March 2019: March 2018

March 2018

The beginning of March marks the 5 month of our mission. We are in a long transfer period of 9 weeks instead of 6 week period. That gives us more time to do the apartment inspections. The Hills have now moved on to Oda and so we do not have their help. This week was spent providing materials to the missionaries and taking Elder Cox to the hospital. He, Elder Christopherson and Elder Mashos all thought they had malaria, but are suffering from another infectious agent, most likely a virus.

I have been called to serve as the young mens' president for our branch. There is a new teacher for the youth Sunday School so I will be just teaching the Teachers and Deacons on Sunday. This last week there was a young mens' activity where they built money boxes at the church. What a deal! There were twenty five boys and several leaders sawing, hammering and painting their constructed boxes used to collect money. I provided all the materials and food and drinks for all.

This next week we are going to the temple to do baptisms for the dead and then the following week we are going to Winneba Beach for a day's outing. We are very busy with Awutu Breku branch activities.

In addition, Sister Russell and I do her visiting teaching of five sisters in the branch. It requires some travel each week. Basically we are on the road all the time. Each day there is usually a full schedule.

We are now planning to assist with the temple excursion on Saturday and the Luau on Monday with the Kasoa zone missionaries. Lots to do and so little time!!

The month of March is dry but no “homitan” so the air is clear and very hot. Our branch in Breku had a temple excursion to Accra Saturday and there were about 40 youth who did baptisms and confirmations for deceased family members. Dawn and I supplied meals for all which consisted of vegetable rice with one boiled egg, a dab of shito (hot spice) and two cookies wrapped. All was set in a small Styrofoam container closed with a rubber band and tucked aside was a disposable fork and napkin. No clean up required. We bought two bags of water sachets. They devoured the meals and water.

This week we had a work party here for the district elders. They helped me clean up our entrance by restacking a huge pile of construction boards back on the foundation of the unfinished apartment. We also placed 4 – 300# concrete lids on top of our sewer (tough job). Then they helped construct a 3’ concrete block wall around the Bar B Que pit we will use to cook the pigs on Monday. Finally, we moved a huge pile of granite rock from off the driveway to clear the drain path to the outside wall.

After the work party, Dawn took the elders to the Gloryham school to paint the multicolored walls in bad repair. Grahm, the headmaster of the school, bought oil based paint and what a mess it was to clean up. We still have much to do there.

Now a report on Martha….Nearly two months ago Dawn and I saw a woman sitting on the road side near our home for 4 days. Dawn gave her money to buy food, she said nothing. Then on the 5th day we saw her sitting on a rock near a neighbor's home. She had started a fire near the cassava field and the men were putting it out. We asked about her and they knew nothing concerning her. She was very unkempt and Dawn said we are going to take her home.

We walked her home and she told us her name was Martha. Dawn took off her clothes and showered with her to clean her up and shampoo her hair full of weeds. She stayed with us for two days until we could get an appointment with a psychiatrist referral from Dr. Blackwell from the mission. After much effort and expense we were able to admit her to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, a days drive down and back. She has been there over a month under medication. We have visited her twice since she was admitted.

We found a social worker, Solomon, at Ghana Make A Difference orphanage and hired him to find out more about her. We took Solomon with us to see her and he was able to speak with her in her native language of Krobo. We found out where she had come from. Then Solomon took the next day at our expense to go to a very distant place to find out more. He was visited in Samanya proviince the community of Krobo but was unable to establish her residence as Martha said she was fromMesaoa some three hours drive on dirt from Krobo.

We three decided to all go to Krobo the next week. On our way I was convinced we needed to take Martha with us in case she could be recognized or help in the search.

Once we reached Krobo after several hours of driving, we stopped atthe same gas station Solomon had inquired about Martha the week before. While we were talking with the attendant a young lady heard our conversation and look in at Martha. She said she knew the family.

We ended up in a market place where the local people recognizedMartha. Then we were told she had family living there. We were able to take Martha to her aunt’s house and they knew who she was.

This is what they told us: Martha had been gone for 2 1/2 years. She has three children when she became mentally ill. Her husband had taken her to the same Accra Psychiatric Hospital for treatment. She returned under doctor's care and was living with her aunt because her parents have died and her husband was so far away from available medical help.

Martha stopped taking her medication and became deranged then left with nothing after a disturbing episode with the aunt.

Once we found the family in Krobo and her aunt was willing to keep her, I arranged with a pharmacist and doctor at the local Catholic hospital to make sure she got her injections and tablets. I ended up paying in advance for the medication and then added a large sum of money to help the aunt support her in our absence.

We left Krobo after Dawn read stories to the children living within the housing where Martha is staying. I brought FanIce treats for all 17 of the kids and then we departed. There were lots of tears andthank you as we departed.

The rest of the story: Today I got an early phone call from Solomon letting me know that the aunt called and they had lost Martha but found her roaming the neighborhood. She got her medication and then the aunt called me to say thank you once again and Martha was fine and would stay.

This has been a good experience for us while on the mission, notrelated to our work but related to our cause. FAMILY!

A day in the mission: this has been one of those days which lately have been coming quite often. Up before dawn getting ready to go over on Saturday morning to clean the chapel and all the classrooms, by sweeping and then wet mop all floors. We have a skeleton crew each Saturday so we really feel we must be there to help. Following the cleaning we get ready for the baptism services. Five candidates are being baptized. Two of them are people we have been fellowshipping. I am on the program and afterwards take all the wet clothing home to wash and dry. In addition, coming home with 4 missionaries in the truck and 5 youth in the back, we are always open for visitors. We fed the youth FanMilk and sent them home. The 4 missionaries ate the PBJ sandwiches I put together while Sister Russell took a nap. After cleaning up the dishes and kitchen we all relaxed until time to go again.

Sister Russell took the 4 missionaries to Glorygram school to finish painting the walls as a service project. I drove over to the branch president’s house, Pres. Sacitey and we headed to Kasoa to pick up the Relief Society president. After an hours drive through heavy traffic, we were 17 minutes late getting to Kineshie Stake center.

As the Young Men’s president I was asked to attend a 4 hour meeting on preparing the youth to serve full time missions. The Area Office provided the meeting content with Pres. Vincent presiding and Elder Quasie conducting. After extensive instruction, videos, slide show and lengthy discussions we broke for a snack before the final hour of council groups.

Following the meeting I provided a ride for the branch president, the relief society president, the first councilor and the primary president. We had to stop at Yoo Mart to pick up ice cream and supplies for the 68^th birthday of my beautiful wife. Once I got everybody home and unloaded the truck I had to start the meal for tomorrow. We are having a family from Owjobi here to eat goat soup and chicken and noodles. I had to get the soup going while Sister Russell stayed up and finished her song chart for tomorrow’s primary.

Fortunately, I had got my lesson material ready for tomorrow’s priesthood class. We have lots to talk about following the meeting today. I am tired and want to go to be but first had to have Mac and Cheese since I had not eaten since morning.!!! A day in the mission!

PS. I have got to get up early before church to bake a cake and prepare chicken for the meal while we are in our meetings. We are as busy here are we were in Marysville, CA with major callings in the church i.e. high council and RS president.

Just returned from apartment inspection in the Kasoa stake, it took us all day until 5:30pm. The Kasoa zone is spreading out. We are now driving to Bawjase north of Kasoa 45 minutes out of town. We have four elders (Helu, Ofosu Hene, Tutulavuki and Roberston) living there for the first time. Setting up the two apartments takes a lot of supplies and time. We delivered bicycles, white boards, curtains and all necessary supplies for the two apartments next to each other. I loved how the curtains were installed by Elder Helu from Tonga. He pounded nails into the curtains of the window frames and wah-la finished. These elders are not sisters!

Winneba district were here last night for tin foil dinners. The six elders put their selection of potatoes, carrots, squash, onions, pineapple and meat (hamburger and hot dogs) into the tin foil and I put them on the fire of my huge bar-b-que pit. Sister Russell supplied cookies and ice cream for desert. We played Apples to Apples to entertain the elders. After we passed out the mail and Liahona they ventured home by Tro-Tro.

Work around the house. We have done extensive work outside around the home where we live. I had a lot of help from the elders in doing the work. We put concrete lids on the septic tank (5 lids each over 300#) and cleared the driveway of lumber, large granite rock and piles of dirt. I reconstructed the bar-b-que pit and cleared off any debris. With Richard’s help in cleaning up the lawn and clearing out the weeds, it really looks much better.

I continue to repair the walking bridge near the Glorygram school. Our service project is ongoing since the bridge gets heavy use and in need to constant repair.

We have followed up on our visits to our missionaries and have just one more day of inspections coming up the last Tuesday of the month.

I received notice Susan Marusha from H&R Block has completed the 2017 tax statements. Dennis Croft, our neighbor will take in the payments due this week and thus ends another tax year. We pay a lot of taxes both federal and state. The convenience of on line document submitting makes it possible for us to file taxes living in Africa.

The last week of March is the end of our first six month of the mission. The week has been full of entertaining KIDS! Each day after school we have 4-6 neighbor kids show up to visit us. Some have recently been baptized and some are taking the discussions. Nohad is a young boy who has dregs and is very bright. His father did not want him to join the church because he is a Moslem and Nohad will loose his inheritance.

On our walk today with Samuel (another young man we visit with) we saw two very large black Emperor Scorpions. I sent a photo to Elder Baker along with a gecko lizard in my first letter to him from Africa.

Lastly, the cultural event at the Kasoa stake center this week was grand. Each of the units represented a tribe with dancing, singing and drum playing. At the very end there was dancing to “the Twist”. Sister Russell and I got up front and showed them how to do the Twist!! So fun!