Week of
20250525 - Ghana Week 63: Church Alone; Spiritual Gifts; Wheelchair; Ditch
Works; Borehole Fix; Filters and Pumps; Pig Roast; Thin Internet; Denkyira;
Auditor; Water Run; Coming Leaders; KO-SA
= Sunday, I drove to Mfuom by myself; Steph wasn't up to the trip. The third speaker used the hymn "I Am a Child of God" as a framework for his talk. God sent us here to do work, to lift one another. We need to learn the words of God. We have an earthly home organized with leaders to help us if we will listen. Be that child of God who is striving to become, to change for the better.
= Without notice, I was asked to teach this week's scriptures. Focus: Spiritual gifts are given to benefit the church, not just us. If you don't understand something together, if it doesn't improve your knowledge of God's character; and you don't rejoice in it together, it is not of the Spirit.
= I helped others bring a man dependent on a wheelchair to his home: a weekly routine for them. The path was rough and hilly. The small wheels in front had to be off of the ground most of the time, as if using a wheelbarrow.
= Home, I fed Steph (still not feeling good), cleaned up for tomorrow's guests, and sent two journal entries.
= Monday, someone had dumped enough dirt over the culverts for the ditch below our compound that trucks like ours can make it over them. During the meeting, a flatbed showed up at the office with water filtration devices for every apartment. We men unloaded and stowed the items, often carrying them above our heads instead of in our arms; the ladies watched [grin].
= The mission borehole pump has been fixed, and its filtered output feeds a polytank at the mission compound now so sediment from its output can settle and we can haul the water to apartments that need it. The compound itself is still so low - the borehole isn't enough - that the mission is receiving water deliveries.
= Home, Steph cut up watermelon while I fixed rice with grated fake spam, mixed vegetables, and many elements for a sauce, including lemonade soda. Elders next door had been working on the pig roast since 5 AM. The Morgans joined Steph in the living room for the medical Zoom call while I joined the other participants outside. Once the call was finished, expert missionaries dug up the pigs, removing layers of dirt and cloth, then leaves, then woven-leaf baskets of roast pig. The Elder leading the effort dedicated it to the Morgans, who had supported them for a long time and would be leaving soon.
= After the event and scripture study, I found a scholarly study of misspelled messages in Twi on the back of vehicles; it confirmed assumptions I had been making when interpreting these messages for the blog.
= Tuesday, I ran errands and journaled. The WiFi router ran out of data for the month. We'll frugally hotspot from my phone until next month. We listened to Sunday on Monday (downloaded previously). The thrust of this week’s scriptures is God owns it all; He expects us to use it well as his stewards.
= Using Excel to remove duplicates, I turned a copy of the Twi manual into a word list that I'll augment to become a dictionary for the words in the document.
= Wednesday, we drove to Denkyira, about 80 minutes per Google. Afterward, I handled some minor things at the office. Standing on a stepstool, better to use mylaptop on one of the file cabinets in the server room, I printed and filed photos and reports related to apartment issues.
= Home, I worked on the Twi manual and lined up a location to visit tomorrow. I added to instructions for the person who will eventually replace me, and I found email between Steph and me during our courtship, complete with different colored fonts as we often kept adding to the same message and sent it back and forth.
= Thursday, I went to the office and met with the auditor after all (via Zoom). He kept me until 1030; so, I had to cancel the planned apartment visit. Home, we didn't do much during the balance of the day.
= Past 7, missionaries next door asked what to do for water. I offered my help. I drove a few of them to the office; they filled all the jugs they had with water; and because the jugs had no lids and would tip if not held, some of them rode in the cargo compartment on our return trip. Past 9, the missionaries we had arranged to visit tomorrow cancelled, too late to set up another visit.
= Friday, without having a place to deliver bicycles to or to visit, we were home most of the day except for my run to Pizza City. At 7:30 PM, we saw the incoming Mission President and his wife: Kojo and Ann Tachie-Menson. They are from Ghana (and so know the language and culture) and still have kids at home. They will take over on 26 June.
= After the meeting, we watched Star Trek - Next Generation until midnight, hot-spotted from my phone. We relaxed.
= Saturday, in bathing suits, we were on the road to KO-SA beach resort. The Campbells and Dimmicks and Morgans were already there. The water was very shallow between the sandy beach and the rocks, so I floated more than swam, and Steph sat this one out. The resort owners have sold the property after living here for many years; it won't be the same.
= After we ate together, Sister Dimmick brought out a cake she had made for the Morgans (with the number 3 for their three years); the staff brought out ice cream (our contribution).
= On the road, we began an abbreviated fast. Home, we napped until 11. We had planned to visit a different church unit tomorrow (a change of pace, authorized, to have speakers we understand), but before midnight we concluded we would go to Mfuom as usual.
To church
"Tuxedo Crow" on firewood
I drove through the Pedu Market on Jukwa Road instead of around it; I assumed the traffic would be low on Sunday.
And for the most part, it was.
Tough to get in and out of on a weekday: Pizzaman/ Chickenman
[But there's another one across from a college gate that's easier to access.]
Jehowa ne me boafo {Jehovah is my helper}
[literally "and" my helper]
We drive straight every week; we've never turned right here (and I won't today).
Passenger carrying a fan
Tumi Wura {Power of the Gold}
It would be easy with a car [sigh].
As I watched, the red car cut around the parked van to reach the curb, causing the white car to shift lanes to avoid it.
Sunday Football {soccer}
To church
..
Store on a plastic bag
They stop along the way.
Walk forcefully and carry a cutlass
I helped going uphill and on the level, but when they got to this downhill part I felt like the little boy: only able to watch. (I would have taken the chair down backwards, but they're doing it they way they do it each Sunday.)
We used to park near the street and walk up in the direction these people are going. (Heading home, I'm pointed south now.)
Do-it-yourself guard rail
Ɔkyɛso Nyame {God of Protection}
Heading home
The sedan is dodging a pothole on the right (unseen here)..
.. and the obvious one on the left.
A betting shop. No Size {One Size Fits All}
An aboboyaa using a plastic jug as a gas tank
Smoked fish, anyone?
The guard comes off in order to clean the blades.
Something new has been added: dirt.
Better, but the stick marks the drop-off on that side.
Work continues across from the Audit building.
Water filters and hand pumps: enough for every apartment.
Sister Morgan, Sister Ladner, and Sister Dimmick, capturing the moment
Baskets, woven from leaves, for the pig roast
Every couple of days, my laptop asks to choose from three hopefully identical systems on the same volume. I'm grateful it continues to work
Preparing watermelon for the feast..
So much rice that I cooked half in the electric pressure cooker and half in the rice cooker..
While building a sauce for it
The Dimmicks stretched a strap to use..
Brother Bright was invited to the feast.
A volunteer is not just the line judge but also retrieves the ball when it leaves the compound. He has to be careful to avoid the razor wire...
Elder Dimmick and Brother Bright parked by the compound. The "line judge" is in the background.
Many parked outside the ditch; a neighbor is using a mower.
It's time to dig up the pigs.
As dirt was removed, the area near the wall began to feel like the inside of an oven..
Sticks were available to pull the cloth away.
But the work was done bare-handed.
See a pig snout through the side of this basket.
Working on the second basket
Some of the parts were in a third basket.
Success :)
Side dishes..
..
Singing a traditional song of farewell, to the Morgans
Don't Miss This (scripture discussion)
Work continues; the walls are ready, and the rest of the space has been packed with dirt.
Nyame Ne Nhyira {God and Blessings}
[or less-literally: God Bless You]
Burrs picked up when I parked in grass to purchase nail remover from the Beauty Citadel
An unusually clear photo of our water meter. (I pour water on it to reduce the effect of scratches on the glass.) The reading is in cubic meters.
Watermelon for us
Bean stew, on rice left over from the feast
Innovative way to warn of a disabled vehicle
Site of many accidents; notice what's left of guard rails.
Steering oar or prow; I don't know which
..
And this dark object is too small to be a canoe.
Too big to be a sheet
Catering school
Atanfo Nyɛ Nyame {Enemies Are Not God}
Not by Might Rental Services
[?]
Sitting on a shipment of fufu sticks
Peace and Joy Ambulance Service
A glimpse of Mankessim Melcom
Approaching the roundabout
Ɛgya Fakyɛ Hɛn {Father Forgive Us}
Traffic counter (the man under the umbrella)
Have cutlass, will travel
Jesus Kingdom Int. School
Megyefo Tease {Savior Lives}
Whɛ Heaven Nti Oo {So Look to Heaven, Oh!}
Nothing is impossible with God
Seven-miles-to-heaven Cargo
Nkwa Na Ehia {Life Is Necessary}
The cart can rest forward or backward.
Notice the oncoming traffic.
Room for the driver's head
Construction rubble is placed in the road outside the small store near our house for vehicles to crush.
The water level in our ground-level polytank is below the outlet: effectively empty.
Filling jugs at the mission compound. Elders had lost the inner plug for most of the jugs. They put a plastic bag under the outer plug.
An Elder taped the lids before we loaded the jugs into the truck.
Unloading on the high, level spot at the top of our compound
Chicken stew, late that night
with the Tachie-Mensons..
Star Trek - Next Generation
Original
See Them
A pedestrian walkway is being built over N1 across from Ola
Tease {Live} Village
Still - God Is Good
Meserɛ Nyame N'Adom {Please - God's Grace}
Watermelon slices, wrapped
Manpower
Why are you guys gaggling where there's no grass?
Jesus Hands Alive Ventures
Very dark, moist mud
The Lord is my Shepherd
Givers never lack
With God all things are possible
Bisa Nyame {Ask God}
This made no sense to us until later..
It is a great lesson to me
(Can't pass yet)
Wait..
There are two men up there..
Because they don't want to ride with the cattle.
Combination butcher house and cold store
Get those avocados now
A nice portion of the road to KO-SA
..
We think a wedding had just concluded when we reached the village near KO-SA.
..
..
Beautiful flowers; whimsical statues
Ready for anything
..
But not expecting shallow water
The Campbells, from a part of Canada without ocean access, are making the most of this.
I rested my head on a borrowed kickboard in order to be carried by the current.
Water action has etched the rock ledge that protects the sand of KO-SA.
..
..
..
Steph satthis one out.
..
Sister Dimmick; Sister Morgan
..
This is a nut.
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
Elder Campbell did some snorkeling..
The Morgans with KO-SA's long-time owners
[Keep going until we get it right.]
The Campbells
Three years on mission
My favorite photographer.
Bocci? In Ghana?
On the "road" before dark..
Unwise passing; a disabled vehicle blocks the "escape" shoulder.
Seagoing canoe, its motor mount visible
Activity
No comments:
Post a Comment