Ghana Be Serving

Akwaaba

2011-08-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

{"You are Welcome" Elder and Sister Saunders}

We're Home!

Saying Goodbye

2011-08-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Abakrampa surprised us with a farewell party. They gave us gifts and said sweet goodbyes. There were tears everywhere.

Moments before getting in the car to leave we took one last picture with the president and the Asay's, who replaced us.

Transitions

2011-07-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

President Sabey welcomes President Shulz to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. It never ceases to amaze me how smooth leadership transitions are in the church. No campaigning, no complaining, one graciously steps aside and wholeheartedly welcomes his replacement.

President and Sister Shulz, the assistants, Elder Mackay and Elder Adams, and Sister and President Sabey. One last photo before we drove the Sabeys to Accra to catch their flight to Colorado and family and friends who have been waiting 3 years for their return!

Our one and only picture with just us and the Sabeys! We love them and will be forever grateful for their incredible example, love, and friendship.

Good Day!

2011-06-30T01:13:00.000-07:00

The last Monday before the Sabey's left we had a special zone conference with 6 of the 9 zones in our mission. The other 3 zones had met together the previous Monday in Kumasi. President and Sister Sabey gave their farewell talks (yes I was in tears the entire time). After the meeting we had a very good lunch and then went to a soccer match!

We rented a soccer stadium in Cape Coast and had a football (soccer) tournament. President Sabey was the ref and the rest of us watched. Elder Akoki who went home to the Ivory Coast a few transfers ago travelled back to Cape Coast for the Sabey's final zone conference. It was wonderful to see him again. He said he wasn't missing wearing a white shirt and tie while watching a ballgame in the hot sun...but I'm sure he really was! :)

Good council...good food...good company...good fun...good day!

The Faithful People of Bibiani

2011-06-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is a story of faith and perserverence. Bibiani is a community where several non-members meet to hold church. They are not allowed to be baptized because they are far from any church presence. They faithfully read their scriptures, pay tithing, and many other donations. They meet together every Sunday in this old building. They fast and pray quite frequently that the LDS church will come there and allow them to be baptized.

Here the youth of the Bibiani congreation meet outside for a combined primary and junior sunday school lesson. The day we attended they had over 50 people at church. They have had over a 100 people in the past but since they cannot be baptized some eventually loose interest. On the day President Sabey left the mission he requested permission from the Area Presidency to baptize these faithful people and send missionaries to Bibiani.

Here we are with some of the faithful after our visit. The man on the far left "Brother Turkson" watches over the little flock and keeps them hoping for the glorious day. These are very spiritual and faithful people who truly deserve to be baptized into the Lord's church.

Saying Good-Bye

2011-06-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Our hardest Temple Trip yet. We not only had to say good-bye to some of our dearest missionaries but also to our dearest friends, Jani and Michael Lamb. We loved serving with them and look forward to seeing them when we return.

The "last supper" with Elder Akoki, Elder Nathanial, and Elder and Sister Lamb.

Special Friends

2011-05-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sister Saunders with her fellow missionaries and dearest friends, Sister Sabey and Sister Lamb in their African dresses. This was taken the morning of Sister Lambs departure.

Some volunteers from Utah joined us for church in Abakramba. Alex, Rosalind, Meghan and Rachel. Meghan called us a few days before their arrival. It didn't take long for them to become dear friends. Along with two of their husbands they are working in a local hospital and orphanage for the summer. We admire their willingness to serve and desire to make a difference.

Another Abakrampa Baptism

2011-05-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here we are with Elder Joseph and Elder Smith after their last baptism of their mission. They both left to go home three days later. They were wonderful missionaries and were loved by the people of Abakrampa. We will miss them. Victoria & David who learned of the gospel from their neighbors, and eagerly accepted the baptismal challenge from Elder Smith and Elder Joseph.

Elder and Sister Saunders with the 14 candidates and 1 child of record from Abakrampa right before their baptism. When we first arrived in Abakrampa 20 months ago the average attendance for Sacrament meeting was 60 people. We now average over 100 people attending every Sunday. We have had as many as 130 in attendance!

Margaret Saunders Thompson

2011-05-18T04:57:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Isaac Thompson, one of the guards at the mission office shared with us the news of the birth of his fourth daughter. A few days later he surprised us by announcing that they had named her Margaret Saunders Thompson! Today he brought her into the office to show her off. She is absolutely adorable!

Sister Sabey and I with our "namesake". Margaret's fante name is Adwoa Sabey Thompson.

Sister Saunders, little Margaret, Isaac, his wife, Pat and their third daughter, Dinah. I'm almost positive I will never have another baby named after me so I'm just enjoying the moment!

Abakrampa Temple Trip

2011-05-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

The Abakrampa Branch left at 4:00 am to make the journey to Accra to do temple work. We had 18 youth come to do baptisms for the dead and 3 families were sealed to deceased parents/spouses. We were grateful we could share this experience with them.

To come to the temple not only means getting up early and travelling for 4-5 hours. It also means packing food and supplies to feed everyone.

Elder Saunders and I found it humorous that they hired the Calvary Charismatic Centre Bus to transport them to the LDS Temple. We love the members of the Abakrampa Branch!

P-Day Fufu Party

2011-05-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

For our zone p-day activity the elders wanted to make (and eat) fufu. Sister Saunders is "blending" the onions for the ground-nut soup.

The elders took turns pounding fufu. It literally took all day to prepare enough fufu for our entire zone.

But it seems to be worth all the time and back-breaking labor. The elders love fufu! I must admit Elder Smith's chicken ground-nut soup was some of the best I have had in Ghana.

I snuck in a couple spoons for Elder Saunders and I. We have lived in Ghana for over 19 months and we still can't get use to eating soup with our fingers.

Some of the Elders in our zone enjoying the "fruits" of their labors.

Elder Bahme, Elder Adams, and Elder MacKay were the hardest workers and the last to eat. By the time it was there turn we had ran out of bowls. Sharing the pot was just fine by them.

Bath Time

2011-04-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

There are a few things we see every day on the streets of Cape Coast that are simply endearing, bath time is one of them.

After I took the pictures, Dave asked, is it a boy or girl? No idea, but I do know he or she is clean!!

Departing Missionaries

2011-04-20T02:08:00.000-07:00

Every six weeks we go to Accra to attend the temple and bid farewell to our departing missionaries. These four missionaries flights were delayed an extra day. So Wednesday morning we said our final goodbyes before we headed back to Cape Coast to Elder Kamara from Sierra Leone, Elder Wolfgramm from USA, and Elder Yapo and Elder Vanie from Corte d'Ivoire.

Elder Saunders presented Elder Kamara with a special certificate he made for him.

On Tuesday we said goodbye to two more of our sweet sister missionaries, Sister Izidor and Sister Awuna both from Nigeria. We love our missionaries!

The Buzz

2011-04-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

After 18 months of sweating Elder Saunders finally said, "Enough, shave it all off!"

Antoinette, our hairdresser in Accra, buzzed off all of Elder Saunders beautiful gray hair!

AHHH...cool at last!

Growing in Members, Love, and Unity

2011-04-16T02:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are with the newest members of the Abakrampa Branch. Don't worry we aren't baptising them younger than 8. The little girl by Sister Saunders just happened to be wearing white and snuck into the picture right before it was taken.

Elder Smith and Elder Joseph with the new converts. Yep, the Elders serving in the Abakrampa Branch right now are none other than...Joseph and Smith!!

This is the crowd from Apakrampa that came to witness the baptism. Once again we loaded up the van twice. The first time we transported 23 members (in a van that's made to fit 15) and the second trip we brought 33 more! The unity and love in our little branch continues to grow with the numbers! For 2009 we averaged 65 in attendance at Sacrament meeting. In 2010 it was 75.97 and so far this year we have averaged 96.62 members. Sunday we had 130 members in Sacrament meeting, our all time record! We must give credit to the full-time elders and church service missionaries for the amazing growth in numbers and spirit!

Goodbye...Hello...Goodbye

2011-04-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye to Elder Woodhouse in February 2010. Dave could barely hold back the tears.

Saying "Hello" to now, Kyle Woodhouse when he returned with his parents for a visit. It was so good to see him again and to meet his wonderful parents.

Hey look, for the first time Elder Saunders is taller than Elder Woodhouse! The visit went by so fast, too soon it was time to say goodbye again. We are so grateful for the amazing missionaries we have worked with. We will always love them!

PROOF

2011-04-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

English really is the "official" language of Ghana and here's a billboard that proves it!

We have seen these billboards, different pictures same words, all over Cape Coast! Every time we see another one we can't help but smile!

To the Farm

2011-03-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

For a service project we drove 10 elders to a recent convert's farm in Nyamedom to weed! I wonder if there is a law against giving machetes to missionaries!

Weeding in Africa means getting a sharp machete and whacking down everything but the tree! John Mensah worked hard keeping them sharp by using a rock and little "bowl" of water.

Elder Saunders worked till he had blisters on his hands and was so wet from sweat, I thought someone had poured a bucket of water over him.

Sister Saunders took pictures and waited on a log with the other "Margaret" and her children, Emmanuel and Diana.

The Elders take a quick break to "drink" an orange. They cut the top off of the "yellow" orange and just squeeze the juice into their mouths.

Elder Smith from Ghana shows us how to uproot a cassava plant used in making fufu.

While walking out of the jungle, Elder Togaga'e from Samoa spotted a coconut tree and up he went!

Walking back to the van eating coconuts and oranges. I was surprised Elder Saunders had enough energy to walk back to the van, let alone eat coconut at the same time!

The Wedding

2011-03-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

On February 26th 2011 Patrick and Charlotte were married by President Sabey at the Takoradi Stake Center.

Charlotte's Grandmother, sister, little brother, and mother. Like at home, family dresses in their finest for the celebration.

Sunday the newlyweds came over to our apartment for dinner. We then went to theirs where we watched them open their gifts.

On Tuesday, the 1st of March we went with them to the Accra Temple to witness their sealing. Because a temple marriage is not recognized by the country as a legal marriage, the church gives couples two weeks after the civil ceremony to go to the temple for the sealing. If they do not make the trip to the temple within the 2 weeks they must wait the normal 1 year to be sealed. The wedding was beautiful but nothing compares with the beauty of the Temple and being sealed for time and all eternity!

The Engagement

2011-03-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

On February 25 we had the privilege of accompanying our dear friend Patrick to Takoradi for his "engagement". Due to culture and tradition, marriages are a little different than in the US. Before the engagement can be official the two families negotiate a "bride price". Before the wedding can take place the families meet together to pay the price and make the engagement official.

After the family accepts the "gifts" Patrick places the ring on Charlotte's finger and it is official!

We love Patrick and Charlotte and are so happy for them. The Church discourages the traditions of the "bride price". Hopefully the time will soon come that members of the church will no longer have the stress of coming up with large amounts of money to pay to the bride's family before they can marry and begin their own family.

Lovin' the Missionaries!

2011-03-01T04:21:00.000-08:00

There are many things we love about our mission. The list would be long but for certain the number one slot would go to the awesome missionaries we get to serve with. These are pictures of just a few of the 130 missionaries that we have come to love. We recently received word that our mission is going to grow to 168 missionaries in the near future. Bring 'em on!!

This is a picture we took of our Zone on P-Day to wish President Sabey a Happy 60th Birthday! We love being a part of the Cape Coast Zone. It changes a bit every 6 weeks which gives us the opportunity to get to know and love more of our missionaries.

Elder Banda from South Africa and Elder Eldredge from Idaho just live up the street from the office. So we are lucky to have them drop in occasionally on their way to or from their area. "Drop-ins" from missionaries are some of our favorite times of the day!

The African missionaries love taking pictures in front of our car. We joined them for this picture after a special zone conference with visiting authorities. We are with Elder Owusu and Sister Afrani from Ghana, and Elder Fairbanks and Elder Thacker from Utah.

Once a month all the zone leaders come to Cape Coast for Zone Council. Two of our favorite zone leaders (oh alright we love 'em all the same) are Elder Mackay from Nevada and Elder Christensen from Utah. Our missionaries are the best of the best. We consider it a privilege and honour to serve with them in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission!

Saturday Memories

2011-02-19T03:48:00.000-08:00

Once a month on a Saturday (our p-day) we go to Pra-Awusi for the afternoon. We sit and visit with Francis under their cashew tree, hoping to feel a cool breeze.

We hand out candy to the children.

We take pictures of the beautiful children.

We dine with our dear friends, Alice and Francis. She prepares us fufu, light soup, rice, fried plantains and ground nuts for our dining pleasure! ;)

After dinner I sit in her humble home and help Alice bag her 40 loafs of bread, that she will later sell. She than sends us home with any left overs, bread for the week, and oranges to squeeze for juice. A day of good friends, good food (sort-of), and good memories!

Teaching and Baptizing

2011-02-07T03:42:00.000-08:00

We have been driving the Abakrampa Elders (Meinzer and Smith) to a nearby village to teach the son of a member of our branch. As soon as we arrived, Benard would set the chairs up under this tree and nearby children would quickly climb the tree and listen to the discussion. We have enjoyed working with the Elders in teaching investigators for our branch.

Elder Smith and Elder Meinzer with the newest members of the Abakrampa Branch.

We love missionary work! For some reason, many Africans do not smile for pictures but believe me they are happy!

This and That

2011-01-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

This is the road to a little village called Apaakrom. We make the 30 minute drive on this dirt road 1-2 times a week to visit a family from our branch. Currently we are in the harmattan season. It looks like fog but in reality, it is a dry, dusty wind from the Sahara. The thick dust obscures the sun and covers everything with a fine dust (inside and outside). Our days are still hot but now very dry and hazy.

On January 13th we said good bye to our dear friends and fellow missionaries, Sister and Elder Kiffer. They headed back to Alaska after a job well done. We love them and will miss them!

Our Ghanaian son, Patrick and his finance' Charlotte entering their soon to be first home together. It is a small apartment with 2 small rooms and no running water. But they are grateful they were able to find a place they could afford. They are planning on getting married in February. We are so happy for them.

Barbecue in January

2011-01-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

We were invited to a neighborhood barbecue in January! That is definitely a first for us. Our landlord, Jos, had a grill made out of a large drum. It worked amazingly well!

Elder Saunders and Jos grilled chicken, fish, and calamari. Jos and his wife own the building we live in. They live in London but came for a few months to do needed repairs and improvements.

Kathryn is from Washington State. She is a retired art professor who started a non-profit organization that raises money to send children to high school here in Cape Coast. Every year she comes to Ghana for 6 months to make arrangements for the following school year. She has made it possible for many young people to complete their education when they had no hope or resources to do so. She has made many dreams become a reality for children in Ghana. I want to be like her when I grow up!

Kathryn, Carol (Jos's wife) Elder and Sister Saunders, Jos, David, and Moises. We had a wonderful afternoon with our wonderful neighbors and friends! Life doesn't get much better than good food, good friends, and a warm January afternoon!

Celebrating the New Year In Abakrampa

2010-12-31T03:19:00.000-08:00

The party begins around 9:00 am on December 31st when the women gather to prepare food for everyone. This group of sisters are pounding fufu to feed the crowds. While they pound, the men and children play games, visit, sleep, and watch movies across the street at the church.

Another group of women are cooking over hot fires, making rice, soups, and stews. This is Mary checking the rice with Beatrice standing on the left and Vida standing on the right.

Later when the Elders arrived they gave the sisters a break and took over the fufu pounding. In the process they quietly taught a great lesson to the young priests in our branch who quickly followed their example and also helped with the pounding.

We had over 140 people join us to celebrate the new year. There were games, music, dancing, visiting, and plenty of food for everyone. A few street vendors and lots of children stopped by to see what all the noise was about. They were all welcomed and fed. We love the wonderful people in the Abakrampa Branch. They have become our family here in Ghana.

Wild Christmas Party

2010-12-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

On Christmas day we met with the couples in the mission home for a delicious feast. We had turkey, brisket and all the trimmings. Honestly one of the best meals we have ever had! Dave is wearing an apron because he is the official dishwasher at all gatherings! After Sister Lamb's incredible apple pie, the party became a little wild when Sister Sabey brought out the crowns and the poppers.

The Sabey's began the celebration by pulling the strings and beginning "the wave" so they popped all around the table. As they popped open, out came a prize and a joke!

There was even a joke from Alaska for Sister and Elder Kiffer! What do you call a cow in Alaska? An Eskimoooo!! Yep, the jokes were simply hilarious! However, the crowns were very appropriate for these wonderful couples. They are certainly royalty in our eyes and the eyes of our missionaries!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T01:16:00.000-08:00

We spent the Holiday with the other couples in our mission. The Kiffers, the Sabeys, the Lambs, and the Bennetts. We had Christmas Eve dinner at Coconut Grove, a beautiful resort in Elmina. As the sun set, I gazed out at the ocean and felt the sea breeze on my face and realized I will probably never have another Christmas Eve quite like this one. I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the beauty around me and love for these dedicated and faithful couples. Our time spent with them has greatly enriched our lives.

Earlier, the Abura Sisters came over to our apartment and performed the dance that they did for their Christmas gathering. They also sang a Christmas carol for us in Fante. They are amazing young women and very talented! We love the sisters and enjoy it when they come to our apartment to visit and entertain us! L to R: Sister Anyango from Uganda, Sister Evans from Ghana, Sister Mafabi from Uganda, Sister Afrani from Ghana and Sister Izidor from Nigeria.

Our Christmas Gathering

2010-12-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas the Sabey's held 4 separate Christmas gatherings. Two were held in their home, one in the Bennett's apartment in Suyani, and one in the Lamb's apartment in Sekondi. Here we are in the mission home, with Elder Smith and Elder Meinzer. They are the first full time proselyting missionaries to serve in Abakrampa! We are all standing by probably, one of the only Christmas trees in Cape Coast!

We met with the Cape Coast and Assin Foso Zones. President Sabey gave an amazing presentation on the First Christmas using his Ghanaian Nativity set. We sang songs, ate good food, received gifts and just enjoyed the Christmas spirit together.

A week earlier we did spot this Christmas tree in Accra! Looks a little out of place with blue sky and green grass! And the decorations....well we can only imagine the time and planning that went into decorating this tree! :) Hey and why not use it to do a little advertising?!

Departing Elders

2010-12-14T06:10:00.000-08:00

At the Accra Temple with six departing missionaries. From left to right, Elder and Sister Lamb, President and Sister Sabey, Elder Hill (Utah), Elder Ayim (Ghana), Elder Balyejusa (Uganda), Elder Ajeifio (Ghana), Elder Valentine (Florida), Elder Isikor (Nigeria) and Elder and Sister Saunders.

With Elder Hill who served as an Assistant to the President.

Elder Ajeifio, who happened to be one of our very favorites.

Visit to Takoradi

2010-12-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

On our preparation day we visited Takoradi so Sister Saunders could shop for some fabric. We had a blast visiting the busy market. She shopped and I sat on the curb visiting with whoever I could get to stop and talk. Very few spoke english.

Stake Conference and Birthday Cake

2010-11-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

While in Kumasi we attended an all Africa Stake Conference, held on November 21, 2010 in 52 stakes and 53 Districts in 17 African countries. Since it is difficult to do a satalite broadcast in Africa, the DVD's were sent out to the various countries in advance. After the conference we were able to reunite with Sister Awuna who had served with us in Cape Coast.

In the Dichemso Stake Center there was standing room only for the conference. Elder Oaks spoke directly to the people of Africa about some sensitive issues here in Africa.

After church we went to Elder and Sister Kiffer's apartment to celebrate Elder Saunders Birthday. Sister Kiffer made him a "Thunder Cake" which he says, and I must agree, is "the best cake in the whole world!"

Baptism in Kumasi

2010-11-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

When we first arrived in Ghana and began attending the Abakrampa Branch we met a very special young man. Maxwell attended the youth class faithfully. One Sunday Elder Saunders asked him to teach the class when the teacher didn't show up. He did an amazing job. After church Elder Saunders asked him if he had ever thought about serving a mission. Maxwell said Yes, he would like to do that. So he asked "how long have you been a member of the Church?" He replied "Oh, I've never been baptized". That weekend he moved to Kumasi (4-5 hour drive from Cape Coast). We called the missionaries in Kumasi and gave them Maxwell's name. We have visited with him over the phone and encouraged him to continue to meet with the missionaries. We also promised him that when he was baptized we would travel to Kumasi to witness his baptism. Here we are with our dear friend, Maxwell and the missionaries who never gave up on him, Elder Kamara and Elder Thompson.

After a year of having the discussions Maxwell learned for himself that the gospel is true. What a privilege it was to watch our dear friend enter the waters of baptism.

Opening Sunyani

2010-11-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

Our mission has expanded! We have sent missionaries to the city of Sunyani, which is about a 6-7 hour journey from Cape Coast. The first 4 missionaries arrived in town on a Thursday and on Sunday they had 27 people at their apartment for sacrament meeting!

Elder Lamb, Elder Tadeo, Elder Marimira, Sister Saunders, Elder Bahme, and Elder and Sister Bennett are in front of one of the Sunyani apartments. We opened 3 apartments that are large enough to hold meetings. The people are so receptive to the gospel here. By the fourth week we had over 70 people attending the 3 groups.

Before the missionaries arrived the apartments were repaired and painted to be ready for church meetings. This one is bright yellow with pink trim. The inside is a beautiful shade of lime green! Makes our churches at home seem a little drab, don't ya think?!
We soon had plenty of people wanting to be baptized and no where to baptize them. Elder Saunders got on the phone and ordered a portable baptismal font. Here the men show us how it works. Elder Lamb, Elder Bahme, Elder Kiffer, Elder Bennett, and Elder Saunders are in front of one of the more conservative apartments! Even though we travelled on some of the worse roads in Ghana to visit Sunyani it was well worth it! The church continues to grow and we love being a part of helping make that happen here in Ghana!

Always Room for One More

2010-10-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

Elder and Sister Saunders with Philomena and her 3 month old son, Gideon. She was baptised by her father and joins the rest of her family as faithful members of the Abakrampa Branch.

Elder Saunders took the mission van to Abakrampa to pick up Philomena and her family for the drive to Yamoransa for the baptism. We were surprised when all these branch members were waiting to join us. They all piled into the van for the 15 minute drive! In Ghana, when one asks how many people can fit into a tro-tro (van) the answer is always "One more!" We have learned quickly that in a tro-tro and in the Church, there is always room for one more!

Elder Saunders loading the van back up with missionaries to head back to Cape Coast. It was a very good day!

"With God All Things Are Possible"

2010-10-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

We have been driving the sister missionaries out to Apaakrom to teach Philomena Aggry-Fynn, twice a week. We love this family. The sisters' teach in Fante and I hold Philomena's son, Gideon. Right before we were ready to leave I noticed some writing above their front door so I wanted to take a picture of it and invited Florence and Philomena to be in the picture. "With God all things are possible". This represents the faith of this family. It is no wonder they readily embraced the true gospel when it was presented to them.

Sister Saunders doing her favorite missionary work...cuddling a baby! We rode out to a village from Apaakrom to visit Paul's family members. Since car seats are not an option here, I hold Gideon as we travel from one village to another. As soon as we hit the bumpy dirt roads he falls asleep in my arms. I guess he is used to movement since he usually travels on his mother's back.

Every time we would come to teach Philomena, her mother Florence would have prepared some snacks for us to munch on. She is so sweet! In this picture is Sister Anyango (holding Gideon), Paul, Elder Wright, Florence, and Elder Saunders (holding Moria). Elder Wright's companion and Sister Odebia were interviewing Philomena for baptism as we relaxed and visited in the "kitchen". This is truly what we missionaries call a "golden" family!

Teaching a Special Family

2010-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Elder Saunders is entertaining the youngest two children of the Aquah family, while the sister missionaries are teaching the two oldest children. The father John Aquah was baptized on the 2nd of October. He asked to be baptized before his family so that he could baptize them after receiving the priesthood.

Evening of John Aquah's baptism. His wife Veronica is standing to his left. She will be baptized with the two oldest children the end of October. Felicia Enchill was recently baptized and was instrumental in fellowshipping the Aquah family.

Felicia Enchill, Sister Anyango (Uganda), John and Veronica Aquah and Sister Odeibea (Ghana) after John's baptism.

Wisdom

2010-09-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

One day we were busy working in the office when we had a visitor. Wisdom had traveled all the way from Accra to show us his work. He makes beautiful elephant book ends and other wood carvings. We became quick friends and promised him to come visit his shop when we were in Accra.
A few months later when we were in Accra we called Wisdom. He met us at the Area Office, jumped in our back seat and guided us to his shop, on the other side of Accra. We were able to meet his family and see the process of creating these beautiful carvings. We also bought two sets of book ends!

Elder Saunders with Wisdom, in the green shirt, and his brother. After we left his shop he asked us if he could come with us to guide us back. We told him no, we would be fine and off we went without "wisdom"! We have never been so lost! After about two hours of driving in circles and sitting in traffic jams, we finally hired a taxi driver to lead us back to the Area Office. We followed the taxi very closely until his back tire blew out, then once again we were on our own. Frustrated and exhausted we finally spotted a familiar street. We learned from this experience that without "wisdom" we lack direction and guidance and our journey becomes confusing, stressful, and very difficult!

Speaking of wisdom, here we are with two very wise young men in Abakrampa. Elder Strong and Elder Hill were our Zone Leaders in the Cape Coast Zone. Because of their "wise" choice to follow the prophet and go on a mission, they literally touched hundreds of lives in Ghana for good, including ours! Elder Strong has returned home and Elder Hill leaves in December. We will always love them! May we all use wisdom as we travel the difficult and challenging journey we call life!

A Day of Contrasts

2010-09-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

On September 3, 2010 the "Fetu Afehye" or "Cape Coast Festival", was held. We went with President and Sister Sabey to get a "feel" of the culture and history of Cape Coast.
While waiting for the festival to begin we hiked up to a lighthouse to view Cape Coast.

The festival parade represented tribes from various villages dressed in their traditional dress.

The chiefs were carried on "thrones" while people dressed in the same color, danced and marched to very loud music.

The whole experience was noisy, hot, crowded, and exhausting. After we fought the crowds and walked back to our vehicle we found that it was blocked in by other vehicles. We had to leave our car and call the Assistants to come rescue us!

But the day had a very happy ending! We were able to witness Felicia Enchill from Abakrampa be baptized! Her husband, Charles is the first counselor in the branch presidency.

The Enchills with the "angels" who helped us teach Felicia the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sister Afrani and Sister Odebia never gave up on Felicia even when she refused to come to church. They just kept loving her and teaching her and one Sunday she quietly walked into Sacrament meeting! Three of their six children have also been baptised. They are now preparing to enter the Temple in the near future, to be sealed as a family. We ended the day feeling the quiet peace of the Spirit!

A Mighty Change

2010-08-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

On August 28, 2010 youth across the Africa West Area participated in a dramatic performance about the Book of Mormon, titled "A Mighty Change". There were over 10,000 youth performing scenes from the Book of Mormon all on the same day, in groups across the Africa West Area.
Sister Lamb, Sister Sabey, and Sister and Elder Saunders waiting patiently in the hot sun for the performance to begin in Cape Coast. It only started 45 minutes late. Actually, pretty good for Ghana! There were a few technical difficulties but overall the performance was delightful!

Three of the sheep of King Lamoni's flock that Ammon protected from the wicked Lamanites. Primary children were recruited to be the sheep but most of the participants in the pageant were young men and young women age.

Wicked King Noah watches as his wicked priests try to capture Abinidi. All of the costumes for this production were made by Relief Society sisters, volunteering their time and their talents.

Youth from the Abakrampa branch wait for the pageant to begin. We helped transport these youth to the practices and helped get their costumes made.

Members from the Abakrampa branch watching the production. Investigator, Philomena holding her son Gideon and her mother Florence who is a recent convert. Her son Manassah was participating in the pageant. This pageant was a great missionary tool to help teach the lessons of the Book of Mormon.

All participating youth gather to sing the final song, also titled "A Mighty Change". The pageant represented the "mighty change of heart" that each of us can have occur in our lives as we study and live the principles found in the Book of Mormon.

The youth and their leaders try on their costumes for the first time in Abakrampa. This pageant gave the youth from Africa the chance to interact with other youth and feel the spirit as they sang hymns and acted out scenes from the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon truly has had a "mighty change" on millions of lives all over the world!

Eli and Emma's

2010-08-22T04:52:00.000-07:00

While Marci and James were visiting we went to a workshop at "Eli and Emma's". Eli and Emma are both members of the church and best friends. Many years ago they started a business on the beach. They produce beautiful African printed fabric. They use white cotton fabric and stamp it with designs they carve out of foam, dipped in hot wax. Once the design is stamped on, the fabric is dyed. Here James is dying his fabric bright orange after stamping on the pattern. After the fabric is dyed it is hung in the sun to "set" the color. It is then dipped in a pot of hot water to melt the wax and hung up to dry.

Marci and I are watching as Emma shows us how to stamp on the hot wax to make the design on my fabric.

Emma assists Marci in stamping her fabric. This fabric was dyed once before stamping and then redyed after being stamped. We had alot of fun designing and making our own fabric. We also developed a great respect and awe for these two women who go through this long, tedious and hot process over and over. Everything is literally done the old fashioned way using large pots and hot coals. Eli and Emma create most of their fabric for a store called "Global Mama's" in Accra (can also be found online). It is filled with adult and children's dresses, skirts, and shirts. They also sell table runners, aprons, bags, purses and many other products. Most of the items are made out of this bright and creative fabric processed by two incredibly talented women, on the beach in Cape Coast.

Lovin' the Children

2010-08-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here Marci poses with some children of the village "Apaakrom". The Aggrey-Fynn family had us for a very nice African meal. The children in these small villages love to have their picture taken!

James and Marci had a whirlwind tour of several villages that we work in. Here they are with children of "Abakrampa". We had a fufu dinner here with our dear friends, Francis and Alice.

School Visit

2010-08-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

Marci holding one of several small school children during her visit to Ghana.

James, Marci and a room full of school kids wave goodbye.

Marci holding one of several children after giving each of them a sucker.

James and Marci along with the school teacher trying to get the children to duplicate what they are doing.

Continued Visit of Loved Ones

2010-08-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Two Ghanaian women showing off their head scarfs. The Ghanaian sisters taught us the different ways to tie scarfs around our hair. Scarfs can come in very handy on a bad hair day!

Finally, after 11 months we get to visit the cape coast slave castle. It took family visiting from America for us to finally take the time to see the local tourist attractions.

James and Marci were invited to attend our scheduled zone conference. Both were asked by president Sabey to share their testimonies with the missionaries. Here we are with the Sisters from our area.

Marci feeling the skin of a live crocodile, not far from our apartment.

James touching the skin of the same wild crocodile. There are about 40 different ones living in this pond. An amazing attraction that, once again, we never took the time to visit until now.

A Special Baptism

2010-08-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

After arriving early in the morning and making a mad dash to Abakrampa, Marci and James were able to attend a baptism for 4 new members of the branch. Sister Mary Acquah (White scarf) and 3 children, including Charles Enchill's daughter were baptized on the 7th day of August 2010.

Sister Odeibea and Sister Afrani with the baptismal candidates after the baptism.

Random Shots

2010-07-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

Once every transfer we have the privilege of attending zone council. After the meeting we go to the castle restaurant for lunch. I just walked out of the castle and saw these amazing leaders in front of the ocean. I just had to take a picture. The four elders from the Kumasi Zones had already left to head home. If you think the one on the far right looks a little young, he is. President Sabey's brother and nephew, Daniel are currently visiting President and Sister Sabey. Daniel is standing with the best of the best missionaries in the world!

We were in the market shopping when we ran into a member of our branch. He agreed to take a picture so you could all get a feel of what going to the "grocery store" is like in Ghana. Hot and noisy, but very entertaining!

Fruit That Remains

2010-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Ghana Cape Coast Mission Goal is: Bring Forth Fruit that Remains. It is taken from John 15:16: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you."

All other mission goals are to support and meet this overall goal. The goal our mission recently completed is that every missionary (128) would baptize a husband and wife family. Our goals are met as a mission not individually. Those that meet the goal early are able to help those who are still striving to find a family to teach and baptize. We have had the privilege to help two sets of sister missionaries complete the goal by transporting and introducing them to our friends in Abakrampa and surrounding villages. Sister Wallace and Sister Awuna helped us teach the Aggrey-Fynn family. Paul was a Pentecostal minister who had been searching for the true church of Jesus Christ his entire life. He told us that he knew that if it was on the earth today it would have prophets, apostles, and seventies. He said one night he was fervently praying to know which church was true, "just like Joseph Smith". When he completed his prayer the phrase "Latter Day Saint" came into his mind. He remembered seeing a sign with that printed on it in Abakrampa and decided he needed to attend that church on Sunday. He told us that as he sat in the investigator class he knew that for the first time in his life he was being taught the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul was baptized in April and desired his family to join him. The sisters taught his wife, son, and daughter in their native language, Fante. Though we could not understand the words we could feel the spirit testify of truth. Florence and the children readily excepted the gospel and also desired to be baptized.

Paul baptized his wife Florence, his 15 year old son Manassah, and his 8 year old daughter Olivia on June 19, 2010. What joy to watch a family be united in one faith and one baptism.

Sister Coleman and Sister Afrani were able to teach Agnes, the wife of an active member of our branch. Agnes had been taught the discussions before but was never ready to commit to baptism. After the sisters had reviewed the gospel with her she said "I know it is time for me to be baptized." These sisters taught Aba Kwakuma who has been attending our branch for the last 4 months, Mary Aquah and her 9 year old grandson Abeiku Andzie, and Agnes. It was so sweet to finally see Matthew and Agnes sitting in church together on Sunday!

We joined with the Moree Ward at the Yamaransa Chapel for the baptisms. It was a joyous occasion as we witnessed 14 people enter the waters of baptism.

Sister Saunders with four of the greatest sister missionaries in the world! We waited at the Yamoransa Church for over an hour while Elder Saunders transported a van load of people back to their many small villages. As we waited, we basked in the light of the gospel and the joy of missionary work. Completing the goal was secondary to witnessing families being united in the gospel and be given the opportunity to enter the temple to be sealed for eternity. We are so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to serve a mission in Ghana.

Daily Life in Ghana

2010-06-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

Elder Saunders is helping an investigator prepare for the evening meal by pounding casava root to make fu-fu. Most families have fu-fu five or six times a week because it is an inexpensive but filling meal. Ama Kwakuma (lady standing behind Elder Saunders) is getting baptized on the 19th of June. This will be the second attempt to perform the baptism. She was hesitant to be baptized the last time we had it scheduled on April 3rd. Now she assures us that she wants to be baptized and will follow through with it. She is from the village of New-Ebu which is about 2 kilometers from Abakrampa.

Late in the evening several villagers come to the well to draw water. This well has underground flowing water that is about 20 feet down. They drop small buckets with ropes attached and then pour the water into larger buckets. As we sat and watched, we saw the same villagers come up to six times to draw water.

Sister Saunders and I have been asked to assist three of the ten mission branches (Abakrampa, Kissi and Mankessim). These are special branches which are not assigned to any stake or district, but are assigned to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. President Sabey called a special branch conference for the three branches on the 30th of May 2010. The branch service missionaries assigned to these three branches are the Myers (Kissi), the Boamahs (Abakrampa) and the Imbrahs (Mankessim). President Amonkwa (2nd Counselor in Mission Presidency), also attended the meeting which was held in the Yamaronsa ward building. The meeting house was jammed packed with people. It was a very memorable day filled with the blessings of the spirit.

Ghana Recycling

2010-06-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

Since the people of Ghana have very little in material goods they are very efficient at using their resources effectively. What we throw away without a second thought they save and find a way to make it into something useful and even beautiful. We were able to visit a bead factory outside of Accra and watched a demonstration on how to make beads using discarded glass bottles.

It starts with the dirt from the many termite hills that are found along the road side. These mounds are everywhere and are very large and durable. We happen to be standing in a rainstorm. We are melting but the dirt hill is not! The clay dirt is strong due to the spit the termites use to hold the dirt together. The dirt can not only withstand storms but extremely high temperatures. This dirt is used to make kilns for creating beautiful african beads.

It looks like trash but it is not! These bottles will eventually be made into glass beads. They make the beads a few different ways. The bottles can simply be broken into small pieces, melted and then poured into molds and fired. The beads will be the color of the bottles that were used. The bottles can also be crushed (by using hand tools) into a fine sand. They dye the sand different colors and carefully layer it in the molds to create designs on the beads.
On the ground are empty molds that are also made out of the termite dirt to withstand the heat. The man uses the long pole sitting at his feet to put the molds in and out of the kiln. Once the glass gets very hot it is pulled out and the worker carefully turns the beads in the mold to make them completely round. He also puts the hole in the middle at this time for the string. The kiln has a hole in the back where the workers are constantly pushing more wood into the fire to keep the kiln at a constant high temperature.

After the beads cool they are taken over to be washed and shined. They are pored onto this rock where the worker uses sand, water, and his hands to rub them until they are clean and shiny.

The final product! Sister Saunders trying on the beautiful African bracelets made out of recycled bottles. These bracelets sell for 1 GHc which is .70 cents in US currancy. So whenever you go to throw a glass bottle or jar away just think what you could do with a little time, heat, and talent!

Saying Good-bye

2010-05-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

We love getting to know and working so close with our missionaries. Which makes it hard every 6 weeks when we need to say goodbye again. We have had the opportunity to get to know Elder Haslam from Hurricane Utah. The Friday before he left we took him and his companion to lunch at the Cape Coast Castle Restaurant. Elder Saunders complemented his companion, Elder Adijefio on his "good looking tie". Instead of the usual "thanks", Elder Adijefio offered to give it to him, which Elder Saunders declined. After we dropped off the Elders I noticed something was left behind in the back seat.

On Saturday, we attended Elder Haslam's last baptism. Elder Saunders wore his new tie!

There is a special bond between Elder Saunders and Elder Haslam. We said our final good-bye to him at the Accra Temple after attending a session with the departing missionaries. It is a privilege to get to know and love so many amazing young men and women serving in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission!

Lasting Friendships

2010-05-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sister Saunders enjoying the beautiful children in the village of Pra-Ewusi. We had come to visit our dear friends, Francis and Alice Aikins. As soon as we pulled the car up in front of the Aikins home, the children from all over the village began to gather around us. When we greeted Alice, she looked around and said to Elder Saunders "your people have arrived". We love the children here in Ghana, they have become our greatest teachers. They love freely with no judgement or prejudice. They are filled with innocence and wonder for the simple things in life.

We had taken some soft drinks (minerals) to share with the Aikins family. To keep the drinks cold we had put a bag of ice in a small cooler. After sharing two of the drinks with the children, we soon discovered that they wanted the ice cubes. Alice passed out one cube to each child. We watched them in wonder as they enjoyed their cold treat. On some occasions the ice would slip to the ground. No problem. They would just pop it back into their mouth. The ice seemed to be a real fascination with them and made us wonder if they had ever seen or held an ice cube before.

Sister Aikins is showing Margaret how to cook Palm Oil soup with chicken in her kitchen. She prepared soup and rice balls for us to take home. These people are so Christ-Like. They don't have much in the way of material possessions but what they have they are willing to share. We feel their love for us and the gospel of Jesus Christ and consider it a priviledge to know them and to love them.

Behind Elder Saunders and Francis is an open air oven. Alice bakes bread that she sells to other villagers in this oven. It had been about six hours since she had finished baking, yet when I peered inside, the heat was still very intense. She gives us a loaf of bread and a large bowl of oranges nearly every week when we take them home from church.

Elder and Sister Turner preparing to leave Ghana after finishing their mission. This picture was taken as they were getting into the Presidents car for the trip to the airport to return home to California. Sort of a forlorn feeling saying goodbye to our dear friends and fellow couple missionaries. It gave us a small taste of what it will be like when we have to say goodbye to all of our wonderful friends here in Ghana. We are blessed to know that friendships last through eternity. We treasure the daily associations we have with the incredible people we have met here.

The Waters of Baptism

2010-05-03T05:57:00.000-07:00

We "hiked" over to the beach from the Moree Ward to witness some baptisms. It was hot, rocky, and tiring but we were so grateful that we made the effort.

Before the baptisms, Elders Lewis, Strong, Hill, and MacKay performed a special musical number. Thay sang the hymn, Nearer My God to Thee. The song was sang perfectly and with the ocean as the background it was awesome. The musical number invited the spirit and prepared all to witness the sacred ordinance of baptism.

Elder Adams did the baptising and Elder Lewis and Elder Hill were the witnesses. After a few tries Elder Adams was soon able to time the baptism perfectly between oncoming waves. All of the wards and branches in our area, have access to a baptismal font. Thus there are very few baptisms in the ocean anymore. This could be the only one we witness our entire mission.

Brother Pratt, a counselor in the Bishopric welcomes the new members to the Moree Ward. This is Elder Mackays' and Elder Adams area. We were so glad that they had invited us to witness this event.

Elders Lewis, MacKay, Adams, and Hill with three of the four converts baptized in the ocean Sunday. Two of the six baptisms were children of record. We love the gospel of Jesus Christ and am so grateful to be a part of helping others come to the waters of baptism.

Party Time!

2010-04-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the office the morning of my birthday to discover my "little corner" was TP'd! The Assistants, Elder Lewis and Elder Dunford used their imagination and toilet paper (two-ply even!)to wish me a Happy Birthday! I was very touched by their thoughtfulness!! They are the greatest!

Our District Leader, Elder Chesa (sitting in the front with his arm around Elder Adams) conveniently moved our district meeting from the usual Tuesday to Friday. With the change he wondered if "someone" (hint hint) would bring cake and ice cream to celebrate my birthday. I was glad to and we had a wonderful (and tasty) meeting. Here I am with 12 of the greatest missionaries in the world! We love serving with the Elders in this mission. They are all incredible young men and women and exceptional missionaries!

In the evening the couples went out to dinner and than came back to the mission home for cake and ice cream. After listening to President's spiel about the importance of blowing out ALL the candles to get my wish, I took a deep breath and blew and blew and blew. After the third try I realized they had used two trick candles! But no worries I was assured I still get my wish!!

We love serving and working side by side with these amazing couples, the Sabeys, the Turners, and the Lambs. Though I am away from my family on birthdays and holidays I am surrounded by love and those I now consider my mission family. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and consider it a great priviledge to be serving in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission.

Another day in Ghana

2010-04-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

We were at the Cape Coast Castle waiting for the zone leaders to arrive along with President & Sister Sabey. As we were waiting we decided to walk over to the edge of the hill and look at the waves hitting the rocks below. We had just turned around and Sister Sabey snapped our photo. All the leaders were gathered for zone council meeting and had gone to the castle to have lunch at the Cape Coast Castle restuarant. Just another great day in Ghana.

Easter Blessings

2010-04-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sister Saunders says she's working, but I tend to think she has other things on her mind. The young ladie's name is "Blessing". Her mother cleans and cooks for the mission president and his wife. While she cleans, Sister Saunders willingly takes every opportunity to hold Blessing.

On April 3rd, we had a baptism scheduled at 4:00 PM. I asked the members to be ready at 3:30 so I could pick them up. When I arrived at Pra-Ewusi they were not ready, (this is Ghana) so while I waited for them to get ready, I got the local children singing, dancing and reciting English. Usually they do not smile when they have their picture taken, but I asked them to smile at the funny looking white person who was taking the picture. It worked. We then traveled to Abakrampa to pick up three of the candidates who were getting baptized. Of course all were not there, so we also waited for them. Next we traveled to "New-Ebu" to pick up the final candidate, who was no where to be found. A couple of the members went through the village and finally located her. She said she had changed her mind. (After having the mission president interview her in a special interview for clearance). We made it to Yamoransa for the baptism 20 minutes late. (Remember this is Ghana) The wait was worth it....

Here Sister Saunders and I pose with Esi Essiawa, Paul Aggrey-Fynn, and Joseph Yawson. Three of the choicest individuals I have met here. All were confirmed the following day in Sacrament meeting. The work is so sweet. This really is His work. It is a "blessing" to be here and assist in His work.

All Are Alike Unto God

2010-03-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

On March 20 and 21 the Relief Society in the Abakrampa Branch celebrated the birthday of the Relief Society...just like the rest of the church does in March. But instead of a dinner party (like we do at home) the women arrived at the church house by 7:00 am Saturday morning and cleaned the building and the grounds. Sunday they spoke and sang 4 songs in Sacrament meeting. I had the privilege of accompanying them on the keyboard. There was a wonderful spirit as these amazing sisters bore testimony in word and song.
Sister Elsie Imbrah, in orange, is the Relief Society president. Though we don't all speak the same language, we feel the bonds of sisterhood through the spirit.

These are the individuals who are taking the discussions in Elder Saunders investigator class. On the far left is Paul, a Pentecostal Minister who after fervent prayer was led to attend our church. He knows that he has "finally found the true church of Jesus Christ", and desires to be baptized. Joseph is anxiously waiting to be baptized the first of April. Next is Nelson who was an alcoholic until he came to church for the first time and partook of the sacrament. He said at that moment he "felt something" and knew he needed to change his life and reports he has not had a drink since. Next is Ama who has attended for the last two Sundays. Kobina is slowly gaining a testimony and has been attending regularly. Esi has been attending the class for several months and hopefully will be baptized soon.

Elder Saunders with some of the primary children. When they saw us take a picture of the Relief Society sisters they wanted one of their own taken with Elder Saunders. We love the children in Ghana. Whenever they see us on the streets they sing, "obrunie how are you, I am fine, thank you". This is a song they sing in school to help them learn English.

Lauren is from Idaho and is an amazing young woman. She has been in Ghana volunteering at this orphanage for the last few months. Many of these children are abandoned by their parents who simply can't afford to raise them. The conditions of the orphanage are very sad but at least these children have somewhere to call home with volunteers like Lauren to love and care for them.

Kojo loves to be held. When I picked him up he was fascinated with by badge so I let him borrow it for a few minutes. We are standing in one of the two bedrooms in the orphanage. There are 16 children that live there. The oldest is 14 years old and Kojo is the youngest.

We are meeting people and visiting places we couldn't even imagine while we sat in our comfortable home in Utah. But we have come to recognize that we are all children of God. He has commanded us to love and serve one another. Someday we will be reunited as brothers and sisters in the household of God. Then we will see how alike we really are. We love living among and serving our brothers and sisters in Ghana.

Special Mission Conference

2010-03-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, Feb 23rd we were priviledged to have Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, President Steven E. Snow, Elder Craig A. Cardon, and Elder John B. Dickson visit our mission for a special conference. Many missionaries traveled up to 4 hours to attend. Before the conference Elder Holland visited the mission home and met Fifi Imbrah, one of the first saints to be baptized when the missionaries came to Ghana over 30 years ago. Elder Holland encouraged us to savor and embrace every moment of our missionary experience. He referred to missionaries as angels in white shirts and blouses, with the gift of God in their hearts. He taught us the importance of obedience and called it the foundation for success. As he taught us the gospel and the significance of the atonement, the Spirit bore witness that he was indeed an apostle of our Savior Jesus Christ and what he taught was true!

Here we are with the assistants, Elder Woodhouse and Elder Kpanakau. This day was bitter sweet because after the conference Elder Woodhouse was leaving to go home to Colorado. We love him like a son and feel honored that we were able to work so closely with him in the office.

Saying our goodbyes to Elder Wright and Elder Woodhouse. These two young men taught us how to love and serve the people of Ghana without saying a word! They were both awesome missionaries and will be greatly missed!

We love all the missionaries in this mission. Elder Saunders is standing with Elder Mackay, Elder Ekaette, Elder Kwapong and Elder Mattia. The conference was over, the visitors had left and still we basked in the spirit by being surrounded by the amazing missionaries in this mission.

These sisters live near us and have been to our home for dinner where they each shared with us their conversion story. They are amazing examples of how to overcome adversity and turn to our Savior for strength. We love Sister Boima, Sister Awuna and Sister Coleman. It is truly a priviledge to associate with the elders and sisters in our mission. We feel the love they have for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the people of Ghana. They are indeed angels with the gift of God in their hearts!

Making Memories

2010-02-24T05:47:00.000-08:00

Our invitation for Sunday dinner was the Aikins family from Pra-Ewusi. We brought them to our home to experience an American meal. We taught them how to use a fork when eating their dinner. It was a very memorable afternoon. Sister Aikins came in contact with the church while having her hair done at a hair salon in 2002. She had just finished burying 6 of her 8 children within the previous 4 months. Something rang true in her ears that day and she went home and told her husband to investigate this new religion. He went and found the missionaries and listened to their message trying to understand what it was that caught his wife's attention. He ended up joining the church before she did. They are so loving to us and are always providing fu fu for us to eat. They are raising these two grandchildren, Ishmael and Shadrack.

Sister Saunders visiting with two of the 60 students at this small school. It is about 125 kilometers from us, but a member wanted us to see how a good school is run. The parents pay .30 pesiwas per day or about .21 cents for the meals at the school and everything else is free. Most of the school supplies are donated. Many of the desks were donated by the LDS church. The children start school at age 18 months of age. This school includes students up until the first grade.

The gentleman sitting on the desk is Patrick, our Fante instructor. Notice the desks have an inscription on them. The woman is the teacher, and the gentlemen holding the child is one of the members here in Cape Coast that went with us to the school.

Part of the Abura zone wanted to go to KaKum national forest and walk the canopy walkway. The assistants asked if we would go and help transport some of the missionaries. It was a very hot day. All of us who decided to go on the nature hike underneath the forest canopy are standing inside the roots of a tree. It was very sunny and hot this day, but underneath the growth it gets rather dark. It feels like being in a sauna. Working with the people and the missionaries is a life changing experience. We cherish the lasting memories being made.

A Weekend in Kumasi

2010-02-15T04:49:00.000-08:00

We had a surprise birthday party for President Sabey on his 59th birthday. Sister Kiffer made him a chocolate cake which was to die for. The couples gave president and sister Sabey aprons with African art work and had a seamstress stitch onto the aprons a portion of a statement that we often here the President say, "We are here to serve, not be served". From the Left is Elder and Sister Turner from Thousand Oaks, California, President and Sister Sabey, Sister Saunders and Elder Saunders (standing), Elder and Sister Kiffer from Ketchichan Alaska, and Elder and Sister Lamb from Bountiful. We love serving with these wonderful couples.

Here we are standing next to a tree stump which someone had carved some african wildlife onto. As you take a closer look, you will find a giraffe, an elephant, a warrior's mask and a woman with a child on her back. The carvings went all around the stump. The village this was found in, is where the kente cloth is woven.

From the left is Sister Sabey , Elder Kiffer , Sister Lamb and Sister Saunders. The four are standing in front of a Calabash tree. The large woody fruit, may grow to 25 centimeters. It takes up to seven months for the fruit to ripen. The gourd-like fruit is used to make bowels and also often becomes part of various musical instruments. The fruit is used for medical purposes and the natives use it to heal asthma and other aliments.

Sister Saunders is pointing to cocoa fruit attached to the trunk of this cocoa tree. One of the natives picked the fruit and we were able to eat some of the fruit inside. The fruit is very sweet and has a pleasant taste. The hard bean like center is used to make cocoa. The center has several individual beans surrounded with the fruit. This was in the Kente village when we visited Kumasi. Kumasi is a much further advanced city than most cities and villages in Ghana. The city lies in the center of the Ashanti Empire, which controls most of the gold mined in Ghana. It is much more developed than any other city or village we have visited.

People and Places

2010-02-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ghana has beautiful cotton fabrics. Two sisters that are members of the church own their own shop on the beach next to the Cape Coast Castle. Here they create colorful printed cloth from white cotton fabric. They use wax and stamps to create the designs and dye it in pots over hot coals to set the dye. They also have a little shop on the beach where I purchased the finished product. Sister Saunders took her cloth to a seamstress that works on a little dirt road in Cape Coast. Linda is an amazing seamstress and sews on a manuel sewing machine. Whenever we visit her these two women are either sitting or sleeping in front of her shop. Linda's husband works for the mission and is the Branch President of the Nkanfoa Branch. Linda works with her 18 month daughter either asleep on her back or playing on the floor of her shop.
Francesca makes beautiful jewerly. Here she is in front of her shop. I went to find a gift for my grand daughters 4th birthday. She didn't have any children's jewerly so she offered to make it especially for her. I also found a few treasures for myself and for another special February birthday.
Sister Saunders at the post office in her new skirt and bracelet. We love the friendly and hard working people of Cape Coast. They are quickly becoming some of our dearest friends.
All the packages and some of the letters for the Ghana Cape Coast Mission pass through this little post office in Cape Coast. The post office has a customs office in it and thus the packages are sent here. All of the packages are opened that clear customs, thus Sister Saunders and I get to see what is inside every package from family and or girlfriends. It is amazing what is sent to the missionaries. The gentleman in this picture is a customs clerk who helps us on a daily basis clear the packages through customs. He works on the weekends as a pentacostal minister in his own church in Moree. We pay all the custom duties for the missionaries and then bill them. Their duty fees are deducted from their subsistance which they receive every four weeks. You will notice that Sister Saunders has a big smile on her face this day. Two of the packages were from our family and thus it was a very good day. It is always a very good day, when letters and packages are received here in Ghana.

Called to Serve

2010-01-29T07:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas zone conference 2009 held at the Abura Stake Center. There are six zones represented at this zone conference. The remaining two zones held their conference in Kumasi. Notice how everyone happened to be wearing the exact same tie. President and Sister Sabey gave all of the elders a Kente tie, and all of the sisters received a Kente bag.

Sister Saunders with Sister Turner, Sister Lamb and Sister Sabey. Four of the five senior sisters in the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. Working with the other senior couples in the mission has been a real blessing in our lives. It would be hard to find nicer people to work with.

Here we are with Elders Woodhouse and Kpanakau , who are the mission presidents assistants, and to our left is Elder Carton who trained us in our office responsibilities. The three are great young men. Elder Woodhouse is from Colorado, Elder Kpanakau is from Monrovia, Liberia, and Elder Carton is from Clarkston, Washington.

Shopping Day

2010-01-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here margaret is standing in the fish market with a water melon under her arms. No!, we did not purchase any fish.

Here Margaret is standing in front of the produce market where we buy such things as carrots, cabbages, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, banana's and water melons. This is our favorite market place to buy fruits and vegetables. It is one of the larger shops. We had just purchased apples from another lady, but told "Sela" that we would start buying them from her. She is very friendly and often adds a little extra for us (called dashing). This picture does not do the market scene justice, since it cannot depict the smell and the flys that are on all the food. Once we get the food home, we wash all of it with soap and water, then we soak it in clorox water for two minutes and then rinse with filtered water. It's a long process, but the Area Office recommends we do it in order to avoid catching typhoid or worms.

New Years Eve 2009 and Branch Baptism

2010-01-01T03:39:00.000-08:00

Here Sister Saunders is preparing our meal of "FU FU" at the Branch's New Year's eve party on the 31st December 2009. The Woman sitting on the stool is folding the fu fu into a pile each time Sister Saunders raises the pole to pound it. The small house behind the women is one of the members homes. Notice the chicken in the yard. This was one lucky chicken, it did not become part of the soup that went on the fu fu.

Africans certainly love to have their pictures taken. Here we all are on the 31st of December 2009, at the New Year's Eve branch party. This group is mostly branch members who were there for the party. Some members had left early, but as you can see, plenty of the neighboring children jumped into the sitting. The activity was a very fun event. The members truly love one another and are always giving their all to help one another. See if you can pick out Sister Saunders in the group. Look close.

Here we are at the baptism of Joanna ( the older woman standing between Sister Saunders and Elder Saunders) who was baptized the day after Christmas 2009. The woman to Sister Saunders left is a school teacher that spoke pretty good English. We combined this baptism with the Yamoransah branch. Elders Agama and Balyejusa are sitting in the front.

Christmas In Cape Coast

2009-12-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was spent without family, presents, lights, or snow but we were surrounded with love and the spirit of Christmas. We are grateful for the birth and life of our Savior and for the opportunity to teach the people of Ghana about His restored gospel. Here are a few highlights of our Christmas. Christmas morning we went to Pra-Ewusi, a village in our Branch boundaries, to deliver bowls of "goodies" (flour, rice, and fresh vegetables). Elder Saunders tried to carry the bowl the Ghanaian way but still uses one hand to balance (needs a little more practice). He is also a "kid magnet", whenever we walk into a village the children surround him. He soon has them chanting, clapping, and laughing. They also love to have their picture taken but usually don't smile for it. But they really are a happy bunch!

We took a drive out to "Baptism Beach" with the other couples in our mission. We are here with Fifi Imbrah one of the "pioneers' of Ghana. He was baptized 30 years ago when the first missionaries came to Ghana. He told us that sixty saints were baptized that day at this beach.

Elder Saunders with Alice, our primary president in our branch. They are standing in front of her goat pen. We take Alice, her husband, and grandchildren to church every week. She is a dear friend and we love visiting with her.

Alice gave us some cashews for Christmas from her cashew tree. I had never seen how they grow before. One nut grows on a piece of fruit (cashew apple). They are in extremely hard shells and are hard to break. No wonder a jar of cashew nuts are so expensive. Ghana is the sixth highest producer of cashew nuts. The fruit is sweet but a little bitter. It is usually used to make juice because it is difficult to transport due to it having a very thin skin.

The Villages and People of the Abakrampa Branch.

2009-12-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

Margaret visiting and shaking hands with one of our members mother who is 96 years old. She was using a rock to smash some kernels of corn when we approached her. The robe around her shoulder was thrown around her right before the picture was taken. Good thing, it wasn't a pretty site.

This is a picture of one of the part member families in our little Branch. The husband, Mathew is very faithful in his church responsibilities and now his wife Agnes has agreed to be baptized after having the discussions. She has come to church two weeks in a row and bore her testimony at the last fast meeting. The couple live in one of the Little Villages which attend our branch. Note the little cement houses that dot the hillside behind them. A crowd of about 15 small children had gathered behind me to see the "White people".

Here Margaret is visiting with seven members of the branch and several villagers. Any time a camera comes out they rush to get into the picture. We have to disguise our intent and then hurry and snap the photo. This was during a village service project to clean up the local medical facility. They called it a Hospital, but I told Margaret to shoot me before ever taking me to it.

A look at the kitchen, bathroom, sheep pen and laundry at one of the homes of a member. The home is very small with no furniture. The husband and wife (both in their late 60's) and a old lady walked to the service project in Abakrampa which is over 5 miles away. They started walking at 5:00 am and got there just before us at 8:15 am. We gave them a ride home to their village afterwards. This is the village where Margaret met the woman's 96 year old mother. The people are very poor, but don't know they are. They are by far the happiest people we have ever met. We consider it an honor to work with such loving people. They have accepted us whole heartily.

Day By Day We're Learning the Ghanaian Way

2009-12-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

We want to share a few highlights of another week in Ghana. We are keeping busy and enjoying the people, the weather, and being involved in missionary work.
We attended our first Ghanaian wedding on Saturday. It was held in the Ola Chapel. Everyone came in their finest clothes. Except myself and Sister Sabey who wear our missionary attire to ALL events.

All the "Aunties" of the bride wear homemade hats. They are made of starched fabric and are quite amazing.

Elder and Sister Turner, Elder and Sister Saunders, Sister and President Sabey taking a time out to go to dinner. There are some nice restaurants at beach resorts. We enjoy going to dinner with the other couples and watching the amazing sunsets on the beach.

The children love us and we love them. This little boy is in our branch and is constantly moving. He finally held still for a picture with Sister Saunders.

We were invited to the Imbrahs home for a "fufu" dinner. We were taught to eat with our hands out of the same bowl. Elder Saunders is catching on a little faster than Sister Saunders who still prefers her own bowl and a spoon. Fufu is a ghanaian favorite and was served with hot chicken soup. Bro. Imbrah was surprised when we did not eat the chicken bones and explained that is the best part of the chicken. Elder Saunders tried a bone to be polite....he is much braver than I am!

Thankful for Good Food and Good Friends

2009-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving dinner with good food and good friends. From left to right; Lanaya (a humanitarian volunteer from the states), Sister and Elder Turner, Elder Woodhouse and Elder Odom (the assistants), Sister and President Sabey at the mission home. We went to dinner expecting "cranberry chicken" and was surprised with turkey and all the trimmings. We are so grateful for the blessings of being involved in missionary work and being surrounded by people who love and serve the Lord.

We have new neighbors! Dr. Angel from Atlanta Georgia and Dr. Lee from San Diego California. They moved in to the apartment above us. They recently completed school and came to Ghana to open up a chiropractic clinic. They invited us over for a fish dinner. The food was delicious and we had alot of fun getting to know them. Elder Saunders is holding our roll of napkins (I never knew there were so many uses for toilet paper!)

We attended our first baptism. Eleven were baptised! Sister Saunders with four of the girls from our branch. The two older girls on the left, Georgina and Regina and the girl in the black dress in the middle, Mary were baptised at the Yamaronsa Chapel. It is a beautiful building that sets up on a hill overlooking the town of Yamaronsa. It is about 20 miles from Abakrampa where we meet.

Some branch members and the eleven that were baptised. Elder Saunders and I were sitting quietly in the baptism service when it was announced that we would give talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost. Of course we didn't know ahead of time but we are learning very quickly not to be surprised...it is the African way. We were also both asked to be the witnesses (oops!) Elder Saunders explained that I would not be able to do that. We love the people in our branch and feel it a privilege to worship with them.

Day trip to the Jungles of Africa

2009-11-17T05:53:00.000-08:00

Here is another photo of the walkway we walked in the KaKum forest. There are elephants in this forest, but we did not see any on this day. We had a great time regardless. The day was very hot and humid (about 95 degrees with 99 % humidity). We spent the rest of our preparation day doing cleaning and laundry.

Jungles of Africa high above the ground.

2009-11-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the start of our adventure into the jungles of KaKum forest. This is a hanging walkway that is about 100 feet above the ground. It is hard to see the bottom because the trees are so thick. A very hot day and very humid. The walkway is approximately 3 football fields long.

The picture doesn't reflect how hot it is, but we assure you we were soaking wet.

Our Home Away From Home

2009-11-11T02:11:00.000-08:00

We thought you might like to see where we spend most of our time. We arrive every week day at the mission office and work from 8:00 a.m. till 5-6:00 p.m. Most days we only have each other's company. This was the day of Zone Council so many of the Zone Leaders came into the office before the meeting. We also attended Zone Council and than went to lunch with the Zone Leaders! That's when this job is FUN!

Sister Saunders at her little corner, working diligently!

Elder Saunders goofing off as usual!!

A Day At The Beach

2009-11-03T01:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend we needed to get away from our apartment due to a very LOUD wedding celebration just outside our gate. So we decided to take a stroll down the beach. It was very beautiful from the road. But when we walked along the beach we were amazed at the garbage everywhere and the smell of rotting fish in the breeze. Not quite Hawaii!

These boys were playing volleyball using this old fishing boat as the net. They used a small flat ball and seemed to be having a great time! The children are very friendly and seem to be quite fascinated by us "o-brunies". That's what the children yell with delight whenever they see us.

Many fishing boats line the shore. When they are no longer usable the broken pieces remain on the shore as well as the other boats, nets and fishing gear and of course all the fisherman's
garbage that they have thrown in the ocean and on the beach!

Sister Saunders in her missionary beach attire enjoying the "beautiful" (and smelly) surroundings!

Enjoying the Journey!

2009-10-24T04:48:00.000-07:00

Our apartment is the bottom floor of this old office complex. We have to unlock seven locks and lock five to get in and out of our apartment. Yes, we feel safe but it is quite the process. If the locks are not enough the nails sticking up on the wall and the metal bars on the windows and doors should discourage any intruders!

Compare our lovely home with a typical home in downtown Elmina, a fishing village just outside of Cape Coast.

Every day life in Ghana.

Our first Zone Conference with Elder Cardon of the Seventy. He is the President of the Area Authority for West Africa. This is five zones and more than half of the missionaries are from Africa.

Elder and Sister Saunders with some of the members of the Abakrompa Branch. We will be members of this branch while we are in Ghana. We attended last Sunday for our first time and were welcomed with opened arms. We may not speak the same language but we certainly feel the same spirit. They have a keyboard and were thrilled to learn that I could play. So I guess I have become the branch organist. I know my skill is very limited but even if I need to play with one hand they will be thrilled to have music at their meetings. We look forward to working closely with the members to help the branch grow and teach the gospel to investigators. Some of the younger members speak a little English and we can use an interpreter to teach and communicate. Maybe we will even learn a little Fante along the way!

Our 9th day in Ghana

2009-10-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

It has now been 9 days since we arrived in Ghana. It is very hard to post anything to the Blog, due to the Internet constantly going down. It is down more than it is up. We are just now getting use to the culture. Very different, but the same in a lot of respects. We still have a hard time with the depth of the poverty that exists. Its beyond words. They eek out a living by selling and buying every kind of thing you can imagine. They stand by the side of the roads and sell rats, rodents, crayfish, fish, fruit, vegetables, and everything possible. All for about $ 500 us dollars per year. As we drive by their little rickety stands they wave for us to stop. When there is a intersection with a stop sign they walk between all the stopped cars trying to sell you items. Lots of pineapples, banana's, apples, mango, papaya and vegetables are available. They sell a lot of boiled eggs from off their heads that they crack and peel for you. As of yet, we have not tried the eggs.

We are starting to grasp the office duties that we are responsible for. The mission is really spread out, so getting the mail and funds to the individual missionaries can be quite troublesome. The mail for the entire mission is delivered here to Cape Coast. We try to get the packages and mail to the missionaries when someone is traveling to the village or town. Tomorrow we will have our first zone conference in a little city called "Ola". There will be five zones come to the conference, thus we will be able to deliver a lot of paperwork, mail, packages etc. We have a general authority who is here touring the mission. Elder Cardon is the President of the West Africa Area and will be at our zone conference tomorrow!

Last Day at the MTC

2009-10-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

We leave tomorrow morning at 5:00 to begin our journey to Ghana. I have had very mixed feelings today. No fear but extreme excitement for new adventures and opportunities, some sadness in leaving my family and the country I love and an overwhelming love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to share it with the people of Ghana.

I have loved my experience at the MTC. Being surrounded by young men, women, and couples who have chosen to sacrifice their time to serve the Lord has been in itself a privilege and honor. We have met some amazing couples and have become great friends in a short 2 weeks. Today we met a couple who are also going to Ghana but they are going to the Accra Mission. This will be their forth mission since they were our age. AMAZING. My next post will come from Cape Coast GHANA...things should get a little more interesting as we begin to adjust to a new culture, new country, and new way of life! Stay tuned,the best is yet to come!

We Have Arrived at the MTC!

2009-09-26T14:52:00.001-07:00

I think the hardest is behind us...saying goodbye to our sons, daughters, grandchildren, family and friends. We said our goodbyes to Jack, Ty, Havyn and Krew on Sunday. I didn't know how I was going to make it easy on Havyn since earlier she had pronounced "I will cry and cry when Granma and Granpa go to Ghana". It so happened she was enjoying an ice cream cone as she was being buckled into her car seat and I was saying my goodbyes. It's amazing how ice cream seems to make everything OK. She simply kissed me goodbye and took a big bite and life remained good! Krew of course didn't have a clue so that one was much harder for me. He will change so much in 2 years. Mike and Brian stopped by on their way to work Monday morning and we were able to say our goodbyes with simple hugs and a few tears (on my part). I love them both so much.

On our way to Provo we stopped to say goodbye to my wonderful parents. It was hard for me to think I just might not see them again but I know if my mother understood where I was going she would be so very proud and supportive. She always taught me to love and serve the Lord and it will be a joyous reunion when we see them again weather it will be in this life or the next.

James, Marci, and Bowen drove us to the MTC in Provo on Monday. Saying goodbye to them was also extremely difficult. Bowen will tell anyone when asked, that "Ga-ma" and "Pa-Pa" are going to "Ga-na". He will than get a quizzical look on his face and ask "Why?". His sweet Mom simply explains, "because they love Jesus" and that seems to make perfect since to his 2 year-old mind. We said our tearful goodbyes and jumped right into the job of training as full time missionaries.

This experience has been incredible and has kept us very busy! We met for training every day with 16 other couples and single sisters who are preparing to travel to London, Kenya, Mexico City, Italy, Australia, Ethiopia, Arizona Indian Reservations, Manhattan and Boston to just name a few. As we have gotten to know the other couples I realized we have all left beloved family and yes, precious grandchildren to serve the Lord all over the world. There is no moping or looking back. We are all excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who are searching for the truth! Dave and I have never felt closer as companions and the spirit has been bearing witness everyday to the truthfulness of the gospel! I know I will always consider our experience at the MTC sacred!

Countdown: Five Days

2009-09-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

We enter the MTC in less than one week! Everything seems to be falling into place. This last couple of weeks have been a lesson on putting one of my favorite scriptures into practice: "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding...He shall direct thy path for good". We had 2 houses that needed to be sold, loose ends at the office needed to be tied up, shopping, packing, cleaning. sorting ect. ect. To stop from being completely overwhelmed I would repeat to my self "trust in the Lord...all will work out". Yes both houses sold, the house is just about ready to turn over to Marci, the shopping is completed and the packing has begun. Now I am free to concentrate on what really matters: spending time with my amazing children beautiful grandchildren and our dear friends. Dave's office threw a great surprise party for him at the Logan Golf and Country Club. We feel so blessed to have so many friends and family support us and we'll miss them all!

Countdown: 2 weeks

2009-09-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left before we enter the MTC! We are getting excited but have not had much time to really ponder the reality of living in Africa for 2 years. I have been cleaning out drawers, cupboards, and closets. I had no idea I was such a pack rat! We have been spending time with the grand kids and making memories to last me the next 2 years. I also decided I needed to get a new family picture seeing that the last picture was missing 2 of the 3 grand kids. We had a photographer come to the back yard and take our picture. I also had her take separate pictures of the kids for me to take with me to Ghana. Dave bought a laptop, webcam and set up skype on the laptop and our home computer. So we will be able to watch our beautiful grandchildren grow from across the world. Thank goodness for modern technology. My first picture will be one of my loving and supportive family.