Misson Christmas Devotional

On December 13th the entire mission traveled to Cape Coast to enjoy a Christmas Devotional, have a good meal and receive a small package of our love and appreciation from the senior couples.

The Ghana Cape Coast Missionary Christmas Devotional

It is fun to watch everyone greet each other, many who they have not seen one another for a long time.  It is a very special time when the mission has everyone together at one time

We met in the chapel for a special devotional, sang Christmas songs and had some very inspiriting talks given by several of the Elders and Sisters.  These young missionary's have such strong testimonies  of the Savior and his gift to each one of us.

After the devotional we watch the move Forever Strong.  This movie has become a tradition in the Cape Coast Mission and inspires our theme for the missionaries.  Be obedient, study the gospel, prepare to be Forever Strong through out their lives.

After a wonderful meal we had a talent program utilizing each of the zones in the mission.  They had skits, special songs, and overall a very good time.  Our elders and sisters sang the song by Janice Cap Perry, "Holding Hands Around the World"  In the middle the power went off and the projection quit but they didn't,  They sang beautifully.  Hopefully the video clip will work.

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Couples Retreat

President Schulz has been wanting to get the couples together for some time and have a little retreat.  After their last mission presidents' seminar they wanted to take us up to theVolta River for a river ride.   We needed to get it done before the Bybee's leave to go home the first of January.  So we traveled together into Accra and connected with President and Sister Graham. They are in charge of the MTC for West Africa.  Then we went shopping, of all things.  How is that a retreat?  But I found out that is an item on the top of the sisters list.  Sister Ivie joined right in,  she found a very pretty skirt and some  great material.

  Then it was off to KFC. Now that is more like a treat.  After lunch we traveling out to Tema where the MTC is located.,We made a quick stop at the Acra mall  

(you just don't come to town without stopping at the mall.) Then we went out for pizza and had hamburgers.  After dinner we went to the MTC and enjoyed a movie on their big screen TV.  All of the missionary 's had left this morning to their mission assignments. 

This is the hotel the mission presidents' and their wives stayed in during their seminar.  It is owned by a member of the Seventies Quourm.  It is one of the nicest hotels any where in the world. Rooms go for $300.00. US a night.  That may be the reason we stayed at the MTC as guest of the Graham's.

Very beautiful pool

The beach and launch area were next door to the Hotel.  We had to qualify as happy people to take the boat ride.   They look pretty happy.  Sisters Bybee's, Graham, Ivie, Schulz, Crittenden

That is one big bridge

Some African shacks are a little nicer than others

These kids were playing on the beach when we returned, and you cannot pass up a photo shoot.

After the river trip we traveled to see how beads are made.  CEDI is the owner of this company and when he was a born the country was changing its currency.  His mother said he would be the one to carry on the business and make good money so they named him CEDI.  This bead-making business has been in his family many generations and the operation is still very similar to the old way

The compound where they all live and work is very nice and peaceful.  They had a nice place to have a picnic before we were given the tour.  Sister Graham is one of his best salespersons. She is always directing people to check it out.

They primarily recycle glass to make the beads.  and they have to check for compatible glass as they mix the colors.  They even pulverize the glass and mix it with a paint pigment to make the designs and patterns   They may fire the beads several times to get the finished product.

The molds and the kiln is made out of the red clay from the termite hills.  We have shown a few in past blogs.  They dig into the center and get the dirt mixed with the termite salvia, and then fire the mold.  The process reaches temperatures of 1800 to 2000 degrees.

The mango is just now coming into season, and the trees in this area was loaded.  Sister Ivie was so happy to be able to finally get her mango's

We went out for Chinese, and it was very good.  The table had a large glass turn table and we loaded all of the different foods and everyone was able to try it all. 

This is Christmas tree at the MTC that Sister Graham fixed for the season.  This one and the one in the Cape Coast Mission Home are the only two nice looking Christmas Tree's that we have seen.

Thanksgiving Week

This week started out busy with a zone meeting where President and Sister Shulz, along with the assistance to the president came to the meeting.  The President interview each of the missionaries while Sister Shulz and the assistants did training.  We are also preparing for the christmas devotional where the entire mission will be getting together.  Each zone is to present some sort of talent.  The Swedru Zone is going along with Sister Ivie's suggestion to sing "Holding Hands Around the World.  We are substituting pictures of our Elders and Sisters that will be shown while they are sing their song.

Now comes the Thanksgiving fun.  Before we left to travel to the Mission Home we purchased enough chicken breasts, potatoes for each of the apartments to cook up a thanksgiving meal.  Most of the missionaries in the zone are from the US, and it was a treat to share with their African companions and American tradition.  

We arrived at the Mission Home on Wednesday afternoon and helped with the preparations for the big feast.  This is Sister Bybee, Sister Shulz and Sister Ivie

Wednesday evening President Shulz bought  Pizza and we all enjoyed a meal together.  Here we are preparing for the big golf game of cards.  Golf comes into the mix because you play 9 rounds.

Sister Ivie, Sister Crittenden, Elder Crittenden, Then President and Sister Bybee, and President Shulz.

After the card game we watched a Christmas movies in keeping with the Shulz family tradition.

Thursday brought on the big load of food preparation.  The Bybee's had secured a couple of turkeys and we had all of the other thanksgiving dishes, including a new version of monkey bread, it became our African version.  Now if I was really helpful I would include the very perfect picture of Marilee's monkey bread.  Everyone claimed the bread was great even a little crusty.  They were all so nice.

We also had the Lybbert family joins us. They are in Cape Coast working at the Cape Coast University. They are from Davis California.  One of their good friends was visiting form the US and had not expected a full traditional thanksgiving feast.

After dinner Sister Ivie got into the game of football in the back yard. See found out there is proper way to kick the ball and not break your toenails.  It will be better next time. The Brethren were all trying to get BYU/Norte Dame game to play.  Internet was too slow and never did get to watch it.

That didn't slow the backyard game down at all.

And then again in the evening we watched another Christmas movies and had pie and ice cream.  Both a real treat.  They do spoil the Senior Couple.

This is a great video of the kids below marching through town.  Someday I may figure out how to get it to work.

These kids were marching through one of the villages as be were traveling to Cape Coast for Thanksgiving.  Coming from the other direction was a different school with different colors and they looked like approaching armies and marching and swinging their arms.  Of course most of the kids were three or four years old.  They were having such a good time.  And of course Sister Ivie had to get out of the car, take their pictures and wave, and they all wave back, including the teachers.

OPENING A NEW MISSIONARY APARTMENT

We have been working over the last several weeks to finish preparing a new apartment for missionaries in Swedru.  In December we will increase from three companionships to four.  This is a two bedroom bungalow and it has turned out very nice.

This house is only a few blocks from the meeting house and right in the middle of one of the area's the missionary's spend a lot of their time.  Before they were a good thirty minute walk to get to the area.

The house has new tile floors everywhere but this room.  We painted the floor with a paint that has been successful in several of the other apartments.  This will be the dinning room and study area for one of the companionships,

This is the small bedroom and the study area will be in the living room.  This apartment has one other upgrade over most, It has sliding windows instead of jalousie windows.

This the large bedroom with its own shower and toilet.  The other bedroom has a wash room separate from the bedroom.  There is a small room that is used for washing clothes and an area for the cloth line. We made a couple of trips to Cape Coast to pick up materials needed to finish.  They had a very nice kitchen cabinet made, sorry I didn't get pictures of the kitchen.




One Monday we enjoyed another Zone Activity Day.  This time it was at the beach in Winnaba.

This is our mighty warriors, and they truly are mighty in spirit and dedication.

Can't beat a good frisbee game

Some time an Elder feels like he is carring the weight of the world on his back

 No this is not one of the missionary's President.  We were getting a demonstration from the locale merchant that sold us coconuts.

The English, during the time they occupied this area built the swimming pool next to the ocean.  The undercurrents are very dangerous and so when the tide is in it fills this pool and protects against the undertow.  When the tide is out it slowly drains and still leaves a good swimming area.  The boys are some of the locals that were showing off for Sister Ivie.

Busy week of travel and training

Just before this busy week got started we had the long anticipated call from Holly.  Tanner James was on his way.  For us this was a standard night delivery, but for Holly it occupied the better part of the day.  So just after midnight Ghana times we received the e-mail he had arrived undamaged and in extremely fine shape. Check him out

I think they both look pretty good considering

This is after five hours.  I do not think I have seen any of our babies that looked this good at five hours. One exception could have been Eric, I got to the hospital about 10 hours after he was born, he raised his head up and looked like he was ready to play football or something.  He was almost a month old when arrived.  Good Job Holly

Its always a mixed day of feeling when these Elders are leaving the mission.  It is always a spiritual experience to attend the Temple with them before the depart for their different countries.  Many we may never get to see again.  They are all fine young men who have completed their mission with honor.

And it is fun to see how into the mission tradition they get.  They give their all as they launch into the rest of life.  We encourage them to follow the mission theme that is woven into their banners, Forever Strong. 

The couples then get to stay at the MTC for the night and President and Sister Schulz get to meet and interview each of the new Elders and Sisters that will be coming to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission.  The next morning we are ready for breakfast at 5:30AM so we can be on the road by 6:00Am,  the traffic thru Accra is really bad a little later in the morning.

So here is the new group of missionary's that have been at the MTC for the last fifteen days.  We had a bus and the mission van to carry them to the mission home and the couples haul their luggage in our pick ups.

We arrive at the mission home and have a short orientation, lunch and then the assignments.  This always brings the most noticeable concerns about their areas and new companions.  They have just had a four hour introductory ride thru Ghana and  the culture shock is setting in full force.  We then load up their luggage once again and take it to the TROTRO station, where many of their companions are waiting to escort them to their areas of service.

We had two of the new missionary's assigned to the Swedru Zone and so they we able to ride with us instead of a TroTro.  By the time we get them delivered, and help move four other elders in an area switch, we were really glad to get home about 7:30 PM.  We were traveled out and ready for our sweet bed.

It is great to open up email and find such happy pictures.  These girls are growing so tall and beautiful.  check that smile on miss Callie, how did they ever catch such cute pictures.  Thanks Jen

More happy girls with big smiles for PaPa and Grammy.  These girls are Eric and Aubry's Grace and Ellie enjoying the sidewalk in the back yard of their new home.

We do get some beautiful sunsets.  They barely last long enough to get a picture if your camera is ready.  Fifteen minutes tops start to finish.