Life Update! Testimony Time

Akwaaba! Welcome! Welcome back!

I know it has been forever and a day! I’ve honestly just been caught up with living my best life in Ghana, soaking up the memories, trying to rest and adjusting to my new reality, which is the purpose of this blog post!

Let’s get into it! I graduated from college on May 15th 2021 with my BSc in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business and a minor in Spanish. Let’s back track a bit. Prior to graduating college, I had plans- none of them included going to graduate school this year. I wanted to take the year off, come to Ghana, explore, intern, volunteer, create content & just live. Well my African parents most definitely did not agree- no shocker there. I went through so many difficult conversations with my parents, so many tears, so much confusion. My mum became okay with me coming to Ghana for a year but my dad was just not for it. To be honest, my mum kept swaying from my side to my dad‘s depending on the day we spoke (another source of overwhelmedness for me).

We all agreed that admission needed to come with scholarships or some aid because graduate school isn’t cheap, especially as an international student who is obviously not a US citizen. I literally had to juggle finishing up undergrad projects, exams & figuring life out.

As the believer, I decided to go to God because there was nothing else. The tears weren’t going to do anything. I woke up one day and just decided to step out on faith and apply to graduate schools. I decided to apply to just two and let God do His thing. I applied to University of South Carolina (UofSC) and The George Washington University (GWU). I literally submitted the (UofSC) application with just 2 days to spare. That alone was stressful because as an international student, your application is so much more complex than the average US citizen. Thankfully GWU has rolling admission so I had a bit of room, although certain international student documents had to be submitted at a specific date.

After sending all these applications in, I decided to go on a 7-day fast. I literally told God that I was not sure what I wanted but I knew I wanted to be in Ghana and also do graduate school in the US. I asked Him to arrange the line up how He saw fit. Above all, I asked Him to provide. I reminded Him of how He came through for me when I was applying to college in the first place. I prayed, fasted & trusted. I told my parents, siblings & very few friends I had applied & asked them to pray with me. I am very thankful for the friends that Catawba gave me (Y’all know yourselves). I did not want to share the information so widely because I did not want the extended pressure from people. I knew they would be asking for updates and I just wanted the experience to be sacred. I wanted to silence the outside voices and focus on God. I did not want their questions to discourage me either.

During that week, God sent many people - my Econ professor, a lady who worked in admissions, a friend and even one of the podcasts I listen to (Healing Conversations) to encourage me & give me words they did not even know were touching me. That fast really gave me all the satisfaction & peace I needed. At the end of those 7 days, I felt confident in God’s plans for me even though I did not know how they would play out. I knew He would grant me my heart desire in alignment with His plans for me.

Well your girl got into both schools! Two out of two!! Won’t He do it?!!! The next step was the money for graduate school. At this point, I was back in Ghana after a super fun graduation trip to California & Mexico with my mum.

It was May 28th and I had until June 11th to secure my spot at GWU. I decided on that over UofSC although the latter is cheaper. (faith again!) For someone who was looking for scholarship, I had the nerve to still choose the expensive option 😂. June 11th came around & my dad told me to pay the deposit (we still didn’t know where the full tuition fees would come from).

You guys, out of nowhere, I found sponsors! Sponsors who were willing to pay my full tuition and give me a stipend. All I have to worry about is apartment and living costs. We had a thanksgiving in church because why not?! Just when I thought everything was set, “ish hit the roof!” 😭

My I -20 and all immigration documents came in time but I could not secure an interview date with the US embassy here in Ghana to obtain a visa by August 30th (First day of classes) because of Covid-19 delays. I actually had to be in the US by August 22nd to complete my check ins with the US immigration & with my school. It honestly felt like I was back to square one. I really have to give shouts out to my friend KEEA for consistently encouraging & sending me bible verses. I reminded myself that I prayed for this, He answered, infact He gave me both of the things I asked for and I knew He simply won’t bring me this far just to bring me this far.

This was a true faith testing time and it honestly turned into a faith strengthening time. I reached out to my school and shared everything with them. Thankfully, they agreed to have me online this semester while I sort things out for the Spring. I am currently battling with time difference because Ghana is 4 hours ahead. My classes are very late and my sleep schedule is messed up. In all of this, I am grateful for doors God has opened for me and I know He will see me through.

This piece is just to encourage you, motivate you, give you hope and remind you that God truly does not fail. If you seek His face, He will never let you down. No matter how hard or confusing the journey is, He will come through for you. God literally turned things around for me in a matter of weeks! I hope you feel uplifted and your faith, reactivated. Prayer works! You just have to put in the work.

“Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work.” James 1:2-4

Until next time,

Be you, do you, stay you!

Adwoa