First day "on the job"

February 8, 2021, Accra, Ghana

Our first day at the Area office was not what we had expected, but then again, we didn't know what to expect so I guess we really had no expectations.  As a result of the day's activities, we received a computer, a phone and an office to call our own.  Getting set up as a worker/employee on the Church's email and electronic systems is a big process.  All this happened after we were first introduced to certain people on each floor of the four story building.  We met people involved in building reception, communications, humanitarian, legal, finance, YSA activities, IT work, and a short tour of the Area Presidency offices.   Our tour guide was Laneth Dick, the wife of the Area Executive Secretary to the Area Presidency, James Dick.  She is the assistant to the Executive Secretary and they work amazing well together with no one, like me, a novice and new to the activities of the Area office, thinking they both didn't have the same responsibilities.  We ended up in our assigned office which is on Level 1.  Like countries in Europe, the first floor is always the "ground" floor, then any floors above that start with "level 1" then "level 2" and so on.  So I can also say, our office is on the 2nd floor of the building.  

The West Africa Area Administrative Building is in the background across the temple grounds.  Our office is on the other side of the building in the right corner.

Akwaaba mean "you are welcome" like you are welcome here or we are glad to welcome you here.

Yes, we have to use a card to access all the areas in the building.  I don't usually wear a lanyard for fun. The missionary badge is a permanent thing; day and night, almost.

We left for the evening after most everyone else had left the building.  We had to wrap up a few things before heading out.  The weather looked like it was going to rain, a little unusual for this time of year, it being the dry season.  We headed across the way, past the temple, to where our car was parked earlier in the day.  It is a loaner car they said while our permanent car was still getting arranged for.  We had gotten into the car in the late morning to see if the key would work.  It did.  It was a silver Honda.  Well we walked past the temple and saw a silver car parked, sort of where we expected it to be.  When getting there, the key didn't work.  It was silver, but not the car we had tried out earlier.  I tried the key several times which caused the horn to sound like someone trying to steal it.  Two fellows approached us from Area office building and one had the right key -- because it was his car.  Apparently someone had borrowed the car and we were without a way home.  The two fellows were Roger in finance, and David in the "auditing" department.  Not my department but the operations side.  We all had a laugh about the situation and they offered us a ride to our apartment.  They have been living in Accra for a couple of years now and are full time employees of the church.  Kind of them.  It was good for us to meet them, especially David because we will be working with him.  He is also on the Area Audit Committee.  So it wasn't a bad thing after all except they had to go out of their way and didn't get home as quickly as they and their families had expected.   We talked a bit about what is happening in the area regarding finance and audit issues.  Glad we we able to.

One thought from yesterday's activities (Sunday).  The Kittelson's are in the mental health department counseling missionaries.  They were following us to church and got lost in traffic.  The result was that we ended up at different church meetings.  It just so happened, however, that two of the missionaries they had been counseling last week were at that meeting they ended up at.  So, it was a good thing they "lost their way" and went to the "wrong meeting" because those two missionaries appreciated it immensely and some good took place.  Someone might call that a tender mercy for the sake of those two missionaries.  Someone might call it "pure luck" or a "coincidence".  What do you think?

I have been adding to this blog regularly since we got here.  Don't expect this to continue indefinitely!  I could run out of words.