TOGETHER WE DO BETTER

     You've heard the sayings..... "the more, the merrier", "two minds are better then one", "safety in numbers", "teamwork makes the dream work". So....basically to sum things up, EVERYTHING in life is better when you're not alone. 

     I read somewhere that "Loneliness is the only real disability", We all know the power of relationships to heal us and make us feel whole. The importance of belonging somewhere is key to our happiness and as basic a human need as is food and shelter. 

     ENTER 

        Drum roll...ta da!

Our new home at Ghana Make a Difference (GMAD)

When the lease was up (after two years) in our home we knew that our next move needed to be somewhere where our kids could be around other children everyday. We had seen them blossom and progress with the TLC they were receiving, but they were isolated and it became obvious to us that beyond the care they were getting they needed something more.

They needed to feel included and be part of something bigger. As luck would have it our prayers for them were answered when we found the wonderful organization, GMAD. GMAD was already committed to caring for Ghana's most vulnerable children who were orphaned, or rescued from child labor trafficking. Like us, the founders of GMAD, also dream of a future where all of the children of Ghana will be accepted, cared for, included and loved. 

So we set about building our new Acacia Shade home in the GMAD compound and have dedicated it to always and forever house children with disabilities, building it big enough for the possibility of adding even more of these special kids in the future.  

Together with GMAD, we are creating this incredible model of inclusion where our kids become their kids and part of something our kids have never known, bringing for the first time social support, a sense of community and the opportunity to interact with their peers. Seriously, how happy do these pics make you? We couldn't be more excited for this new move.

I have just returned from Ghana where miracles were preformed once again as a house was built in just under two months and our kids were moved in, greeted by bunches of happy children welcoming them home. 

We will continue to work hard to raise the money needed to finish off the list of things at the house ( tile, landscaping, etc.)and to help the nearby school acquire a Special-Ed teacher as well as adding ramps and other necessary changes there to accommodate our kids.

 For the Next little while our efforts will be focused at GMAD while we work to create a successful model of Inclusion that we hope to then replicate throughout all of Ghana. Dream big or go home... or in this case we dreamed big and built a home, and with all the love that went it to getting it built and the sweet little occupants it will house,  it might just be the happiest home on the planet.

-Holly

view from our front porch

QUESTIONS….ANSWERS…..AND A LITTLE VICTORY….

HOLD ON TO WHAT YOU DO KNOW…. 

It's been a little over a week since we returned from Ghana and I am still stuck in that place of trying to understand. What is it I am wrestling with to the point of brain exhaustion, you may ask? ...Well the list is long, varied,and a bit dis-jointed, but I can't quite surrender and put it to bed just yet. In my mind's eye I am still going to try to solve the unsolvable, and make sense of the senseless for just a while longer. 

To give you a small idea of the ticker tape that's running inside my head, might you try answering, or understanding some of the following questions which plague my consciousness.

*Why does everything in Ghana have to be so hard? 
*How can these sweet, disabled children there be so misunderstood, neglected and abandoned? 
*How can anyone around them not see and understand what is so obvious to me?… that these children have hearts that feel and minds that think. 
*Why doesn't the Ghanian government step up and help their own most vulnerable children? 
*Why can't they fix the roads and keep the power on?(as if life there isn't hard enough)
*How do those awe-inspiring people we met there, who have commited their lives to helping the disabled and disadvantaged children (with little to no support) do it?...… day in and day out, and yet they stay the course and remain so positive and hopeful… how? 
*Why am I so blessed?….. and the list goes on and on but I think you get the idea.

I will continue to grapple with the how's and the whys, but in time I know I will slowly acquiesce and make peace with the fact that for the most of them, I will have no answer. Even so, it will be ok because even though this latest trip to Ghana produced a flurry of seemingly endless questions and problems to be solved, it also provided a bevy of answers as well. Answers which allowed us to to feel much solace, joy and relief. Below are some of the things that we learned, realized and resolved during this trip.

* Our kids are thriving and so happy, (most important and yay!!!)  
* YES, we are all making a difference there! 
* LOVE really is the answer to the most important questions.
* There is so much good in the world and there are so many people with huge hearts. 
* We now know where we will focus our efforts going forward and what we want for the future of Acacia Shade(and it's bright… stay tuned).
* We now know where and what we will do for the future of our Acacia Shade kids ( also bright).
*We learned that there are so many wonderful organizations in Ghana helping the disabled. We don't have to re-envent the wheel trying to decide how to help the most children. Instead, we can jump on board behind these organizations and offer our support. 
We realized that there are so many ways we can support them as they reach out and help so many more children then we alone could do- strength in numbers… it's true….. 

The list continues on and it is a truly wonderful list, which as I ponder it, I become more and more resolved to let go of my NEED to have all the answers. I'm going to focus my energy on feeling happy for what I do know, and as I look at these…. a few of my favorite pics from our trip, they alone relay the most important answers of all. 

I know it's just a small victory over my thoughts, but I'll take it and smile all the while.

-Holly

Beautiful sweet Esi,so happy with her new baby doll.

A rare little smile from Annabel

Cute little Zuma trying on her new party dress. 

Ayariga welcoming us back with signs and drawings