BEAUFORT
Over the past month, there has been talk of moving all senior missionaries from Beaufort (Bo-firt) to a new location. The reason: Beaufort apartments are older, things are gradually falling apart, repairs need to be made, but the owners (each apartment is individually owned) aren't very excited about putting money into keeping their units up to par. This is frustrating for the senior missionary in charge of our housing, and for the church employee at the Area office that oversees our leases and troubleshoots these problems. It's a huge job no matter how you slice it.
Our personal apartment has been the source of many frustrations. First, it was not a previous senior missionary apartment. As such, it didn't have many of the necessary items already stocked up and inherited from a long line of previous senior missionaries rotating in and out of the apartment . However, it didn't take long to start purchasing items and setting it up for success! Another issue was dealing with many of the repairs the apartment needed in order to get updated and functioning properly.
Our front door was eaten by termites (front door replaced - with non treated and non cured wood - which then shrunk to the point that the locking mechanism would no longer reach the hole - but not to worry, a piece of wood was inserted under the lock plate to push it closer to the lock and we are back in business - albeit the large spaces that now exist on either side of the door so we can see daylight and feel the warm air flowing (as of yesterday, more wood added to door to fill in some of the gaps), the washer/dryer drum fell apart on the inside after we arrived (new washer/dryer unit purchased), the plastic shower floor pinched our feet and leaked quite a lot while showering (new tile floor installed, leak slowed down but still runs freely even though caulk is in place - it's a mystery), AC unit leaked for months, dumping water regularly all over the desk and floor (we finally got smart and moved the desk), until after several visits and about 1 month ago, a new technician moved the AC unit up about 4 inches and voilà (TaDa!), the water dumping stopped (who knew water couldn't run uphill to drain when the unit was placed too low for gravity to do it's magic?), the hard as rock double bed was impossible to sleep on even after purchasing a 3 inch foam pad to make it more bearable (new kingsize bed purchased and we've slept like babies ever since!), having 4 dining room chairs that you can't really sit on because the seat falls through the hole (Jordan found random scrap boards, cut them to fit the chairs, and installed L brackets to hold the boards in place - and voilà... we don't fall through anymore!). The list goes on, but the good news is, after almost one year, we are close to having the apartment in tip top shape!
And now they want us to move?? What?? Well, since we only have 6 months and 3 days left on our mission, we asked/begged to stay! Please let us stay! Who knows what the bed situation will be in the next apartment? Or the AC? And thankfully.... we were granted our wish! We will be staying in Beaufort until our mission ends. Wahoo!!
There are several senior missionaries that aren't so lucky, but the new location called Genesis has lots of new benefits: water filtration system on the roof that delivers filtered water right to your tap (whoa! revolutionary for here - at Beaufort we must use special filtered water from another tap for everything, including dish and vegetable/fruit washing, also brushing teeth), the apartments are only 2 yrs old so everything is still in good condition, large swimming pool and nice workout room, dishwasher in the kitchen, larger storage areas in 2nd bedroom, etc. So hopefully, the pain of moving mid mission will be swallowed up in the positive aspects of the new digs! We will miss them here with us.
BOFROT
Bofrot (Bo-froat) is an African street food, seen and heard around town every day and night. This tasty little deep fried donut dough ball is a regular staple across West Africa. It is called something different in each country, but the origin is the same. Bofrot’s actual hometown is in Holland. The Dutch colonists taught the Fantes (local tribe located in central Ghana) how to make Bofrot. The Dutch call it OLIEBOLLEN. Cute huh?
How is it "heard" you may ask? Well, once the Bofrot are made fresh each morning, young men load them into glass cases (warmed by the sun), and the glass case is attached to a bike or push cart. The bike or push cart also has a small freezer box, which holds a small container of vanilla ice-cream, to be eaten with the hot Bofrot. This awesome little cart contraption has a small horn attached to the handlebars (or the young man holds it in his hand mostly). This horn is the old fashioned honker that is activated with a firm squeeze of the rubber bulb at the end of the horn. Young men walk or ride up and down the streets, honking their own little special rhythm, which is very identifiable to everyone within hearing distance. Like the familiar "ice-cream-truck-music" heard in other parts of the world, this sweet honking sound brings everyone running, especially around 10 pm as the Bofrot guy swings past the Highschool right next to us for one last honking call! "Bedtime snack anyone?" They are a unique and tasty treat, one we aren't afraid to eat, from the street. So far, so good. Yum!
DEALING WITH CHANGE
I don't know very many people who like change. Change can instill fear and anxiety in us because of the unkown. Change involves effort, sacrifice, giving up something comfortable for something possibly more difficult. We may see change as a problem instead of an opportunity for growth and learning.
"We can respond appropriately to change by being prayerful, humble, and teachable; by accepting new opportunities or assignments with a positive attitude; and by being willing to try new approaches or methods with a sincere desire to improve."
Sending much love from Ghana! 💘💛💚
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