From my Eyes... by Emily R. Smith

I got to spend the last two weeks with Amanda in Ghana, and it has been amazing. I not only got to see my sister, who has been half a world away from me since August, but I also got to see her loving these kids and serving God through it.

I was greeted upon coming to the airport by a three foot tall little boy that attempted to carry my four large suitcases with him, and from the moment I watched him try to move them, he had my heart. Getting to Haven of Hope, though, it was overwhelming to try to meet 47 kids that all seemed to look the same. Amanda, to note, can tell who they are with just a glimps of the back of their heads.

I came to visit at the perfect time, not only is it between terms, so the kids are on break from school and in high spirits because of it, but it is also the begining of the dry season, and the weather has been perfect. I have definitely done my fair share of sweating (which is something I choose not to do at home, on principle), but it has been cool in the mornings, and this morning, I woke up with goosebumps. It was still a welcome break from the knee high snow that was at home when I left.

Spending two weeks with them has been full of adventures, from fishing with the boys (which is distinctly different from fishing I've done back in North Dakota with my brother, I would have to say these kids haven't quite mastered the art of catching anything larger than two inches that isn't already stuck in seaweed), to dancing to High School Musical with the girls (which is exactly like being with a group of tweens in the United States), it has been wonderful to be able to spend time with the kids at the home and show them love. I would love to be able to say that after two weeks, I know all of them, and I would love to have further opportunities to know them all. This is not where God has called me, though. What I do know is that these kids have been through experiences that I cannot imagine, and God has brought them to this place of safety for now and given them people like Amanda to love them.

I would never have thought I wanted to come to Africa if I wasn't visiting my sister, and I would never have thought I would love it as much as I do. Pray for Amanda and for the other teachers as the new school term starts, and pray for leadership at the home, for wisdom as they make decisions, and most of all pray for the kids, that God's unconditional love for them would become real to them.