7th July - Rest in peace, John

I was deeply saddened this week, to hear of the passing of John, a man who my partner and I met during our recent trip to Ghana. Upon arrival at the orphanage, we were met outside by the cheeky grin of a gaunt looking man sat on the steps by the front door. Spotting my other half before he saw me, he immediately took her hand and asked if he could marry her (I don't blame him, I'm a lucky man), with a beaming smile on his face. "No," laughed the Bishop... "That's his job!" pointing towards me as we all chuckled. John, looking sheepish, respectfully shook my hand and giggled, and we all chortled over what had just happened.

Over the course of our time in Akosombo, we noticed that John would rarely join in with proceedings, and would spend most of his days laying on a thin mattress by the breeze of the front door to the building. The Bishop explained that John had endured a bout of health issues, and was malnutritioned, and fortunate to still be with us. "We nearly lost him," she recalled, emotionally, telling us of his recent admission into hospital. Consequently, John was now weak, and would spend his days resting as all around us rallied to keep him well hydrated and fed. 

However, by the time we left Africa, we headed home with a renewed sense of optimism over his condition, as on our final day, we were delighted to see John join in with the church service, up on his feet, singing, dancing, and looking spritely. "This is a miracle from God," declared The Bishop, and we left Ghana almost certain that the previously frail version of John we'd initially met, was now completely on the mend. But this week, we received the news that he had passed away, and leaves many beautiful children in this world, particularly the likes of Minister(s) William, and Junior, who we grew especially close to during our stay. We hope they now have the courage to face these times of sadness.