January 8th, 2006

Tonight, I leave for Seattle, where I will reunite with my family. One
month since I've seen them last! I am curious to see how my family has
worked together. I'm also curious to know if they will let me go to
Ghana again next January!!!

The one week in St. Louis has been interesting. I gave my first "talk"
about the Ghana mission trip at Holy Cross after the worship service.
The people had so many questions! They eagerly looked at the items I
brought back from Ghana. What I thought would be just a 15 minute talk
lasted an easy one hour.

This past Monday evening, a friend who works with the African Refugee and
Immigration Service, picked me up to meet a man from Ghana. This man,
"Joe", was moving back to Ghana the next day... He is a doctor, recently
laid off. He came to St. Louis as a political refugee 20 years ago. He
has no job prospects in Ghana...but he wanted to go back "home." He told
me he was moving to Accra, and that he grew up in Cape Coast. He said he
was planning some projects in Tamale. He was delighted to talk to
someone who knew the locations he knew about. We stayed at his house for
an hour and half, helping him pack. Finally, my friend said it was time
to leave, and "Joe's" wife gave me a wood carving of the chief's "chair".
The Christian church in Ghana uses the chief's chair to symbolize God.
What a wonderful gift!

Since being in St. Louis, I've mingled with friends, my brother's family,
and my Mom and Dad. I've been shopping at the mall and gone out to eat
several times. I am both thankful and uncomfortable with the fact that I
am able to do these things easily. I ask myself "what will I do
differently?" What will I do with the experiences I've accumulated the
past four weeks? It's impossible to go thru this mission trip, and not
come home a changed person in some way. Right now, I don't know yet,
because I'm not home yet.

I do know this...I'm thankful for the experience. I am thankful for the
support and the prayers we received from people back at home. As a deaf
person, I am thankful for the opportunities I have had/will have. I
appreciate learning about a culture that I've never known about before,
it made my world a little bit bigger.

I am thankful that God gave me the courage to say "yes" to Pastor
Reinke's invitation to minister the deaf children in Ghana. Most of all,
I am thankful for Romans 3:24.

Blessings, Jean