The Silver Lining

July 24-26, 2018 After Monday evening’s awful experiences, we had hoped to just sleep in.   The choking episode had really taken a lot out of both of us, physically, mentally, and emotionally.   We crawled into bed at 11:30 after returning home from the hospital and slept.   That is, until the phone rang Tuesday at 7:00 am, waking us up.   “This is Dr. S__.  Is Ms. Tarlton there?” I didn’t know a Dr. S__, had not seen a Dr. S__.    So David asks, “Excuse me, who are you with?”   She identifies herself as a member of the hospital Neurology team.   She spoke quickly, informing me that my case was “too acute” for their practice, and they were releasing me as a patient.   She suggested that I might find a doctor at Duke, Emory, or MUSC-Charleston.   Oh, and your follow-up appointment with us has been cancelled. Good luck!   Buh-bye! I’ve been “fired” as a patient, so it seems. Honestly – I was relie...

Monday, July 13 We ate breakfast at 7, and were packed up and ready to go by 8 -- we’re heading to the Volta Region for several days! As of 10:30, we were still sitting at the house, waiting to get the trip underway. I was not surprised -- this makes my 6th trip to the Volta Region and we have never once left on schedule! First, all of our luggage was loaded. We had to pack clothing for the week as well as bed linens, pillows, and towels. And then we waited. The ladies in the kitchen were hustling more than usual -- I realized that they were packing all of the dishes, silverware, pots and pans into large tubs and laundry baskets -- I think they literally packed up everything but the kitchen sink! These supplies, plus 2 tanks of propane, 2 small gas stovetops, and a microwave oven, were loaded on to the bus. To accomplish that task meant unloading some of the luggage, shifting things around, and re-arranging. Still we waited. A taxi arrived, loaded with several cases of water. ...

Sunday, July 12, 2010 I love worshipping at Christ Harvests the Nations. There is such joy in the praising of our Lord Jesus Christ; it takes me to the mountaintop as I participate in the singing and the dancing! This morning’s service was exciting and insightful. The Youth Choir sang -- accompanied on the drums by our own John Cromer! Richard sang, as did his wife Victoria. Our team took a few minutes to introduce themselves and bring greetings. Rev. James began his sermon with praise, singing “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” It was a spiritually electrifying morning!! After worship, we had lunch then packed up to spend the afternoon at Labadi Beach. We’d looked forward to this “day of rest.” very much. The beach was absolutely packed -- we snaked our way between people, chaise lounges, tables, and umbrellas until we found an area where we could all sit down. We ordered some cold soft drinks, splashed in the surf (the rip-currents are very strong here and swimming is not advisable...

POP! HISSSSSSSSS….. I felt the pop beneath my feet more than I actually heard it. And by the sound and the reaction of the driver, I knew it was not good. Kofi (the driver) eased the bus to a stop, got out, and took a look. The bus had blown a compressor -- needed to operate the brakes. So there we were, stranded on a muddy, pot-holed road, right beside the Tema dump. Why were we there? Read on…. ******** It rained a lot in the night, and the skies this morning were overcast. An intermittent mist of rain kept the air and everything else quite damp. Our team slept in; our original plans to travel to Keta had to be changed. So after breakfast we developed “Plan B” -- we wanted to return to the dump. Christine & Auntie Aggie packed a light lunch of pb&j sandwiches, bananas, and bottled water. We boarded the bus, and headed off across town. Many of our teammates play soccer -- a couple of them played in college -- and yesterday they had purchased some brand new soccer bal...

July 8, 2010 UP AND AT ‘EM!!! BRIGHT AND EARLY!!! We have a road trip today, so we set our alarm clocks to rouse us out of our sleep. We are going to the village of Potwabin, then on to Cape Coast to tour Elmina. After a breakfast of crepes, bread and jam, oatmeal, and fresh pineapple, we collected our backpacks and loaded up the bus. Our goal was to leave by 7:00 am -- while it is virtually impossible to “beat the traffic” in Accra…we hoped to at least get through with the least delay as possible! Accra, the capital city of Ghana, is a bustling metropolis filled with people, cars, noise, and exhaust fumes. Maneuvering through the heavy traffic there is harrowing -- but we have a terrific driver who snakes this big bus through some of the tightest spots you can imagine! Driving through I see lots of construction -- evidence of Ghana’s growth. We’re on a major thoroughfare through the city; yet there are patches of red dirt, huge potholes (I’m talking car-sized holes here!) and mud...

The plane touches down and the passengers clap and cheer -- you KNOW you have arrived in GHANA! AKWAABA!! As I step off of the plane and down onto the tarmac, I breathe deeply and smile. Baggage claim is the usual zoo, with people clamoring for their luggage and parcels, and young men offering to assist you by asking for your luggage tags. (For a tip, of course!) Then everyone queues up to go through Customs. Some people are waved on through; others (like me -- with the odd looking tubs instead of suitcases) are waved to the side. The Officer asks me what is in the tubs and I explain very briefly our water purification ministry, and describe the contents. Not totally satisfied, she asks David to cut apart the zip-ties so she can look inside. He complies with her request; the top tub contains plastic 2-gallon collapsible water containers, buffered with a few t-shirts. That satisfied her and she waved me through without looking inside the other containers. Joining the rest of ou...

We had dinner guests this evening. Sasikumar and Liu Lei -- both USC graduate students -- visited us and shared dinner. I met Sasi earlier this year in response to a craigslist posting. I was actually trolling the list to try to find job opportunities. Sasi posted that he was a foreign-born graduate student who needed someone to proofread his papers for English grammar. His post stated that he couldnt offer any monetary gain, but would be very grateful for any help. You know me. I answered the ad. **laughing** He's an anthropology major, working on his doctorate. Home, for him, is Sri Lanka -- the other side of the world. I've found his work to be fascinating, and have learned a great deal just by reading his papers. (His English, by the way, is really quite good -- so it's an easy "job" for me to proofread!) Along the way, we've become friends. He's a young guy, in his 20's -- far away from home. We've shared a few lunches, he's joined...

Our lives are personal journeys; we don't start out with a roadmap or even a particular destination in mind, but we make it step-by-step and day-by-day. Sometimes we stand at a crossroads, puzzling over what choice to make or what direction to follow. At times, the choices are easy; some decisions are made for us by parents when we are young or by circumstances when we get older. Other decisions require a lot of thought and prayer. More often than we realize, we're given signs along the way. God uses subtle, everyday objects to help guide us along life's paths. And He uses Big Bang, Knock-You-Over-The-Head tactics as well. We arent often tuned in to His signs. I wonder, sometimes, if He watches us stumbling around here, waltzing all around what He desires for us to do, ignoring the hints He's strewn in our paths. He probably rolls His eyes at us sometimes, as we miss even the most obvious signposts every now and then. I remember wrestling with a life-changing s...

Note: This blog entry was originally posted on the Waters Edge Ministry blog (weministry.blogspot.com) in late July. I resubmit it here; the feelings remain the same. AT What’s it really like? People sometimes ask me that question after I’ve returned from a mission trip. When you get there, it’s like a curtain has been opened for you. Your senses are heightened; you want to see, smell, hear, taste, touch everything so that you can experience it to the fullest. You’re the first one awake in the morning, and the last one to sleep at night because you don’t want to miss a thing by being asleep. Time sort of downshifts, and people move at a different, slower pace. Yet it also flies by quickly, creating a time warp for those who dare to step into this place. Every pore, every cell in your body is attuned to your surroundings. You see more stars in the darkness of night because there are no other lights competing and blocking out their brightness. The birds’ singing brings you into wakef...

Tuesday morning dawned with rain. Our trip this year coincided with Ghana’s rainy season. For two solid weeks before our arrival, it had rained buckets. Friends emailed us, advising us to be sure to bring an umbrella. Indeed, when we landed two weeks earlier, we landed in a rainstorm. But by the time we left the airport that day, the sun was breaking through the clouds. There was no rain at all during our stay – until the morning we were to leave. God knew what kind of weather we needed and He provided! The gray clouds on this day of our departure mirrored my mood. The suitcases sat by the door, glaring at me in accusation: WHY are we leaving this place? Since we had to be at the airport by 8:00 am, we had to leave by 6:30. This was a mighty early start to what would be a very long day. We shared a quick breakfast of rice water, bread with jam, and tea with Rev. James’ wife Mary one last time. (We already said our good-byes to Rev. James on Sunday...

Back to Ghana..... We woke on our final Monday with full hearts and a full agenda for the day. I always like to lie in bed at dawn, listening to the birds wake the rest of the world. I allowed myself this little luxury then rose to start the day. First was a quick visit back to the market! We'd purchased some bracelets on Saturday, and the lady was stringing them on elastic bands for us. So we went to pick them up; I was also getting some colorful waist beads for a friend of mine. I loved looking at the colors of the beads -- no two waist bead strings were alike! I walked through the market one last time, absorbing all of the sights, sounds, and smells into my soul, trying to burn them into my memory. The place is bustling, alive, organic -- and as I recall the tiny stalls filled with beautiful fabrics, colorful beads, household goods, dried fish, beans, groceries, and on and on...I'm feeling nostalgic. I can hear the "sss--sss--sss" of the young men as they pus...

Sunday dawned and we prepared ourselves for church service. Each of us on the team wore new outfits, designed & sewn by Richie's wife Victoria. Mine came with a headwrap, which I figured out how to wear, tie, and look halfway decent. I love worshiping at Christ Harvests the Nations Sanctuary. It is spirit-led, spirit-filled and I have learned much there. This morning was no different, the air was super-charged with worship when we arrived! Singing, clapping, praising -- a glorious riot of song and energy! I couldn't wait to get inside, to add my own voice to the praises and prayers being lifted high! Victoria sang a couple of songs, oh how I wish she would record a cd. Her voice is pure and strong and so full of feeling. Then the choir sang -- and the whole congregation stood, clapping in time to the music. Several church members gave testimonies. One young man spoke of getting an unexpected job offer; another talked of getting a pay increase. Then Chief Takyi, ...

Our last Saturday in Ghana, we loaded into the van and headed toward Accra. We'd "play" today -- most of our work was finished. The Kwame Nkrumah National Shrine was closed for repairs. We had hoped to visit there; I've been a time or two, but I like to share it with team members because it gives a good view of Ghana's recent history. The symbolism of the place intrigues me, also -- the building itself looks like the handle of a sword; indeed it is supposed to look like a sword buried in the sand up to its hilt to symbolize peace. We went to the Arts and Crafts market. What a busy place! Tiny stalls, jam-packed with jewelry, carvings, paintings, clothing, baskets, leather goods, drums, just about everything you can imagine! A riot of color and sound, with people calling out to you, beckoning you to come take a short look at what they have to offer. It can get a little bit suffocating, to be honest. Bargaining is commonly the way to shop, too. "Come, Madame, I...

There’s an old saying that man plans and God laughs. I dare say God had more than one belly-laugh at us as we came home from Logba Tota. We were headed home a day early because Rev. James was battling malaria and clearly needed rest. While we hated to miss out on the things that had been set aside for us to see and do on Friday, we realized that it gave us a golden opportunity to return to Potwabin and finish setting up the water purifier there! As we headed southward toward Tema, the four of us began making our plans. We decided that we’d ask Chief Takyi & Pastor Johnson to go with us, and that we’d need the van – but with just 6 people, we ought to be able to leave very early. We reasoned that we could buy a loaf of sweet bread to share for breakfast – that way we might even be able to leave early enough to beat rush-hour traffic as we went through Accra, right? And we could eat lunch at a restaurant in Mankessim – no need for anybody to cook for us. So satisfied with our plan…we...