Our "New Normal"

One of the first words of advice we received when we arrived was to take lots of pictures at the beginning, because this would become our "new normal" very quickly and we would forget to take pictures after that.  This is happening already except for one experience last Sunday when one of the "hawkers," sellers on the street stepped right up to our car window and proudly displayed a cage of fat, scampering rats, right up close to my window where I could get a good look. 

We had just spent a good part of the last 3 hours smelling burning garbage from a neighbor as it wafted through the windows at church (more about that later) and I had a headache from that already. I was too shocked to wave him away and just stared, probably with my mouth dropped as I watched them scamper around and wondered why in the world he would be selling rats, they wouldn't really eat them would they? Yes!!  I turned away, now nausea added to the headache. 

Rats will NOT be part of our "new normal!"  

So why do we do this?  Because three sweet ladies in the Literacy Class that day, whose teacher didn't show up, wanted so badly to learn to read. One was a total beginner and didn't know a single letter, the other two are in the process and were able to translate for us. They were so appreciative and we  just couldn't leave it there. They do so much better when they meet twice a week and they need more manuals anyway, so we told them we'd be back on Friday for another class. The two who could speak some English said they wished we could come every day. I about cried. We will take a different route home from there from now on though and hopefully avoid the rat seller.

When we arrived on Friday, there were twice as many students as had come on Sunday along with their teacher, yeah!! We had a delightful time together. These ladies do love to laugh. We were able to share a couple pairs of glasses that we had acquired and they were so pleased to be able to see better. THANK YOU in advance!! 

Then on Saturday we had our first opportunity to teach a group of TEACHERS from the Tesano Stake. This is where it gets exciting and you can see the potential for this multiplying. The Stake President had called and asked up to come, which is the priority they are using for spreading the Literacy Program at this point. (Love those Stake Presidents who have such vision for their members!) They have a Stake Literacy Specialist called who will work to support and train new teachers in each of the 7 Wards or congregations in the Stake after we help train the first group. Each Ward will have anywhere from about 4 to 20 students. When you consider that there are about 90 Stakes in the West Africa Area, 4 new since we arrived, the potential for Literacy classes is pretty exciting. (Three of the teachers weren't able to attend so the Stake Literacy Specialist took enough materials for them and will train those teachers.)

Half of them have already been teaching with other materials and come with great enthusiasm and love for Literacy.  We were thrilled to learn from them and share ideas. (The other couple are the Wakilds, also missionaries. He works for the legal department in the area and they have been working with Literacy on Sundays in Accra. They have been wonderful at helping us to get started.)

Then this morning we decided to visit the Ofankor Ward because we heard they have both a men's and a women's Literacy class.  After talking in Sacrament Meeting, surprise!!  Chuck and I split up and got to visit a couple of the most amazing classes ever! The ladies have a new teacher who just moved from Tema where ENA (Engage Now Africa) has been functioning and she taught there before. This was her first Sunday teaching this class but she was great. They had very little in the way of materials so we raided our stash in the trunk of the car and they didn't waste any time getting started.  First dusting off all the chairs and tables from the Harmattan dust, their windows are open after all.  It was easy to fall in love with these ladies and the whole Ward!!



We didn't take any pictures of the men's class. There were 5 students, 2 of which were investigators of the church and one awesome teacher!  They weren't as interested in the writing as the women, but really wanted to understand the meaning of the words and had some really great discussions as they "pondered" the scriptures that they read.  Chuck says it was one of the best gospel discussions he has been in. 

ABOUT THE BURNING OF GARBAGE

It has taken me a while to figure out what the deal is with all the burn piles everywhere around. Why don't they put the garbage etc. in garbage cans, seriously?  When you look closely you will notice people working to keep their homes and shop areas cleaned up, brushing up leaves and even brushing the dirt with their handmade brooms. But there is garbage everywhere in piles, a lot of plastic bags and plastic bottles and everyone has a burn pile. Then we were talking to another couple here from BYU-I Entrepreneur Center starting a new Employment Center in our same office area just down the hall. He mentioned that a young man had come in wanting to hire workers as he has started a garbage collection business. He started by getting a loan for one garbage truck not long ago and is now up to 15 trucks. Then it dawned on me that they don't have garbage service except a few places like government offices, nicer apartments and such. I'm a little slow sometimes. We just take so much for granted, so very much. But it is exciting to see what progress is being made, especially by the native people, helping themselves reach for a better future.  I just hope they are able to keep all the good in the process.
 

On a lighter note, we ate dinner with a large group of missionaries on Friday evening. This little critter ran across my arm and after I freaked out a bit, couldn't tell what it was at first, he came to rest on the table.  Gotta love Ghana!

Traveling to the "Bush"

On Monday of last week, we had scheduled for Cecilia Amankwah, the Country Director of ENA (Engage Now Africa) to come and visit with us as we will be working closely with them over the next 18 months. We had a super informative visit with her and Jeffrey Nyarko, a ENA Manager. When the opportunity was given to travel with them for the rest of the week to observe and support as they conduct a final assessment of their program that the church asked them to do in 5 areas of Ghana, we were only too happy to go with them.  Little did we know what an amazing, crazy, emotional and inspiring week we were in for.



Two of the days we rode along with them. The other three we drove on our own.  Scenes like this contributed to that decision. They drive much faster than we are comfortable with.

With "interesting" traffic and often 2 lane roads.

The participants in each of the 5 areas traveled to central Stake Buildings of the church coming in from smaller outlying Wards and Branches where they normally meet for classes during the week. They each received a t-shirt which they were really happy about, but I was sad to have the lady's beautiful dresses covered up.



The first part of the assessment was done with one of the teachers/facilitators then the rest was done on their own.



The lady on the front left is a teacher/facilitator, she brought her baby along and her mother is one of the students (pictured later). We've seen several multi generations involved.



This little boy was so pleased to get a pencil of his own and worked so hard on his writings in our notebook.  These parents are setting such a great example.



This dear lady has become a fast friend. She was in the evening class that we visited the week before and is an absolute inspiration. She asked my age and when I told her 66, she laughed and smiled and was so pleased about that. She is just one year older. She asked to borrow Chuck's reading glasses, (more about glasses later), but his prescription is complicated and didn't help her with reading.



I never get tired of seeing the babies wrapped snugly against their mother's backs.



This little boy sat so quietly and well behaved on a chair while his mother was taking her test. He also was really pleased to receive a pencil and notebook to do what everyone else was doing.

Not now, but someday hopefully he will appreciate what his mother has done.

After the testing, we moved along to the awards ceremonies. 

Cecilia Amankwah, ENA Country Director is so good with the students, encouraging, inspiring and teaching, praising them for their hard work.  She's incredible at this!!

SHORT HISTORY LESSON on ENA 

Started by Bob and Lynette Gay, former Senior Missionaries who served in Africa around year 2000 who had substantial means and found an opportunity to make a difference.  https://engagenowafrica.org/about/ 

They were so excited and proud of their accomplishments and hard work.

Our favorite part was listening to them read something they chose to share, like lessons from the manual and favorite quotes.

Or reading from the Scriptures.

There were lots of testimonies about how Adult Literacy has blessed their lives. We were inspired by each one of them.



Their excitement was evident on their faces and in their appreciation expressed to their leaders and teachers for all the loving support. She had two little boys along with her who will benefit from her hard work and determination. I need to get a few toys to bring along for distraction, but the bracelet worked this time.



Then they each received a certificate. This is the grandmother mentioned earlier whose daughter is a facilitator.  She came up to me afterwards and asked what more we can offer them for Literacy, so they can keep going. We're excited about that part.

Will Harvey who is here from Salt Lake.  Don't you just love that smile!!

And lastly, pictures.

There were many more learners not pictured, mostly due to conflicts with the markets where they sell. It was pretty awesome that our arrival in Ghana allowed for us to attend these graduations.  There couldn't be a better introduction to the Literacy efforts here than to see the fruits firsthand.

All of that AND getting to hold precious babies. 

Each village was a day trip ranging from 2-4 hours outside Accra. We traveled to Asamankese, Abomosu, Assin Foso, Kpong and Teshie.  Let's just say that some of the roads had lots of natural speed bumps.  Out in Abomosu we met another Senior Missionary couple, there for their third, 2 year mission. He has delivered 4 babies, and no he's not a doctor. But when the roads are so bad and people don't have cars, you don't always make it to the hospital in time where they like the women to deliver.  They started teaching the Literacy group there in 2012 and the success and excitement has been contagious. Aside from the Literacy, during just their first mission alone, they went with 77 families to be sealed in the Ghana Accra Temple.  I can understand why they keep coming back.





One of the bore holes that we saw along the way. It so happened that during 5 days of the week we had no water in our apartment and had to carry water from other missionary apartments after we got home at night.  It took a couple efforts to get it fixed right so it didn't leak. Several times we were reminded, "You are in Africa!"  I commented that if we'd only known it still wasn't fixed, we would have bathed at the wells like this little boy. This gave us a greater appreciation for the Church's and other NGO (Non Government Organization's) involvement to provide bore holes and clean water to the villages and people.



On the ride back to Accra we observed more of the lives and countryside of Ghana and it's people.



We bought more mangoes at the markets, haven't tried climbing the trees yet to pick our own. These might actually be papayas.

And fed bananas to the baboons, from the safety of the car.

Saw a slave castle in the distance, such a sad part of history!

And of course, being on the road, we ate African food. Here is a "grass cutter," dinner for some in the group at the eateries, or fresh from the side of the road. We passed on that this time.



Then to finish, more little children. Have we mentioned how beautiful they and their remarkable parents are?

GLASSES FOR GHANA

The huge need for reading glasses has become very apparent since we've been here.  We're talking HUNDREDS of pairs. These are adults learning Literacy, many of them over 40 and although their learning materials may have larger print, when they move into their own literature, it's too small for many of them to read.  I priced reading glasses here because I lost a pair and the best I could find was equivalent to $15 where in the states in bulk they can be found for around $1.50 a pair. That cost is prohibitive to most of these people.  Therefore, we are asking you to work together with your women's groups and neighbors to purchase reading glasses AT LEAST +2 and above and mail or deliver them to this address in Salt Lake where the leaders can bring them over when making trips to Ghana.  It's such a small thing for us to do, but if you are near 40, you know what a struggle it can be. Then add to that the huge effort to learn to read!! Please, please spread the word and help bring Glasses to Ghana. 

ADDRESS: 

Will Harvey 

50 East North Temple

Floor: 19, Desk: 1929D

Salt Lake City, UT  84150

Harmattan

People are filtering back to the city after being gone for Christmas and schools will be starting up again this week. So we were finally able to visit a couple of literacy classes, although lightly attended, it's given us a glimpse into what's currently going on. 

I was most impressed with the adults desire to learn to read and they appear to be doing very well!!  This class often has about 10 participants I understand. 

They are making progress on the "road" to the church near us, I think!  At least more of it is dug up this week than last week. So we took the alley way again past the laundry and goats.

We are also exploring the possibilities of PVC, Portal Video Conferencing to help facilitate training leaders and teachers in outlying areas. There are challenges of course, especially with internet and electricity. But it is being done in other programs of the church here when people can get to a church building. Just need to keep those generators handy. Even in our office building we get interrupted service each week.

Another class that we attended during the week one night (no picture) was especially neat. The teacher, Eric was awesome and there was such a good feeling there. One lady came in a bit late, with her baby wrapped to her back, she probably walked. When she let her toddler down he came right over and reached up to me to be picked up. It made my day I have to say. I entertained him as best I could with my magnet badge and anything else I could find in my purse while she learned. 

At the end of their class they asked if we wanted to share anything, and acted like it was such an honor that we came to visit. We felt honored to be there with them. I had been inspired to look up a scripture one night, shortly after we arrived and felt to share it with them as it applies as much to them as it does to Chuck and me.  

Doctrine and Covenants 64: 33  "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great."

I hope they are catching even a glimpse of the "great work" they are doing by taking this step to be literate. 

So, now on to the weather. We arrived during "harmattan," and we hear some years it can be pretty bad. The Harmattan is a season in the West African subcontinent which occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by dry and dusty northearterly trade wind of the same name, which blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea.

It is just hazy outside, kind of like the smoke haze with the fires this summer in Washington. But the car says otherwise. It missed a week getting washed when we weren't sure if we would be keeping it. They replaced the battery and it will get washed again this week by the gardener who has a side job washing the cars in the apartment parking lot. Wish we could bring him home.

The pictures all look a bit blurry, it's just the sandy haze not our lousy photography! Not really a problem here this year so far. It's worse inland I understand as we get a bit of off shore breeze to blow it away. And hey, it cuts down on sun exposure so less need for sunscreen. 

We're getting the hang of shopping here. People are very creative at selling whatever they have to sell.

You will see lots of containers usually used for shipping, set up as shops. We are learning where to get all the various items that simple living missionaries still seem to need to buy.

Do yourself and a loved one a favor tonight, snuggle up and read a good book together. It will be a blessing for both of you.