Long week. Short post. Mostly photos. Really excited show my family around Ghana (yay!). Thankful to God for giving me strength this week, for new and old friends here and in the US, and for the kiddos’ laughter.

Prayer requests: a couple new boys were rescued by the IJM and brought to CORM this past week – please pray for them as they transition and heal; safe travels for my family; my physical health; adjusting and learning more about life in Ghana; healing for Mercy who is still experiencing a lot of medical complications.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. 
The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Psalm 28:7-8

A for Accra, Afienya, Ashaiman

This past weekend, Brandon, another US volunteer, and I ventured to Ghana’s capital city, Accra, via TroTro (mini buses used for public transportation). To get there, we made some stops in Afienya and Ashaiman. Transitioning from one TroTro to another included lots of shouting, pushing through busy streets and shops, and being the only white and Asian person in the crowd. Still, it was definitely a fun adventure just exploring with no scheduled agenda, stopping to see parks, enjoy artwork, and eat fan ice wherever we wanted. Within Accra, we visited the history of Kwame Nkruma Memorial Park, the creativity of the Arts and Culture Center, the tranquility (but unfortunate amount of trash) of Osikan Beach, the craziness of Makola, and the nightlife of Osu. We also stopped at the University of Ghana on Sunday morning to visit 2 of the older CORM kids (Rosemary and Grace) and attend their church service. It’s amazing that even so many miles away, college students experience the same thing – dorms and roommates, trying to work out a good class schedule, and of course, the dilemma of buying lunch to save time or saving a buck by cooking your own food.

B for spelling Bee

Faith Roots International Academy (FRIA) hosts a spelling bee every year, and the finals were on Friday. As I was helping the kiddos study, I realized that Americans pronounce their words really differently from Ghanaians. To quote little Joanna when I was helping her: “The way you say things is just confusing me!”

C for Community Health Evangelism (CHE) and Cooking

Last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were dedicated to meeting with the Shai Hill leaders nearby and conducting a vision session with them. Led by Dr. Troy, the goal was to introduce CHE and understand what health projects these leaders care about for their community. The CHE model integrates evangelism discipleship with community health and development. A key focus with the leaders this week was the internal community ownership and initiative required for sustainable development, rather than relying on external short term relief. While change does take time, even seeing the interest and engagement of the Shai Hills leaders was incredible and encouraging.

Thursday was dedicated to making sugar cookies and cutting out little hearts for a small party hosted by Dr. Troy (who was a bachelor for the evening as his lovely wife, Jammie, is in the US visiting family). Other non-Ghanaian food made this past week – bowl of Gomtang ramen with furikake, chicken noodle soup, and spaghetti with garlic herb tomato sauce.

Prayer Requests:

For Jammie as she’s spending time with family in the US, for the kiddos and their exams this week, for the health of the volunteers/staff members (a few of us are sick), for Mercy and Abigail’s health, and for me to balance completing my responsibilities/work and spending time with the kiddos.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

Thanks for reading! Here are some time lapse vids and fotos
[PS check out Brandon’s photography Instagram!] :

Hi everyone! I made it to Ghana and am back at City of Refuge 😀 it’s been a busy week since Autumn and Richard’s wedding was this past Saturday (YAY! Some photos & vids from the festivities below) but as always, it was like coming home to a huge loving family.

A few other highlights…

*This was my first time celebrating the Lunar New Year so far away, so Pastor Johnbull, Stacy, and several of the kiddos learned a few Chinese words and popped out some ice cream in honor of the holiday.

*After church this week, we had another lunch party celebrating Autumn and Richard’s wedding. Lots of dancing and food and music!

*Sleep! I’ve hit my sleep goal almost every day since I’ve been here. It’s been nice to feel fully rested when I wake up.

*Just hanging with all the little kiddos (and not so little kiddos) here. Some of the older ones who are now living away for Senior High School came back just for the weekend to attend the wedding. Reunions everywhere!

All in all, I’m doing well, feeling loved, and settling in. My body is still adjusting to the heat, but otherwise God has been so good in keeping me healthy.

Prayer Requests…

For the kiddos and their health, for Richard & Autumn as they’re on their honeymoon, for Jammie (the Assistant Medical Director here at CORM) as she travels back to the U.S. to visit her dad, and for Mercy and Abigail who are experience complications/pain due to sickle cell

For no matter how many promises God made, they are “yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 1:20

Thanks for checkin’ in 🙂 Here are some pictures / videos so you can see through my eyes:

Welcome! I’m new to this whole blog thing, but I figured it would be good to have a place to share my volunteer and travel experiences over the next few months. I’ll be staying primarily at the City of Refuge [Ghana], with a couple pop ins to Asante Africa and Turkey between February and May. Join my adventure here!

Message me if you’d like to learn more about how you can pray for me or support me financially. Ways to donate: checks, Venmo (@Mindy-Leung), and I have a GoFundMe set up (but the site takes a portion of the donation). I also take cash munnies if you want to go that route… 🙂 You can also just make donations directly to the organization on their websites, which will not be specific to my trip, but is tax deductible!

A little more detail…

This coming February, I’ll have the God given opportunity to head back to Ghana (West Africa) for about 3 months and spend more time with the kids and staff at City of Refuge Ministries. This door to pursue my passion to serve and love these Ghanaian children has been opened wide, and I’m so excited to continue my journey with CORM. 

CORM exists to provide holistic restoration for children who have been liberated from exploitation, abuse, or trafficking, and aims to prevent exploitation at its roots by empowering individuals and communities to eradicate child slavery and achieve personal and community goals. You can read all about CORM on their website (cityofrefugeoutreach.org).

I will be using my time there to love these liberated children, support the development of the local community and single mothers, and living daily life, from teaching Bible studies to small business brainstorming to washing dishes with the aunties in the kitchen. This will be my 4th time in Ghana and 3rd trip volunteering with CORM, so it will be like going home to 50 little siblings. These youngsters have captured my heart over and over again, and the staff and volunteers have become my brethren in serving God and others and stewarding our resources to end child slavery and raise up the next generation. 

Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him. — C.S. Lewis