April 20, 2009

Dear Brenen, What's up this week? Did you get your shoes? If not where are they? I haven't heard from too many lately maybe cause I haven't e-mailed anyone either...except Janalee. Her and Jill had been down to Arizonia for Easter and didn't come back until Wed...hopefully she will e-mail you and tell you about it...We had an intersting experience this past week. We took some things down to the mission office on Thursday night and then stayed the night at the Ancillary. We went to the temple on Thusday night... Next morning at 6:30 we were on our way to Oda, which is 3 hours up in the central region of Africa, bordering the Cape Coast Mission. Our mission couple, the Moodys, live there. They are going home on May 6th, so we wanted to see where they live, their area. We found our way there, with Moodys directing us. As we got so far we would call them and ask for directions. There was one place that you had to turn right or you would go the wrong way....anyway we made it okay by 9:30.... it was fun, they showed us all around, it was really a pretty and green area. I thought they had way more trees than in our area... anyway they took us down by the dirty river and showed us the wooden boat that carries people from one side to the other...it was pure brown water, yuck, but the little boys, 8-9 or somewhere in there were swimming and having a good time some in their birthday suits (if you know what I mean), nobody cares, it's a way of life...people pee everywhere and the world is their bathroom...the people here drink that water too. Thank goodness for our filtered water...we went to eat at a little "eating place" for lunch, it was upstairs in this building of stucco. We are in Africa remember. On the patio area as you came up the stairs were a couple of tables. We ordered at the counter, there was no place to go in.... so you just ordered at the counter... There were many things on it..... but all that was available to eat was ... surprise, chicken and rice and a spoonful of cabbage salad....we laughed...the rice tasted okay, so did the salad but the chicken was a piece of neck, about 1 and 1/2 inch by 1 and 1/2 inch with not even one bite of chicken on it. This is typical of eating out ha ha ...We went back to Moodys house and said good-bye.... she gave us some no bake cookies in a bag. We went on our way... we drove on and by 2:30 we are saying this doesn't look like anywhere we have been before.....we felt a little fright, thinking where are we? We had the map but it is a jungley highway, narrow with trees and green plants...there are just not any places to turn around and etc... finally we came to a town, lots of narrow streets and many people and stores and business.... we asked someone the name of the place to see if we could find it on the map, but we couldn't understand anyone...e finally dad asked a tro-tro driver close-by and he said follow me. He took us down one street and over another and we were trying to follow him... people all over in the streets and many tro-tros and cars, taxis etc....he took us to a tro-tro stop and while we were waiting in line in the traffic there was a knock on the window and there stood two angels in the form of two Elders... we rolled the window down and talked with them.... they had seen us pass by in the truck and had run after us from their apartment.... they saw us and thought we were a new mission couple for their area. We were in a town called Agona Swedru and were in the Cape Coast Mission. The two Elders were both from Tonga and had been out a while and this was their assigned area.... they wanted to show us how to go...... we finally said okay and they got in the truck and said we were about 45 minutes from the coast to a place called Winneba. If you happen to have a map it is about an hour and a half along the coast to Accra and the other way goes to Cape Coast... a couple of hours...they got in, ate our no bake cookies, rode with us to Winneba, we paid them for their tro-tro ride back to Agona Swedru and we had had a wonderful experience getting to know them and were so thankful that the Lord so fit to help us out of our lost situation and we learned alot and saw some of the different country...We also had trouble finding our way back into Acrra because the road did not go directly in and we had to figure out again where we were, but had a map of the Accra city area and we ask a few times and also learned maybe for another time how to get to a few more places when we go to Accra. Long story, but it was such a neat experince all around... We did our shopping at the Mall and left Accra in the dark to drive 2 and 1/2 hours back to Ho...We were very tired. It is kinda dangerous to drive in the dark and there are always people on the roads and they are narrow but we made it by 9:30 and all is well...This week we got a new Branch President.... President Smith came up Sunday to make the change.... The new President was the lst counselor and President Smith said Brother Sidwell to stay as second counselor and stay right by his side to help him...Dad thought he would be released but no...not yet. Then President Smith had brought Brother and Sister Eppel of the Area... he is over all the buildings, temples etc. in West Africa.... for Brother Sidwell to take them around and show them all the area that we had found for a new Branch meeting house. They were impressed with a few and will send another man up sometime this week to start talking with the owners etc to get the property purchased.... things are moving along...... we are trying to keep busy and do all we can besides all the little things that happen in our house.... like no water sometimes and power going out... bugs (no snakes...) but saw a dead one on the street we walk on) and all other little daily things.... We are happy.... Our release time is August 4th but we don't know yet whether we will stay until then or come on July 25th..... we will have to see..... How is everyone... good I hope . Please let us hear from you...Hope this can get to all of you... it is hard to write this much to each one... Love mom