PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS
March & April 2014
In the Past couple of months, there have been many changes in our Area. New couples have arrived and old friends have returned home. We have been busy making life easier for those who are arriving. It is always fun to show them the area and help them adjust to life in Africa.
One of the best places to visit in Accra is the Art Alliance Museum. It is filled with African Artifacts. We have bought baskets, jewelry, paintings and carvings. It is always fun to take new couples, to see what new and interesting things they have obtained.
A painting of the Makola Market in Accra - it is hugh!
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| Browsing through the Art Alliance Museum with The Watson's and the Smith's
In March we had Elder Hanks arrive at the MTC in Tema from our ward in Alpine. Elder Hanks would come home teaching with his Dad, when we lived in the Lone Peak Ward. He was awesome! We went to the MTC one Sunday to see him. He will be serving in the Benin Cotonou Mission.
  
The above pictures show us with Elder Hanks. He is the District Leader and this is his district and his companion!
We were invited to a wedding in March. Edwin, the groom, became a very good friend. He worked in the IT Department and was always helping us with our computers. He married a girl that worked in the distribution store that is also on the temple grounds. They were a very cute couple. They had three marriages - a traditional ceremony, which is done with the family. A Temple Sealing, which we attended and then a Legal Ceremony, which we also attended. The pictures are from the Legal Ceremony. It is very costly to get married in Ghana. Besides all the different events, they also have to pay a Bride Price. This prevents many couples from getting married.
This was Edwin and his Bride - Below were the Children that led the Way.
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We are always amazed at their dresses. They live in the most humble of circumstances, but they always look wonderful and clean. They have the most unusual fabric and they always have their clothes made to fit - they are never bought off of a rack or in a store! Their Western clothes are bought at the market and are usually clothes that others have discarded.
March 22 - Trip to the Volta River
Several of the couples had expressed an interest in going to the Volta River. So Kent and I put together a River Trip with a member of the church names Isaac. He does work for Enpowered Playgrounds. This means, they have playgrounds that generate electricity for lanterns, so that the children will have light in the evening to do their homework. It has worked so well, that they now also have some solar panels that will generate batteries, which they can then take home and plug appliances into it. When the batteries run low, they bring them back to be recharged. We visited one of the islands that have a playground.
Isaac had two boats that we used, they are made from trees!
Two children on the Island, using swings and teeter totters which general electricity for the Lanterns.
\We are playing on the Merry-go-Round which generate electiricity
This was a small building that had batteries being recharged from a solar panel outside.
\The School
This is what the Island looked like and where the people live.
\They brought some chairs from the school,, played some music and we had our lunch under a large old tree in the middle of their cemetery. I took pictures of some of the graves and many of the people had lived until they were in their 90's - a couple of grave markers had people over 100. Check out the goats.
Sunday March 30th
We had a new missionary couples arrive from Tooele, Utah. They will be working in the Legal Department. They were assigned to the Mamfi Branch, which is a brand new branch and area. We took them to church, so that they could find it. Elder Ballard's grandson is serving here and was just assigned to that branch. He had arrived on Wednesday and he had four investigators at church on Sunday.
Above is the small building that they meet in. When they made the buillding, they also dug a baptismal font in the back of the building. They tiled it and covered it. They fill it with water and when they empty the water it goes into a reserve tank so that they can use the water for other things. Very few homes have running water.
AMAZING THINGS THAT I HAVE SEEN
As we have traveled, you see so many interesting people and things. I thought a would share a few.
The landscape is always interesting with a large tree here and there and aunt hills
I love the children - You can't take enough pictures.
I was on my way to the office when I saw this butterfly - I loved it!
When we went to get on the boats for the Volta River, there was this wonderful lady
that smiled at me - she had no teeth! I asked if I could take a picture of her.
This lady is holding a live chicken, she was sitting by the road side in hopes that someone would buy it.
Kent has taken beautiful pictures of the landscape and flowers of Ghana
I am always intrigued with their round buildings with thatched roofs.
Flowers on the Temple Grounds
Anyone want a Snail for Dinner?
This is Rebecca - she works at the Area Office and we have become good friends.
One day, she brought to me a pair of shoes that she had bought at the Market.
I had commented on how cute her shoes were - so she bought me a matching pair.
She is so nice!
Fort Good Hope!
We had heard that there was an old Fort in a place called Good Hope. We had seen some pictures and decided it would be a good Saturday outing. We called the Elmers and they came with us. The traffic was awful and we almost turned around. Fortunately we pressed on and it was well worth it.
As we drove into the town, we saw this beautiful chruch in the center.
This is Fort Good Hope
It sits right on the water and this is the view before entering the Fort
Going up the stairs of the Fort!
\The upstairs in the Fort with the Cannons
Looking out one of the Cannon Holes - Look what you See!
A mass of humanity - Boats, People & Fish
Children Playing in the water - not a stitch on!
Kent walked down the hill to the beach for a close up of the people
Fish were drying on the Sand and Women were sorting the fish by size!
A Great Day for Photographs - we are with Dr. Elmer.
A TRIP TO HO
The Monkey Reserve & Wli Falls
While the Area Presidency was in Salt Lake for Conference, we decided to take a three day trip to Ho. We went with the Petersen's, the Stoker's, The Watson's and the Smith's. We also met Elder a Sister Cosgrave in Ho. They are missionaries serving in the Accra Mission and living in Ho. Ho is in the Eastern Region of Ghana and is known for its Kente Cloth. We visited Ho when we went to the Kente Cloth Festival. This time, we came to do the Monkey Santuary and the Falls.
We had to cross the Volta River on a Ferry to get to Ho. They are repairing the Bridge. We checked in at the Chance Hotel in Ho. It had beautiful grounds with roaming peacocks. This was put on a show!
Beautiful Mango Trees
Playground for Children
After checking in, we went with the Cosgrave's to meet Holy, the Kente Cloth Weaver. Afterwards, they took us to a place that makes Batik Fabric.
After taking a few photo's we set off for the Material Makers
There is a large place in Ho where they make the Batik material. We all bought a few pieces of fabric, Kent captured the process of making the material. The first picture is where they dye the material.
This woman is very modern - she can talk on the cell phone and work at the same time. By the side of dying structure, there was a structure full of the finished material. You could go through bolts of material to find what you wanted. A yard cost 5 Cedis, which is less than $2.50 a yard.
The next morning, we were off to the Tafi Atome Monkey Santuary. For a fee you can have a tour and feed the monkeys. After going over several rough roads and about a 2 hour drive we arrived at the Santuary Along the way, we stopped to see the missionaries.
They Live in the Blue House - there were 2 sets of Missionaries that lived there.
Sister Petersen and I - buying bananas for the Monkeys
We arrived at the Monkey Sanctuary and met our Guide
This was a carving outside the door of the Sanctuary
After walking through the forest for a few minutes - the guide will stop and make a noise and you can begin to hear the leaves rustle and the monkeys gather. If you hold your hand out with a banana, they will jump right on your arm and begin to strip the banana and eat it.
Elder Cosgrave feeding a Monkey
This is the protector of the family of monkeys. He is quite large compared to the other Monkeys.
A Baby Monkey
There were lots of Monkey's to feed, I loved it!
Before Leaving the Sanctuary, we took a group picture:
Left to right
The Watsons, the Petersens, The Fitzgeralds, Our guide
The Cosgraves, the Smiths and the Stokers
After the Sanctuary we were off to Wli Falls - that took another hour or so, over very rough road. There is a waterfall that falls into a large pool of water. You could wade in the pool - if you were not afraid of getting parasites! Our guide actually swam over to the falls. It takes about 1/2 hour to hike over to the Falls.
The hike criss-crossed over the stream
The Stoker's above & the Fitzgerald's Below
If you look closely - you can see that the cliffs of rock are covered with Bats!!
Hiking back to the car we saw these children carrying water - Many of the children don't
go to school - instead they carry water each day to be used for bathing, washing clothes and sometimes drinking
Being in Africa has indeed been an adventure - we love and miss you all and hope you enjoy these few pictures.
