The Reality of it All

This weekend, City of Refuge sponsored "The Reality Tour 2010", a trip to Lake Volta for the NYU study abroad students. It was an eye-opening trip for the students and I think that us from City of Refuge learned a few things too! The purpose was for some of the students to film a documentary about trafficking on Lake Volta, but other students came along too for the experience. I think everyone was excited about the whole experience at the end.

We came together late on Thursday night (1 am Friday morning to be exact) and took off in a bus. Last time I went to the Volta, we had rented a couple of tro-tro's and I felt every bump of the ride, scared I'd be thrown off the seat. This one, the trip up wasn't so bad at all. I slept most of the way and got to share a seat with Danny who was fun to chat with a little in my awake moments (which were few and far between).

We made it up to Dunbai to cross with the ferry in really good time. Surprisingly the Volta river that we cross before getting into the region where we work (Krache West) was really flooded. Buildings were under water. . .houses were lost. . .part of the market buildings were flooded. . .wow! The rains has caused some serious problems with housing in the northern Volta region.

When we finally made it to Chinderi, and settled into the MP's house, (MP's are Members of Parliament--like a senator of a local area) everyone went to lay down after a quick lunch. Stacy and I took a walk to meet up with John and some of the other volunteers in the area. It was fun to walk around some of the town of Chinderi, see the new bank that was going in, meet with the area chief (and give him a promise to visit his palace later in the day). One of the volunteers, Mr. Bauwa, remembered my name from the last time he visited down in Tema and called me his new wife. Wasn't too sure about that one!

After some time of resting, we brought the team together to head to Benjamase to meet with the area chief (the one that we'd said we'd see him at his palace later in the day). When we entered his house, we found the chief in this huge chair and he was very traditionally dressed. He did this whole ceremony of pouring out this alcohol on the ground while he chanted some things. It was definitely interesting and something I'd never seen before, and the whole ceremony got John, Stacy, and I talking later about bringing prayer into our times with village chiefs. There was definitely some dark stuff going on, and since we didn't understand the language, we couldn't really identify anything that was happening. In any case, after some small talk, the film crew asked if they could film a little more privately, so everyone who wasn't part of the crew, went outside to wait in the shade. As we were waiting, a group of kids came and gathered around us. It's so funny. . .they know that we're the only white people for miles around, so it was an automatic draw. In some ways, I almost feel like I'm in the zoo at time! In any case, I got out my camera and asked if they wanted their picture taken. They all agreed heartily and we spent some time taking pictures and then showing them each their face. They were so funny! They thought it was like magic or something! Then, after awhile, I asked if they wanted to learn a new song. So, we sang a few songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and "Mercy is Falling". They loved it and they sang a few different songs for me too. When I got tired (probably 45 minutes into the entertainment), I told them to go play, but they still just stood and stared at me. Finally, some of the NYU students came over and said that it would be fun to do a round of "Hokey Pokey". THANK YOU!!! I had been trying to think of a game, but as the time went on, more and more kids came until probably 200 showed up and that just won't work for duck, duck, goose! So, we got them all in a circle and sang some hokey pokey. It was so fun! The kids loved it and I even had a great time! Eventually, the film crew came out and joined us and then we handed out some "toffee" (candy) to the kids, which they very much enjoyed!

After Benjamase, we went to Lonkortor, a local fishing village where John and Stacy have done some negotiations in the past. As soon as we walked out of the bus, it was as if the whole community suddenly showed up. They followed us through the village until we go to where the chief was located. Then, they gathered around us as we talked with the chief. It felt like we were fish in a fish bowl. Apparently, that's how this community is no matter how many people John and Stacy bring along. The whole village comes out when something happens! In any case, the conversation that night didn't go as well as planned. The chief wasn't being completely honest, and the light was fading fast, so we decided to leave and come back the next day. But, before we left, we set up a time to meet up with one of the kids that were trafficked to work on the lake so that they could meet up with him in the morning to see what life was like for him on the lake.

When we climbed back in the bus, I felt incredibly emotional. I felt like God reminded me of the question so many people ask, "Why does God allow evil to exist in this world?". I felt like He told me that he allows it because it was our preference, but also because we are HIS hands and HIS feet and what a privilege we carry in releasing the captive and seeing people freed by the redemptive love of Christ. Even when you stand in the face of such evil--where every right of the human is taken away--you just can't help but see God's plan at work. He calls US not just to rescue the slave, but to seek and save the LOST!

The next day, everyone got up early to meet up with the fishing boy from Lonkortor, but Stacy, me, and one of the other visitors stayed behind to get a little sleep and relaxation. It was nice to sleep in (until 7) and just have some quiet time. We had some good conversations and enjoyed each other's company. Before too long, the crew came back from the lake and were just overjoyed at the footage they got that morning. We whipped up a quick breakfast and then the NYU students decided to go for a walk through Chinderi. Little did they know that a group of white kids was definitely going to draw a crowd. Before too long, we saw them running down the street with 200 kids chasing behind them chanting something. . .some words that the NYU students had said to one another that the kids just kept repeating. It was so funny! The students stopped at the house and they told all the children to go home, but no such luck. They ran them back to the center of town and then had to have someone translate for them to send the kids home. So funny!

While everyone enjoyed some time with the kids outside, I got to work in the back working on our "Mexican Delight" meal. At the Omorefe house, we've created a version of a burrito that is absolutely amazing, and decided to share this with the students from NYU. So, we were boiling chicken, shredding chicken, seasoning chicken, and rolling up burritos for a good couple of hours. But, let me tell you, it was definitely a HIT! Everyone loved them! Even Juanitta, Daddy Joseph, Lucy, and Providence who had declared that HE WOULD NOT EAT THIS AMERICAN FOOD! They all liked it though and think we might see more of our "Mexican Delight" sometime!

After lunch, we climbed back in the bus for our trip to Lonkortor where we climbed in a boat and took off across the lake to Adacope (the village where Abigail and DK were rescued in July). It was a beautiful day on the Lake, despite the crazy flooding on the shores and the interesting way we had to get on and off the boats and not touch any of the lake water (it is infected with lots of bacteria).

In Adacope, we interviewed one of the fisherman, a man named Delali. He has three wives, 16 children, and 2 more on the way. He has a few children he's trafficked in to work for him. After talking we him, there was a brief interview with the village chief and then a local teacher also chimed in about the answer to this problem really being the education of the children. Lots of good footage and I think the students will come up with a strong documentary!

On the trip back across the lake, I was watching the sunset, and listening to the words of the chief over and over in my head. He had said that the issue of child labor and trafficking on the lake was a hopeless situation. That nothing would ever change. That this issue will never go away. It left me feeling so frustrated, so sad, and ultimately wondering, what will make this change? I felt like God clearly told me that the chief was not just talking about the hopelessness of the fishing situation, but the hopelessness of life itself for these small, poor villages. And really, what they need is not just to give up their trafficked children, but they need a KINGDOM PARADIGM shift! I felt like God said, "They are hopeless because I have not been invited there." After talking to John and Stacy about that, we really feel like the next step for Adacope isn't to rescue the kids there, but to do a crusade there--worship, prayer, a message, bring the light of the world to one of the darkest places I've ever seen. That's where real community transformation will happen. It begins in the heart and then into the actions of the people. If they understand God's love, then, they'll begin to change.

We spent some time that evening just chatting with the NYU students and debriefing from the weekend. Many of them want to come back to visit after their semester here in Ghana is finished. We'll see if some of them want to intern for a summer with our summer program. That would be awesome! And most wanted to go back and join their school's child trafficking club, bring more awareness to the issues at hand, and see what they could do to make a difference in the world.

The interesting thing about this weekend were some of the spiritual conversations we had with the students. A lot of them are really trying to define what they believe without stepping on anyone's toes. It was good to have conversations. . .to challenge their thinking. . .and to pray that they would be open to hearing from God. There's so much potential brewing in the pots of so many of the college youth of America. To make real and lasting change in the lives of people, they need to know the love of a God that is so much bigger than Lake Volta, than the NYU campus, than their own problems.

All in all, a rewarding weekend. It was exhausting and it's taken me days to feel semi-back to normal. Still working on that now, but with life and getting ready to move, and all that jazz, I'm still a little tired. The weeks to come will be an adventure! But, I guess most of my life is a little bit of an adventure since coming to Ghana!