14th Birthday - Ghana Style

Blogger:  Franklin, age 14 (Barely!) 

I had my 14th birthday in Ghana a few days ago. It was a very special and memorable birthday. We mainly celebrated it teh day before my actual birthday because my Dad had to go to the office on my real birthday . I didn’t mind at all.  I had a great time while we celebrated. My friend, Michael, came over.  We opened our first present from home - an envelope filled with hilarious jokes from Jacob Stock at Castle Ministries.  (Thanks for the laughs, Mr. Stock!)   

We went to a pool several hours away and had lunch there, then we went out to eat for dinner.  It was our first meal eating out since arriving.  I had fried rice which has probably been my favorite food so far. I also love Fan-Ice. It is Ghanaian ice cream (Vanilla) that comes in a plastic pouch, you bite a hole in the corner and eat the deliciousness inside. I had quite a few of those on my Birthday.

       On my actual Birthday, I got to do a few new things. I washed all my dirty clothes by hand which really wasn’t that bad, I kind of enjoyed doing it.  Since we don’t have a dryer, we have to hang them on the line outside to dry them. I thought I did a pretty good job considering it was my first time washing clothes by hand. I also woke up to a wall covered with letters from my parents and also a list of 14 things they love about me. It was a great encouraging present.

       We have a leak somewhere in our water pipes in the backyard. The crack or hole in the pipe leaks into our backyard directly under the clothesline. It had been raining all morning and there was a huge mud puddle under the line. As we hung the clothes to dry, my feet were sinking down into the gooey, wet mud. I thought it felt good having mud seep between my toes but my Mom on the other hand was screaming “EEEEWWWWW, THIS IS NASTY!!!  GROSS!!!” Once we were about ¾ of the way done hanging wet clothes I heard a snap and the clothesline we just filled up fell into the mud puddle. We had to rewash all the mud covered clothes… by hand.

       We had just finished washing the clothes again when another downpour started. The raindrops were huge! I hollered in the house to see if anyone wanted to go play in the rain with me. Braden and Godwin both volunteered. We all put on our bathing suits and ran outside. I was so eager to get out I forgot to take off my shirt. It didn’t matter now, it was already drenched.  We ran around the house chasing each other for about ten minutes

       Remember that huge mud puddle that all our clean clothes fell into? Well, that was where the fun was. We would run, jump, and then slide and see who could slide the farthest. Godwin loved it! He was giggling and laughing the whole time.  It was the most fun I had had in a long time. After about an hour or so, we were all three shivering so we went in and showered and warmed up. I had never thought you could get cold in Ghana.

     That night we had some friends over to have cake. We finished dinner just as they came. I got some very sweet cards from them and also some Lindor Truffles, which I had never had them before but they are now one of my favorite candies. We were all sitting around talking when the power went out. So we went the rest of the evening without fans or lights. Well, not really without lights, we had one flashlight pointed to the ceiling in the middle of the room so we had some light. While everyone was singing Happy Birthday to me, one of our friends snuck up behind me and squirted me with icy cold water. It was cold but felt good. Evidently, it is a tradition in Ghana to get wet on your birthday!  After I changed shirts we ate my soccer ball cake. It was great.

     Overall, I had an amazing birthday and I will never forget slipping and sliding in the mud with Godwin and Braden. I will also never forget my first birthday in Ghana. I am blessed to have such good brothers who love me and parents who encourage me. I am thankful for my family.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 

Colossians 3:15