Happy Holidays from Ghana

                                                        Thanksgiving 2014

           

    We had our second Ghana Thanksgiving, President & Sister Hill hosted it at their home.  We 

had all the normal "thanksgiving" food, and came home way to full.  There are way too many great cooks here! Fun to share the holidays with everyone.  This is the best part,.... dessert.

                  The Calls', Packs', & Parkes'

  

                      

                             Holiday "Road Trip" with some of our favorite missionaries! 
                                                Mole National Park & Tamale Ghana 

        

                                    The Gangs all here!   Gariba Lodge Tamale, Ghana 

                         The Packs', Calls', Watsons', Wildes', Cannons', & the Wades', 

   

                               At the Golden Bean Hotel, Kumasi Ghana

    

    
              LauraBunga Mosque oldest mosque in Ghana

      

 

      This young man became my friend because he wanted me to pay for his schooling . :)

   

       A group of children who came to see what all the " obrunies" were doing walking around.

       Beautiful young girls at the mosque.

   

       

                                     Arriving at Mole National Park

             Our alarm kept going off....to baboons were on top of the car! 

         On our " nature " walk baboons...
    

     

         Our guide,  Richard

    

       Elephant footprint ...

       Standing in the footprint..huge!

    

    The second day we saw the elephant and it's baby at the watering hole!

   

    

  

                       From the " lookout"

                 Crossing the "White Volta" bridge, I love the colorful dresses!

                          

  

               Young girls crossing over the bridge..

                                       Second Christmas in Ghana 2014

       Loved the church video ,"He is The Gift". Remembering what Christmas is all about .

     

 Our second Christmas Day with the young missionaries at the MTC. There were 39 young       missionaries .

   

         Sweet ladies, Sister Kirkham & Sister Heid

    

    President Robison MTC President & Sister Wilde

    

   Elder & Sister Wilde as we were leaving, when one person wants a picture, 15 others join in! :)

    

    Same here, more and more keep coming. :)

   

     This sweet sister missionary wanted to have a picture with Elder Pack

    

    Elders from Madagascar, everyone of them are the only church members in their family.

    

                       Elders as they came in to join us.

    

   Two of the longest last names we have ever seen...I gave up trying to pronounce them.

        Try pronouncing this name! :)
    

                                  Cape Coast trip with the Cannons' & Parkes'

   Elmina Slave Castle.  We had visited the Cape Coast Slave Casle twice so we came to see this one.

   Such sad and depressing places.  The slave trade was so horrible .

    

  

   

    This is what's left of the docks where the ships came in to load up the slaves.

    

    

                              The view from up top of the fishing Villiage .

   

    We were so glad to be able to go down to Cape Coadt again, this time with the Cannons and the 

    Parkes .  To learn of the history of these poor slaves from those whose family could have been apart 

    of the trade.  We are amazed constantly of the humble circumstances the Ghanian have come from.

    This is a part of history which is hard to comprehend, the way other human beings treated each 

    other.  

    Again we are so thankful for our experiences here in Ghana , we have been very blessed and feel 

    our Heavenly Fathers presence with us each and every day.  We are not the only ones to have been

    blessed.  We can see the blessings of the Lords' hands in each of our children's lives as we have        

    been on our mission away from each of them. All these experiences have changed our lives forever.

    This has put a lot meaning to what is the most important "things" in our lives. 

    Hope your holidays were wonderful, and we hope 2015 is great to all .

This Is Our Life....Ghana

       Basket Weaver in Osu.  Such a nice guy, he learned from his grandma, and mother.  Has made baskets his whole life.  He showed me his book of pictures, he will customize one for you....wonder

If I will have room to take one home?...

          I saw some of the straw in a bowl as he was dying it, and laying it out to dry.

    This is actually a picture taken by Sister Bullock,  but it was so cute I had to share.  We see

    this each day too. Cute family they are lucky and privileged to go school. Each

    School has a different uniform for every day of the week.

    

                                             Another way to travel to work.

                           Huge coconuts! On the way to street-side vendors.

    

   

           A motorcyclist going by yelling, "ressurection" one Sunday afternoon.

    

              We see these horseback riders every once in a while going down the road.

    

      These cute little girls were at the church building in Adurajuri picking up the wood that wasn't 

    used in the renovation .  I told them I had a headache just looking at them.

                                       

 

      

   This lady is getting water from the well behind her.  Water is life and they are so grateful for clean drinking water. And so are we . These wells are such a blessing to the villages.

    

     Classic sight on the road.  Trees being transferred that have been carved into boats for the fishermen.  There are two goats tied on the top enjoying the ride.

    

           

      Trees that have not been carved yet.  Huge old trees..

    

     These cute little girls were watching us as we had pulled over to the side of the road waiting for someone to meet up with us.  They kept peeking around the corner so I went over to ask their mother if I could give them a sucker, and take a picture. So cute....

    

          Gifty Tagoe, Emmanuel , and Edwin Otto right before they all left on their missions to Nigeria.

    

   Gifty opening her mission call... She had to have Lynn read it for her. She was way too nervous.

  

                                 Our two good friends Gifty, and Selina Ayim

              Our friend Bright, he now lives in Takoradi. He was visiting the temple.

                    

            

            Alema Sunday night dinner group , such a great group of friends. We feel so blessed 

       to be with these wonderful people.

       

        Our dinner group with Dr. Logaan from China.  He has been in Ghana teaching for a year,

     And was baptized into the church in December before going home to China .

                " Days for Girls " an NGO service project for young girls in villages.

   After talking to Alexa (my daughter in law) she said they had just had a service project

   at church for this same project. :) It has come full circle!

         Sister Cannon and me.. It was quite hot in here!

           Donated fabric...just a small part of it.

   

       This lovely lady is Bernice, she is the one that started this project.  Bernice is a wonderful 

       Seamstress with a small business who sews for a lot of the missionaries .  In her "free time" 

       She serves a lot of people in so many ways.  She travels to different villages and teaches about

       Hygiene, and being chaste to the women and girls.  Sweetest lady around.

     Love these wonderful ladies!!

    

 

   And so another post is complete .  As I say each and every time I am so grateful for my ( our )

   many blessings and the opportunities to serve others .  May the Lords blessing be upon all of you!