The first few days... lots of travel!

Hello from Banda!  If you look at Google maps (satellite version) you'll see there's not much here. Find Techiman and we are about 1.5 hrs northwest from there. And even things that look close are mostly on dirt roads so the travel time is much longer. 

The first three days were full of travel and preparation for the medical/dental clinics. After 24 hours on planes and in airports we arrived at Accra headquarters. Although South Africa offers a good experience, modern air travel involves being packed in a large plane like sardines with little ability to stretch out or lie down. After finally reaching our first destination we were all quite happy to lie flat on our backs for a good nap. Following our rest, we still had plenty of time to prepare for the dental clinics before turning in for the night.

Monday was the VERY loooonnnnnnggg journey from Accra to Banda. There has been a lot of improvement to the roads since we were last here in 2012. The president currently in office is being condemned for this because people are still in need. But his belief is that the economy cannot improve without good infrastructure. He must be on to something because at a glance the country seems to be in better shape.

Even with the roads...with traffic and speed bumps at every town and village, it was still 10 hours to traverse the 250 miles to Banda. We love the street vendors in the cities. You can buy anything from phone cards to plantain chips from the bus window. Gary even bought us all ice cream in a pouch. We called the street vendor over just as traffic began to move again. He ran as far as s 1/2 mile to finish that sale!  

All in all our travels have been pleasant, safe and uneventful. We are so thankful for that. Prayer:  Dear God, we thank you for our safe travels and for the privilege of the job you have set before us. May we represent you well in this region.