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 1^st 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

02 February

Yesterday was the first day of February and I started the month with one very long and hard mountain bike ride. Dawn stayed home while I ventured off to my “Wilderness Trail”. Through the neighborhood and into the foot trails of the bush north of here, I rode to the top of the mountain. The last leg was “bush whacking” through brush on the advise of a man who said I could get to the other side. Well, there was no other side but just more bush and thorns and stickers!

On my way back I rode the trail to the main road from Awutu Breku to Bonetrase. It was up hill all the way on the paved road to the cut off to home.

After a shower and several sachets of water, I laid on the bed to cool down!! What a way to start the new month.

Senya elders had three baptized today at the Awutu Breku chapel. Florence, Justice and Richmond joined up with the saints in Senya. Tomorrow is Fast Sunday and we are meeting in Winneba with the 2^nd branch. The branch president will arrange for interviews with our new members for a temple trip on the 23^rd of February.

The Simpsons are staying with us tonight, as President Simpson has meeting today and tomorrow in Winneba. It is always a delight to have them with us. I made Bar B Que chicken wings, fresh green beans and bacon along with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Mountain bike riding in Africa is a challenge, not so much due to the terrain but due to so many people, goats, chickens and motos on the trails we ride. There is only one area where we live that we can ride and not dodge people walking, of bicycles or taxis in areas that cars are not usually seen.

Dawn and I rode to an outlying area called Nkwanetantane, not by design but because we were lost. Thinking we would come to the end of a housing community we rode to the top of a distant hill. Once we arrived we could see houses scattered for miles across the hills. Only about ¼th of all the houses are ever completely finished. There are no organized roads or streets with signs or house numbers. There is no mail service in all of Africa. There are no rules as to where a person can put his garbage or set a post. It is basically hundreds of thousands of people living in every available space with whatever material means they can acquire.

The missionaries can barely scratch the surface in talking with all the people in their areas. They are led by the spirit to seek after the righteous and willing souls. The rest will have to be sorted out in the millennium.

The missionaries have no way of keeping track of people’s addresses, only by landmarks and GPS coordinates. I am impressed by how far they travel and who they contact. Each person has a story and a life, some are willing to listen and some are willing to sacrifice their time and energy in attending our meetings on Sunday. Each Sunday we have new people show up to our meetings. Last Sunday there were 53 in attendance, 29 were primary children.

Last night was a cook out for the neighbor kids. Dennis and Ransford helped me wash the car. Olivia, Ivy and Samuel came later to help prepare the meal. Samuel and Dennis were off to find plantains to fry and banku for the ground nut soup. When they returned we prepared the cook pot by filling it with charcoal and lit it with the black plastic bag (called a rubber) filled with charcoal. They sliced up 7 plantains and soaked them in salt water while the oil in the pan was heating. Once hot, they tossed in the sections and watched them sizzle. It takes a long time for them to turn crispy brown.

The children sat on the floor of the porch and dipped their banku into the ground nut soup placed on the top of a B of M cardboard box. I cooked fried rice and they ate it last for dessert. Ransford’s sister showed up just in time to eat any of the left overs. There was a scramble for the last of the fried plantains.

We live in an enclosed compound topped with 5 wire electric security system. The wires are a few inches apart. Some animal got inside last night and tipped over the cook pot and licked all the grease from the top and the cement where it had spilled. I needed my game campers to see what is breaching our security system. I suspect it is a cat, a very talented, acrobatic cat.

Guess what?! It was not a cat! I went back out in the evening and noticed a trail of army ants at our front steps. They were headed to the sardine can I had placed there to see if an animal would finish it at night. There were thousands of ants on the can….maybe a million. They were the creatures that took off all the oil off the cement the night before.

Well, I sprayed them heavily with an insect spray and the huge ball of ants scattered, many dropping in their tracks.

Today we returned from a trip to Accra to visit with Christian Derais. He was a former missionary with us in Mozambique. He is here working with a crew from Utah doing a documentary on boxing in Ghana. We met him at the temple and then visited the boxing training center in Jamestown. This area is famous for the boxers who have received world titles.

Our visit to the mission office is always a challenge. Traveling to Accra is very stressful for me. The traffic is congested and difficult driving. Our stay with the Simpsons was restful. We played dominos with Sister Simpson until Pres. Simpson returned from Obomosu (a very long ways away!) He was gone all day doing missionary interviews.

Valentine’s Day and “lights off”, meaning there is no electricity in all of Central Ghana. It is 9:00 PM and very, very hot. The sweat is running off me and no hope of relief. Africa can be difficult at times.

Today we visited the Amponsah family in Senya. Sister Russell taught Mary and Sandra how to lead the music. We will provide an MP3 player and speakers so they will have music to lead when we leave.

This family is very poor. They live together with the chickens. We set on old wooden benches in the central part of their apartment. It is humbling to visit them but they are spiritual and the last shall be first and the first shall be last.

It was a very busy week last week and very busy week ahead. We were called to Swedru for a special interview and to do inspections for the Hills. Since we are short of couple missionaries we are dividing up the inspections. Starting tomorrow we will be doing our routine inspections. We have two additional apartments since there has been a movement with two companionships.

Yesterday was our Winneba District Conference at Ansaful. There were about thirty Senya members attending. The growth of our district will soon qualify a change is the leadership to a stake. Pres. Simpson and his wife stayed with us two days while they were here for the conference.

The bore hole is finished, no more water. It is the dry season and all the wells dry up since they are not drilled very deep. Fine, because the water is so full of iron and other minerals it is causing problems with the lines, filters and toilet function. Today the water truck will come and the crew will clean our tank (it is full of sediment and slime from past water trucks getting the water from the streams!)

The missionaries are here for their P-day cooking cookies. They are also anticipating calling their families since there has been a new policy change so they can call or messenger weekly.

The day finally came to go to the Accra Ghana temple with our recent converts from Senya. Months ago we planned on having our new members have a temple experience. We had arranged for the male members to be ordained to the priesthood by the officials of the Winneba 2^nd branch. All the candidates who were interviewed, both male and female had waited to receive their limited use temple recommend.

We had planned for transportation and a meal for all those who qualify to go to the temple.

Well, the time had come and we were still waiting for the recommends to be issued to our members. The branch clerk of the 2^nd Winneba branch had entered the names from help of Elder Banza and Elder Memmot. He had printed out several and was to get the rest to us before we left for the temple. The night before he had not gotten all printed and so we pressed to get them done.

I was extremely busy Friday before the temple trip. Pres Simpson asked if I could do special interviews at Kasoa stake, which I did at 3:00pm after waiting to hear form the Winneba clerk. I did four special interviews and got word from Elder Memmot the recommends were printed and needed to be picked up, so I drove from Kasoa through the Liberia junction (one hour wait in traffic) all the way to Winneba. I picked up four recommends and headed home in the dark.

Today, early we picked up the Bessanvi’s (Belinda, Lovya and Janet) and discovered the missionaries did not have their recommends and had to arrange for the branch president to go to the church and print them off, then photo transfer over the phone their recommends.

When we got to Senya we planned on about 17 people to go to the temple. There were over 30, most of them kids. There were supposed to be no kids on the trip. They were all dressed up and ready to go. So, I forfeited our place on the tro-tro and decided to drive to Accra with the Bessanvis.

Once at the temple we grouped and eventually collected all with recommends to the temple. Florence refused to go in. She was disillusioned about what we were going to do in the temple and stayed behind.

A member of the temple presidency explained to all why we do work for our dead ancestors. It was very good for all to hear. Then dressed and began baptizing the boys first then the girls. There were three names of relatives of the group baptized. I was the recorder. It was a great experience.

Afterwards we collected in the eating hall above the distribution center and had our prepared meal of Jolof rice, chicken wings, boiled egg, light salad, stew on the rice and a biscuit (cookie).

Our trip to Accra proved even better because I was able to pick up three bicycles and pamphlets we needed for the missionaries. It saved me a trip, come Tuesday.

I cannot tell you of all the worry and difficulty we had in gathering up all the saints for the temple and dealing with how to care for a boat load of kids once we arrived. It was amazing that all worked out well, except for Florence!

I paid for the food, Sister Russell and I cooked for the trip and supplied the drinks, Styrofoam boxes, spoons, napkins and drinks for all. We also paid for the tro-tro down and back. All was well spent.  

However, we are done! One trip is enough for this couple missionary. It reminds me of the time we took the primary kids to the temple. That is another story!

We celebrated the birthday of Belinda Bessanvi this week by hosting a family diner at the local Spa Garden outdoors restaurant. 

The six members of the family along with four missionaries met at the eating place near GMAD and we all had banku, fufu and our choice of light soup or palm nut soup. How wonderful. 

This is the last day in February. Tomorrow will begin the last month we are here in Africa. The mission we are called to serve is nearly over. There has been mixed feelings with family members because we have been away so many years on full time missions. My feelings are we have served where we can do the most good for the Lord.

Gloryham school family

Snowy Egret

Gomez couple leaving 

Cooking plantains

Cleaning the chapel at Awutu Breku

Filming boxing at Jamestown

African Boys

Cookies on P Day

Georginia sleeping on Elder Memmots shoulder

Birthday celebration for Belinda Bessanvi

January 2019  

It is a new year and a new time to begin planning for the future. We are already making plans for the coming year. Our biggest plans are to finish our mission with full force and see Senya group as a branch of the Winneba stake!  Day by day we press forward with our efforts in turning the hearts of our African friends toward the Savior.

Yesterday Dawn and I celebrated the new year by riding off into the bush on our mountain bikes. I think to enforce our ability to continue to do those things that are hard yet healthy for us. Getting older is inevitable but keeping fit is an ongoing task for the aging.

Making resolutions is a given with us. They seem to be about the same thing each year. Service, temple, travel, family, ministering, reading, exercise, savings, FUN, and love for all. It is like putting a puzzle together each year by finding all the right pieces and making a picture out of a lot of possibilities. It is always good to finish it by the end of the year.

Celebration Afecio Pa (New Years) continues throughout the month of January. The Awutu Breku branch invited Senya to their New Year’s party on Saturday. There were about 200 in attendance. Dennis and Ivy came with their mother Georginia. The children danced to the music of the large speakers. They played musical chairs and I drank sobolo (ginger drink).

We ate fried rice, joloof and chicken. I took the ladies to the fufu machine to grind up the cassava. Once the cassava is placed in the machine it comes out as fufu! Wow!

We ate light soup with goat meat and fufu. It was wonderful.

On Sunday we took the Senya folks to Winneba for sacrament meeting. Also, the presidency was changed and Clarence Nelson is now the president of Winneba 2^nd branch. Benard Anponsha was ordained a deacon. Now we have two boys to pass the sacrament.

Dawn and I were able to ride our bicycles on Monday over to the Archibald area. We came back after 1 ½ hours. It was good to ride our bicycles.

We are in the middle of apartment inspections before the transfer on Tuesday of next week. There is only one more transfer in March before we leave. Apartment inspections are difficult only because of the travel. It is always a challenge to drive in the city to obscure areas where the missionaries live. Often the roads are so difficult I have to use 4 wheel drive. 

We enjoy visiting with the Elders once we arrive at the apartments. Sister Russell always helps with the inspections and gives treats to the Sisters and Elders. She has baked cookies by the zillions and treats them at Christmas even better.

Our biggest delivery items are bicycles. There are always bicycles in need of repair and often I end up taking them to Accra mission office for repairs. The next abundant item, are cases of B of M and pamphlets used in teaching lessons.

Dawn is having difficulty with sleeping again. She cannot get her rest and is tired during the day. There is stress here and the heat compounds her tension. She will be glad to finish in Africa and move to a cooler climate, while I could stay and be comfortable here.

Senya group is growing, however, the challenge is finding speakers for the sacrament meeting. I would hope to get some assistance from our mother Winneba 2^nd branch. It is always a challenge in finding speakers. I often end up speaking with an interpreter.

Mind you, this will be our last foreign mission. Our family members are concerned we have been away for too long. It will be almost 4 ½ years away from home when we return. My mother is aging and not in good health and my son, Ben is also challenged with serious health problems.

May I say how much we have been blessed while serving here in Africa.  No serious accidents with so many close calls while driving. No serious illnesses and no serious financial perils. I am sure prayers are said in our behalf to the extent we benefit greatly. Thank you wonderful souls who really care about our being here far away from home. Also, thanks to the Crofts for helping with our home while we are away. They are a great source of blessings for us.

Saturday and it has been a long day and a long week. In addition to completing the apartment inspections I have done 3 special interviews in Aboso, Kasoa and Odoben. The travel to these areas is difficult due to bad roads and traffic. However, I feel the spirit when talking about their serious problems to resolve before they can be baptized.

In addition to the long drive to Odoben for the interview we had three baptisms at the Awutu Breku chapel today. One was from Breku and the other two from Senya. Dawn and I were up early and cleaned the chapel in Breku today before the baptisms. It was exceptionally soiled and it took us longer than usual. Afterwards I paid little Georginia for helping clean the chapel. We pay for her weekly fees at her school (20 cedis/week and 90 cedis/term).

We had a literal “baptism by fire” today. Cecilia burnt the weed pile in front of the chapel just before we started our baptismal services and when we went to the font we noticed the fire had gotten into the neighbors field. So we hurriedly grabbed buckets of water and doused the fire. Elder Adzika was out there in his baptismal clothing helping put out the fire!!

This week there and many things happening as well and I am very tired. We are involved heavily with this mission. This may be the reason Dawn is having so much trouble with her emotional health. I tell her endure to the end and all will be well. The church should provide therapy for those serving in Africa following their mission!

There are days that are up and days that are down. Dawn is trying to come off her new medication. It seems to be causing much anxiety. Today she is settled and working hard in cleaning our apartment. She and Georgina have cleaned all the windows in and out. Last night the kids were here and we had a cookout. We fried plantains, cooked chicken sausages and ground cow. I made a huge bowl of fried rice to go with the meal. With a lot of shito they ate it all. Little Ivy had her share of the rice. I provided Rasta choco malt to drink! Olivia started the cookpot and helped with cooking as well.

I woke up at 3:00am due to a noise that sounded like someone banging on the front gate. I investigated but did not see anyone. Then this morning we went on a mountain bike ride on the south of Breku. It was early enough that heat did not bother us. Then we started back on the window screen scrubbing. While I was out back removing window screen, I heard the electric security clicking. There stretched out over 4 wires was a big green snake caught in the wire. He fell inside and was stunned. After seeing it was a green mamba I wanted to get it out of the compound. I found a long piece of pvc pipe and lifted him up over the wire onto the banana tree out back. They are fascinating animals but deadly.

We are looking forward to February!

Ishmael at the cook pot

Olivia having dinner at our home

The pink Mosque on a bike ride

Bush riding

Lion Attach!

Harmaton air filled with dust from the Sahara

Green mamba inside our compound

Elder Price has given us a Christmas present in new clothes

Ivy and I are having sobolo at the Breku party

Sister Russell has a new dress

The Fufu machine!

Food is ready at the Breku feast

Celebration the Simpson's 40th wedding anniversary at MovenPick restaurant