Everybody's got a story...

Everyone is a walking novel, and every page could have some lesson he/she has experienced and an insight to share. We feel like we could write our own book about the people we have met so far and have a chapter for each person, but for now a picture and a line or two will provide a memory for us.



NOBODY lights up a room quite like Jefferson Agamah. He is a volunteer one day a week at our Call Center, where he helps call over 800 PEF students every month. He is kind, enthusiastic, and has a laugh that makes you feel like whatever you said was truly hilarious. He knows how to make people feel loved, and he is genuine. There is absolutely no guile in Jefferson.



Fred Aboagye. Fred was another volunteer, but has just secured a great job working at the airport with parcel posts. He is an extremely good worker, and if he tells you he is going to do something, it is as good as done. We are honored to be on his list of friends.



Paulina is Fred's wife, who is holding their as-yet unnamed baby boy. They invited us to their very tidy, clean home to welcome the baby, and we noticed that before entering the linoleumed floor, Fred respectfully removed his shoes. We did the same, and we felt honored to be there.



The Andersons were in Accra for 3 days only, and they were staying in our building, so I had a chance to get to know them. 10 years ago they adopted 20-month old twin boys from Ghana, and this time they were here to adopt 2 more brothers. The taller boy is thought to be around 6, and the shorter one is around 4. In some areas it is not important to keep track of one's age. Their adventure is just beginning, and I'm sure several years from now they will be able to write an incredible story.



James Ewudzie comes to visit us every Tuesday night. He is one of the pioneers of Ghana and was the 4th person to be baptized into the LDS Church 20 something years ago. He drives 2 1/2 hours from Cape Coast to work in the Accra Temple for 2 days, then drives the 2 1/2 hours back. He is quite well known here and is written about in the book Walking in the Sand.
He has been to the U.S. twice, and loves to talk about his travels there.."America...oh, America." In the Costco envelope, he brought the pictures of his 2 trips to the U.S. that he wanted to share with us, and he has become our very dear and precious friend.



Abigail Boisson is one of our PEF studets, and had traveled 2 hours to come pick up her check with her 10 month-old daughter, Jasmine. She came in with Jasmine tied to her back, and although it was hot and humid, this little girl just quietly watched our goings-on, never fussing or whining or causing Mom a bit of trouble. We got to drive Abigail and Jasmine to the "tro-tro" station, saving them part of a hot, crowded experience with strangers, but we felt like protective parents as they wandered into the crowd to find the public transportation that would take them the rest of the way to their home.



Timeless Africa. So much of the area is changing and becoming modern, but within a few hours drive, the countryside looks like it must have done for decades. The people we see are also changing and adapting to modern ways, in a large part because of the internet; and then there are those who are within reach of the city, but their circumstances keep them bound to the primitive and traditional ways their parents knew. The dichotomy is distinctive, but exciting to watch the benefits of progress.