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Ghana, 2006
 

November 1- The Anastasis maintains a 'walking blood bank' on board.
Those who care to sign up to donate blood when needed, and our blood
lab keeps a list posted of who has what type of blood. Late last night, we
had an emergency when one of the patients who'd had a grapefruit-sized
goiter removed began bleeding out.  Goiters grow in the neck,  very close
to the arteries, and her Thyroid Artery had burst, and was spraying arterial
blood, shooting so hard it was hitting the ceiling. They rushed her to the OR
to save her life and began to call everyone whose blood type matched hers.
 I was one of the ones they paged,  as my blood type (A+) matched hers. I
 woke up just in time to hear my name being called to the lab.  When it was
obvious they weren't getting enough blood fast enough, they simply paged,
'"all those who have blood type A+,  please come to the lab immediately".
The lab was like a 'vampire factory', with donors lying down as soon as the
bed was free. They were so short of room, they ran out of bed space, and
our cook, who lives down the hall from the lab, was woken up so they could
 use his bed to draw blood. The patient, Eunice, was saved, despite losing a
whopping 8 liters of blood! Eight liters is the amount of blood the human
body has, so Eunice lost all of her blood, and is now walking around with
the blood a dozen Mercy Shippers. Eunice is alive and well, thanking God
for her good fortune. I didn't mind helping, it's the only 'A+' I ever got.

October 19- Wondering what Tema port looks like? Take a look below. Just my luck
that the port I've spent the longest time in is also the ugliest I've ever been in. Tema
has all the charm of Detroit without the lousy weather. It can dock up to twelve ships
at a time, and there are ships coming and going 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In contrast to Monrovia, our view here consists of concrete warehouses and towering
cranes. I crawled up onto a couple of them to take these photos. The first two photos
give you a good overview of what the dock looks like, with the security tent just aft of
the gangway, and the medical screening tent behind that. At both ends of the dock we
placed shipping containers to keep thieves and other types from wandering around our
space. The last two pictures are taken from the gangway, and show a view of the dock
from ground level, looking forward and aft, respectively. More on Tema port here.

October 15- Do Ghanaians love Jesus? Yes, they do. So much, in fact, that they name
their shops after Him, paint sayings about Him on their cars, and work Him into almost
every facet of their lives.  It's quite common to give your business a  'Christian-themed'
name regardless of it's function, so the roads in Ghana are lined with such places as the
'Precious Blood Of Jesus Tire Rotate Shop'  or the  'My God Is Able  Barbering Saloon'. 
These are quite often accompanied by a 'motto verse' displayed somewhere on the sign.
Muslims join in, too-I've seen a few 'In sh'Allah (God's Will) Money Exchangers' around.
Other eclectic shop names range from 'Enemies Are Not God' to 'Let Them Say'  to the
mysterious 'Observers Are Worried'. One shop is simply named 'Father, Forgive Them'.
Are they offering up their livelihoods to God's direction, openly proclaiming their faith
to everyone in the village, or just treating God as some sort of 'lucky charm' for their
business? Who knows? I do know that while many say that American Christians wear
their faith on their sleeves, I have yet to see the 'Only Jesus Can Save Fast Food' back
home. For more on Ghana's Christian-themed shop names, click here, here, & here.

Ghanaian Roadsigns-  Not as good as Liberian road signs, of course,
but not without their own charm. Here are a few of the ones I've seen.

October 8-  Once again, I got a group together today and went exploring. This time we
did some hiking. Mount Krobo is a 2-hour hike up slick rocks underneath a blazing sun. We
crawled over boulder and trekked through long-abandoned 'villages',  evident now only by
3-foot high rock walls and tiny caves. The mountain was home to the Krobo tribe for many
years, until the British evicted them all in 1892- for not paying taxes, of course. They were
settled in the nearby towns of Odumase, Somanya, and Kpong.The Krobo now return each
November for a month-long tribal festival that includes, no joke, running up the mountain.
After 2 hours we arrived at the top hot, sweaty & tired, but the view made it all worthwhile.

October 6- I spent my first day at Bright Future Orphanage by painting
  windowsills & shutters and  building the base for a 250 gallon water tank  
we've bought for them. The orphanage houses about 60 children on a tiny
compound of about a dozen rooms.  They have to walk a mile in the hot
African sun to go to school every day. Their 'school'  is a few classrooms
underneath a thatched roof with no walls, though they've started building
a proper 6-room school nearby. Ghanaian orphans are shy & quiet, even
more so compared to Liberian ones, who can get a little rambunctious at
times. I can't go this week due to an injury, but should return next week.

 

September 29- The Deck Department spent it's first day in the
village of  Kordiabe, working with the Bright Future Orphanage.
They spent the day painting the window frames on the buildings,
digging the beginnings of a support for a 250 gallon water tank,
and, of course, playing with the kids. We will be going out there
every Friday, taking turns so we all get a chance to be involved. 
I didn't go today, but am planning to go this Friday or the next.

September  28-  Looks like I got my 15 Minutes of fame. Marine News did a
feature on Mercy Ships that featured yours truly. They had done several stories
 in conjunction with World Maritime Day,  an actual holiday set aside to raise
awareness on the importance of  shipping safety and the  marine environment.
While it's not as well-known as, say, Secretary's Day or even Arbor Day, World
Maritime Day shares September with such holidays as Squirrel Appreciation Day
and the ever popular 'Talk Like A Pirate Day', so I know we're in good company.

Sept 24-  Besides kente cloth and Kofi Annan, 'fantasy coffins' are probably Ghana's most
well-known export. Originating with the coastal Ga tribe, these carved coffins have become
known throughout the world thanks to features on the BBC, NPR, and a Sept. '94 article in
National Geographic. I remember reading that article years ago, never imagined I see them
myself one day. The Ga believe that your afterlife 'home' should detail how you lived your
earthly life, and the coffins reflect that. Coffins will often reflect the deceased's' occupation
(fish for fishermen, vegetables for farmers), or particular vice. Soda/beer bottles are fairly
common (& brand-specific!), as are celphones. Tribal chiefs traditionally get lions, though
they've been switching to Mercedes Benz's in recent years.  Benz's are not only a modern
favorite, they are considered the most 'prestigious' of coffins. The license plate, of course,
must  match the real-life one! Pastors order eagles to 'soar into Heaven', & Army veterans
get rifles. On the way to Accra today, we stopped off in Teshie, where most of the carvers
are located. We visited a few shops and took dozens of pictures. The coffins sell for about
$500 locally, or $1500 for ones going overseas.  At top right are 'urns' used to store the
ashes of cremations. Also below are a cobra, an Air Canada plane (made for a employee,
no doubt), and my personal favorite, a lobster. we also saw Nike shoes, a Bic pen, crabs,
and chickens. I've decided this is how I would like to be buried, and as soon as I figure
out a way to combine a tugboat, cajun food, & Fenway Park, I'm ordering me a coffin!
 


 

Sept. 21- Today, a few members of the deck department went to Doryumu, a small village
about an hour away. In addition to our regular work, deck always takes on a side project in
the ports we serve. While we were in Liberia, we worked with 2 orphanages, adding on new
buildings, a boy's dorm, a classroom, and a half-dozen latrines. We also added a roof to one,
dug a well, and several other minor jobs.  We are looking for a project in Ghana, and visited
the village of Doryumu for that purpose. I'll have more when we've decided what we will do.

Sept.17- Got 10 people together & headed up to Volta Dam today.
Built  in 1964-65, Volta Dam created Lake Volta, the world's largest
man-made lake. We paid our 25,000 Cedis (about $3), and spent an
hour walking around the top of the dam, listening to our 'tour guide'
drone on about mega-watts and transformers.  We just came for the
view, & what a view it was. Nearby was the Atimpoku Bridge, which
Ghanaians love so much they put it on the 2000 Cedi bill. We visited
the dam 3 months ago, but were unable to view it, as the president
was there. He has a home on a hill overlooking the dam. Today he
arrived just as we were leaving...we heard his sirens. Good timing!

Market Days- Coming to Africa & not going to the market is like going to Hawaii
and not hitting the beach.  There's a huge market here in Tema.  It's not a 'tourist'
market like many of the ones in Accra, the markets here are real African ones. They
don't sell carvings and t-shirts, they sell the day-to-day things locals need, such as
food and clothing. I spent the day today wandering around, taking it in. A Muslim
sold 'Cow Meat & Intestines', a preacher walked around with a bible in one hand &
a megaphone in the other, shouting sermons. Vendors yelled 'Obruni!' (whiteman)
to me as I walked by, trying to get my attention. Pictures are below. It's difficult to
get pictures, as Ghanaians don't like having their pictures taken...for free, anyway.
A snail vendor wanted 50,000 cedis (about $5) for me to take her picture, so you'll
have to do without it.  Cow Intestines guy only wanted 5000...his picture's below.
 

September 1- I got to do one of my favorite things today...bike around
a strange city. We loaded up a pickup and headed to Accra. We parked at
Ryan's Irish Pub, had a coke while we mapped out a route, then headed
into town. We biked through Black Star Square, Independence Square, a
couple dozen markets, and neighborhoods such as Asylum Down, James
Town, and Osu. I gashed my tire 10 minutes in, and the others waited on
the beach while I biked to a nearby filling station to fix the tire.  We saw
colorful churches and mosques, stopped for a 'coconut milk' break, and
pedaled past countless signs reminding us to 'not urinate here', though
suspected they weren't obeyed too often. Traffic was congested, and we
were lost more than 1/2 the time, thanks in part to me for actually asking
for directions (see July 22 entry). We got back to the ship around seven
at night...sweaty, tired and filthy, with plans to go again, and soon. Next
time, we'll do it on a Sunday, the day that markets in Africa are closed.

August 26- We have a zodiac (inflatable rescue boat) on board the Anastasis.
It's been out of service for about three months now, ever since the mounting
bracket for the backup motor broke just before we left Liberia.  Our Security
Officer, Egbert Brouwer, managed to get it all back in working order, so we
spent this morning testing the zodiac out by zipping all around Tema Harbor.
Since we had a pair of waterskiis just laying around, we figured we might as
well test those out, too.  Despite over a half-dozen tries, I only managed to 
stay up for about 2 minutes. We tried to stay on the other side of the harbor
where we couldn't be seen by the Anastasis, but word got out, and we've all
been inundated by requests by crew members to go skiing. The best part of
the day? Watching the Africans on the dock watching us, amazed. It must be
the first time in history anybody has ever water-skiied around Tema's harbor!

August 12- We headed over to Pram Pram, where the guys from Hold 4 were
finishing up the Kinder Paradise project. We helped out for about an hour or so,
lifting the tops onto the swing sets & bolting them in. Silke, who owns and runs
the orphanage, showed me the grounds & told me all the plans in store at Kinder
Paradise.They include enlarging the school and dorms and adding a soccer field.
Hold 4 is also planning to build a large wooden addition to the jungle gym, and
possibly a 25-meter 'cable ride'. This may wind up being the nicest orphanage in
West Africa. It's already pretty close. It's spacious & open, the buildings are new
and freshly painted,  and it's so clean that the kids won't even use the toilets in
town, as they're 'too dirty'. I was surprised how well behaved & polite they were.

After Pram Pram, we headed down the road to Ningo, a nearby fishing village.
We spent 2 hours there, walking the streets and beaches, talking with the people,
and sightseeing. There were dozens of fishermen on the beach,mending nets and
chatting on cellphones while children raced around, jumping over lines, & women
sold food under the trees. It was almost like biblical times, except it was in Africa.
And everyone had cellphones. Their fishing boats are up to 30 feet long, and much
of the wood is carved. They are extremely heavy and it takes over a dozen men to
slide it into the water when high tide hits. As you can see, African fishermen love to
personalize' their boats. Religious idioms and slogans are among the most popular.
Also painted on one rudder (at left) was 'No Food For Lazy Man', a phrase popular
here in West Africa. Also in the village, we found the 'Seaman's Bar', on which was
painted a mighty familiar-looking ship. The bar's owner told us it'd been done by a
resident of the village who worked on the ship named 'Debra Kwame'. So it turns out
one of my dayworkers (locals we hire to work on the ship while it's in port) painted it!

August 10- Outside of deck, Hold 4 is probably the sharpest department on board
the Anastasis. It contains all of our machinists, plumbers, and welders. When you're
on a 53-year old ship, having your own shipfitting shop is better than trying to find
the parts you need, and ours is always in motion. Bring them a sketch of what you
need, and they'll usually have it by lunchtime. I often find myself stopping by there
just to see what they're constructing. This week, they've been busy putting together
some playground equipment for Kinder Paradise, a local orphanage.  Hold 4's very
capable manager, Marcel Everleens, found plans online for a swing set and a 'wip'
(what the Dutch call a see-saw), and got his guys to work, welding, grinding, and
painting. I've been ducking down all week to see how things are progressing. We
in deck got to help out a bit today, as the finished products had to be lifted out &
into a waiting trailer.  Hold 4 will be headed out to Kinder Paradise tomorrow to
set up the two swingsets and three wips. I'll be headed up there on Saturday to
see the final steps & help out as I can. That's Michigan's own Bob Blanchard on
the left, welding wip handles. Gordon Keesler & Quentin load it all into a trailer.

'Swimmers' in Ghana- Tema's port seems to be infested with swimmers.
They're not as brazen (or dishonest) as the swimmers in Liberia, but they're
there, alright. Just about every day we see guys swimming to and from the
ships around us.They fill up a bag of rice, cocoa, or sugar, tie it inside of 2
or 3 other bags & swim away with it.  I don't mind as long as they stay off
of our dock (I confronted one & threatened him with arrest if I caught  him
there), but they have a habit of cutting off pieces of our messenger lines to
tie up their bundles with.  Last week, one jumped over the containers that
separate our dock from the one astern of us (which seems to be a popular
spot for them). He jumped to the ground, landing about 30 feet from the
Ghanaian security guards the port provides for us. Not wanting the hassle
of transporting him to the police (& all the paperwork that comes with it)
they simply made him do pushups for about a half-hour or so, whacking
him with a baton whenever he faltered. The hazards of doing business, I
suppose. Below is a slide show of an average operation, including one of
the many buck-naked swimmers constantly seen paddling past our ship. 
       

July 29- Once again, we tossed a group together and headed out. We'd planned
on visiting Volta Dam, but plans went awry-in a good way. We wound up visiting
the Shai Hills Wildlife Reserve, a 1000 acre park 45 minutes north. While the only
wildlife we saw were two baboons off in the distance, the park itself was beautiful.
We drove through miles of savannah, explored a 'bat cave', & hiked up the hill for
a stunning view of the area. 30 seconds in the bat cave was enough for me, as the
smell was horrible and I knew that squishing sound I heard underfoot wasn't mud.
Traveling with us was our Chief Officer Joe Benzing, from the great state of Maine.
The sign at top left says 'Animals have right of way'. Quite optimistic, in my book.

About 15 minutes after leaving the park, the truck began to overheat. I pulled over
& turned on the heater, but by then the needle was buried. We soon found out why.
Someone hadn't tightened the radiator cap & it was empty. Luckily, we'd all brought
our Mercy ShipsTM  water bottles, and used them to refill the radiator.  It took all our
water and then some. There they all on the right...can you guess which one is mine?


After that, we stopped off at Akosombo Continental, a local tourist resort
that has a large pool and a handful of animals on the grounds. On the way
back, we visited Cedi Bead Factory, where they showed us how they make
those colorful beads we see in marketplaces all over West Africa.  A bead
shop was 'conveniently' located on site. I'm more and more surprised how
set up for tourism Ghana is. Granted, most tourists we see are other NGO
workers taking a couple of days off to see the country, but there's plenty of
others as well. It's good to see Ghana having some success in their tourism
endeavors, & it's an added plus for those of us who are here serving, also.

July 27- In other news...after 16 years, Liberia has electricity again!

July 27-  Below are a couple pictures of some recent successful Keloid surgeries.
The American Osteopathic College of Dermatology defines Keloid Scars as such:
"raised, reddish nodules that develop at the site of an injury.  After a wound has occurred to the
skin both skin cells & connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) begin multiplying  to repair the damage.
A scar is made up of 'connective tissue', gristle-like fibers deposited in the skin by the fibroblasts
 to hold the wound closed.  With keloids the  fibroblasts continue to multiply  after the wound is
filled in.  Thus keloids project above  surface of the skin and form large  mounds of scar tissue."
Keloid  scars are 15 times more likely in persons with more skin pigmentation
such as Africans & Hispanics. They're quite common in West Africa, and we see
alot of them here. We're reluctant to remove them, as they almost always grow
back larger than  before.  Nonetheless, in some cases, we will remove them.
Bawa (at right) had Keloids weighing 4 kg (about 9 lbs.), and had them for
10 years.  His wife left him & gave him 4 years to get them removed or she
would leave him permanently. That was 3 & 1/2 years ago. Today, Bawa is
a new man. He told us,"Not even my mother ever treated me with as much
kindness and love as people on here did."  Thank you, Bawa. God Bless you.

July 25- (Happy Birthday, Mom!)  Well, forgive the lack of content lately. A recent
computer crash (again!) coupled with a recent ship-wide system crash (ditto!) has
prevented me from updating this page. Add on to that fact that I haven't done too
much recently but my usual deck work & going out for the weekend, & things have
been in a bit of a rut, website-wise. I'll find more to post here as it comes along.  e

July 22- I got a group together this past weekend and headed up to the Aburi Botanical
Gardens. It's about 60km north of Accra, about a one hour drive, unless (like me) you get
terribly lost, in which case it takes about two. Africans are helpful when giving directions,
but sometimes too helpful. So eager are they to help you, they tend to answer questions
with "Yes"...even if it's not the right answer.  Asking for directions usually goes like this-
"Which way to I take to get to Aburi Botanical Gardens?"        "Yes!"     
"Uh...Is this road the road to Aburi Botanical Gardens?"         "Yes!"    
"So, If I go this way, I'll wind up hopelessly lost?"                 "Yes!"     
Funny? Sure...just not so much when you have a car full of people and no map of the area. 
Anyways, we're rapidly running out of things to see here in Ghana. The 'botanical gardens'
were about the same size and content of an average city park. The only bonus was an actual
hollow tree that you could get inside (well, of course we did), and look all the way up to the
the top to the sky. There was very little wildlife there. Trevor claims to have seen a toucan,
but I suspect it was simply a crow with his beak stuck in a french-fry carton. Still, it's always
good to get off the boat, and many in my group hadn't gotten too many chances to do that.
I took the same route back that we had taken from Boti Falls 2 weeks before,  which took us
up over mountains & down switchbacks into Volta Valley. This time, we stopped for photos.

July 3-9-  Sicko! I developed an infection while swimming in Ackaa Falls
last week. I had a cut I'd sustained in Accra the week before. It had healed,
but the water opened it up. It started out as a local infection, but due to it's
location (the shin), the skin was too tight to allow the infection to go up. As
a result, it went 'out', spread to my entire shin and worked it's way into my
blood. My temp jumped to 103, and I got a headache & nauseous. I'd been
taking pills, but they switched me to and IV, three times a day, and ordered
 bedrest. So, I spent the week laying in bed, bored and in pain. By Thursday,
the infection was on it's way out, and if I stay off my feet this weekend, I'll
be returning to full duty Tuesday, possibly Monday. We have a doctor here
on board whose primary function is care of the crew. His job truly covers all
bases, from tropical diseases, to pre-natal, to the inevitable scrapes, bumps,
and bruises. He also treats crew with conditions commonly found on board,
such as stress and depression. The picture below at bottom left shows how
far the inspection had spread, evidenced by the circle drawn by the  doctor.
 

 

July 1- My friend Daniel & I decided to take a group of the new arrival up to Boti Falls, a
scenic waterfall two hours north. We'd heard from others that it's a great place to spend a
peaceful couple of hours swimming, surrounded by jungle, as falls crash nearby. Our group
swelled as more heard about it, & we set off at 9 a.m. with 3 carloads. It wasn't until around
9:15 that we decided to read what the guidebook actually said about Boti Falls. And I quote-

"The Boti Falls is a sacred site, and a celebration every year on July 1. Many thousands of 
Ghanaians visit the waterfall on this day, but foreign visitors are welcome to participate."

Sure enough, by the time we got there, there were 'many thousands' there, and the party was
just getting warmed up.July 1st is when Ghanaians celebrate the switch from English Rule to
Ghanaian rule,  and such a switch is apparently celebrated by dancing to African Hip-Hop music
at ear-splitting volumes,  shoulder to shoulder with thousands of your fellow countrymen. 
While we appreciated being 'welcome to participate', we politely declined. Daniel took half the
group on a hike up the mountain, and the rest of us went to check out another set of falls that
I'd seen on the way in, 'Ackaa Falls'. I silently prayed that this falls would be worth the trip, as
we'd come a long way for nothing. Prayer answered! Ackaa Falls had twice the charm as Boti,
with a fraction of the people (and price!). Even the man at thegate said, "I am guessing you
are dodging crowds today." Yes, we are dodging crowds today.Ackaa had a small group of
families there, & all of their children followed us on the10  minute hike to the falls to watch
what we call 'The Whiteman Show'. They laughed and cheered as we spent 2 hours ducking
behind the waterfalls, splashing in the small but turbulent pool, and exploring the massive
stone cliffs a stones throw from the falls. The adults just looked on with curiosity, though
the looks on their faces seemed to say "Why the whiteman swimming here?  Don't they
know this river is full of crocodiles?"As always in W. Africa, the journey was as interesting
as the destination, as our trip there and back took us over mountains and through scenic
hilltop towns with names like Adukrom, Huhunya, Akropongo, and Krobo-Adumase.
   
  

 June 24- While Ghana is certainly much more developed than Liberia, we're finding out
that's not always a blessing. Most weekends in Liberia were spent at the beach, but there
is a shortage of those nearby to Tema.  The beaches between here and Accra seem to be
strewn with garbage, and the beaches to the east are too rocky to splash around in. While
Ghana has plenty to do, most of it seems to be an hour or more away from the ship. Ship's
crewmembers have been scouting out new and creative ways of relaxing. Today, we headed
north to Volta Dam.  Completed in 1965,  it created Lake Volta,  the worlds largest man-
made lake. Unfortunately, Ghana's President, John Kuofor, decided to visit the dam the same
day. We were barred from entering, & had to make do with pictures from the scenic overlook
at nearby Hotel Volta. After that photo session, we spent a hour exploring Atimpoku Bridge,
then relaxed the rest of the day at nearby Aylos' Resort. 'Resort's' in West Africa are usually
just a bar/grill on the beach with a few thatched-roof dining areas scattered around. Aylos'
also had a half-dozen small cabanas for rent, and even had a rope swing we all took turns on.
At right is a short mpeg of your favorite missionary showing off  his rope-swing skills. As
is often is the case inWest Africa, the ride to where you're going is usually as interesting as
 the destination. This ride took us through a couple dozen villages, miles of lush jungle, and
several mountains, some of which look climbable. Perhaps you'll see more on that later????
   

June 22- The past three weeks here have been busy for the deck department. With the turnover
rate, we've been down to as few as 3 daily workers. We've had our hands full unloading all the
necessary equipment for this outreach, preparing the ship for a 10 month moor, and getting the
dock cleaned, set up & ready to go. Most departments are experiencing a turnover as well, with
old hands are preparing to leave and new blood settling in. Meanwhile, we are still getting our
feet on the ground here, hiring dayworkers, connecting with local pastors, and assessing where
and how we can most help.  Our medical screening is going to be held at a local Assemblies of
God church thisMonday, June 26th, and the surgeries should begin a week or so after.  All of
this culminates in a lack of content to update this page with, save for the occasional dayout
exploring this new country. Ghana doesn't seem to be as desperate (or as exciting) as Liberia,
but there's a need for us here, as well...one that will become clear as time goes on, I'm sure.

 June 19- General Butt Naked- The Liberian Civil War produced some of the more bizarre
and gruesome characters in recent history, characters such asGeneral Peanut Butter, General
No-Mother-No-Father, and of course the infamous 'Small Boys Units' used by all sides to fight.
From this circus came the most colorful character of all,General Butt Naked. Initiated into a
satanic society when he was just 11, he spent his early life performing ritual sacrifices. When
the war started in 1990, he formed the 'Butt Naked Battalion', a group of soldiers that would
fight in the buff, wearing nothing but shoes and an AK-47. Usually fueled by amphetamines,
marijuana, and palm wine, they believed their nudity shielded them from the enemies bullets.
Before going into battle, his Battalion would sacrifice a victim from a nearby village, & would
even play soccer with heads they cut off. He claims to be responsible for the death of 10,000
people. The General claims God spoke to him one day, and told him to change his ways. He
is nowRev. Joshua Blayhi, a Born-Again preacher who runs a church in one of the refugee
camps here in Ghana. Several of our crew have befriended him, and he has been on the ship
a few times for supper. Having read extensively about Liberian history, I was very familiar
with him. I suspect we will be working with him on some project or another. It seems to
me he would want to make some sort of amends to his victims, but I should learn more
about the General before making judgments. While a satanic priest running around naked
and performing ritual killings upon people to gain power in battle sounds to strange to be
believable, after my time in Liberia, nothing sounds overly bizarre to me anymore.

June 4- We spent our second day in Ghana exploring the Cape Coast, an area about three hours
 west of the capital, Accra. First we visited Kakum National Park, situated near the edge of Ghana's
rainforest. It has a  series of nets over the tops of the trees which enable you to do a 'canopy walk'
through the rainforest. Kakum also has a small museum that focuses on the bio-diversity of Ghana.
After Kakum, we headed to the coast to visitElmina Castle, built by the Portugese in 1482 & used
as a trading post.  As the slave trade grew in popularity,  it eventually became a holding place for
slaves on their way to Brasil.Elmina changed hands a few times throughout the centuries, and it's
style reflects it. It is a combination of Portugese and Dutch architecture, with some British touches.
At right is aDoor of No Return, the last thing the slaves saw before their journey. The door started
off wide, but was eventually narrowed to allow only one to pass through it at a time. Next to that is
the slave dungeon, where rebellious slaves were put. The symbol above the door says it all. The
Cape Coast also boasts a small, but thriving tourist base, & after eight months in Liberia, we found
ourselves gawking at them.  Actually, after Liberia, we felt like we were on vacation ourselves!
     

October 2005 to May 2006 were spent on Outreach in Liberia.
To read about the Liberian Outreach, click Here.