Week of 20250518 - Ghana Week 62: Church Songs; Peanut Butter Cookies; Filed Apartment Data; Koyondo; Mando; Mankessim; Mud; Ajumako; La Femme; Sam's Optical; Dizzy; Bean Stew Lesson
= Sunday, I assisted with the end of the scripture discussion led by a member. Home, we listened to church songs for hours. We enjoyed guacamole and plantain chips. I finished a blog episode.
= Monday, Steph made peanut butter cookies to share at the morning meeting. Elders next door to us will host a pig roast next Monday; the Morgans will join Steph at our house for monthly medical meeting on line. (I'll clean up a little.) After the meeting, I reviewed what each damaged bicycle needs. Steph and I looked for meds for missionaries.
= Tuesday, from a stepstool in the server room where the file cabinets are, I printed apartment visit information that I had in soft copy but not in a file cabinet. At home, Steph studied Twi and dealt with medical issues. When I got home, I lined up apartment visits for the next few days.
= Wednesday, we visited Koyondo, only 45 minutes away. Home, I removed clutter from our kitchen. Having noticed yesterday that community water is not flowing, I filled another jug for our supply. We listened to Sunday on Monday, and I worked to build a teaching outline for those scriptures. Insights: You don’t become a Zion person, you come together to become a Zion people. I don’t need to know everything. Even a little light chases away the darkness.
= Thursday, we headed for Mando, supposedly 90 minutes away. The GPS used a different route from what we had been used to; it worked. However, retracing our route home did not. We headed back to Mando and took our usual route which passes through Mankessim, dropped off medication, and headed home from there.
= Crossing the ditch below our compound, Steph’s foot sank into the mud. It took a hose and scraping to remove a half-inch of mud from the top and bottom. Then we went back out (in different shoes) to Raaj Diagnostics to take photos of a CAT scan and pay the bill.
= Friday, we drove to Ajumako, about 90 minutes away on familiar road. Afterward at Mankessim Melcom, we bought lidded containers to serve melon slices in on Monday. We ate at La Femme. In Cape Coast, we went to Sam's Optical Supply, paid a bill for a missionary, and had our glasses fixed. And Steph got an eye exam and will have new cat’s eye glasses next week! At the market on Jukwa Road near Pedu, we bought melons, tomatoes and peppers.
= Home, we sang church songs and the watched Star Trek - Next Generation until midnight. But when we got moving, we both felt dizzy! We tried to relax.
= Saturday, Steph had arranged for Sister Rebecca to show her how to make bean stew. I finished reports for the apartments we had visited. The room spun for Steph; she tried to learn from Sister Rebecca but couldn't spend much time in the kitchen. After Steph tasted the results, she made it to the bathroom and started vomiting. After Sister Rebecca left, Steph went to bed, something she seldom does during the day. I worked various mission-related issues. Steph vomited again. I finished another blog episode.
The rented home where we attend church
Messiah
One of these village names reminds me of the name of a city in Turkey. We're headed in the direction of Jukwa.
Funeral?
Consider their relative sizes
I've driven in my minivan like this, with boards all around me.
Are you dedicated enough to walk an hour each way to church? These people are.
The room we usually sit in was empty except for us.
I think charcoal was burned here only a short time ago.
They're unconcernedly sitting partly in the road, hidden by a curve.
A hearse that manages to look somewhat like a limo.
Graves. No cattle grazing here today.
Yesu Mogya {The Blood of Jesus}
This has been a tongue-twister for us as well; by the time we see all the letters, the sign has passed us. (Most people don't read familiar words in their native language letter by letter.)
Hang clothes wherever you find space.
Some walk, some ride, some wait for rides.
The passenger isn't where passengers usually sit.
Heading home with a little eye strain
People talk about moving to Ghana, but if you have a few air conditioners drawing 12 amps each, it doesn't matter how cheap the rent is; you'll have an electric bill to rival Stateside expenses.
Avocados are seasonal; these are small.
However, guacamole for plantain chips is worth the work.
Peanut butter cookie balls..
To become peanut butter cookies.
Improvised cooling rack..
Because of where we're parked; getting out of the house is a group effort.
Looking forward to gari at the office
Water delivery to the mission compound
This piece will be welded back on for the equivalent of two bucks.
Yesu Mogya {The Blood of Jesus}
If you need cement work done, these men are ready to do it.
Ezekiel 37:3 - And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.
[37:13 - And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,]
Egya Pa Yie [sounds like Agya Pa Yie] {Good Father Well}
Nyɔnko Pa Jesu {Good Friend Jesus}
Ramen, fried egg, Addmie [dehydrated vegetables], and leftover steak fragments
..
Don't Miss This [scripture discussion]
Temporarily repurposed scarf
A badly needed third culvert arrived
"Pig Rocks" were delivered but left outside our gate. (The idea is to have rocks that will hold heat.) I brought them in.
Mild red peppers from a jar..
And shredded fake spam, sauces added..
There were guard rails here; Ghanaian drivers are better off with shoulders when they're available.
On God
Africa Pot - Traditional Kitchen Service
[not the other kind]
Coconuts left on branches
Boy carrying basin
Will the basins be used to carry the gravel?
Wonderful God
Mirrors. Small ones seem to only come in orange or occasionally yellow, no matter where we see them.
In step
Passing
..
He made it. Notice the pedestrian. The driver of the yellow truck had nowhere to go, even if he was inclined to yield. (Big trucks seldom do; they aren't very maneuverable at speed.)
Construction
Plants in the road => breakdown ahead
Recycling
Passing on the right
Melons have arrived
Nice location
Left side, right side, what's the difference?
Blezed [blessed] Laundry and Cleaning Services
Nice road, except for the dust that vehicles kick up
There's a car under that cloud.
Turn left onto this
MandoHere!
Vicky's Lodge - Serenity at its best
[It has A/C; that would be enough for us.]
Tire transport..
Crossing the street; he'll bring it to a shop on our left.
No load limit
Skill
Heading to the same place?
Still Jesus
In front of an unfinished portion of Hotel Karick
Purpose unknown
Refueling at Goil near KFC
Waiting for Steph to find the prescription we're trying to pick up
An occasional shot of the photographer doesn't hurt.
Last leg of a journey
Two eggs; two packs of ramen; too much food
Rain
Eggplant
Gingerly seeking minimum mud
Checking one foot
Then the other
I guess there's no comfortable seat.
Translation?
Rain or not, life goes on.
The Point
[Ask God]
We didn't realize how recent this accident was until seeing these photos afterward. It's a great blessing that no one was hurt, it seems.
..
..
It's so recent that the man on the left is gathering branches to put in the road to warn traffic.
..
The vehicle on the right couldn't go any farther to the right than the previously broken posts of the guard rail on that side.
Adom Ara Kwa {Just Grace}
You carry; I have enough to do.
No advance warning, but definitely need to use the other lane
Don't get too close; at least they can ride.
A commodity auction?
The turn for La Femme restaurant
[See the sign at upper left. We're not going there right now.]
It is a mystery to us how people keep white clothing blindingly white.
Concern
Narrow walkway
Rolling up pants legs..
in order to join them.
Selling a dead animal stretched out by sticks
We don't know what this is..
But he'd probably grill it for you.
Which way do we go? My mother always kept track of which towns were in the direction we wanted to go. GPS has spoiled us.
Some roads are just long.
..
..
..
..
But at least this one's in good shape.
With a tiny exception or two.
..
(kids)
More typical road
..
..
Turn
Just strange enough to be a landmark
..
Paved road?
Here's where we stop the truck
Park in front of the Muslim Mission, and walk to its right between buildings.
Week of 20250316 has the complete path from this point.
Mando, inside its compound
Shade to pose
We got lost on the way back but spotted this gravesite. Weather probably blew the other wreaths to one side.
A separate plot of graves..
..
..
..
..
..
..
Student bed; missionaries sleep on one during an overnight exchange.
Welcome to Onwane Royal Palace
Building a traffic bump
Sika {Money} Farms
Wonderful God
Ajumako Eduyaw Palace (Ahenfie)
[Ahenfie = Palace]
[The original photo is blurry. I can see that it is in Ajumako, and the stool symbol implies this is the dwelling of a chief.]
Furniture store
(also a man with a burden)
The only such library we've encountered: Eduwa Community Library in Enyan Denkyira, open weekdays 9-5
Water tower. The truncated cube design is usual here; it is similar to the way their other buildings are constructed.
Heavy load for a long trip. I think of how wimpy I was as a Boy Scout. Many people here carry burdens for miles every day.
Carrying a stick. To discourage snakes?
At least they have a shady spot to work
Baifikrom M/A A Basic School
God First
Yes, that is a cauldron over a clay stove.
My guess is that the left side has younger students and the right side has older ones. See the tires separating them.
Righteouz [Righteous]
Dealer in all kinds of phone parts and phone accessories
I've not seen one with this construction: cart with roof and extra wheel
Nyame Tease {God Lives} Glory Cold Store
Zechariah 4:6-7 - Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
All shall pass
Natural gas is used here as an alternative to firewood.
Working on a gravestone, or just visiting?
The answer: working on it.
Room to ride
Students at a catering school
Mission of the Sch. The school seeks to achieve the vision through effective supervision of teachers and pupils to improve reading by challenging quizzes, reading competitions, debates, and spelling drills
There's an ocean out there.
(The sign has blown down.)
Celebration
Every gathering needs food.
A reminder that the shoulder isn't always empty..
But passing is attempted anyway.
Moree
He found room to work.
Now that the walls are up, the inside has been packed with dirt.
Oranges are green, but good.
He carries his store.
1 Stone
Psalms 118:22 - The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
Wise Baby [written upside down from our perspective]
They are carrying window slats. The box says obscure [frosted] louver glass.. Made in China
[I often wonder whether little shops have to pay rent to the houses they surround ths way.]
(The person on the right has to clear puddles.)
Catering schools always include decoration as part of the task
Nothing is impossible with God
North from the Manekessim Roundabout
Nhyira {Blessing} Boreholes
Traffic counter
Probably Steph's least-favorite road..
Because of unseen dropoffs on the sides
(Counter)
Whereas this is just mud and potholes; nothing dangerous..
If you don't hit the potholes too fast with your brakes locked.
Three
Someone's little center of commerce
Much-improved road
Ɔyɔnko Pa Ne Ɔhristo {A Good Friend Is Christ}
[Literally, A Good Friend and Christ]
Drak and Daughters Pharmacy Ltd
Bamboo holds a cement floor being poured.
God Is Good Refrigeration Ent.
But don't block this opening (viewed from the apartment).
This bedroom window doesn't lock.
Pump, probably not working
Enapa Ye {Well Done} Guest House
He's preparing coconuts to drink from. He'll cut a flap when you buy it.
Snack bar at the edge of a school. The curved objects leaning against a tree are sugar canes.
No road is too narrow to pass on.
(The vehicle says: On God)
Can't tell what they're engrossed in
School across from the Mankessim chapel
Obuabasa Kete Culture Group
[Cultural dance troupe]
Too long? Just bend. Notice this is a taxi, not a truck.
South to the Mankessim Roundabout
He has to get back into the flow of traffic.
Kids talking, but no one is buying coconut.
Maybe we'll stop by.
More glimpses of the ocean
[probably..]
EnsÉ” Nyame Ye {It Is Not Pleasing to God}
Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
--
Judge us by our deeds
Food for a prison bus
Together
And continued to be tight; notice the oncoming traffic.
They all muddled through somehow.
Men pull together to bring in nets placed by seagoing canoe..
I'm seeing two sets of people pulling at the same time, one from the left, the other from the right. I wonder if they're pulling in the bottom of the same net: just a thought.
In case you doubted drivers' creativity: five across, and this is a two-way street
Born Again
Star Trek - Next Generation
Sister Rebecca, demonstrating bean stew
..
Burned fuse from the voltage regulator used to protect the refrigerator in the "Big House" next door
Bean stew. One with palm old (red). One without.
Activity
The only such library we've encountered: Eduwa Community Library in Enyan Denkyira, open weekdays 9-5
Water tower. The truncated cube design is usual here; it is similar to the way their other buildings are constructed.
Heavy load for a long trip. I think of how wimpy I was as a Boy Scout. Many people here carry burdens for miles every day.
Carrying a stick. To discourage snakes?
I've not seen one with this construction: cart with roof and extra wheel
Yaa {yes!} Stylish
Traditional dress
Modern dress
Modern dress
Heavy
Nyame Tease {God Lives} Glory Cold Store
Breezy
Together
Natural gas is used here as an alternative to firewood.
Graveyard
Working on a gravestone, or just visiting?
..
..
The answer: working on it.
Room to ride
Heaven Oo!
Students at a catering school
Together
Mission of the Sch. The school seeks to achieve the vision through effective supervision of teachers and pupils to improve reading by challenging quizzes, reading competitions, debates, and spelling drills
Debates?
Making it fit
Control your mouth
There's an ocean out there.
Shade is powerful
Fort Amsterdam
School's out
Ocean
God is King
Babylon [!]
Celebration
Every gathering needs food.
Pushy..
..
..
..
A reminder that the shoulder isn't always empty..
Or available.
But passing is attempted anyway.
Discretion prevailed..
But not for long..
..
..
Moree
He found room to work.
So did he.
Now that the walls are up, the inside has been packed with dirt.
Rinsing shoes
..
..
Adonai Shipping Ltd
Oranges are green, but good.
A better tomorrow
He carries his store.
1 Stone
Crossing..
..
All shall pass
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