Happy New Year! This November marked eleven years since we met the girls. That first trip was in 2013: one US dollar was the equivalent of two Ghanaian cedis. Now one dollar amounts to fourteen cedis. The economy has its ups and downs, much like ours in the United States, and I am astonished by how much Ghana changes between visits. More skyscrapers, four-star hotels, and (most importantly) a Pizza Hut. Of course, the biggest transformation is within the walls of the Yellow House: as of next month (January 2025), we will have EIGHT HIGH SCHOOLERS. They are all doing well. Flourishing in school, not only academically but socially. They are on their way to adulthood, and we are entering the final years of fundraising. 

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Dear Friends,

This was a big year for Eight Oaks for many reasons: chief among them the fact that we celebrated the ten-year anniversary of meeting the girls this November! Some of you have been with us since the beginning, and others are new members of our family. Regardless of when you arrived, we are grateful for your partnership. 

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Another year has come and gone. The girls are doing wonderfully. Sarah Jr. and Gloria were baptized and received new white church dresses, as is the tradition in Ghana. Lucky and Sarah Jr. are playing volleyball for the school team. Sarah Sr., Dina, God’s Way, and Richlove, will start high school this spring, and Lucky, Regina, Sarah Jr., and Gloria are in various stages of middle school. Modern technology is a mixed bag, but we are grateful every day for the chance to text with Mercy and Bernard on a regular basis, and to see the pictures they send. Next year we will celebrate 10 years since The Yellow House became fully operational–can you believe it? 

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