Week of 20260111 - Ghana Week 96: Moree First Ward; Steph with Twi; Extra Suitcases; Podcast Guest; 36 Tasks; “Reliable” Phase Dropped; All Apartment Issues Confirmed; Books Mailed; Group Meal
= Sunday, we arrived at Moree First Ward a half hour early (in case the published times were wrong). The Bishop asked us to bear our testimonies. Steph's included the longest statement in Twi that I've ever heard from her. A talk reminded us that we don't worship in isolation, we have structures to help us be actively mindful of each other as well.
= We met as Elders Quorum (men) and Relief Society (women) today. Nearly all in Twi, but still, today felt right.
= After almost two years of struggling to efficiently identify and record that apartment issues have been fixed, I had the solution today and began to use it: numbering open items and asking missionaries to give the numbers of items still open.
= Monday, by 12:30, I had posted closure to about a hundred open items and we were at the office. We left the office while the Tachie-Mensons visited an apartment and bought two suitcases to take extra items with us on the airplane; I had exactly the right amount of money with me! Then we returned to the office. When Sister Tachie-Menson was available, Steph worked with her on medical issues. Home at 8, Steph asked a prospective guest to be on her podcast. I continued to post feedback I had asked for about apartment issues and sent bicycle area status to the "Bikers" group.
= Tuesday, we toyed with sifting items into suitcases. I worked on a document to help new senior missionaries whose driving skills are still tentative shop for basics on routes that aren't difficult. We continued to work on mission issues. Our friend, David Clark, agreed to be on the podcast [grin].
= Wednesday, Steph had not slept all night and was sending emails about recent medical activity. Once I got moving, posting apartment feedback, she finally fell asleep. I polished a list of 36 things I do and proposed which tasks will be dropped and who would be logical candidates to do the rest. That evening, I sat down with Assistants to the President and the Office Elders; they agreed to take on the tasks I had suggested for each role. I later reached out to the Dimmicks for their tasks, and Elder Dimmick added one I had forgotten to list. By 0330, I had put the shopping document and instructions for the features of our apartment, "house hints", in final form.
= Thursday, we had expected to mail a box of books and stop by the office, but the "reliable" phase of our three-phase power dropped, as if new challenges were coming just before our departure. We had extension cords stretched everywhere to keep the refrigerator and chest freezer running and didn't want to leave the house in that state to drive around. I continued posting apartment feedback and polishing documents.
= Friday, I got feedback from the last apartment. I had confirmed that about 200 items on the list had been completed. The other side of that is that I had confirmed that another 200 items were still open.
= We were at the office by 1100, in time for me to see our landlord for the last time; he has decided not to let the church renew the lease for the compound where we live; we, and the Elders next door, have to be out by July. I thanked him for his help in the past and printed the house hints I had created.
= I gave Sister Dimmick the "shopping" document for a different perspective. Also, the plan for our departure has been firmed up: they will drive us to Accra a week from today, we'll all do an endowment session at the temple, we'll have a meal together, they'll drop us at the airport for our late evening flight, and they'll spend the night in temple housing.
= When we learned today's meeting would be delayed, we brought our box of books to the post office. It would have been cheaper to pay the airline for yet another suitcase than it was to ship this box that I had foolishly valued at the equivalent of 100 dollars; the fee is tied to the value. But changing airlines in Amsterdam with seven suitcases was out of the question. We made a last trip to a shop near Cape Coast Castle and returned to the office.
= The meeting had been cancelled. I gave President Tachie-Menson the list of tasks I had formerly performed and how they would probably be handled going forward. He invited the office staff and a Sister leaving for California the next day to be their guests (with their two youngest sons) at Lemon Lounge. We staked out the place at 6:15; the group arrived at 6:30 in the mission van; food arrived at 8; it was a nice event. Home, we watched Netflix until 0130.
= Saturday, I spanned a ladder across the top of two stuffed armchairs and used that to help me keep the handheld suitcase scale in place for repetitive weighing. We kept at it, shifting items, until 4:30. At 9, we had an electric pressure cooker meal that started with thawed chicken gizzards and frozen peas and ended with the broth being used to cook a SuperPack of ramen, which we shared over the other ingredients. Tender, but it took a long time to eat.
After Sacrament, the women met in a room for Relief Society; the men met for Elders Quorum on a porch next to it. Although language was a barrier, it felt good to be in these meetings [elsewhere second and fourth Sundays, scripture study first and third Sundays].
Ma yen fa kwan papa do nyi nam - Gyae fa [not far] edwuma a mbra mma ho kwan {Let us take the meat in the right way - Stop taking illegal jobs}
Overfishing is collapsing fishing as a way of life. Studies funded by the US (Feed Future) use data to inform fishers and government regarding practices to help this sector recover.
See Facebook for images and context. Groups parade in costume, dance, and might play instruments; they have structure, including chaplains.
Masquerade in Africa is part of much deeper traditions.
[In addition, repair people whom you're expecting can enter, chaperoned by you.]
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(On the other hand, when I re-installed the regulator on a full tank, I didn't press it into place properly, missionaries noticed (by smell), and disconnected it until I adjusted it properly.)
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