In march 2004 I went to Ghana. I went to ghana with an organisation callled CCS (Cross Cultural Solutions) for 3 months as a volunteer. At this time I wasn't a Christian, I had some questions, but I wasn't really too bothered either way. My initial intention on going to Ghana was to use my advertising skills to help out with the Aids awareness campaigns, but due to my lack of understanding about the culture I was setting my sights too high. Instead I worked in a schools and with the local children, helping them to think creatively and enjoy their creative skills. We did this for 4 days a week, then we were given the rest of the week to travel and see parts of Ghana. 
One weekend in the middle of my stay, myself and another volunteer went to see a slave fort. The slave fort was in a place called Cape Coast in the south of Ghana. Myself and Abby (the other volunteer) were put into a group and taken around the castle with a guide. As the leader began to tell the group about the slave trade and how the slaves were treated, I became ever more aware of the fact that we were the only white people in this group. I can not write in enough detail or with enough accuracy to explain how horrific these conditions were. The leader showed us 'rooms' the size of a large garage, where up to 150 male slaves were kept, without any light, no sanitations, concrete walls and death all around them. It was disgusting.
To highlight how evil this was the leader asked us to stand for 30 seconds in one of these rooms with the door shut. Before the leader shut the door, he pointed out the finger marks on the wall. He shut the door. Myself along with most of the group were not able to bear this. Pretty much as soon as the complete darkness decended there were screams to open the door. You could feel the pain and the death, it was one of the worst senses I have had. 
Once this tour was over, myself and the other volunteer, were taken up to a room at the top of the castle for an extra insight into the the slave trade. We were shown how the white slave masters used to trick the local tribes into coming with them. We were told about the devices the slave masters used to chain up the slaves. We were shown how they were 'kept'. We were shown what the slaves were put through before they were good enough for sale.
Watching this gave me an over whelming sense of guilt. I was so ashamed that my ancestors could do such a thing against the very poeple that had shown me such kindness and love. I would like to point out here, that I have never felt the need to self harm, or any thing of the kind, but at that point, sitting in that slave fort, I felt as if I should be cut or wiped in pay back for what my ancestors did. That's when it hit me, like a tonne of bricks, that's why Christ died. 
Although at the time I did not realise how significant this vision was to be in shaping my life. It was my first major step in becoming a Christian.