25 April to 1 May 2016

This is a rendering of what the new MTC will look like when it's finished.  We took a tour of it this week.  It won't be completed until after we leave, but it will be so nice to have it right next to the temple.  

Patrick, our MTC manager, was also with us on
the tour.

Of course we had to wear hard hats and mine was on backwards (I knew this but the inside was backwards, so the only way it would fit was to wear it backwards!)

See the temple in the background?

We went back to the Kente weaving place to pick up some fabric they had woven for Loel to have a tie made.  All their weavers were doing this blue fabric that was a special order from a Jeans West company in Australia.  They had ordered 3,574 strips of fabric, that were eight feet long each.  That's a lot of weaving!  The owner said he was looking for more weavers, but it's hard to find really good reliable ones.  

I wanted to buy one but it's all special
ordered.  

Another trip to the Tema market - these little boys
selling tomatoes turned out to be LDS. They were
on school break.

As you can see from the pictures we've posted of
the market. the aisles are really narrow.  There's
no way to get anything larger than a wheel barrow
through the aisles and the "floor" is so rough and
full of holes that it drives the need for a wheel barrow
even further. They modify these wheel barrows with
re-bar welded around the edge to keep it from bending
and then replacing the frame with heavy pipe. I've seen
them carrying loads that I would estimate at 200-300 pounds.

Live crabs.  They were crawling out of the bowl.
Passersby would pick them up and put them back
in the bowl.

Sticks that teachers and parents can use for caning
(hitting) their students or kids if they misbehave.
If you can name it, you can probably find it at the
market.

We took a P-day and drove past these huge loaves
of bread for sale at a stand. You can compare the
with the laundry basket.

We threw bananas to the baboons
on our way - they would eat the
banana and then carefully peel off
the inside of the skin and eat that, too.

Very picturesque fruit stands along the way.

Look at how they stack the fruit (mangoes here)
so beautifully.

They stack everything.

Chipping away at the cement for repair work.
Apparently OSHA doesn't exist in Ghana. No
safety glasses and no gloves.

We went to the Cedi Bead Factory on
our way - this is Mr. Cedi.  They make
these beads all by hand; it's an
amazing and time-consuming process.

Here's the clay oven they fire the beads in. The
ovens are made from the termite mounds.  The mounds
are excellent clay infused with a saliva that gives the
clay a special property that makes it excellent for ovens. 

The cleaning and buffing process, all by hand.
Just sand and water in a shallow hollow in a stone.

Lots of jeans for sale along a fence.

We decided our P-day had to be somewhere where
we weren't hot.  So we went to the Royal Senchi resort
and spent the afternoon in the pool, lounging, and
having lunch.  It was heavenly.

Lots of big lizards were running around beside
my lounge chair - colorful and about 6-8 inches
long.

Even Loel got into the relaxation . . .

My medicine cabinet in my office, now covered
with family pictures.  Our hope is that the medicine
will be hidden and the missionaries won't
always be asking for more pills if they can't
see them!  They still ask . . .

Thanks, family, for sending me the pictures!
I actually have loved showing everyone who comes
into my office my beautiful family.

I was able to serve as an escort to these
two sisters who went through the
temple for the first time.  You get
pretty close when you experience
this.

My latest new clothes - had them made - the top is a black lace.  I purchased the beads and bracelet to match the outfit.  I recently bought this basket to carry my Sunday things in - it's very nice and sturdy and works great.  I love the baskets, beads, and clothing here.


We had 22 BYU accounting and MPA students attend church with us today at the MTC.  They're here for a couple of weeks doing some special projects.  It was so odd to see so many white faces!  Especially girls' white faces!  There are no white sisters here at the MTC.  They loved our testimony meeting and our RS mtg - they were so touched by these African missionaries' and their commitment to the Gospel.  It was fun being able to answer their questions and share some of what we do here.  Their professors were so interested in everything and very nice.  There were some guys too, but I think the girls outnumbered
them about 2 to 1.