Our visas finally arrived. We have been called to the Africa West Area. Steve is the area mental health advisor to missionaries. I have been called as his assistant. This area includes 17 missions and the Ghana MTC (missionary training center) when it reopens. We have monthly mission health councils with the different mission presidents and their wives and the area medical advisor. These are our missions, many I had never heard of. Benin Cotonou, Cote D'Ivoire Abdijan East, Cote D'Ivoire Abdijan West, Cote D'Ivoire Yamoussoukro, Ghana Accra, Ghana Accra West, Ghana Cape Coast, Ghana Kumasi, Liberia Monrovia, Nigeria Benin City, Nigeria Uyo, Nigeria Enugu, Nigeria Ibadan, Nigeria Lagos, Nigeria Owerri, Nigeria Port Harcourt, and Sierra Leone Freetown.

The iconic 'point to the mission' picture

After a 15 hour flight through JFK we made it to Ghana in one piece with all our luggage. We three senior missionary couples were the only Caucasians on the flight. The flight was easier than I thought it would be. Dinner at 12:30 am was chicken/mashed potatoes/veggies and ice cream. The ice cream and Ambien helped me sleep so time went quickly. Our neighboring Sr. Missionary couple picked us up and brought us to our new apartment. Mike and Zoe Weston from the Logan area are our new best friends! Our apartment complex has a high block wall with security wires on top, gate with guards and we feel very safe. Our apartment is large with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, AC (so important), W/D, and even a swimming pool. What more could we ask for? In our morning walks we have found the German embassy next door, Peru consulate down the street, and Chinese embassy. Mike and Zoe took us grocery shopping and had us for dinner on Friday. We bought lots of groceries and yet there was nothing for Sunday dinner! It will take a while to stock the pantry. Driving is going to be a challenge. The intersections are full of adults, cripples and children walking between cars selling goods from the top of their heads and begging. You just hope to get through on a green light. We'll get our car on Monday and meet with the Africa West Area Presidency. We got our internet up and Steve is already talking with missionaries. 

Attending church today was wonderful. It was just like home. The women were so brightly dressed in traditional African clothing. The four children in front of us were so reverent and never budged and the mamas came in with their babies wrapped to their backs. From the second floor louvered windows we could look out and see the ocean.

This is the view from Steve's office on the 3rd floor of the area offices. You can see the Temple, the stake center and the next tall building is the Mission Training Center. The MTC is closed for Covid. We did get to visit 3 quarantined Elders that came to the Temple but tested positive. At their Mission Presidents' request we visited from a distance to buoy them up. 

The street vendors are most interesting They sell water, food, toilet paper, hair clippers, bathroom scales, balls, tools, etc. With stop and go traffic they walk down the lanes, try to make eye contact, and sometimes knock on your window trying to get your attention. We have bought wrapped apples so far. The vans on the right side of the road are tro-tros, the public transportation. They squeeze about 12 people in each van. Their belongings are strapped to the top or bulging out the back door. Missionaries said they saw goats strapped to the top standing up.

The money system is in cedis. 1 cedis is 20 cents, 5 equals $1, 10 cedis is $2, 50 cedis is $10. We give the crippled at the intersection 1 or 5 cedis, the children get a wrapped cookie. I hate to encourage the children because they beg instead of going to school. I'm sure they are supporting their families.

Our living room, we love the kick-out couches and chairs. Though we haven't used them much.

The kitchen is great with our washing machine included, the dryer is in a corner of the living room. We have a brand new stove and oven, they call a 'cooker'. The stove top flips down for more counter space.

 We enjoyed a really nice and fun open market Saturday morning. There was a funeral being held on the lawns at the same time. Funerals and weddings are a really big deal. Everybody at the funeral wears red and black. This gentleman from Mali sold us this beautiful wooden nativity set below representing his country. I decided to buy things the first time I see them rather than wait to look around. Who knows if the country and the markets will close again for Covid. I think this market is geared to expats and missionaries. Sisters Martinez, Kacher and Klebingat were shopping (wives of the area presidency). Lots of sr. missionaries and many other Europeans.

The nativity below is woven from sticks and cloth indicative of Ghana.

We got to meet the Area presidency this week. L to R Pres. Martinez from Puerto Rico, Elder Kacher from Minnesota, me, Steve and Elder Klebingat from Germany. (I didn't know I was so short).

These are our evening gate guards; Bernard, Daniel, Emmanuel and Richard, we're trying to learn their names. They have such beautiful smiles, sadly usually covered by masks.

These women are so beautiful! Don't you love her head dress and baby on her back?

The women dress beautifully and carry their babies in coordinating wraps.

This young man is 12 and passed the Sacrament today. He kept talking to me but sadly I couldn't follow him. But he did want to get in the car with us. This tiny little chapel was buried deep in some very humble housing, simple shacks. Thank heavens for GPS. The two parking spots were taken so we parked down a sketchy alley. During the day this building is used as the neighborhood schoolhouse. Two sister missionaries were there, one of which Steve has visited with on the phone. She was so happy to see him and put a face to his voice. The same thing happened last Sunday, one of the Missionaries recognized Elder Kittelson and was so excited to see him.

Interesting Tidbits:

These are things I want to remember, so you may not be so interested in them.

1. Our kitchen sink has a faucet with regular water and a faucet with filtered water. You wash with regular water but rinse with the filtered. Only brush your teeth with filtered water. Of course, drink only filtered water.

2. Wash all fruits/veg/lettuce/spinach/eggs/potatoes in bleach water. 2-2-2. 2 T. bleach, 2 liters of water, for 2 minutes. Then rinse in the filtered water.

3. Gasoline is $2/liter or $8/gallon.

4. We have a mission Honda Civic car which we pay $150/month and our own gas.

5. On M, W, F, at 6am I powerwalk a few miles with Zoe Weston (sr, missionary neighbor and great friend) along with Brigitte our neighbor from Germany. She keeps a pretty fast pace. She walks to work from the apartments and take Uber when she wants to shop.

6. On T & Th. Zoe and I do water aerobics in our complex pool. At 6am there is plenty of light but the sun is not yet up. The weather is nice at that time of morning. Many people walking to and from work, and the sidewalk vendors are setting up. We always wave and say 'good morning'. they are happy to respond the same. We saw a taxi unload at least 100 coconuts to a vendor who then started cutting them with a machete to sell.

7. More Sr. missionaries are arriving each weekend. The Youngbergs came from Bountiful, they will be auditors in the area offices. Many were here and left with Covid and are now coming back.

8. Youngbergs are in our complex so Zoe and I fixed a potato bar for Friday dinner with them.

9. We have shopped about 6 different grocery stores this week to fill our pantry. Many are small like a 7-Eleven with a small selection. A few have been larger, we still can't find any salsa.

10. Our apartment has great AC in each room. This computer and desk are in the living room with better internet and our 2nd bedroom AC is not working well. We have a small TV. Alexa works and we love having music.

11. The complex yard man washes our car twice a week for $4 US.

12. West Africa is currently in the dry season, which occurs the end of Nov. through the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly wind which blows from the Sahara Desert over west Africa into the Gulf of Guinea. I've heard these winds even effect the weather in the US. We saw a blue sky for the first time today. Usually it's very hazy, dusty sky and you can see the red/orange sun directly. Looks like CA this summer with the forest fires.

13. The locals call us 'mommy' and 'daddy'. I think its a compliment to the elderly. Are we elderly? I don't feel it!

14. We will have our apartment cleaned by Bobby. He is a church member that cleans apartments in our complex. He will come as often as you like, $20 each visit. He will iron also if you like. This is a way for them to feed their families.

15. On Sat. we went out alone with the GPS to find some stores. The streets were almost empty from the vendors. They stay in town to sell during the week and then head 'home' for the weekend. Who knows where 'home' is. Could be out in the bush.

16. The humidity doesn't bother us at all, except it zaps my hair, oh well. We got used to it quickly in Hawaii also.

17. We are missing our delicious navel oranges at home. Please help yourself to fruit from our two front orange trees (if you read through the end of this blog!). Richard Porter, maybe you set our tall orange picker behind the gate so anyone can reach the navels in the top of the tree. We would like to strip the trees so the roof rats will lose their food source. If you see any oranges on the ground, please throw them in the garbage. Thanks everyone.

18. If you have any questions about out mission, please ask. We'd love to share more with you.