than watching the movie itself. Well its almost been a week since we got here. ha well not really...but it feels like weve been here awhile and i dont mind it one bit. Im starting to finally remember different kids names which is soo much better for me when they yell my name!!
  Thanks for all the prayers. && really...APPRECIATE air conditioning. I honestly think ive sweat off my entire weight just today...thank goodness for fans without those i dont know what i'd be doing right now. :]


Love from Ghana <3




***** SOMEONE PLEASE GET ON FACEBOOK AND MESSAGE SLOAN BALES AND TELL HER TO MSG HEATHER, LINDSAY, & ELISE about VEGAS....She will know what im talking about!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!*****

Day 3 :]

Hello! so today might have been the longest day ever...but i mean i cant complain because i am somewhere awesome! Today we got up at 5, and eh around 6 finally made our way east towards another village. It was a good 3 hour drive that took 5 hours because the roads here are AWFUL. we had to dodge hole after hole. I have a headache and my neck hurts.. but the scenery on the way there made it worth it. We went through different villages and saw alot of different things you'd only see here. Everything is GREEN. not used to that...once we got closer to the mountains, it looked like it was straight from a movie. We went to this other village to visit a school that is owned by the Village of Hope. They needed help with there schooling because a few teachers are ill so me and the 2 other girls i am with went out there for the day.
  The place up there is awesome! Its up on top of the mountain so it's cool, and you have a great view. I worked with the little kids...like nursery and kindergarden. They were a handful.....and kind of made my descision to veto getting an education degree a good choice. You could tell that these kids arent used to people coming to visit them because right when we got there they went crazy. All they wanted to do was be right next to you and hold your hand or touch your arms. I took alot of the kids out to the field and we played soccer for a good hour and a half. It was alot of fun. Well, its 9:30 here and im exhausted, mom, know i see why you go to bed so dang early! 
 But right now our plan is to go back out there on tuesday and stay for like 2 weeks just to get a load of their hands. They really acted like us being there was a blessing, so we might as well go and help out, since thats what we came here to do in the first place. I hope all is well back home! Sorry I cant upload pictures to this, internet is expensive when you start doing stuff like that. Just know that I am taking alot of them and will have plenty to show when im home!


until next time!
shelbyyyyy

im sorry its been so long...but IM HERE AND I LOVE IT!!! after a total of 25 hours in a plane. i am in Africa at the Village of Hope. we got in yesterday around noonish and it was a 2 hour drive from the airport to this place. The things we saw on our drive was amazing. Just how many people were out on the streets just trying to make money for their day. The internet here is on a plan you buy...so we have to buy cards to use it. luckily its not on how many minutes you use but rather how much you download. So because of that I will not be on facebook. So if you need anything email me at sad07a@acu.edu and i will get back to you as soon as i can. anyways just wanted to let all of yall know im safe and here. loving every second.

The kids here are amazing. Ive met soo many of them and its so hard to remember their names. and I hate it when they yell Shelby! and im like....uh hi! haha good thing im here for 6 weeks to get to know them better. Tomorrow i am getting up at 5 to go to a village up in the mountain to see what its like up there at this school . Apparently its very rural and well how you think Africa would be....im really excited! I hope everyone back home is doing well i miss each of yall tons.

*** appreciate air conditioning...good running water...clean clothes...and houses full of food.

God Bless.

update :]

hello!!! well quick update:: after a total of 16 hours in the sky....we have made it to Dubai. [[im a poet && didnt even know it ;)]]Im not really sure what time it is....everything is in arabic and sadly, that is one language i dont know! Just wanted to let yall all know we made it safely. We have ONE more flight and it leaves in a few hours. The airport here in Dubai is sooooo nice. this really doesnt show it but eh pictures are fun :]

needless to say. we are exhausted. sleeping on planes is no fun. but soon very soon we will be in Africa!! woooo. 

::LOVE:: 

me :]

*** sidenote. the muslim call of prayer is being played over the speakers at the airport right now!! and the guy next to me is reciting stuff! this is crazyy..but really cool. ***