= Sunday, We were astonished to find Branch Conference outdoors under canopies instead of in the Branch's rented house! After Sacrament, Relief Society (women) and Elders Quorum (men) met. Then District and Branch leaders led a discussion of how each organization in the Branch can further the work of Salvation by Living the gospel of Jesus Christ; Caring for those in need; Inviting all to receive the gospel; Uniting families for eternity. Home, we listened to Don't Miss This (scripture discussion).
= Monday, I counted money and enabled and documented financial transactions, with Elder Barilleau riding shotgun. I'll take over financial responsibilities for the mission from him when he and Sister Barilleau leave about a month from now. We ate KFC at the office.
= Home, we loaded additional mattresses into our home to accommodate missionaries during transfer. Technicians used a powered water jet to get two failed air conditioners working again; success [grin]. I dealt with vehicle and housing issues.
= Tuesday, I went to the bank with the Barilleaus, was enrolled as the mission's future financial point of contact with the bank, and met the bank manager. And we picked up working funds.
= We had dinner with departing missionaries at the Morgans and were there as they and the Barilleaus bore their testimonies. Then Steph sent medical email and checked the condition of the guest room.
= Wednesday, I worked with Elder Barilleau nearly all day. The bus arrived early; so, we didn't get to hear the outgoing missionaries speak briefly to the incoming missionaries before they left. I briefed incoming missionaries on how to use their subsistence cards. They or their families pay the average cost of a mission so they can be sent anywhere in the world; the missionaries draw funds every two weeks to subsist on for the actual cost of this mission.
= We had dinner with the arriving missionaries at the Morgans and were there as they bore their testimonies. We brought four missionaries to sleep in our home overnight - they would go to their regular destinations after tomorrow's transfer meeting - and found that a third of our electrical circuits were out. We were blessed that we could get by with the remaining circuits and that our refrigerator and freezer weren't affected and we still had water.
= Thursday, the missionaries’ only request was to be able to “press their whites”. I brought out the ironing board and iron and set them up at a working outlet. I delivered the missionaries to the mission compound before 0700 for breakfast and transportation to the transfer meeting. Before Steph and I left at 0930 to buy meds for missionaries and water and food for the transfer meeting today, full power was restored. It had apparently been that the electric company had only provided two of three phases of power to our compound. (No, I don’t understand how that works, but I understand its impact.)
= We have nearly 140 missionaries now; we will have another 40 missionaries before the end of the year. After we and the Barilleaus distributed lunch, we brought Sisters to a clinic for tests, then brought them to a transfer point in Yamoransa to go to their area in the northern part of the mission. Home, we listened to Sunday on Monday (scripture discussion).
= I felt impelled to begin transcribing content from the PDF the mission uses as a Twi primer to an editable Word document. The original sources for the PDF have apparently been lost, and large portions of it are not clear enough to use OCR on. This is something I can do, I'll learn from it, and I think it's important that it's editable in the future.
= Friday, in the morning, I gave each blog entry a single label consisting of its full title so visitors can jump to a week by date or scan the label list for a title that might interest them.
= We worked at the office, picked up an item pre-ordered from a shop near the castle, then ate with the Morgans and Barilleaus at Castle Beach Restaurant. Home, we watched a movie about stopping Bonnie and Clyde, then watched all the episodes of Around the World in 80 Days. And it was nearly 0400.
= Saturday, the Elders in the house next to us reported that their water flow had slowed to a trickle. Their house is fed by a pump behind our house that feeds both houses. We still had water. I filled a jug, loaned them our jug pump, and showed them how to use it.
= I ran errands, including refilling our spare propane tank and topping off the truck with diesel. Before I left, the power dropped, but it came back on (and off, and on) by the time I returned. I sent an email to the senior couple who will live in Twifo Praso as member and leader support missionaries when they arrive in December. (Another couple will arrive in January to take over financial and secretarial duties.)
- Living the Gospel
- Caring for Those in Need
- Inviting all to Receive the Gospel
- Uniting families for Eternity
South of where we meet, it rained.
To find that canopies had been set up and about sixty people were in attendance! We had thought the Branch Conference would be low-key and we would meet where we normally do. Surprise!
We had an unexpected and largely unnoticed visitor.
After our regular classes, kids swarmed up a tree.
This was a productive meeting. Items were added after this photo, and we learned how close the Branch is to having enough membership to meet in a purpose-built building instead of in a house.
Our Branch (and some supporters from District and the mission) We're not hard to spot.
And Sister Ladner
Our compound has been dark at night since the electric meter was replaced. This evening, our neighbor's searchlight that normally spills into our compound was also out. You see the Elders' window and door.
One phase of our power was out, affecting several rooms and two air conditioners on the evening that we hosted four new Elders the night before transfers.
(an eating spot)
The van says: Enfa Ahokyere - Enka Nkwasiasem. I'll need better tools to find a translation I trust. It might be intended to say: It Doesn't Matter - Don't Be Afraid.
(which would be somewhat appropriate if this van belongs to a casket company; but loading on the roof instead of inside implies a regular tro to me)
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