Farewell to Cape Coast

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 and went to serve at the distribution center that morning, but it wasn’t easy. Sister Steed and I decided we had better start focusing on English Connect more seriously or we would soon have very little to do as missionaries. As a result, we resigned from our position at the distribution center. It was a sad day.

Tuesday morning, I woke up to the news that the 21-year-old daughter of one of my college roommates had died due to mental health challenges. Then I learned that another dear friend—who is younger than I am—had been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She still has children at home and, as you can imagine, is shocked and devastated. Mortality is hard some days. I decided to take a mental health day, stay home, feel all the feels, and refill my bucket.

Thankfully, Tuesday’s bucket-filling plan worked, and I felt much better on Wednesday. Doug had medical mission councils, and Sister Steed and I went to the MTC to meet with Sister Gibson. She and her husband give presentations on English Connect to missionaries right before they leave for their assignments, and they are doing a great job. We learned several helpful things. The MTC is where English Connect materials should be handed out, and that hasn’t been happening correctly. They are eager to get the proper materials and ensure each missionary has what they need to successfully participate in English Connect if they choose to. The Gibsons are such kind people and wonderful examples of humility, Christlike service, and love. We are blessed to serve with them. Over the next few weeks, we are excited to gather additional information and support the Africa West English Connect program.

Wednesday also included a trip to our humanitarian project—the SamSam Borehole. As a reminder, a borehole is built to provide clean water. This particular borehole will supply clean water to a school and several surrounding communities, which will be a tremendous blessing. Currently, students spend about two hours each day fetching water from a stream used by animals and others. The water is not clean and frequently causes illness among students, teachers, and community members.

Although this should have been a fairly simple project, the contractor has been difficult to work with, causing the project to stall. The meeting began well but soon became contentious, with school representatives and the contractor yelling at one another. Sister Waterfall, the humanitarian missionary serving here in Accra, stood up and interrupted the arguing. She acknowledged that both sides had made mistakes but emphasized that our ultimate goal—providing clean water for the children—should not be ruined by anger. She invited everyone to set aside frustration, forgive, and move forward together. Thankfully, tempers settled, forgiveness was extended, and everyone agreed to complete the project in a timely manner. Whoosh! Crisis averted. The project is now set to be completed by the end of February. Our prayers are that it will move forward without further complications. ❤️

Thursday was a great day at the MTC. We love helping with new missionary intake. We get to meet incredible young men and women who sacrifice so much to serve the Lord. Their stories are humbling, and we grow to love them so quickly.

On Friday, after Doug’s MTC mission health council, we headed out for one last trip to Cape Coast to see Nick before he returns home next Sunday. While traveling, we hit the worst stretch of road—where we receive our infamous “African massage.” We can’t go more than about 20 kph, and it’s sloooooow going. At one point, traffic came to a complete stop. Suddenly, there was a huge crash, and our car jolted forward. A motorcyclist had slammed into the back of us. When we turned around, we saw his pink shirt pressed against our rear window. Thankfully—thankfully—he was okay! Often, when motorcyclists hit cars, they try to blame the driver and demand money for hospital visits, injured or not. This man was very apologetic and drove off unharmed, with his motorcycle intact. It truly felt miraculous.  Liability means very little here, so we now have a gash in our bumper and back door as a reminder of the scare.

We had a wonderful weekend with Nick. We went on a nature walk and saw countless weaver bird nests. They are incredible—these birds literally weave leaves together to form their nests. We also spotted a tiny crocodile lounging in the water. We took a canopy tour at Kakum National Park, which includes seven freestanding bridges high above the forest. It was beautiful, though definitely not up to U.S. safety standards! Since Doug and Nick are both slightly terrified of heights, they were very brave and crossed all seven bridges. It was an amazing experience. Afterward, we took a short nature walk. The pictures below show just how tall the trees were beneath us. One tree with pumpkin-like growths was actually a type of banana-like tree fruit! Our guide explained that they eventually change color and become sweet to eat. Although we’ve seen countless bananas in Africa, this was a first for us.

On our way back from the canopy walk, we stopped at the International Stingless Bee Museum. Who knew? We learned there are about 400 species of stingless bees, most of them in Africa and Brazil. Even though we were assured they don’t sting, it still made us a bit nervous having them flying all around us! The rest of the weekend was spent playing games, watching movies, and just enjoying being together. Having Nick so close has been such a blessing, and we will miss him terribly when he returns home next week.

Doug’s AMA week was relatively uneventful—until Saturday. He received photos from a missionary who had ingrown toenail removal. (Scroll fast if you have a weak stomach!) This was something never before seen and hopefully never again. The surgeon removed the toenails in a very unconventional way. We’re not sure whether a machete or some other instrument was involved, but wow! Doug sent the pictures to missionary medical in Salt Lake. They advised close monitoring for infection, but said they should probably heal. Never a dull moment in Africa!

This week, we are especially grateful for the gift of agency. As we’ve been studying Genesis over the past few weeks, we’ve gained a deeper appreciation for this essential gift. Though we sometimes joke—especially when sad consequences arise from the misuse of agency—and say, “Now what was so wrong with Satan’s plan?” it is clear that Heavenly Father’s plan of agency is the only way we can return to Him. We are also deeply grateful for the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which makes repentance and change possible. Through learning from our choices, we can draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and become more like Them.

We are looking forward to the week ahead and plan to make it an excellent one. We love you all and are so grateful for your continued love and support as we serve and learn here in Africa.

Please stay warm and safe in the crazy Arctic weather in Texas! We wish we could send you some of our 90-degree temperatures and 100% humidity.

Lots of love,
Elder and Sister Baker 💛