An Extra Goodbye.

We had another wonderful week weaving our time with Janee' and fulfilling our responsibilities in the Mission.

We spent a few hours on Monday at the Kakum National Park.  It is a preserved rain forest located half-way between Cape Coast and Praso.  We stayed overnight on Sunday with the Hanlons in Praso rather than drive all the way from Dunkwa-On-Offin so we could stop at the park on the way home. 

There is a little bit of walking then you hit seven rope bridges over the canopy.

With our guide. 

Nerves of steel.

Janee' tried the cocoa beans.  Trick is to suck the goo off the beans -- don't chew the beans!

Tastes like cherry Life Savors.

We had a really nice time.  The weather was perfect.  It rained just a little -- enough to cool things down, but not enough to spoil the view or soak us.  We were grateful to Elder and Sister Hanlon for doing the transfer week food shopping so that we could spend the day with Janee'.

Janee' liked the cocoa beans alright, but she became addicted to the mango. It's genetic.

Theresa made Talapia and banku for our dinner on Monday.  

On Tuesday, the transfer week began.  We received eight new missionaries -- three elders and five sisters.  They come from Nigeria (3), South Africa (2), England, Samoa and Malawi. 

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 I'm pretty sure this is a good group because they were singing hymns on their own in between meetings.

The Office Elders get them started right.

Food!

Not quite enough room at the big table this time.

There are plenty of opportunities to help out during transfer week.

On Wednesday, while the new missionaries are traveling to their first assignments, the returning missionaries begin to gather at the mission home.

While I interview, John and Theresa pound fufu.

Janee' did well.

6:02 a.m. for breakfast -- a punctual group.

Last pictures before driving to the temple in Accra.

At the temple.

It was really sweet to have Janee' with us at the temple.  We did the session with the missionaries on Thursday, then just the three of us again on Friday before she flew home.

After we said goodbye to the missionaries, we spent the night in Accra because Janee's flight would leave Friday evening. 

Passion Fruit - Looks too much like frog eggs to be really inviting to me. 

We dropped her off at the airport on Friday evening.  We all agreed that the second goodbye was harder than the first.

Sunday, we drove out to Nyankumasi (15 minutes north of Assin Foso) for Church services.  It is a fairly new branch and we had been invited to speak.  We also stayed after the meetings for a baptismal service.

Five people were baptised -- all of them from families where others had already joined the Church. 

We saw a lot of our missionaries as we were coming and going.

It was a nice week.

Elder Hanlon finds a friend.