A Blessing in Disguise

Since arriving in Ghana, we have not done much traveling in Ghana other than an occasional trip to Accra, the capital city.  We live in Takoradi, which is about four hours away from Accra.  We have some friends who are missionaries in Kumasi, which is about five hours away from Takoradi.  They have come to visit us several times, but we had never been to visit them.  So, we decided to go to Kumasi for a vacation. 

About ten minutes after we set out, the questions began.  “Are we almost there?”  “Is it snack time?” “When can we stop to go potty?”  “Where are we now?”  And the list goes on and on.  My husband had traveled to Kumasi before, and it only took him about four and a half hours to make the trip.  Of course, he did not stop at all.  With the wife and three children along, that easily adds at least an hour to the trip! 

We enjoyed looking at the new surroundings as we traveled.  Takoradi is right next to the ocean.  I did not realize that there were mountains in Ghana until we went through them.  I did not notice how high up we were until we started going downhill.  My ears popped.  I was getting over a cold; so, I asked my husband if we were high enough to make our ears pop or if it was just part of the cold.  He said that we were high enough.  We saw several donkey carts and even some brick houses; we have not seen those things down in the area where we live.

When we were about an hour outside of Kumasi, Bonnie suddenly threw up.  She had gotten car sick, but she did not give any warning.  So, I did not have time to give her a bag or anything.  We pulled over to the shoulder and got her and the car cleaned up the best we could.  Then, we were back on our way. 

A few minutes later, we came upon a wreck that had just taken place.  Two public transport vans, which are called tro-tros here, had collided head on and had both fallen off the edge of the road.  People were being pulled out of the wreckage.  Wounded people were being taken across the road to taxis to be taken to a hospital.  If Bonnie had not thrown up, we very possibly could have been right in the middle of that wreck. 

Later that day, we were told by several people that they were praying for us at the exact time that all of that took place.  It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord protects us and takes care of us.  Even a puking episode can be a blessing in disguise!

If you have a story that you would like to share with us, please e-mail it to me at lo@consfords.com. Please include the name of each family member, your field of service, and a picture of your family if possible.

Until next week, keep your sunny side up!