Into Africa
Our remarkable journey to serve the Lord and our fellowman in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014
March is here
It is hard to believe February has disappeared form the screen. We have had a very busy time with Zone Conferences, Transfer, and traveling with the President and his wife to meet with all of the missionaries in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. Here are some random pictures of the February activities.
We have mentioned the deep gutters that line the streets and roadways, well here is what happens if you get to close for what ever reason. This did cause quite a stir of activity, and they had to bring in a wrecker to get it out. So far I have only put a front tire into the gutter and was fortunate to get myself out with just 4 wheel drive, low range. It was a good things because I had the main street in Swedru blocked and the traffic way busy.
This is the deaf school teachers, the one on the left is Ruth and she is a hearing person. The one on the right Agnes and she is non hearing. The are very sweet ladies and they love those kids.
Transfer day at the Temple, President Shulz's son Matt was here visiting his parents.
This was the first transfer to use all of the Senior Couples. Left to right, the Schiffman's, the Crittenden's, the Ivie's, the Julander's, and the Shulz's
We sent three home and pick up Eighteen new missionaries.
This was the transfer fleet, stopped at the Ansaful Chapel for a potty stop
This Elder Collins and Elder Adams that were in process of the transfer. They get to take the trotro's to their new areas
New Elder showing off the new style of waist line
When we arrive at the mission home all the luggages is removed from the pick ups and grouped by the fence. Later after the missionaries get their assignment the luggages is reloaded and taken to the station that they will be leaving from to go to their new area's
They get to have an orientation session with the assistants, and President and Sister Shulz. Then they are feed lunch, and then reality begins to set in.
This is a parents meeting at the deaf school. We had every child represented.
This is the president of the PTA, He loved it
Elder and Sister Call from Rexbury, Idaho. They stayed with us after they had a training session, teaching the Come Follow Me lessons for the youth. They are in charge of the Come Follow Me training for West Africa.
We had a service project with the Libbert family at the deaf school were we installed new boards around the teaching area. We had concrete poured this last week.
These are such happy kids and they love the changes to their school
It is still an open air classroom, but it is improving
We still need to build a storage closet for the stove, and school supplies. It will take place on the next service project day.
This is my new custom make african shirt
Elder Brown and Elder Dikane, the Assistants to the President
One of the Zone training meetings
Elder Dinku is one of the first Elders we meet when we arrived back in September. It was good to see him, and then a week later he was transferred to Asikuma, and is training a new Elder. He will be going home in about eight weeks. It is very nice having him back in our area.
This is the Winneba and Swedru Zones. They were the next to last stops on our mission tour.
This is Atta, the cook for the deaf school and her little son. She just got a new propane stove to do her cooking on and she is excited.
Sister Ivie practicing her signing while teaching a bible story
This is Sister Davis and Sister Dube, Elder Dube of the Seventy was the visitor who organized the Swedur District into the Winneba Stake. Sister Ivie and I had the privilege for taking these ladies to their hotel and getting lunch, while their husbands conducted all of the interview necessary to create a new Stake.
After the Saturday trainings and interviews Elder Dube invited Sister Ivie and Me to have diner with them and the District Presidency and their wives. It was a delightful evening. It is so very nice to get acquainted with the general authority's
Eric and Grace traveled to Washington, to Bless Holy and Shawns new son. Shawn's dad Mitch is on the left. He traveled from Texas to check out the new grandson.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014
The rest of January
Like I said on the last post I am way behind in what has been happening. So here is the rest of January in no particular order
Sister Sam showing the group how to fold up your fabric before the dying is done
This is the Wallace's Primary School. We mentioned that we had helped get the new building ready for the kids to return in early January. This was the first day back, and it took a week before all of the kids had returned. It appears lots of parents and kids believe they always need a little more vacation time. It also saves them money because they pay on a daily basis.
The kids are checking out the new class room. There will be twenty to thirty kids in this classroom
With the school they have to send a bus around to pick up and deliver kids.
Sister Ivie restocking on eggs at a local store just down the street from our house.
This casket represents the scriptures
This a coco pod for a local farmer, and as you can see they also have the regular caskets. There are wood shops everywhere that build caskets. I saw a regular casket with windows in the sides, I wonder what that was meant for. The funerals are one of the biggest events that take place in a village. Sometimes they wait for up to six months after the person has past away. This is necessary to have time to earn or borrow enough money . The family pays for the celebration and provides all of the food and drink for all that attend.(and everyone comes out of the woodworks) They put up big awning tents, truck loads of plastic chairs, and sleeping mats are brought in. They have a massive sounds system to play music and have speeches given. This goes on from two to three days 24-7.
This is the new washroom being built for the church buildings at Asikuma.
Down by the Castle you cross over a waterway where all of the fishing boat come and go. They are very colorful and wide variety of sizes and styles
We had a try zone conference, and these Elders and Sisters were getting their birthday treats from President Shulz.
President Shulz and his Assistants Elder Brown and Elder Dekane
Happy Missionaries
We were able to use the seminary building for the conference. It is air conditioned and makes for a much nicer meeting.
Sister Ivie doing a little window shopping at a roadside market.
The Julanders are the couple that replaced the Bybee's. They are from Hooper, Utah and have been friends with President and Sister Shulz before coming on their mission. We were together getting ready to go to Prozo to prepare the living quarters for another new couple coming to the Cape Coast Mission. We went for two days to clean and put away all of the kitchen items, check and make sure the A/C, the generator, and the water pump were in working order. Good thing we did because we were busy fixing them. We had to trim several doors that were dragging on the floor. The wood here is very hard and when you put a screw in for a hinge it typically will not come back out. So we had to trim the doors hanging in their frames. Even with all that we did, the Schiffman's still had a few challenges once they arrived
Sister Ivie shopping for some vegetables
This is the Schiffman's house in Prozo. It is very nice and very quiet area of town. Elder Schiffman also has a storage shed which I covet.
While we were in Prozo, President and Sister Shulz went to Accra to pick up the new couple. They are on the right side top. They are also from Hooper, Utah. Elder Schiffman was the Shulz's bishop when they left for this mission. All of the couple in the mission were there to share in their first dinner in Ghana.
On Monday Elder Lelea The Winneba District Leader arranged to do a tie dying activity with one of the member of the branch, Sister Sam
Elder Jensen
Sister Sam's daughter leaving with a box of spring rolls she will be selling at their stand out on the street. She has made spring rolls for several of the district activities and they are goods.
Here she is mixing the dye and explaining how to dip the fabric
Very interesting designs appear
This was my attempt, In the next blog I will show you the shirt I had made out of this fabric. Really quiet cool
After the dying you stretch the material out on the ground and let it dry. You then rinse it and let it dry again.
Sister Ivie could not resist taking this lady's picture. These people just love President Obama We suggested we would be happy to loan him to Africa permanently
This is my first Ghanian shirt. The Winneba Branch President is a taylor. He made this shirt for me, and is making another shirt for my out of the material I dyed.
This is the day we arrived with some of the materials many of you sent to us for the different schools we are working with. These are a very special kids and they are so into any new experience. This is the deaf school at Asikuma
They love to have their picture taken. In the background is our missionary apartment in Asikuma.
There were toys, puzzles, books, and games for these kids to have a good time learning. Almost all of the items were a new experience for them.
This is sister Atata. She is the cook for the deaf kids breakfast and lunch. We will be getting her a propane stove this next trip out to the school. She thinks it will be a really cool thing, and not have to put up with the wood smoke and mess.
Sister Ivie practicing her sign language skills much to the enjoyment of the kids and the teachers.
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