Touch A Life Foundation: 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.