three weeks left...

takoradi is an amazing place. we love walking around the town and there are even monkeys in the trees. this is really africa. :)
as most of you have heard, i got malaria. it makes for a great story, but it was definitely not worth it. you don't want malaria...ever. but i survived and am feeling much better. it was hard to leave srafa after having worked so long on that church. our sweat and blood literally went into the foundation of that church. the whole time we were working i couldn't get the hymn "how firm a foundation" out of my head. it was great to be able to leave there with the floor finished and ready for concrete. the people of that church have wonderful hearts for christ and i am confident that that church has a strong foundation to build off of.
i always say that God has a sense of humor. i found it not surprising at all that when we arrived at our church site in mampong (a village near takoradi) our job was to MOVE DIRT. haha. we are preparing yet another foundation. many of the village people are helping us in mampong. i have become particularly good friends with a woman named efua (friday born). she calls me abena (tuesday born). i don't actually know what day i was born on so i picked tuesday and i've been abena ever since. efua has two beautiful children george (who is terrified of obruni) and baby kojo. the malaria makes me too tired to work for long so i take breaks and attempt to talk to efua. it's a challenge but we like each other. today we got to do a medical clinic at mampong. 90 patients came out to the site. we see a lot of malaria. dr. john, our ghanaian doctor friend, told me that in ghana they treat every fever for malaria and 80% of the time they are right. having malaria gives me a new level of compassion for the sick in africa. it frustrates me that it is so treatable but because there is so little access to doctors, people die from it. i can't imagine being that sick and knowing that no one could help me. i was also fortunate that my parents were here for the week while i was sick. it breaks my heart to know that when orphans get sick they don't have a mother to care for them. malaria is depressing and lonely, and there's nothing like a mother's love to get you through it. i want so badly to return to africa one day as a doctor. children are dying when they don't have to. i am grateful that we have had the opportunity to hold three medical clinics and minister to nearly 300 patients. God is alive and at work in Ghana and we are fortunate enough to be His hands and feet on occasion.
i am constantly amazed when i realize how many people are praying for us back home. please know that your prayers are making a difference in our lives. 2 months is a LONG time and we are beginning to realize exactly how much of a commitment we really made.
we love you all.
chelsea