Africa 8

We have finished up our time at the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu. It was a wonderful month, full of great memories, and tons of learning. God really blessed both of us during our time there. Then we had a few days to go to Mole, which is the Ghanaian game park. It is located in the northwest region of Ghana and is 4,000 square kilometers of protected area. It is not like going to a safari or anything, but it is beautiful and they have elephants....as you can see. On our way to Mole, we decided to rent a car and driver. As the park is very remote and the public buses are a little sketchy. We got a "deal" on a car that had no air conditioning, but was a 4 wheel drive, and looked ok on the outside. We had just gotten to probably the most remote spot on our drive, many miles in either direction from a village, and probably 30 miles from a town of any significance....when the car breaks down because the battery died. Of course being the pesimists that we are...we were already planning what we were going to do when it became dark. However, about 10 minutes after we broke down, God provided a bus that pulled over. The driver had a battery we could use, but did not know what to do with it. Then God provided a 2nd car with a mechanic inside. The first picture was taken with all the men outside working on the car. The "mechanic" then somehow jumped our car from the other car's battery....without any jumper cables! He then bolted some things down, poured water and rubbed vaseline over other things, and then hopped back in his car. So our car made it to Mole....of course on the return trip the hood came loose, the bumper fell off, and the transmission blew out....beware of "deals" in Ghana. God truly was looking out for us on this trip.

So once we did arrive to Mole, we found there was no running water and they are on a 12 hour scheduled blackout every other day (this is throughout the country due to low water supply for their hydroelectric power, so we were a little used to this). So no fans much less AC in 95+ degree weather. That being said....we went on 2 walking safari's. We saw various types of antelope, crocs, warthogs, monkeys, baboons, and elephants. In the 2nd photo, the elephants had come down to the watering hole for their daily baths. It was kind of scary/cool how close the guides let you get to the animals. The funniest part of the park is that the animals have no fences....NO FENCES! This means that you walk out to the restaurant to find monkeys have stolen the ketchup and there was an elephant going through the trash of the village while school children played nearby.

In the third picture you can see a few of the baboons that were wandering around in the forest and in the village. There are 600 elephants in the park and many more monkeys and baboons. Apparently there are also some lions and hyenas...but usually only tracks or carcasses are left as evidence of their presence.

The last photo was just last night at sunset. In the bottom of the picture you can see the watering hole and the rest of the park is in the distance. This morning we left Mole early to head to the airport in Tamale. Our in-country flight was an experience...a tiny non-pressurized plane that was fishtailing and bouncing in the air. We were very thankful to land safely. We are now in the capital city of Accra and will fly out tomorrow and get home sometime Sunday afternoon. Hopefully we will see some of you at church on Sunday night. Please pray for safe travel.