Child of Excellence Primary School
Keeping you informed of the progress, happenings and events at Child of Excellence Primary School!Kirk and Christine
Travel Blog Posts
May 1st 2012
It has been over one year since my last blog entry. I wasn’t even sure I would still have access to the site. As we begin each new year we generally have a hope, idea and/or anticipation of basic events to come concerning family and work. The events of 2011 turned out to be very different from what Kirk and I had anticipated. In April 2011 my father informed me that he had been diagnosed with cancer - stage 4 - and asked if I would come home. May 8th Kirk took me to the airport and for the next six months he played the roll of “Mr. Mom”. Chemo treatments began within the month and continued through September. My father had a good summer despite the fact that chemo had no real effect on the ... read more
May 29th 2011
My mother came for a visit and got her monies worth in stories to take back home. April seemed to be a month of surprises and shifting sands. I’ll mention just a few. After a night of torrential rains I and three others set out in the wee hours of the morning. We drove through unfamiliar, rural territory, up and down hills on 2 track dirt roads all the while wondering if my SUV was going to make it through the next water logged valley. We were driving for hours through a place with no cars, no houses, no villages, and no phone reception. Why? To make a long story short ... a special girl, in a desperate situation, needed special help. Our efforts paid off and we had a happy ending to a very stressing ... read more
February 20th 2011
His skin has a little more color than what I saw in his pictures many years ago. The hair a little shorter with more of a tendency to curl. Now with a wife (who also has a lot of color) and young children. He’s not in Kansas or hiding in Cincinnati. How clever to hide himself in the center of this West African country. Nobody thought to look here … We met him at a teachers conference (of all places). He received his bible training in the same organization Kirk and I attended - Youth With A Mission. We are of the same mind, motivation and spirit. We look forward to working with him in the future. We found … Elvis! ******************************** The kids in our house have a strong desire to do evangelism. After a ... read more
February 14th 2011
“Tropical Blend” is something we generally relate to fruit juice. Kirk and I live and work in the tropical rainforest areas of Ghana. Our Ghanaian family is quite a blend of tribes, cultures and languages. African Tribes: Kusasi (from the north), Ewe (from the east), Wangalla (upper east), Ashanti (central Ghana), Fante (central coastal area). The nine of us come from EIGHT different families. 8 different families 6 different regions 6 different languages 2 different continents and 4 different countries Wow! All under one roof -- well that is … once we get a roof. That’s still a job in progress. The variety of people we have in our house took my mind wondering around our neighborhood. In our cluster of 5 houses (42yrd X 60something) I began to question; How many people actually live ... read more
February 4th 2011
Dear Friends I want to begin with a HUGE thank you to those who have so generously offered to help purchase and ship educational materials. Kirk, Praise and I are in the capitol city for a few days. Friday evening I meet with Christy - the 2nd grade teacher who has visited us in Apebouso a few times. I asked her advice on the additional materials so as to maximize your donations. Before leaving this “Wireless Network” zone, I hope to order and ship the best choice in resources. Thank you again. What life changing gifts you have given. If you have not received information regarding donation particulars, please let us know. ******************************************** … That evening, I overheard him say, “A What? I don’t know what to say … Excuse me, I’m picking myself up off ... read more
January 18th 2011
Wow, thank you for your comments and messages to the last postings. They are so important to us. Reading them takes our hearts "back home". "Home" is always a nice place to be. Thank you (smile) ***************** Creativity and Flexibility are key to surviving life in another culture. I’m not always so good at it but this time I think I’ve got a good idea. I need your help to pull it off. As we mentioned, last semester Praise was enrolled at a school in the town of Dunkwa. Sparing you all the grueling details, I'll simply say, "that didn’t work out". He is happy to be home schooling again and I'm happy to have him back. As I return to the classroom in the village of Apebouso Praise will accompany me. We have purchased all ... read more
January 14th 2011
Hoping for a "photo blog" as an update. Here goes ... 4th, 5th, 6th grades were invited to church in town to perform their Christmas play "The Birth of Christ". The 'cast' squeezed into our house for the night. We were really on overflow. It was a great time for all of us! They did amazingly well. Lots of giggles. Lots of laughs and no mistake (smile). The best little house mouse we ever had became our Christmas Mouse. It was such a good little mouse but non-the-less a mouse in the house. Kirk had tried to trap the little thing for months to no avail. Then one day, I found it lieing peacefully under our tiny table top christmas tree and next to "Sandy" the puppy in a basket. I fear if I delay posting ... read more
January 14th 2011
I thought I finally had an internet connection strong enough to post this. But ... I've been trying for the past hour ... this is my fourth attempt.... If it doesn't post this time I'm outta here! I REALLY want to post photos but that is where the problems intensify... ************************************** November 2010 School days continue. We have one more teacher added to the staff, making us three in all. We come from different routines and have varied teaching styles. It will take time to figure out how to blend together. In these early days we seem to flow without tensions. I take this as a good sign of things to come I took Thanksgiving week off. Though we don’t live in the US Kirk and I still like to celebrate this American holiday. We had ... read more
November 7th 2010
I and Praise visited the village of Apebouso on Friday. Saddly, it was not a pleasant visit. This weekend I am faced with dreaded battles… I struggle with what to say to you. I want to protect you, mostly those who have visited us, the pain of knowing. At the same time I somehow feel obligated to inform you. In the past 5yrs I have invested so much of myself in the lives of the students in this village. In a sense I consider them my children. Last Thursday morning one of them was “snatched away”. Prince (Daniel’s brother and youngest son of the chief) took his own life. These situations are complicated and raise a multitude of questions. I asked if he had been talking about it. “Yes,” they say, “But nobody took him seriously”. ... read more
October 30th 2010
Last week, when I visited the village of Apebouso, I met A TEACHER! “Teacher Eric” seems to be a nice young. I’m hoping my first impressions of him are true. A young woman was due to arrive Wednesday. Initially, there were three teachers posted but upon receiving his posting notice one of the three quickly applied for a transfer. Teacher Eric says he cried when he received his notice but was determined to succeed. He was thrilled when he met the children and witnessed their own dedication and ability to speak English. I hope together we can continue something good. A certain man, known around town as “Grandpa”, has a Saturday morning reading program. His aim is to encourage students to read. He broadcasts from our local radio station, Spark FM, with 15 students from primary ... read more
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