Week of 20250316 - Ghana Week 53: Steph-Led Music; Musical Day; Perfect Fall; Filtration; Quick Fix; Ajumako; Mando; Denkyira; Moree; Zone Conference; President Morgan's Mother; Otuam; Talk Tomorrow

Week of 20250316 - Ghana Week 53: Steph-Led Music; Musical Day; Perfect Fall; Filtration; Quick Fix; Ajumako; Mando; Denkyira; Moree; Zone Conference; President Morgan's Mother; Otuam; Talk Tomorrow

= Sunday, people who live near the church asked us to eat with them after church next week. At least that's what we think they said (through an interpreter). After Sacrament, we had complementary roles: I sang a hymn a few bars at a time, the congregation repeated while Steph led the music. President Davies gave us the entire class time for this as we worked from the lectern. It was sweet.

= Home, Sunday on Monday (scripture discussion) featured songs of the heart written by Janice Kapp Perry interspersed with a recorded interview with her. The episode pointed to only four of the many songs the host and her three guests had chosen, but that was enough to leave me teary eyed. I think the older you get, the more you have to be thankful for. We chased performances of other gospel songs until 4:30.

= Mondays, we move our chairs to the outer office for the meeting. After the meeting, Steph stood at the shelf where she normally works, then sat down, only the chair wasn't there. She avoided the chair (nearby), avoided the glass door between us and the inner office, and landed on the floor without getting hurt! I bragged to everyone nearby that she had taken Taekwondo [where we practiced how to fall when I joined her and Quinton while we were courting]. God is cushioning our blows again.

= Tuesday (and part of Monday), I wrestled with a vendor over the mission's order of water filtration devices. The standard quantity seemed very large given that the water pressure in most apartments won't drive a kitchen sink filter. We eventually ordered hand pumps that can be used to push silty water from buckets to the filter during an outage, making the filters useful.

= Wednesday at an all-hands office meeting, we learned that the mission has been directed to inspect every apartment in two weeks and fix open items within the two weeks following! The senior couples and Brother Bright will inspect, and Brother Bright has been authorized to hire as many vendors as needed for this push. This will be fun. I'm the one who documents and tracks apartment issues.

= Thursday, we inspected apartments in Ajumako, Mando, Denkyira, and Moree. 

= Friday, we attended a session of Zone conference: there are three sessions, each for a third of the missionaries. One highlight was a talk (recorded video) by President Morgan's mother, describing how she came to join the church. Ether 12:27 stood out to her ..I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

= Saturday in the afternoon, we visited the Otuam apartment (a bit out of the way compared with the others), dropped off two good bicycles, and picked up two that needed work. The Relief Society President called to ask Steph to give a talk in Sacrament tomorrow - and lead the ladies in a hymn - and teach a lesson preparing people to go to the temple. Why will only ladies speak and sing tomorrow? The occasion is the anniversary of Relief Society (founded in 1842).

To church

A missionary asks a question

When the old street sign was recently replaced with two new ones, the old sign was brought here to lean against the rented home where we meet.

The temporary charcoal creation pile within sight of our building has done its work and has been removed. It's interesting to realize that it had almost no impact on the ground where it stood, a pit wasn't dug, etc.

Steph interacting with kids in the room where we usually sit: a side room close to the lectern.

Glad to be here!

The First Counselor in the Branch Presidency, Brother Boadu Nimo, joined us.

Now with Elders Broulim and Barillos

..

Let God Be Praised

Being careful (roadside, near the brow of a hill)

Graves by the road; they're typically faced with marble, not left as raw cement.

Going, or coming? Carrying flowers; perhaps going.

Ladies ride.

Maybe this will become shooting practice, but not yet.

Nuame Tease {God Lives}

We all wait for him to pull out..

But not patiently; watch the rider to our right..

Who is now to our left, squeezing through the opposite lane.

Heading home

..

I forget how lightweight a KK has to be for it to be built around a motorcycle.

In God we trust

Sharing the edge of the street

On the way home

Scrambled egg over oatmeal

Steph's desk. (We sit side-by-side.)

Mystery

Steph sat where the chair wasn't. Blessedly, no injuries.

Checking on our "crop".

Bananas are the berry of complicated plants. See the flowers?

Wikipedia: some of these ovaries develop into bananas.

Wikipedia: male flowers are at the tip of this structure.

Content in our compound

Our living room air conditioner on 28 Celsius (82+ Fahrenheit) started raining condensation..

Away from the machine and also down the curtains..

Not much in this image, but we collected 10 gallons of condensation (for flushing toilets) before it was fixed.

I tried raising up the washer; I forget why now.

That didn't last long. I put it back inside the enclosure after that experiment.
 

Its usual home. The jug catches drained water for use in flushing toilets.

Need a meal?

Electric pressure cooker to the rescue

The big pump that feeds the overhead tanks was tested with this temporary cord. The buried cord has a break.

Clean filters

Replaced these

Forget

(Forget what?)

Nyame ne Hene {God and King}

    

What will they do with these?

Hard Wor[k]

Ewuradze bɛhwɛ wo {The Lord will take care of you}

Repeated in the circle, with additional text..

Isaiah 54:17 - No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper...

I hope they don't have to wait for long. With the sun directly overhead, there isn't much shade.

Nice name

From N1, we can catch a glimpse of the ocean.

Have store, will travel

With long life, everything is possible.

We wish him well.

Let's see how many pass..

..

Two made it.

Later on, this one was created a squeeze play.

Taxi stand

I don't know what she's selling.

Son of Peace Carpentry Shop

Creating seagoing canoes.

Starting a chain saw.

..

Log to canoe

See the markings; can this one be saved?

This looks narrow

Rather drive than ride, much of the time

This inconsiderate driver..

.. Forced two vehicles off of the road to avoid him.

Correction, three vehicles

You might even say four. The red vehicle could have made more room when passing the aboboyaa if this problem driver had returned completely to his lane.

Make that five.

Gab

Two passing..

Both made it; that's good; our shoulder has blockages.

Afanfo Nye Nyame {Enemies are not God}

No problem; he's setting up for a left turn.

Aseda Bɛn {What kind of praise..}

Title of a popular gospel song that says (as I understand it) that it isn't possible to praise God enough.

Both vehicles finished passing..

..

The van is doing it again.

and vehicles around him are adjusting.

They're walking away from the town at about 0930.

The yellow car has to get back into traffic.

Thank you Jesus

I think this is cardboard to start a cooking fire.

Graves..

..

    

Entering Mankessim from Cape Coast

Melcom is on the left. It's two-story and has a separate cash-and-carry bay, but it's otherwise similar to what we have in Cape Coast, with similar selections.

The bridge just short of the roundabout

While they talk, she continues to work.

Here's the roundabout..

..

On the other side, it gets crowded..

..

..

..

..

(The KK says Pray for Yours.)

ɔbra wɔtɔbobɔ {morality is robbed}

(We're through the crowded spot.)

Every meeting needs chairs.

Cloth for sale

The person at the left is counting every vehicle that crosses the string that runs between him and that partial barrier on the right.

Still Christian Home

We tell missionaries not to eat bush meat.

Fill in your own caption. A hint that might or might not help: the big truck is emblazoned: SAP Logistics.

Ice Prince

Long walk

..

..

..

Dano: Cool Milk

Adom {Grace} Casket Home

It's a lesson

Dust

And suddenly, a built-up area

Destiny

[actually, Still Destiny; "Still" is often prepended to these messages]

Ajumako

Sometimes it takes a while for the road to come up to the level of the cement-lined drainage.

Graves

Blessing Mini Mall

Habitation or storage? I'm betting habitation.

Aseda Fie {Thank You House} Lodge

Eatery, a place to stay, and maybe even a car wash.

Ɔyɛr pa ho yɛwa {He does a good job}

Furniture Store

Ajumako Eduyaw Palace (Ahenfie)

(Ahenfie) {Palace}

Praiseworthy Cold Store

God Loves You

School lunch

Welcome to Onwane Royal Palace

Donated by Nana Kwame Amoah II

Twidan - No 1 - Ebusua

Adom {Grace} Ventures Mobile Money

Soccer Intellectuals Sporting Club

Straight to return from Ajumako

Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque - Mando

Park to the right, across the street, and begin walking behind the Muslim mission house..




..

..

..

..

Turn left here..

And you'll see the sign for what was one of our chapels.

..

..

Mando

Missionaries live in two classrooms of this former chapel; We don't know the plans for the rest of the building, which has been replaced.

Looking back from where we parked. The sign on the Muslim mission we parked in front of says Love for All - Hatred for None.

Honesty Phone Repairs & Accessories

Graves..

To the Glory of God

In Loving Memory

Where are we?

?

Inhabited

The drainage will be ready when the road is built up enough to meet it.

Contrast. A nice home

    

Across from an open-air kitchen

    

Graves

..

..

Bear right..

No, bear left.

Drive this way.

Kae Me Brɛ Na Mma Ndwen Mahonya Ho {Remember My Tiredness And Don't Think About My Wealth}

Me Nyim Me Nyame {I Know My God}

    Me Nyim Me Nyame {I Know My God}

Enyan Denkyira

Kyerem No. 1 Asafo Company

Google Posuban

This is one example.

Go?..

..

..

We have arrived at Denkyira.

Heading back out..

Heading back out, we wonder how much longer the "road" will be drivable.

Looking back, the left turn from the school is worse than it looks from here. It will soon grab a tire; because ditch is growing at the side where you can't straddle it.

To reach where we were from the main road, we followed the left edge of this school.

Back on pavement

I don't know what these are.

A sign [not shown here] asked: Are you afraid to die?

That's not the issue. How prepared are you? That's the issue.

Time together

Ɛda wo anim {It’s in front of you}

Traffic can flow all around you.

And it will.

Items for sale

Water [in those yellow cooking oil jugs] is precious.

They're hanging onto that kid; being a pedestrian is not without risk.

Being in a vehicle is not without risk..

But at least you're inside something.

The back window says Mpaebɔ {Prayer}.

Just walking

Still working on seagoing canoes

..

Walking regally.

Sharing shade.

Working.

..

Interesting architecture

Going to fetch more water

School's out

Ɔye Adom {He is Grace}

They started this maneuver before being able to see the brow of the hill. The missing guardrail is a hint that it doesn't always turn out well. Usually there's a forgiving shoulder, but not here.

..

Big sister, little sister. This shop is at the end of a line of probably 40 shops all selling the same thing. 

The bag on his head keeps him cool; its full of sachets of water.

This reminds me of the Worlds Fair in Canada in 1967, where a forward-thinking housing complex was one of the exhibits: Habitat 67.

Habitat 67: each unit has a garden on the roof of a unit below it.

Image from -SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11829063

The entrance to the compound that houses the Moree apartment

Divas

Zone Conference. On their day - we bring together a third of the mission on each of three days - zone leaders present their results and prospects.

I'm always exited to see that some people seek out the missionaries and ask to be taught.

Zone leaders present what they have learned and what they will do about it.

A teaching discussion

He has to recognize his companion's voice over the misdirection the rest of us are loudly providing: rather like trying to recognize promptings by the Holy Ghost in a world of distraction.

Some activities invite the Holy Ghost; some drive Him away.

President Morgan's mother told how she joined the church, and she bore her testimony of  Jesus Christ.

A winning social media post

Running up the stairs

I presented Care *in* the Apartment, including care for ourselves. Sick or injured? Text Sister Ladner before you self-treat.

Put your phone in a locked container too large to pull through the burglar bars, or it can be taken as this one was.

Don't step on toilet pit lids; they look strong, but they might disintegrate as this one did.

March Birthdays

Photo ops

Water from the living room air conditioner..

running down the curtain.

The last Star Trek - Enterprise episode

Deceptive packaging

Hunting for something without gratuitous foul language, we wound up watching The Electric State.

In case the driver needs his helmet for a checkpoint. (I don't know what the message means.)

This needs no translation

Pineapple tops can be planted for more pineapples; it takes a couple of years.

Rice and margarine

Water delivery

Glad we weren't any closer

<music>Some must push and some must pull</music>

Carry on

The kid framed by the goal is giving instruction before he gives up the ball.

The red taxi says Nyame Wɔ Hɔ {God Exists}

He has set aside his long-bar chain saw for a more direct approach.

Removing the inside

Consultation, and maybe a snack

Big for cooking wood, small for building wood

Saturday morning: a funeral?

..

Their likely destination. The arch over the entrance represents a seagoing canoe.

Do you consider this urban or rural?

Onyame ayɛ bi {God has done some}

This is an odd statement; more common is Onyame ayɛ {God has done it}

Every 'tro has a mate who tries to bring on more passengers.

Often unsuccessful

Looks more like a family with visitors than a business

High stepping, but not running, perhaps the equivalent of JROTC.

Awkward carry

Who is free

A better question: free to do what? Free to do just about anything, but not free to escape the consequences. And, our choices shape our very natures.

She's carrying 150 eggs. And see the food beyond her. See the beverages. Hungry and thirsty yet?

Heading south from the Mankessim roundabout

They have Chickenman/ Pizzaman.

(We have two in Cape Coast.)

..

..

Kids learn

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. - Galatians 6:7

Faith and Determination..

..We see that every day in the lives of those around us.

He's selling a critter stretched out on sticks so we can appreciate it better.

A taxi holds more than you might expect!

All selling pretty much the same thing

Fish?

Who lives up that trail? We won't find out today.

We'll take a paved road instead.

Church sign

Paved for a while, anyway

..

..

Passing a lithium mine

We're not alone

It's common to see agricultural items sitting by the side of the street, waiting to be picked up.

..

.. [Palm Oil Fruit Clusters]

..

These look like ingrown tumbleweeds might.

Pineapple, in rows, through plastic?

Serious farming, whatever it is

..

The road is not inviting.

We wonder how some vehicles manage.

At last, better road. We wonder what the front kid is sitting on.

New chapel

It's washing day. These clothes have been laid out to dry!

Otuam

Dropping off bicycles. A branch of the church used to meet here and had its own font. See the polytank and steps at the left.

Pleased because they keep medicine on hand.

This could be the only bathtub in the mission. They're not common in this culture, with an emphasis on saving water.

..

Laundry

Symbols on the bridge

Looking back, Welcome to Ekumfi Otuam

Something on an industrial scale

A little clearer look at plants grown through plastic

A whimsical shop

It's useful for something, but we don't know what.

..

Break room for agricultural workers?

Celebration over; the person in front seems to have balloons.

Somebody's dream. Perhaps the equivalent of a patio; a house under construction is nearby.

Cushy

He'll probably grill it for you. [We don't recommend bush meat.]

That's not what it looked like from the other side, but he hasn't had time to swap items, we don't think.

Back through Mankessim

..

Finger of God

Sharing the bridge

Spring rolls at La Femme

Coconut rice

Serious pasta

La Femme has that effect.

The food is great [but skip the cakes].

Swagger

The driver of "Swagger" may sense trouble coming; he's moved over.

Wait for it..

Lots of company

I was partly wrong; Swagger was preparing for a right turn.

Nyame Ne Hene {God and King}

The luggage has to go somewhere.

Atanfo Nnyɛ Nyame {Enemies are NOT God}

Housing next to a block yard

The aboboyaa lacks the power to go quickly up the hill.

This 'tro passed us on the right.

We dropped back.

The 'ro is in front of us but will wait for the oncoming vehicle. (If the aboboyaa hadn't been there, he probably would have passed the truck on the right.)

He passes on the left and has company.

The left shoulder is not clear; we won't join them

And the party continues.

It's 6 PM, but the octopus stand is still in business. Yes, you're looking at octopi dangling from the table.

Cattle

Unattended intentional fires are common. Indeed, more burning occurs during the dry season, perhaps because you don't have to work as hard to make things burn.

It's getting dark; perhaps approaching Yamoransa

Home, light check, passenger-side fog lamp is out.