03 March 2019
Today is the first day of March
2019 and it is RAINING! We needed rain so bad. The alarm sounded twice today.
Once while we were away during the day because Phillip shot a soccer ball into
the electric wires and set off the alarm. Richard, our neighbor, came to the
rescue and turned off the power.
The second alarm sounded because
of the heavy rain and the plantain leaves hung down on the wires. I could not
disarm the system and ended up dissecting the inside controls until finally I
cut the right wire and it stopped. It is amazingly loud and the flashing red
light is alarming.
There is a dove sitting on her
nest on top of the alarm loud speaker. She never moved during both attacks.
Dawn is doing better sleeping,
however she is taking a benzodiazapam (similar to Valium) and can only stay on
it a short time. What ever works, is what we do to get rest.
Talk about busy. I have delivered
several bikes and still have calls for more. The Swedru area is now in our
calling. I just delivered a bike there yesterday and when we got home from
Kasoa 4 to fix their bicycle, I had
another call from Swedru 5 (Elder Visae) for a replacement bike. Wow! It is
amazing how many requests we get for bicycles.
Today I rode with Ebinezer to
Senya to do an estimate on the repairs at the DA school. The stake president
from Kaneshie is a carpenter, he went with us also. Following our visit to
Senya we then coursed to Buduburam to inspect the “Mansion” apartment. Two
elders from the 1st ward in Buduburam are moving to their new
apartment.
Today was “Help Me” day…Dennis
came to ask me for 30 cedis to replace his axle on his bike. Linda called for
100 million Ghana to buy a new oven. (I had already given her 600 ghana)! Grace
and Barbara came over late to ask for 170 cedis to get Florence out of the
hospital. The water truck filled our tank again this week for 130 ghana. Some
of which I can recover as mission expenses (water!).
We are off to a funeral viewing
of a sister in Senya who’s children joined the church. Then we go to the
official funeral on Saturday after our Kaneshie conference featuring the
General RS and YW presidents visiting Ghana.
Transfer Day! Finally we have had
our last transfer day. Elder Campbell is here with Elder Banza and Elder Kune
is here with Elder Estrava. Elder Memmot and Elder Adzika have moved on to
another location.
Today is Independence Day for
Ghana. The school children have been practicing marching for the last two
weeks. It is also our district meeting today in Buduburam.
The days are getting shorter for
us and we are winding down. Dawn is doing the sorting and storing of items for
another mission couple. I have written out a briefing for anyone to follow in
dealing with the challenges we have had while living in this apartment. There
are a total of 4 pages of instructions when things go wrong.
Our testimonies have grown,
especially in appreciating the scriptures. We have read the B of M twice and
still going. We finished the New Testament and are now reading the P of GP
daily. We receive the Liahona and read the messages especially for West Africa.
I am also reading the Journal of Discourses in the evenings. Brigham Young has
a firm and powerful way of preaching the gospel. Much is revealed by the early
church leaders on the spiritual side of living and the hereafter.
Tonight we have another night of
“Lights Off”. All night last night there was no electricity. We spent a very
warm night sleeping without fan or AC.
We spent 3 days in Accra with the
Simpsons. Sister Simpson had a birthday so we celebrated by playing minigolf
and dinner at Burger King. Unfortunately, I was involved in an accident at the
mission office while leaving the compound. A car forced me to back up as I was
leaving the gate and it charged in on me. Again, unfortunately a car had pulled
in behind me unawares. I have been busy filling out accident reports to be sent
in to the Area office.
Sister Russell and I had special
interviews today after our district council. We drove to Winneba and then on to
Swedru. I interviewed Ayew in Winneba. He is a 25 year old young man who will
be baptized on Saturday. In Aboso, I interviewed Phillistena, a 68 year old
woman who will be baptized also on Saturday. These interviews are in compliance
with candidates who have been involved with funding or having an abortion.
There have been many such interviews in our mission since it is common practice
to terminate pregnancies without the assistance of a father to raise the child.
Sister Russell is counting the
days until we leave for home. Her calendar is checked off each morning with a
smiley sticker. Just a few more weeks and we will depart. It will leave the
missionaries without much support for supplies and transportation not to
mention our district dinners each Sunday when we get home from Senya. I need to
tell more about the status of Senya.
This is the third Sunday at Senya
and the final meeting we will have before leaving for home. I conducted the
meeting and had three scheduled speakers. One, Bro Aquah was on time. Following
him Sister Agnes walked in just as she was supposed to speak and as she was
finishing Francisca came in with her mother and I invited her to address the
congregation. So you see everything works out. Our Sunday School teacher did
not come prepared so I ended up giving the lesson from Come Follow Me.
Yesterday, I rode my bicycle with
Dennis and Ransford to the south of Awutu Breku. Once we got back after an hour
ride we stopped at “Biggies” to get banku and ground nut soup, which we ate off
a stool on the patio of our apartment.
Sister Russell had three Relief
Society sisters here making a large 4 layer cake for the RS birthday meeting
today. Their children were here and we had a house full of visitors. The
Sackaties stayed for dinner. He is the branch president for the Awutu Breku
branch.
The rain came last night and
“lights out” once again but not for a long time. I just wonder how our
missionaries will do when we leave and they have no generator to supplement
power?
I did not sleep well last night
due to the remarks made by my daughter, Holly about Monica. So I got up early
and wrote the family an email that explained I was tired of all the bickering
and the “mean girls” Robyn and Holly picking on the Kurowskis (Dawn and
Monica). It makes me sick to think she is so bitter and crass. Her language is
terrible and she attacks the church as a part of her discussed.
I did have a good day with
meeting with the District Council and then doing a special interview in Ansufal
with Kofi and Cynthia Mensahs. She was very interesting to look at because she
had a full beard. The first bearded lady I have met face to face.
This has been a remarkable
morning. At 5:30 the rain began. Dawn and I woke up and enjoyed the morning
together then went outside in the rain. We showered under the down pour off the
roof with the soft water shampoo. Afterwards we sat on the front porch and
watched the rain and lightning and listened to the thunder in the distance. The
coolness of the air is so refreshing.
Olivia gets her injection this
morning once again for 5 days. She is combating her allergy called
palmar-plantar dermatosis. With the letter we received from the doctor
explaining it is not a contagious skin infection, she is able to get back into
school.
I will pay for Georginia’s school
fees today. Some 900 cedis for the remainder of this year and all of next, this
will ensure her one more year of education outside the government school. The
same for Samuel and Olivia for two years, it is quite expensive for them. The
least we can do to help out those who have nothing.
Beira, Mozambique was destroyed
during the typhoon last week. The news covers the devastation. We had many
friends there and we will contribute to Care For Life to help those we know
survive the devastation.
Time spent with Elder Hill and
Sister Hill this week was special. We enjoy visiting in Akim Oda with the
Hills. The Simpsons were also staying with the Hills. I was able to get my tire
repaired, gas tank filled and meet with the missionaries for dinner at the
Hills. The rain came and it poured. I love the rain.
Those few days we were there
helped us relax and appreciate our mission and appreciate the work the Hills do
to support their missionaries. We also attended Stake Conference in Asemankase.
Truly a site to behold, looking over the crowded stake center at all the saints
assembled from the surrounding wards and branches. Again, we visited with many
of the elders we have worked with in our area that are now serving in the
Asemankase stake.
Oda is very nice. There are good
markets, hospital, bakery and a library in the community. Plus it rains
frequently and the vegetation is abundant.
Today we have multi-zone
conference in Kasoa. This will be our last conference before we go home. We are
looking forward to seeing many of our missionaries for the last time before we
leave next Tuesday.
There is still so much to do but
so little time. It never ends until the end comes. We will continue to strive
to work hard for the kingdom is growing. Africa is such a blessing to be a
missionary serving here. We will surely miss our close friends in the gospel
and community.
Stake Conference Akamankase |
Dinner at Hills |
The neighbor boys |
Phillipine Elders |
Elder Memmot moving on |
Pet Goat |
Florence and Mary sitting for a lesson from Dawn and I |
Golf on Sister Simpsons birthday |
Mavis the baby of Mavis |
Baking Relief Society Cake |
The two couple missionaries left in Accra Ghana West mission |
Buduburam District |