Week of 20250420 - Ghana Week 58: Easter Sacrifice; Departures; Arrivals; Transfers; Links between Alabama and Africa; Moved Missionary from Hospital
= Easter Sunday, church was as usual, except that I sat in the room with the lectern to hear better. I helped confirm a new member. I helped set apart a young man as the Branch President’s assistant to help lead the Priest's Quorum (young men 15-17). Speakers talked of Jesus’ role as our sacrifice and Savior and the parallel of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son. I remembered that Isaac allowed himself to be bound as a sacrifice; Jesus likewise submitted to his Father’s will.
= No meetings after Sacrament today. We brought cash to an Elder who will use it for a medical test tomorrow. Home, I color-coded the apartment issues workbook to emphasize fixed items and items waiting a long time in the queue. Steph did laundry. We sang briefly.
= Monday, President Morgan had Steph share some background about David Oryang, who led the Tuskegee Branch during some of Steph’s time there. President and Sister Oryang currently lead a mission in Nigeria. I heard in our meeting this morning that we don’t get to pick our sacrifices.
= After the meeting, I posted invoices that arrived after Friday night to the tally we’re keeping of how much was spent during the push to clear apartment issues. Home, we watched Don't Miss This and considered the sacrifices of early Saints to move "to the Ohio" and beyond.
= Tuesday, we worked at the office and interacted with departing missionaries. One piece of the departure training sobers me every time I hear it: once you are released as a full-time missionary, teaching non-members is no longer your role. The full-time missionaries are the teachers. We help them, we find people who are interested; we fellowship; we make new friends. I feel like we have prepared for years to teach, but our window of opportunity to do that is limited.
= Wednesday, we worked at the office and interacted with arriving missionaries; it rained lightly. In the evening, President Morgan pointed out that David B Haight dedicated Ghana for the preaching of the gospel. We saw Elder Haight at the dedication of the Montgomery Alabama Temple. Small world.
= We brought a Sister Missionary to our house and Steph showed her to her quarters. Steph had been receiving and responding to medical texts. Now she was on multiple calls with a missionary in a hospital a couple of hours away from us.
= Thursday, we attended transfer meeting, where missionaries received new assignments. President Morgan reminded us that if you do not pray, you will not have the Spirit. May you have joy as you seek miracles in your life and in the lives of those you teach.
= After transfer, I swept the chapel. Steph helped hand out food (which was late in arriving). She arranged for an Elder to spend the night at the "big house" next door so we could bring him and his companion to a clinic tomorrow. We picked up medicine. Steph interacted again with the Elder at the hospital distant from us.
= Friday, Brother Bright confirmed that our generator was connected only to our house, not the "big house" as well. We brought the Elder next door and his companion to a clinic. We refueled and picked up more meds. A three-way call with the Area Doctor had us drive north to get the Elder there out of the hospital so he could be seen tomorrow at a local clinic by someone we trust.
= Getting him out of the hospital took hours. We left there by 7 and in the dark reached Cape Coast Pizza Hut by 9:15. Settled down at home with our guests by 11.
= Saturday, we were at the clinic by noon as requested. The Elder who had been in the hospital does not have a serious condition, didn't need treatment as a heart patient, didn't need morphine, etc. It was good we got him out of that hospital. [slow shake of the head]
= After feeding our guests and dropping them off in Yamoransa so they could catch a 'tro, we were without guests in what felt like days. Laundry and scripture study.
To church..
..
Probably
Ɛnto wo a da {Nothing happens to you}
used in the sense that you don't know what something is like until it happens to you.
..
Ɔkyɛso Nyame {Benevolent God}
Supplies for the gathering
What makes this interesting is that this village is in Central Ghana, but if you look for Koforidua on a map, you will be led to a big city, Koforidua, in Eastern Ghana. It's not enough to know the name of a place; you need the full name of the place.
Ewuradze Kasa {Speak, Lord}
1 Samuel 3:9 - Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
We used to park on the right and walk up the hill to the left. The white box - a trailer? - was added just after we placed a new church sign at this location; it hides the sign. (There's a sign farther down for a different route to the church.)
Some men dress completely in white or other one-piece outfit.
Digging footings by hand across from the Audit building near where we live
Turn the couch on its back; find the missing earbud.
Some subjects notice that they're being photographed. [tee hee]
Recyclables
Someone decided to burn on the hill across from us. I wonder whether anyone asked the folks in the building with the red roof how they felt about that.
Usually, fires are not attended, even in the dry season.
Egg for tunafish
Don't Miss This (scripture discussion)
Preparing for a meal with departing missionaries..
Sister Morgan, Steph (obscured), Sister Dimmick, Sister Rebecca, departing missionary Elder Edet
Some departing; some just mugging for the camera
Mugging for the camera with Sister Colete
Racing to the office to get there before the bus bringing new missionaries
Outgoing missionaries gave parting words to the new missionaries on the mission porch
And we waved to the bus as it left.
Office Elders and Assistants to the President making last-minute tweaks to the phones the newcomers will use during their mission
Getting to know the Morgans
Perspective: we have more missionaries from Africa than from outside Africa.
Promises to an early missionary that apply to us today
The mission. The Central region of Ghana has under 3 million people and 5 Stakes, soon to be 6. To put this into perspective, Alabama has 5 million people and 8 Stakes.
The funny blobs are Stakes (and a District). Teaching Zones fit within these boundaries. We teach near where members worship so newcomers will have a place to go and people to support them when then join. When their leaders form new groups (and branches and wards) then the Stake or District expands and the mission teaches within the new expanded boundaries.
This is a third of the missionaries; we don't all meet at once.
An oddity not seen before or since. A light that would have attracted these bugs (possibly flying ants) was burned out on the office porch but the light inside the office was not. These bugs made it into the office and immediately died.
Next time, I'll rinse the filter canisters before putting new filters into them.
Shopping: this is a case of packets of gari, a breakfast cereal.
A new missionary is stating his name and country to the missionaries assembled for transfer meeting. The Morgans are applauding by snapping their fingers; we all do that here.
The new pairs of missionaries are photographed together if both are here in person. (Often, the other member of the new pair attends via Zoom.)
They greet on the way up.
Steph preparing to hand out food
Nhyira Nka Boafo {Blessed Be the Helper}
Steph finding shade, waiting for more food to arrive. (TastyChef had only half of the order ready.)
TastyChef finally gave Elder Dimmick the rest of the food.
Everyone uses the main highway.
We are fascinated with this old ad, but we probably shouldn't dedicate four days to a non-mission activity.
God is Love
Sylmac Sewing and Flower Pot Center
[Who thought those would go together?]
Cementing the area leading to the apartment courtyard that we pass to get to a paved road
My new definition of a flash sale: buying from street vendors before the light changes.
Ɔyɛre Pa {Good Wife}
A different branch from the one we usually frequent
The answer's in here somewhere.
1 Samuel 2:6 - The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
Items for sale
Palm oil fruit clusters to be weighed
A better look at a tripod used for weighing
Atanfo Nyɛ Nyame {Enemies are not God}
Money's Man Collections: Get laced up for training...
Nyame Nsa Wom {God's Hands Are in You}
[or your hands are God's hands, or God acts through you]
Saint John Aluminum and Glass Fabrication Works
Notice the dress images. The seamstress or tailor is offering to make one of those to fit you. The Bishop of the Nkanfoa Ward (the one closest to the mission home) does this (and many other things) professionally. He has sewed several dresses for Steph.
The Stake building in Fosu South
Outside Saint Francis Xavier Hospital
These men drove up to the Emergency Room. Notice the brass instruments; they're here for a funeral.
Starting the long drive home in the dark. Only a tiny portion of the road looks like this.
Pizza Hut in Cape Coast at 9:23 PM
Carrying a car part on his head
Short cut
We're going to Oak Tree Medical Services. We're not the only ones.
This landed in front of me instead of on me; it spared my glasses, etc.
Somebody found and propped a lung model by a gate across from Oak Tree Medical Services.
The Goil station near KFC refills propane tanks [used for cooking].
We helped unload some items for the London Bridge pharmacy at the Goil station; rain was threatening and the pickup was open.
I think of our youngest granddaughter every time I see this sign. It looks the way I imagine her to look.
[mis-spelled Ɔbinim]
{He Knows}
Christ Nti {Because of Christ}
Drainage ditches seem like overkill - until it rains.
This is our top-loader in its environment; the jug catches drained water for use in flushing toilets.
It needs power for the motors.
And it gets it. (The red switch is for the guest hot water heater when needed; water heaters are small but nearly instant.)
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