Last day in Tarkwa

As we finish up the last couple of days in Tarkwa, we are showered with brotherly love and greetings to carry back with us to Covington.  All these brothers and sisters have been added to our worldwide family in Jehovah's organization.  May Jehovah continue to bless all their efforts each and every day.  Thank you Tarkwa Sign Language Group and Tarkwa English congregation for having us and sharing your humble, but large hearts.  We're off to back to Accra and Ghana Branch to prepare for our exit from Ghana, with tears of joy, sadness and appreciation.

(Jeremy, Brandon, everyone sends their love to you.)

Deann and Elli

On the road to Akyempin

Saturday service...nine of us from the ASL group decided to go to Akyempin.  They have found 10 deaf ones there before and witnessed to them, but have heard there may be about five more.  Akyempin is a two hour bus or trotro ride on this road deep into the bush of Ghana (not to mention the hour or so you spend at the station waiting for the bus to fill up so they can leave).  After arrival you have to clean up a bit from the dirt road and begin walking the village.  We spent about 2-3 hours in the village and ended up making only three return visits/bible studies.  Apparently there was a funeral nearby, and the rest were "not-at-home".  You have to watch your time out there as the rides back to Tarkwa become fewer as the day draws to a close.  So at 3:30 the bus pulled out and we were on it for the two hour ride home, giving the other passengers magazines to read.  A long way for not-at-homes, yes?  But so worth the three we found!  Those experiences you'll have to wait to hear about when we get home...

Deann and Elli

The Last Two Days

As you heard yesterday, we went to Bogoso. Upon arriving at the TroTro station for our upcoming 1.5 hour ride we bought tickets. It costs 2 cedis for the ride, about $1.40 USD. Just as we identified the rusty, beat-up TroTro that was our transportation, the sliding door fell off the van. When one of the brothers turned around and said “that’s your ride” we couldn’t help but all look at each other and laugh! It turned out that we got there in one piece, no need to worry. We visited 4 deaf bible students, all eager to see us and learn something new about the bible.

Today we stayed local and went to visit a few students here in town.  Upon finishing our day Deann and I caught a taxi back to the other side of town to run an errand (a minimum of 4 passengers and the driver is the norm here) so we took the opportunity to talk to the other passengers. One of the women asked if we were working here and we explained that we were Jehovah’s Witnesses and that we were here to teach the deaf about the Bible. She replied with “Thank you, may God bless you” We gave her some literature to read and she mentioned that she is currently studying the bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. She is excited about what she’s been learning. When she got out of the taxi she said “May God keep you healthy so you may continue your work.” It was an upbuilding experience to end our day.

Additional pics:

This is how we drink our water and this is an African kitchen.

And while you can buy food and other things anywhere along the roadside this is the main market, we went there yesterday (we got your natural shea butter, mom). 

Auntie Martha

You have to know Auntie Martha.  This sweet older sister in the Tarkwa congregation has lived here for 30 years or so.  Auntie Martha ran a maternity center and helped deliver most of the residents, their children and grandchildren.  But her "memory is not so good", as she puts it.  So she hired a couple of women and turned the center into a daycare.  While preaching yesterday, we had a chance to stop by and  visit her and all the children.  Here is our sister and hostess to Ghana, Annette playing patty cake with some of the children...

Auntie Martha is a fine witness to Jehovah throughout the whole village of Tarkwa.  On a side note, we went preaching in Bogoso and Odumasi today, two villages with 4 deaf bible students.  An hour and a half trotro ride from Tarkwa.

Elli and Deann

Yes, preaching everywhere

It's true that you can preach to anyone at anytime and anywhere here.  While on our way back to Tarkwa yesterday, on the bus a family sat in the seats behind me.  There was an older gentleman (grandpa) and what looked to be his son, daughter and grand daughter with him.  I handed the grand daughter a cookie and she smiled and ate it.  The mom thanked me.  The grandpa asked me if we were headed to Tarkwa.  I told him yes and asked if he was as well.  They were headed there also.  He asked if we were visiting.  So I explained that we are, but as volunteers to teach deaf ones in Tarkwa the Bible.  "The Bible", he said.  I told him we were Yehowa Adansefo (Jehovah's Witnesses) and asked if he knew them.  He exclaimed, "Yes, do you have any papers for me?"  That means he wants literature.  So I gave him a Watchtower and a Family tract.  He read both of them on the bus right there.  Jehovah's name is known worldwide and it brings great praise and honor to say his name while preaching to everyone we meet.

A Little Vacation

We’ve been having too much fun! We left a few days early to bring the guys back to Accra because we wanted to do a little site seeing. On the agenda: Makola Market and Kakum National Park (the canopy walk). So we headed to Cape Coast – a quant little African beach town about 40 minutes from Kakum National Park. We stayed in a great little stone hotel (with air conditioning – wooohoo!!) that was built by the Dutch back in the 1800’s sometime. We walked around to view the town and the guys were invited to participate in pulling up one of the fishing nets. Notice the seasoned hands compared to the soft Obruni hands. :) The sites were beautiful.

Off another few hours the next day to Accra where we visited the crazy Makola Market and art center. We were attacked by vendors but found some neat items to purchase. We also got to see Kente being made. It’s a local handmade fabric that is very time consuming to make, but beautiful. Also, the wood working is amazing - the hand carved drums were underway... 

After we dropped off the guys we made one last stop on the way back, Takoradi. Another little town on the coast. We stayed with a wonderful brother and sister that were so hospitable; they even served us pizza for dinner and for desert (unheard of in Ghana) we had baileys irish cream over ice cream. We’ve certainly been spoiled. The sunset of the beach topped it all off. But we're glad to be back "home" in Tarkwa.

Our travels were enjoyable but preaching was not forgotten. While awaiting the bus to arrive I had out my Awake magazine and we were approached by two local brothers that helped us along the way. It's amazing to go anywhere in the world and feel like you have family everywhere. We shared literature with ones we traveled with along the way. One local woman so happily helped us find the TroTro station when we got off the first bus and was happy to receive the Family Life tract, of which she read the entire tract before our arrival. Then when we toured the castle in Cape Coast, the center of slave trade    during the 1800's, Annette was able to explain how the transition of world powers was prophesied in the Bible. And when we learned during the tour that religious entities were responsible for initiating and supporting the slave trade for hundreds of years, we helped him understand that God does not approve. Jeremy then had the opportunity to explain to one of the vendors in the market that we were here in Ghana as volunteers to help teach the deaf about the Bible, the man was eager to receive a Watchtower and learn how to look up the scriptures in his own Bible.

More coming soon.

Elli

On the road

Well, we have been on the road for a couple of days.  Brandon and Jeremy are making their exit from Ghana soon.  We have been traveling to take them back to Accra, but in between taking a bit of a holiday.   So stay tuned for pictures and stories once Elli and I get back to Tarkwa on Monday.

Deann

When in Ghana do as the Ghanians do

We’ve been sharing our experiences and will continue to do so.  And with every adventure there are wonderful things and also reality.  Many of you asked us about food, bathroom stops in service, etc.  So we thought we’d answer those questions.  The food is great (as you can tell so far)!  We are enjoying many of the customary dishes and I don’t think any of us have tasted a dish we didn’t like.  For service, we walk down the dirt road to the main road to catch a taxi.  Which usually holds 4 uncomfortably and we are 5.  Still we get in and go to the Kingdom Hall.  After meeting for service we walk to both the territory and calls/studies in town or we walk through town to the station to catch another taxi to a neighboring village.  We then walk to visit everyone we’ve come to see in the village.  Talking to everyone along the way!  We go until we are done (because it is WAY too far to come back later) and then find some snacks on the roadside while we wait for a taxi back to town.  Then we buy some food in the markets for dinner and take a taxi back home.  We don’t stop and eat lunch or have breaks other than pulling your water bottle out of your pack and getting a drink in between.  Here the brothers and sisters eat only 2 meals a day.  So when in Ghana…!  When we get home, we prepare dinner and eat.  Now, for the bathroom stops…everyone’s bathroom in the villages is outside (so are their kitchens).  So you find the nearest one.  The bathroom consists of 4 tin walls held together by branches.  So sometimes it’s best to wait until you get home.  But, yes, we’ve had to use it.  Yes, it’s hot here.  You sweat all day long.  And the roads are mostly red dirt.  So you start out clean and white and come back dirty and red (both from the sun and dirt).  As for the water, we have a running shower.  When we need to use it, we walk downstairs and turn on the pump.  But it pumps from the tank, so no hot water.  But after those service days, it feels good!  There is no running water in the rest of the house.  So you stand in a bucket when you shower.  Then you save that water for the toilet to flush in the bucket.  For the kitchen we have a tank of water that has to be filled from the well outside.  There is a young man who buckets the water in for us (whew).  For drinking water, we use that and boil it and pour it in a filter, then into water bottles.  For cooking and washing we use that water in small buckets in the sink.  Now laundry…we have a tank outside of our door on the patio.  We fill 3 buckets from that and take them to the shower.  One bucket is for washing and one is for first rinse and one is for final rinse.  Yes, Elli and I do our laundry by hand, with Annette’s help of course.  But it’s all for the sake of the Kingdom!

Brandon, Elli, Jeremy and Deann

FuFu Party

Last night a group of brothers and sisters from the congregation came over, ingredients in hand to pound FuFu. A local dish. You will hear all about it when we get back, it is quite a process. They were all so warm and hospitable. The night ended with them all showing us how to properly sing the kingdom songs. It was a perfect night.

This evening we have meeting and we will be showing the disc of all your sign videos to the entire congregation.

Here are the bread and porridge ladies at our front door. I'm wondering how I could get my own bread and porridge ladies when I get home...hmmm?

Here is a group of school kids who ran up saying "Obruni, Obruni" (meaning white person, it's what we hear everywhere we go...) :) They all want their picture taken.

That's all for now.

Brandon and Elli

Kingdom Hall

Yehowa Adansefo, that's how you say Jehovah's Witnesses in Twi.  And here is the Kingdom Hall.  It's an old theatre that is in bad disrepair.  However, the branch has decided to take it down and rebuild a Kingdom Hall and Assembly site, open air.  Many places were bidding on this property, but when the Branch found out it was for sale, they put in an offer and it was accepted right away.

Jeremy and Deann

The Beautiful Mornings

Let us tell you how we wake up every morning.  First comes the one rooster that starts early, way before any other rooster (and of course, he's on our patio and is the worst sounding rooster around).  But then at sunrise, he starts again.  Then all the other roosters across the valley crow with him.  Next comes the women next door getting out their cooking supplies making breakfast, bucketing up water from the well.  Afterward they sweep with their straw brooms.  In between we can hear the baby chicks calling their hunger to the momma and the birds singing in the air.  Not long after that comes the Muslim prayer resounding across the valley as well.  All this prior to the porridge and bread ladies (see below).  A day in Ghana starts early but beautifully!

Jeremy and Deann

Too Much to Talk About

So much to cover, where to start! Here is just a very brief summary to keep you all up to date:

This…is a TroTro ride. The public transportation for traveling to other areas, service, etc…Usually we ride them for a minimum of an hour, sometimes two. You haven't experienced Africa until you've experienced a TroTro. :) We have video too but it's just too large to upload. It will have to wait until we come back. But imagine - a van, 20 seats, 30 people...and a chicken. 

First day in the ministry we went to a couple of local village about an hour and a half away and witnessed to…pretty much everyone. Lots were approaching us asking us to stay, teach or asking for literature.

This is fresh wheat porridge delivered to our door in the morning along with fresh, warm, homemade bread. Yeah, we’ve got it pretty good.

Oooo, and big news…we got running water yesterday! Yay! 

Elli

Awww, Internet!

Finally internet. It was quite a task. Up and running now. More regular updates. One coming tonight.

Jet Lag and Granite Soup

Yes, it's 2am here and I can't sleep, what a surprise. But I did wake up with a smile, thinking about "Granite Soup". :)

I LOVE the accent here. Beautiful and charismatic. But when we first arrived, I wondered if I'd understand. They talk very fast with a much different inflection. Emphasis on the T's and they take out the R's. It didn't take long to catch on. One thing I didn't just misunderstand though was when we were talking about local food. One dish that is popular that we will soon try is Peanut Soup. They call it 'Granite Soup' - or at least that's what it sounds like. Come to find out, what they're saying is ground-nut-soup, very fast. :)  Interesting, later when we were talking about fruit I mentioned pomegranates and I got a funny look - our dear friend traveling with us said "Oh...pom-nuts?" I'm not sure if there is a connection but I asked if they call it that because it ends with the same word that sounds like "granite." She just laughed.

Everyone learns english early on in school here so everyone we've met so far speaks english (a concept that I think the US should adopt - why aren't we all bilingual at an early age??) But we've attempted to learn some common words in one of the local languages, Twi (pronounced 'tree') - these are a few that we've added to our vocabulary so far:

Ma-dah-see = thank you
A-kwaa-ba = welcome
Ya-bishia = see you later or meet again

That's all for now.
Elli

Disaster Avoided - Overwhelming Blessings

We're here, we're here!! 18 1/2 hours later, flight endured, we're happy to be on land again. Arrived in Accra, Ghana. We had much love and open arms awaiting us at the airport but one bag short....uh oh. We left our phone number in hopes that they would call but, honestly...with the large room behind the man of all the lost/abandoned luggage, it didn't seem likely. So, we headed out. Upon immediate arrive to Bethel a man called saying he had our missing luggage, so back we went (about 40 min) and it was there. Crisis averted.

We've just been overwhelmed with the hospitality and open arms of all our brothers and sisters, not one that we've ever met before, although you'd think we all have known each other for years. We stayed and joined the Bethel Sunday public talk and Watchtower study (oh the singing!!!). Immediately following a lovely brother sent us to a nearby hotel with warm boxes of dinner.

Today, we went back to the branch and ate lunch with the Bethel Family. The encouraging and upbuilding spiritual conversation has been lovely. We haven't had to think about anything for ourselves yet - we've been so well taken care of.

Tomorrow, 5am...off to Tarkwa. 6-7 hours on the bus. Love to everyone back home.

Entrance to Bethel:

A view from one for the resident's rooms - notice what looks like smog? That's the dusty winds blowing in from the Sahara desert. But normally, you can see the ocean from here.

Our Bethel tour group - the brother in the pink shirt was our guide. And all the other people wanted to have their picture taken with us. We're not celebrities but you'd think we were over here. :)

Love,
Brandon and Elli

Go!

This is it...FINALLY ready to go! Ghana here we come.

Set? Mindset...

Last night we were reminded what a unique opportunity we have with this trip to Africa; we get to travel to a foreign country and live like the residents there.  Why is that unique?  If others were to do the same, they would most likely have to move and find a job there for a short period of time in order to take advantage of the true experience.  Others can go as tourists and pay to "see" the country while trying to eat and sleep as close to the comforts of home as possible.

Only in Jehovah's organization do we get to travel to a foreign country knowing that we will be greeted with open arms.  And we can truly "live their life", go to meeting with them, go in service with them, have recreation and site seeing time with them.  All in the company of brothers and sisters that we have never met, may not be able to communicate with, but love us just as much as our friends at home.  What a very special blessing we all have!