This Is What's Up!

I'm going to Ghana! But truth be told, it will only be with your help. Let me give you the low down!

First, a tiny bit about me. I'm currently a student at Utah State University. I am working on a double major of Anthropology and International Studies. My plan after graduation is to work with humanitarian groups. To get myself through school, I've been working whenever I can. My current job is working in home with my new friends who are disabled. It definitely has some intense challenges, but overall it has been amazing. That's the quick and dirty. There will certainly be more to follow.

Now, about Ghana. My obsession with Africa began about a year ago when I stumbled upon a showing of an Invisible Children movie (please visit www.invisiblechildren.com). This film is about a war that has been raging in Uganda (East Africa) for over 22 years. I'll definitely be talking about this more later. I realized there and then there was a huge world out there, and I wanted to be a part of it. I had been studying Anthropology (The holistic study of humans, my focus being culture) because I decided the only thing I found interesting enough to study was people. To me they have always been the most important thing. When these combined, I realized my calling: Understanding people and creating better circumstances wherever I can. Though I try to do this everyday (not always succeeding), I started thinking about serving in Africa. It started by learning about Africa, then by looking at places I could serve, and after much research, I signed up to go to Ghana with Village Volunteers! (www.villagevolunteers.org) I started thinking I would just work towards it, loving the changes taking place in me as I worked towards what I knew was impossible; trying new things, pushing myself farther, and constantly focusing on Africa rather than the trials of my own life.

A few days ago, though, reality hit. I realized I'd been putting off one of the biggest challenges of this trip: finances. I was so scared by the thought, my way of dealing with it was by not. I kept rolling around abstract ideas that I would do later, setting unrealistic goals and letting them slip while I focused on things I felt I could I control (shots, passport, etc). And now here I am, hoping to leave in three months and no real significant portion of my funds to speak of. I finally decided I should start coping with the fact this dream might not come true. This to me was more devastating then I thought it could be. I pretty much became incapacitated by this fact, essentially only leaving my house for classes I couldn't possibly afford to miss and to go to work. I decided the only way to pull out of this was to give myself back the only reason I'd been getting out of bed: Africa. I decided it was time to ask for help. And after letting my family in on what has been going on, my brother encouraged me to start this. To set a place where I can share with others my passion and keep them posted on the funds he assured me we could raise together. So thank you Dan, and thanks to all of you who are here to help me help the Children of Africa!!!