Meetings, Missionaries and Motoring in the Bush

This week involved meeting with missionaries every day except Friday.  We were supposed to meet as an Office Council with the office elders and assistants on that day, but President cancelled.  I think he was "Done"!!  During these meetings we were able to mingle with missionaries and were on the agenda to help with some training.  We enjoy being with them, feeling their enthusiasm, giving hugs (Sister Heid and Nancy get to hug the girls) and giving warm handshakes to the young men, plus doing a little "parenting".

President Heid approved a three zone activity and "Lite' Zone Conference for this Monday P Day.  Usually on P Day missionaries email home, do laundry, stock up on food, exercise or get together with other missionaries.  Their P Day ends at 6pm when they are supposed to be out doing missionary work.  President Heid decided to basically have the entire mission meet with him over a two week period.  So the missionaries had fun activities for about three hours and then we had 1 1/2 hours of instruction and lunch.  This week we interacted with those on the west side of our mission.

 Sister Heid with some of our sister missionaries.

Several of our missionaries play the piano quite well.

The missionaries enjoy meeting with one another.  Sometimes they see a companion they served with previously or someone they met at the Mission Training Center.  We do have a few missionaries who are from the same area in Africa and knew each other prior to their missions.

 Sub sandwiches for lunch!

President was encouraging everyone to be on their way home.

On Tuesday we rode out to Tema, where the Ghana MTC is located, to attend the Klagon District Meeting.  We were greeted warmly by the District leader and we noticed the agenda on the whiteboard in front.  We were on the program!!  (President told them we were coming to their meeting!)  One thing we have learned here is that you have to always be prepared to CONTRIBUTE! (Africans use the word contribute like we use the word "share" or "comment.")

Elder Dabata has been on his mission for five months and was given the task to 'instruct" at this meeting.  He talked about trying to be obedient missionaries.

Due to the morning "commute", we drove to Tema along the beach road.  (Unfortunately, Ghana has not yet learned the benefits of protecting their beaches, so it is not the Caribbean).  On the way home, the elders suggested it would be faster to take a dirt road to the motorway.  This "tunnel" goes underneath the motorway and is only one lane.  It is like the "eye of the needle."  There are people who earn money by directing traffic through the underpass.  (They are not policemen or officials of any kind.)

Wednesday we helped with computer class.  On Thursday we had a monthly Missionary Leadership Council meeting with all those young elders and sisters who "supervise" the other missionaries under President's direction.  We met at the Area Office Building across from the temple and took a group photo on the temple steps.

These sharp looking missionaries stopped by the mission office after attending a temple session.  They were meeting up with their companions who had met with President Heid for interviews or attended computer class.

Sister Moyo had some pain across her foot, so after an x-ray was negative, the doctor ordered her to use crutches for a few days.  Elder Kofotua, with the huge smile, is a former assistant and now back "in the field'.  He offered his strength to get the crutches in the proper position.

Stan really likes this picture out our living room window.

President and Sister Heid invited us on an overnight "road" trip to the bush.  President Heid was going to divide a branch (like a small ward) on Sunday.   Stan had helped submit some of the paper work to church headquarters which was needed to make this change. 

We had been in the Koforidua area before, as that is where our senior couple, the Taylors, had lived, before they needed to return home for medical reasons.  We drove a different route and enjoyed the scenery.

As we drove through a small village we spotted Elder Burdick (from Albany, Oregon) and Elder Angelsey teaching a lesson on the street to a family.  When they saw President Heid in the truck with us, they were very happy that they had their Bibles open and were doing effective missionary work!

One of our destinations was Boti Falls.  There are actually two waterfalls together.  This is the main falls.

  These falls were partially hidden by the beautiful tropical foliage.

President and Sister Heid on our way to Boti Falls.

This African artwork was on the wall as we exited Boti Falls.

Look at the size of the avocado we brought back from the senior apartment "orchard" in Koforidua!

After our Sunday meeting to split the Effiduase branch, we drove a few miles to a brand new Oyoko church building.  Church was just finishing and we saw Elder Shelton visiting with three sisters and their friend.

Another stop was in Suhum where a new church building is being constructed.  Workman actually live on the site during the building process.

Can you believe this is Africa?

We did not have to cook dinner following our return from the bush, as Sunday evening we were invited to dinner at the Webster's home.  We met them in the MTC in Provo.  He is a retired attorney from California and is a missionary assisting in the legal department of the Area office.  They live in a large 4 bedroom home and will be moving to a brand new modern apartment within two blocks of our location.  Their home will be occupied by a family.  The father is Ghanaian and will supervise all the "temporal" affairs in the church in this area.