Akwaaba! Elder and Sister Durrant

We were grateful to have Elder and Sister Durrant begin their mission with us this week.  They will serve in the office.  They are experienced missionaries having completed a mission in Poland last year.  We are excited to serve with them.

With three lefties, everyone has to be on the same side of the table.

The Assistants and Office Elders getting to know the Durrants. (Elder Bennion was passing through to renew his Non-Citizen Identification Card -- just in case his mother gets confused by this picture.)

Sister Stevenson received fabric for two head-dresses from Sister Monyei's mother.  So on Monday, she had them tied for her.

She is getting more African every day.

We completed the missionary interviews in Mankessim, Saltpond, Abakrampa, Asebu, Abura Dunkwa, Abura, Green Hill, Cape Coast, Hemang, Praso and Dunkwa-on-Offin.

 

This is the new chapel at Asebu.

The two non-full time missionaries are the branch president and one of the members of the Abura Dunkwa Branch.  Both awesome member missionaries.

Elder Day completed his mission this week.  He was a couple of weeks off-transfer for school purposes, so we had his final interview and dinner in Praso at the Hanlon's home.

None of us knew how to make fufu, so we had southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes (American Fufu), corn, rolls and...

APPLE PIE! 

 

Apple pie is kind of a big deal for me.

It was an awesome celebration.

The next morning, Elder Day was off to the airport with Elder and Sister Hanlon... 

...while Sister Stevenson and I drove to Dunkwa.

We only encountered one small problem on the trip.

Saturday, we attended the wedding of Sister Tawiah, one of our returned missionaries.

In Ghana, you are required to have a civil ceremony before being sealed in the temple.  The ceremony was held in Winneba, which is now just outside our mission boundaries.  I was invited to speak at the wedding, and received authorization from the Area Presidency to leave our mission to participate in this great event.

Sister Asare, who was Sister Tawiah's missionary trainer, was one of the bride's maids.

Paperwork.

We had a nice time.  I got to use one of my favorite quotes in my remarks, "Wheresoever she was, there was Eden."  (The Diaries of Adam and Eve, by Mark Twain)

On Sunday, we got up early and drove to Takoradi for the Kojokrom Ward church services.  Sacrament Meeting starts at 8 a.m. there.  The ward had made a special effort to invite friends and family to attend with them.

The Missionaries.

The bishop gathered the guests and recent members of the Church for a picture.

These are the investigators who came today.

Plus this brother, who missed the first picture.

We enjoyed the services very much.  Both Sister Stevenson and I were invited to share our testimonies of the Gospel at the end.  It was a nice conclusion to a wonderful week.