An African Christmas

We had scheduled a District Christmas Devotional to be held the Friday before Christmas and had decided to hold it at the Penkwase Chapel as it is the building with the largest hall. It was truly a lovely evening. The children from all four branches began the festivities by singing "Jingle Bells" while they each rang a tiny bell. They love this song, even though none of them have ever even seen snow and they didn't know what a sleigh was. I told them it was like a wagon without wheels. That seemed to satisfy them. I had spent several months making three-dimensional nativity masks for each of the branches. Each child was given a mask. We had only planned on about 30 children but they came in droads. We used every single mask and even had 4 Marys and 4 stars--they didn't seem to mind. They had never practiced together but when they held up their little masks and sang "Away In a Manger" it was absolutely breathtaking! Several inspirational talks were given and then we showed a video projected on a wall of the Savior's life accompanied with a musical background by the Tabernacle Choir. There was standing room only and we even had people seated on the porch....about 160. The Christmas spirit filled the entire building!

It was unlike any Christmas we have ever had and probably unlike any we will have in the future. We had waited to open our one Christmas package until Christmas Eve and I figured it would be a picture of the Grandkids with Father Christmas. We were so surprised when we opened it to find an entire book entitled "While You Were Gone" highlighting all the things we have missed in our children and grandchildren's lives this past year. It was incredible! We turned every page and laughed and cried and then cried some more.

We weren't certain how the next day would turn out and went to sleep Christmas Eve listening to the drums which seemed much louder than usual. We had previously arranged with the Sunyani Regional Hospital for a group of us to visit the Children's Ward on Christmas Day. We met our twelve missionaries, who are serving here in Sunyani, in the parking lot along with President Owusu and David so we would have someone who could interpret for us as none of us speak Twi. Elder Larsen gave a beautiful prayer and then we paraded in through the front doors. It was eerily quiet. This hospital is usually bustling and crowded with hundreds of people waiting to be seen for some ailment or another. Today it was empty. We met the nurse and she led us through several of the barracks-type buildings until we reached the Children's bungalow. We went in and the nurses explained that a lot of the children had gone home for the day if they were able, and that only the very sick ones ot those that did not have families remained.

We then visited every bedside and gave them biscuits (cookies), juice packets and some silly little plastic toy glasses that David had found in the market. They loved them! Some of the situations were heartbreaking. Some of the children would only smile faintly; others were very cheerful and funny. Some were frightened and others not frightened at all. The nurse then proceeded to take us to every one of the wards and we sought out every child in the hospital, whether a patient or just visiting. Everyone truly appreciated our efforts. We left the remaining toys and treats for the sick children who would be returning the next day. We were thanked again and again by the doctors, the patients and their families, and the nurses. It warmed our hearts.

At the last station, we gathered together with the nurses on that ward. David gave a simple, humble, beautiful prayer blessing the children and praying that they would get better. As he prayed, from somewhere in the hospital we could hear the song "Angels We Have Heard on High". When he finished not a word was said. We all just looked up and the nurses as well as some of the missionaries were quietly crying. It was such a touching moment-one I hope I will never forget!

We then went to Nkwabeng and had a chicken and rice dinner with the missionaries and let them watch a movie before going back to their apartments to call home. This Christmas was unpretentious, uncommercial, rather quiet, yet touching and simple--the way I guess it really should be.

Ghana Elections

Like the USA, Ghana is a democracy and elects a new president every four years. Also, like the USA, their elections were this year (2012). With the unexpected death of their current President John Atta Mills earlier this year, the vice-president Mahama took over without much conflict or contention. His political opponent was Nana Akufo-Addo, who ran in the previous election four years ago and narrowly missed winning the presidency. Mills secured the presidency by a margin of less than 1% after a second round of voting. The political rallying between the parties went on for months, similar to the US, but not quite as intense. However, every Saturday, the streets were found bustling with demonstrators clamoring for one party or another.

Missionaries were told to stay very low-key on voting day (Friday, December 7), and warned to stay away from voting stations, due to the high excitability of Ghanaians. The night before the elections, we could hear chanting and political rallys everywhere as the sounds travel long distances here. But the next day, actual voting day, things were very quiet--strangely so. It was a very interesting process to observe however. The people had to register to vote ahead of time, and many travelled to their hometowns to vote. Many of the polling booths took place just outside of the schools, where small tables were lined up facing the street. Volunteers sat behind the tables, who checked in the voters. An armed guard or guards stood at their sides. When they cast their vote, the people would dip one finger in a permanent ink and then blot it next to the person they were voting for. The ink doesn't wear off for several days.

The people were very passionate about their elections and everyone seemed to have very distinct viewpoints about the candidates. We were a little worried that when the winners were announced there could be some contention or rioting. There was neither. The results of the elctions were not known for several days due to the difficult task of obtaining all the ballots from such obscure cities across the country. The current party retained its power and business just went on as usual. It was exciting to actually witness the democratic process in an African nation. Ghana does have the reputation of having the most stable government on the continent. For this we are most grateful.

Harmattan Winds

The weather in Ghana seems always the same--hot and humid. The combination of low altitude and proximity to the Equator gives Ghana a typical tropical climate. It does not have the strong seasonal changes that we are used to in the United States. Temperatures are reasonably consisitent throughout the year--just hot. However, there are basically two seasons in Sunyani--the rainy season (May and June) and the dry season (November through January).

When it rains, it really rains--not in drops but in huge sheets of water pouring out from black skies. Since all but a few roads are dirt, giant potholes of mud fill the streets and most of the homes have roofing that leaks. But there is something really appealing about the rainy season. Maybe because it doesn't seem as hot and sticky or maybe it's just because the skies are eerily dramatic and beautiful.

We are now entering the dry season. We still get the amazing thunderstorms but with no rain and only with wind and displays of lightening that are nothing short of fantastic. It can feel almost refreshing in the early morning, but by afternoon, it's back to the sweaty brow, sticking underwear and just plain miserably HOT! A noteworthy phenomenon in this part of the world is the harmattan winds, which blow from the northeast during the dry season, bringing dust from the Sahara and reducing visability. The harmattan has little effect, except it is a nightmare to try to keep anything clean as every day EVERYTHING is covered with a fine, silty red dust. It drives President Thayne nuts as he is such a neat freak, so he is forever dusting his bike, the porch, the truck and anything else that is outside.

Sometimes It's All Worth It!

It started out like any other Sunday: up early, no walks, prayers, shower, get everything ready and out the door to one or several of the four branches, depending on President Thayne's responsibilities and agenda. Mission in Sunyani is difficult. Sometimes we get discouraged because EVERYTHING takes so long to initiate and then bring to fruition. It's like three steps forward and then two steps back, but we keep reminding ourselves that at least we are moving ahead, even if it is, oh, so slowly.

We had to attend Estates Sacrament Meeting as a young man was being ordained to be an Elder. I had forgotten that several months ago, in Primary Leadership Training, the question was asked about the Primary Sacrament Presentation. I explained a little about it and told them it should be done before the end of the year, but better the end of November before the Christmas season begins. Because our Primary organizations in Sunyani had still not even received some of the manuals, I figured it would be a miracle to expect a Sacrament Meeting Presentation.

When we walked into the Estates Branch, I could hear the children singing in the Garage area (where they meet because there's not room anywhere else). Then just before Sacrament Meeting was supposed to start, the children marched in, oh so quietly, and filled the chairs on the front row.

President James conducted and I was astonished when he said that the Primary would be presenting the service. The real surprise came when little Emmanuella, who is a five-year old twin, stood up and led the entire congregation in the Opening Hymn (and continued for the duration of the meeting). In Sunyani, we do not have any pianos; only keyboards, which no one plays anyway. So they begin each song by having someone sing the first line or so of the hymn so that people have an idea of the tune. Then the chorister says, "One, two, sing" and they all sing--usually horribly off key and with no rhythm whatsoever. Little Emmanuella held a pen in her right hand and said very loudly and confidently, "One, two, sing"! It was incredible! She led the singing without missing a beat!

Each child then proceeded to give a talk; they sang Primary songs; and then a leader and the Branch President concluded. Tears welled up as I watched this new and infant Branch move forward in the Gospel. In Gary's closing remarks, he mentioned that in all of his years of attending Sacrament Meetings, he had never seen a 5 year-old chorister who did such a great job! Both President Thayne and I remarked as we got in the car to leave, that maybe, just maybe, some of the things we are trying so desperately to teach them are truly sinking in.

We found out later that day, as we visited each of the Branches, that three out of the four had their Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation that day and that the fourth is scheduled next month.

As long as I live I shall never ever forget that tiny little African girl standing in front of an entire congregation and leading them all through the entire meeting without a piano, completely a'capella. Elder Riddle bore his testimony at the end of the meeting and simply stated what we all know to be true--that the children are Africa's future.

Tragedy!

We received word that Martin, a 26 year old member from Fiapre, who was serving as Sunday School President, was murdered as he was driving from Kumasi to Sunyani.

No one really knows what happened but apparently he was stopped by robbers and when he fought back, he was hit over the head and was left at the side of the road where he died before help came. Some say the Chinese murdered him for some money he had just contracted out.

Either way, it was a very sad day for our little Fiapre Branch and their members. President Mills hired a tro-tro and several of the members went with him to the funeral in Kumasi. We did not attend as missionaries are discouraged from attending public gatherings here of any kind.

Such a tragedy for a bright young dedicated man with a great future ahead of him. Life is truly fragile--especially in Africa. We are sad.

Thanksgiving

Because Thanksgiving is an American holiday, no one in Ghana even knows any thing about it. At this time we only have two Elders from the USA in Sunyani. We arranged to have them do splits so they could be together and then invited these American Elders to dinner. There of course was no turkey. The only turkey we've seen was in Accra months ago and it was incredibly small and carried the hefty price tag of 100 cedis.

So we cooked up the remaining chicken breasts we had in the freezer and mashed a ton of potatoes (with real butter we had found at Likers). We even had real stuffing, made from bread slices, cubed, then baked. Candied carrots, deviled eggs, gravy, and a huge fruit salad rounded out the menu followed with ice cream (Fanice) topped with peaches (sent by Teri) for dessert. Gary kept telling me we had too many potatoes but our hungry little Elders ate them up.

It was good for all of us obrunis to celebrate together. We get so close to these Elders they are like our own kids. It was somewhat smaller and simpler than the huge feasts and all the family at home, but it will be a Thanksgiving we shall never forget. We truly know now how very blessed we are and it makes us appreciate the things that are really important.

Africa's Little People and Their Toys

Very few of the children in Sunyani have store-bought type toys or toys of any kind. That's understandable as most of their caregivers, parents or otherwise, barely have enough money to feed the family every day. Ghanaians do love their football (soccer) and on almost every dirt side street, throngs of little black urchins can be found kicking a ball (oftimes made of paper taped together or some other improvisation) between two rocks or sticks or invented goal of some kind. They are actually quite proficient at foot-eye coordination and are extremely entertaining to watch.

The smaller children are every bit as creative. We see many, many small boys (and sometimes girls) pushing an old tire or wheel of some kind along the road with a stick. One little girl huddled up in a corner stroking the matted hair of an old "barbie-type" doll with only one arm and no clothes. Another had tied a rope to a discarded trailer hitch and pulled it behind her.

One small child had made a miniature wagon out of an empty plastic cracker carton and others play with bottle caps in old plastic lids or hub caps. The most ingenious toy we've seen was a little car a small boy had constructed from an empty motor oil container.

During our game night, Face-Off, some of the events used the Coldwell Banker balloons Brittany sent us. The young children all huddle around after, as we give them the blown-up balloons to play with.

We were amazed when we first arrived, at the obedience and respect all the children always demonstrated. In Sacrament Meeting, they sit motionless, always reverent, never making a sound. We found out later that the African children are beaten severely for misbehaving or even doing anything an adult finds disagreeable. What a trade-of; I guess I'll settle for a few noisy kids.

With Christmas coming, I want to go and just purchase tons of little toys -- anything, but they actually are nowhere here to be found. But President Thayne reminds me that there is no place anyway to draw the line. I'm certain for many Christmases to come, when we watch the extravagant and expensive toys we all indulge our children with, we will think back on the simple and no-toy Christmases the Ghanaian children experience. The most amazing thing is that for the most part, at least outwardly, these little people are basically happy. They laugh and love to wave to the obrunis and if we even acknowledge them in any way, they laugh and get so excited. They are literally unspoiled by worldly things and it is amazing to watch how they look out for each other. We often see little children holding the hand and caring for even smaller children.

The government does encourage schooling and has free education for the younger ones. Many go to school; some do not. They all like school as it is better than sitting home doing chores. This is good because Africa's entire future rests in the hands of these little ones.

Farewell to Good Friends

The Zolls and the Fifes (our good friends here in Ghana) were both scheduled to leave within a few days of each other. It was so hard to realize that they were really leaving. Zolls were flying directly home, via New York City, and Fifes were going to visit their daughter in Turkey before making the trip back to their home in North Dakota. Both of them have purchased new homes, sight unseen, while here in Ghana. That's one area we feel really fortunate about as Gary's sister Shauna and her husband Rand have been living in our home and taking such good care of it.

Fifes (becuase he is the doctor for all of West Africa) already live in Accra. Zolls however, who lived in Kumasi, needed a ride to the Accra airport, so of course we volunteered to drive them. It was good to spend a few last hours laughing and reminiscing about all the "TA - typical Africa" days and the Mole and Cape Coast adventures. Bud had the radio cranked up to the Beattles singing "Leaving, On a Jet Plane"! Now it all had to come to an end. We dropped Zolls off at Fife's apartment, who were out of town, and they just laid over there until flight time. We took their new truck and headed home as it takes about 10 hours and we don't drive after dark any more.

So I now have several new skirts that I inherited from Bonnie, Gary has a new (automatic!) truck and we ended up with a lot of good food that they had left. What I want to know is why when we got so much good stuff am I still so sad and lonely? Even though they were a good 2-3 hours away, it was comforting to know that someone else understood what was happening and that we could actually call someone and have them understand what we were talking about. We really are happy for them both however. They both made huge differences in Ghana, and Zolls will forever be legends in the Kumasi area. They really broke the frontier. We shall miss them all!

Play Ball!

When we first arrived in Africa - after a few weeks of adjusting to total culture shock - we evaluated the area we were to be serving in and drew up a plan of some of the goals we wanted to instigate while here. Since all four of the branch meetinghouses were in deploarable states and President Thayne being the "neat-freak" that he is, one of the first things on the list was to clean up, renovate and make the buildings "look like the temple grounds." This was a tall order. We also wanted to get some kind of recreational facilities in each branch so that the missionaries, as well as the members, would have something fun and wholesome to do and be able to interact with each other.

FIAPRE: The first branch we attacked with a vengeance was Fiapre. It had a huge front area, overgrown and covered with weeds and the building walls, inside and out, like most of the buildings here in Ghana, had patches of mildew and fungus. After literally months of badgering, Area finally gave Prosper the funds to buy a mower--a really good mower--and the maintenance on the grounds began. The front now literally looks like a park with beautiful grass and trimmed hedges. The missionaries creatively got some large poles, cemented them into tires and made the two stand necessary to hang a volleyball net from. The District purchased the net and a new volleyball and Fiapre now has a great volleyball area. We also have a horseshoe set (donated by the Zolls) that we plan to set up on the other side of the driveway. The building is set to be painted--inside and out--and should be complete before we leave.

PENKWASE: Penkwase Branch has had the Elders moved out, has been painted inside and out and has a beautiful new baptismal font. The only problem with the font is that often times the water in the Penkwase area is out, so if we need to fill the font and the local water is "finished", water to fill the font has to be hauled by the "bucket brigade" from the well in the back of the building. There were also two magnificent 40 foot Norfolk Pines in the front yard. They were truly beautiful. One morning Car-David called and excitedly told us that they were cutting down the pines. We told him to stop them immediately, but unfortunately the trees had already been chopped down. Such is how it is in Africa; they have these wonderful trees and do not value them at all. In fact, the Africans consider them almost a nuisance. Penkwase does have a huge porch and we have purchased a heavy-duty Table Tennis table and the equipment that goes with it, so Penkwase now has a Table Tennis tournament and playtime for all the members on Saturday mornings. Thay love it!

NKWABENG: Since Nkwabeng was moved suddenly to the building the District Office was and is housed in, our plans for a basketball court were put on hold. However, after getting the "obruni price" of 1,000 cedis to make one and almost deciding it was just out of our budget, we found a basketball standard already made and just sitting on the ground at some metal worker's yard. We purchased it for a mere 240 cedis (of which the Branch paid half)and the Elders took on a service project on P-Day to put it in. It was so heavy that it took the Elders plus quite a few members just to hoist it into position. The hole we had to dig was over three feet deep and we had to use a pick to get through solid rock. What should have been a a few hours' job ended up being most of the day. Elder Larsen, from Loa, Utah, and Elder Riddle and Car-David went to work. By the end of the day they were all so black we couldn't tell them apart, and we made them hose down in the water sprocket. It was truly a great project and now we are patiently waiting for the cement guys Prosper has hired to smooth out the cement so we can paint a key on it and it is ready. The Ghanaians aren't too familiar with basketball but they are all really excited to learn. This building has also been painted inside and out and has lovely trimmed hedges lining the walkways.

ESTATES: We are holding on the Estates Branch because we really need a new building as it is just not large enough for the growth of the Branch. Buildings in the downtown area (which is Estate's area) are extremely expensive and hard to find. We've been looking for months and haven't found anything that is suitable yet, but we are determined to find something and know that it will show up. In the meantime, the weeds that covered the entire lot have been removed and a corn patch was planted. Elder Otagba from Nigeria took down a huge palm tree while we were planting the corn with one sweeping blow from his cutlass (machete). Again, trees just get in the way.

All in all, we are making progress, even though it seems oh. so slow at times. All of the buildings are looking much better. The members are learning to clean the interiors, but that's another blog in itself. We just hope we can get some kind of a schedule developed and in place before we leave so that the maintenance will go on and the buildings will be maintained for years to come.

Lost!

As we were leaving our adventure and the tree walk at Kakum, it began to rain. When it rains in Africa--it really RAINS--not raindrops but in sheets of water. It's really quite fabulous! We of course were out in the jungle on dirt roads but after 5 hours of sloshing through mud, we arrived at the Zoll's appartment in Kumasi, none the worse for wear, except a very muddy car.

We had hoped to be on our way back to Sunyani by 4 pm so that we would arrive home just a little after dark, but everything in Africa takes longer than planned and we didn't get on the road until after 5 pm. Then it took an incredibly long time to fight the traffic and worm our way through Sofaline and out of Kumasi. By the time we hit the main road it was getting dark.

Driving in Ghana is dangerous and crazy at best, but after dark it is truly a nightmare! We had been on the road for about 45 minutes and it was pitch black! At night the jungle is eerie and foreboding and the rainforest seems to close in from every direction. All of a sudden, ahead of us at the side of the road, loomed a figure flashing a small light back and forth. Gary slowed down and a man in a camoflauge outfit flagged us to a stop and told us that the road had been washed out and that we needed to take a detour.

SIDENOTE: Two weeks prior we had been told by two independant, reliable sources (and then again by Dr. Fife who read it in the Accra paper), that a VIP bus travelling from Kumasi to Sunyani had been flagged down and attacked by robbers. They stole everything valuable from the passengers and then raped one of the women on the bus. A taxi approached the stopped bus, realized what was going on, and was shot and killed as he tried to go for help.

Needless to say we were aprehensive about turning off the main highway, especially since "obrunis" are thought to be rich and especially at night. We hesitated but then took the detour off the road. In very broken English, the man told us to go to the "station" and then turn right to get back on the highway. We drove for quite a while and saw no station, not being exactly certain what a station really was. It got darker and darker with fewer and fewer little villages to pass through. The jungle seemed to be reaching in from all sides. It was downright scary!

We were both very uneasy and even a little frightened and began weighing our options. We were obviously NOT on the road to Sunyani and seemed to be heading deeper and deeper into the jungle. We didn't have a clue where we were, out on a dirt road in the rainforest, somewhere in Ghana, in the middle of the night! We considered pulling off and sleeping in the car until morning and daybreak, when we could actually see something. That in itself seemed a little dangerous--two obrunis asleep in a car on the side of the road. We kept going and finally came to another small village. We saw a few young people walking and stopped to ask which way to Sunyani. They, of course, spoke no English; we speak no Twi except the nice phrases like thankyou or good morning. I kept saying "Sunyani" and using sign language. Finally, one of the young men said, "No, no....Sunyani", and pointed back the way we had come. So we turned around and headed back, in the dark again, through the jungle, the way we had come.

When we reached the next village we stopped and asked again, and each time, after frustrating sign language, they directed us another way. It was hours going from town to town asking directions, sometimes from three or four different natives until we found someone who understood.

We finally arrived back on the main road and familiar sights and pulled into Sunyani after hours and hours of weaving through the backroads in the jungle in the dark. Our little apartment never looked so good and after such a horrible experience, we have both vowed we will not drive anywhere unfamiliar after dark again!

Kakum National Park & the Canopy Walk

Less than an hour from Cape Coast and on our way home, Kakum National Park protects what is among the most extensive rainforest in Ghana. It covers an area of about 607 square kilometers and has an average humidity of 90%. We decided to take a quick tour (against Gary's protest as he HATES heights and Kakum's Canopy Walk, one of only five in the entire world, is a bit out of his comfort zone).

The Canopy Walk was constructed in 1995, and is unique in Africa. It consists of a 350 meter long wood and rope walkway that is about 400 yards high (about 4 football fields in the air)! It is suspended between seven gigantic trees and is broken up by a number of rickety viewing platforms. It offers a rare opportunity to actually look into the forest canopy, a breath-taking experience in itself. We hiked up the side of a mountain until we were actually high enough in the air to launch out into the walkways. It was quite amazing, balancing on a rope walkway and holding onto the side as you look down into the jungle. It was great fun until Bud Zoll started bouncing on the suspension bridge and then I have to admit even I was a little uncomfortable. Gary was a great sport. He absolutely hated it and was totally sick the whole way, but he actually completed the whole walk and didn't opt out on the chicken's loop, that allows those squimish about heights to go from platform 1 directly to platform 7.

We passed some birdwatchers from Germany who were perched at one of the platforms, scrutinizing the area with high-powered binoculars hoping to catch a glimpse of some exotic bird. Sometimes the foliage was so thick you couldn't even see the ground and at other times, the rainforest floor was completely visible--I'm not certain which was more scary.

It wasn't until after we were securely back on platform 7, that Elder Zoll pointed out the few rusty nails that were holding the wire ropes and the bracing trees that were almost pulled out of the soggy ground. I guess we just assumed it was safe (except for Gary), but it was an incredible experience in retrospect.

Cape Coast--the castle and old friends

We left Accra the next day and drove down the shoreline to Cape Coast, where our original Mission Home and Mission President live. We had never seen the infamous Cape Coast castle. It is reputed to have been one of the largest slave-holding sites in the world during the colonial era, where Ghanaians--many of them traded to the British by the Ashantis in return for alcohol and guns--were stored before being cramped into returning merchant ships and deported to a life of captive labor.

Sited on the edge of town overlooking a rocky stretch of coast with crashing waves, this whitewashed building is far more attractive than you feel a place with its history ought to be. But once below ground, in the claustrophobic dungeons which saw tens of thousands of Ghanaians incarcerated during the peak of that barbaric era, it is a grim and sobering place indeed. It is the time you spend in these slave dungeons that cuts most closely, their stone walls still marked by the desperate scratching of those imprisoned within them. There are three dungeons in total, all grim and efficient in design. The oldest was built before 1790 and was followed in 1792 by the male dungeon. The female dungeon is on the eastern wall, near the exit to the sea that bore the grim nickname "Door of No Return". A few years ago, a symbolic invitation was issued to two descendants of slaves that saw them return through the Door of No Return, effectively breaking the chain. There is now a sign on the other side, that says "Door of Return".

SIDENOTE: The atmosphere and aura within its walls, remided me of the same feelings I had while visiting Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. The human suffering that you feel within the walls of such places is almost more than one can bear.

We then drove up the hill to the Cape Coast Mission home where we reunited with President and Sister Shulz and the Asays. It was so good to be with old friends. We spent a delightful evening, had a wonderful dinner, reminisced, laughed and played games...It was GREAT!

TOMORROW: KAKUM NATIONAL PARK AND THE CANOPY WALK

Weeping and Wailing - MTC Immunizations

Elder Frankom from Utah developed a severe case of psoriasis and instead of being sent home, he requested that he be able to finish his mission in another African country better suited for his skin disorder. He was reassigned to the Union of South Africa. Zolls asked us if we wanted to drive with them to Accra to take him to the airport. Elder Frankom is a pleasant, truly good Elder who stands an impressive 6'5" tall. Needless to say, we put him in the front seat with Zoll and the rest of us squished in the back seat.

The only problem we encountered was that Elder Frankom wanted to take his workout weights with him and knew they would throw his allowed baggage overweight, so he packed them in his carry-on and lugged them onto the plane himself. Zoll paid an extra 40 American dollars just in case, but the Elder made it safe and sound.

We had made arrangements to stay overnight at the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Accra. The accommodations were the very best we've seen in all of Africa. We actually had a real mattress instead of a plywood base! President Graham and his lovely wife Vanessa do an incredible job orienting the new missionaries that are being sent to all of West Africa. The new Elders and Sisters stay in the MTC for three weeks. Only sisters from Africa are assigned to Ghana as the Church feels the conditions here are much too primitive and unsafe for North American women--we agree.

Earlier that week, Dr. Fife had to accompany a very sick young Elder back to Washington D.C. as he was unable to fly alone. This left his wife Michelle to stay in Accra and administer the necessary vaccinations to the new batch of missionaries at the MTC. Since we were staying there, she asked if we could assist her. What an experience!

Bonnie (Zoll) assembled each of the groups (6-8) and got them ready in the hallway for the shots. Then an aide(nurse), Sister Fife, and I were to administer them. None of the missionaries like the vacinations. The Americans, French and English (who were very few) had no problem. The African Elders didn't like them at all but managed to wince through them. But then we got to the Sisters. The girls from Madagascar were hating them; some cried softly, others were shaking, but we got through it. Then we moved on to the sisters from the Congo. Oh, My!!! The screaming and wailing I have never seen the like! One young lady had to be held by all three of us! She grabbed my left arm and left breast and held on so tightly I still have a huge bruise on my arm, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs! Sister Fife literally sat on her and the nurse hurried and gave her the shots. Everyone out in the hall thought she was being tortured to death. Bonnie said you should have seen the expressions on the faces of the missionaries who were still waiting in line. I would hate to see how the Congolese women handle childbirth. This was the case with every one of them--screaming and wailing and pure drama! I do however believe they were truly terrified. I tried explaining that my little McKenna who is only 2 years old gets shots all the time and is really brave and doesn't ever cry--but to no avail. We finally got through them--what an ordeal!

We took Michelle (Fife) to dinner that night at Captain Hook's, a really nice restaurant in Accra. The Breillets, the Accra Temple President and his wife accompanied us also and it was a delightful, wonderful evening and meal. I had forgotten what a cloth napkin and candleight and sumptious food was really like. Next morning--Cape Coast!

Face-Off

The members in Sunyani have been begging for more activities where they can get together and socialize with each other. We have put together a game night called "Face-Off". Basically, it is held once a week, for 8 weeks and players are drawn from a basket of names to compete in "Minute To Win It" silly games where the Grand Champion will win a new IPOD. They are really excited about the event!

The first game night seemed cursed from the get-go. First, the Area office hired some painters to paint the inside and outside walls of Nkwabeng, where the games were to be held, as well as the outside guard walls.They also were making preparations to paint and seal the inside floors but we stopped them in the knick of time. (It takes about 3 full days to dry.) We got there early and set up the chairs and game props. About then I had a surge of diarrhea (common here in Ghana)--thank goodness we have bathrooms in meetinghouses.

I put signs out on the road and attached two large red cloths to the gate to show everyone where to come in. Brother Brookman, Gary's District Clerk, came running into the chapel and apparently my red flags were very inappropriate. Red is the color of mourning and death in Ghana (along with black)) and is considered a very solemn and sad color and to display it at the gate meant someone had died. We took the flags down.

Africans are ALWAYS late--never on time for anything, but they started arriving in droads about an hour early. The games were scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm. By 6:15, we had a tremendous crowd! At 6:25 pm, the inevitable happened--the power went off. It's dark at 6 pm and it was pitch black inside so we waited for a while outside on the grounds. Finally, we gave the members 3 choices: cancel the event for that night and go home; postpone it to the next night; or travel to Penkwase Chapel and carry it off that night. Much to our surprise, they all wanted to move it and have it that night at Penkwase.

So we flagged down taxis, loaded the games and all the people, and off to the new building we went (where the power was on--we called to make certain). That first night it was a little thrown together but it finally went off without a hitch. They all had a great time. We had planned on about 50-60 people, served Fan-ice, ran out, and figured we had about 85-90 people--a great success!

The problem is we have to do it again next week. The joys of mission!


UPDATE: Face-Off is HUGE! Every week, 80-90 people show up, compete in silly games, laugh (and argue), and all but the winner leave vowing to compete for the coveted championship the next week. All in all we will have 8 weekly competitions (way too many and way too long). Then the weekly winners will play off to see who will be the Grand Champion and win the IPOD......They Love It!!!

Mission Miracles

Elder Obasi is from Nigeria. At first glance, one saw him as a very well-built, attractive African man. He has an infectious personality and is a tremendous leader and missionary. The only thing that was immediately apparent and truly shocking about this fine young Elder was his smile. His smile is warm and sincere but his teeth were corroded and blackened and looked like 4 years of black gooey moss had collected on them. He has worked very hard to go on this mission and has been entirely on his own since a young boy. He earned every penny and so there is no help from home.

We are told that in his hometown in Nigeria there is a mineral in the water that destroys the teeth. We've even paid to have his teeth cleaned, hoping there would be some improvement, but they looked exactly the same after the cleaning.

President Holmes was approached and convinced that not only was his proselyting being affected, but perhaps this was a health issue as well. Elder and Sister Zoll found a dentist in Kumasi who did veneers and then paid for the work themselves. Such generous people! Missions do produce miracles; some small, some not so small. Elder Obasi now has a bright new set of teeth, lots of confidence and a fabulous new smile!

What a joy it is to see a bright new future for this young missionary, who is dedicating his life and all of his substance for two years to the Lord -- not only while he's on his mission, but for years to come.

Demon in the Washroom

We meet the most unusual people on our early morning walks. At first we got lots of stares, some even fearful of the strange obrunis, but now the locals are used to us. They all wave and yell "Etahsane" (How are you this morning) and we respond, "Ayah" (Fine, thanks) and they laugh to think the white man will try to talk Twi.

One morning we met a young African girl named Victoria. She is about 14-15 years old and is exceptionally outgoing and friendly (unusual for Ghanaian girls) and she spoke fairly good English. She of course wanted to come visit us--they all do but rarely follow through. I told her that her name "Victoria" was the name of a very famous and powerful Queen of England long ago. She liked that and we continued to see her as she walked to school in the mornings. She has the usual cropped hair (about a half-inch all over her head) that is required by all the schools. She has beautiful chocolate brown, very large eyes, but her biggest asset is her fun and upbeat personality.

One afternoon, she and a friend just showed up at our place. Her friend's name is Ivy. She's much smaller than Victoria, much quieter, and doesn't speak English as well. We learned both of their families live in the same unfinished house like so many here in Ghana. When they left both girls were intrigued by our refrigerator. I'm sure they don't have one and probably no electricity either.

A few weeks later, Gary was updating his IPAD and I was vegging out on the sofa, when all of a sudden Ivy and a much smaller, younger girl ran into the Giant Hall (Living Room) from out of our back rooms, screaming hysterically, "Help us, help us! Something is wrong! There's a demon in your washroom (bathroom)!" We were totally startled! First of all because we didn't even know the girls were in our apartment and then we couldn't imagine what was going on. Ghanaians don't knock--they just walk in.

We ran into the bathroom and found Victoria huddled in the toilet room, scared to death! Gary's electric toothbrush had been turned on and was vibrating like crazy! We turned it off and then had the girls come into the Living Room to settle down. They somehow had gotten by the gatekeeper and had simply walked through our back door and went exploring in our bathroom. I'm certain they had no idea what an electric toothbrush was and they had pushed the button.

We gave them some cookies and juice. The smaller girl was Victoria's little 7-year old sister. Ivy took the longest time to drink her juice, barely sipping a taste at a time. I asked her if she didn't like it and Victoria said that she LOVED it and didn't want it to be gone because they never got juice--it was too expensive. We also found out that the girls had been taken out of school until their families could raise enough money to send them back, but for now there was just not enough to go around. When they left, they were fascinated by the washer and dryer--they had never seen them before either.

We can't help but ponder what will become of these precious little souls and what the future holds for them. We will however be locking our doors from now on so exploring little people won't unintentionally experience something that could hurt them like appliances or medications.

Dormaa - People All Share the Same Heartaches

The new President of Ghana (the Vice-President was sworn in after President John Mills died) visited Sunyani. It was as if the President of the United States had visited St. George. Absolute traffic nightmares, parades on every corner, chiefs from all the neighboring villages being carried into the city on their litters with drums following and huge umbrellas leading their processions. Flags and brightly colored banners were on every street corner and they had even hurriedly painted all the curbs white before he arrived.

The very next day, President James of the Estates Branch called and asked if we could drive him and his counselors to Dormaa, a little town about an hour west of here on the Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) border. One of the members of their branch was there, tending to his dying mother and he had asked for them to come and give her a blessing.

We of course said yes. None of them drive or have cars so it was either with us or they would have had to take a taxi. President James and his counselor Pax are both unusually large and well-built African men and their Executive Secretary, Brookman, is a slight-built young man, more like the usual Ghanaian physique. Pax is a prison guard and James works for the government as a planning engineer. They proceeded to get into a lively political discussion which as typical Ghanaian discourses go, became very elevated, loud and somewhat contentious. Poor Brookman, who was wedged between them in the back seat, was caught in the middle of two roaring African Alpha males expressing their opinions, both talking at once at hearing decimals that would be banned in the US. It was interesting, animated, and extremely tiring.

We finally arrived in Dormaa and stopped to pick up the young man we had come to visit. I waited in the car and slipped some small children playing on the street next to me some candy we keep in the console of the car just for such occasions.

Two young men came out with them and for a second I thought I was seeing double. Ellis Senior and Ellis Junior (same name) were identical twins and they were identical! They both even wore the same shirt and both had the same tribal scar on their left cheeks. This time it was a "T" on its side. They hopped into the "basket" (back of the pickup) and we drove to the hospital where their mother had been convalescing for several weeks. Their sister was already there waiting for us.

I was not prepared for the scene that unfolded before our eyes. The hospital was much smaller and older than in Sunyani and not nearly as clean. We were all led down narrow hallways or porches that opened on one side to a central courtyard. When we reached the women's wing we entered through a narrow doorway into small musty rooms lined in rows which were connected by doorways. There were small windows on one side of the rooms and the walls were painted a dingy, dark yellow-gold color. Mold and fungus (common in Ghana) discolored the paint and crept up the walls like eerie monsters on the walls. Each room held six beds, three against each wall with a narrow aisle down the center, barely wide enough to allow one to walk between the beds.

The boys' mother was curled up in a fetal position on one of the cots. She wasn't much more than a dried up shell. It was as if someone had stretched black leather over a skeleton. She looked up at me, our eyes met, and I felt the human soul behind those sunken eyes. In rather surprisingly good English she said, "Thank you for coming"--a corn husk who could speak. She kept coughing and spitting mucous into a bucket.

Her daughter sat on the bed next to her and all of a sudden a flood of memories came screeching back into my mind as I remembered how just a little over a year ago, I too had sat at the bedside of my frail, dying mother. It was almost more than I could bear and tears welled up from deep inside.

They helped prop her up and then Brookman annointed her head and Gary gave her the simplest, most lovely blessing--that she would have peace and comfort. The entire room, which was filled with people, became immediately silent--not a sound was made. When he had finished, a small, dwarf-like woman across the aisle asked if he would bless the entire room. He of course complied and again the spirit was so close--so special.

As we were leaving, a beautiful young African woman who was visiting one of the patients approached me, took my hand and said, "Please, I want to be your friend." I assured her that we are all Heavenly Father's children and that of course, I would be her friend. "Someday,think of me", she whispered. We hugged--two total strangers--brought together for just a brief moment somewhere in rural Africa. And she was right--I will think of her.

The drive back to Sunyani was uneventful. But this time the car was very quiet as we were all just pondering the spiritual experience we had just encountered.

Moosa Yaloo - The Cow Man

We have a herd of cows that are stabled (fenced) down the dirt road from where we live. One morning while on our daily walk the cows were being herded along the trail. We see them often but they are usually led by a young man, but this day they were being driven by an older gentleman and a young girl with a baby strapped on her back, Ghanaian style. He stopped us and introduced himself as "Moosa Yaloo" and he was very proud that he was the owner of the cows. The cows are a very sad rendition of cows in America. They are all very boney, skinny and delapitated-looking. But they are very prized here and ownership definitely denotes a position of status.

Moosa is a Muslim and always wears a long gown and Muslim cap. He introduced us to Rita, his daughter, and asked if we had any job she could do and work for us. We explained that we were missionaries and really didn't have any work for her. She was truly a lovely girl. Her eyes were sad and she was very quiet but she was exceptionally pretty. I noticed a large scar on her left cheek in the shape of a half-moon. I thought that the poor girl had perhaps fallen on a broken bottle or sharp implement when she was young.

I have since noticed that same scar on the same cheek on many young people and have learned that it is a tribal designation and the small children are cut this way to denote which tribe they belong to. Sometimes the markings are different and sometimes they are on different cheeks. We even have a great-looking African Elder from Nigeria who has two scars, one on each cheek.

In Fiapre, a few weeks later during Fast Meeting, a very educated older woman who works for the government was attending and had a double scar on her cheek. As she bore her testimony she remarked about her tribal mark and then noted her "junior brother", also in the congregation, had the same scar.

Some of the customs of this land are very foreign to us but we are learning so much about their culture and beliefs. But whenever I notice the markings, I still always think what a shame it is to scar these beautiful young faces.

Anniversary Woes

We've been married 44 years and our anniversary turned out anything but what we expected. After Gary's early morning bike ride, we took our usual morning walk through the jungle paths. The rainy season is slowly starting to fade away and it seems to be getting hotter each day. We planned on having a relaxed morning but we did have several little errands that needed attending to in town. Just as we were leaving, President Owusu called and said we needed to meet Alex (one of the members) at Auntie Mary's house right away.

When we arrived at her little shack, Alex and Effah were waiting for us. They jumped in the back seat and told us we had to go to the police station right away. Well, we've been to the Sunyani Police Station and it wasn't a great experience to say the least. They hemmed and hawed and skirted the issue, but we finally found out that Wilson, the Elder's Quorum President, and one of his roommates named Fred had been arrested in their house at 4 in the morning and hauled to lock-up.

Come to find out there had been an escalating fight at their complex the night before. Several families and individuals all rent rooms in this house. A young girl in her twenties had accused Fred of stealing her phone. Phones are the one thing Ghanaians value--phones are their lifeline and communication with the world and they all have them, no matter how poor they are. There are no newspapers; most don't drive or own a car; television is out of Accra and very mediocre and downright stupid. Phones are IMPORTANT to them!

The fight had escalated, like most disagreements here in Ghana, and somehow Wlson interjected his two cents worth and the girl "disrespected" him and "insulted" him, and he smacked her around a bit. Wife beating is very common in Ghana and somewhat expected if a woman "disrespects" a man. She in turn went to the police, pressed charges, and the two young men were arrested--as they should have been.

However, now comes the bottom line. They were thrown in jail--a dingy, filthy room with no windows and only one barred door. There are no chairs nor toilets--it's dark and reeks of urine and who knows what else. The prisoners are left there with no food (sometimes for days) and then if no one approaches the CID (I don't know what that stands for) they go to prison. Wilson was in line to spend two years--no trial--just a court appearance and then lock-up.

We met with the CID, a rather bossy, heavier-set woman and she told Gary and me to go away and let Alex handle it. Then she left and went to town for a few hours. We took Alex to get some food for the guys. It was then about 2 pm. We left Alex there and went on our errands and returned a couple of hours later to see what had transpired--NOTHING! We then approached the CID; she had returned and she again put us off--told us to leave. We persisted however, very respectfully, and finally for 20 cedis, they released the young men. Alex is trying to reach the girl and see if she will drop the charges and then let Wilson work out a private kind of restitution with her. By now, several of their friends had arrived and we were told that they never release prisoners that quickly or for that small amount of bail. They said the only reason they were let out was because the "old obrunis" went to bat for them.

Then as we were backing up to leave, we ran into a parked car and dented the fender--a major uprising again! People kept congregating and yelling and expressing their opinions very loudly, even if they hadn't even seen the accident! Because we are so white and visible and stick out, everyone seems to know where we are and what we are doing. Members from all of the Branches began showing up at the police station. They just saw us and stopped by. Owusu had arrived a little earlier and had seen the accident. He and the owner of the car were screaming at each other and then all of a sudden, Owusu jumped in his car and the guy with the smashed fender followed him in his vehicle and they both left. We just sat there--didn't know what to do. Here we are at the police station, are involved in an accident that was clearly our fault, and then they leave. We found out later that Owusu had the guy follow him to a friend's garage to see what it would cost to fix the dent and told him we would pay for it.

We were thoroughly disgusted with Wilson and feels he really needs to learn a lesson--that regardless of what the situation is or what is said, it never should escalate into physical violence. That said, two years in a Ghanaian prison without a trial seems a little steep for a split lip. We think he should be accountable at any rate.
We finally drove home--having spent the whole day at the police station--a place I never wanted to see again and truly hope we never have the misfortune of going to again in the future.

UPDATED NOTE: The fender cost us about 55 cedis ($30). Alex signed for Wilson. Wilson claims he never struck the girl--only pushed her. Wilson has skipped town--we think he's somewhere in Accra. If he doesn't come back or get her to drop the charges, Alex might have to go to prison. What a nightmare--this justice system!

The Mission Tour and Sunyani Model

General Authorities visit our Ghanaian missions about twice a year called mission tours.  We were really surprised and honored when Elder John Dickson took the time out of his busy schedule and visited Sunyani shortly after we arrived in Africa.  He and his wife were delightful.  We went to dinner at the Eusbett for pizza (a rare treat) and truly enjoyed their company.   It was only a few weeks after his visit that Gary was called to be the District President of all Sunyani.

The official Mission Tour was in September and Elder LeGrand Curits was the visiting authority.  He and his wife accompanied President and Sister Holmes to Sunyani, and after meeting with all of the missionaries, inspecting the meeting houses and then meeting with all of the Branch Presidencies and priesthood leaders, they all came to our little house for dinner.  It made a lot of sense, since it always takes about 2 hours time when you order food at the Eusbett (the only semi-decent hotel and restaurant in town).

The evening and company was really wonderful.  We did learn over dinner that apparently our little Sunyani is discussed quite frequently by the Prophet and Twelve Apostles.  It is termed the "Sunyani Model" and is a new concept (2 years old) for opening a foreign area to missionary work.

Usually the Church sends a couple of missionaries into a new location; they proselyte, baptize, and as the membership grows, they lease meeting houses until the membership requires the building of chapels.  In Sunyani, two years ago, Elder Dickson started an entirely new concept and method of opening an area.  They selected Sunyani as an area to be opened, divided it into four geographical sections, leased large homes in each section and placed two missionaries in each house.  The missionaries then taught the people and they would meet right there in the house they resided in.  As the memberships grew, branches were formed and then the missionaries were moved out , leaving the buildings for the branch meeting houses.  All of our four areas have now become branches.  Two of them have the missionaries out and two of them are in the process of moving.  We have also picked up additional companionships and now have twelve missionaries here in Sunyani.

We are hoping we can continue to open up new areas around Sunyani the same way and are already sending some of our missionaries out to Kenyasi, Chiraa, Techiman, and Abesim.  A small number of members already living in Kenyasi have been begging for months to have the Church come there and we just got the go ahead from President Holmes to send a companionship there once a week.

We had no idea that Sunyani was the posterchild of this new concept.  It does put a lot of pressure on though, knowing our progress is being watched so carefully. It is exciting however to see the Gospel spreading here in Africa.

Safari!

 Zolls and Fifies go home the end of October.  It will be difficult watching them leave.  They have been planning a short getaway and invited us to go with them on a Safari to Mole (pronounced mo-lay) National Park, Ghana's largest wildlife sanctuary, located in the heart of Ghana's northern territory. It was set aside as a game reserve the year after Ghana attained independence and covers 4,840 square kilometers of jungle and savannah lands.  The park is totally remote--far from anywhere.

We obtained the Mission President's permission and blessing and our adventure began.  Salasi, our tour guide, picked up the Zolls and Fifes in Kumasi, then they drove up to "collect" us in Sunyani and we all started out in our own personal "tro-tro" for deepest, darkest Africa.  Eight and a half hours later, after a very bumpy, pot-hole dodging drive over dirt roads with only one potty-stop, we finally arrived at Mole.  The first thing we saw after entering the reserve, was a gigantic, fierce-looking warthog.  He was right at the side of the road and his tusks curled menacingly up from his lower jaw!  We were all so excited--a real life African animal!  We finally got enough nerve to sneak out of the other side of the van to try to get pictures!  Salasi was quite amused--we found out later that warthogs are like dogs--they are very common and are everywhere, even around the motel itself.

The motel actually looks like just that....a tacky, 1960's something Motel 6....no frills:  2 twin beds as hard as plywood; water that only runs from 6:30 a.m. until about 8 a.m. on a good day; and two large plastic buckets in the bathroom filled with water to pour into the toilet when you needed to flush or pour over your head when you needed a shower.  There are two sections of rooms and then in the center, an office, dining area, and.......a gorgeous, sparkling clean, well-maintained swimming pool!  The best we've seen in all of Ghana.  Gary actually had his first swim in Africa in this pool.  He has missed his daily swims so much and he LOVED it!

The motel's setting is incredible!  It sits high on a cliff.  There is a large viewing platform on the edge under a mammoth twisted old tree, that overlooks the watering holes below.  REAL African animals (instead of chickens and goats) are visible, not only in the savannah fields and jungle below, but also running around the motel grounds.  Warthogs were everywhere, as well as monkeys and huge baboons.  They are wild but have become somewhat accustomed to people so we were cautious, but could actually get quite close.  It was an amazing place to wake up to the sound of baboons clattering over the roof or barking outside our window.

FIRST ENCOUNTERS:
We left very early, at first light, on the preliminary morning treking safari.  The six of us were assigned to a guide named Christopher.  After we all pulled on knee-high rubber boots, Christopher, with bush rifle in hand, led us down the cliff toward the watering hole.  We saw dozens of Kob (really beautiful antelopes) and Water Bucks, that resembled a cross between a donkey and a moose.  After we reached the savannah below, we plodded through mud, rivers and grasslands and then pushed our way into an outcropping of a wooded area of jungle.  All of a sudden, right in front of us--only a few feet above, on a small ridge, a huge shadow loomed up, blocked by the sunshine of the early morning sun!  It was one of those times when you knew you should be terrified but the majestic beauty of  a gigantic male elephant kept every one of us paralyzed and in awe!  As we all just stood there, even too startled to take pictures, we heard a crashing to our right and realized we were between two of these most magnificent creatures!  Christopher motioned us to quietly back away, but not before the cameras started snapping.  The elephants knew we were there but just kept eating trees and pushing them over in the process.  I've seen many elephants (in the zoo, circus, at fairs, etc.) but this was one of those surreal lifetime experiences!  To actually come face to face with such a gigantic beautiful wild creature in its own habitat was unbelievable!

After a while we backed out of the thicket and wandered into the grasslands again to watch the other wildlife.  It was incredible!  Right when we thought it couldn't get any better (some visitors never even see an elephant) the whole experience became even more amazing!  We approached one of the watering holes and there in the middle of the murky water were four male elephants bathing and frolicking and play-fighting.  We sat very quietly on little benches and watched as they splashed and head-butted each other!  Then a much larger male smashed through the grass and approached the water!  He threw his bead back and tossed his gigantic ears and trunk to let the others know who was in charge.  Then, he too lumbered into the water.  What a sight!  We watched and snapped pictures and movies for the longest time and then the elephants all climbed up and out of the watering hole and disappeared back into the bush.

We began heading back to the motel and as we crossed a small river, those of us shorter people managed to somehow fill our rubber boots with water making it necessary to sit on the ground, empty the water and wring out our socks.  Then it was back to the motel for breakfast with everyone of us feeling like the whole trip had already met and surpassed all expectaions!

CANOE TRIP:
Our next adventure was a canoe trip up the Bole River.  Salasi and a guy named Muhammed arranged for us to board two very delapitated canoes--three of us in each one.  The guides became very agitated and finally told us we had to switch boats.  Both Bud Zoll and Dr. Fife are big guys and were too heavy to go together in the smaller boat.  We switched and it was a good thing as even with the three of us who were smaller, there was barely an inch between the water level and the edge of the canoe.  We didn't dare hardly breathe for fear of capsizing.  Our guides paddled up the river engulfed on both sides by encroaching jungle, making the excursion dark and rather foreboding.  We rounded a corner to see a small boy, perched precariously on the limb of a tree overhanging the black water.  It was a pertfect reinactment of Huckleberry Finn--African style.  He was fishing, lowering a line into the river below.  Next to him, on another line, hung three fish he had already pulled from out of the deep.  We returned to the dock where a man on a motorcycle was waiting for us.  As soon as we disembarked, he and our guides lifted the motorcyle up and into the canoe and off they went to transport him across the river.

MOGNORI - ECO VILLAGE:
We next visited a small mud-hut town called Mognori.  It is what they call an "eco village",  conceived in 2003 after all the locals' crops were destroyed by wild elephants, so the village was set up to provide travellers with the opportunity to experience authentic rural jungle life, paying a few cedis and providing the little town with a source of income.  It is possible to actually stay overnight in a hut, but we were just able to have a guided village walk and a watch a drumming and dancing performance by the local inhabitants--old, young, male, female--everyone participated.  They live just like they have for centuries:  no plumbing or running water, no electricity--only mud huts and open fire pits.  The only modern thing to be seen was a large, solar-powered light erected on a tall pole in the center of the village.  It was like stepping back in time through hundreds of years.

LARABANGA:
Next we travelled to the village of Larabanga. only 5 km from our motel.  It is a fascinating place with amazing examples of the traditional flat-roofed mud "kraals".  The town is made up of 100% muslims, so the six of us, all obrunis and all wearing "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" nametags must have been quite a spectical.  The mosque at Larabanga is probably the oldest extant building in Ghana.  Some say it was built in the 13th century, but most sources fix on the year 1421.  It is very old and a truly strange and inspiring site.  We were shown around the town, watched how shea butter is made, but were not allowed to enter inside the mosque as Christians are forbidden.

ENDING A GREAT GETAWAY:
On out last evening in Mole, we rode down to one of the watering holes and climbed to the top of a lookout tower and watched as the sun set on the grasslands and the many wild creatures that live there, and it also set on our little Safari getaway.  The next morning, bright and early, we returned to Sunyani and missionary work with only a quick stop at Kintampo Falls for lunch.

Hit and Run --- Literally!

Gary was on one of his early morning bike rides through the little town of Abesim on the outskirts of Sunyani.  A gentleman crossed the road in front of him and then, for no reason, turned and without looking walked directly back into Gary and his bike.  The man was knocked to the ground and Gary immediately ran to see if he was hurt.

He wouldn't talk, but just scowled and Gary could see he wasn't hurt--just shaken up a bit.  Immediately a crowd started gathering and discussing the crash.  Everyone began screaming and yelling and the crowd of people got bigger and bigger.  Ghanaians when they are upset are somewhat loud under the best of circumstances and they are highly excitable.  Their emotions tend to accelerate and they literally can work themselves into a frenzy--especially in crowd situations.

Gary remembered our preliminary instructions warning obrunis to be very careful about getting involved in any large gatherings or public demonstrations.  The "foreigner" will always be absolutely in the wrong and this entire situation was beginning to escalate out of control.  Everyone had an opinion, whether they had seen the accident or not, and were yelling in Twi.  Forget trying to explain anything in English!  The situation grew increasingly worse as more and more people gathered around--all VERY excited and all VERY loudly vocalizing their own opinions.

Gary saw no good end in sight, so he approached the man who had been hit, shook his hand and got on his bike and got "outah Dodge" as quickly as possible.  He realized for the first time that we are definitely the outsiders and that compromising situations will very probably produce a no win.  Ghanaians truly do not react or think like Americans.  In a crisis situation, we generally are visably upset and perhaps even out of control and vocal at first, and then we usually think it over, calm down, and attempt to rectify the situation.  Ghanaians are somewhat stoic at first and then react with increasing agitation which then escalates many times beyond control.

It was a good lesson.  We will try to be more careful and keep in mind that we are in their country and that it is best to remember our mission instructions and remove ourselves from any conflict as soon as possible. 

Sunyani All African Service Project

The day began early--way before dawn.  We had loaded the gloves, vests, masks, rakes and tools in the truck the night before.  The streets were eerily quiet and were just starting to come alive as the sunrise was peaking over the tropical forests on the outside of town.  We parked at the top of Old Station, that section of Sunyani which is always bustling with vendors, taxis and shopkeepers.  But in the very early morning the street seemed unusually peaceful--almost quiet.  Our task was to assemble the members of the Church throughout the District and clean the gutters and streets of sewage and rubbish before the town erupted with its daily hectic African city life.  It was a tall order and a very optimistic undertaking.

As the members arrived, each was given a bright yellow vest that said "Mormon Helping Hands".  We passed out the gloves, masks and tools and off they went, attacking the garbage and debris with a vengeance.  Along each side of the streets of downtown Sunyani are deep cement gutters which are anywhere from a foot across to two feet and sometimes as deep as three feet.  They carry human waste (remember there are no public restrooms), garbage or anything else that needs to be discarded.  It really would be a fairly good system except there is no way to flush the gutters out, so everything just sits in the ditches and stinks, ferments, and gets rotten.  The stench is overwhelming--hence the masks.  It was truly a disgusting job but the members actually seemed to be having a good time.  Catherine exclaimed with a little giggle, "I never knew picking up rubbish could be fun!"

We had expected about sixty members to actually participate, but when we handed out the 91st vest, we hurriedly ordered more refreshemnts so we would have enough.  They were young and old, male and female, and even some who were not feeling well and were sick.  They all wanted to be involved.
The whole project took about three hours and by the time we finished, the market and street shops were busy selling their wares and in full swing!  They all truly appreciated our efforts and there were many "medases" (thank yous). 

We all met after at a nearby school that we had previously arranged to use, had meat pies, koko and refreshments, laughed, took pictures, played singing games and then had a huge futbol (soccer) game.

Our three main goals had been met and even surpassed all expectations.  We had helped to clean up the streets of Sunyani; we had demonstrated that the LDS Church wants to support the city and give community service; and the entire District had a memorable activity where the members worked together and bonded as friends.  It was a great day!