Week of 4 September 2017

Another crazy and tiring week.

Sometime in August, Wayne had a tooth lose its filling.  At the same time the President learned that one of our Sister's parents were being sealed in the Accra temple on the 5th of September.  So the President asked us if we would be able to take Sister Stanley into Accra and he could visit the dentist at the same time. The appointment at the temple was at 2:30 pm so we made an appointment for 1:00 pm.  On Friday the 1st, we learned that the sealing had been changed to November.  So we called the President and asked him if he wanted us to cancel the dental appointment.  No use in going to Accra for that.  But he told us to wait because he may have someone else that needs to go into Accra.  So we ended up taking 3 missionaries with us.  Two Elders went home (one had only been here since July 26th) and one Sister had to go see the Area Office Medical missionary.
We left at 7:00 am and got home at 7:30 pm.  We brought the sister back with us.  It was lucky that she didn't go home too.   It's a very long and stressful drive

President Hillam is making sure that these missionaries pay the consequences associated with the decisions they make, especially when they don't obey.
This is the sun setting when we traveled home.

Wednesday was MLC.  I was really good.  President talked about integrity and how he needs to be able to trust his leaders in the mission.  He asked them right out, if he could trust each one of them.

It was interesting to watch their faces.

On Friday we had the trainers and their new trainees to a "follow-up" meeting.  The President wants to know how the training is going and how much the new missionaries have learned.  During their 12 week training, they are suppose to teach from Preach My Gospel every day and for 30 mins.  They played a game of Jeopardy and all the questions were from Preach My Gospel.  It was very interesting to see how much they didn't know.  

Here's the group:

Saturday, Elder and sister Clements came over to celebrate Elder Clements birthday.  We all finally went to the castle.  This was a military fortress originally and then they turned into a slave prison.  This is where they would sell the slaves and they would leave by ship to where ever the slaves were needed.

This is the inner courtyard where troops were presented when it was a fortress.  Then the slaves were presented to prospective buyers.

These are the canyons

This is one of the rooms where they held the slaves.  Those 3 windows was the only ventilation they had.  The head sculptures on the floor showed the difference in hair cuts.  Besides branding them they cut their hair a certain way to know where they would be going.

This s how thick the walls were.  I took almost forty years for the British to build the castle.

It was depressing to learn how the these slaves were treated.  And most of it was for money gain only. 

On Sunday, we traveled with President and Sister Hillam to Assin Foso for Stake Conference.  It was wonderful.  They have one of the biggest buildings and it was packed.  There are 17 units in the Stake.  It will probably be split soon.

There were people in four other smaller rooms also. 

The Stake President - President Fokua - asked Wayne and I to bear our testimonies.  That part I didn't like.  But we could understand everything.  |It was awesome!

That's it for now.

Love you and miss you all.

Week of 28 August 2017

We had 3 Zone Conferences this week plus the president did lots of interviews.

Mpintsin Zone

Tarkwa Zone

And. . . .

Takoradi Zone

Sister Hillam tried to carry some water on her head.  She had to hold it

Sister Johnny was showing her how it was done.

This is a suitcase full of clothes.

Saturday in Cape Coast was a regional holiday.  All of the tribal chiefs were carried during a parade and people within those tribes all dressed up in their tribal colors and danced and played instruments all along the route.  We decided to go down to the Cape to see and feel the excitement.  And it was that!

We came home hot and sweaty and very tired.  Here's some pictures of the parade.

 Tribal Chief's harem

People were everywhere.

That's a guy!!!!

We were across the street from Elder Young who took all the pictures.

We love you and miss you all.

Week of 21 August 2017

It was a fun week, this week.  We did office work for Monday and Tuesday and the rest of the week was play. . . . . .

Tuesday was Cape Coast's Zone Conference.  They are one of the biggest zones right now.  The Mission President and Sister Hillam have started to change some things.  For the good, but we don't know how the missionaries will react. Things had gotten pretty relaxed around here.  He talked about being a "Consecrated Missionary".  And you can tell already who is going to be and who isn't.

Cape Coast Zone

Wednesday was our Zone Conference.  It's always good to get away from the office for awhile.

Yamoransa Zone

After our zone conference we held our first Senior Couple Conference.  And it was fun.

Thursday evening we ate a wonderful dinner at the mission home.  President and Sister Hillam brought a dutch oven so they made potatoes.  Oh, they tasted so good!  We also had chicken, a vegetable, rolls and cake.  

We were going to play some games, but everyone was tired so we just sat around and talked.  We met Friday morning about 8:30 am and all the couples took about 20 mins. each and reported on their areas and problems they may be having.  We then broke for breakfast (brunch).  After brunch we sat down and the president instructed and then an open discussion on some of the concerns for the mission.  

After we watched a movie and ate some popcorn.

Then we left for Elmina and the Elmina Beach Resort for dinner.  It, of course, was right on the ocean.  It was quite foggy.  But the ocean is always beautiful.

Elmina Castle

Everyone went home on Saturday.  It was a great time!

So here's some different birds that are attacking our front windows now.  I believe these are crows.

On Sunday we left with President and Sister Hillam at 6:00 am to travel to Praso.  The Nyinasi Branch was having Branch Conference.  This is where they meet.

The missionaries had baptized a 90 yr. old man on Saturday so he was confirmed on Sunday.  What a wonderful man.  He was beaming from ear to ear!  And the chapel was full.

We left after Sacrament meeting and headed over to Assin Foso.  Which was a 2 hour drive on a very rough road.  And of course it had rain, so it made it even worse.

It was bad.  They probably could use this road for a roller coaster ride.

We stopped at the Nuamakrom Chapel, which is a very new chapel, but here is what was outside.  They are all over.

And here is something we found in the bushes.

Yep, it's for real.

We finally made it to Assin Foso and stopped in on a couple of Sisters that weren't feeling well.  We had to walk up to their apartment.  There was no road.  President Hillam was quite concerned about these two sisters, so he talked along time with the Zone Leaders - Elder Allen and Elder Kazimoto.

Then on our way again back to the Cape.  And we had to make another stop in Achiasi and the Zone Leaders apartment in Cape.

This is the view from the apartment in the Cape.

It was a long day, but we had so much fun visiting and seeing some parts of the mission we hadn't seen.

August is almost over.  My goodness!

We love you and miss you all.

Week of 14 August 2017

President and sister Hillam left for Accra very early Monday morning for a "New Mission President Conference" which would last two days. They had Sister Anorue and her companion Sister Soda with them so that she could get her passport renewed and see an Ear specialist.  The passport thing didn't go too well and she needs to go back in two weeks for an operation.

On Wednesday, President called and said that we needed to go check on a couple of missionaries.  We had to travel to Saltpond and find them first.  We called the District Leader to help with that.  We spent a couple of hours with the two missionaries hoping to sort things out.  It was not a pleasant thing to do.

Later on that night, we got a call from Samuel Laing (FM Coordinator).  He told us that the guards at the mission home said there was water running inside the home. It came from the hose on back of one of the washing machines.  I didn't go down but Wayne took the Supply Elders and went down to a mess.  There was at least two - four inches of water in the laundry room, down the hall, into the President's office, a missionary bedroom, a bathroom, and the President bedroom and bathroom.  All the throw rugs were soaking wet.  They mopped for an hour or more.  And threw everything outside that was wet, including boxes of things from the president's bedroom.
It was a late night.

Thursday, before the Hillams got home from Accra, we went and mopped up the remaining water.  All of the curtains in the bedroom had to be taken down and dried.  They are floor length curtains.

Friday, we were sitting in the office when there sounded like a parade outside on the street in front of the mission home.  It was one of the schools around here and they were carrying signs that said - We promise to learn, we promise to study, etc.  It was kind of cute to see them marching down the street.

Also on Friday and Saturday, our lawn got mowed and every trimmed.  We are spoiled to have a gardener.  Don't know what we will do when we get home.  He does a wonderful job with just a machete.

Here is one of our Plantain trees we have in our compound.  They grow up!!!

Saturday was a Ghana Service Day for all of the wards and branches throughout Ghana.


These are some of our missionaries cleaning windows at one of the hospitals here.


These sisters were discussing what to do next.  There was lots of help.

Also on Saturday I got a picture of our monkey.  I was taking the picture through a window, which evidently needs to be washed.  Oh well, he's cute anyway.

He was sitting on our water tank framework.  That is his tail.  It was long.

I baked on Saturday, too.  It was bread day.  I made two loaves of zucchini, two loaves of banana and 2 loaves of regular white bread.  And most of it is gone already.

We had 6 elders over for dinner on Sunday.  I made a big pot of chili and baking powder biscuits.  Everything was gone!  Elder Masame is from Australia and he said this was his first experience having chili.  He said he liked it and I hope he did.  They didn't leave until 9:15 pm.  They all just like to talk and tell us of their teaching experiences.  It's awesome!

So that's all for this week.

We love you and miss you all.

Week of 7 August 2017

Tuesday morning we were preparing for the day when I heard a horrendous noise on our roof.  So I thought it might be the squirrels had come back and were in the attic again.  I started pounded the ceiling with a broom so that they would leave.  When I came into the kitchen again, there on the cement wall of the little porch we have was a monkey.  Just sitting there and staring at me.  It was about 18 in. tall, black with a white face.  Cute little thing.  I didn't have my phone, so no picture was taken.

The President and Sister Hillam are in Praso and Assin Foso for Zone Conference and interviews.  So I played "hooky" on Thursday.  Went into the office in the morning and went home at lunch.  I cleaned and mopped the floors.  Did some wash and made bread and rolls.  Wayne stayed at the office and came home at 5:30 pm.  Just needed to do some thing else besides office work.

Friday was "Finish Strong" for the November group of missionaries.  3 sisters and 8 elders.


They all sign a white shirt for posterity.



Can't believe these elders and sisters will be going home soon.

Saturday at the fish market.  Very busy place.  This is right down from the castle.  One day, Wayne and I are going to have to go through the castle and take some pictures.  It's called a castle, but really was the place they housed the slaves that were being sold to various countries.

On Sunday we were being attacked by these two birds.  Their beaks scare me so we waited inside until they were gone.  We also saw a ferret in our yard that day.  Once again, neither one of us had a camera.

We love you and miss you all.