Remember when I said there was nothin' wrong with quiet?

We've had an exciting week here in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission and I am afraid we may have worn out the Assistants.  This is on one of the bumpiest roads in the area and I caught them both snoozing in the back of the car.  They deserve the rest.

We received word late last week that our mission would receive 17 new young missionaries. plus an office couple and a humanitarian couple.  These are all very experienced missionaries and they will be a real blessing to us here in Ghana.  Needless to say, with a 10% increase in the size of the mission and only a few days' notice, the week got very hectic.

We welcomed the first 8 missionaries from Liberia on Tuesday night.  It takes us three and a half hours to drive to the airport in Accra.  The missionaries made it through customs and immigration at about 10 p.m., so we didn't get them home until about 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday.  It didn't matter, because they were wired.  We brought a bucket of KFC with us from Accra and had them eat and call their families.  We didn't settle down until after 3 a.m.

Waiting at the KFC for new missionaries to arrive in Accra.

By morning, they were hungry again.

On Wednesday, we had Mission Leadership Council. While Sister Stevenson and I attended that, the new missionaries had a chance to wash their clothes, eat, rest and learn a little about Ghana.

August 2014 Mission Leadership Council

Wednesday night, we drove out the the Accra airport and repeated the process for our nine new missionaries from Sierra Leone.  Now the mission home was really hopping.  We had 17 missionaries staying with us.  I enjoyed meeting personally and interviewing each of them.  They are wonderful and so excited to be in Ghana.  Any assignment change is difficult, but each one of them has accepted the situation with a positive attitude.  The couples will stay in Accra for a few more days until we can arrange accommodations for them.

On Thursday, we had a transfer meeting with all of the new missionaries and gave them their new assignments. About half were out in the field Thursday evening, and the rest on Friday morning.

This is the Scripture I shared with them as we parted:  Acts 20:22-24

22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

 23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

 Our lone sister in the group.  Sister Aidoo from Accra, Ghana.

While all of this was going on, Elder Essilfie arrived from Agona to be set apart for his assignment in the Nigeria Benin City Mission.  I think he enjoyed being a part of the group, but he didn't get much of our attention until a little later in the evening on Thursday.  We set him apart Thursday night and put him on the bus to Accra at 3 a.m. on Friday morning.  (I say we, but it was really the Assistants who had to get up -- so they deserved their nap on the road today.)

Elder Essilfie with Elder and Sister Julander.

On Friday, I started planning for missionary transfers.  We have 12 leaving on the 19th, but we won't receive any new missionaries until September 3rd, when we will get 16 brand new ones.  This higher math is going to make my head explode, but it is exciting to see the mission grow and have the opportunity to open a few new areas.

Saturday, we got up early and drove 2 hours to Swedru for a baptism.  I promised Elder Okehi I would take him so that he could baptize a family that he had taught in his last area.  We had a very nice time. Sister Stevenson and I were both invited to speak at the services and we got to know Elder Okehi and Elder Lelea very well on the drive.

This little guy is the son of the couple being baptized.  For some reason, he really wanted to be with me.  That is usually Sister Stevenson's department, but it was nice to be the popular one for a change.

On the way back to Cape Coast, we stopped in Mankessim and met with one of the branch presidents to tour the new building under construction.  It is going to be a beauty.

So, Swedru is about as far east as we go in the mission and before all of the excitement we had previously planned to attend one of the mission branches in Nkroful, which happens to be the farthest west in the mission.  I'm trying to get around to all of the branches and this was Elder James first area, so even though it was not the most efficient travel plan, we drove halfway and spent a lovely evening with the Julanders in Sekondi.  Sunday morning, we were up early and on the bumpy road for the two additional hours to Nkroful.  We enjoyed the meetings and Elder James was welcomed like a lost son.

 

We will be in Accra next week for Area Training of new mission presidents.  I hope I don't have to unlearn a bunch of stuff.

Creatures of the Week:  We are not seeing very many cool creatures -- Sorry William.

All is well...

Several of the missionaries have mentioned that their parents are reading the blog.  So, let me start by saying we are all doing well in Ghana.  The Church is always very concerned with the safety of the missionaries and we have seen an example of that this week.  On Friday, it was announced that the missionaries from Sierra Leone and Liberia would be reassigned to other missions as a precaution regarding the outbreak of the Ebola virus in those nations.  The Cape Coast mission will likely be the recipient of some of these missionaries because this is such a safe place.  We are very excited to welcome our fellow servants and are confident that they will enjoy rich blessings and experiences as they serve here.

Please remember that your missionary sons and daughters are being watched over not only by Sister Stevenson and me, but the Lord Himself has promised that not a hair of their heads will fall to the ground unnoticed.  We are fine.

On Monday, Elder James and Elder Cavaness surprised us with a Kente cloth scarf.  It has our name woven in it and our years of service.  Just one more good reason to stay to the end.  It was an anniversary present from them. They have been wonderful in helping us get settled in.

We also enjoyed a visit at the Mission Home from the Laing Family.  Brother Laing handles the missionary housing and he takes very good care of us.  Whenever he calls, he wants to know if Sister Stevenson is happy.  You can bet the energy level went off the charts when those awesome little boys hit the home.  Brother Laing is a member of the Stake High Council and Sister Laing is a Relief Society President, so they have their hands full.  We have become great friends.

On Tuesday, I went out to Telecome in the Assin Foso Zone and worked with Elder Cowan and Elder Brown.  I was really impressed with one young man who is preparing for baptism on the 17th.  He is 20 years old and very sharp.  I felt like he would someday be a fine leader in the Church.  I had a few minutes to visit with him alone and I encouraged him to prepare for a mission of his own in a year.  He will be fun to watch.  

Elder Cowan and Elder Brown in front of their apartment (they call it the Haunted House).  It is nicer inside than it looks outside.  We got caught in the pouring rain at the end of a discussion, so I really felt like I was one of the lads that day.

On Friday (date night) we hosted a lunch for all of the Stake / District Presidents and their wives.  Elder Davis, our Area Authority also joined us.  Sister Stevenson and Theresa really put on a nice meal of banku and talapia.  The whole afternoon was just a hoot, especially when the stories of baby deliveries were compared. I'm really going to enjoy serving with this group.

On Saturday, I drove out (all by myself) to Takoradi Stake to speak at their Priesthood Leadership Meeting. The way in has been confusing to me because our guides have taken us in a different way each time.  So, I decided to be my own navigator.  I now know why different routes are taken.  There is a traffic light in Takoradi that can take about 40 minutes to get through.  I arrived about 10 minutes before the meeting started because of the delay, so I may not quite be ready to solo.  

After the meeting, I went out working with Elder Lucas and Elder Omokoh.  We had two great ward missionaries with us -- both preparing for full-time missions and both already polished teachers.  We contacted a few less-active members and taught a sharp young man who said he was a student of religion. We had nice chat about whether the Book of Mormon was inspired and how it would change his life when he came to know it was.  I also met the bishop of the Methodist Church for this region.  He was sitting in a garage waiting for his car to be fixed as we walked by.  I introduced myself to him and he told me he had been in Washington DC before and had visited the Temple grounds.  He had learned a little about our religion, but had some concerns.  I offered to stop by his office sometime when I was in Winneba and discuss it with him.   

Later in the afternoon, I attended a baptismal service where Elders Lucas and Omokoh had a family of three prepared and Elders Andrews and Richards had a young man ready.  All were baptized by Elder Keetch, the District Leader.  It was a very nice service. 

 
Elder Richards and Elder Andrews

Elder Keetch and Elder Jensen

I had a great day, but I got a little sunburned, so I got scolded when I got home.

On Sunday, Elder James, Elder Cavaness and I left early to drive to Prazo.  This was going to be a long, bumpy day, so Sister Stevenson stayed home to attend the local ward down the street.  We arrived in Prazo a little before 9 a.m. and I interviewed a young man to serve a full-time mission and six people to go to the temple for the first time (the six were all from one branch).  

Then, President Asamoah and his first Counselor, President Johnson joined us to drive an additional two hours to Dunkwa, where the Church has not been organized.  The road was as bumpy as we had been told.

President Johnson and President Asamoah 

(Prazo District Presidency)

Dunkwa is a fair sized town comparable to others in our mission where we have stakes.  It is located just within our northern mission border.

When we arrived, we were met by 30 members of the Church who had been waiting for us for several hours (even though we told them we would arrive in the early afternoon). They were singing hymns as they waited and the sight and sound brought tears to my eyes. 

We had a wonderful Sacrament and testimony meeting with them and found them to be spiritually mature and anxious to have the Church organized in their area.  One teenage girl stood up and expressed the belief that from this little meeting, future wards and stakes would be organized.

The people we met included five Melchizedek Priesthood holders and three or four Aaronic Priesthood holders.  Some are returned missionaries and some had been to the temple.  Many of them have been making the five hour round trip to church on Sundays by Tro Tro.  We are told there are other members there who would attend if they had a local place to worship.

They are currently able to meet in a corporate home, but we expect they will soon need larger accommodations.  If approved by the Area Presidency, we will form a branch of the Church and put at least four missionaries there. This is the stuff I fantasized about before coming to Ghana -- building new centers of strength.  

The ride back was not any smoother, but it was sure beautiful...

Creatures of the Week:

This bird taps on our window almost every day.  He looks angry to me.

One inch ants!  I hate ants.

This isn't a creature.  Just a friendly little boy who was waving to Sister Stevenson today in the market, so she asked if it would be alright to take his picture.