Greeting from Bobbie Lynn at the VOH!
Well, we are a little back to normal since we have our water supply restored! What a relief to be able to walk into the bathroom and water comes out of the faucet, you can flush the toilet without using a bucket of water to fill the tank, you can wash dishes, and your hands! We were just thankful the guest house was empty! What we take for granted is just incredible!
I wanted to apologize for not sending any more emails and blog updates than we have. The electricity doesn't always cooperate and when you get a chance, either the room is locked or you are just so busy!
The kids have really adjusted well. They will be very lonely when we get back home. There is always someone to play with here. In the afternoons they play basketball or soccer or just sit under a tree near our house! It is really neat seeing them play with the kids. I must mention that the VOH kids are on a holiday break for 3 weeks! When they start back to school it will be very different! The house parents are just great here! Ma Margaret made Ellen, Camille, and I Ghanaian dresses! We can't wait to wear them to church tomorrow! The house parents have so many children, but everyone seems to understand the rules and they all have jobs to do. Ma Lydia is the one who keeps everyone in line during church on Sundays especially! She gets up and moves children around or just makes them stand if they are going to sleep! We sit in church for 3 hours! She is really good at what she does. Class on Sundays is from 9-10, we sing, pray, read scripture from 10-11, and the sermon is from 11-12. Mark, we will be expecting more when we return! Ha! Ha! The building is walled half way up and the top is screened in. It has fans and lights, but if the electricity is off, you pray for a breeze!!!! At night if the power is out, we use flashlights and battery powered flourescent lights. The singing is phenominal, the voices are loud and strong with great harmony. We hope to teach you all some new songs! Usually one of the younger boys leads the singing.
Did I mention it was hot here?! I find myself at times just having to lay down and rest! It is really draining on you! Just walking up the hill from our house to the school or church makes you hot and sweaty! I never knew it was possible to sweat all day long! I'm just very thankful for good clean water which is readily available.
I have been struck by the Godly vision of these people. Fred Asare has done an incredible job of sharing his own Godly vision with not just the children, but staff and house parents as well. We participated in the Thanksgiving Prayer Service for the JSS3 students (9th graders) who finished their exams this week. What an awesome priviledge to be a part of this. God was our focus, we sang songs of praise and thanksgiving, several men prayed for specific things we had prayed about the week before thanking God for answering those prayers. The students came up and sat while all the men stood behind each one and prayed for each student specifically. We stood and prayed and we all - everyone from the children to adults - got on our knees and prayed! It was very meaningful and powerful. The electricity went out and we had only flashlights during the remainder, but it did not hinder the service at all. This kind of Godly vision reaches way beyond the here and now. It carries us far into the future, so that we live our lives now in a way where our children cannot help but catch the vision and want to pass it on to their children. Satan tries very hard to keep us from thinking this way. As long as he can keep us comsumed with today and today's business, we will not be able to do this. But, we need to be a people like those here at the VOH who have caught on to this. That the future is ever before us and we cannot help but praise and thank God and ask for His guidance in everything to help us. It reminds me of Judges chapter 2. After the incredible story of Joshua and the Israelites and all the ways God worked through them and with them they failed miserably! Judges 2:10 says "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." Why?! Somehow they lost their vision and got busy and forgot to pass it on! The people here at the VOH have not forgotten what God has done for them and it is an incredible, awesome, experience to participate in their ongoing vision for these children. To God be the glory!
We really miss everyone and wish you all could be here with us, also! Thank you for your support, keep up the prayers and know we love you all dearly! God Bless!