This trip is "Ghana" be great!!!

I MADE IT TO GHANA!! I don't know why I'm writing that as if I'm surprised because I fully intended on safely arriving here, but it's a reason for exclamation and joy either way. I have so much to say, but I don't know where to start.

The first flight from Salt Lake City to JFK was rather mundane and uneventful, but the flight to Ghana was an awesome start to what is already an incredible experience. Our plane was delayed an hour because a passenger's bags were suspected of containing illicit material and had to be removed, but after some shuffling of seats, I happened to sit next to a girl named Sam Daly. She just finished her junior year in the accounting program, and she also happened to be best friends with Jake and Dallas back in Pleasant Grove! What a tender mercy! While on the flight, I was continually blown away by the generosity, friendliness, positive attitude, and cheerfulness of the Ghanaians around me.

Despite the fact that it was only eight in the morning when we landed, as soon as I stepped off the plane I was immediately enveloped by a suffocating blanket of humidity and heat. Beads of sweat started forming on my forehead, but a bigger smile was forming on my face. The weather, appearance, and feel of Accra were

exactly like Malaysia (that's a good thing)!! The airport wasn't quite as nice as the ones back in the U.S., the drivers were crazy, motos were everywhere, and people just roamed the streets with random goods to sell, but the randomness somehow made a perfect environment.

I got to sit up front next to our driver, John. He's a 44-year-old man with 5 kids (age 3 being the youngest and age 14 being the oldest). He is one of those guys that you can tell has a genuine heart, and when he smiles, you can't help but smile right back. He told me a little bit about Accra, but he mostly just wanted to ask me questions and reassure me that I was going to love it here. He certainly didn't need to do any extra convincing because I was in heaven!

The rest of the day was spent walking in the hot sun to find an ATM, get a feel for the streets around the Telecentre (where I'm staying), and buy some water. The heat was stifling, and I'll need to drink more water than I normally would, but honestly, it feels like I'm back in Malaysia (once again, that's great news).

I am so grateful for the privilege and opportunity I have to be here, and I'm excited to serve and learn. Keep smiling!!!

PS-It took forever to upload this post (especially with the pictures) because the wifi connection is so inconsistent here. Please be patient with me, and I promise I'm taking more pictures that are just stuck on my phone.