Week 28 - Seasons, The Freeze & Ministering

Here in Ghana, there are only 2 seasons, wet & dry.  Although it may seem to some that we are in the middle of a relatively cold time, we are actually just in the rainy season!  It is funny to see the locals wrapped in jackets, especially while riding their motorcycles.  I often glance at my watch to see the temperature, which generally hangs around 84 degrees right now for the high.  It is definitely a relief from the oppressive heat experienced in the dry season, so we will take it!  The humidity is still here but not as heavy for sure.

In the United States, depending on location, gardens get planted in the late spring and early summer.  In Alpine, the rule for success is that we shouldn't plant anything before Mother's Day, just in case there is one more freeze.  We are thinking that Accra may be a year-round growing season.  Jordan is taking advantage of the cooler temps right now and continuing to increase the number of planters on our deck from the original 3 to now 8.  He has 5 tomato plants, 1 pot with cucumbers, one with basil and another with cilantro.  Although we are waiting for the cucumbers to poke up, everything else is doing great after only 2 weeks! 

I've decided to give Jordan a new name:  Mr. Green Jeans... throwback from long ago and Captain Kangaroo! 

Agriculture in Ghana - Cocoa, oil palm, rubber and citrus constitute the major cash crops. The major starchy staples include maize (corn), cassava (root vegetable), plantain (cooking banana), yam (white inside and more like potatoes), cocoyam (root vegetable - like taro), rice, sorghum (grain/cereal) and millet (grain/cereal). 

THE FREEZE

On June 14, 1989, Ghana’s government suspended all activities and public meetings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This ban had been imposed due to misunderstandings and misinformation. It proved to be a test of faithfulness for members of the Church, most of whom had been members for only a few short years.

The situation would grow worse. Over the next few hours and days, the government expelled the mission president and the rest of the American missionaries, suspended all missionary work and Church meetings, jailed some members, chained the doors to all 50 LDS meetinghouses, and confiscated Church property. At the end of the first week, a government leader announced the Latter-day Saints would be banned from Ghana for good.

What became known among Ghana’s Saints as “the freeze” had begun, and would last for a difficult 17 months.  

Home and visiting teaching were vital to maintaining a sense of unity. Even though members were careful not to hold large public meetings, several were arrested for worshipping in their homes and jailed for short periods of time. Letters from local members and visits from Church representatives with government officials, eventually clarified the Church’s purpose and intentions in Ghana.

In November 1990, government officials finally lifted the restriction and allowed all Church activities to resume.

Ministering helped members in Ghana Overcome "the freeze."

Inspiring Sories of Church Pioneers in Africa

Ghana: Church Chronology

MINISTERING 

Today in our Trade Fair Ward, we had a traditional 5th week Sunday lesson, given by the bishopric.  They focused their message on Ministering. It was wonderful.  Here are some of the points mentioned during the lesson from all the members.

Ways we minister:

• See others the way the Savior sees them.
• Friendship is important.
• Show true concern by getting to really know them.
• Serve others the way the Savior would.  
• Set an example of living the gospel.  Live the gospel naturally.
• Help others feel loved.
• Help others strengthen their faith and testimony.
• Help others make and keep covenants.
• Understand the needs of others and offer comfort when needed. 
• Help others become temporally and spiritually self-reliant. 
• Adapt your efforts to needs and circumstances. 
• Use your own gifts and talents to bless others. 
• Sincerely pray for those you minister to.  

Most of all, minister with LOVE!  Minister as the Savior does.  Be the hands of God in all we do!

God loves you!!  I love you!!  Never give up hope!!!

TRO-TRO WISDOM

Week 27 - Schedule, Doors, Money & Artwork

It is hard to imagine, but we have been on our mission for exactly 6 months today.  We started the MTC Jan 23, 2023.  Seems like forever ago!  

We have gradually figured out a schedule that works for us.  For exercise, I need to work out in the morning (too much to do when we get home at 5:30-6:00).  So we get up, Jordan does some stretches and push-ups and then gets ready for the day.  I head to the treadmill or out for a walk in the neighborhood and get going.  By the time I return, Jordan is ready to head to the office.  For my cool down, I drive him to the office, which is only 5-7 min away (depending on traffic), drop him off at the gate of the temple compound and circle back around the block to home.  Then I get ready and head off to the office also.  Jordan loves to run stairs after work (all 8 floors up and down several times, as well as jumping rope).  It seems to work!  It took us a while to figure it out though. :/

DOORS

Shortly after we arrived in Ghana, we noticed a pile of shavings at the bottom of our door as we would leave for the office.  After discovering it a few times and watching the pile grow, Jordan realized we must have termites!  We alerted the management here at Beaufort Ridge.  They didn't seem too bothered.  Over the next few months, the piles would grow and disappear, return and get bigger.  We continued to mention this to management, even sending pictures of the little sand piles that we gathering at the door.  After about 5 months of reminding management, they finally came to inspect.  By that time, we actually had a small hole in the door.  The hole is getting bigger each day and about the size of a quarter now.  Management said they treated the door for termites, so we shall see if it fixes the problem.  We still see little piles of sand here and there. Who knows!  

   

The other day, I was fixing dinner after work while Jordan was running stairs.  After about 30 min I heard my phone ringing and answered it.  Jordan said, "Hey, where are you?"  I said, "What do you mean where am I?  Here in the kitchen!  Where are you?"  He said, "I'm outside and you locked the door!  I've been knocking for forever!"  I said, "I didn't lock the door!  Are you sure you are at the right apt?"  To which I hear a surprised and shocked, "Oh dang!  I'm a floor up!"  Luckily, no one was home.  Had they been home and had their door unlocked, they may have had a terrible shock upon Jordan blasting inside hot and sweaty and ready for a shower!

MONEY

The money in Ghana is quite interesting.  The currency of Ghana is Cedi (pronounced "see-dee"). The word cedi derives from the Akan word for the cowrie shell, which was widely used for currency long ago. The cedi is prefixed GHS, or by the ₵ symbol. Cedis can only be obtained in Ghana.

The currency of Ghana is the cedi (pronounced "see-dee").  The word cedi derives from the Akan word for the cowrie shell, which was widely used for currency long ago.  We have discovered cowrie shells when diving in various parts of the world, and they are beautiful, never to be removed from the sea because they are rare and precious.   

The cedi is prefixed GHS, or by the ₵ symbol.  Cedis can only be obtained in Ghana. They cannot be converted anywhere except in Ghana and neighboring countries.

This is the currency:

Notice the six men on each of the cedi notes. These are the "Big Six" who are the fathers of Ghanaian independence, including Ghana's first post-independence President, Kwame Nkrumah at the top left. The 200 cedi note, ₵200, is the largest denomination available. Notice that the larger the denomination, the larger the size of the note.

Pesewas are the coins and 100 pesewas make 1 cedi.  The largest coin is equal to 2 cedis.  The smallest is teh copper 1 pesewa coin, which is exceedingly rare because it is useless (I haven't seen one yet!).

Carrying ₵50 notes or larger is convenient for large purchases, but many places where you spend money will not be able to make change for these bills - or even a 20 cedi note! It is always a good idea to keep a lot of small cedi notes in your pockets. Easier said than done!  I'm always scrambling to find smaller bills.  When we get money from an ATM, it is always 50 or 100 cedi notes.  So, it becomes more challenging to keep the small bills!  

ARTWORK

I have been looking for some art while here in Ghana, that speaks to me.  I have of course found lots!  I recently purchased some beautiful bronze statues depicting women and their various roles in Ghanaian culture and society.  I also found these beautifully, hand-crafted and one of a kind, String Art pictures.  The little man that makes these is David.  He is 78 yrs old.  He spends much time in creating each piece.  Each of these pictures take about 6 weeks to create.  I love them!  Can you see the babies tied on the back of these women, carrying baskets of important items for their families on their heads?  I of course love fish!  If you have been in my home, you know this!  They are everywhere!  Fish speak to me!

Everything in Ghana is bright and beatuiful!  I love it all so much!  There is such joy here, despite the circumstances of so many.  A great reminder to cherish life, no matter the difficulties that will surely come.  

Hu sɛ wɔdɔ wo!  "Know you are loved! 

Kae onipa ko a woyɛ!  "Remember who you are!"

Yɛ nea wubetumi biara!  "Do your best!"

Week 25 & 26 - The Gardener, Mancala & What do we SEE?

Combining another 2 weeks... 😁

Where does the time go??  It feels as though we just arrived back in Ghana after a whirlwind visit in the US.  But it also seems as if it was all just a dream and we never left!  Very strange indeed.  Gratefully, I have pictures to keep me sane!  

Getting right back to work in the AWA Office scenario was pretty easy.  Head down and go for it, every minute of every day.  We recently had to teach Family Home Evening for all the senior missionaries.  That entails sharing our life story with them and a few highlights of what we do here in our mission assignment.  Jordan said, "Just show a guy chained to a desk...that is my life right now!"  I did in fact find and display a picture showing just that, but in reality, it is just a portion of our time in Africa.  There is SO much more!

GARDENING FUN

Some of the pictures I showed of our life back home included one of Jordan's hobbies and passions, creating and maintaining a garden.  It must have awoken something inside, because Saturday we spent running around finding patio pots, rich black soil, seeds and plants (another senior missionary grew the tomatoes from seeds and is now sharing them) to create a mini garden outside on our very hot and small patio.  This will truly be a stress reliever for my man, the gardener extraordinaire!  After finding all the supplies out and about in town, Jordan "borrowed" an old rickety wheel barrow from the parking garage and brought everything up from the truck in the elevator.  Then he got to work.  He now realizes he needs more pots and will spread things out!  5 tomato plants, basil & cilantro and cucumbers.  What will be next??

THE GARDENER

A classic story told by Hugh B. Brown reminds us, The Gardener is truly in charge and places us in the exact position we need to learn and grow and become mighty along the way. 

"You sometimes wonder whether the Lord really knows what He ought to do with you. You sometimes wonder if you know better than He does about what you ought to do and ought to become. I am wondering if I may tell you a story. It has to do with an incident in my life when God showed me that He knew best."

"Many of you are going to have very difficult experiences: disappointment, heartbreak, bereavement, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried. I just want you to know that if you don’t get what you think you ought to get, remember, God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be. Submit yourselves to His will. Be worthy of His blessings, and you will get His blessings."

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2002/03/the-currant-bush?lang=eng

MANCALA

I've become somewhat obsessed with the game known as Mancala, while here in Africa.  

Mancala is so old its precise origins are unknown, but the most reliable evidence exists for Mancala having been played 3,600 years ago in Ancient Sudan or Ghana.  Many variations of the game are widely played in Africa and southern Asia, and in areas influenced by African or Asian cultures, that involve competition between two players in the distribution of pieces (as seeds or pebbles) into rows of holes or pockets (as in a board) under various rules that permit accumulation of pieces by capture.

Objective: To collect as many seeds in your pockets as possible. The player with the most seeds in their pockets at the end of the game wins. 

These are the rules that came with one of the first boards we purchased.  The game seems to be called Oware, a meaning you will discover after reading the Introduction.

The symbols on the top of this board are Adinkra. The seeds are from an ebony tree, used traditionally here in Ghana for the playing pieces.  

  However, no fancy board or playing pieces are needed as evidenced here:

 

And two more of my favorite boards I've collected so far....

FINAL THOUGHT

Messages heard in our Trade Fair Ward every Sunday are inspiring and pure gospel prinicples.  It is beautiful to hear the words of truth spoken in very plain and simple ways, yet so powerful.

Youth Speaker:                                                                                                      Truth = doing what is right.  Know the truth and the truth shall make you free. 

2nd Speaker:                                                                                                          God loves us.  Learn to love others.  Don't bring contention.  Be a witness of the Savior in all we do. 

Bishop Darkey-Collins:                                                                                        When we only consider the consequences of our actions, we become liars.  Our minds can set us free when we choose to do what is right.

The light of the body - What do we SEE with our eyes?  What do we talk about from what we see with our eyes?  Share that which builds and brings light!  Be careful of what the eyes see!  Avoid darkness.  

Luke 11:33-36:  What do we SEE?  Our brain will process what we see.  It takes adequate TIME to really "SEE" before we can process fully. What we see will regulate what we say and do.  Be careful of what we put in through our eyes. Likewise, whatever we put in our body should not reflect darkness. 

We must represent Christ in all we do and say.

D&C 88:67-68:  If your eye be single to His Glory... If the body is full of light, darkness has no space to dwell.

John 8:12:  As we follow the Savior, He is the LIGHT in our path.

Conclusion: Light is good.  Be careful of what you see.  Take time to evaluate what you see.  Take heed, we want light to come out of the process.  Christ must always be the Light we follow.  

💓💛💚

Much love from Ghana!  Have a fantastic Sabbath!

Week 23 & 24 - Whirlwind travel to be with family, Homesickness & Home

I'm combining 2 weeks of updates...

Returning to the USA

After many requests through several clearance levels associated with missionaries leaving the "mission boundaries" for a special reason, we were granted home-leave privileges. 

Our first stop was Phoenix, AZ.  We were able to spend a few days with our oldest son and his family.  It was great to see how much everyone has grown in the past 5 months we have been gone.  The kids are out of school for summer break and the weather although hot, felt quite nice in comparison to our humid Ghana weather! ;)  We went up into the mountains for a day, to explore, hike and spend some good quality time together.  We miss these adventures with family!

We were also able to spend time with our youngest son.  He just moved to Arizona  mid May and is still getting settled.  It was fun to see his new area and get a feel for his local shopping and recreational/fishing/hiking spots!  He is now settling in and  trying to embrace the heat!  Whoa hot!!  The heat index has been dangerously high!

Next stop was Seattle to see our 2nd son and family.  Baby #6 arrived without incident and I was honored to be there to share in the experience.  Our sweet daughter-in-law's mother has recently had some serious health challenges, so when asked if I'd like to come lend a hand, it was a no-brainer!  It is such a special time when a new little one arrives fresh from heaven. 💜

We had lots of fun adventures with the kids while waiting for the baby to arrive!

    

  

In trying to get back to Accra, I could not secure any flights from Seattle.  So, I did a quick stopover in SLC and then routed out through JFK to Accra on the return.  It was a whirlwind time at the house with some shopping to get "treats & needed items" to take back with me as well as bringing back some office supplies and other things senior missionaries wanted/needed.  I hauled back 3 suitcases filled to the brim!  It was like Christmas when we handed everything out!  Wish I could have visited with everyone while in town, but it was a fast turn around with little time to play.  

HOMESICK 

Returning "home" from Africa for a brief moment in time, being with family and feeling the pangs of missing them, was not easy.  But what I did realize during and after the fact, is that we are where we should be in life right now, doing what we should be doing.  It definitely isn't easy being away from our children and grandchildren for 18 months.  We will miss many highlights in their lives and only get pictures or videos from time to time.  But we feel peace and confidence in the consecrated service we are giving here in Africa. 

We also believe and know that many blessings come as a result of this consecrated service.  And I have let Heavenly Father know I want all the blessings to go to our children and grandchildren!!  We are doing this for them.  We may be few, but we are STRONG!!! 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 💓 (represents our family #'s)   

"A Yearning for Home" Marvin J. Ashton Oct 1992

"If he could have his way, Satan would distract us from our heritage. He would have us become involved in a million and one things in this life—probably none of which are very important in the long run—to keep us from concentrating on the things that are really important, particularly the reality that we are God’s children. He would like us to forget about home and family values. He’d like to keep us so busy with comparatively insignificant things that we don’t have time to make the effort to understand where we came from, whose children we are, and how glorious our ultimate homecoming can be!"

"I’ve come to see that being homesick isn’t all bad. It’s natural to miss the people you are closest to. It’s normal to long to be where you feel secure, where those you love have your best interests at heart. It’s understandable to want to return to the place where you learned how to walk and talk, where you felt loved even when friends turned away, and where you were accepted, regardless of the situation. There’s no place on earth that can take the place of a home where love has been given and received."

"To know who we are is important, but to know where we are in relationship to our earthly home and heavenly home is essential if we are to receive all the blessings our Father in Heaven has for those who love him and keep his commandments. Our eternal home is our ultimate destination. A proper yearning for home can prevent our getting lost in detours or paths that lead us away."

"...what really matters is a personal testimony of Jesus Christ, an understanding of who we are and what we’re doing here, and an absolute determination to return home."

See you ALL on the flipside in 384 days!  But who's counting?? 😁