With Friends

 

The room is silent and still with just the hum of the air-conditioner. All the plates are set on bright colored tablecloths, the silverware is shining, and the glasses are reflecting prism rays. All is in quiet expectation of the noise and laughter soon to come from a baby shower.

I am only a little acquainted with the expectant mother. She is a friend of my friend who had twin girls a few months ago. Another of her friend’s had a baby boy and we had a shower for her too. So now it is kind of a tradition to have a shower for expecting mothers who are friends at work with my friend. Most of the same ladies come from the third floor of the Africa West Area Office building where they work.

I only make the banana bread and leave all the real cooking to my friend Comfort. She makes very good Ghanaian food that is well liked. Another friend Favour is going to school to learn catering skills. Favour comes over to help me set things up so it will look good and have a good traffic flow. She is the one who polishes the glasses and silverware. She wants everything to be just right. 

We are going to have a party today; it should be fun! 

And that was the last moment of peace for about four hours…

The phone rings and it is Freeman. Freeman works at the temple but will also go shopping for fabric for me. I have found the price is much better if I do not go in person. He brought me over some fabrics just now, and I am receiving the materials to make temple bags for those who come to the temple with only a plastic shopping bag to carry their sacred clothing. Another friend will sew them up into the temple bags.

While I talk to Freeman, I am also watching the clock as I am expecting Comfort to come with food, and Eugene to come with the fruit salad his wife is making for us. Juliet calls and says she is coming over “soon” to pick up a sack I made for her on Saturday. Freeman leaves and I was relieved to see Comfort come to set up the food for the party. 

My guests all come together and walk around the workers who are doing something on the roof and 2^nd level. I was so happy to see them all again. Eugene and his wife came with the fruit salad – Yeah! This is all going to work out fine.

Juliet arrives while my guests are here, but she leaves after saying hello and congratulations to the expecting mama. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Comfort made up a plate of food for her. Comfort is feeding Eugene and his wife in the kitchen. She is also putting together two dinners for ladies who were coming but had to deal with work issues. Later I found she fed the construction workers who look at her with longing. Everybody is happy!  

It felt good to listen and watch the other mothers give advice and assurance to Jennifer, the expecting mother. I felt good about inviting them to my home and watching them in a peaceful environment chatting as good friends.

                                                                                                            Remembered to take a picture, some had left

I had a call from David, an artist from Nigeria who will be coming soon. He wants to sell his Nativities to the senior missionaries, so I bring them to Sister Scripture Study. He has a hard time getting invited to different homes to show off his work. No one can buy and sell or set up shops because we live on the Temple grounds. New missionaries arrive and the others leave, so getting his name and work shown and reputation made is difficult.

Comfort stayed until everyone was gone. She hand washed all of my dishes!!  She then helped me with the cleaning and taking down tables and chairs and pulling all the furniture back into place. What a joy she is as a good friend! 

Another knock at the door brought the construction worker returning a container. Nice. I thought it would be Sister Kaku who had called to see if I had any banana bread she could bring to a meeting. When she came, I gave her some that had been frozen and told her it was important to defrost it without a cover as it would just get soggy otherwise. 

By 3:00 pm my house was peaceful, clean, and quiet. It was a good day.

LTC

Great Answer to Prayers

 How Prayers are Answered

We got back to Ghana on Wednesday night beyond exhausted. We unpacked and fell in bed. The next morning I woke up chipper and ready to go. I asked God if I could make the most of my morning as I was going to go to the temple to work later in the afternoon. 

I accomplished so much in the few hours I had before Sister Scripture Study and several people texted, so I got even more accomplished than I had planned. I was able to give most of the goods that the missionaries ordered from Amazon. 

Sister Scripture Study was amazing and went right along with my new goal to not waste time. We talked how our focus can change when we know "why" we are fulfilling goals and aims. If we put our love of the Savior in the front of our minds, the goals or "lists" can have a focus that actually accomplishes the reason we put the goal down in the first place.

Unexpected Blessings

Shuana Braunberger made sure I had a lunch as the lunches she ordered didn't arrive in a timely manner for me to attend the temple. She wanted to make sure I had a lunch so she went downstairs with me and bought me lunch. Since my things were all in Jeffrey's office while he had a meeting that was really thoughtful of her. I was able to pay her back when his meeting was over.

I ran to the temple to work on my afternoon shift. I asked God to help me be awake and helpful.

 Attending the preparation meeting I was surprised when I was assigned to be the veil coordinator. It was so nice to have a job that required me to think through something new to me and stay on my feet for a half hour or so at a time. I was awake and aware through the shift. I could feel the drag of sleepiness though I was able to work right through it. Two blessings, one I ate before I left which was helpful for energy rather than relying on the crackers I had with my vitamins in the morning. And two, having a job that required thinking and standing. Isn't God wonderful?!!!

Coming out of the temple I noticed a fellow temple worker was outside painting the cement on the flower borders. I can say I have never thought why the temple looks fresh and clean in a tropical climate that eats away at everything. It only takes a year or so for any paint job to look old. Mildew is very prevalent and chipping and damage from the humidity, rain, and coastal breeze is evident in many buildings here. But not at the temple - which I have always just taken for granted. But now I know.

K'Aby Emuh works in the temple and has a painting company - which he has painted in the temple for refreshing and obviously paints outside the temple also.

Finding new friends

 Eugene took me shopping just before we left for the United States. I wanted to get some food sacks and go to the little Costco before I left. So we went to the market and to Badia Spices. At the market I asked to get a picture of Eugene and the lady who always supplies my food sacks. He calls before we get there and she rounds up all the supplies - nice. I feel like I am acquiring friends every week.

This is her shop

It's complicated

After I met Baaba when we arrived in Accra, I watched her fashion clothes and make them from just measurements. I also watched and heard her frustration in her living arrangements. Some kind of construction next to her building, sent something through her roof to knock down a portion of her ceiling. Despite asking for the landlord to fix it, nothing was done. She had to live with a downed ceiling and then portions of the wiring going out. It became hazardous to live there. In October of last year she was really anxious to get into a new apartment. 

Another complication is that one of her sewing machines had gone down. She couldn't find anyone who can fix it. She comes over to use my simple machine sometimes, and brings her serger so she can go between while making clothes. I have watched her sew up many things without patterns. Only one stand-up ruffled collar gave her many problems. I watched her sew it up and take it out numerous times until she finally had success. But getting out a sustainable production of garments while working in adverse conditions is tricky. So people wait (or go to another person) because she can't always sew up the dress, shirt, pants, etc. that her clients want in a timely manner.

A great day when this collar worked!

She finally found a place and then had to wait 2 more months to move in. And then the electricity didn't work. The landlord paid the electric company for 10 units though he has 13. Getting that worked out was tricky and took a few more weeks. Then the water only comes on a few days a week. She has to be there to fill her barrel when the water is on so she has water when she needs it. Like I said, it's complicated.

The other complications come when she can't get a ride on a trotro on a Sunday morning as one or two don't show up. Another interesting thing is her kitchen is too small to house her oven so it is outside.  Running back and forth is unwieldy. Her deep freeze is in the living room with a lace cover on top. Again, unwieldy, useable, but unwieldy. 

She does love having a bigger place and room for her sewing and other items to use her talents. 

As I get closer to my friends I have found that most of them have different complications. One lady has to go get water as the tap that supplies water to the whole neighborhood is broken. Nobody can fix it as it runs through a leach field that is over-run by more homes than were expected to use it. Hauling the gunk out is complicated by politics and who is responsible for what. Meanwhile it is problematic to clean clothes and wash floors etc. for those that live downside of the broken pipe.  Drinking water has to be bought and brought in.

And then I live in Disneyland where everything is taken care of. Plenty of running water from the taps, electricity that runs everyday, garbage is picked up twice a week, lawns are mowed by someone else, the pool is cleaned weekly, someone washes our car every Tuesday. Comparisons are pretty stark.

The feeling of success!

 Erica came to visit and bring items she had made for my granddaughters. She has an oven at home. She was going to visit her family later that day. Erica asked if I would show her how to make banana bread. I asked her if she wanted muffins or a banana bread loaf. After thinking about it she opted for the muffins so there would be no problems between her siblings - just hand them their share in a muffin.

I had her make the banana dough herself. Her daughter wanted her attention so she gave her a toy and wrapped her on her back while she kept on working. 

You should have seen her face when she brought out the finished product from the oven. After setting it down, she danced around the kitchen. She triggered a memory of when I was ten and successfully baked some bread my family enjoyed. The satisfaction of a job well done. I am hoping the same success will happen in her own kitchen. 

Erica is talented in many ways. I appreciate her for making clips and bows for the granddaughters. She is dedicated in all the details to make something beautiful.

Carefully placing each brilliant on the bow.

packaging with little details

When she was done, she was just as excited to have created her items. It is fun to be around a happy, creative person.

People visiting

 Jeffrey took off for Sierra Leone with the Area president to accomplish a few things - opening ground for a new temple, a humanitarian handoff to the First Lady, and a conference. Jeffrey wasn't sure exactly what his role was supposed to be but a few people in communications and his legal coordinator felt he needed to go.

Meanwhile, I asked Baaba to stay a few nights while he is away. On Wednesday night she was busy sewing as she needed to finish some dresses that had been promised. On Thursday I gave her keys to the house while she and I were in the temple and took the fob for the gate from her. She got off early as she worked the early shift and I had the afternoon shift. 

I came home that night to many cooking smells. Some were recognizable and some were a mystery. I should have taken a video or picture of the kitchen. She had many ingredients and bowls on the counter with pots boiling away on the stove. She had opened the windows and later we could see and hear the storm as it blew in. Rain, thunder, lightening, and wind - all the elements of a good storm, while we were safely secure in a leakproof roof and solid walls. 

I am glad Jeffrey was gone as I don't think he would have appreciated or enjoyed the hubbub, smells, and all that goes into making seven meals. Lots of fish involved. Baaba started around 2:30 or 3 pm and ended up going to bed around 4 am. She was up and getting dressed for work at 5:45 am. 

Bobby came to clean this morning and I had both doors opened and windows in the kitchen and back in the bathroom opened. After a few hours and while he was mopping the floors, the fish smells all died down. I took off to go shopping with Eugene and Sister Penner. I came back to a beautiful, clean home.

Comfort came, Juliet came, and Dumevi came over all before Babba came back again from working in the temple. Comfort and I discussed Relief Society things (need for new secretary and counselor), Juliet wanted to pick up supplies for the dinners I asked her to make next week, and Dumevi was looking for a pattern on new items he wants to sell along with his baby weigh pants. Life is interesting!

Baaba came back to make and cook several items, one of which is Palm nut soup (has fish in it) and other kinds of stew. I opened the windows in the front and back of the apartment and retreat to my bedroom when I get too hot or sticky. 

Baaba makes meals for three months and then stores them in small quantities in her freezer to heat quickly when needed. She says it works for her. I'll post later about complications and why my kitchen was so important to her this week.

Jeffrey comes home tomorrow (unless the president is staying until Sunday) and I am happy to anticipate seeing him again. We leave a week from Sunday to go visit home. I think that will be very interesting as we have no "home" to go to as it is rented out. Life is good, phun, interesting, and fun.

Comfort brought meals for me to put in freezer for hungry people

Palm Nut Soup

This home is for the Lord's work

 Jeffrey and I rattle around in this very spacious apartment. We have realized for a long time that this is one of the Lord's mansions. I have been especially mindful that it is to be used for the Lord's work.

On Tuesday's, Bertha comes over to take the banana muffins I make along with the sobolo her mom makes and gives it to workers in and around the area office. A little of the Lord's work if you can say acknowledgment of a good job is His work. Then a lady came over to sew. That is definitely being of service to a fellow human being as she used my machine, space, etc. Then while I am putting loaves of bread into their pans, two boys called and told me they were at my gate. They were hungry. I asked them what they wanted to eat and they thought bread would be good. I told them to come back at 5:15 pm when the bread would come out of the oven.

I sent a picture at 5:30 and they ran over to come eat. They came a little later. I had bean soup, Ramon noodles, fresh bread and cherry jam, fruit, and water ready to go.  Jeffrey came home around six to find people in his dining room and living room eating and sewing. I followed him back to the bedroom, and we talked about his day, then he retired to our back room to work at the desk and I dished him up some bean soup (Ramon noodles on the side), bread, and fruit. After the boys had left, the lady finally sat down to eat her bean soup and bread with fruit. She suddenly realized she needed to run to her friend's home, so we covered her soup, bagged up the bread and fruit and off she went. 

I felt like it was a good day of serving my fellow man as Christ would want me to do. Of course, I am not going to write up anything about time I have wasted - just know I haven't quite gotten any where near perfection yet. It was still a good day.

Picture I texted so the boys knew dinner was ready.