Elder Causse, Kumasi and Koforidua

This week we realized that though what we do is a bit routine, there is also joy and happiness in the day to day.  We had a missionary come to Accra to have some dental work done.  He volunteered to assist Sister Pace and the office elders with several tasks, including changing the toner cartridge in the copy machine.  Even in the little things there is fun.

 Elder Nielsen, from Houston, TX, and our office elders, Elder Falk and  Elder Fuller.

 This week the workers renovating our old apartment, got serious.  Looks like we had a bomb go off in there.

Bishop Gerald Causse - Presiding Bishop

On Thursday we were invited to a special devotional with the Presiding Bishop of the Church, Elder Gerald Causse.  He was in Accra to call and set apart a new Director of Temporal Affairs for the Africa West Area, who is from Ghana.  We were privileged to hear remarks by Elder Causse and then shake his hand.  (We took the picture from the internet because we were in the overflow area!)

Elder Emyfon, in the middle, finished his instruction at the Ghana MTC last week.  When he went to the airport to leave for his mission in Nigeria, the immigration officials determined that his passport was "smudged" and not valid.  They would not allow him to board the plane.  Until he can obtain a new document, he has been assigned to our mission.  His home is only 30 minutes away, in Tema.  But, since it may take 1-6 months for the passport process, they want him to serve but be handy for any needs immigration might have.

The result of this is that our mission has an uneven number of missionaries.  Elder Emyfon was assigned to a threesome, which you can appreciate, is a little awkward.  With a little research, President Heid learned that the Kumasi mission also had an uneven number.  Together the two presidents came up with a plan for us to send a missionary to them, so both missions would be even, especially since no new missionaries will arrive until the middle of September.  Elder Asare was asked to take the assignment and Sister Pace and I were asked to transport him to his new area in Kumasi.  Kumasi is about 5 hours north of Accra so we had an overnight trip.

We love driving in the interior of Ghana.  Today the weather was threatening.

We saw gallons and gallons of Palm Oil for sale along the roadside.

 

This is  a constant issue....broken down vehicles.  Usually they are just fixed on the spot, but traffic backs up as a result.  This gargantuan truck was sitting in a major intersection.

 This is a landmark in the middle of a roundabout that helped guide us to the Kumasi Mission Home.

 Out the mission home window in Kumasi

 Elder Asare's new companion happens to be a drummer.  He demonstrated his talent on a drum recently acquired by President Cosgrave, on the left.

Elder Brandt and Elder Asare at the Kumasi Mission home.

President and Sister Cosgrave with the new companionship.  President and Sister Cosgrave are from Utah and served as a senior missionary couple to President and Sister Heid before being reassigned last July as Mission President in Kumasi.   

It is a small world....their daughter is married to a son of some friends on our Portland Temple shift....Sister Cosgrave's father was instrumental in having the BYU Young Ambassadors perform in New Hampshire in 1972.  Stan was touring the East Coast with the YA's that summer and they had a waterskiing outing on a boat driven by Sister Cosgrave.....Dr. Cosgrave is the former doctor and good friend to one of Stan's former mission companions, etc.!!

 We were impressed with the new addition to the Kumasi "fleet."  Pretty sheik design and color.  Designed for speed!!!

 Dinner with the Cosgraves and one of their senior couples, the Wardles, from Washington State.  She is the nurse for the Kumasi Mission.  Her husband is a former teacher and helps with apartment issues in the mission.

 Some of the scenery on our way back to Accra.

 Often vendors will sell "meat" on the side of the road.  This is a chicken.  We also saw a small antelope and grass cutter, but we were not fast enough with the camera!

This is a photo of Bubba, who is our security guard.  You can see how intimidating he is.  Who would dare to break into our complex??

Stan has had his "eye" on African sculptures since we first saw them at a market five months ago.  Since July is his birthday month, we purchased them yesterday.  We plan to "dump" some clothes at the end of our mission, so we figured we would have room in our suitcase.

This week we were introduced to an interesting snack made by one of cafeteria workers at the church Area office.  It contains roasted peanuts and popped millet.  It is very good and healthy!

This Sunday President Heid asked us to go out in the "bush" and support a branch division in Koforidua.  Two of our elders are assigned there, Elder Beckstrand and Elder Liongitau.  This is the fifth branch division that we have witnessed since arriving.  It is wonderful to see the growth , both in number and strength here in the mission.  These people are truly a "light on a hill." 

Five Months and Rolling Along

We have now been away from Hillsboro for five months.  It really has been an adventure even though there are the mundane things we "get" to do.  Time passes so quickly.  This week was enjoyable in that we were able to spend a good deal of time with the missionaries.  They are so full of fun and enthusiasm.  You just can't help but love them.

Assistant to the President, Elder Osei-Brobbey, uses part of his Preparation Day to wash the mission SUV, which is the car he and his companion drive.

A gentleman in the Area Office has a side egg business.  The regular eggs are amazing, but look at the one in the top right corner.  It was huge!

 It was Preparation Day and so many elders were doing laundry and having sports activities.  Some stopped by Nancy's desk to sing Happy Birthday.

 We chose a restaurant that had been suggested for Nancy's birthday dinner.  When we arrived, we saw some familiar faces....other senior couples.  The Pecks in the foreground are leaving this week to return to the US.  The Websters, in the background, invited them to a "farewell" dinner.

 What a nice setting at Bistro 22!

 Stan enjoyed his South African imported beef fillet!

 Nancy had already eaten a portion of her Chicken Satay with peanut sauce, when we remembered to take a picture.

We shared the coconut cheesecake with passion fruit and mango sauce.

 I now have an official African fabric apron!

Stan bought Nancy a Nativity set made from corn husks.  It is very African.

Nancy spotted this sign on a bulletin board at the Area Office.  It is a nice thought from Elder Dube, a former member of the Africa West Area Presidency and member of the Quorum of the Seventy at church headquarters.

 Transfer Day!!  10 Elders and 1 Sister missionary arrived from the Ghana MTC.  That requires companions to come in from many locations; trainers and other missionaries meeting companions to travel to new assignments.

 Yes, the traditional chicken and rice lunch!

 

President Heid giving instructions.

 The "army" of missionaries listening to President Heid.

 Missionaries are loading up on supply items before heading out to their new areas.

 Saying good bye to Elder Morris, our office elder, who is heading to Hohoe - in the "bush!!"

Elder Pace and Elder Morris

 Renovations are starting on our old apartment in preparation for another senior missionary couple arriving the end of July.

A wall is being created in the bathroom to allow for a storage cabinet with a counter.

 Elder Quarshie, Assistant to the President, is always asking for reimbursement money and  loves to handle the money!!

Our Africa West Area President has served here for 5 years and is being reassigned.  Prior to being called to full time church service, Elder Curtis was an attorney.  He and his wife will return to their home in Salt Lake City.  Sunday was a Farewell Devotional for them in a packed Stake Center building.  There were three separate choirs plus the congregation sang the Ghanaian and American national anthem.  We will miss Elder Curtis and his wife Jane.