It's Africa

Last Sunday we went to church at the Abomosu branch and it was an amazing meeting. It was their fast and testimony meeting so we were able to hear the testimonies of many of the members. They have great faith in and great love for our Heavenly Father. A funny thing about this church block was that every closing hymn we sang “Lord we ask thee ere we part”. We got that hymn memorized by the end of the three hours.

The last week in Abomosu we had some electricity problems. It is the beginning of the rainy season for Ghana so whenever it rains the electricity goes out. We usually have a generator for our house but that also was having a hard time working. It was pretty hot inside but we all lived and enjoyed the time we had together. Because we did not have reliable electricity our washer was not working, so we had a fun time cleaning all our clothes by hand. We had two washers, one rinser, and a wringer- we had quite the system down.

There is this organization called World Joy that has done so much to improve the education system and the health clinics here in Ghana. They are a non-profit organization that builds both school houses and health clinics and provides opportunities for these people to improve their lives. We were able to get to know the directors and they invited us to one of the school openings. It was quite the experience. There were a lot of people there and we were part of the “important people”. They loved having us go up and dance with them and we danced a lot. And they would not let us go until they fed us some refreshments. They are a very giving people- even though they have little they give so much.

Then later in the week the group from Accra joined us in Abomosu and we went to Koforidua. We went hiking to Boti falls and then through the jungle. It was so beautiful. We then went to the bead market and there were so many different beads, they were also very beautiful. It was a very long day but we had so much fun together. And a quick funny story- we left early in the morning and did not get back til the early evening. When we walked into the back area of our house we saw all this water. At first we thought that we had some kind of leak from the rain but nope! It was the toilet! To flush the toilet you have to turn on the water to fill up the back portion of the toilet and then you flush.. someone had forgotten to turn off the water so we had water EVERYWHERE!!! Luckily nothing was damaged but it really flooded our room. But I am so grateful for the girls in my group. No one hesitated to start to clean up all the water. We had mops and cups, dust pans, buckets and bowls. It was quite the process but we were able to get it all dried up.

Friday we left to come here to Accra, but before we came we had a little celebration at the Abomosu clinic. We were able to get the maternity complex ready for the opening. The sink was installed, the fans were in place, the curtains were hung, and the mattresses were covered. It was so neat to see the finished product of our hard work. The people of Abomosu are very grateful for this opening of the maternity complex. If we did not help in this area of the clinic this portion would not have opened for another 5 years. Thank you to all those who made donations, the people of Abomosu thank you. (I will post pictures of the before and after when I have better internet connection).

And now we are in the capital of Ghana- Accra. It is so different from the Abomosu village. We are staying in a little hotel that has reliable (well sort of) toilets, air conditioner, wi-fi, and electricity that is pretty reliable. The first night we all froze because it was so hot in Abomosu that we would sleep in the bare minimum and still be hot and then here we have the AC on and it gets quite cold. But it has been fun so far in Accra. We went to a Relief Society activity and taught some health topics and then enjoyed the rest of the time. And boy, do those women know how to have fun. It was the most lively RS activities I have ever been to. Again these people were so gracious to us, they fed us a delicious meal that probably cost them so much. But that is just what they do- they sacrifice what they have because they want to welcome us and show us their gratitude. The Ghanaian people are amazing.

Today we went to church and it was another great meeting. The saints here are so strong and want to always do what the Lord has asked of us. It was neat, for one of the announcements the bishop got up and read a mission call for one of the young men in the ward. It was so neat to see the young man’s face as the bishop read the whole letter. I am so grateful for the gospel and the blessings it brings into the lives of all our Heavenly Father’s children. I know that He loves each one of us and that He all wants us to return to Him. We need to be like the saints here in Ghana and always have gratitude in our hearts for all that we have. I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to be among these people, they have taught me so many valuable lessons.