some African thoughts

Well, as you know - I made it! Hurrah! It's been a pretty jam packed full 4 days, but is going generally well. I had my camera and memory cards stolen on Thursday from my room in the home I'm staying in, so that was pretty upsetting to me and since I haven't been sure how to handle it or approach it with my host mother. There was someone in fixing the lock on my door that day while I was out - and I was in a hurry when I left so I didn't put the camera away in a safe spot, but the memory cards were still in my bag. Anyway, it's been on my mind so I thought I'd share. Please pray for clarity.
Other than that, things have been good. I'm living in quite a wealthy neighbourhood so it hasn't been what I was expecting at all. Definitely not up to 'western standards' but much nicer than any of us were expecting. Accra seems to be quite a wealthy city in general, though. However, I did have my first real glimpse at true poverty today as we drove through a stricken neighbourhood in our taxi. Broken tin siding used as walls and roofs, wooden shacks, dirt and dust everywhere, children peeing at the side of the road - not even into the gutters, other children running here and there, people sitting together in their 'open homes', laundry hanging, women at the water pump filling buckets, the whole shabang. It was good for me to see. But it made me think about the wealth of so many people here and the nice life they live. I thought "how could they live like that while so many others are living like this? How could they drive by this every day, with children begging at the cars, etc, and do nothing about it?" I thought on that for awhile, and then I had this sudden realization that we, I, are doing no different. How many times in Kingston do I walk past the homeless people sitting on the side of the street and at best, just acknowledge them and reject their request for money. How many times do we, have I, walked by with bags of fresh groceries and not offered them something to eat? How much of a hypocrite am I for having judged these African people for not taking care of their own, when we who live with so much more, do nothing to help our own people. How do we do it? I've been thinking about it at a lot - and I've come up with nothing. But I thought I'd share these thoughts with you.
Well, I'd best go - but thanks for all your words of encouragement. I hope you are well. Thanks for your prayers - I start at the orphanage tomorrow and am very excited. Pray that my heart would be open to love these children in a way the need.
Thanks all.
With love.
T