Bakers in Ghana

Well, I have to admit—I am glad this week is over! Not all weeks can be great, and this one definitely qualifies as one of those . Thankfully, nothing is permanently damaged, and for that we are very grateful. The challenges began Monday morning when one of my favorite African friends at the distribution center texted me to say he was being replaced and would no longer be working there. This was devastating news. That center was one of my favorite places to serve because of him. He was always cheerful—singing, grateful, and appreciative of our help, however small it may have seemed. He has an incredible mind and is one of the few Africans I have met who truly understands things sequentially and orderly. We could ask him anything about Africa and he would happily share. He, in turn, asked questions about North America, and we learned so much from each other. He is a wonderful young man and promised we would stay in touch. Needless to say, my heart was broken. I pulled myself together ...

This week started with a wonderful treat! Elder and Sister Strong, Elder and Sister Bjorkman, and Brother Stacey came to Accra. Elder Strong is the General Authority Seventy over Missionary Medical. Elder Bjorkman and Brother Stacey serve with him in a medical capacity. They are incredibly kind and knowledgeable men. They spent the day in Accra with Elder Steed and Doug visiting medical facilities and seeing firsthand the quality of healthcare available here in Africa. It was good for them to see some of the challenges the AMAs face. Brother Stacey’s comment at the first hospital was, “You actually send missionaries here?” However, after visiting with the staff and doctors, he seemed satisfied that the physicians do exceptionally well with the resources available to them. This is the same conclusion Doug and Elder Steed have reached. Seeing it firsthand was a blessing for our Salt Lake visitors and for the Africa West AMAs. While the men were out, Sister Steed and I had the delightfu...

The last weekend the kids were here, we decided to visit the Chocolate Experience again. Lori was the only one who had done it before, and everyone else was excited to go—so off we went! The group was larger than the first time Lori attended, but it was still an amazing experience. Most of it was the same, except this time they split us into two groups once we went inside. One group made chocolate while the other roasted cocoa beans, and then we switched. The kids loved it! Nick even said it was better than the Lindt factory tour he visited before coming to Africa—which is really saying something! After our chocolate adventure, we went home, Nick packed, and we played some fun games together. We all went to bed early since we were tired and needed to get up earlier than usual for church. We attended a 9:00 a.m. church meeting before taking Nick to the bus depot to head to Cape Coast for his rotation. It was hard to let him go, but knowing we would see him the following weekend made it ...

Back in Accra, we were able to show our kids what we do and introduce them to so many of the people we love. Once we arrived home, we started laundry and then headed out shopping. The kids could not get over how expensive things are here! When they saw the prices—and the very subpar-looking produce—we practically had to pick their jaws up off the floor just to get them out of the store. We only did a small shopping run, stopping at three stores, and they were again amazed at how many places it takes to accomplish even a little shopping here. TIA 🤩 After experiencing Accra shopping and enduring many early mornings, we were all pretty exhausted. We enjoyed a good home-cooked dinner, played a few games, and decided to call it a night. We wished each other a Happy New Year and happily tucked our very tired selves into bed. Happy New Year!! Holidays aren’t a big deal here, so we were able to arrange a batiking activity with the kids on Thursday morning—and it was so fun! Nick, Matt, and So...