Week 49 (Oops! Actually Week 50 in Ghana)

 Happy New Year!!  Somehow we miscounted our weeks.  This is actually week 52 on our mission and week 50 in Ghana.  Nonetheless, time does not stop!

Our sweet visit from Sara ended as we took her to the airport on Wednesday evening, January 1.  Now it is back to our regular routine starting this coming week after wonderful visits from Allison, John, Taylor, and Nathan and then from Sara with transfers, departing and arriving missionaries, and Christmas zone conferenced between the visits.

We had a full day on Monday (December 30).  We left early at 5:30 a.m. to drive to Accra to meet Jeremy (our tour guide) at the mission home.  We then drove 2 1/2 hours north to see Boti Falls, the three headed palm tree, and umbrella rock.  Unfortunately, with two wet seasons with less than normal rainfall and now being in the dry season, Boti Falls was nothing more than one very small trickle (more like a large drip!).

Sister Judd got acquainted with some other visitors at Boti Falls who want her to take them back to the United States with her when she goes.  You can see the "falls" in the picture of the three of us.  In case you miss it, it is that small trickle barely visible in the top right of the picture.

The tree headed palm tree was discovered by a hunter in 1906.  The houses in the picture were built later.  It is not known how the tree grew into three trunks with the side trunks both growing out of the center trunk at the same place.  The seeds it produces are sterile and will not grow.  Very unique.  The umbrella rock is the only rock formation like this in the area.

We then drove an hour back towards Accra and went to the original Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm.  Tetteh Quarshie was a blacksmith with a hobby of farming.  He sailed to Equatorial Guinea to work in 1870.  At the time, there was not any cocoa in Ghana.  When he returned from Equatorial Guinea in 1876, he smuggled six cocoa pods back to Ghana in his tool box.  He planted these seeds, and as the trees began producing cocoa pods, he gave seeds to neighbors and friends which spread and developed into the Ghanaian cocoa production it is today.  Today, Ghana produces and exports the highest quality cocoa in the world.  

Cocoa pods grow on the trunk and main branches of the cocoa tree.  The flower in the middle right of the picture is the start of a cocoa pod.  There are two original trees planted by Tetteh Quarshie in 1879 still producing cocoa on the 1 acre that remains of his original cocoa farm.

The cocoa seeds are covered with a white sticky substance inside the pod.  Sucking on these yields a very sweet taste.  After a drying and fermenting process in banana tree leaves for 7 days, the cocoa is ready.  Everything from planting, harvesting, drying, and bagging of the cocoa is all done by hand.   

Our next stop was at the Aburi Botanical Gardens where we saw and learned some amazing things.  First, there is a tree called the "Strangler Tree."  It grows wrapping itself around another tree until the other tree is totally encased causing the other tree to eventually (over 30 years) die and rot away from the middle of the Strangler Tree.  What is left is an empty area in the middle of the Strangler Tree to the height of the original tree it encased. 

(1) A Strangler Tree growing around and starting to encase a cedar tree.  (2) The open area left inside a Strangler Tree after the other tree has died and rotted away.  The picture is looking up inside the empty Strangler Tree.

(1) Standing inside the base of a large tree.  (2) The "Struggle of Life" tree.  It is a Cyprus tree that died and then someone carved it full of figures of people and animals climbing up the tree and with a carving of a king at the very top of the highest branch.  The people and animals are helping each other to the top where they would be crowned king.  It can be compared to this life which is a struggle, but we can help each other make it to the top (Celestial Kindgom) where we can be crowned kings and queens.

This is a "Hosanna Palm" tree.  It comes from Israel.  It is believed that the palms from this type of palm tree were likely used as the palms the people waved to honor the Savior as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

This is the "Traveller's Palm."  It is native to Madagascar and is called that because there is a pocket of water at the base of the palm fronds.  A thirsty traveller can find relief by cutting off the palm fronds to get to this much needed water.  

We stayed in Accra at the mission home with the Jacobsen's on Monday night.  Tuesday morning we went to the temple for an endowment session with Sara.  It was wonderful to be in the temple together.

Planted all around the temple are Traveller's Palm trees.  The Traveller's Palm always grows with its fan of palm fronds pointing north and south.  Thus, it is symbolic of the Savior pointing the way we should go.   It is also insightful to now understand from the Aburi Botanical Gardens about the Traveller's Palm being a source of needed water for travelers.  This is symbolic of the Savior being our Living Water.

In addition to the Traveller's Palms planted in the landscaping around the temple, the design 

in the stained glass windows of the temple also reflect the Traveller's Palm.

After the temple, we again went to the Art Market for Sara to purchase some additional items she wanted to take home to her family and friends.  After which, we went to a nice restaurant for a relaxing dinner with Sara and then drove back to our home in Awutu Breku.

In Ghana, Christmas and New Year's are celebrated with fireworks.  On Christmas night and several nights between then and New Year's, we were awakened in the middle of the night with fireworks exploding.  We went to bed early on New Year's Eve only to be awakened at midnight by fireworks from our dear sister missionaries next door!  

When fireworks in the neighborhood started going off near midnight, Sara went 

outside in time to see the fireworks the sister missionaries sent up!

Wednesday was spent with Sara getting ready to leave.  We went to Accra to the mission home in the late afternoon.  We had soup and sandwiches and then played a fun round of Tapped 4 with Elder and Sister Bertha.

We took Sara to the airport around 8:30 p.m. for her 11:45 p.m. flight departure.  Unfortunately, we did not get any pictures at the airport because the guards at the airport are super quick to put on a wheel boot if we do more than unload suitcases.

We stayed Wednesday night at the mission home again because it was so late and then did some shopping on the way home Thursday morning.  Thursday afternoon, we went with Sisters Lautaimi and  Najjuka to visit and teach.  

(1) Teaching Mary about Joseph Smith and the Restoration with Sisters Lautaimi and Najjuka and Helaman (a member preparing for his mission).  (2) Teaching Vivian and Claudia, new members, and Vivian's friend.

While we were teaching Vivian and Claudia, it started to pour super hard and for a long time, which is unusual for the dry season.  That is why we were inside their shed.

On Friday (January 3), Sister Judd baked cookies to take with us when we do apartment inspections, doing laundry, and catching up from being gone so much.  We also did part of our weekly "family work" cleaning our apartment.  Elder Judd went in the afternoon to visit a member, Stephen.  He and his "wife", Helen, are not married even though they have three children together.  Stephen joined the church several years ago and then met Helen.  He could not afford the "bride price" which is a significant payment to the bride's family in order to get permission to be married.  They started living together and are now a solid "family."  Helen wants to be baptized, but she can't until they are married.  None of her family are members of the Church, so they are very traditional and will not give permission for her to marry Stephen without the bride price.  Stephen had asked Elder Judd to visit with him and give him council on what he and Helen should do.  The outcome was that we all fasted and prayed today for a miracle to happen that would allow them to be married so Helen can be baptized.

Saturday morning was spent doing more laundry, vacuuming and mopping the floor, and other work around the apartment.  We went with Sisters Appia and Tavita in the afternoon.

Teaching Jessica and Maxwell about Joseph Smith, the Restoration, and the 

importance of the Book of Mormon with Sisters Appia and Tavita.

Today (Sunday, January 5) we went to fast and testimony meeting and Sunday School here in our branch.  Afterwards, we started teaching three sisters (Dorcas, Anita, and Joycelyn) about the temple and preparing to go to the temple to receive their own endowments.

Here are some pictures of interest:

Most of the people in the area where we live do all their cooking on fires outside.

It continues to amaze us how animals are transported and remain so docile in the process.

Common ways to dry laundry.

Dirt houses

              Georgina's beauty salon, a 5' by 5' metal shed.                   King of the hill!

We listened to a BYU Speeches address by J. Ty Hopkins entitled, "Lessons on Endurance," that was recommended to us by our missionary grandson, Elder David Judd, serving in the Columbia Bogota Mission.  It was very inspiring and helped us focus on our service here for the next 6 months.  Brother Hopkins said, "Endurance is the process of learning and growing during a sustained effort of seeing good in hard circumstances.  It is a process that leads to refinement and growth."  He had five points that he emphasized: (1) Work and effort are required.  Endurance does not happen without work.  (2) Endurance is learning.  The process can help us find joy as we work toward the finish line. The process, not the product, should be our focus.  (3) We want hard things.  Enduring humbles us and draws us closer to God.  (4) Prayer and gratitude are extremely  powerful forms of medicine.  Use them.  (5) Writing down our experiences helps us focus on the good and learn from the challenges.  He then quoted 2 Nephi 31:20, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."  In other words:  Press forward!  Endure well!  Have joy!

We are so grateful for this perspective as we begin this new year.  It aligns well with our "Keep going and doing joyfully" motto, but we are now recording everyday the three things we are most grateful for in order to recognize the good and joyful moments even amidst the challenges and hard things.  We are "so much grateful" to be able to serve here in Ghana and for all that we are learning!

We pray that the year 2025 will be a year of joyful learning for all of us as we press forward, endure well, and have joy!

Love,

Sister and Elder Judd

Here is the link for "Lessons on Endurance":

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/j-ty-hopkins/lessons-on-endurance/