= Sunday we watched a baptism before church. A talk was given about baptism. Another talk was given about the Holy Ghost. Then Elders we had brought came to the front to demonstrate how the person being baptized should position his hands to make it easy to pinch his nose when he is lowered backwards into the water. In the font, the water level was really too low; the woman being baptized had to kneel before the ordinance started and then bend backward from there to get completely under after the prayer was said (in English), but she did it. Her son, who was shorter, had no problem. They were confirmed immediately.
= We left right after the Sacrament was passed; we needed to bring those Elders to the Mfuom Branch; it was our first time there. Members had been waiting for the Elders to teach young adults; a mix of English and Twi was used. Older women and Steph sat with Relief Society and conducted their meeting almost completely in Twi.
= When that was over, the Elders showed us where they hoped to move: basically part of a cement-block structure, but they would rather have this than continue to travel a half hour by KK or taxi from where they stay now to where people live near the Mfuom Branch.
= Monday, I mailed our income tax returns. Getting to the post office was a lengthy adventure. I found the post office the third time I passed it, but its parking was full and there was no place near to pull over. Once I planted the truck, it was an uncertain walk, trying to retrace what I had just driven, but without much success until after I prayed, then a member of the church spotted me and pointed me in the right direction. I then had to find the truck; curiously, finding the truck was easier than finding the post office even though I had neglected to store coordinates for where I had left the truck.
= Tuesday, we drove in the rain (windy but short-lived) for the first time here, in order to bring an elder to a pharmacy to receive an instant blood test for malaria. That pharmacy turned out to be close to where we live and has pills that we take; so, we made personal purchases as well. (Prescriptions are generally not needed for anything here; though a good pharmacist may refuse to sell you a treatment you don't seem to need.)
= An ATM ate Steph's debit card, with us thousands of miles from our credit union. Blessedly, the bank was open and an employee handed back her card unscathed. This bank’s ATM has never accepted my card; I think we're done with this bank.
= Wednesday, I fine-tuned a suggested apportionment of senior missionaries to inspect missionary housing units. Steph and I drove around looking for pharmacies that stocked a particular medication. Home, I made spaghetti sauce from something like tomato paste in a bag. OK but not stunning; we miss the vegetables in Ragu.
= Thursday, we attended a Zone conference from start to finish in a chapel about 20 minutes away: training in a upstairs room that had air conditioning; lunch; more training; then Steph handing out pills and candy.
= Friday, Sister Morgan gave me some well-thought-out materials for teaching Sunday School presidencies. When we caught up with the . agai)n, we arrived a little late for lunch and President Morgan tried to give us his lunch. We found more had been brought after all, but this incident helps you see the neat kind of people we work with. The Barilleaus have also sheltered us, making sure we could find key locations and in general ministering to our welfare. After training, Steph again handed out pills and candy, calling "Doxy!" "De-worming pill!" "Candy!". (We'll de-worm every six months.)
= We drove to Takoradi, more than two hours away, and checked into Best Western Plus; we needed to be in place the following day. We ate supper with the Eastmonds, whom we had not seen face-to-face until today, the Sroufes whom we had met at the MTC, and the Barilleaus, the office couple that handles financial and secretarial duties for the mission.
= Saturday, we ate lunch at the chapel in Takoradi, sat through the second portion of training for the third time, and Steph handed out candy, pills, and advice afterward.
= We had hoped to find block cheese at Melcom's - a variety store - before leaving Takoradi, but it wasn't available. We were so hungry that I ate at Elvis' kabob stand on the far side of the parking lot: goat kabob (like tough steak). We should have headed home right then. Instead, we looked for block cheese at Shoprite grocery store (none there either) and ate chicken-mushroom pizza at the Pizza Hut connected to it. Between a misbehaving GPS, driving in the dark down dirt paths, and what felt like near misses when passing vehicles, we were glad to get home almost three hours later.
Sunday morning, the traffic through the market on Jukwa Road just past Pedu Junction was light. Consider that this is being taken from the passenger side; so, our truck is well over to the left. It's not unusual for oncoming traffic to flow past you on both sides; we were spared that today.
Denkira Ankaako Chief Palace
These billboards are advertising celebrations of life for individuals who have died: funerals.
We should have skipped Melcom this time. this photo is a reminder that the GPS got lost leaving Melcom and the trip home was in darkness: our first time driving a long distance here at night. It's tough to dodge potholes you can't see, and people still line the roads at night.
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