Giving Thanks...

I finally got some sound shut-eye last night for the first time since I have been in the States and even though it was divided by two hours of bright-eye in the middle—I do feel like I was at least able to get some rest. So, it’s looking hopeful that I am finally pulling out of the jetlag.

Every time I am fortunate enough to travel to other cultures beyond my own, I always come home with a deeper appreciation for those many things I’ve come to enjoy while taking them for granted on a pretty regular basis. I take them for granted not because I am bad, but just because for the most part they are so familiar to me. After all, it’s easy to be aware and conscious of another’s need when you travel to places where life is simply about surviving another day.

So here are some things that I have been thankful for since getting home…

First, I have nine reasons to give thanks—

For the nine little red mosquito bumps that dot Zoe’s body from a little romping around in the grass.

Why? Well, because since I live in America, I don’t really have to worry if one of those bites on my daughter carried Malaria to her. After all, Malaria kills more children than any other health crisis including HIV/AIDS.

Tenth reason to give thanks…clean water.

The other night as soon as we had gotten all of the luggage out of the car, I decided to give Zoe a bath after a full day of travel. As soon as I turned on the faucet brown water began flooding into the tub. Zoe standing there naked and ready to get in…
It was such a surreal moment—immediately I decided that my child was not getting in that water while at the same time my mind was taken back to the rural clay roads and muddy stagnant watering holes that just days earlier I had seen people fetching their drinking water and filling larger containers to take home.
I called out to Matt—“This water in here is brown!” “It’s okay Elizabeth, it’s just sediment from the pipes sitting. It’ll clear up in just a second.” And it did.

Soon Zoe did not just have clean clear water running, but it was warm as well.

The eleventh reason to give thanks…warm water.

As I bathed my child in warm clean water, I still could not shake the feelings that came along with seeing that brown water filling into my bathtub. As Zoe played and splashed and we smiled back and forth at one another, I couldn’t help, but notice the stark difference between what my child has and what other children around the world have. This bath water was not only clean, but warm as well and it will be that way day after day after day. Then one more thing hit me…this clean water that my child plays in right now—she nor myself is even going to drink it, but instead when she’s finished with it we will open the drain and when we need or want clean water again we always know where to find it.


Just some thoughts as I process being home. I know these issues are hard issues and by all means they are not intended to make you or me feel guilty for having clean water or even being an American. But, these are issues that we must continue to address nonetheless and honestly these are just the fragmented thoughts that have been swirling around my jetlagged head since I’ve gotten home.

As promised…beginning Monday, we will start sharing more of our day-by-day journey in Ghana. We appreciate all of your patience as you so eagerly wait to know the details and those we so eagerly desire to share, but first as we try to make our base here at home once again.