2-March-2015 A Quick Post

Sorry for not posting more often, I think we are in a grove and things all sort of seem the same...
For us at least. I keep forgetting that you are always seeing something new on the blog.
We have had some crazy experiences the past week. I can't remember if I've explained the power situation here or not. When we first arrived in August, we were told how to run the generator because we can occasionally lose power. In Sierra Leone we lived on the generator, there was no municipal power to speak of. Here in Kumasi we have municipal power from the "Electric Company of Ghana" (ECG). Well we have had power less and less every day. If we are lucky, like last night, we had power all night. It is nothing unusual to go for 18+ hours in the dark. So crank up the Gen to maintain the fridge/freezer.
The weekend before we went to "Mole Game Park" I went in to ECG on Saturday morning and pre-paid 500 Ghanaian cedis (dollars) to top up the power for the month of February, we use around 450 CeDis worth a month. On Saturday night the power went off and came back on, and all our credits were gone. I made a couple of phone calls and got some power credits to hold for a day or two. We were leaving town early Monday, so I asked Elder and Sister Dever if they could go over to ECG Monday morning and explain the problem...they did and two guys came and looked...."Yep there is a problem" they left and we still had no power.
So I called Brother Cooper, the apartment & property manager for the mission, and asked him to look into it. Normally I wouldn't care, but we had a freezer full of stuff that would rot after 4 days without power. A couple of hours later he sent us a text and said we have power.... this was February the 9th.
We have had power, when it's available, ever since. I kept thinking that we were getting close to running out of credits so I tried to check the balance on the meter and something was not right???
Well on the 26th I was working on the computer and the power went off around 1pm..
I looked outside and there were 5 ECG workers on the porch staring at our meter....and yelling at each other.
Someone had bypassed the meter and we were getting free power. They were not happy!
Thanks Brother Cooper....We assured him we did not do this, that we had been out of town.
The ECG employee demanded to talk to the person who did it, so I called Brother Cooper and let the two men  talk. Or shall I say "yell" at each other. Finally in frustration the ECG man yelled, "Do not make me put the white man in jail!" Oh my. It had gone from bad to worse!
I made some more phone calls and the 2nd counselor in the Mission Presidency came over. He works for ECG. He went with me over to the main office and we got the problem straightened out. ECG said they would give us a "Post Pay" meter and we will get a bill from now on....sound good right?
Well they hand me a bill for 3810.60 cedis and said we need to pay it before they will restore our power. I took the bill to the mission office and President Holmes said we are not going to pay until they give us an itemized bill.... they say its because the meters are not good and they record short on the power.
WHAT... I'm not sure how this one is going to end, but I'll keep you up to date. Oh by the way someone came and connected our meter and we do have power....go figure.

Well enjoy the pics:

 This is our meter, the little one on the left. It use to be a mirror image of the one on the right.

The one on the right is for the other half of the building, and it is a post pay.

When you go in and "Pre-Pay" they give you credits on a SIM Card and you insert it 

in a slot under the square glass area, and like magic... you have power.

 This is Comfort, a mid-wife in a small village just East of here.

  This is the steps to help the Big Bellies up onto the birthing bed.

 This is an Assistant Ward Clerk in the Mampong Branch...

Boy is he proud of his desk. He is 16.

                                          Leadership training It must be very basic!                                                          We taught the YW's President how to welcome the YW  as they enter the classroom.

                                                       Everyone loves to be welcomed

                                                                    She loves Primary

                                              So shy. I wish I could have captured her doing the
                                   actions  for WIGGLES. She was amazing!! They do have rhythm!!

                                  Can you see the spunk in this one?    Her mother told us that the previous week when we attended church elsewhere, she asked "Where is Elder Barney?  Where is Elder Barney?"

                                     Mampong YW's class. The leaders are on each end.                                                               I hope some day I will remember and can share with you all the stories about these girls.

 When the leaders don't show up, the YW just take over. This YW gave a great lesson, including,                                    scriptures, diagrams on the board, questions, etc. WOW!

 Every missionary needs to kill a pig and cook it in a pit.

 Lets see now...do I cut here?

 Yes those are real Banana leaves.

 Get it done boys....were losing heat.

 My mouth is already watering.

 Sister missionaries have a thing about shoes.

 These are great for tracting in the hills.

 Elders are famous for stinky freezers. This was a brand new fridge, just the previous week.                     Boy did Sista Barney have a fit about this!!! But they have never had a fridge or freezer...ever. How would they know to bag the fish, until they are taught.

 This is a sausage vendor next to a Bar across the street from

Elder and Sister Dever's apartment.

 I splurge and spent way to much money for these dried apricots, only to find them way "over ripe"!!    The expiration date was fine, I think they just get too hot in transport or on the shelf. Never again.

 Retrieving a birds nest for Sista Barney

 This looks like a bench at high water....actually you stand on it

like a surfboard and paddle out to the fish nets.

 Local housing by Lake Bosamtwe.

 What do you think? Should I pass in the right lane????

Oh, by the way....this is very common.

 School marching band with white socks on their hands...

Nobody has gloves in this country.

Go figure!!!

13-February-2015 What a Lucky Friday

I can hardly believe that it's been so long from our last post. We are really enjoying the people here in West Africa, Ghana to be more specific. We are still working with two branches North East of Kumasi about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours away. Agona and Mampong for all you Google Earthers.
We have set up Libraries in both buildings and Sister Barney (they call her Sista Bonny) is showing them the fine art of organizing and maintaining.
Both of us are now a year older, and for sure wiser.
This week, for our Birthdays, we and 3 other couples went on a trip to the Mole Game Reserve here in Ghana. It was a hoot. It was just like being here in Kumasi. The power kept going off, monkeys running around on the roof, lizards kept dashing through our room just to keep us on our toes. Oh well...It's Africa.

Enjoy the pics.

 This is the "Dry Season" and red dust gets on everything.

 This is one of our neighbors. She is somewhere in the 100+ range.

She has a son that lives in the same compound that is almost 80.

She is a real joy to (try) talk to.

 The Agona Library and the Librarian.

 Sister Barney applied for keyboards, through the "Harman Music Grant"

and we received 16 keyboards to distribute to members.

If they prove that they are progressing, the keyboards become theirs to keep.

There are some pretty excited youth in the branches.

 Sister Barney teaching Relief Society Sisters how to lead music in the 

shade of the old palm tree at the Techiman Chapel.

 This is sort of a mystery, it's an outhouse of sorts positioned over a ditch.

 Sister Barney asked me to cut up the cabbage, and lo and behold,

what pops out...a sort of slug looking thing. I threw the cabbage away

and Sister Barney told me to toughen up....She finds creatures in the 

vegetables all the time.

 Even our Victronox didn't cut through the little whelp.

 Sunset at the Mole Hotel

 This is the Safari Vehicle that we road around on.

The guide is on the rear with his trusty (rusty) 375 H&H

 We stopped to check out this old tusker that the 

local villagers have named "Peoples Friend"

 Hiding in the bush...can you spot him?

 Local warthog...

 I asked these three little girls to pose for a picture, 

and they closed their eyes. Tooo Cute.

 We passed out "Smarties" and some balloons.

They didn't know what to do with either.

But they soon figured it out.

 This is the most interesting bee hive I've ever seen. 

 A troop of "Baboons" in the side of the road.

They can be a nuisance. We watched a male harassing some

little school children. The ranger said that they have to dispatch

one every once and a while if they get too aggressive.

 Sister Barney pondering and writing in her journal at the old water hole.

 Speaking of water hole. The elephants are on frolic, 

and the crocodiles scatter.

I watched a small croc take a Guinea Fowl.

 You cant see me!!!!

 This is one of 9 young bulls in a small herd that we spotted

Zoomed out.

13-January-2015 Bushmeat and other treats...

All I can say is - Good day...
We have been traveling all over the mission at the bidding of President Holmes. We have got all the missionaries back on their feet and out contacting and teaching those that have been prepared to hear the Gospel.
We do have some annual problems that are somewhat annoying. Now that we are in the middle of the dry season, and I do mean "DRY", we have lots of stuffy noses and allergy things attacking some of us. We are hearing lots of --"Sister Barney...I think I'm going to die" "Whats the matter Elder?" "My nose is stuffy"...  "Take two Tylenol and call me in a month or so".
It is most interesting listening to the "What's wrong" conversations. I'm waiting with great anticipation for the "Book" to be released that will contain some of these wild descriptions of illnesses. It really is entertaining.

Here are a few pictures of some roadside "bush-meat" marketeers and their wares.
As we drive around the roads of Ghana, we see these, mostly young men, stand on the side of the read and hold up the days catch in hopes that someone will stop and buy. I'm still looking for the "Prize of all Prizes" dried Fruit Bats.

Well enjoy:

 Guess what this young man has?

 I hope he has a large cat.

 This proud hunter is displaying what they call a "Grass Cutter"

they are a close relative of the "Rockchuck" it looks like to me.

 He is getting a little miffed because the competition

has arrived with a sort of Armadillo looking thing.

 It does not take long to gather a crowd. Even way out in the bush

they seem to appear from out of nowhere. 

 Oh yes...an even bigger one.

 I think I'll try my hand in the "Bush-Meat" trade.

 Not sure, but I think this is the scrub area for surgery...

 This is the entire dispensary for the little hospital that we are visiting.

 We had an Elder go to a OB clinic because he

thought he had Malaria. A 5 min test and an IV of ringers and

he leaves with a bag containing something for anything he might come down with

for the next few months.

 These are the first flowers I've seen decorating a chapel

here in the mission. Yes they are plastic. It is the "DRY" season.

 Relief society room before Sister Barney...

 Relief Society room after Sister Barney

 Class room in Mampong

 Primary room in Mampong

 This is a "Double-Bar" hospital...I think.

 In a small village called Gyamase.

 Quite the drive to deliver two Elders to an investigators house.

 We just came from where???

Remember the track hoe that was broken down on the side of the road???

All that's left is the cab, bucket, and counter-weight.

My question is...where did it go?