Three months ago, Vincent and I along with some visiting YLI board members, stood around a pile of dirt and debris which was the remains of Vincent’s first attempt at building a basketball court here in Kumasi. A retaining wall, constructed to level the surface where the court would be built, had collapsed and the project stalled along with it.
It was discouraging for Vincent, but it was also clearly only a setback- not defeat. Many of the materials were still salvageable, and we all felt strongly that this vision to introduce Ghanaian kids to basketball was inspired by God, and would succeed in His time.
Today, we visited the same site, where a few weeks ago four young men, equipped only with hammers and chisels, dug through a slope of rock (in areas over four feet in depth!) to level the building surface another way – digging down. The setback has been overcome and we move forward again, now with a more solid foundation.
When funds for some additional cement, gravel and steel are raised, the court will be poured and the basketball league for Kumasi’s youth will begin. I will upload some photos above from today’s visit, and what a great afternoon this has been.
Thanks for the update. I am really enjoying following you guys on your trip. Where’s Fran?!