Week of 20240630 - Ghana Week 16: Riding in a KK Is a Metaphor for the Mission
= Sunday, a non-member directed us to the church: away from where the GPS dumped us about a block away down a dirt alley. The chapel was on the second floor to take maximum advantage of airflow, and the building had a courtyard in the center to let the air flow through all the classrooms as well. We were late and missed taking the Sacrament for the second time in two weeks. After Sacrament, the Bishop led a discussion on loving and reaching out to others.
= We picked up food at Snapfinger Pizza (chicken and mushroom pizza that had lots of cheese!) and at the hotel drafted short testimonies in Twi and rested until 6 PM dinner with the other senior missionaries and the Morgans. We collectively shared stories until 9, then in the room Steph worked to finish making medical notes before the records of transferred missionaries would move to the new mission at 2 AM. I worked on journal episodes.
= Monday, the Eastmonds rode back with us to Cape Coast to retrieve their vehicle from maintenance. We then rode with the Barilleaus to Lemon Lounge and ate there with them and with the Eastmonds.
= Tuesday, we worked from home and took our once-in-six-months deworming pill. [No side-effects, none.]
= Wednesday, it rained and we worked from home again. In Takoradi, we had bought a hand-crank sewing machine made in India. Steph worked to set it up, but the manual took for granted that some important things would be in place that were not. I unpacked and organized the cans, jars, and bottles of food we had bought in Takoradi: items hard or impossible to find locally.
= Thursday, we had what would have been the weekly Monday meeting. (The Morgans had been introducing President and Sister Helland to people who would support them in their new mission: the Ghana Takoradi Mission.) We learned that early in September, Steph and I will probably do the transportation for a one-day trip to the temple in Accra with a handful of missionaries, returning the same day. In the evening, we attended a potluck and watched a DVD together with the Morgans and the other senior missionaries.
= Friday, we drove to Otuam to inspect an apartment there. Once we left the main highway, each bend of the road was vying for the honor of having the largest pothole. Their apartment was next to a baptismal font and a covered area in which to hold church. A regular chapel is almost finished and will be used by these worshippers.
= Back in Cape Coast, we set out on another adventure: walk the market on Jukwa Road north of Pedu Junction, and ride a KK. On the walk, we found clothes and tools. We rode a KK to the Me3 restaurant, then back through the market to our vehicle.
= Riding in a KK is a metaphor for our mission. It’s exciting and useful and not very expensive, but unless you’re inside the KK, you can’t imagine how much fun it is! We were close to the action, and life moved fast.
= Saturday was a quiet day. We continued to work from home.
In the distance from the hotel room in Taokradi, we could see golfers.
This multi-story chapel is hollow to obtain maximum air flow. Sacrament is held in the room ahead. The other rooms are classrooms.
Nice view of Takoradi from the second floor..
.. from a different direction; notice the driveway.
This pose of Steph taking photos reminds me of the Vulcan statue overlooking Birmingham, Alabama.
Part of the menu at Snapfinger Pizza. People applaud in Ghana by snapping fingers. And not just in Ghana. Multiple sources say: The finger snap signals the same passionate response without disrupting the speech.
Snapfinger Pizza has other food and has milkshakes and smoothies as well.
Arguably the fanciest hotel in Takoradi is quietly updating its rooms. Notice that a truck will carry away this pile; it's not just sitting here in perpetuity. (This is only visible from certain angles, not obvious from the parking lot.)
Snapfinger pizza, back at the hotel. Tons of cheese make this a worthy alternative if you can't get to Peter Pan at the Shoprite Mall.
Passing on a curve is common.
She carries a cross-section of wares.
And this is business as usual: a woman carrying a store on her head; a baby on someone's back; a person getting into a taxi.
It's not a minivan [inside joke: I like minivans], but they're making it work.
I've looked, but I'm still not sure what they're carrying. And the traffic around them is moving; those vehicles aren't parked. Super Gardens Hotel is advertised in the background.
This is harder than it looks. I once bought a tire with rim from a junkyard and had to roll it a long distance to the exit.
Dumpster delivery. The dumpster has been donated; I can't read by whom.
Hebrews 13:8 Business Centre.
(Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.)
She might have multiple outfits for you.
When you run out of superlatives
A lot of soil washing to the sea
Our signs are everywhere. If you live near a paved road, there is probably a set of Latter-Day Saints who meet within walking distance. They might meet in someone's home, or in a rented home, or in a pavilion, or in a formal chapel, but they are meeting together.
Wheelbarrows aren't just for dirt.
The tall yellow containers hold cooking oil. The tubs hold margarine (or anything once emptied).
This is a pharmacy. A licensed "over the counter medicine seller" offers many items, including those typically requiring a prescription in the States. The pharmacist may ask questions but will typically give you what you ask for or will suggest items based on your symptoms.
This red oil is palm oil. It stains and is greasier than butter (and turns pancakes yellow; don't ask), but it is a staple in many foods.
If one of these is passing and it's heading toward you, it's not likely to yield; you'll have to somehow. Count the wheels; these are duals except the very front.
Men use their heads, too.
An aboboyaa (truck bed, motorcycle front) marketing ice cream.
Look closely; a man is inside, steadying the load.
If you want to advertise/announce something, you hire a vehicle like this. Our facilities manager sometimes hires the services of one of these when we are looking for an apartment to lease for missionaries to live in.
Notice we don't have much shoulder to avoid this vehicle.
If you don't have a store, use the sidewalk.
Just a reminder that streets have drainage ditches that can swallow your tire and have room left over. It's also awkward for pedestrians, who have to be careful where they step.
Yes, he's carrying a table.
Sister Barilleau, the Eastmonds, Elder Barilleau, and the Ladners posing at the Lemon Lounge entrance. (The ceiling writing is reversed so it looks right in the mirror that we're facing.)
View from Lemon Lounge. (This restaurant is on the second floor.)
Cooperative advertising. After you have shopped at AKWATS (a new store featuring American products; I don't think we've been there yet), come and chill at Lemon Lounge.
The 4th of July tie-in doesn't hurt.
Pasta by Marty. The chunks are local Spam. The green items are grated pickles.
The box contains a single pill, taken every once a year or every six months, depending on what environment you grew up in. I have noticed no side-effects, none.
This the rainy season. It doesn't seem that we're getting enough rain this year.
This hand-crank sewing machine had some assembly required. Once the retaining bolts were loosened, they had to be removed from the base. Steph used the magnet from the back of her badge to coax them out.
Staples. Don't buy the tuna in the green can. Those cans contains tuna flakes ground finer than Taco Bell Beef. As Steph says, Reading is essential.
The instructions don't say much.
Sauces, jams, canned goods.
Frosting, syrup, oil, balsamic vinegar, sweet chili sauce, catsup.
Pancake mix claimed to contain raisins. Here is the only raisin we found in the entire batch.
Electrical work? First, get a big spool of wire.
Steph makes better-looking food than I do (and better-tasting, too).
Want to know much much money is left on your pre-paid meter? Just key 007 into this gadget.
There's still a mud bath between us and the paved road.
Goats, doing their own thing near the mission compound. Elder Barilleau has let a couple of goats out of their compound. They apparently jump from high ground over the fence and then can't get back out.
A phalanx of KKs, as troops in close formation.
Phone boxes waiting for transport. Missionaries will charge their phones in these so the phones can't easily be snaked out through a barred window.
Fourth of July looped video at the Morgans. We watched a fun movie together.
That wooden base is heavy, but it seems that this style (from China) is the one that predominates here.
Visiting apartments, we often pass Moree.
This bakery on Jukwa road in Cape Coast serves many outlying communities such as this one.
This is the way almost all objects are carried.
I know there's a logical argument for putting your business next to businesses like yours, but it's carried to extremes on this hill. They're all selling the same things and hope you will buy again from the one you've had a good experience with. These signs are generic, but persons' names are just as common, if not more so.
Even as she completes a sale, she's beckoning for what she hopes is the next one.
Even a good road demands vigilance.
Sellers who carry their wares usually wear aprons.
This pub (High Street Pub) has good parking and probably does good business.
The little vehicles here go shoulder-to-shoulder with these behemoths.
This food spot is named for the town. The person who made the sign wasn't bothered about running out of room.
Every Tro is a two-person operation: one to drive and one to negotiate for additional business.
They don't carry just people.
Repair shop, and possibly a short minivan
American flag
Yesu Mogya Tumi Wo Mu {The blood of Jesus has power in you} Enterprise
The white vehicle did not pull back into line but instead finished passing...
That is a stylized boat over the entrance.
Nyame Yɛ Ͻdɔ {God Is Love} Gas Welder
Tough load
Melcom Mankessim is on the left as you get into the market area. Yes, the young women ahead on the right are running across this major road.
..
Mankessim Nananom Roundabout.
Mankessim's history is linked to three famed warriors: Obrumankoma, Odapagyan and Oson, who helped the Fante people migrate from Techiman in the current Bono Region to Adoagyir in the Central Region. -- Rebecca Shumway
Traffic south of the roundabout. The black van says Oga Jesus {Lord Jesus}. The white van prays: May Allah bless my enemies.
Many people here are Islamic.
Some melon slices have been cut and are displayed to entice the traveler.
Plantains are for sale at the right. Ahead, notice the vehicles backed up behind just one truck. Trucks do fine on level ground but crawl up hills.
Yes, he's in our lane. No big deal.
Plantains to market
Rabbit, anyone?
By Grace
Outdoor Cargo
Clothes. No fabric?
This *is* a main road.
..
..
Lithium Resources Ghana Limited (LRGL)
The left has fewer potholes.
..
Amber waves of -- Corn
Jesus Alone fashion
Yes, it is a phone booth.
This house is close to the road.
Connected propane tanks sometimes leak. The fix is to have the O-ring replaced when you have the tank filled. The workaround in the meantime is to put a weight on the regulator, and most people do this "just in case". Seeing this doesn't mean there has actually been a leak.
We work to store the tanks outdoors as new apartments are added.
Study desks. "We can do hard things."
Brake problems. I eventually provided tools to be used at this somewhat remote location.
This apartment is right next door to a covered place to worship and this is the baptismal font (deeper than it looks in the this photo).
A large congregation has been worshipping in this area.
This end of the facility has movable partitions and storage for chairs. A regular chapel has been built nearby and will replace this and the outdoor font soon, but those places have served well.
Jesus Alone fashion; Steph bought zippers (important) and fabric.
Licensed Over the counter Medicine Seller [pharmacy]: a fixture in every community.
These men are selling sachets of water (in packs) from the truck. Yes, the man at right has his legs in the street.
Bullet's Game Shop, in a town where you can't find wrenches.
In this small fishing village is advertised a School of Fashion Design and Textiles: Fashion Design, Garment Technology, Fashion Illustration, Textile Design, Fashion Accessories, Tailoring, Pattern Technology.
Hearse or ambulance; same vehicle. This one has an American flag on the side!
Carrying a stool to set these on.
The new chapel, ready for finishing touches.
Firewood, to be collected later. It's common to do this with other agricultural goods as well.
Solar Dryer Dome. It's not visible from the road, but such things are used to dry pineapples and mangos for export.
When you're on foot, it's a blessing to have a store nearby.
He's signed up to pass three vehicles.
That vehicle's gone; the next one is taking up the baton.
Where old cars go to be recycled
Approaching the Mankessim roundabout again
It would take a few circuits to appreciate the objects in this roundabout.
Yes, he's riding his wagon, scooting it along.
Watermelon slices, under plastic to keep bugs out
The placement of the 50 kilometer per hour sign implies they are walking away from the village, not toward it, yet they're fully loaded. "This is a puzzlement." -- King of Siam
Honey Centre in Saltpond. The honey we have tasted from Ghana is not a sweet as what we're used to in the States; I guess we're sugar junkies.
Hope for the Hopeless Guest House
Driving here is never boring.
Dragging a plant, purpose uncertain
Red clothing indicates that a mourner was part of the family of the person who died; black indicates sadness; and white is worn to celebrate a life well lived. White is most commonly worn by all mourners when a person 70 years of age or older dies, because the length of their life is considered a victory. Red and black attire indicates a close relationship to the person who died as well as grief over their passing; white and black attire indicates that a mourner is grieved at a person’s passing while acknowledging that the person lived a life worthy of celebration and praise. -- Juniper Quinn (at blog.sevenponds.com)
Objects carried need not be aligned vertically.
Advertisers create structures for police barriers, generally for use of police, but sometimes (as here) for general use. Vehicles stop or slow down when these are manned, and that's an opportunity to catch a ride or sell something.
Passing blind; notice the oncoming traffic in the fourth frame.
Latter-day Saints meet nearby.
102. That's a good start.
Not an unusual load, but eye-catching.
Only a few left, and they're small.
Blessed is the hand that gives.
Messiah Enterprise Limited
We bought from here and will be back. The reference to Mo Mo is that the same firm that provides phone service allows businesses and people to accept electronic payments. [To avoid opening a financial account in a foreign country, we don't use Mo Mo, but residents do.]
Meals at Me3, a restaurant that caters to foreigners' tastes.
Saint Guest House: Come relax with us.
Notice the person trying to cross this traffic.
It was a treat to see things up-close without having to drive while we did it.
(We buy trays of eggs like the ones in the background.)
People are very practical here.
And suddenly, the ride was over.
License plate frame: Thank U Jesus
How many lizards do you count?
Three. If Walt Disney had lived in Africa, our kids might be watching the exploits of Mickey Lizard today.
The Elders next door have this gate to protect the double doors to the house.
Why we do what we do
We are not in this photo. This shows about half of our missionaries before the mission split the next day.
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