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.

Leading a discussion

 I actually lead the same discussion twice. Once for sister scripture study and then in an emergency last minute Relief Society class. 

The sister scripture study went well. We focused on how we get nearer to God. I had twelve PowerPoint slides of Elder Eyring's talk, "Draw Near unto Me".  Then we went around and shared experiences of when we felt close to the Savior or what were practicalities of doing things that brought us closer to the Savior. It was a good class.

On Sunday I had the same twelve slides but I skipped from showing it on the table to the TV to the table and then the TV stayed on. I didn't get flustered, I just continued on with my discussion despite what kind of technical difficulties went on. When we got to the discussion part the answers were very different.

The one that touched my heart was Sister Asante telling....well showing us....

She picked up two chairs and put them in front of the women and said there was a time when she was having extreme difficulties. She sat in one chair and invited God to come sit with her in the facing chair. She described having her scriptures there and then she sang, "Be Still my Soul" (third verse)* to God. While she was singing a cappella for us,  my heart clenched. Sister Asante said after her song she got two calls almost immediately that eased her difficulties. 

I felt that was the crux of my message, so we sang the closing song and had the closing prayer.

I and Sister Asante

* The notes don't seem to go with the tune I am familiar with, so it may be a different rendition. The words are the same.

Amazing children’s appreciation night

 It was a terrific night watching the children show their parents their appreciation. They came marching and singing into the room. All the girls were in the same dress, the adults were in the same dress, both with necklaces and black shoes. The little girls wore frilly ankle socks. The boys came in with white shirts and yellow ties. Adorable! 

The presentation was really great. The children sang with gusto and all those who had parts were not shy, they were bold and stepped right up to the mic. Even if they were not in tune all of the time, they knew their parts and all the words to all the songs. 

Luckily for me, one of the mothers needed pictures of her girl. So I have many pictures of Peggy. Nothing like a good time when there is a mission to perform. I loved the night and performance. 

The decorations were so cute and there was a place to take pictures just before you went into the cultural hall.

It was so nice of Comfort to bring food for all. It was a well rounded and well attended program. 

They are gone.....never forgotten

 

Last night we took Amberlee and Ashley to the airport. It is one of those bittersweet things. Sad to see them go, happy that they got the adventure!

Jeffrey and I will definitely be watching for Amberlee in the future as she has initiative, drive, and is a kind, nice person. She is going to do something great in the future. I am sure her sister Ashley is just like her though we didn't get to know her as well. 

The drop-off was nerve racking as the rain had caused a jam with lots of clumped up passenger drop off. Amberlee and Ashley took initiative by walking in from the far side walk. Since we didn't get to see them walk in the building, it was a great relief to get a text saying they made it to the gate. Then in the morning another text saying they both made their flight changes! YES. Alls well that ends well. 😁

Home Dedicated

 Baaba asked if Jeffrey could come by her apartment to dedicate it and give blessings on her home. Eugene was kind enough to bring us over. Her home has a good feel and is just what she wanted.  There were sooo many struggles and battles to fight before it has all come together.  

Baaba surprised Jeffrey and I with this excellent repast. It was a shame that I had just eaten a late breakfast. Since Jeffrey wasn't hungry either, she packed it all up and sent it home with us. Late afternoon we enjoyed it immensely. 

Spray oil

 I ran out of spray oil and grumped a little about the mess of spreading oil or butter around pans. Eugene came up with this great spray bottle that shoots the oil around the pan just as well as the can. Have I told you how creative and ingenious these Ghanaians are? They can find a solution for everything  --

 except poverty.

We have a "little Costco" which is actually Badia Spices that sells Kirtland brand items. It is so nice to see familiar ingredients, one of which is the spray oil cans. But sometimes they are available and sometimes not. So it was really great that Eugene could figure out a solution that works - and can be refilled.

The Girls came!

 Last Sunday, Amberlee's sister arrived and Eugene took them on a short sight-seeing trip around the city. They came back with the car in the afternoon. When they said what they had been doing, I realized that they had not had lunch. I told them the three options they could have and we set out a lovely dinner settings. Baaba came before we had finished so she joined us also. She opted for the spring rolls so we added that to the lunch. 

It is so nice to be around young adults! They are lively and think of lots of things to converse and talk about. Nice lunch, a nice chat, and then they all went home. I could feel the quiet.

The next day they ran over to Abri in the morning. I decided not to go as I had too many things planned to get ready for. I am so grateful I did not go! They got stopped by rain and had to make a few extra trips as they forgot something and didn't get back till late. But they looked like they had a ton of fun - so that is good! They went to Asante's home and rode a trotro - it's all great.

Monday travel!

Starting off to Abri

Solera Family - All doing well

 The Solera family have had many things happen this year. It started out with the marriage of their oldest son John Michael. John Kyle got ready and went on a mission. Ernesto got a new job. And now they are looking forward to being grandparents. Princess is in school, and John Andre is so tall it's unbelievable!

Ernesto, Princess, Christy, Andre, Michael, and Kyle - look how tall those boys are. Even Princess is shooting up there. I probably look very old to them.

Caitlin and Michael Solera married on January 18, 2025

Princess had a birthday in February 

Kyle - Elder Solera in the MTC by May 29

Wonderful things happening for their family.

New job and new grandchild!

I am Hungry

 Coming out of the temple one day this week, I heard a child call to me. I turned around and stopped and saw a 7 to 9 year-old boy. He came up to me and said, "I am hungry." My heart clenched so I said, "if you wait here, I will go home and bring you some food." He said he would be there.

As I went home and picked up muffins, apples, and a food sack, I wondered about his mother and who took care of him. When I got back to the low wall outside of the temple, there he was sitting with an older girl that I presumed was his sister - good for the taking care of part of the question. After handing him the muffins and apples, I gave the food sack to the young women and told her that was for their mom.

I asked if they were in the patron house waiting for people in the temple or somewhere else. The boy replied that he belonged to that (pointing to the stake house) ward. I was surprised and said, "I'm in that ward too!" He replied, "I know, I see you every week." I found out their names, Sando and Rebecca, and said I'd look for them on Sunday. I was relieved to find they weren't desperate kids, but knew who I was. 

Sando, I, and Rebecca

Some days are very quiet - some are not

 I have fallen into a routine. Sundays have church meetings and Patriarchal Blessings to uplift and sustain. Mondays and Tuesdays are either adventures or doing projects, Wednesdays and Thursdays are working in the temple. Fridays usually are filled with people. Going shopping, having Bobby come for cleaning, Comfort coming to cook and discuss Relief Society issues. Saturday is always quiet for Jeffrey as he catches up on everything and sometimes I'm off with others for adventures and sometimes I am finishing up too.

Yesterday's Friday was filled with people! 

Wisdom came very early to pick up his cedis for his work.

Small Ebony Nativity

Bobby came to clean and Juliet came to collect cedis to make treats for chapel cleaners.

Eugene came and picked me up to go shopping. It was a holiday -- Eid al-Adha [Festival of Sacrifice - a day that Muslims celebrate and remember that Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son Ismael to God] so the streets were open and mostly clear. The stores also were uncrowded. Baaba came to sew. I got back in plenty of time to greet Comfort and Bertha who came with sobolo and fresh produce from the market for me. Nice! 

Bobby meanwhile had run over to the church store to get supplies for his ward. I was meeting him at the gate with a cart as he had dropped off a few boxes at the gate and went back for more supplies, when Comfort and Bertha came with their supplies and used the cart to bring them up to the apartment and then ran the cart back down to carry Bobby's supplies. It is all about timing.

My kitchen was getting full. But the next visitor was Maame Huston from our Cantonments ward. She and Bertha were planning for an event for Young Single Adults that day. There is nothing like the vibe, energy, creativity, and unlimited possibilities that exist in young adults!

The girls wanted to win in a contest with the stake. Cantonments ward had the color red and decided to make a sobolo smoothie and they came to my house to look for ways to present their table. I wanted them to win the contest also.

Two creative girls having fun. Maame Houston and Bertha Ofoli-Quaye.

They collected all kinds of odds and ends and came up with a plan.

Here is the result! Beautiful presentation

Ariel view of the table

Here are the two winners of the contest. They came to put all the items back.

I had a nice full day with lots of chatting and talking, then watching the girls create and plan. The last person to come was Baaba after working in the temple. She came to pick up her laundry and bags. I felt good feeding her and sending her off with supplies. It was not a quiet day but is was great.

Egg Crown

 While in the market a lady came walking in front of the car to the side wearing a plate of eggs (yes round regular eggs) all stacked up on the pate like a crown.

I thought they were in some kind of mold. No! They are stacked on one another. I had Eugene ask for two eggs and she put her 'crown' down and I could see they were just eggs stacked 5 up. There was something drizzled on them. I found out it is a cassava salt and water that makes a glue that is put on the eggs to stick them together.

The lady gave me a peeled egg without pepper and gave Eugene an egg with red pepper sauce and onions. The little pink container has red pepper sauce and onion, and the small green container has green pepper sauce. She peels the egg, slices it open and puts pepper sauce and onions in it - for those who want pepper.

Ladies with Talents

 Comfort came over to bring fried rice dinners and make an egg stew for us. While she was here, Erica and her daughter stopped by to say hello. I contracted with Erica to have her bring her shea butter lotion for the ladies at the temple. She is also going to make my friend a braided headband like the one Erica already. made me.  I am surrounded by ladies with great talents!

Comfort talks on the phone and sets up the meals

Hug from "grandma"

She calls all of us grandma

I cannot duplicate this!

Best Way to Bargin

 When Eugene and I went to the market on Friday, I stayed in the car while he went around negotiating prices and buying everything I needed for the week and for food sacks. We got double food sacks as Sister Braunberger wants food sacks also.

If I had stepped out of the car and gone to look at anything, the price would have risen automatically. It is a white tax. Of course white people have more money so they can pay more is the common belief. So I just stay in the car after giving Eugene my list and money. Works like a charm.

Easy shopping for less cedis!

A good man - Eugene

Sister Braunberger's food sack supplies

Baking day

 The intrepid Amberlee Dredge was at my house on Saturday baking banana muffins and making bread for the first time. I felt bad as her plans with young people had fallen through. Jeffrey had invited her over just in case she was all alone for the weekend. So she hung out with old people! While the bread was rising, Jeffrey talked to her about gatherings of all different kinds in the scriptures. 

I love that she will try new things.

Just a little sticky

Success!