July in Ghana

I better get July's blog written before another month flies by and I have two months to report.

First, I need to report that so far there have been no Ebola cases reported in Ghana.  The two countries hardest hit by Ebola are the two poorest, Sierra Leone and Liberia.   We had a training planned for Sierra Leone, but it has since been canceled.  All missionaries, including the Mission President, have been evacuated from those two countries.  Many have been reassigned to Ghana, so it is a blessing for us.  Nigeria has just reported it's first cases of Ebola, but so far travel to Nigeria has not been affected.  The church is watching and monitoring the situation carefully.  Please continue to keep us and all of West Africa in your prayers.

July is a month of celebrations in America with Independence Day and Pioneer Day.  We didn't exactly celebrate those two holidays, but July did start with a holiday.  On July 1, a few missionaries decided to go to Aburi Gardens to do some souvenir shopping.  We stopped by a local restaurant for lunch.  It's always great to be with the missionaries.

From left to right:
Elder and Sister Wilde - Area Presidency Executive Secretary
Elder and Sister Pack - Self Reliance Missionaries
Elder and Sister Watson - Family History Missionaries
President and Sister Robinson - President of the Ghana MTC

America's Independence Day is obviously not celebrated in Ghana, however, I decided to remind our Ghanaian friends that we as Americans were celebrating a special day.  So, I made a "traditional" American dessert (Rice Krispie treats) printed off a few flags (thanks to Google) and Elder Call and I took them around to the employees at the office.  One of the employees started to sing "The Star Spangled Banner" when we handed him his treat; we of course joined in.  When we got to the part that says, "Oh say, does that star spangled banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free...and the home of the brave?" I got all choked up and couldn't continue very well and then Elder Call got choked up...to say the least we ended the song somewhat weak in volume but big with emotion. 

July had us going for another training in Nigeria.  Nigeria is just east of Ghana and the two countries look a lot alike.  Nigeria, however, is quite a bit larger than Ghana and oil was discovered sooner, so there are some who are very rich in Nigeria.  Unfortunately, the wealth is held by a few and the money hasn't trickled down to the general population.

This is a picture from our hotel window.  We are not allowed to walk around in Nigeria for security reasons.  The church is pretty careful to pick us up from the airport and take us to our hotel and to and from church buildings. 

A young women's class in Nigeria.  When I took their picture I asked them to do the "African pose".  When I go to take a picture of a girl in West Africa, they almost always put their hand on their hip.  So I have named it the "African pose". 









One of the sweetest things that happened on our trip to Nigeria in July was meeting this woman on the plane.

Her name is Ifeoma, which means "something beautiful".  I think she was properly named.  I sat next to her as we traveled from the Abuja airport to the Owerri Airport, both in Nigeria.  We began a conversation and as usual, it turns pretty quickly to religion since I wear this wonderful  black name tag with the church's name on it.  I asked her about her church and she asked about our church.  There were a lot of questions about her church that she didn't know the answers to and I think it intrigued her that I knew the answers about our church.  She seemed to get more interested as we talked.  Then she asked if we paid tithes in our church and I told her we did for it is mentioned in the Bible. I had explained our church was the same church Christ organized when He lived on the earth. Then she asked if we gave "first fruits".  I had to have her explain what she meant.  Apparently in her church, besides paying tithing, they require the whole month's income in January as a "first fruits" offering.  I told her not only did we not have a "first fruits" offering but we didn't have a paid ministry either. 

To make a long story short, by the end of the plane ride, she was writing all the contact information she could think of so the missionaries could come and teach her.  In the process of our conversation, I had also learned that 6 years before, her 3 year old daughter had passed away and then 3 weeks later her husband passed away.  When I told her she could be with her daughter and husband again because families were forever, she got this amazed look on her face and said, "How can that be?"  I told her about temples and how families can be sealed together for eternity.  To make an even longer story short, we gave her name and contact information to the Mission President and the last information we heard was that the missionaries were teaching her and she was planning on attending church. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the "good news" and it is such a pleasure to share that good news with others. 

The biggest event for us in July was the multistake activity for young single adults that was held in the city of Kumasi, Ghana.  Kumasi is about a 4-5 hour drive north of Accra.  We had trained the stake leaders and YSA responsible for the event and have been working with them for many months.  We wanted to give them direction, but we wanted them to plan the event and carry it out themselves.  We were happy with the outcome.  The young single adults worked with their priesthood leaders and the whole event went well with about 450 young single adults in attendance.  the only "hitch" was that the food was a little late a couple of times, other than that it was a near flawless event.  Elder Call and I were so pleased!  I hope you enjoy some pictures we took.

A Group Leader registering the YSA and passing out name tags.        

                                                          A group of young men getting settled in their dorm rooms

                                   Having discussion groups for morning Devotional

Relay games.  They had to first, fill a bottle with water using their hands, next thread a needle and last, walk down the length of the room and back again holding a small ball on a spoon.  Though only one young woman was chosen to "represent" her team; she ended up being the over all winner because she not only could fill the bottle more effectively with her hands, but could thread a needle much quicker than any of the young men.

A class on how to use the church's Perpetual Education Fund.  He wrote the following on a white board, "opportunitiesarenowhere".  He told the youth that they could read it in two ways, but if they would use the resources the church has provided that it could be read, "opportunities are now here", not "opportunities are no where".

By-the-way, Elder Call and I taught a class on "The Ordinances and Covenants of Marriage".  We had a great time doing it and it was well received by the young single adults.  In fact, we had a couple get engaged at the multistake activity as a result of our class.

The final picture was taken at the stadium on the last day.  If you look toward the bottom left hand corner, you shouldn't have any trouble finding Elder Call and I.  When I am with these good people, I feel I am no different than they.  But then when a picture is taken, I realize we are sooooo white.  In fact, they call us "abruni's" meaning "the white ones". 

As you can tell, we are still feeling  privileged to be among these wonderful people.  In fact, we passed our "hump date" and we feel amazed we have now been in Ghana one year.  I know the second half will go faster than the first and I think I am coming to understand why Ammon and his brethren went on a 14 year mission!!  If it weren't for family in the States, another 13 years wouldn't seem too long.