Day Seven: Ame

      Meet Ame. When we found Ame, he was working on a boat untangling fishing nets. We took him off his boat and brought him to ours. Yet there was no sense of excitement on him face. Instead, he was just worried. Ame is the one kid we saw the most change in. He went from worried, to giddy and happy. On the long drive home from Lake Volta back to The Fathers House, Ame didn’t say a word. Seriously. We gave him yummy snacks and water, sang songs and tried our bests to get some sort of emotion out of him. We got nothing. As we pulled into Keta, and saw the fishing boats in the lagoon, Ame asked if this is where he was going to be working. We quickly explained no, that we were going to his new home. Makes me wonder if Ame was sold and moved to different islands before. 

When, we got to The Fathers House the very first thing I saw when the boys were running in their room was this BIG HUGE SMILE on Ame’s face. He laid in his bed, and just smiled. Somehow the 15 hour car ride to Lake Volta, and the 15 hour car ride back didn’t seem so long anymore. The heat of Ghana, and the dirt in my hair didn’t even bother me. All I could think about at that moment, was that smile. The smile that nothing but a bunk bed, in a safe house could bring. I still have to pinch myself that I got to witness that. So crazy. I hope to go back, and I hope to see Ame as the most talkative, animated, and happy boy of the bunch.  

-Madi