4-10 July 2016

This week President Brubaker and I decided to go to Korfidua to the bead market.  On the highway we passed several of these pedestrian overpasses that have been built, but with no funds to finish them with steps up to the overpasses. So they just sit there and pedestrians have to run across the highway and climb over the median.

We stopped at this cocoa farm on the way. This is
the original cocoa farm established by Tettah
Quashie who brought the original beans from
the Ivory Coast. At one time, Ghana was the
world's largest cocoa exporter.

One of the two original trees.  The trees don't get
larger, they just add additional trunks.

The pods just grow out of the trunk or on branches.

This is s ripe pod. The tool to cut the
pod loose is in the picture.

The pod has been cut and it's falling
to the ground.

The raw beans are white and covered with a soft,
sweet covering.

The beans are removed from the pods and piled
on these leaves.

The beans are covered with leaves and left to
ferment for seven days.

After seven days they are removed and dried.
These are the final beans.

With the beans opened, the nib is removed and
ground to make cocoa.

As we were standing by the car these kids from the
school across the road started yelling,"O...bru...ni.
O...bru...ni". Obruni is the Twi word for white man.

We laughed and waved at them and they started
waving back.

They know how to pose at a very early age.

Then they ran across the road and just crowded
around us.

Really cute kids. 

A great opportunity for some cute candid shots.

She was the smallest and a little doll. She's unusual
because her hair is so long. Usually both boys and girls
have short hair.

We stopped at a little roadside store selling
typical Ghanaian kitchen tools. The large paddles
are for making Banku, a mixture of cornmeal
and cassava. The little sticks on the black pottery
dishes are teeth sticks. They are used for cleaning
your teeth.

Brooms for sweeping your floor.

Roadside stands with bagged Gari - another
cassava product.

I can't imagine who would need a coat like these,
but they are for sale.

We got to the bead market and there are literally
thousands of beads for sale. 

Beads, beads, everywhere.

The last time we were here, this giraffe
was natural wood. It stands about 12 feet
tall.

On the way home we stopped at a craft market
that is known for wood carving. You don't often
see red, white and blue elephants.

I thought I'd show some pictures from the MTC this week.  This kitchen prepares three meals a day for over 100 people.

Missionaries getting their lunch.

This a shot down the sister's apartment hall.

And a look at the classroom hall.

We have about 10 teaching stations like this. one
room for each district of 8-12 missionaries.

This the elder's apartment hall.  More elder's,
more apartments.

The elders are six to a room. the sisters are four to
a room.

Each elders room has three of these closet/desk
combinations. Kind of a Spartan environment.

Once each week the MTC staff washes the missionaries
clothes.  This is the smaller of the laundry rooms.
The other laundry is full of huge washers and dryers.

Paula arrived at Andy and Julia's home in
Maryland last Saturday and she's
been in the middle of moving as they moved
into a new home this week. Brad and
Thomas and Heather, Matthew and
Averie drove from North Carolina to
help.  They spent one day at the lake.

The new backyard.

A view from the front of the house.

Abby and Miriam are enjoying the
new carpet.