GHANA, ACCRA WEST MISSION

WE ARE HERE….FINALLY !!!  Accra, Ghana is now our home for the next 12 months.  The jet lag was pretty severe as we flew out of Salt Lake on the “red eye” last Friday night.  Spent most of Saturday at JFK airport and then flew out on another evening flight….to arrive in Ghana at 8:00am Sunday morning.  No sleep for me for about 48 hours.  But that is in the past and here we are working hard…. trying to learn as much as we can because the couple we are replacing will be going home in just a few days. Sunday church was nice and very interesting as they sing really loud and have very beautiful voices. No organ or piano, just their singing voices. We have quickly discovered that although Ghana is an English-speaking country….that is their second language.  They prefer “TWI” and that is what they speak all the time to each other.  If they need to speak to us, they will use their English, which is not as easy to understand as we thought it would be.  But the locals speak better English than I speak “TWI”, so they know more than me.

We spent most of this week in training for our new assignments and responsibilities…. probably 12 hours a day. There is a lot to learn and so many missionaries coming and going. We were also able to attend our first zone conference, with 20 missionaries and the assistants. These Zone Conferences are held about every six weeks ….8 zones ….that is a lot of opportunities to see the whole mission.  These conferences are important as it gives all the missionaries some time to spend with the Mission President and his wife. They interview each missionary and get to know them the best they can.  We are there for support to help with the meals and finance stuff and anything else we can do to help. And it is just an awesome experience to be around these young people and see their excitement and enthusiasm and hope and faith.  Yes, missions are difficult....but very rewarding. This is the Lord’s work and they know that…. and they have a strong desire to do what they were sent to do.  With 170 missionaries, there will be some problems at times, but the vast majority of these missionaries are great people ….serving with dedication and obedience.  When I was in the MTC last week with the 1,000 or so missionaries, I said to Jill, “the future of the church is in good hands”.  I feel the same here in this mission.  We have great missionaries from what I have seen so far. 

The pictures below are showing some of the things we did this week…..attended church, did some work at the Area Office, attended a Zone Conference, and walked around a few of the markets.  I’ve also added a picture of the Mission Home and our “pool”.  Just like all cities around the world, there is some good and some bad.  Accra is a large city of about 3 million people.  We have seen some of the poorer parts of town, which is very sad.  The nicer parts of town are still not like we see in America, but there are some very nice restaurants here and the people are so humble, friendly, and very nice to be around. In general, they seem to be a very happy people.  We will definitely find out over the next twelve months one of life's lessons….that we don’t need material possessions to be happy.  Joseph Smith said, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it”.  That path, in my opinion, is following Jesus Christ and his teachings. It will be very easy for us to see why these people are so happy as we live here in Ghana. There is a very large percentage of the people that are Christian. We see billboards and rallies and t-shirts that are christian related. Their personalities, friendliness, their humble circumstances, and their simple way of living will most likely change Jill and I in a very profound way.  That is what we are hoping.  We want to follow the Savior, and we want to share the happiness we feel with all of those around us. “When Ye are in the service of your fellow being, you are only in the service of your God”.  Great quote from King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon.  And the happiness Joseph Smith was talking about was not just a momentary pleasure or shallow escape, which can be quickly forgotten or fade away.  He was talking about a deep and enduring happiness that comes from loving and serving others.   We don’t need money to be happy.  We just need to be doing good things and spreading peace and love and living the two great commandments…. “Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.   The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”.  Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if we only followed those two commandments?  Ghana is going to be an amazing experience, and we are ready to take it on.

Accra, Ghana Temple

Jill waiting to get her Non-Citizen card

The Area Offices right next to the Temple

Our first Zone Conference and all the Senior Couples in the mission

At least we are still smiling

This is how they sell their products all over town ….carry them on their heads

Cutest

This is how babies are carried

Missionaries pop into the office every day..... for one reason or another. We are the "hub" of the mission.

Central Market

These girls are tired after carrying their goods on their heads all day. They are sitting on their carriers.

Walking through the maze

Jill practicing the technique

The Mission Home..... 20 yards from the pool. We live two doors down.

Beautiful tree outside our home

And YES.... we have a pool very close to where we live... one minute away