The Salt Lake Youth Association, etc.

A couple of Church associated pictures today.

A local youth organization dedicated to cleaning up their neighborhood wanted to select the name of a clean community in the United States - apparently so as to emulate them.  This is the name chosen.  It sort of rings a bell with missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  😉

This is our temple here, the Accra, Ghana Temple.  It is the smallest temple serving an MTC anywhere in the world but it is very nice.  Small has its advantages; I quite like this size.

Elder Emfield

Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign

Some of you may remember the lyrics.  Well, they fit, even if you are too young to know the song.

Of course, some signs make you think a little more than others.  And you were worried about Coronavirus.  Wanna trade?  Actually, there have not been any recent outbreaks of Ebola around here.  Then again, that may have something to do with the campaign that brought about the posting of the sign.  "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," right?

Speaking of prevention, for a number of years the Church has been quite involved in a campaign to vaccinate children in Africa against polio.  That disease is still a problem here, and immunizations in general are not what they should be.  This sign is part of the campaign to change all that.  If you look at the bottom of the sign you can see sponsoring organizations such as the Ghanaian Health Service, unicef, the Rotary Club, and I am glad to say, The Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter-day Saints.

Sometimes, we come across some signs with unclear meanings.  "Who Knows Tomorrow."  ???

This isn't a sign, of course, but I wanted to mention that it is Harmattan when the hot, dry, dusty winds blow off the Sahara and into West Africa.  Not only is visibility quite poor right now, it is downright hard to breathe!  Sometimes I can feel the grit in my mouth, and everything is coated with it.

This sign looked very familiar to me.  😁  It is used for making batic cloth.  Go Cougs!

Again, not a picture of a sign.  But, we are missionaries.  This is a baptismal font for one of our meetinghouses.  They are not all outside like this.  Recently we attended the baptism of a young man that we know (at another meetinghouse with an indoor font - but this is the only picture of a font that I have).  When we arrived we were pleased to discover that he was not the only one being baptized that day.  In addition, there was a girl from a Latter-day Saint family, and two other adult men.  Three converts and a young lady who had been raised in the Church.  Another young man who we did not know, came in and sat with us.  He was clearly new and we were able to be of some assistance to him, I think.  I do not know if there were other visitors present, but it would not be surprising; here in West Africa the work of Christ prospers, and His Church grows.  It is an exciting thing to see.

Elder Emfield

Monkeying Around

Just so you didn't think you have been deceived all your life, I thought I would show you that Africa does, indeed, have monkeys.

And while we are discussing that branch of the animal kingdom, here are some baboons.  What is interesting is that the building in the picture is a school.  Now school was out on holiday at the time, so none of the kids were there.  From what I was told the baboons are not afraid of children and there are places where they will knock them down and take what they have if they want it.

How about mixing the old and the new.  Here we have traditional huts and concrete blocks.

We got a ride in a van that carried this first aid kit.  We thought we would take a picture for those who have not been to Ghana.  This is a very religious country and the people express their beliefs in all aspects of life.  As you can see here, businesses and products are given religious names.  I think we can safely say that the owner of the company that manufactured this kit was a Christian.

Elder Emfield

On Safari 2

Hello again.  Further Safari pics.  Would it surprise you to know that male warthogs don't always get along?  Well, as this picture shows, they don't.  We were quite close to the action but well protected in our Land Cruiser.  There were many times that we were quite grateful for it.  It took us through rough terrain, saved us much walking, and protected us from some circumstances that had the potential to be unhealthful.  But when these two went at it they didn't get too serious about it and soon pulled apart without drawing any blood.  Our guide told us that they eat their young and so the mama warthogs have to find safe places for the little ones.  He also said that even the mamas will eat the young if food gets to be in too short of a supply.  Wonderful parents warthogs, huh.

This elephant is getting a tasty bite to eat.  They are wasteful eaters, though.  We saw many trees pushed down, broken off at the roots and dying that were the result of elephants going after the leaves they desired.  The haze in the picture is smoke from the fires set to burn off scrub.

We had breakfast next to this lovely, calm little pond several times.  Anyone for a morning swim?  You can even swim over to that nice log in the center of the picture.  Of course, if you look a little closer, you will see the eyes protruding from the water on the right side of the "log."  This is a Nile Crocodile and he was very well concealed, which is why he gets enough to eat.  The photo was taken from about 20 yards, which is probably the closest I ever want to get to one in the wild.

This elephant kept coming around the lodge where we were staying.  In the immediate foreground is a rock wall.  That wall encircled an artificial waterfall used to beautify the entrance, which lay just off the right side of the picture.  This elephant would come in at night and drink from the waterfall, sometimes coming back to do so early in the morning.  We stood out there one night and listened to him break off foliage - branches I think - about fifty yards from us, and then chow down on them.  Each night when we finished dinner, a member of the staff was sent to accompany us back to our tent/cabin (It was kind of a cross between both.) with a lantern.  That was a nice way to see that we didn't stumble in the dark.  But I suspected there was more to it than that.  The staff knew how to keep us safe from wildlife that might wander onto the lodge grounds (which happens) and always carried walkie-talkies, reporting in when we arrived at our accommodations.

We have had some beautiful sunsets in West Africa.  The smoke and Sahara dust make this possible.  Here is an example of the sun setting behind the bush foliage in Mole National Park.

We do enjoy nature here.

Elder Emfield

On Safari 1

We recently took a few days off and used the opportunity to go on safari.  It is always nice to get out of the city and away for a few days.  But this was incredible!  The picture below was taken from where we stayed looking out over the area that we visited on safari.  As usual, captions will be posted below the pictures.

If you are wondering about the haze, it is not mist.  It is smoke from fires set to clear the brush.  Hunters (including poachers) do it, but so do the rangers.  It both flushes out wildlife and lets new sprouts come up.  The wildlife loves to eat the new sprouts and hunters lie in wait for them when they come to eat.  The rangers do it in the national park because it clears places so that the wildlife can be seen, but more importantly, when the new sprouts come up the wildlife come there to eat and thus stay in the park where it is easier to protect them.  If no burning is done in the park, many animals will go searching outside of it for the new sprouts and be killed by the hunters.  Again, some of that is sanctioned and not a problem, but many are poachers and that is.  In this photo, if you look carefully, you can see some antelope just left of the center of the picture (There are three in almost an exact straight line - the top one is standing between two trees, and the other two are down and closer to the center of the picture.)  and two warthogs.  The latter are just a bit past half way up the picture and half way between the center of the picture and the right hand edge.  They are dark in color, and walking in line toward the center of the photo.  The lead one has a bush just below him.

This is our driver on the left, and our guide (a ranger) on the right.  The guides carry the rifles (powerful enough to stop an elephant!) to scare off animals that menace those on safari (They fire them in the air.) and if absolutely necessary to bring down an animal that will not be persuaded.  He gave me the impression that the latter is almost never necessary.

Our guide again.  We road in Toyota Land Cruisers such as the one behind him.

They certainly have termites in Ghana!  This is one of numerous termite mounds we saw.  It is taller than I am.  These are common in the bush, but not unheard of in the city, either.

I know this is what you were waiting for: elephants.  Here are three that came down to drink from the waterhole and to play in it, which they did later.  There are three: two walking side by side in front, and one following up behind.  The guide told us that there were crocodiles in these waterholes, but that they know better than messing with elephants.  All the other animals that came down to drink were very skittish, many not ever getting up enough courage to drink and leaving again while still thirsty.  We wondered if that was due to crocs, so we asked the guide and found out the answer.

One of the many varieties of antelope to be found in Mole National Park.  I believe this is a Cob.

Have to get a warthog in here!  This one (Pumba maybe?  I neglected to ask. LOL) is walking right through a human settlement, as you can tell by the background.  Much food available for them there and they were all over the place, mixing with the inhabitants without incident, even though they can be very dangerous.  Apparently, there is peaceful coexistence there because they have it so good.

I am going to finish with four vultures, sitting in a dead tree.  They were plentiful in the park.  Beautiful birds when in flight, unless of course they are circling above you, I suppose.  LOL  But we didn't have that experience.

We would astounded by the plentiful wildlife in the park and by the opportunity to be among so much beauty created for us by God.  More to come,

Elder Emfield

Baboons

Captions are below the pictures that follow.

Some weeks ago we were invited to a meeting that was being held away from the city on the shores of Lake Volta, one of the largest man made lakes in the world.  On the way we traveled through baboon country and came across two troops while driving,  In each case we stopped to feed, observe and photograph them.  It was so much fun.  This is the first time I have seen them in the wild.  At the first stop the troop virtually surrounded us.  They were on both our right and left hand sides, and one climbed up on top of the car!  This is a picture of one that was on our left, in the road, but if you look ahead of him there is the shadow of another.  That is the one that was on the roof of the car.



At each stop most of the troop remained on the right side, near the bush.  In both troops there was an alpha male that took the majority of the food we threw from the vehicle.  And in the case of the second troop, he took it all!  Those who ventured too close were quickly chased away.  In the first troop the alpha male shared a little, both with the lesser males, and with the females and even with the little ones.



Some of the rest of the troop.  The picture wasn't really good because they were in the shade, but who can blame them?  Of course, if one has time to make the proper adjustments one can get a good picture in the shade.  We had to take the pictures rather quickly, as you may imagine.  Sooo.  Notice the baby on his mama's back.  The smaller ones are usually hanging on underneath.



This female was running along with us as we drove away from the first troop and toward the second.  She was one of those who had a baby hanging on beneath.



One of the alpha males stuffing his face with bread we threw out of the car.  Baboons are formidable creatures with large canine teeth that could be used to do serious damage to a human, if they wanted to.  Some troops do not have an ongoing relationship with humans, others do.  The two we met clearly did.  Adventurous Sister Emfield got out of the vehicle and took most of the photos.



We looked for more baboons on the return trip to Accra, but saw only one emerging from the bush.  It was afternoon and we suspected that most were staying out of the tropical sun.  It is interesting to note that this one is a different color than the others, which makes me wonder if he belongs to a different troop.

Of course, we are not here to watch wildlife, but to do the work of the Lord.  But, we do enjoy the opportunities when we get them.

Elder Emfield

Glimpses of the Countryside

Well, it has been too long since either of us blogged.  We have been busy but we are back!

Today, let's take a little (small, small to use the Ghanaian expression) look at the countryside.  It can be different than the urban areas we are most familiar with.  Please note that descriptions are below the pictures they go with.

Certainly many things remain the same, but many do not.  I have never seen this in the city.  So, what is it?  Animal poop?  A twig?  How about a curled up leaf?  None of the above.  This is a well camouflaged caterpillar.  Effective concealment as not only did it keep predators from noticing him, it kept any of us from sitting or stepping on him.  It just looked like the kind of thing you wouldn't want to get on you.

While this picture isn't as clear as I would like it to be, if you look carefully enough you can see that this is a hotel with an interesting name.  Not sure that I would like to stay there, though.  (Buggie Hotel)

The place we did stay during this trip out of the city had its own wildlife, as captured in this photo.  One of the employees said that when the place was built the peacocks just moved in all on their own and have stayed ever since.  We quite enjoyed them.

They were quite at home and didn't seem particularly frightened by humans.  They would walk right up to doors, on to walkways, etc.

If you want to catch a cheap ride, these are available in towns outside of the urban areas.  You do not see these in Accra, for example.

You can see the traditional grass huts in the villages, but alongside concrete or mud-brick buildings.  The people normally live in the concrete block structures.  The grass huts and even mud-brick buildings seem to be more outbuildings rather than homes, now-a-days.

Here are more of the grass huts.  Notice the foliage.  It is so green and beautiful in much of the country.

Here is another, but notice the concrete block building behind it.  If you don't have air-conditioning, though, I expect sitting in such a traditional enclosure is much more comfortable than in the block structures - at least in certain parts of the day.

Not an uncommon sight.  The average family does not have a car and so what a practical way to deal with the family's transportation needs.  Carrying things on the head is common to both rural and urban areas in Africa.

Here is a scene that is close to the same almost anywhere in the world.  Moving the herd across the road.  This can be seen in places in Accra, but is more at home in a rural setting.  Notice the up raised hands of the herdsman.  He is waving hello.

Beautiful flowers grow from the trees and bushes.

Everyone said this looked like Pride Rock from the Lion King.  Unfortunately, there were no lions to be seen, perhaps fortunately depending on how you look at it.

This seemed like a classic scene along the banks of an African river, and so it is.  But, how different things look in the city.  That is something that is basically true around the world.

Elder Emfield