In the morning (Saturday), we found a note near our door apologizing for what the boys had done. Repentant my foot. So the girls and I concocted a plan - we wrote another note...an evil note...a love note??
Yes, as the three of us lay sprawled on the bed, the words sprang forth like water from a sparkling brook. Pouring out our hearts into that we blank paper, we skillfully put our feelings into words. Reprimanding those boys in the only way we could, through the weapon of words. But only because we deeply cared for them and wished them to see the error of their ways....or was it because we were stinking mad about being awakened at an ungodly hour and raided with poison? Probably a little of both with a massive dash of the latter. You know what they say, payback is a dish best served cold and our letter was a sheer stroke of genius. Yva and I, while Melinda took pictures as proof, crept over to the boys' side and psted their letter and ours on their door post. Later, when people had awakened, there was an uproar among the 3 as Daniel and Conor found the "note". Happily, it really disturbed them and they were quite upset (much to the amusement of Melinda). During games before breakfast, Daniel apparently stole the room key from my back pocket. Oblivious to it, I only noticed later that it was gone so I went out to see if it had dropped out. Not finding it and really not that worried, I came into breakfast (which was a hearty meal of baked beans, bread, Milo, and coleslaw) and said, "Um, Mizz Melinda....there has been a disaster...zee room key...is gone."
"Gone? GONE?!? It can't be gone! Check your pockets! Tina, I need my hair scrunchie!!!"
Well, after searching and finding out that "no the hotel does not have a spare key but we can call the carpenter to remove the door" and asking the boys who calmly responded,"I don't know, I didn't take it." Mr. Ike finally confronted them. "We'll only talk if we can talk privately," was Conor's smart alecky response. A few minutes later, Mr. Ike (along with the boys) returned,"Okay, your room will be opened shortly." After haggling, arguing, and a lot of bossing around, the door was opened (but only after we had vacated the premises per Daniel and Conor's orders) and then locked after we were through using it. Mrs. Ike asked me if I was worried about the room being raided by boys (it was inevitable). "No," I said,"If they see something they don't want to see, its their own faults." She laughed....
Melinda and Yva didn't find it as amusing as I did nor were they exactly calm about the whole "the boys have our key" idea. Later that morning, most of us headed to the local hospital while a few stayed behind to do some indepth painting. On the way, I told Daniel how utterly upset I was with him for the vile act he had committed. I informed him that my heart was most decidely broken, to which he quickly tried to fix. The only salve for my bleeding heart (that I could think of on the spot) was his room key. This, sadly, was unattainable....according to Daniel anyway. Right before the hospital we met up with two snakes...on a stick...which sounds like fair food to me but that's beside the point. The snakes' bodies were drapped over a cross and the biggest head was thrust on top of the spiked cross (orc-style). Someone asked why it was there to which I primly responded,"To be a warning to other snakes in the area." The real reason was to warn the villagers that there were snakes in the area, but personally I thought my reason was more imaginative. Alex and I were quite taken with them and their vampire-like fangs. Once at the hospital we were given a tour of the wards. One amusing instance was when we came to the maternity ward and us girls just walked in ony to turn and realize that the boys had taken one look and quickly retreated back outside. After the tour, the girls and guys split up into small groups to go and pray over the people. One woman (with AIDs, we later found out) was outside and as we prayed for her a sudden wailing pierced the air. Just inside the women's ward (where we were praying), a woman had just passed away. I opened my eyes slightly as they carried her out. The wailing was so loud and full of emotion that I nearly started crying myself. It reminded me just how precious life truly is. I'll never forget that brief moment in time when life and death was so blatently open before me.
After we went into the ward, Alex, Melinda, and I started singing. It is so amazing to see how a simple song can brighten up a room. A little bit of heaven was shimmering and dancing in the dormitory that day as those women lying in their cots just closed their eyes and laid smiling such beautiful, peaceful smiles as we sang "Amazing Grace" to them. They say music touches the soul and that moment in the a little hospital in the high north of Ghana would have chased away any doubt critics of that saying might have had. After the prayer walk, we clambered onto and into the Chinn's car as the Ikes waled and we headed to visit the Chinn's "almost-house". Alex and I were the only girls on top and had great fun laughing with the boys (we became quite skilled at getting up and off the car rack in skirts). We were given a lovely tour of the Chinn's home where the master bedroom had a spectacular view of the famous Breast Mountains. After the much needed group pictures, a few of the boys clambered up a tree as we settled back in the grass to hear the story of how the Chinns and their ministry came to be. Then it was back to the Chinns' car (this time with a few more girls) while Daniel and Mr. Ike walked back. Alex and I took pictures as we zoomed down the road. Conor "hinted" to me that just like I had "no part" (his quotations, not mine) in the clothes prank, he had "no part" in what had happened while we were at the hospital. *cough cough* yeah right Conor. Anyway, once we got back to the worksite, we waited....and waited for the Ikes to come. Finally we headed back to the hotel. We then practiced the skit for that night and then Melinda headed out to do children's ministry (there was a horde of kids waiting for her) while the rest of us headed for the hills...literally. Up and up we climbed/walked/crawled till we reached the tower. Then Mitchell disappeared over the spacious hills exploring. The rest of us split up in to groups. Alex and I, along with several others, were determined to make it to Mitchell before Conor and Daniel. Well, after meeting a hive of bees, back tracking, meeting up with Mrs. Ike's group, finding Conor and Daniel, having Cyan walk all the way back to Yva just so she would know where we were, Danile getting me to jump simply to jump (I'll get you for that someday Daniel!), Conor bravely hacking away at dead grass (my hero), and Diana and Anna getting sliced by thorns we
finally found Mitchell by a pile of rocks. We posed for pictures (I still need to see them Alex) and started to make our way down as we had a funeral to go to. Daniel and I did our token salsa dance part of the way down the mountain until we came to a GIANT MANGO TREE!!! Mks and big tree = BAD MISTAKE. Immediately Conor was "zip" up the tree and Cyan and Mitchell quickly gave Alex and I lifts up while Conor (very gentlemanly like, I might add) offered us his hand and then hauled us up the tree. I now have to point out that the only reason we needed help is because Alex and I have a height deficiency...we've got it real bad man and the shortest branch came up to about our foreheads...we needed help, case closed. Thus began a half hour of pure monkey fun (mk style) as Conor, Alex, Cyan, Mitchell and I clambered and lounged in the mango tree munching on delicious yet stringy mangos. Finally, after being repeatedly reminded by Mrs. Ike that "we need to go guys. Guys, come on!" , we made it back home. On the way a man asked to marry Annie and Mitchell immediately responded with,"Only if you give me 200 cows." Obviously the guy couldn't pay since Annie returned home with us. Once back at the hotel, we prepared for the sad mysterious funeral for the elusive D.K. After dinner (chicken and rice!), we gathered together flame tree flowers and waited for the ceremony to begin. Slowy, sad nostalgic music filled the air as Daniel (armed with his guitar) led the funeral procession while Conor and Evans carried the casket, weeping mournfully. Melinda was given the seat of honor and her sorrowful face gazed forlornly at D.K.'s swan shaped casket. Daniel opened with a moving (and tearful) prayer. Next Conor gave a Twi speech on D.K.'s short life (Evans translated) and touched us all by breaking down part way through it. Melinda bravely held it together through this emotional part of the show. Evans then closed and showed a slide show dedicated to D.K. In this we saw D.K.'s magnificant smile, his power of friendship, and his tragic death of assisted suicide. Yes, as we gazed upon the film and the open casket..there lay Quackers (aka D.K.) bound in the silence of death (literally). As we lined up to pay our last respects, a great wailing went up as we all began to mourn our beloved D.K. Those who didn't cry were dry-eyed and rigid with devastating pale faces as they realized that their friend was truly dead. After this tragic event we prepared to go the local school where the Very Rev. Evans would preach and we would perform our skit. Our singing went well (aside from Melinda's cultural...um...boo-boo) and Alex and Kayla did a great job of performing the Devil and the Wandering Man. It should be said that Daniel was radiant in his white sheet and a vision as he went in to save Kayla from Alex. Evans gave a moving sermon and when he finished, he have up a call for people to accept Christ. Many kids went forward...including our very own Wylee! I was so proud of him! After everything was over, we raced Daniel back from atop the Chinns' car (see a pattern anyone?). During our team meeting, we discussed highlights. After much rolling laughter, we spent the next 2 hours writing notes in each others notebooks (Mrs. Ike was set upon by the boys and throughly doused with water...the charge = instigating the prank while in reality it was *ahem* YVA AND MELINDA. Then we all brought out our blankets, a mattress, the much coveted chocolate and snacks, Wylee's laptop outside and settled down to watch Monty Python. At 1:30am, the movie ended and we decided to go to bed, but not without a whole lot of arguing about where to sleep (this was only with the boys) :
"I'm tired, let's bring in the mattress." - Conor
"No!" - Daniel, snuggling under the blankets
"Come on guys!!" - Conor, getting a tad irrate
"No! Let's sleep under the stars." - Daniel, quite content and nestling farther into the blankets
"Let's be refugees!" - Evans, also snuggled under the blankets
"Not funny guys! I mean it! Come on...augh! I'm taking your mattress Evans!! - Conor...not happy....
