Vietnam Update.

The original floor plan for the Sullivan House in Vietnam.

The completed Sullivan House in Vietnam.

The beautiful Sullivan House in Vietnam has finally been completed! This new space was much-needed, and it will certainly be appreciated by both the children who live there and the houseparents who watch over them.

In October 2007, Touch A Life supported 77 children on a full-time basis (meaning that these children lived on Touch A Life property), and helped 116 with partial or part-time assistance (meaning these children resided elsewhere and benefited from Touch A Life programs offered during the day). Currently, Touch A Life supports 101 children full-time and 105 part-time. The reason for the decline in part-time sponsorships is either because the previously accounted for children are now being sponsored full-time or because they moved out of the area.

The children were highly anticipating the completion of the Sullivan House. We're thankful that progress was made quickly and that the construction moved along smoothly. 

Rachel

Dallas Book Signing.

Pam will be having her first Jantsen's Gift book-signing on Wednesday, April 22. The event will be held at Barnes and Noble in Dallas, TX. If you're from the Dallas area, swing by to check out the signing and possibly hear a reading from Pam's book! 

The Barnes and Noble is located at 7700 West Northwest Highway. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. We hope to see you there!

Rachel

Jantsen's Gift On Sale Everywhere!

Great news! Jantsen's Gift became available nationwide yesterday! Bookstores everywhere have displays of Jantsen's Gift available for your purchase. You can also check out the Jantsen's Gift, where you'll find that you can give an autographed copy of the book to a friend. 

Happy reading!

Rachel

Ghana: March 19.

Update will be posted shortly!

Ghana: March 18.

Sweet Moses, adjusting to his new life in Tema. Looks at the difference a mere 24 hours can make!

On Wednesday, we woke up to the sound of the children excitedly getting ready for school. Their passion for learning is incredible, and their joy for life is contagious. Half of the children at the City of Refuge are enrolled in school; the other half have only been off of the lake since January and missed the deadline to enroll in the new quarter. The second half of the group receives their education by taking classes with a tutor, and they'll join the others in school when a new term begins in May.

It was a blast to watch the kids who were at the house participate in their studies. They were so happy to write their names, color on their papers and answer questions about the Bible. It was hard to drag ourselves away from watching them but we eventually headed out to a meeting with the Compassion International chapter in Tema. The meeting was productive and interesting. Compassion International has such influence and brand-name recognition in America, and it was interesting to see how they conduct their business abroad. 

Afterwards, we headed over to a bead-making establishment called TK Beads. The owners and their employees make beautiful beads out of recycled glass. Piles of blue, green and brown wine and beer bottles are separated, melted down and formed into beads. Visitors can purchase strands of these beads for as little as $2.00 per strand. George suggested that the owners offer internships/apprenticeships to the teenagers at Lake Volta, which would provide them with another vocational trade to pursue. 

The Touch A Life team, City of Refuge Director Johnbull Omorefe, George and his son, Kofi, all spent the evening enjoying a meal together at a local restaurant. It was nice to connect with each other in a relaxed setting, as opposed to our times on the lake or on the long drive. None of us could believe that the trip was almost over. 

Emmanuel. He was rescued off of the lake in September. What a difference seven months makes. 

The boys, doing some reading before heading out to school.

Off to school!

Felix and Freeman, waving at us while wearing their awesome shades.

Some of the incredible creations from TK Beads.

Products from TK Beads.

Before and after.

Sweet Freeman. I love his name. Now that he's rescued, he can live up to it--he is truly a free man.

Rachel

Ghana: March 17.

Rachael, Rachel and Moses, having a blast on the 10-hour ride back to Tema.

On Tuesday, Rachael, Emily and I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to head out for round two on the lake with George and George, Jr. (See pictures from the Ghana: March 16 entry to see images of the kids we met on the water.) Instead of using the large boat we'd used the day before, we hopped aboard a modest boat that was essentially just a canoe with a motor. Because we were on a much smaller boat, we were able to get closer to the children working on Lake Volta's choppy waters. We were able to interact with them and their masters for extensive periods of time. It was so interesting to observe George's conversations with the masters. Since we do not pay to get the children back (that would technically mean that we, too, would be participating in the cycle of human trafficking), our Ghanaian volunteers must be extremely intentional in the words they choose and the conversations they have. All of the negotiations they do are conversation and relationship-based, so these interactions on the lake are extremely important. It was great to get the chance to see how the negotiations truly work.

When we arrived back at the Village of Life, the rest of the team was packing up their belongings and preparing to head back to Tema (an hour outside of the capital of Accra). Moses was coming with us, as he is too young to remain at the program at the Village of Life. After saying goodbye to the incredible teenagers at the Village of Life site, we embarked on our 10-hour journey to visit the City of Refuge program in Tema. Because the ride up to the lake had been rather traumatic, we had adequately prepared ourselves for the trip south. What made the trip 10 times more enjoyable was the fact that Moses was with us. He had such a sweet, patient disposition. He was so comfortable with us, which was so inspiring. We were worried that it would be difficult for him to leave Kete-Krachi but he was clearly ready for a change.

We received the most perfect welcoming when we arrived at the City of Refuge program in Tema. The houseparents had allowed the children to stay up late and wait for us to arrive. When our van pulled into the front gates, the children all began jumping up and down, so excited that we had finally arrived. They jumped all over us once we got off of the van, desperate for hugs and attention, which we were more than happy to give to them. They sang songs for us and climbed all over us, as if we were human jungle gyms. It was the most perfect greeting. 

The Rach(a)els loving on Moses.

Enjoying the drive.

The sweet kids who greeted us upon our arrival to the City of Refuge.

Singing and dancing.

Moses already had friends at the City of Refuge! These boys were on the lake with him and now they're reunited because of Touch A Life.

Rachel

Ghana: March 16.

Sweet Moses, moments after he was rescued.

On Monday, George led our group out to Lake Volta. We boarded the Krachi Queen and set out for an eventful morning on the water. We were able to witness the severity and the gravity of the child trafficking issue firsthand. So many children were working on the lake and it was shocking to see how small they were. They had such serious looks in their eyes, as if they were seasoned fishing veterans. Some of them looked as young as 3 or 4.

It was difficult to navigate our boat away from the children, knowing that we couldn't simply scoop them up and bring them with us. However, we were incredibly blessed with the opportunity to rescue Moses, a boy that George had tracked for nearly 8 months. Touch A Life was originally supposed to rescue Moses in the fall of 2008 but when George arrived at his island to pick him up, Moses's master had taken his children and fled. It took 6 months to find the master and his clan. The master had called George just a few days before our arrival and said that we could bring Moses home. 

We pulled up to Moses's island and weren't surprised to see that his community was extremely small. A group of five or six adults sat mending nets. George interacted with the master and asked for Moses. The shy 12-year-old (with a severely protruding hernia) peeked out from around a tree, and George enveloped him in a hug. After a few minutes of discussion and deliberation, Moses was brought to his room (an incredibly tiny space in a mud hut that was probably shared by at least 3 slave children, none of whom were present) to gather his belongings. He managed to fit all of his earthly possessions into a small red backpack. Since Moses was so accustomed to this lifestyle (he was sold into slavery when he was 8), and because he was so overwhelmed by all the changes happening at once, he cried when we left the island. The moment he settled in on the Krachi Queen, though, Moses was all smiles. The transformation was incredible. 

Moses was instantly at ease when he arrived at the Village of Life. The teenagers there were so welcoming. He was given fresh clothes and good food to eat. He enjoyed playing soccer, taking pictures with Rachael and my cameras and observing all that was going on at the Village of Life. He was quiet but content.

That evening, George invited local community members, including government officials, over to the Village of Life for a party. He honored Pam by praising her efforts in Ghana, and introduced us to numerous members of the community, many of whom are extremely influential. We watched the Touch A Life documentary, created by Patrick Cone of C1 Entertainment. Moses is actually in it, and his face lit up when he saw himself on screen. 

As the party wound down, I looked around at the amazing people gathered together to celebrate this momentous occasion. Another sweet child had been saved from a life spent eternally on the lake. It was an incredible day.

George, Jr., helping Moses board the Krachi Queen. Time to go home.

George Achibra, the leader of the rescue missions, with Moses when we learned we could take him home with us.

Three slave children on Lake Volta. The boy in the foreground most likely has that scar on his face due to a beating from his master.

These children are so young and so little.

Join the crusade to free the trafficked child. 

The Day Two lake group: George, Rachel, Rachael, Emily and our driver. See the Ghana: March 17 entry for more details about the time spent on the lake.

Friends of the trafficked child.

"All days are not equal." Clearly.

Too much seriousness and sadness in such a young face.

Rachel