Elevating Lives

 It has been so busy here I have not had time to write.  Here goes on catching up on the last month.  To start things off we handed over a 20 seater bathroom facility to the Beposo Senior High school.  10 seats for the girls and 10 seats for the boys.  Seater is sort of a loose term.  They are what I call squatty potty's.  Some of the people in these areas have never used a toilet to sit on, so they will unknowingly break the toilets by trying to stand on them.  These seem to hold up well in these situations.  One thing that I have learned is the importance of sustainability in humanitarian work.

Previous to these new bathroom facilities the students were utilizing an open pit that was not sanitary at all.  These students were overjoyed with their new facilities and they demonstrated their joy by dancing and singing as teenagers will do.

Girls at Beposo high school!

These missionaries gave out 30 Books of Mormon to all who were interested.  When Elder Josey bore his testimony of Jesus Christ in Twi, the students cheered!  Every one here loves Jesus Christ.  

This is the official hand over with the donation sign on the bathrooms

This lady works at the high school, but I was so suprised to find out that she has quadruplets.  It's like 2 sets of twins, boys and girls.  It is a miracle this woman and her babies survived.  There is very limited health care out here.

These are baby goats at the school that were probably born just a few days before this picture was taken

This was a very busy week because the next day we headed out to the New Asonomaso school and got all the contracts signed to start drilling their borehole (well)

left to right Amelia (our site monitor), Clement (Contractor), The Chief Executive of the Municipality, Elder Fuell, The Assemblyman (Clifford)(town councilman also childhood friend of Elder Isaac Morrison).  Elder Morrison is in the Presidency of the Area for Africa West

We also went out to an area called Kokoben to do a site visit at a school the church had built.

This is the old school

Here is the new school after a year!  The community was very happy with the school and everything was functioning and maintaining well.

The school library.  As you might notice there are not very many books.  We are working on this small small as the Ghanaians would say.

We also built these bathroom facilities that are maintaining and functioning well.  The School administrators were telling us that more girls can attend during their monthly cycles because they have a place to take care of themselves.  If there are no bathrooms at the schools, it is typical for girls to miss the entire week during their monthly cycle.  It is very difficult for them to get their education that way.  Building these bathrooms fulfilled a considerable measurable impact.   The bathrooms are crucial for them.  Louie and I were very happy with how this is blessing the lives of the community.

While out on the road we came across these guys.  They were selling bushmeat.  I had to stop and see what it was.  They called it a bush dog.  I researched it and figured it must be a Genet.  It is not a cat or a dog.  It's hide was really pretty.  They insisted I hold it's foot.  I was a little spooked by all of this but here I am.  When the mission nurse saw this picture on facebook I got a swift talking too.  She urged me not to do it again.  Apparently these critters are notorious for giving people rabies.  Even as much as a scratch from a dead ones foot could pose a problem.  I stand corrected.  I will not do this again.  But, I have a great picture!

Later on this week, we had a very inspiring couples conference with President and Sister Boateng.  We met together and taught a little devotional about the characteristics of our Savior Jesus Christ to each other.  Elder Fuell and I studied patience.  We enjoyed being taught by all the others as well.  We also enjoyed a dinner of roast and potatoes and gravy!  It was divine!

All of the Senior couples with President and Sister Boateng.  We are so blessed to be with all of these amazing couples.  We love them so much.

We traveled back home to Sunyani and hit the road running doing apartment checks for the Jr. missionaries.  We decided to do something fun.  We told the Elder's and Sister's that we would give the companionship with the cleanest apartment a pizza party.  We had no idea what series of events this would cause.  First of all, the apartments were all super clean and significantly better than the last check.  Who knew that would be a huge motivating factor.  It was super hard to chose who would earn pizza.  We decided on a 3 way tie.  While checking a Sister's apartment, one set of Sister's urged me not to enter a certain room.  I asked them why.  They said there was a rat that lived in that room.  I am terrified of rat's!!!

We called Bishop Cobbina right away and he came up the next day and sealed off the area the rat was coming in and captured the rat.

It was huge!  If I would have thought that was in my house I would not have been able to sleep.  

The missionaries and Sisters that earned their pizza party!  Great apartments Lady's and Gentlemen.

Our big news is we finally found a Senior couples home that we can settle into and be able to host the mission president and his family while they are traveling through.  We moved on Thursday into a house in it's own compound.  It is very nice and cozy and we will live out our mission here.  

New place we just moved too

Last of all I want to tell you about Julius.  Julius is a young man our zone leaders introduced us too.  He told us that one morning he woke up and his legs just didn't work like they used to.  Walking around became very difficult.  I suspect that he must have contracted Polio.  They do not have much access to immunizations out in the Bush like they do in Accra.  Because he was no longer mobile he could not attend school anymore.  This was such a shame because he is a very bright young man.  He had much time on his hands, so he took advantage of the time he had and read the entire Book of Mormon the missionaries gave him.  When we visited him he was reading the Doctrine and Covenants.  He expressed a desire to be baptized but getting to church was a challenge.  The missionaries got him a taxi, road with him to church and carried him into church.  It was so heart warming to see the young elder's serving him in this way.  They were such great examples of ministering like the Savior does.  The Branch has embraced him and his family.  Our hope is that the Branch will continue to minister to him as well.  The Zone leaders told us on Saturday that Julius and his Mom and Brothers were all getting baptized. 

Julius is on the far left accompanied by 2 brothers and his mother.  Behind him is the missionaries, Elder De Guzman from the Phillipines and Elder Njelika from Namibia and the Branch President Boehan

It was an amazing experience witnessing his joy as the Elder's carried him into the waters of baptism.  Elder Fuell and I were able to reach out to the humanitarian group in Accra and we are working on getting Julius a wheel chair.  It doesn't solve all of his challenges, but we hope it will help small small. 

Yesterday we visited the Morso clinic to see how well it is working out for the community.

We met this beautiful mother and her 1 day old baby!  A beautiful healthy baby girl.  This is the first baby to be born in the Morso Clinic that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints built for the village of Morso.  We are so blessed to be a part of what the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints does.

We are exhausted but I love the scripture that says:  "Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.  Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.  Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; For behold the field is white and already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.  Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility and diligence.  Ask, and ye shall receive, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  Amen."  Doctrine and Covenants  Section 4

Every Latter-Day Saint missionary memorizes this scripture.  Every 6 weeks or so we recite this together as a zone.  It inspires me to keep going, even if I am tired.  It inspires me to be better and to do better.  Especially as I stand with all these stalwart young men and women who represent so many different countries in Africa, Islands and throughout the world and missionaries from the states.  They are not used to Ghana and it can be very difficult.  Yet they inspire me.  They do not complain.  They sacrifice and do without.  They are very strong and valiant to their covenants.  They are selfless and are full of this charity that this scripture talks about.  I have grown to admire and love them.  They are learning things by these experiences that they will draw on for the rest of their lives.  

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know He lives.  I know this because Joseph Smith saw him and spoke with him.  May God bless you in whatever you embark on that is good.  Elder Fuell and I send our love and appreciation to all of you.

Bye bye

Sister Fuell in the village of Nintin

Apartment check with these great guys!

Elder Nuama from Accra Ghana and Elder Jambo from Mozambique