Learning the Ukulele

 Sister Sheryl McGlochlin teaches anyone who wants to learn how to play the ukulele every day during the lunch hour. I have gone two days this week though I still can't jump from chord to chord with ease.

I wonder if I shouldn't look at the frets because in typing you can learn better muscle memory if you don't look where your fingers are but learn to 'feel' it out. The same is true with the piano and finger placement. I may start trying to just feel where the strings and frets are so I can learn it faster.

Nothing is going to make me a musician because I just haven't put the time, effort, and passion into it. But I do want to play around and learn how to do this - just for fun. When I get home, I plan to give the ukulele to Caleb as he seems to be very musical, along with the music I find. 

Sister McGlochlin is a serious musician and had me download an app that aids in tuning the instrument. She doesn't buy her instruments off the street, but gets real ones and not the knock offs.  

She has put together some files with music that is familiar, popular, or interesting and has written the chords above the words so we can sing and play along.  The ladies and gent at the practice were very good musicians - except for me - and they sounded so lovely! One of the ladies harmonized. I'm not sure which one or ones. It was a very nice afternoon (in an air conditioned room). 

The teacher, Sister McGlochlin

Enoch from North Ridge first ward! Enoch and Lorenzo are friends - Wilii Falls

Wendy Nielsen, Sister Judy Gilmore , Enoch, and Sister Sheryl McGlochlin

The music was so beautiful. It is amazing the feeling that a ukulele can produce - under the right hands.

At the Library with children

  Kathy Knowles from Canada saw a need in Accra and had a library built. It is called the Kathy Knowles Community Library. Adults come to learn English and other things, and children can come to read or be read to. There are puzzles and some games. The Library is about the size of a freight car with a roof. Two buildings with a covered patio between that the children sit at tables to do art projects, etc. The second building was the administrative offices and a storage.

On Tuesdays and Fridays they bus children from one section of town over to the Library. The missionaries come to do activities with the children for about two hours. I don't know if the children  come other days to the library or not.

Sister McGlochlin has been in charge for eight months and is looking for someone to take her place. I told her I am happy to help, but I'm not her replacement. 

It was a very interesting day with the children. I was left with a few questions like, what is our purpose or mission at the library? Do the ladies running the library want specific things to happen with the missionaries coming? How did we get invited to come? 

The children arrived, lined up to wash their hands, and then went over to a paved courtyard and were led in standing yoga poses, the Hokey Pokey, and other action songs like head, shoulders, knees and toes, etc. by Sister McGlochlin. After, the children ran over to the tables between the breezeways where she told them what they were going to create. I was surprised how long the children could do their artwork. At least an hour or so. And then we went home. I don't know how long the children stayed. Once a week they serve a meal. Sister McGlochlin said they served a lunch last Friday, so they probably wouldn't serve them today. 

Elder McGlochlin participated in all the activities but I never heard him utter a word. 

This is Accra's winter or cooler time, but I was still dripping when we went back to the Area Office. I was so happy to get into the air conditioning. We'll have to see what happens when the warm days hit -- if I can handle being outdoors (under shade)  or not. 

Courtyard where they did yoga and action songs

Rethinking how I find records

 It has been phun getting documents ready and in so we can get a residence permit. We have our non-resident card - which all non-residents of Ghana need to have. I heard through the grapevine that those who drive across the border do not need those cards. So I asked if it applied only to people flying in. The man from travel wasn't sure but thought that was likely.  Interesting. NOT, that I am going to drive across another country to get here. It's just interesting.

So, on to the tale of why I'm rethinking how I find records. We need our marriage certificate as one of the documents to get a residence permit. We easily found all the rest as we had them assembled. For some reason the marriage certificate wasn't in our luggage (or it will arrive in the shipment - or it's packed away in storage somewhere). The bottom line is we have no idea where it is. I thought I'd jump online and look through the Utah records and locate it easily. 

Every rabbit hole I went down did not give me the results I was looking for. After a fruitless search I decided to look on my Family Search tree and see if MAYBE I attached my certificate there. No, but they did have a hint that a marriage record could be found in United States Western States Marriage Index. When I found the record I notice that the date of my marriage listed was on the 11, not the 21st. So everywhere I had previously looked was empty - because the facts I put in, I KNEW what date (who, where, when) I was married and expected the records to show that.  Was it a clerical error, the date we got our license, or script that looked like something else? Who knows. 

That brings up an interesting point that records I have been looking for, for some of my relatives, should be more general info instead of specific, in case they are in a slightly different place than I expect....hummmm.

Hurry up and wait syndrome of getting things done in a bureaucracy. 

The Rain Came Down

 When we went to church yesterday, the sky was cloudy versus Saturday when the sun was shining and lots of people went swimming in the pool at Mövenpick. Sunday was grey and windy. Sacrament meeting was nice and then Sunday School was interesting. Afterwards we went into the Bishop's office. 

When we came out the rain was pouring down! The trees were swaying all over and the wind was blowing the rain into the foyer of the church building. There was thunder and lighting. No one left until the rain started to taper off. I think the raindrops are bigger here. I know you can get wet much faster than in California showers.

Choices, choices!

 I have been asked to work in the temple. I have been asked to help in the library with children from Jamestown. Jamestown is a hard place to grow up as not many people have good jobs. The children get bussed over to this particular library two days a week, and the missionaries basically have an activity day workshop. I am going tomorrow and see if I can handle the heat. I have been assured that this is Accra's "cold" weather.  And I have been asked to learn the ukulele so we can entertain children and adults in different venues. The ukulele is outside of my comfort zone and I bought one and went to my first lesson today.

Then in my first week in the ward - Second Sunday in Ghana, when I asked for an appointment with the Bishop he said that was great as he wanted to talk to me - could we meet right after church? He said he'd get the permission to go to the temple started and then extended me a call. I will for sure make another post next week and tell you all the particulars. It will have Stan Hansen in the story.

Then there is the fact that the MTC has intake every Tuesday. Imagine that?!!! Every Tuesday they have new missionaries come. It must be full to the rafters. I'll bet they needed a bunch more teachers. I can help out with the stations checking in if I want to.

So lots of choices of things to do and participate in. I'm going to take it one step at a time as I don't know how much time my new calling will take - and I'm putting that as a high priority. 

My grandkids and Kelsi are giving me ideas on Marco Polo of the things I can do with children and singing time. Emma was modeling a shaker egg. Basically a large Easter egg with beans in it. Kelsi showed me a noodle cut in half and hand size that slide together for a rhythm and make soft noice. Caleb told me about a great idea making a city with people coming out of the doors. I love the ideas!!

Goodbye to friends

 We went over to the Burton's apartment to say goodbye as they left. Emmy let me do laundry at her home yesterday, so I picked it up when we said goodbye. We picked them up at the airport three years ago. Times have changed so much! No masks, distancing, tests and more tests, or forms to fill out of where you have been. Yet many things are still the same. The Powell's took them to the airport and you could see the rapport that had together. I am sad to see Emmy go and glad she is going to be back with her family. Time marches on.

Goodbye

Emmy and Richard Burton leaving Ghana

The Powells got all the luggage in one truck along with the Burtons - good job packing.

Three Year Ago - Hello

Greetings!

Emmy and Richard Burton coming to Ghana

This hotel is better!

 When Jeffrey went to his first meeting that Elder Klebingat was attending, they talked a little bit and Elder Klebingat asked where we were staying (next week we will be next door to them). Jeffrey told him and Elder Klebingat said he didn't have any authority to tell Jeffrey what to do, but that he should move to the Mövenpick Embassy Hotel as that was a much better place - where they house the general authorities when they come. He said it was important to keep a wife happy.

YES! Best advice ever. The room is not grey walls and dark hallways. The room is wider and the bed is a comfortable king size. Best of all the views out the window are great. It is good. The food is good, the service is good. The people are friendly. 

But, it is our sixth hotel in four weeks. It sure is nice to be here, and I'm looking forward to being in a set place that is very nice. The apartment living room is bigger than ours at home, the kitchen is bigger than ours at home, the bedroom is bigger than ours at home, the washer and dryer have their own room instead of the garage, there is a walk-in pantry, two fridges, and one freezer. The window looks out at the temple. Yup, I am going to be grateful to be there. Meanwhile, this hotel is very nice!

Beautiful View out the window of Mövenpick

Not in love with the old hotel

Saw this guy skating around handing out drinks and picking up at Mövenpick pool.