= Sunday, we arrived at church 20 minutes late and missed receiving the Sacrament. The third speaker duplicated thoughts in English and Twi. [I learned later that he had served a mission in Zimbabwe.] His topic: Today, how can we as parents teach our children? [He gave scriptural examples of people who were taught well and people who were not.] “How do we offend the Spirit today?” [Implied answer: by not teaching our children.] “The children you have now are not your own. They have a Heavenly Father.”
= Steph had medical issues to deal with during the meeting. Afterwards, the Branch President told us that he was doing temple recommend interviews today and there would be no other meetings. Home, as requested by the Mission President, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation for one aspect of the multi-step process for issuing temple recommends.
= Monday, today’s weekly meeting was much longer than most; we are reaching the cusp of the mission split. We had twice as many Elders in the room as we usually would; half of them will soon be in the mission office in Takoradi.
= When we returned to the house this evening at about 5:30, I met the father in the family that lives just uphill from us. He commutes from Accra, but his wife and kids have to park their car near the small store closer to the main road because their sedan can't navigate the deep gaps in the “road” from their house to the next low point. Steph and I watched Don't Miss This (scripture study). Then I could not get to sleep readily: unusual for me.
= Tuesday, I approved many clothing purchases; they had been paused while President Morgan adjusted the process. Steph and I had lunch with departing missionaries. Home, Steph worked on medical issues and studied medical procedures and advice; I worked on apartment issues. We read scriptures together.
= Wednesday, after we bought medication for missionaries, I was the driving instructor for three missionaries we were sending to the Takoradi mission. My role was to remain calm so they wouldn’t panic while they made their way through narrow downtown roads lined with deep, cement-lined ditches and choked with vehicles, people, and goats. [In retrospect, I wish I had also given them more practice in pothole-ridden areas as well. A short time later, one of them blew a fist-sized hole in a tire when hitting a pothole in Takoradi.]
= In the church’s on-line system, I updated GPS coordinates for housing. I polished Excel workbooks and other tools to share with the people who would support the new Takoradi mission. Steph worked on medical issues. Then we had dinner with departing missionaries. We heard them bear their testimonies and receive sashes (stoles) embroidered with the mission name and their name.
= Thursday by 0900, the outgoing missionaries had shared brief words of encouragement to the arriving missionaries and were loading onto the bus after their bags were strapped onto the roof. While Sister Morgan cut the hair of Sister missionaries, Steph spent much time reviewing their suitcases to make sure they had enough appropriate items to begin with.
= We missed dinner, leading the Eastmonds to Oak Tree Medical Services. They had driven a badly-burned Elder from the far western reaches of the mission. We all visited with the missionary and the doctor, then returned in time to hear testimonies of the incoming missionaries. The Eastmonds stayed in our spare bedroom for the night.
= Friday, I made egg sandwiches and had a good talk with Elder Eastmond over breakfast. He and his wife left school teaching for a year to serve here and expect to teach again when they return. At this transfer meeting, the missionaries not only learned their companions for the next eight weeks but also learned whether they had been assigned to the new Takoradi mission effective 1 July. The Morgans had a tough assignment: help these missionaries remember that in their call to serve they were given a specific assignment that can change as the need changes; the Morgans handled it with love and there were no groans, etc.
= We and the Eastmonds visited the Elder at Oak Tree Medical Services again; he will remain there through Monday to be watched over while his skin begins to heal. We picked up malaria medicine at the London Bridge pharmacy at the local Goil station [a gas station chain]. At the office, Steph refilled her medical imprest. The Barilleaus drove us to Lemon Lounge, where we had good pizza together. Home after working on more mission issues, Steph and I watched Sherlock Holmes set in modern times.
= Saturday, people came to clean our poly tanks, and then we had no water. I interacted with the fleet supervisor to try to ensure that the new mission would have at least one truck in place by 1 July; I caused a stir that I believe helped make sure that happens. It was not reasonable to park mission trucks in Accra for people who would not arrive until after the mission start; the mission Elders and Assistants were already in place and would need transportation in Takoradi from day one.
= An individual who had cleaned the tanks returned to our house and found the switch to reboot the pump: an unmarked switch next to the refrigerator. I dealt with clothing issues. Steph found that some individuals she had provided specific instruction to had not followed her guidance and their health had gotten worse. As someone has pointed out, these young people are only eight-to-ten years out of Primary. Some are ratted by minor health issues, others are so dedicated that they won’t seek help until they can barely walk. We have some very dedicated missionaries.
Ride with Dad.
Companionships are formed, pairing seasoned missionaries with trainees.
is a two-hour drive from any airport. It sits on the road to Oak Tree Medical Center.
The only giveaways: I'm right-handed, and the shiny door says "push".
(It's plugged into the outlet next to the refrigerator.)
Future missionary.................Some current missionaries
Some Fosu members. The person in green at the left is Sister Bingham.
Posing...
Working
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