WELCOME TO OUR HO-ME

August has come and gone with great speed. It seems that the time is truly hastening with each passing day. It has been a memorable month for us with many anticipated things happening for which we are grateful.

We won’t mention the passing of another birthday for the senior companion on the 4^th of August, but the next day marked one year from the day when we entered the Mission Training Center in Provo and then one week later when we landed in Accra, Ghana. 

The cake was somehow ok, but the the candle was the real treat (apiece of paper rolled  and lit on fire!)

We did celebrate both August events with dinner at The Royal Senchi (a hidden jewel
on the Volta River

It caused us to ponder a lot about what has happened in that year, but the we think of the great talk given by Elder Edward Dube of the Seventy (and native of Zimbawe and one of 2 African members of the First Quorum of Seventy) last October conference. He recalled working in the fields with his mother and when he told her about all the work that they had done , she replied “Edward, never look back.” So we reflect with gratitude and look forward to the time we have to serve with eagerness.

On that day, (5 August), we joined with President  Heid and the assistants, Elders Eppich and Izekor, in meeting missionaries who were coming to Ghana from Liberia and Sierra Leone. Because of the outbreak of Ebola, the Church decided it was best to evacuate all the missionaries from those countries. They were not in immediate danger, but the Lord is always mindful of His missionaries and wanted to get them out of harms way. It proved to be an inspired move because the day or 2 after they were evacuated, the country denied travel in and out of the country and Ghana and other countries were not allowing flights from those countries to enter. We not only gained some very capable young elders, but also another couple., Elder and Sister Berrett from Cottonwood Heights. We stayed for a few days longer than we had planned, but it was good to help make the arrangements to get them all relocated. One of the Liberian elders was sent to Ho. His name is Elder Burr and he is very good friends with Caleb Roush. 

When we returned we anxiously prepared for the arrival of Michelle, Michael, Melanie, Sabrina and Hans. 

With Michael, Hans, Sabrina, Michelle and Melanie at the Alma House in Accra

It is difficult to describe how excited we were. And at the same time it didn’t seem real. We left for Accra on Sunday night so we would be there in plenty of time to greet them on Monday J. You might say we could hardly wait. As we were waiting at the terminal it still seemed unreal, but as we saw glimpses of them through the wall of the walkway from the customs area reality hit and our hearts seemed like they would jump right out of our chest. As they rounded the corner and we hugged it was such a sweet, wonderful moment. Welcome to Ghana!!! Akwaaba!!! That night we arranged to stay at the Alma House. It is a bed and breakfast place that was started by President and Sister Gay, former Ghana Accra mission president and now a Seventy. 

Crashing at the Alma House afar the overnight flight

We went to meet President and Sister Heid and then also attended a Family Home Evening with the couples serving in the Area offices. It was a nice way to begin introducing them to our fellow missionaries.

We had a wonderful evening with MMM & SH. We just kept pinching our selves to make sure it was real!

A A  Abeautiful night to visit the Accra Ghana Temple

The next morning we started our journey to Ho. We saw baboons on the roadside along the way who gave a good Ghana welcome to the visitors. We stopped in Kpong to visit President Tyson, the great district president that Mike has worked with as his counselor since we have been here. We then had lunch prepared by Sister Adjei in Senchi. She is the Relief Society President in the district and I have been her counselor. We have had her children to dinner back in Utah so she was returning the favor. She is a wonderful woman who is one of the church pioneers here. The kids did well with their first Ghanaian meal. It was only the beginning of their adventure with Ghanaian food. It is impossible to give a total run down of each day, but we  met  with many of our favorite people, and we took them to see our favorite Kente weaver and to a place where they make batik cloth.
On Wednesday, our dear friend Anna had a meal of fufu and light soup with chicken prepared for them.            

LOVIN' THAT FUFU

FUFU SMILES

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING!"

MMM&SH were such good sports and tried it all.  For some it would have been a great treat just to be able to eat with your hands. As far as Fufu goes, it was the best we have had!

CAN YOU SAY A FUFU TOAST with Anna

Sweet Anna had to have something made to give to "the children"

sleeping under the nets after a long day

We went to the monkey sanctuary on Thursday.

How would this be for the day date for Homecoming

Hans can juggle 2 monkeys, can you?

Our guide Vincent was a great source of information and we likewise have shared with him the blessing of reading the Book of Mormon which he is doing

I share my banana which all my friends

 It was so fun. Michelle and Melanie didn’t want to make monkey friends, but they were so happy to see everyone else “bond” with them. Afterwards we went to the Wlii Falls. It was a nice hike up to the falls, and the falls were spectacular. Michael and Hans decided to take a swim and a shower in the pool at the base of the falls.

Can you say White and delightsome

The highlight for us was having them meet the wonderful youth in our branch.
The youth had been almost as excited as we were for them to come. MMM&SH went to mutual, Sabrina sang, which they loved, they all introduced themselves and then afterwards everyone just mingled.

Ho First Branch youth returning from For the Strength of Youth Conference 

Hans taught the kids how to fold ninja stars and  Sabrina and Hans taught them how to play UNO. They played with them, read stories to them, played soccer with them, hugged and loved them. We were so grateful and delighted to have such wonderful, kind, and loving children and grandchildren. 

Friday was market day!!! You can’t come to Ho without experiencing the Ho market on market day.  It was a memorable experience for all. J  That night we treated ourselves to a dinner at Sky Plus, a nice hotel up on the mountain that overlooks the city of Ho. 

Saturday morning we joined the branch in the All African 

Service Day project. 

Would you trust him with a machete

We met at the church and walked from the church to a local hospital where we helped clean the grounds. 

On Saturday night we had an open house where we invited our neighbors and branch friends and of course the young people. 

It was very successful and we enjoyed having our friends meet our wonderful children and grandchildren.

Our neighbor Pastor Emmanuel and his wife Patience

With the Joshua and Elizabeth Wodaze family…one of the choice families of all time

One of the mindboggling things MMM&SH did was bring  6 suitcases full of clothes for the children.  We gave Bella and Happy, 2 little girls that live nearby some clothes. They were so cute and so excited. It has taken us a few weeks to give the clothes out, but we have tried to do it fairly and in a controlled way so everyone would get 3or 4 nice things such as a nice shirt, shorts etc. They have been so appreciative. Shoes were a hot item. Some of them have never had a pair of gym shoes. Socks and underwear were also a big hit. There are still some things to give away, but MMM&SH and all of you who contributed items have made so many children happy.
They also brought a few treats to share.

Sean Laurence has been collecting soccer balls for his eagle project. Michelle brought some with her. You would have thought we had given them a million dollars when we brought the balls out and gave them one. I think they said “wow” at least 10 times.

Going to the Ho market was a real “cultural” experience; So much so that we didn’t get very many pictures although Melanie got a video that is priceless and other pictures as well. I think Michelle’s favorite was the dried fish…JK. Some lady selling bars of soap was grateful for her however. Michelle bought some soap and  used it to breathe the scent of the bar of soap instead of the many aromas floating around the market. It was pretty funny! We only spent about ½ hour there, but MMM&SH got their fill. I must admit it is a whole new world of sights, sounds and smells that I have to limit the time I am there, too.

On Sunday we went to the Ho 1^st branch. It is the branch that is our home branch. MMM&SH were introduced by the branch president and each was asked to bear their testimonies. We were so full of love and joy for our beautiful children  and grandchildren who each shared such sweet, wonderful and inspiring testimonies. Who would have thought a little over a year ago that we would be sitting in a little branch of the Church in Ghana Africa with these dear brothers and sisters and having some of our children and grandchildren bear testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We couldn’t help but feel such incredible joy and amazement at the whole experience. The gospel is true here in Africa, Utah, England, India, and all over the world. We are truly blessed.

Well, unfortunately their visit had to come to an end. Our goodbyes were only for a short time. Our hearts were heavy as we saw them go, but we rejoiced in our wonderful time together. We felt so rejuvenated and so full of gratitude. We would have been ungrateful to have been sad. It was truly a time we will not forget.

Since the kids' departure we have been so busy. We have said goodbye to Elder Jones

It was difficult to send Elder Jordan Jones home.
He had been our "trainer" when we arrived and was with us
for many months and through many memorable experiences

 who returned to Alaska, welcomed new missionaries to our district, and have opened up a new area 1 ½ hours north of Ho called Hohoe (Ho hoee).

















We took 2 missionaries up there and held the first sacrament meeting. It is very exciting to be a part of such historical events. The Church is growing so fast. It is amazing to see how the Lord works to make ready new areas to teach people the Gospel.

First Sacrament Meeting in Hohoe

We also have had a mission tour with Elder Dube, a member of the Africa West Area Presidency and a Seventy. It was held in Kpong and included missionaries from Ho, Kpong, and Koforidua districts. He reminded us that the work we are a part of is not our work, but the Lord’s work. We should be consecrated, loving, humble, and willing disciples of Christ.

We close this edition with grateful hearts for the blessing of serving here in Ghana and at the same time for having a loving, supportive family. God bless you all.

Elder and Sister Cosgrave

We love the children of Heavenly Father who live in Ghana! (How could you not give a piece of toffee to this one)