11-17 April 2016

These two elders had lost both parents and were doing the temple work for them.  The elder next to Loel is from Sierra Leone and his parents were killed in the Liberian war when he was a baby.  A neighbor picked him up and started raising him with her family in a refuge camp in Sierra Leone.  An older couple adopted him.  He was able to do the work, with other's help, and we were proxy for his parents as they were sealed and then he was sealed to them.  It was a beautiful experience.  The elder next to me also was able to be sealed to his parents.  

Sister Stutz in the pink, got really close to Sister Amadu, who is in the MTC now, helping her prepare for her mission and becoming like a mom to her.  Here we are all at the temple and they had to say good-bye to each other.

Some cute kids from Cote d'Ivoire at the temple with their families.

At the Tema Market - it's become our favorite, but
only if Selasi goes with us so we don't get lost and
to help us find things and bargain.

Finding beads with Selasi's help.

They always stack up all their fruits and
vegetables beautifully.

And then next to the onions, you'll find a
jewelry booth.

And then purses, etc.

Checking out the fabric, which we often do and
usually always find some to buy.  We can't
resist as it's so cheap and pretty.

This time we walked through a whole sewing
section of the market.  Look closely at the sewing
 machine.  It's operated by a hand crank. 

Kitchen products.  We're used to cast iron pots,
but these are cast aluminum.

Shoes.

A high end fabric booth. One of the multitude of
religious slogans on businesses.

I bought some fabric here - it's the locally
made batik for $2 a yard.

Look at the variety of things for sale at this booth.
And this is just a part of the booth.

You can't believe the beads.

And the meat . . .  complete with a vendor with
a fly swatter.

And the little silver dried fish . . .

And the beans.

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This market is called the Cultural and Arts
Center - here the Brubakers are buying old
fabric from their favorite vendor.

A lot of this fabric is old, from
Cote d'Voire, dyed with indigo. 

More beads.

Sister Sanders, the two Accra missions' nurse
and the Bodines, another senior couple.  They
invited us to dinner at this very nice restaurant
that serves Mexican food only on Thursday
nights!  It was good!

I got these cute little chicken tacos.

Loel's delicious chicken quesadillas.

We finally used Sister Brubaker's fancy label
maker and labeled my medical cabinet.  Now
I really look like a doctor (as one of the elders
said to me).  

All labeled and organized - much easier now.

Some of our wonderful teachers, who are becoming such good friends.  Mavis' baby is due very soon.

Look at this hairdo.  They use these spongy twisty
things to put in their hair.  This was her hairstyle for
that particular day.

These are the Woods, a wonderful couple from New Zealand who are here training at the MTC for 5 days.  We have LOVED getting to know them - we've even role-played as an inactive couple for them in their training.  We weren't too hard on them.  They will be serving as Member Leader Support missionaries up north in the Ghana Kumasi Mission.  We want to keep in contact with each other.

Here's an excerpt from my journal on a devotional we had with Elder Stanfill, one of our area authorities this past week:

"He walked around the room and asked many missionaries where they wanted to serve and where they are going to be serving.  Many Africans said they wanted to serve in a different African country than where they were called.  One American elder said he had wanted to go to Germany and he's going to Liberia.  Elder Stanfill said to them, 'You are so blessed to serve here in Africa.  This is Africa's time.'  He repeated that many times.  He said Church Headquarters is so interested in what is happening here as the church is growing so fast.  In the past, it may have been South America's time or Europe's time, but now it's Africa's time.  The church is very young here - only 30 or so years.  Members are going to fill this land.  You get to be a part of that.  In Liberia, 60 missionaries are baptizing a ward a month."

As he spoke, I felt the Spirit so strongly and I knew, once again, that we were here  at an amazing time and it was our time to be here, just like it's Africa's time.