Bad day

Okay, I know you are all scratching your heads...but yes...of my 5 weeks here, I have not met people who I have not enjoyed....until the day we left for the coast.
This will be short...because there are so many fun things to share about our trip to Cape Coast.
However it started with a twist of Ghana we had not seen before.
We decided to take an AC Ford van for our 2 1/2 hour ride to the coast. People we knew had done it, so we were game.
As you drive around Ghana, there are street vendors galore walking the in the roads, and along side the road. They of course want you to buy things, but with a smile and a "no thank you" or a " that is nice, but not today" works and they walk on to the next person.
Not this day. We were told that the station where you catch the van was a busy place and to tell anyone who offers to help you with your bags, "no thanks, I have them"
IN a WHIRL of traffic we pulled up to the station (picture thousands of people, street lined with big buses and vans and vendors all shouting to get you to look at what they are selling)
A group of men stepped up to my window as the taxi stopped, a short conversation happened, and before I knew it on of the guys was touching my arm through the window.
I told him "Please do not touch me" and we started to get out.
Trying to keep the kids safe from the traffic (that DOES NOT stop for people...not even kidding....people RUN fast to cross places) keeping my purse around my neck, dodging the guys who were still persisting to "help us" I walked to the back of the taxi.
Dave opened the back, reached his hand in to get our bag and in a very slow motion type of moment I see Dave spin around, grab the guys hand out of Dave's shorts pocket and say "Hey, get your hand out of my Pocket" the guy instantly went into a very amazing amount of American swear words, dancing all around Dave in his face.
In the same moment a second guy behind Dave had his hand on Dave's other pocket....it became very clear that they were working as a team to get and steal what they wanted by causing confustion and a scene.
It felt like mins of HUGE adreniline rushing through us as we tried to navigate our way AWAY from these men.
NOTHING was stolen....and due to my awesome husband and his ability to hold his temper and keep calm in a very CRAZY situation...we ended up be shaken but fine.
At one point I was praying out loud....as the guy was raging around....we needed protection and that is what we got!
We found the van....after two tries of walking in the wrong direction.....sat in the van for two hours waiting for it to "fill up" with people so we could leave.
During that time, we met a very nice man named George,...who gave our kids cookies and distracted us from the "bad day"
During that two hours....vendors passed by every second and wanted us to buy some thing from them...you can imagine that at that point we were not to excited to talk to them....they were probably like ALL the wonder people from Ghana we have met...but we were alittle shaken.
This is a picture I took from sitting inside the van while we waited.


WE DID MAKE IT TO THE COAST.....enjoy the next few blog entries of our great time...but this is how it started.
Praise the Lord that His mighty hand is always on us...even when it is a bit wild!