Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Ghana Journey: ALL GOOD THINGS . . .


Thursday 13 June 2013

Twelve days ago, as I was frantically packing my bags, I wondered how I was going to make it through the next two weeks. It would be a long time, not only away from home but away in another country. I would be living in community, something I had not done in three decades. Would my companions be able to stand me? Would I survive?

Twelve days later, as we approached the end of our journey, I marveled at how quickly the time went. I was reminded of the final days of a youth summer camp program, which I experienced both as a child camper and as a young adult counselor. The kids spent the final days in non-stop activity, to keep them busy and distracted from focusing on leaving camp. The final day arrived, the buses were loaded and then -- out came the tears!

That dynamic was similar with this group. We've had an extraordinarily busy schedule, flying and driving long distances to meet incredible people and experience first-hand the good work that CRS is doing in Ghana. We were warmed by amazing hospitality, delighted by smiling and friendly children, and touched by the stories and faith of a people who often struggle against insurmountable odds just to survive. Along the way, the ten of us grew close to each other in a unique bond that we will share with no one else. 

And now, it was time to go home.

The final day was spent in prayer and reflection as we asked ourselves: What can we do to keep this momentum going? How can we share this experience with our communities back home? How can we help to build solidarity between the people of Ghana and the people of the United States? All ideas, big and small, were on the table. 

And because we're friends bonded by our Catholic faith, we prayed over each other, rejoicing in our individual gifts and expressing gratitude for the unique ways that we each contributed to this journey. This prayer was affirming, uplifting, and very moving.

Father Ray Tangonyire, one of our Jesuit hosts, presided at our final liturgy. Picking music for this Mass was a no-brainer because we had three new songs: "Akwaaba!" for the Entrance; "Seeds of Justice" for Communion; and "Send Us, Lord" for the Sending Forth. We promised each other that the songwriting would continue. 

We thanked our Jesuit friends and departed immediately for Accra airport. It was a three-hour drive and we had to give ourselves plenty of time to go through customs. 

The seven-hour flight to London was a bit like that final bus trip from summer camp. We exchanged goodbye hugs at Heathrow -- and out came the tears.

Ted, Martha, Alsy, Thomas, Robert, Sarah, ValLimar, Ben, and Greg -- THANK YOU! I am forever grateful for sharing this experience with you. 

Akwaaba!



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