last night, ashley's old friend, lydia (a ghanaian national), came for a short visit. we decided to attend church with her and her family this morning! it was about an hour away from our hotel so we got up early and were the first ones to the hotel breakfast buffet (which was just as good as yesterday!). our wonderful driver, samuel, came to pick us up at 7:00 and after some crazy off-road driving, we made it to the church about 8:30. but no worries...this is africa and the 8:00 service had not really started in earnest. they wait for everyone to show up. *grin*
the church is called kingdom impact worship center and they were pumping the drums, bass, and vocals. it was SO loud. it took us a bit to adjust to the volume, but then we recognized some of the songs...and sang them with energetic african flare. the pastor spoke about hannah's faithfulness and how God blessed her with a child, samuel. it was a call-and-response type message with lots of audience participation. children attend a children's service in the adjoining building until they reach high school...we could hear their sweet voices singing. lydia and her husband, seth, took the opportunity to introduce us to their pastor (who is married to seth's sister) and many of their church friends. it was a hot, loud, and joyful time with brothers and sisters.
after service, lydia drove us to her home along with her two older girls. they are very energetic little girls and loved all the treats ashley had in her purse to share. lydia lives with her husband, their three children, and a network of extended family in a two story house on a large, gated lot. we stayed in her home for just a few minutes to look through pictures, etc. lydia then left the children at the house with her aunt and drove us back to our hotel where she stayed to enjoy lunch with us at the hotel's restaurant. ben tried ashley's favorite ghanaian dish: red red (beans with fried plantain and tilapia). all the food was excellent and we enjoyed a sweet time with lydia.
around 2:00, ida and samuel came to pick us up and go visit solomon at osu again. it was so good to see him again as yesterday almost felt surreal...was it a dream or did we actually meet him?! the home manageress was at home resting so we were not able to meet her again, but the head of social welfare for accra, benjamin otoo, was there! he is the one who approves all the placements in the accra region....it was very good to meet him. ida has a warm relationship with him as he calls her "daughter" and she calls him "daddy."
many of the house mothers we met yesterday greeted us warmly with hugs and immediately sent a child to go run and bring back solomon. just a few minutes later, auntie edith came around the corner with our little man. she even dressed him in one of the outfits we had sent for him with friends back in january. it was a 12 month shirt, but was not so so big on him as i would think. he was a little groggy (we think they woke him up from a nap) and took a good 30 minutes to perk up. we learned some new things about solomon today: he is one determined little boy, he can crawl, he does not like to crawl, he can stand, he does not like to stand, and he does not like applesauce...at all. we set him on the floor and placed some toys around him, just out of reach. we've heard his voice a few times and although he does not speak yet, he is an excellent communicator. he knew we were trying to get him to move and he was determined not to show us his abilities. his big clear brown eyes looked right at us and said, "i know what's going on here. i am not one to be fooled." just a few moments later, our attention was diverted by a house mother and solomon, quick as he could, crawled over to grab the toys he wanted. he thought we weren't looking! ha!
we both got great hugs and teeny tiny smirks. ashley squeezed out a giggle and ben played "roll the ball" for forever. it was a good good day learning more about this amazing little person.
one of the house mothers started saying today how much solomon looks like ben. she says solomon hair is the same color as ben's beard. you should have heard how loudly some of the teenage girls at the children's home laughed when they heard! we all agreed that God ordained for this boy to be in our family and that he does indeed "look like his daddy." *grin*
one thing we realized as we talked through today: this part of the adoption is very surface and very frustrating. for example, we see that solomon's nails need trimming or how he needs to be pushed physically and fed gobs more food. we see these things. but we can do so so little about them right now. he is not ours yet. we ache to bring him home and love on him like crazy, but for now? we only have a few hours worth of impact at a time. its a start...
our hearts are full with all the blessings we have experienced here. God is showing us His goodness and faithfulness minute to minute. we are feeling well, eating well, enjoying our time making new friends and positive relationships, and learning about this beautiful country.
all glory to God who works in and through us to proclaim His Precious Name!
(a few pictures from our time with lydia and her family at church and home, and red red (ashley's favorite)!)
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| Ashley and Lydia - old friends! |
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| Ben and Ashley with Lydia and her family |
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| Inside the church building |
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| Outside the church building |
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| Driving with Lydia and her two girls...love those bright smiles! |
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| Visiting at Lydia's house |
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| Ben with Lydia's son |
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| Ashley with CJ & Zoe |
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| Ashley's favorite Ghanaian meal: Red-Red (beans with fried plantain) |
Dear Ben & Ash,
ReplyDeleteLove you two very much.....so thankful for what God has done and continues to do!!! All praise to Him. We just had lunch at our home with the boys, John, Donnarae & Grma Cain....we sure missed you 3. Thank you sooooo much for the pictures and update, it is so important for us to travel this journey with you, we are thankful for each nugget shared. Our hearts are with you and Solomon but so thankful to be here to care for our precious Ethan & Jojo. They are doing really well. They miss you guys I know but it has been really sweet to have them in THEIR routine and staying busy. Such sweet gifts from God, I love them so much.
Hugs & Kisses,
Mom xoxo
Is the Red-Red recipe below, close to what you were served?
Red-Red, a popular dish in Ghana made from cowpeas (black-eyed peas), might be named for the combination of red pepper and red palm oil. The Red-Red cowpeas stew is usually served with Fried Plantains.
What you need:
two to three cups dried cowpeas (black-eyed peas) or similar
one cup red palm oil (or vegetable oil)
one or two onions, thinly sliced
two or three ripe tomatoes, quartered
one or two bouillon cubes or Maggi® cubes (optional) -- or -- small piece of smoked or dried fish and/or one spoonful shrimp powder
cayenne pepper or red pepper
salt and black pepper
several ripe or near-ripe plantains (but not overly ripe)
What you do
Clean the black-eyed peas in water in a large pot. Soak them in water for at least an hour or overnight. After soaking them, rub them together between your hands to remove the skins. Rinse to wash away the skins and any other debris. Drain them in a colander. If using smoked or dried fish: remove bones and skin, rinse and soak in water, then dry. If using dried shrimp: grind the shrimp (or obtain already ground or powdered shrimp).
Place the black-eyed peas iIn a large pot, fill with water to just cover the peas. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, thirty minutes to an hour. When cooked, the peas should be moist, but not standing in water.
While peas are cooking: Heat oil in a skillet. Fry the onions until slightly browned, then add tomatoes, and fish and dried shrimp (if desired). Mash and stir the mixture to form a sauce.
Stir the onion-tomato mixture into the black-eyed peas. Add buillon or Maggi cubes (if not using fish or shrimp). SImmer for ten minutes. Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne or red pepper to taste.
While peas and sauce is simmering: Prepare Fried Plantains.
Serve peas and plantains side by side on a plate.
just getting around to replying!! eeek! YES, that is a good basic recipe for red-red. i want to pick up some spices/oil when we go back and i'll cook some for us to try. :)
DeleteAm thoroughly enjoying your posts. You are doing a great job of describing in such a way that I can visualize it clearly. Continue to pray for this precious time in all of your lives!
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Sandy