Week 13 - Long Weekend, Exploring & Frogs

We recently had a 4 day weekend!  Good Friday on April 7th and Easter Monday on April 10th.  It was awesome to sleep in, explore more of Ghana and rejuvenate ourselves a bit!  Life is busy busy busy here and if we don't take time to "Sharpen the Saw" we are going to burn out!  And we don't want that! 

On Friday, we went with another senior missionary couple, Bob & Jerie Jacobs, to explore Jamestown a bit, including the lighthouse and Ussher Fort. 

Jamestown and Usshertown are the oldest districts of Accra, Ghana and emerged as communities around the 17th century as British James Fort and Dutch Ussher Fort on the Gulf of Guinea.  Today, both Jamestown and Usshertown remain fishing communities inhabited primarily by the Ga people.  Although in quite a state of decay, the districts are significant in the history of Accra, which replaced Cape Coast as the capital of Gold Coast, a British colony in 1876.

Ussher Fort is in Jamestown, Accra, Ghana. It was built by the Dutch West India Company in 1649 as Fort Crèvecœur, named after a Dutch town.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was one of three forts that Europeans built in the region during the middle of the 17th century.  It has a long history of having been a trade post, slave dungeon, a police post and a prison.  Some of the images portrayed in the Fort are obviously disturbing, showing the horribleness of the slave trade.  It was also used for military detention and served as a court-martial unit, and refugee camp for both Liberians and South Sudanese as recent as 2005.

We stood on the top of Ussher Fort and looked out over the ocean, watching life go on without fanfare.  Young boys playing with a bottle tied to a piece of rope, fishermen preparing their nets and boats for the day's trip out for fishing or sleeping in the boats under tarps, men and women cooking under umbrellas and old tarps or harvesting a recent catch of fish, fresh from the water, mounds of garbage strewn along the beach.  So much to see!  We watched for the longest time, just taking it all in.  Depsite the conditions, there is beauty to be found.  

 

    

 

These little boys were having a great time with a bottle tied to a piece of rope! 

ABURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

On  Monday, we ventured off into a more mountainous region to see some lush gardens.  The trees were ginormous, varied, and beautiful!  For whatever reason, it also felt a little cooler, even though the temperature remained the same as in Accra.  Maybe because we strolled through the shady and beautiful "jungle" rather than being baked on the hot concrete in town.  An old helicopter left over from UN peacekeeping missions is now a playground for kids.  There are also large termite mounds everywhere in Ghana, which are pretty cool.

FROGS

I've always been somewhat of a night owl, but seem to be getting a little better with time and age.  At night when all is quiet and Jordan has gone to sleep, I sit silently in the living room and listen to the frogs.  They begin slowly with a few chirps and gurgles here and there, but before long, they are a resounding chorus of some of the greatest croaking sounds you've ever heard!  There is one big daddy that has the lowest and loudest sound of all.  I must find him someday!  Wish I could record and share with you this little evening treat that I love so much!  I have always loved FROGS!!

Sending Lots of Love from Africa!!! 💗💛💚