A Good Week

Since I wrote earlier about our being able to attend the temple, I decided to include a picture of it.

There are so many different flowers, shrubs and trees here in Accra and most of them I have never seen before. As we go about our day, I notice them a lot, and it helps me to focus on something other than the poverty.

This is how the homes and apartments are enclosed and their is a gatekeeper or security person at all times who stays in a room next to the gate. (most of the people don't have this however.) Some homes are very nice and the security people wear uniforms. This happens to be at our Mission Office.

These are a few unique features in our humble abode, which I quickly add, are much appreciated. Toliets flush on the right side which took a little getting use to.

These next ones are pictures from our office: This is where we sort the mail for the missionaries;

This is us with Paul who takes care of any problems that may come up with the missionaries apartments, also finding new apartments and their furnishings,and much more. He has been a great help. He recently got married.

The AP Elders (Assistants to the mission president) are Elder Mudenga , who is going home to Zimbabwah(sp) in a week, and Elder Christiansen have been such a great help to us.

Elder Wiley and Elder Asay (I forgot to take a picture) are also such a great help to us. We had a special experience with them on Saturday, when after our shopping for groceries we stopped by the office because they wanted us to have our first try of FuFu. This is a main staple among the Ghanians and is made of cassava and green plaintain. It is an art, the Elders tell us, to watch how the FuFu is made and it sounds like it as they described the process. I enjoyed the fish soup part of it the best, as the FuFu is too starchy for me, but they said I don't eat it the right way because it is supposed to be swallowed rather than chewed. We didn't eat too much, as it was a lot, which turned to be a blessing. A man had come into the office and the Elders found out that he had just been released from a 21/2 year prison term. He was on his way home to Kumasi, which was a long way from Accra, when he stopped by the temple grounds and was directed to our office. We were able to give him the FuFu and some soap so he could wash his clothes and himself. Elder Wiles taught him of who he was and how God is mindful of him, and had a good feeling about the heart of this man. I have prayed for miracles for this man on his long journey home. These young missionaries are exceptional here, and they are going to have a great responsibility teaching the 18 year old missionaries that will be coming. There are 57,000 missionaries now and the church projects it will increase to 90,000 and then level off to 75,000. The Ghana mission will have an increase of 50 missionaries, so we are going to be very busy preparing for them.

President and Sister Judd are great people and I want to record one of the great responsibilities he has and the miracle that comes with it. He will be going to a village on Sunday to council with a tribal chief that will not allow the missionaries to come to his area. Yesterday he and his wife were at the hospital taking care of a missionary that was having an eye problem. While he waited he saw a man there in the waiting room and, as good missionaries do, he struck up a conversation with him. The man said he was from the very village Pres. Judd is going to on Sunday. and when Pres. Judd said he was going there, the man asked him why. Pres. Judd said he was going to meet with the chief of the village and the young man said he was the son of that very chief. Now that certainly is no coincidence. The Lord's hand is definitely in this work and I feel He is hastening His work. It is wonderful to be a part of it all.

For my grandson Davin. Peanut butter is called ground nut paste and peanuts are called ground nuts. You figure out why they call it that. Also a can of something, like a can of soup, is called a tin.

With love,

The Averys