So, I’m back from my trip. When people ask, “How was it?” I usually start by saying, “Well … it was amazing!” while secretly wishing I could teleport them to Ghana for a month or give them a pill to instantly transfer my experience into their soul.

At times my trip feels like a dream. I can’t believe I was actually there, bartering in the marketplace, roaming the jungle canopy, weighing babies in the Jukwa health clinic, and being chilled by the feeling of death in a slave dungeon. I ate fufu on a bench in a back alley, hand-washed my clothes, and debated same-sex marriage with the village chief. The list of wild, life-changing experiences is endless.

My perceptions of myself have changed. First and foremost, I now realize and accept the comforts and opportunities of American society I have enjoyed for 24 years, and, yes, I wish to continue to enjoy them. I am 100% more grateful for a working sink and toilet, hot showers, high-speed Internet, paved roads, and more. I will never look at these the same way again.

With the advantages I’ve had growing up, I now believe there is no excuse for me personally not to pursue my dreams. My confidence in my ability to go anywhere, immerse myself in any situation, and still remain true to who I am grew immensely because of my trip. I will take this confidence into my relationships, jobs, and travels from here forward. As Kwame Apiah, my in-country host and now my great friend, always told me: “Those who give sunlight will never be deprived of the sun itself.”

Erik Mohn, a former UUA staff member, visited Ghana in 2011 as a volunteer with Amizade, a nonprofit organization. A local friend took him to the village of Anhwiam, where residents had to rely on contaminated river water for all their daily needs. After his return, Erik used social media to seek money to fix Anhwiam’s broken water pipe. He raised the necessary $2,500 in two months and the pipe was fixed in three.

His travel to Ghana changed Erik’s view of himself…and more. It empowered him to change the world in a positive way for the 600 residents of Anhwiam who now, once again, have clean water and for others outside Ghana who wanted to help.

Wondering Questions

• Have you ever taken a trip to someplace new, where you immersed yourself in another culture?
• What did you learn about yourself or the needs of others?
• How have you used the knowledge you gathered to help make the world a better place?

Additional Activities

• Download the Spring 2014 UUWorld Families Pages (pdf) for more activities.
• Originally published in the “Families Weave a Tapestry of Faith” insert in The UUWorld.