HO BEAUTIFUL

Pictures cannot capture the grand beauty but it gives a hint of what there is to see

What a beautiful country is all around us here in Ghana!  We were so taken by the beauty when we arrived that we would frequently pause to gaze, but like many things that are with us constantly, we found that sometimes we were not taking time to stop and gaze at it and just thank Heavenly Father for our being in this garden country.

Fishermen in canoes on the Volta River

Where flowers grow everywhere

Magnificent Wawa tree

 That has usually been because we are always hurrying to get some place and we have travelled that road many times before. 

We do readily admit that the Volta region where we live is the most beautiful part of Ghana (we do admit that we have not been to all of the other parts yet so we might be biased) and recently we have paused a little more often so we can view the creations along our way.

One thing that never stops is the comment from Sister Cosgrave as she passes the little children on the street or in the market or anywhere. It is predictable to hear “…soooo cute!”

Sister Cosgrave with a few of the many fans

Our friend Rodfaith

Indeed they are that cute and it only takes a wave of the hand to bring a quick smile to their face and a return wave with the flashing of those beautiful dark eyes. They are so friendly and fun to be with and mostly are not afraid of the yevu (white person).

We have had some really fun times of late .  A radio station KUUL-FM here in Ho organized what they called Religious Corporate Games.  It was a day for competition and games at the Ho stadium for all of the churches in the area.  We were invited to be with several other churches at the organizing meeting.  We had good representation at the event and a week before the event we were invited to be “on the air” for a 15 minute radio spot.

President Avornyo of the Ho 2^nd Branch is a professional broadcaster for another station, and he came with us for our “production.” Our 15 minutes turned to 30 as the presenter asked many questions and even asked us to sing an anthem.  We responded with the first verse of The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning. 

With President Ralph Avornyo of Ho Second Branch

President Avornyo suggested that it would stir the fires in our souls as we prepared for the games. We had  2 young people join us along with several missionaries and we counted it a success as the station played it over again that evening.

With Frank Heymann, General Manager at KUUL-FM

 The day of the games provided opportunities for sharing with many people and allowing them to see Latter-day Saints are real people and true followers of Christ.  We made many new friends several of which the missionaries were able to teach.

We have been blessed to be part of the baptism of young people who have accepted the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and covenanted to follow Him by that sacred ordinance.  

Gifty is the sister to Faith and Rebecca who are young women who we have told about as they joined the Church.

 Prince is the brother of Eric Tsawota (a young man that has won Sister Cosgrave’s heart as he reminds her much of  a grandson).

Prince and Eric

 Seth is a young adult who seemingly randomly met the elders.  He is very bright and yet humble and will be a strength to his friends and family and this branch.

Seth

We have loved being with the missionaries as they come and go.  Recently we were with a special group as they bid farewell to Ghana after 2 years.

President and Sister Judd with departing missionaries

 They met at the mission home for departure devotional and then caught the plane to many homelands. Elder Bongomin from Uganda

has been a wonderful missionary and blessed the lives of members, investigators and missionaries. He is representative of so many of the missionaries serving here.  There are 24 nations represented and many states from Alaska to Florida.

We also were able to take Sister Nerissa Gli to the Mission Training Center in Tema as she left on her mission to Nigeria Enugu.  She has a fascinating story of her own conversion as a young girl and her years of mission preparation with Seminary and Institute. 

Nerissa Gli and her mom

We joined her as she was set apart by President Judd. She will bless many as well.

Another friend we may have talked about has resurfaced.  His name is Corney Laryea and he is a student.

With Corney

 He is a fan of the NFL and we told him about Ziggy Ansah (for U of U fans and other uninformed souls, he is a BYU grad from Ghana who is now playing for Detroit Lions) and he now is a Ziggy fan.  His mom lives in Togo and he has been there for a few months recovering from Typhoid.  He came to Ho to visit us and bring some delicious croissants and discuss his feelings for the Gospel.  He will be baptized some day and he is a blessing to all he meets.

We still find new names that intrigue us.  Miracle is a man with whom we are working to return to full activity.  He is a carver and can perform miracles with wood in his little open air shop.

Miracle at work with Moroni burying the plates

Just when we think that we have seen it all. We ran into this man on the ferry that crosses the Volta River. He apparently was trying to get ahead (a head) of the herd.  

Guess what is under  the cloth

It is common to see people carrying large bowls on their head with everything from underwear to pineapples, but it was a first to see a man carrying a cow’s head in his bowl!

We always are looking for those things which will help us in teaching, especially when teaching the young men and young women.  Sister Cosgrave has found an object that can be helpful in teaching lessons about the sword of Laban as well as helpful in keeping the class under control. J 

Don't mess with this Sister!

There are often great stories attached to these pieces but this one was found in a shop in a wonderful place in Accra affectionately called “The Pit”.

Many things have been said about the food in Ghana.  Some young men here told our family that Ghana would win the World Cup match with the USA because the Ghana team eats plenty of Banku.  It seems they should have eaten more or tried the Fufu.  We were treated to a delicious meal of Fufu and light soup with chicken.

A true Fufu Smile!

Must save the tie

  Our hostess is a very sweet lady whom we visit often. Her name is Anna Ahiabor, and she has a daughter who lives with her husband in Columbus Ohio. As you can tell we truthfully enjoyed the meal as well as the company. 

This Fufu was made with yam which is boiled and pounded with a long wooden pole for a long time, and then you get to eat with your hands as you dip it in the soup.  So much of the culture of these great people has to do with making use of their surrounding resources. Fufu is one of the great traditional foods.  It’s kind of like eating bread dough with soup. There have been machines invented to pound the Fufu, but the vast majority still does it by hand.  I suppose it is like a hand crank ice cream freezer versus the electric kind.  Somehow it just tastes better by hand (according to Bob Davis).

We give thanks every day to a kind Heavenly Father who watches over us and protects us and leads us to wonderful people whom He has prepared to receive His Restored Gospel.  We love what we do and those with whom we serve. We still do miss our family greatly and all the growing up that they have done (like one baptism and 2 of them turning 16). We now have pillow cases sent by the Barlow kids that remind us each night of all of our family and their great support for us. 

Have a Happy 4th of July! We love America!