Life is Good!

I haven't gotten on and written for a while.  I guess it's about time.  We went to church today and the potholes were filled - with water.  I don't know if they are technically potholes if they are on dirt roads.

We are keeping very busy.  Scott has been going north to Tema every weekday to work with the Global Education Initiative and I head south to the temple compound to my office, except on a few days when I go with him and make my calls from there.  We actually got in the pool at our flat yesterday.  It is the first time in 8 weeks that we have had time.  

We have been getting braver and exploring around a bit more.  Thank goodness for GPS.  Most of our time has been in the city or one of the surrounding towns.  We haven't ventured out very far but there is a lot to see here.  We can't leave the country until all our paperwork is done and that can take up to 6 months.  Scott got his immigration card back a few weeks ago but mine isn't done yet.  

I have been asked to teach three people to play the piano at church in Adjorman.  It will be interesting finding time, but they really want to learn.  One of them is a woman.  I know of no women who play here, all are men.  When I asked her why the women don't, she said it was because they lose interest quickly because when they start learning and miss a note, they get beat for it.  I promised her I wouldn't do that.  

I am making a collection of the signs I find humorous here.  Big bottoms are considered attractive here and I love this sign  Check out the woman near the bottom in the red t-shirt and jeans.  The second one is for a funeral home.  

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I don't know which came first, the fence or the tree, but they found a good way to "fix" the problems.  This is in our compound where out flat is located.

We are adjusting well, but I have found there are certain things I miss.  Here are some of them.

1.  Family and friends, of course

2.  Soft beds

3.  My Instant Pot

4.  Sour Cream

5.  Cottage Cheese

6.  Being outside at night (mosquitoes are out)

7.  Bacon

8.  Carpets 

9.  Sleeping in and days off (not being on call)

10. Daring to drive (This is a "two lane" road we go down in a small city outside Accra).

11. Pianos - I saw one in a hotel and almost sat down and played it.  Probably would have gotten arrested. 

Ah...first world problems.  Life is good!

Snapshots of Life

This is a photo of Jubilee House, the presidential palace in Ghana.  It is the equivalent of the White House in the U.S.A.

There are some really nice homes in Ghana as can be seen here.  Sorry that the pictures were taken at a distance.  This was a taken a little ways out of Accra itself, in one of the surrounding communities.  As can be seen the growth is a little more natural on roadsides out in such areas, and can come right up to the homes - though this is the exception, not the rule.

Another example of a large home.  This is also not in central Accra, as can be seen by the dirt road because in the main city the vast majority of roads are paved.  In more outlying areas dirt roads are not an unusual sight.  In the central city goats can be seen now and then.  In outlying areas such as this, they are common.  Notice the high masonry walls topped with electrical wire.  Very common surrounding compounds that contain nicer homes or apartments.  Sometimes there is concertina wire instead of electrical.  This is a preventative measure to keep honest people honest.

One of the reasons that it is a good idea to encourage honesty in the ways previously described is because of the contrast between the haves and have nots.  There is a lot of housing that looks like this.  These are metal storage/transportation containers converted into homes.

I did not get a good look at these, but I believe they are other storage container homes, these sitting next to piles of rubbish.  In my experience, such piles of refuse are not often this close to homes, but it does happen.

This photo shows the contrast between the nicer homes/buildings (in the background) and the storage container homes (foreground).  They are often side by side, rather than kept apart by zoning ordinances as I am used to in the states where I have lived.  You might also find the flora interesting, as well as its proximity to the homes.

This is a farm located between the central city and the closely linked but smaller cities that surround it.  On the left hand side of the picture is a structure that is either the home of the farmer or perhaps a temporary shelter for when he is at work in the fields.  Corn seemed to be the primary, but not only, crop.  These farms in this area were not separated by fences so it was hard to see where each one began and ended.  In my conversations with a friend who used to be a farmer, I got the impression that farms tend to be small.  He grew up on a 5 acre farm.  When I see the work going on in the fields it is done by hand.  For example, the farmer is often using a hoe to work his fields.  That is hard work anyway, but especially so when it is 88 degrees and 75% humidity!

Again, the contrast side by side.  On the right are large and quite nice houses.  On the left is a large section of shanty homes.  I should note that the nice homes are middle class, not the wealthy.

In previous pictures street hawkers have been shown.  This is a little different because the selling was going on on the sidewalk.  This is a sort of open air shoe store.  The shoes were simply spread out on the pavement and people came by to pick out what they wanted, rather than the seller walking between cars at the light.

There are many areas in the cities where roads are lined with booths where goods of all sorts are sold.  This is just one example.

We were fascinated by this scene.  The same parking lot held ambulances (towards he back fence) and hearses (on the left).  I am not sure if they are planning ahead or what.  Be prepared in case the ambulance does not arrive in time, perhaps?

A close up of some of the shanty homes inhabited by the poor.

A closer view of container homes.  Notice the clothes line in the foreground.

Another close up of a shanty home.  In this case, the native growth grows right up to the building.

We both find ourselves tremendously busy.  Sister Emfield working with the missionaries, and I working with local members.

Many of the people here have so little, but they are friendly and happy.  They love to sing the hymns, and to laugh, and even though the drivers are extremely aggressive (and that is an understatement!), they don't get mad at one another, and it is quite common for these very aggressive drivers to, out of the blue, make way to let someone into traffic.

For those who are concerned, we remain healthy.  We were told that there was little chance that we could avoid getting malaria in this tropical country, but that if we took our anti-malaria medication we would probably never know that we had had it.  The meds would kill it before we had any symptoms.  We pray that that will prove true.

Elder Emfield

Some Observations

Some further observations today.

When Ghana achieved its independence in 1957 the population was 41% Christian.  Today it is 75% Christian!  It has indeed become a Christian nation.  The people take religion very seriously here, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing tremendously.  We are glad to be a part of that.  Due to climate our meetinghouses are often constructed differently than they are in the northern hemisphere.  Frequently the chapel is in a different building than are the offices and classrooms, etc.  The buildings are very open so as to catch every breeze that may come up.  In enclosed buildings the windows are designed to be easily opened and ceiling fans hang down to keep the air moving within.  But there are also open style buildings in which the walls only go half way up, the upper half being unobstructed except for pillars that hold up the roof.  In the case of these latter there are heavy blinds hanging between the pillars that can be let down to create shade within or rolled up to allow the breezes to blow across the congregation.  The pillars hold up the trusses which in turn hold up the roof (normally corrugated aluminum) and there is no real ceiling (only the underside of the roof).  From the trusses ceiling fans hang serving the same function as they do in the enclosed buildings.  Kitchens, baptismal fonts, etc. are often more or less outside.  For example, kitchens are covered but in my experience usually have only two walls.  Regarding baptismal fonts, see the picture below.

This is a concrete and tile baptismal font with a metal cover over it.  The blue item in the background is one of the shade blinds hanging in the down position in the chapel which consists of the building in the background.  Of course, you can only see a small fraction of that building in this picture.

One thing that has struck me here is how common it is for children to become partial or full orphans at a very young age.  Aside from all the other difficulties that causes, it becomes difficult for these children to afford an education.  The Church is trying to improve the educational opportunities of member children, and of others as well.  The hope is to make it so economic status has nothing to do with the availability of education.  From what I have seen, the young people are remarkably receptive to these efforts.  They do not tend to take education, religious or secular (which is actually a false dichotomy), for granted.

While the doctrine, teachings, and procedures of the Church in Ghana are the same as everywhere else, there are some interesting, though minor differences.  For example, whenever someone says "good-morning" or "good-evening" or whatever is appropriate from the pulpit, the entire congregation answers with good-morning, etc.  Hymns tend to be sung with considerable enthusiasm, rather than the lackadaisical way that North Americans tend to.  Wherever we attend Sacrament Meeting (our worship service) in a ward (what we call a congregation) where we have not been before (with one exception only) we are introduced from the pulpit and both asked to come up to the stand and bear to our testimonies prior to the scheduled talks (or sermons, if you will).  Of course, as elsewhere, as soon as we enter the premises we are among friends - even though we have never met any of them before.

Elder Emfield

More Pictures

I thought some more pictures would help.  So here are a few.  By the way, to my friends and family in cold, snowy areas, look how warm it is here!  But, rainy season is almost upon us.

Soccer practice in Accra.  This is a typical "football" field.

Typical weekday traffic in Accra.  In the foreground is another of the ever present tro-tros.  As you can see, they are sometimes loaded with more than people.

The Ghanaian national dish, fufu.  It is a dough made out of cassava, served uncooked in a soup - spicy fish in this case, and eaten with the fingers, though the soup may be eaten with a spoon.

An old bald guy eating it the proper way.  Notice the bowl of water just peeking into the picture on the left hand side.  That is for cleaning yourself up after eating.

Now, this is out of order, but this is Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.  On our way to Africa we saw the human clock shown here.  Someone is employed to sit in the clock and paint the hand on throughout the day.  He erases the old hand when it is time, and then draws on the new one, only to pause a moment and then start the whole process over again but a minute later on the clock!

This appears to be both a salon and a home - a home business.  Such an arrangement is common in Ghana.

We don't see much wildlife in the city but there are lots of fascinating birds.  This one flew right up to our window and I have therefore labeled him a "fowl visitor."  LOL

These white birds, whatever they are, are fairly common.

These buzzards, or vultures - I am not sure which - are rare but show up sometimes and are very interesting looking.  Probably less so if they were circling above me in the bush.

                         Insectoid wildlife is also quite common in the city as well as elsewhere.

Street hawkers as they are called peddle their goods between vehicles when the traffic stops at red lights.  This frame is taken from a video.

Here the hawkers are working in what is reasonably light traffic for Accra.

This add for a public toilet and shower we found interesting.  To be used at the same time?  We didn't stop to ask.

Ghana is a major cocoa producer and this is a pod which has been broken open.  The cocoa beans are found within the white substance.

This is a craft market in Accra.  They sell everything from traditional African masks, to fabric, to food.  Many things are obtained much cheaper here than in regular stores.

This is the Accra Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is used for more hold ceremonies such as marriages, rather than weekly worship services which are held at local meetinghouses throughout the city.  There is only one temple here.  But the meetinghouses are common, and in fact due to Church growth in this area many wards (congregations) meet in rented halls.  We were told that that is because they cannot build the buildings fast enough.  A new congregation (ward, branch, or group) is organized in West Africa every other day.  At this point the Church only builds stake centers (if you are unfamiliar with the terminology, that is basically the main meetinghouse, or sort of headquarters chapel, for what is a rough equivalent of a diocese consisting of anywhere from 8 to 14 congregations) and most congregations rent places to meet until such time as a building can be built.  Some of these wards/branches may be waiting a long time because the Church has to catch up on the stake centers before it can get to meetinghouses for the other congregations and it doesn't look like that is going to happen any time soon.  Today a recent convert whose baptism we had attended previously was confirmed in the Sacrament Meeting (worship service) we attended.  After the regular meetings were over, there was a convert baptismal service which we attended, and the young missionaries involved told us they have more baptisms to perform this month.  It is an exciting time to be here!