Dear Theophilus:: September 2003

Mission Trip FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

by Dana Hwang

"So how was it…how was your mission trip?" is the burning question people have been asking me. It's a loaded question that I still don't quite know how to answer. How do I capture five weeks of my mission trip to Ghana into a few words? For a lack of a better response, I usually smile, then nod, followed simply by a "Good!" It's often difficult to know where to begin in sharing about my trip. So, instead of me just sharing random ideas and thoughts, I've asked people to ask me specific questions regarding my mission trip. Here are some frequently asked questions:

1. Which mission agency did you go with? Did you go with a team?
My friend Betty and I went together with a mission agency called Rafiki (which means "friend" in Swahili). We were there with two other short-term missionaries for two of the five weeks.

2. What did you do there?
We spent time in an orphanage built and operated by The Rafiki Foundation. Since the children started summer vacation as soon as we arrived, we spent a good amount of time with them. We had a structured, daily schedule with different age groups throughout the day. In the mornings, we had a VBS format with the pre-schoolers and then with the school-aged children. Our afternoons were spent reading with the younger children, tutoring the older children and playing with the toddlers on the playground. Every night we would go to a different cottage to read bedtime stories and pray with them. We also helped them with their chores, took them fishing and watched Disney movies together…yes, we had electricity!

3. How many children were there? How old were they?
There were 43 children ranging from 3 months to 11 year-olds. They are building the compound so that they can eventually house 180 children in the Rafiki Village!

4. How did you communicate with them? Did you have to learn…what do they speak there?
We spoke English with the children. Many Ghanaians speak English because Ghana used to be a British colony. We learned some of the local dialect. They referred to themselves as obibini, which means "black" and they called us obruni, meaning "white" (which is what they thought we were).

5. How many of the children have AIDS?
None of the children had AIDS. Some were orphaned as a result of AIDS, meaning that their parents have died of AIDS. Rafiki's vision is to raise up godly leaders and contributors for the world. In order to accomplish this vision, they screen the children to be certain that the children are not infected with the AIDS virus.

6. What were the children like?
The children were like any other children. They were energetic and cheerful. They enjoyed the hugs and the kisses we lavished them with. We taught them the Korean word for kiss and would often get wet, juicy kisses on our cheeks. They were jealous for our attention, wanting for us to recognize and praise them. Their favorite thing to say was, "Auntie Dana, see me!"

7. What did you eat?
The Ghanian staple is a starch-filled root called cassava, which has a similar texture as potatoes. We had many different forms of cassava almost everyday. We ate it boiled, baked, fried, fermented, ground up, which was usually poured over with some kind of a stew! Our favorite Ghanaian food was jollof rice, which is like rice pilaf or fried rice.

8. Was it hard to leave the children?
Without a doubt. We grew very attached to the children and they with us. They certainly enjoyed the energy that we had for them. We were the youngest short-term missionaries that they had encountered!

9. What lesson did God teach you through your trip?
God allowed me to see and experience Him as a loving and compassionate Father, who takes care of His precious ones. Though they were orphaned, destitute and poor (physically, emotionally and spiritually), God has turned their sorrow into joy, by providing them with a loving environment where they can grow and flourish…perhaps in ways that they wouldn't if they hadn't been orphaned.

10. Will you go back to Ghana? Do you feel like God is calling you to be there?
I would hope to go back and visit the children one day…to see how they are growing and maturing in Christ. As much as I enjoyed every moment at the Rafiki Village, I don't feel that God is calling me to Ghana.

11. How is God leading you in terms of missions?
At the moment, I am uncertain about how God wants to use me in terms of missions. I am still thinking and praying about my role and perhaps where I need to go. But no matter "where" I end up, God has definitely expanded my heart for the lost and for the gospel to be proclaimed. I want to be where lives are being changed and people are won over to Christ.