Thanksgiving Week

Though the Ghanaians do not celebrate Thanksgiving, it was opportunity for us this week to stop and reflect on the blessings we enjoy because we are serving as missionaries and for those things we miss so much back at home.  The photos we have included represent some of those blessings.

Some of the things we feel so grateful for...

...family.

...generally good health.

...great friends here and at home.

...the opportunity to serve the Ghanaians and support the missionaries here.

...the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that brings peace in a turbulent and conflicted world.

...Ryan and his family who will welcome a baby in May.

...Stan's mom, Verla, who is doing quite well, thanks to the efforts of his sister, Marla, who is a saint!

 Missionaries doing a role play in a District Council meeting Sister Heid and Nancy attended.

This week a new van was delivered to the mission home.  This unit will carry a maximum of 12 passengers.  But it won't carry anything else.  The office elders are concerned that it will be of little use.  They cannot carry bicycles, equipment, supplies, etc.  The seats do not come out.  Oh well...

This week Nancy came along when Stan went to the bank.  Ebenezer is the guard there.  He is very serious about his assignment.  After Stan gets money, Ebenezer will accompany him to his truck.  They have become good friends.  He continues to say that he wants to attend church with us, but it hasn't worked out yet.  Ebenezer makes it a little more fun to go to the bank.

You may recognize the young man not wearing a white shirt.  He is Charles Osei-Brobbey who recently finished his mission as an Assistant to the President and returned home to Kumasi.  He calls us his Father and Mother.  He is currently working for a relative at a mechanic's shop.  The only problem; this relative has not paid him.  This is a common practice in Ghana.  People work and "hope" to be paid at some point.  This is most problematic for Osei-Brobbey because he is trying to join the Army in the UK but needs some income for airfare, etc to attend a preliminary interview and training.  We know he will figure it out.

Thanksgiving dinner with the Office Elders, APs and the Jones's.  We had so much food.  No turkey, however.  We substituted chicken.  The menu included chicken and stuffing casserole, lettuce salad, frozen fruit salad, green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes and gravy and corn. The elders were not able to eat everything.  We actually had some leftovers. 

After dinner we drove back to the mission home where dessert...pumpkin pie... was served.  Sister Heid is serious about Christmas and has been directing the decorating for weeks now.  Don't you think it looks like Christmas????

 

A number of our missionaries came into town to renew their non-citizen card.  They were willing to pose for these photos.

Friday evening, after spending some time at the temple, we went out to dinner with 11 other senior missionaries.  This time we went to Zion Thai Restaurant.  This was a carrot and shredded papaya salad.  It was great!   The owner is from Thailand and her husband is from Ghana. 

On Saturday we took the Jones's to a culture event.  It was a craft and arts fair promoting employment and income through the craft industry.  Most items displayed there, we have seen before:  fabric, wood carvings, jewelry, clothing, soap and beauty products, etc.  One of the buildings had a display of drums and various other symbols like wood carvings with people holding hands.  The entire theme was peace, especially for Ghana.  The election is December 7.

The sign says "Sound the Beat for Peace and Unity".  Drums traditionally are used for a

means of conveying important messages.

This drum has a lot of symbols about peace, love and prosperity.  The white fowl represents success.