Joy

I'm growing to love Africa more and more each day that I'm here. Each day has been so JOYFUL lately.

Perhaps it's an answer to many prayers. Maybe it's a new outlook. Maybe it's because of the encouraging people that I'm surrounded with. Or, just maybe, it's because each day that I look at my Malarone (preventative Malaria medicine) bottle, the pills keep disappearing. The medicine bottle is half-empty now, or half-full, depending on how you see it. Each pill that I take means that I have one less day in Africa.

In being here, I have rediscovered the joy in reading. I read The Glass Castle awhile back (a must-read by Jeanette Walls), and I just finished Plain Truth (Jodie Picoult), yesterday. Some of the next books on my list: The Shack, Mere Christianity, The End of Poverty (Jeffrey Sachs), Flat, Hot, & Crowded (Thomas Friedman), and Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela).

I definitely want to read Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela's autobiography, before I go to South Africa (Oh yeah--I forgot to mention--Kenz and I are going to Cape Town from November 17th-24th--and I couldn't be more excited!!). There is so much value in reading about a place before visiting it. While in Cape Town, we will tour Robben Island, an island in Table Bay, seven kilometers off the coast of the Cape Town bay, where former South African President and Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela, alongside many other political prisoners, spent decades imprisoned during the apartheid era.

Two days ago held a memory that I will always remember forever. It was one of those moments that epitomizes an afternoon in Africa. A few of us were in our friends' room (Sammy and Eric), while Mike strummed and sang "I'm Yours" (Jason Mraz) on the guitar. The breeze rattled in so gracefully through the back porch and out the opened front door. Swirls of sunlight danced in an out of the room, and all of us sang in community. It was beautiful...it was one of those "infinite moments".

Yesterday, Kenz and I went for a run as the sun was setting. The weather could not have been more beautiful. After our run, I continued jogging, in hopes of finding a beautiful, quiet place to just "be". I learned that it's not until you really look, that you discover. Behind our dorms was a beautiful open gravel area, encircled by a grassy field. As I kept walking, I stumbled across what looked like a red boxcar, something you would only see among the pages of "The Boxcar Children". At first it looked like a dumpster, then a boxcar. As I looked closer, it was someone's home. The red boxcar shack sat placidly against the fiery sky, as streaks of orange and pink streaked and twirled across the lavender-blue canvas. I stopped, in awe of such beautiful creation, and thanked God. It was a joyful moment.

This afternoon, I am meeting with Miriam to draft lesson plans for our photography class. I am so excited...class will start next Wednesday! I want to thank all of the people that have already helped to support PhotoTeach. Thank you. If anyone has any "teaching photography to children" tips or ideas, feel free to send them my way!

There are some things that seem too small to blog about or to share, like minute details, things that are just everyday and commonplace to me now. But, I remember my friend Natalie telling me over the summer, "Those are exactly the things we want to hear about, Car." So, I will try to do my best to post updates, no matter how big or small they might seem.

Music is so beautiful and encouraging. It gives me so much life and spirit here. It is fundamentally built into the culture, bringing the people so much joy. They are always dancing, singing, rejoicing. I don't know what people did before music, or iPods, even. I would like to think that people have lived with some type of music forever. Here's my play list for the week:
I'm Yours (Jason Mraz)
Green (Brendan James)
Acoustic #3 (Goo Goo Dolls)
Where are You Going? (Dave Matthews)
Flake (Jack Johnson)
No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley)
Manchester (Brendan James)
We Fall Down--Live at Passion (Chris Tomlin)

It must be difficult to imagine exactly what it's like here everyday. I wonder what people think it looks like, feels like, sounds like...where I walk, what our dorms look like, etc. I wonder what you picture when you think of Africa? This is something that pictures and stories cannot even fully capture. But, stay tuned for a special "Through my Eyes" entry--I will try to post it soon! I will photograph where I live, the night market (our main food source), paths I take to class, the Internet cafe (my connection to blog world), and other sights around campus. Hopefully this will allow you to more easily envision my life in Ghana.

Until next time, peace and love from Africa.