Thanksgiving in Ghana

It seems I don't do a good job of figuring out the order of these photos. I guess I should just do one photo at a time. Anyway, this is the preparation of the Thanksgiving pig roast. Elder Reynolds can give the details of the pig.
One of the Ghanaian elders cooked the soup and rice. This is my stove when he finished. It was delicious!
The elders brought their own drinks, but ate a whole pig, lots of rice and soup, pineapple and about 100 chocolate chip cookies.
More happy elders enjoying their version of Thanksgiving.
These elders are also from our zone. When we finished feeding them, eight more elders from Accra showed up, looking very hungry. They seemed to also find enough to eat.

Just some photos

We had zone conference on Tuesday, November 20th. I wanted a photo of our missionaries in our zone before transfers come next week. Those standing, except the elder on the left are our Koforidua Zone. The others just joined the photo at the last minute. I'm sure they are great elders also.

I've been wanting to get a photo of these tractor type vehicles we see as we pass through Medina on our way to Accra. I thought the little grandsons would enjoy seeing this.
These "birds" are always flying around in the trees when we come into Accra. Finally I got a photo.
Elder Reynolds' attempt to burn the garbage in our backyard. He found things are too humid around here to burn. We'll have to wait for them to dry even more or dig a hole and bury everything.
We started to follow this truck down the mountain road to Accra. We decided there was a very good chance he might spill his load on one of the sharp turns, so we managed to get around him before reaching that area. The trucks here are so overloaded that many of them simply fall over.
Just another of those tractor type vehicles.
Now for the "birds" in the trees. They are really huge fruit bats that fly around and also hang in the trees. Look closely and you will see how many are hanging there.

Koforidua is known for all the flowering trees and bushes. These green bushes in my yard have just come out in bloom. So are all the trees. They are beautiful. Sorry for those of you who are now enjoying snow. (But I do miss the snow, too.)

Our week

Last week we were out near Osiem with two local church members. We went to visit some people who live up a very bumpy road. While we were there, they gave us the "nuts" and also a bag of oranges from their tree. We have a juicer that was left by another couple, so we decided to try fresh orange juice. It is the only way to go! We plan to go back and BUY some oranges so we can do it again. The amount in our two glasses would cost about 30 cents. The fruit here is wonderful.
On another walk through the bush, we met a man taking care of his yard. We stopped for some small talk and then he insisted on giving us three papaya from his tree. We gave one to the young man who was with us and took the other two home. These are indeed papaya, not watermelons. They were very good.
Elder Max decided to buy a cutlasse in case we have a place in the road where a tree has fallen and we need to get by. The locals use these to cut their grass and clear their land on their farms. This photo is of a test run. He actually went out today and cut quite an area with the cutlasse. It seems to work better than the lawn mower. At least it doesn't break the water line.

Ghana Temple

I took these photos while we were staying at the patron building on the temple grounds. It was nice to walk outside every morning and see the temple right next to your building.
The grounds are beautiful with palms and flowers. It is really the most impressive site in Accra. It is located on the main road through Accra, so many people pass by it every day.
I love all the flowers here. I was trying to convince Elder Max that some of our weeds from home were growing here with flowers on them. They probably aren't the same thing, but everything here grows so easily.

Odds and Ends

There is life ahead after all for Elder Reynolds in Ghana. He found this fishing pole at a members house. Now he is looking forward to going with this man to the river to catch a BIG fish.

I enjoy watching the roosters around here. They have such personality. Max likes to look at their feathers for tying flies.
This church member was drying her cocoa beans. They had fermented for the seven days and now she was letting them dry. They smelled terrible.
This little girl had seen me taking photos at the school. She wanted to be in a photo too.
These three children followed us for several hours as we went to see people. Their dad had walked along with us, so they joined the group. They were so interested in our white skin. They kept trying to touch our arms and legs.

Cute little chicks.
Typical of the places where we meet members and teach.
Another rooster
These snails are all over our yard. We learned that several members of the church raise them, so Max has started catching them and transporting them to a new home. The people here like to eat them. I don't think we'll try that.

Some older photos

We were out in the bush by Osiem when we met this member of the church. She wanted me to see her cocoa trees. The fruit was getting ripe.
Her son also wanted to have his photo taken. It really isn't dark, just back in the trees.
This is her yard. The place is swept clean every day. It is surrounded by what we would call jungle and is such a beautiful place.
This man is named Onward. He is a teacher and a member of the church. He has been so helpful to us in finding members homes and helping us with the language barriers. He is a great friend.

In the city we have regular gas stations, but outside the cities you find gas stations like these. In the background you can see one of the big trees I like so much. They are so straight and tall. Note the guys sleeping under the truck.
This little butterfly is for Kaylia. I think she would love seeing the animals here.
This little guy hopped off the grass and onto the driveway. He looked exactly like a blade of grass.....and he could really HOP.

I thought Joshua would enjoy this photo. All the vehicles have signs like this on them. The little shops are also named after something religious. Some are very nice and some are a bit humorous.
This guy held still long enough for me to get his photo taken. I'm glad he is too big to find his way into my house.
Here is another sign on the back of a truck. We are also for the Lord.

First Week in November

Last monday Sister Boateng came to teach me how to cook some of the local foods. We first went to the market, which was an adventure in itself. She was so nice to spend about four hours in my hot kitchen. I mostly just watched and she did all the work. We made "red rice", fried chicken and fried plantain. It was all very good and we are happy to be able to make it for the elders when they come to eat.
She often cooks for funerals, which often means cooking for 1000 people. She also cooks the food we eat at zone conferences, so she is a professional.
Expect me to make some of it for you when I get home, but it probably won't taste like hers.

This is a tiny frog we found in our room the other night. He was clinging to the wall at first, but when I got my camera, he jumped to the floor. You can see why I worry about stepping on them. They look like the floor.
This young man is Jackson Adjei. He was leaving the next week for a mission to Nigeria. He has been helpful to us in finding the people in the branch. He also earned some money by cutting down the growth in our backyard. He will make a great missionary.

These are the nuts someone gave us. They grown in a green prickley looking pod on a tree. Who knows what they are? They taste like a pine nut or a potato

School at Maase

This week when we went to see the people at Maase, the children at the school were so happy to see us. They followed us to the edge of the schoolyard. When I came back up the path, I took some photos. They would scream and jump up and down when they would see the photo. They aren't grandchildren, but they help with being without ours. Their faces say it all.
In Ghana, Mary's lamb doesn't follow her to school. It is more likely a goat.