Weeks 43 and 44

Oh, so much has happened in the last two weeks this will likely be a longer blog than usual.

We finished our last blog on Monday, November 18 while at the mission office after the monthly staff meeting while we had good internet. We then stayed overnight with the Jacobsen's so that on Tuesday morning we could go with Sister Bertha to get our non-citizen cards renewed so we can stay in Ghana.  We then went to the Accra Temple and enjoyed doing sealings and spending time in the Celestial Room.  On the way home, we stopped and did shopping at the West Hills Mall.  Our usual shopping routine is to go to China Mall which is a store owned by some Chinese and has a large variety of mostly non-food items (all made in China!) and then go to Melcoms and ShopRite.  These are nice grocery and variety stores similar to a Smiths or Krogers.  Regardless of where we purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, we always have to wash them, along with the eggs, in Clorox water.

Wednesday (November 20) was apartment inspection day.

Elders Tuinakauvadra, Fainga'anuku, Kamara, and Gbedema at Buduburam

Elders Osebi and Goffi at Nkwantanan

Elders Erickson and Mateara at Dabanyin

Elders Nyenyezi and Creighton at Senya

Since we have started on our third round of apartment inspections, we typically are not decluttering near as much as the first two times.  However, a tender mercy of the Lord happened in Senya.  We brought back an unexpected amount of clothes that previous elders had left in the apartment when they were transferred.  The Sunday before, there were four YSA age men who were baptized.  They each needed a white shirt, tie, and/or Sunday pants.  There were three white shirts in relatively good condition, plenty of ties, and several pair of pants in what we brought from Senya!  Also, a brother who was baptized several weeks ago had his Sunday shoes "break" and he could no longer use them.  There just happened to be a nice pair of American made shoes in very good condition that were his size!  The Lord is aware of the needs of each of His children!

David with his "new" shoes, and Patmos, James, Sampson, and Hughton with pants, shirt, and/or tie from the Senya apartment.  These five brethren were sustained to receive the Aaronic Priesthood and be ordained priests.

On Wednesday evening, we went to Nkwantanan to help with a Family History workshop.  Nkwantanan is a Group under the Buduburam 2nd Ward.  The last blog had a picture at night of where the Nkwantanan Group's Sunday meetings are held.  There are no lights in the "meetinghouse."  So we had the workshop on the porch of the Group Leader's house.

The challenge was that we could not get an internet connection!  Without an internet connection, we could not access FamilySearch to help the members enter their information, help a member create a Church account, or talk with the Church's Global Support Center to help members with account issues.  It was a very frustrating evening for us and these dedicated members who came to get help. 
 

On Thursday, we went with Sisters Kendrick and Lautaimi.

 

We went to teach the head nurse at the clinic in Kweikrom, but she was not available because the clinic was very busy, including this group of football (soccer) players who were there for their weekly weigh-in.  The Sisters engaged with the young men and tried to share a little about the Book of Mormon.

We also took David's "new" shoes to him and talked with him about teaching his son the gospel so he might also be baptized one day.  David is a widower.  While we were there, David's mother was making fufu by mixing and pounding cassava and plantain together.

Thursday was Sister Van der Beek's birthday, but she had to go to Accra to renew her non-citizen card.  So, we had a birthday party for her on Friday night with banana bread and ice cream

Sisters Appia, Van der Beek, Lautaimi, and Kendrick after the birthday party.

Saturday is our day to go with Sisters Van der Beek and Appia.  One of the things we did was to visit and teach Elizabeth and her daughter, Beatrice.

Sisters Van der Beek and Appia teaching Beatrice and Elizabeth.  Notice that we are sitting on chairs and everyone else on low stools.  Whenever we visit anyone, they will bring chairs from their house for us to sit on because we are older.  It is disrespectful to not sit on the chairs they bring even if it means they have to sit somewhere that is uncomfortable. 

Allison, John, Taylor, and Nathan were to arrive in Accra on Saturday evening (November 23).  Because of long flight delays, they did not arrive until Sunday evening.  Sister Judd had been asked a couple of weeks before to teach the Relief Society lesson in our branch on Sunday and she had counted on Allison being there to help.  The lesson was on President Jeffrey R. Holland's October General Conference talk, "I Am He."  There was good discussion about how the Savior loved and how we should love and also about our need to seek Jesus as we prepare for His second coming.  Sister Judd was worried that she would need the Relief Society President to interpret everything she said in Twi, however every time Sister Linda asked if everyone understood what was said, they all nodded yes!  Sister Judd felt that they were all blessed with the gift of interpretation of tongues because the spirit was so strong and the message was so important!

This is the Relief Society handout that Sister Judd gave to all the sisters.  

They were delighted to receive it since receiving a handout is a rare occurrence.

Sunday afternoon we drove to Accra to the mission home so we could arrive before dark even though their flight was not scheduled to arrive until 8:05 p.m.  By the time they arrived later than scheduled, got through passport and visa checks, waited for luggage, etc., it was around 10:00 p.m. before we headed for the mission home to spend the night with the Jacobsen's.  

Happy and blessed to have Allison, John, Taylor, and Nathan arrive in Ghana!!

One of the dreaded potentials of driving at night is being stopped at a police checkpoint.  The nighttime police checkpoints are not the same as the ones in the daytime that we encounter regularly.  They are supposedly to prevent crimes, but they are more like a way for the policemen to extract bribes.  Well, as we were driving from the airport to the mission home, we encountered a police checkpoint where none exists during the day.  We were following two other cars.  They both drove through without being stopped.  As we started through, it appeared that the policeman waved us through so Elder Judd did not stop.  It then appeared that the policeman saw that we were "obroni" (white) and hit the side of the truck signaling for us to stop.  He asked for Elder Judd's drivers license.  As Elder Judd was trying to see in the dark which was his drivers license and which was his non-citizen card, the policeman reached in the window and grabbed the drivers license.  He was very adamant about our driving through the checkpoint without stopping which is illegal.  He said we would be taken to the police station to be processed, and then we would have to go to court the next morning to pay a fine.  Elder Judd tried to explain to him that it appeared he had waved us through and that is why we did not stop.  He did not accept any explanation, but seemed to just get more angry.  He finally hinted that we could pay a lesser "fine" to him rather than be processed at the police and go to court.  In short, we ended up paying him 500 Cedi (about $30) in order to get Elder Judd's drivers license back and be on our way.  Not a fun experience!!

On Monday morning (November 25) we left for Cape Coast.  We had made arrangements for a tour guide who is a member of the Church to drive us in a van and help us with the days we would see and do the tourist kind of things.  We spent Monday and Tuesday in the Cape Coast area.

The first thing we did was the canopy walk at the Kakum National Park.  The canopy walk has 7 bridges suspended from very tall trees and are above most of the trees and vegetation.  The bridges are about 130 feet above the ground.

We have never kissed here before!

The Kakum National Park is a rain forest.  Just as we finished the canopy walk and started the hike back to the park headquarters, it started to rain hard.  We finally found a covered rest area where we could get out of the rain until it let up.  We were totally soaked but had lots of fun!

We then went to the Elmina Castle.  It was one of the many castles along the coast of West Africa where Africans were taken and held for 2 to 3 months in absolutely deplorable conditions.   In some cases, there were up to 150 held in a large one-room dungeon with little light and fresh air.  The floor was their bed and bathroom facilities, and they often had only one meal a day.  They were then loaded on ships through the "door on no return" to the Caribbean, Brazil, America, England, or any of the other numerous countries with slavery.  It was a very sobering place to visit.

We stayed Monday night in Cape Coast and then went to the Slave Market/Slave River on Tuesday.  The slaves from northern Ghana were forced to walk bare footed and in chains the 375 miles to this location where they took their last bath in the river (still in chains) before being branded and taken to the slave market or forced to walk bare footed and in chains the additional 35 miles to a slave castle. 

One of the surprising facts we learned was that because of the rivalries and wars between tribes, most often it was one African tribe making slaves of members of a competing African tribe and then selling those slaves to the slave traders, or a greedy tribal chief working with slave traders to enslave other Africans to sell.  It was disheartening to see the Elmina slave castle and Slave River.  This kind of inhumane treatment of one human being by another human being is difficult to comprehend.  This all broadened our perspective.  It is not a country that has slaves, but the wicked acts of individuals due to greed or other unrighteous motivations. 

   

We then left Cape Coast for home, stopped to buy eggs, and arrived home around 2:30 p.m.

Getting eggs from the shop near our home

When we got home, there was no power which is not unusual.  So, we started the generator and thought nothing more of it until it started getting dark and we saw that everyone else had power.  Elder Judd called Isaac.  He arranged for an electrician to come early the next morning.  When the electrician came and climbed the power pole where our service wire is connected to the Electric Company of Ghana (ECG) wires, he discovered that our service wire had been cut eliminating any power coming to our house.    

The electrician reattached the service wire to the ECG main wire.  The only protection he had from the 220 volt wires was the insulation on the handles of his pliers and being very careful!

Isaac called ECG and found out that even though there was a credit on the account for our house, ECG had made a software change and it somehow showed that the mission owed money to ECG.  So ECG "disconnected" the service by simply cutting the wire.  We were grateful to have electrical service restored and that we could shut off the generator after running it all night.  

On Wednesday (November 27), Allison and her family all squeezed into the back seat of our truck and went with us to Winneba to do apartment inspections at the two apartments there.

Elders Kroll, McCallister, Johnson, and Rea (back) and Taylor, us, Allison, and Nathan 

with John taking the selfie at Ansaful.

Elders Kanga, Secai, Basoah, Parsons, and Allison (back) and us, Nathan, and Taylor 

with John taking the selfie at Kojo Bedu.

John was very helpful at both apartments.  At the Kojo Bedu apartment, he was able stop a kitchen faucet from leaking contaminated water into the filtered water when the filtered water is being collected.  At the Ansaful apartment, he fixed the boards of a bed frame so they did not fall through and allow the mattress to be uncomfortable for Elder Johnson to sleep on.

Thursday was a very full day.  It began by going to Ghana Make a Difference (GMAD) for a tour and then to do a service project.  GMAD is a shelter facility for children who have been abandoned, abused, or are under the custody of child services.  The objective is to prepare a child and facilitate that child's being able to return to their family if at all possible.  It is owned and operated by Stacy and Cory from the United States.  They just completed the construction of a state-of-the-art surgical center and dental center.  Once a year a volunteer dental team comes and twice a year a volunteer surgical team comes from the United States.  They not only treat the children in the shelter, but they also treat free of charge anyone in the community in need.  GMAD has its own school up to the ninth grade for those in the shelter.  After that, if a child wants to learn a trade, GMAD has connections with an NGO for the child to learn one of various trades.  If the child wants to continue their formal education, GMAD busses the children to Winton Senior High School in Awutu Breku which is owned and operated by an NGO from England.  If a child turn 18 and has no where else to go, GMAD hires them to work at GMAD and provides an apartment for them outside of the GMAD compound.  The Dabanyin Branch currently meets on Sundays at the GMAD facility.  The Dabanyin Branch has four young men who progressed through GMAD and are now serving missions.

GMAD has a room which is used for storing clothing, donated items, sports equipment, first aid and female hygiene items, diapers, miscellaneous school supplies, and sundry other items.  The room was quite a mess.  So, we were asked to organized everything in the room except the totes of clothing.

The morning at GMAD was enlightening and educational, and we came away grateful to serve and feeling very blessed. 

Sister Judd had made arrangements with Rihanna, a sister in the branch, to provide a "Thanksgiving" meal of Ghanaian food for Allison and her family to experience.  When we first came to Ghana, Sister Judd was helping Rihanna with her Family History.  When she asked Rihanna about her birthdate, Rihanna said it was April 29.  Sister Judd then said that April 29 is her daughter's birthday also.  Since then, Rihanna has said that one day she would like to meet her "twin sister."  So, it was an important event to Rihanna to provide a Ghanaian "Thanksgiving" meal and be able to meet her "twin sister."  We also invited the missionaries to join us.

As soon as we finished the "Thanksgiving" dinner, we went to the Awutu Breku Branch building for a 

Family History workshop.  We had previously helped several of the branch members with creating a Church account, recovering their password, and/or entering their family history information.  So, this workshop was more of continuing to work with the members on their own information.  Because of a weak internet connection and issues with the Church system, Elder Judd spent almost the entire time trying to help a member, Joycelyn, create an account.  The biggest problem in Ghana is that an email address or text message is required to verify the account.  Few have email addresses, and text messages do not come through readily or even at all to a Ghanaian number from the U.S.  After several attempts, Elder Judd was finally able to get the system to create the account and then the verifying text message would not come through to her phone.  In the meantime, Sister Judd was trying to help the Elders Quorum president, President Visu, recover his account.  To do this, Sister Judd calls the Church's Global Support Center on her U.S. phone number over WiFi.  But, every time she tried to call, the call would not go through or no one would answer it if it did go through.  Then, after an hour or better of trying to make connection with the Global Support Center, it all of a sudden occurred to Allison what the problem was.  It was Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. and no one was working because of the holiday!  Regardless of the challenges we had, John, Allison, and Taylor were each able to help someone.  Taylor helped a sister, Olivia, to find and prepare two names for temple work.  It was a wonderful experience for Allison and her family to interact with these dedicated branch members.

Friday morning (November 29), we loaded up the Bird Family suitcases and drove to Accra.  We met Lawson at the area office parking lot and went with him to the Art Market for Allison and John to buy some things they wanted to take back from Ghana.  We then went to buy some of the material needed for Ghanaian dresses for our daughters and granddaughters.   

Since Allison and her family would be flying out Friday night, we wanted to go to a nice restaurant and enjoy a good meal together.  

Sister Judd had prepared names and made reservations for the temple.  Nathan and Taylor were able to do baptisms and confirmations for Sister Judd's names and for some Allison brought.  John and Elder Judd then performed the confirmations of Nathan and Taylor for those names and also the confirmations for the group that was in the baptistry at the same time.  We, Allison, John, and Taylor then did sealings.  Among those that were sealed were Sister Judd's aunt and uncle sealed together, their daughter sealed to them, Sister Judd's uncle to be sealed to his parents (Sister Judd's grandparents), and Sister Judd's aunt sealed to her parents.  It was a wonderful experience!!

Sadly, it was then time for the Bird's to go to the Jacobsen's to change their clothes and go to the airport.  

Our last goodbye hugs!

We dropped them off at the airport and went back to the Jacobsen's to spend the night.  It was a wonderful week of great memories.  Having them here was a boost to our spirits!!

Saturday morning meant back to our mission routine.  We drove home doing some shopping on the way.  We then went with Sisters Van der Beek and Appia that afternoon to visit and teach like other Saturdays.

Helping Jennifer, a member, take her clothes off the line and to her house

Sister Van der Beek with Elizabeth's children and a neighbor boy (in white shirt).  The kids wanted to get in Elder Judd's truck and were so excited to do so!

We taught Elizabeth and her daughter Beatrice on this Saturday like the previous Saturday (see earlier in this blog).  On the previous Saturday, the missionaries had invited Elizabeth and Beatrice to pray about being baptized.  After Sister Judd's lesson on Sunday, Elizabeth came to Sister Judd and the sisters and said, "I want to stay!"  By this she meant, she wants to be baptized and be a part of the church.  So, this Saturday we taught about temples and being eternal families together.  Her eyes filled with tears as we talked about it!

On Sunday (December 1) we went to the Ansaful Ward in Winneba to attend Sacrament Meeting and train a newly called Gospel Literacy teacher, the bishop, and the bishopric counselor over Gospel Literacy.  Even though it was Fast Sunday, the bishop asked us to share a little about Gospel Literacy and bear our testimonies.  The training during the second hour went very well.  They will identify individuals to attend the class, the teacher will do readiness checks (assessments to determine which Gospel Literacy book will be used for the class), and then we will go back on December 29 to orient the class members and teacher so they can start the class the first of January.

When we went in to find a seat for Sacrament Meeting at Ansaful, this cute little guy came to Elder Judd, took him by the hand, and called him "Grandpa."  All during the meeting, he kept coming from where he was sitting a few rows behind us to where we were.  His mother had to keep coming and getting him to take him back to where they were sitting.

This is an unusual and labor intensive way to load a gravel pile onto a dump truck.

Here is a safety training video sent to all drivers of Church vehicles by the Africa West Area Fleet Administration with the caption, "Please stay safe out there!"

It seems that completing a period of time and being able to start anew is important to Ghanaians.  Celebrating birthdays are important because that means they have completed another year and are now able to start a new year.  Concluding one month and starting anew the next month is significant.  Since this is the start of the month of December when we celebrate and remember the birth of the Savior of the World, may we each focus more intentionally on the Savior and His light and sharing His light with all the world around us.  Here is a link to the 2024 "Light the World" home page:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/light-the-world

Love,

Elder and Sister Judd