Since we have been in Accra, these two young men have been working as interns in the Area office helping with facilities management.  "King" Richard on the left, and "Prince Charles" on the right.  Their last names are hard to remember, let alone spell, so I use King and Prince to help me remember their names.  They think it is funny.  They have helped us with  language and culture questions we always and are always welcoming us when we get to the office.  "Akwaaba" is Ghanaian for "you are welcome", meaning you are welcome here. Yesterday was their last day as interns for the Church. Richard is a counselor in his ward bishopric and Charles is the clerk in his branch.  Both are in their mid-twenties and hard workers.  Their internship is over and now they are off to other things they can work out.  The government requires college graduates to work for a year as an intern in some business to help stimulate the economy.  They are pa...

  The other morning, October 28, 2021, Elaine and I were at the Accra Mission Home.  Elaine and some other sisters from the Area and a sister whose husband works for the US State Department, had prepared breakfast casseroles and dessert things for this monthly breakfast tradition.  The missionaries who are leaving for home are treated with a more or less American breakfast of eggs, potatoes, ham, cheese and whatever else the ladies can find to make a casserole.  They were all good.  Elaine has done it for a couple of months now and I wanted to see the results of her cooking, and enjoy it as well.  Besides, it's fun to talk with the Elders and Sisters who might be there.   Above is the group.  Only a few were going home today.  The ones in not-normal-missionary-attire.  The others are companions or leaders (zone, district, mission).  They were singing "Called to Serve" before breakfast would begin.  Not my normal breakfast ...

Sunday, October 24, 2021 Paul (counselor to Hohoe branch president), Kennedy, Elder Ampiah, Faith Gonu, Elder Mayenga, Derry (Hohoe branch mission leader), Liati Wote, October 20, 2021 October 22, 2021 Hello fellow senior missionaries, We thought you might be interested in learning what missionary follow up there has been to our Mount Afadja and Tagbo Falls trip last month. Since certain members of the village contacted us about learning more of the gospel and the Church, a great deal of communication has gone on among President Young of the Accra Mission, the Grovers (the MLS couple in Ho), the Hohoe missionaries, Elder Youngberg, Elder Call, and Faith and Bright who live in Liati Wote. On Wednesday of this week, Elder & Sister Grover, Elder & Sister Youngberg, two Elders from Hohoe (Elders Ampiah,a Ghanaian, and Mayenga, from the Congo), their branch mission leader (Derry) and one member of a branch presidency (Paul) were in Liate Wote for the missionaries to give a discussio...

We have a nice, big, dining room table we eat breakfast on every day we are in the apartment.  It is dark wood, which I like.  It can comfortably seat six people and we have had friends over for dinner.  It sits in front of the big picture window looking out over into the property across the street.  It is like a garden over there.  We do like to see the birds each morning.  There are several varieties that rest in the branches, hide in the branches, chase each other around the branches.  It is especially fun to see them sit on the topmost branch like they are surveying their domain.  We have a set of binoculars we use to get a close up look at them.  There are small ones with the brightest red you can imagine on their wings. It's a great place to have breakfast.  Breakfast with a view. Besides looking out across the street, Elaine put pictures of you grandkids on the window sill.  You can see them, can't you?  You can probably...

September 25, 2021 Elaine and I were in Cape Coast again, this time with Mobio and Atobora Brown to train the six stake presidencies in that area.  This is a great opportunity to speak with them, for them to ask questions and discuss the challenges they are having working with the wards and branches. On the training day (Saturday) I got up in the morning and wanted to take a short walk along the beach for light exercise and enjoy the area.  Elaine was getting ready for the day so I had some time.  The Coconut Beach Resort is on the beach just west end of El Mina.  We wanted to stay at this resort because of the location and because it is difficult to find food anywhere but at a hotel or resort. I started along the beach and saw men, and a young boy, pulling hard on a rope that extended out into the ocean over some breaking water.  There is a big net out there somewhere and they are pulling on one end of the net and the other net was way off to the left.  Th...