Every morning, after Gary's bike ride, we walk along the jungle trails on various routes around our complex. The natives have gotten used to the weird obrunis walking for exercise, which they think is very strange. When we pass any African, they are usually scowling, looking down and acting as if we are invisible. Then we greet them and a huge smile crosses their faces and they are truly pleased that we have taken the time to say hello. Several weeks ago we ago we met a young man named Robert. We usually just say, "Etasane" (meaning how are you this morning?). They smile and respond "Eyah" (meaning fine, thank you). This young man was unusually alkative although his English was not very good. He wanted to know where we lived and asked if he could visit us sometime. Of course we said yes and then went on our way. A few days later, we ran into him again. He said again that he would visit us. They all say that so we thought nothing of it.
The next day, there was a knock at our door and it was Robert. We invited him in, gave him water to drink (always offered in Ghana), and learned he was 16, going to school, plans to become a doctor, gets good grades, is an only child (unusual in Sunyani), and that his parents are farmers. This all was learned through his very limited English and our even more limited Twi. He is a very handsome young man and is extremely quiet, polite and soft-spoken. He then abruptly stood up and said, "I am going now. I will be back tomorrow to study." We didn't quite get the whole scenario or what was going down, but Gary gave him a missionary color pamphlet and he left.
The next evening at exactly 6:30 pm there was a knock at our door. It was Robert, still in his school uniform and with two science books and our brochure in his hands. He sat down and opened the pamphlet, that he had marked and underlined. He asked Gary about Melchizedek and where it was in the Bible. Then the two of them researched it out. Gary said he has never seen a missionary brochure so studied. Then Robert sat down on the sofa and proceeded to silently study his science for an hour and a half. We really didn't know what to do, so Gary read his Ipad, US News & World Report, and I did some busy work. We finally figured out that his family doesn't have any electricity and he wants to continue to study after it gets dark, always at 6:30 pm in Ghana. I couldn't help but think of my mother and how she would be so impressed that a 16 year-old African boy would have such a desire to get an education. We will be certain to welcome him and let him study here, but we do need to set some ground rules.
Gary laughed at me when I gave him a little flashlight to help him find his way home. I guess it was kind of silly as he's been finding his way home in the dark for years. I figured maybe he could use the flashlight to study after he gets home.
Now, every night at 6:30 pm, Robert appears at our door, comes in and talks to Gary about the Church for a few minutes, then sits down at our table and studies: English, science, and computer (which he has never even touched-just reads about). He doesn't make a peep, rarely even looks up, until 8 pm, when he stands up, thanks us and leaves.
We have now learned he has no parents, and lives with an aunt somewhere out in the bush about 20 minutes walk from our place. The missionaries have been coming a couple of times a week and giving him the lessons before he studies and he has tons of really amazing questions. With the dedication and perseverance he demonstrates each evening, we just hope and pray he will really be able to go on with his schooling and not slip through the woodwork like so many of Africa's children.
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