We are in for the ride of our lives!

I have never been one who likes the rides that you experience in places like Lagoon. Yet, here I am in the mission field about to experience a 'ride' that will challenge even the most avid amusement park enthusiasist. With the new missionaries staying only 12 days instead of 19 days in the MTC, more missionaries coming that going, apartments to find and get furnished for the missionaries; well, it would take too many words to try to describe.  I guess I have only one choice, and that is, to enjoy the ride. It may require a seat belt and even a helmet, but I look forward to how it finishes.

Yesterday, Sister Judd and I went to Macola Market to buy material for curtains. You have not experienced life to its fullest until you have experienced such a place. I don't say that negatively at all, it is just something that I can't describe and would challenge the greatest author to put what we saw there into words.There was shop after shop crowded into narrow alleys that twisted and turned, with everything and anything imaginable. I was surprised to see that if one "shop" did not have what you wanted, they took you to another one to see if they had what you wanted. There was not competition between them and they were happy about helping us. I have never seen such a beautiful selection of material, and not all of it is the African print either. One shop owner says it comes from Italy. Sister Judd and I bought 24 yards of fabric, 54" wide, so we can start getting curtains made. I suggested that we make them very simple, without  hooks, but so a rod could be used instead, (it is hard to explain what I mean.) I will be able to help with this and it could be done so much quicker and be more durable as the way curtains are made to hang here is different than anything I have seen.
At this market we also saw some of the most beautiful machine embroidery done on clothing. This one man said that he has a designer for his embroidery work and I even understand that the embroidery has meaning to it or even tells a story. Anyway, it was a unique experience.

We had a missionary from Fiji that President Judd had to contact about the death of his father. He has a brother that is serving in South Africa also. He said he didn't want the other missionaries to know as he didn't want to be treated any different. He plans on staying and finishing his mission. That kind of committment is what we see very often here but thank goodness the death of a loved one very seldom happens as far as I know.

President Judd received an email yesterday from the Ghana MTC that the missionaries that were to arrive January 30 are coming a week early. He was already supposed to know this, but had not been notified, so this was certainly a blessing to get this email. The week they are coming is the week Elder Scott Grow, a Seventy, is coming to visit our missionaries and give instruction. Well President Judd was at least able to have them arrive one day later so that it would not interfer with Elder Grow's visit. Whew! Do you see a little more of what I meant about a ride at an amusement park.

We meet a young woman that attended the ward today that is a medical student from the Netherlands who is doing her internship at a hospital here for 3 months. She wanted to know if there is a institute group that she could attend and we were able to put her in touch with the right people that could help her. She also wanted to be able to do baptisms for the dead and we were able to have her talk with a temple worker. We have peole coming here quite often from other countries, either doing teaching or similar internships.

Well, I have to tell you about the chocolate chip thief before I close. The missionary couple we replaced were kind enough to leave a large bag of chocolate chips, the kind you can get at costco. They can be bought here but are very expensive and I don't see us buying them. I use them to make my hubby cookies once in a while for his sweet tooth. Well, I went to the freezer to get some frozen fruit to make a smoothie and had to search for the fruit. It was under the chocolate chip bag which was definitely out of place to how I organize things in our small freezer. That's when I discovered that the chocolate chip bag was not as full as I remembered it. Aha! I knew it could only be one person. I made him a chocolate cake today!

With love,
Sister Avery