Two days till take off...

Wow...in two days we will be leaving the US.  I have been out of the country 5 times before - twice to Europe and 3 times to Ghana - but this is by far the longest I've been away!  I am going to Ghana for 10 weeks.  The next longest I've been away was 3.5 weeks to Ghana in Dec/January 2004.  

At my graduation party from Concordia University - St. Paul, Minnesota I told the choir director, Dr. David Mennicke, that he should consider taking Christus Chorus to Ghana in 2008.  The choir travels abroad every 4 years.  We went to Germany, Poland and Czech Republic in 2004 and had a great time.  I told Dr. Mennicke if he decided to take the choir to Ghana I would set up the entire tour for them and lead them around the country.  Over the next two years I regularly sent him emails with powerpoint presentations on Ghana, pictures of Ghana, music from Ghana, possible itineraries, etc.  And in June 2007 I received an email that the choir and Dr. Mennicke had decided to go to Ghana!  I began planning the tour right away.  In January of 2008 Dr. Mennicke and I went to Ghana for 1 week to meet with many of the performance venues we would be performing at and visit many of the tourist sites we would take the choir to.  

Now, everything is set and we are leaving in two days!  After the choir tour (May 27) Audrey, my wife, and the choir will return to the US and leave me in Ghana!  I will stay until July 21st doing an internship with West Africa AIDS Foundation.  I'm not sure what I'll be doing or where I'll be living....so this will truly be an adventure!

I'll be sharing my experiences and lots of pictures on this blog so check it out regularly!  I'll see all of you (that I know!) in late July!  I'll miss you!  Keep us in your prayers!