July 15-22

Having your Dad be in charge of sorting a container (...a shipping container!) of donated books has some great advantages! Musty smell aside, Max has scored some very nice books. Monkeys, rockets a huge Richard Scarry & even one of wood projects for boys. He told me that one needed to be put somewhere safe. "Me & Dad will need this soon. " My personal favorite? A 1970 pattern book for sewing kids clothes. :) Shortie smock, anyone? With knee socks?
Pepper the puppy needs a, shall we say, time out space? He is always looking for a friend & many of our Ghanaian friends won't come in the gate til he is restrained. Sorry, friend, but the leader of the Pastors Association cannot conduct his meetings on the sidewalk!


Jon & Rory are working in a misty rain. Jon is excited to be using re-purposed bamboo (not pictured) from the school building project for some of the pen. Next on the list is a fort for the boys. These boys, like so many, in the desire to conqueror something end up climbing the window bars. A fort with a ladder is just what they need. Sunday took us again down the highway, past Accra & into Tema. This coastal children's school is a delight to visit once a month. The little girls love the swings & so does Adrian!

Comm-Ci Beach Resort gives us a place to eat a packed lunch, buy cold drinks & hot spicy sausages. Audrey & I love picking up shells & rocks. The things we find are really different than the other side of the Atlantic. Shells are scarce, rocks aplenty, & a large dose of trash thrown in. We were thankful for this clear spot for the children to play.

Not bad for a Monday morning snack! I'm a late-coming believer in banana bread. This humble recipe trades glamour for practical & is almost always gone the same day. I shared a bit with Hannah, who sells me fruit, & she told me that I could give her some next time she comes. :) Their polite way of saying" I really do like it & please make me more." :) For the cheerful lady who brings me a headpan full of pineapple, mango & banana every Monday & Thursday, I'll try to oblige.

Oh! Obruni, what are you wanting? Pastor Jon is awaiting Pastor Gary's ride. They were going to a conference for staff of Bible Schools. The tro-tro in the picture was offering Jon a ride. Beside me, the children & Adrian were shouting at Jon & making quite a scene. In a quiet moment on the busy 4 lane highway (the Accra-Nsawam highway, right at our street), Jon shouted "obruni!" at us. To which my 5 y/o white-ish brown son hollered back, "Where, Dad, where?!"

Our week was made more enjoyable by a small visitor! Elliot Groff stayed for two nights while his parents enjoyed time off in town. I heard all about nachos, a grill, & plenty of cable channels to surf. Elliot fit right in, zooming around on the bikes & playing, of course, tractors. Above shows us outside our front gate finishing juice boxes. A store at the end of our street sells them for GHp 70. They were worth it! We continued on for a walk. Four white children attract plenty of attention. So did the scrape on Elle's knee. :)

Traffic, Jon would tell you, is his least liked thing here. It varies so much that we have, to date, been 90 minutes early for our appointment, missed it completely stuck bumper to bumper, & once, made it right on time. Jungle Jams in the cd player & snacks keep the little ones in good spirits while Jon tries to keep his temper in check.

This day was smooth & we are so thankful! Arriving early for the appointment, we stopped at a bike seller. We found this little beauty for less than we paid for the smaller bikes. The rack & training wheels sealed the deal! Max was ever so proud. Now he has set upon the task of riding his "wiggly" bike. The dental work went very well. I'm happy to say Dr. Jihad seems to have, with patience & good humor, turned Max's dentophobia into confidence. When Max feels shy & won't answer his questions, Dr. Jihad teases him that he must speak French, that is why he cannot answer. Max keeps asking me why that Dr. thinks he speaks French. :) I stay inside with Max while the rest enjoy the shade trees in the yard. The sterile white-ness of the rooms & the cold air conditioning seem a familiar medical presence to me. The tile is so shiny clean, the assistants work in their socks & the dentist in white clogs that have clearly never been worn outside the building.

We celebrated Audrey's birthday a day early. She got to fly home to Indiana for a seven week visit on her birthday!! They were all so excited to go. While we will miss our fabulous neighbors, we are thankful they can have this time of rest. Audrey & Ron have become mentors, friends, & co-conspirators. We have cried together & , much more often, chosen to laugh until we cry. We send mighty blessings on them as they settle in to Indiana for a time.

We baked chocolate bread for snack as we played with our Bontrager pals one more time before they boarded a plane Friday night.

Rory is almost always at my elbow when I'm working at the sink. He is rather good at our sink rules. :0) No licking spoons & redipping, stirring ingredients means they should not be sloshing onto the floor, No licking out of the sugar container & NO fair eating all the chocolate chips before we put them in the bread. They were sent from Pennsylvania!

A side note for the Grandma's: We end up saying that a lot. Be careful, use only a little: it came the whole way from Pennsylvania!! Rory said to me the other week, " Mom, I know where God lives. In Pennsylvania!"

Though the weather is grey these days, we are enjoying the coolness. It rains often. The children claim to be cold at times & love their fleece blankets. I have actually worn a long sleeve shirt to start the day twice so far. But it is no where near cold, just cooler! I think our internal thermometers have been adjusted. :)

As we battle mold on clothes & shoes, damp laundry & feeling a little "grey" ourselves, we know dry season is just around the corner when we'll be wishin' for a few clouds.

Love to all of you!

a Birthday

For the little girl who stirs up pink soup for in her play kettles & always, but always, chooses the pink marker, a pink 3rd birthday party was the only choice.
While some of the decorations & food flopped, burnt or was too expensive to even buy, we ended up with a fun evening & a very happy birthday girl.
I should explain her big day was June 21. The poor dear was sick on her birthday & then there were a few delays finding a time to suit us all. A few weeks late was better than never. She thoroughly enjoyed that even though her birthday was past, we kept reminding her the real party was coming!
We were sad that vehicle issues kept the Groff's from joining us. Elliot, we've got ice cream cones in the freezer & we are savin' them til you can join us!
Thanks to Adrian, we managed to have the food ready. He even stirred up some excellent tasty teriyaki tuna burgers for the grill.

Fresh flowers in Ghana don't exist unless they are tended by your hand in your flower bed. Absence of good dirt for growing (another story), meant a party sans flowers. And what did my big sisters teach me?! What is a party without flowers!? A little creativity turned out these pink popcorn ball & cocoa leaf flowers. :)

Hot dogs are a treat here. Putting them on a kabob stick made them even better for the kids. One is even left with a weapon when the meal is over. :)


Blowin' out the candles while we all watch & wait was a moment she savored! She puckered up & put them out on the first try. This little wilting doll cake was sliding off the plate in no time. Heat & icing don't go well together! Earlier in the afternoon, Elle snuck a look in the fridge. She made it all worth it when she wouldn't be pried away. She stopped, stared & declared the "Oh, Mommy, it's beauuuutiful!" My under par cake decorating skills were not a problem! Chocolate chips, chocolate icing & a pink dressed doll were all she needed.

Gifts hidden since February finally were opened! Thanks, everyone!
The little pink paper in front is from Max! He painted it, wrapped it, & taped it up quite well. She opened it with the same care as the rest. :)

Time is a fickle thing. Just today it slowed to a crawl as that little stinker refused to cooperate for a peaceful nap time. But whenever she watches video of the baby girl she once was, I wonder wherever the time went. Perhaps I'd better just enjoy today.
Here are a few Elle-isms for you.
She got a bike with training wheels for her birthday. She tends to stop by running into things but loves, just loves, make laps around the house at a steady speed.
She has personified her pink stuffed puppy to the point of him ( yes, him!) being a family member. (No, I won't give you more snack- even if it is for puppy!)
She is usually unable to find her shoes. Unless Jon is walking to the Bontragers. Then she is waiting by the door & will not be left behind.
Our dirt street has a fair amount of traffic. One slow going (pot holes)car at a time means at times they can ride bike outside the walls. If a car comes, Elle steers straight into the ditch & begins shrieking. :0 If anyone wasn't watching the obrunis, they are now!
Helping at the sink & "doing" dishes are her two favorite activities. I try to remember someday she actually will be helpful. :)

Her favorite morning is Sunday, complete with a pretty dress & hair.

Though she loves the dress, she is still learning to survive Ghanaian church. She is quite a distraction. Aunt Mary's beads are still her favorite.

She loves to attempt to carry things on her head. Usually she is far from successful. :)

Heat rash, itchy bug bites & bike crash wounds aside, Elle is, as she calls it, bein' a Ghana lady.

The work of our hands

Life continues on here in Ghana, and it is amazing that we have been here 5 months already. Although it seems short in some ways, it also seems like such a long time ago we bid farewell to the frozen landscape of PA, hopped on a plane in just the nick of time, and arrived at our bright and sunny destination. In my opinion, the family has adjusted nicely to the weather here, and is enjoying it quite nicely. We are now in the cool, rainy season, where we see Ghanaians in their light jackets and beanies, even using the cold as an excuse not to attend church services. We don't mind the 75 degree weather, finding it quite delightful.


We have seen God faithful in the time we have been here. The work He has given us is varied and sometimes difficult. I will be focusing on one of the most difficult jobs I have ever worked on; drum roll please......... "the big pour".


Now, we all want to see the Bible School completed, it's just with some ignorance that I viewed the process initially. Due to the different, difficult, and slow building process, it is not what we Pennsylvanians are used to. First, wood gets eaten by termites almost as fast as you put it up. So fast, in fact, that you don't need a permit to put up a wooden structure as it's considered a temporary structure. We didn't even start pouring the concrete before the evidence of bug infestations began to appear on the floor, the tell tale signs being small piles of sawdust dotting the floor. In October, when we made the rafters, we made them out of hard wood, and even that is then "painted" with a heavy coat of discarded oil, in an attempt to discourage inhabitation.


That being said, everything else is bug proof, from the concrete floors, block walls, to metal bars over the windows. So on paper, concreting the second story floor seemed logical.


Just as we were about to start, there suddenly appeared in Ghana a shortage of cement. This was no small problem, as Ron wanted to have all 500 bags in hand before starting the project. It was with difficulty and with visiting many locations that all the cement was purchased. The one supplier went so far as to say that we needed to be there when the truck came, and only then would he guarantee us 100 bags, but he didn't know when the truck was coming, but hopefully today. Well, David waited all day at the shop, and eventually the truck did show up and we were given our allotment.


By divine providence, I had other plans the first two days of work. There are no shortage of men looking for work in Ghana, and people were lining up for a chance to help on this project. When you view the video of the work, you probably wonder how much they got paid for a full days work. Answer: GH¢ 20.00, or $13.33. Not per hour, per day. And that is a very good wage for a days work, where many people live on GH¢ 5.00 or less.





So, here are a few stats from the big project.

90: yards of concrete

492: bags of cement

14: full headpans of sand in each mixer load

9: full headpans of stone in each mixer load

2: bags of cement in each mixer load (50 kg each)

1: shovel scoop in each headpan handed up

8: days to complete the job

1: person injured from falling headpans

5: liters of water consumed individually per day

20: ice cold Cokes consumed in celebration at the completion of the project

We did complete the job bruised, sore, and in need of some rest. It is with a huge sense of accomplishment that we walk up the steps and see the view from the second story. Now the line is growing of guys who want to carry the 2,000 blocks for the walls up the steps.

Another project we did recently is setup the canopy for the Adawukwao church to worship in. We had a canopy with a fabric roof, but we decided to put aluminium on instead, since the sun wears out the fabric in short order. So, it did take us several days to get the materials, once again a trademark of Ghana that we are starting to accept. Just to buy the screws to fasten the roof was a process. The company, Rockster's, wouldn't sell us the screws without buying metal, but they didn't have enough. So, we bought enough for half of it, and bought the rest at another place. Problem is, they apparently despise any standard measurement here in Ghana, and it was a different pattern and width. Then we bought 2x6s for the runners, and had them sawed in half to make 2x3s. The wood was so bowed, it appeared more suitable to build an ark. However, after a flat tire on the way up, we were able to put it together followed by many in the church helping us lift it up to put the legs under. We put bracing in and are looking forward to attending there for the first time this month!

We weren't going to let a flat tire ruin our day. It just made it very long.

Max got busy right away, leveling the ground. He was a cheerful companion.

Here you can see the quality wood we were blessed with.

A thing of beauty, don't you think? The congregation had been meeting on Pastor Frank's front porch, so this will really be a blessing to them.

Due to having 6 people in the truck cab on the way up for the hour long drive, Max and I decided to trade the A/C in the truck to enjoy the cool breeze on the back. Pastor Frank is on the left. The ride was super. Max was asleep in no time, a tired little helper enjoying the cool ride home.

June 14-19

Here is a look at what our week usually looks like. It is more enjoyable to me to post the new & exciting. However, just like your life, most days are just plain down predictable. Setting & characters aside, I know these glimpses look just like Pennsylvania summer with a few palm trees painted on the background. :)

Oh, Popsicles. This lovely little recipe of jello, yogurt & bananas pleases all of us. The boys begged to hold it for the picture to show their Nanny & their Grandma just how much they love popsicles.

Adrian & Elle are good kitchen companions. He is patient enough to actually let her help, she is determined enough to usually do a pretty good job. I'm wondering how many years it'll be til I can count on her to make the cookies. Hmm, guess I have to teach her to read first. ;0 ) Those big, soft peanut butter cookies were delicious!

This is our favorite spot to read. And no matter who I reading to, Max either joins us or gets his own time. He can even read easy words with me & is quite proud of that. Though we are far from saying Max can read, we can say he is getting closer & is excited to take off on his own. I love to tell him stories about going to the Bookmobile at the Mastersonville Fire Co., & taking trips to the Lancaster Library. He loves that Grandma even let us read while eating meals at the table! Wherever we go, if there's a kids bookshelf, he finds it. Who says this boy is more Sauder than Greiner?!

And here we are training a young brain to focus. Hah. That pencil is even distraction when it needs to be.

Elle & Rory are sad when I let them play & don't call them to the table for school. Getting out every crayon, sticker, paper & sticker & then hijacking them to hidden spots for coloring & stickering anything but the paper, is such fun to them. ;)

Oliver came to play on Saturday with his younger sister Akus, & baby brother Obed. It was such fun to see Max & Oliver loading up & , in the picture, backing the wagons into the barn.

Now that round two with Malaria is almost over for me, I am happy to show off what got me through. Ghana Tylenol, chalky yellow malaria potion &,sigh, a novel. I had borrowed it from the Baptist Mission a few weeks ago & had been saving it. Greiners, you understand. Finding Mr. Francis in Ghana felt pretty cool. :) Little did I know how handy it would be. Distraction from a long list of symptoms is always a good thing. Ask my husband.

It's taken a few days for my thoughts to line up in order, & my stomach, head & bones to follow suit. Today I am just grateful to feel better. And I think my little family is happy to have their mommy back. Just ask my husband. ;)

Obruni Wao Market

The average Saturday at house #5 finds me in the kitchen. Food planning & preparation for Sunday meals starts on Saturday & begins with a good Sunday breakfast. We leave anywhere between 8 & 9:30 depending on the location of the church. Snacking during the service is tricky, so bellies must be full when we point the Tata down the Nsawam/Accra highway. Sundays often mean a packable lunch. Without convenience foods, that means good bread must be made, baking done & drinks frozen. Are there veggies in the fridge that survived the last power outage? If not, who wants to brave the Amasaman market on a Saturday afternoon?
If the drive to church is reasonable, lunch only needs to be something made or heated quickly. Patient my children are not when we arrive home at 1:30 in the afternoon &, horrors, the rice needs to steam!
Like every family, our Saturdays turn into race to finish the list of odds & ends turned loose during the week. Between the list & the kitchen, the day is filled up.
That said, June 11 was a very pleasant diversion from the usual! Audrey & I, Juanita , Marilyn & Leona, our Cape Coast friends, planned a shopping trip to Accra’s Central Market. We were happy to forgo the many city blocks of food, household & electronics for the Obruni Wao section. Dead white man’s clothes , as the name literally means, was a teeming mass of tin & wood market booths bisected by slimy gutters. Slices of sunlight beamed into the dim pathways. The smell here, as it is all over Ghana, mixed chicken manure, public toilets, sweaty humanity & even spicy scent of lunch hawkers. Follow your nose has new meaning to me. The used clothing economy is, dare I say, even larger here than across the water. Small stands can be found lined up beside many of the seamstress, hair salon & provision shops in many towns. It seems my neighbors & passers-by all own locally sewn dresses, skirts & shirts, but for everyday use they prefer "western" wear. Most often the two genres are combined. :)

Booths were manned by determined sales persons, busy holding out items they were sure would tempt you & empty your wallet.
Children’s clothes abounded, then ladies, men's, futball attire,suits, even leather jackets with fur lining. A selection of knit caps & fuzzy scarves made my neck prickle . Red faux croc men’s dress shoes competed with yellow futball cleats. women’s wedges, rhinestoned slides, pink squishy crocs & teeny tiny baby shoes were on display & held up to the obrunis.

Enjoying the company of my Fanti & Twi intelligent friends, we were not taken advantage of & enjoyed lively conversations & bartering. It seems a good barter is like respect around here. Throw in a few compliments & small talk while you barter, & you are likely to pay about half of the first asked price. Oh, yes. Audrey was given a price of GHc 18 on a pair of sandals, offered him GHc 10 & ended up paying less than even that.
Each one was sure they had what you needed. If I made the mistake of saying I needed a man’s black dress shirt, medium , short sleeves, they looked & only through flattery did I escape buying one of 100% polyester! Two booths down the row, I found the right shirt. Persistence & sense of humor made the day an excellent break from routine. When else do I get to ogle gold strappy heels & gorgeous ethnic print headscarves in the same hour?
And then we passed the toilet. Cost: GHp10. Don’t use them. Ever.
And then the live chickens. Need one? Uh, no.
And then the ribbon and notions for GHp10/yard. Yes, please!
After a few hours we stopped for rice & cokes. She said the word Pepsi. That got our attention. We noted our doubts & all voted that, when she had checked, the Pepsi would be finished. We were close. It was not finished, but warm. Ah, Ghana. You are making a skeptic of this optimist. The rice, as promised on the sign, appeared quite hygienic & was excellent.

We returned to the rabbit warren of passage ways browsing the open front booths for a few things still unfound. Many of the tags were European, some American, some Asian. Beautiful dresses, tops & hundreds of skirts & every conceivable garment from underwear to fuzzy socks. Who could resist a denim mini made knee length with black lace ruffles?! Not far off, my wandering eye was caught by a cupcake printed bed sheet. Always knew my attention span needed training & this wild display of colors, styles threw all training to the wind! Cash only was a really good thing. My American debit card is only in my wallet for sweet nostalgia. No use for it here.
At the denim stand, I held up a nice denim skirt. Too small. The helpful owner showed me the stretch in the fabric and managed to stretch that little number across my hips.

"Too tight," I said. "What?! It fit’s you," she replied, "it is nice for you, Akausia!"

Too tight is not understood here. ;0)
Another helpful lady got my attention by waving a pair of pants at me. Blue satin with rhinestone trim. That offer was easy to turn down. She seemed surprised I didn't snatch them up.
The only downside? White people are thought to have bottomless wallets. The men were especially aggressive in getting our attention with arm grabbing, shoulder squeezing. " Oh, I like you. I want to go to America. Oh, please, come have a look," They would say, while invading my personal space. One shoe salesman hardly would accept we were married. "Oh, I am! And he is a big man," I would say. A firm voice & "NO" was enough, thankfully.
Clutching our bags of goodies we pushed our way (literally) through the shoulder to shoulder street traffic to our vehicle. We all left with fun & practical finds. I found curtains for Elle's room, Juanita found a gorgeous wool pashmina, Audrey a sweet little denim jacket. It was an experience I care to have again. Anytime. Consider yourself invited.

Here is another traveler's description. Enjoy!
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/09-09/mix-and-match-a-visit-to-accras-biggest-second-hand-clothes-market-accra-ghana.html

Love sent our way...

We want to send love back across the ocean for the sweet gifts & needed items sent in May! We are thankful for each note, hand made picture & thoughtful purchase. From cinnamon to ant traps to hair clips to rubber balls, there was something for us all. The thoughtfulness behind it all leaves us feeling thankful & undeserving.

Above: What happens when you try to take a picture of just Mom! ;0)
Below: Sister Andrea's impeccable taste in a delicious red skirt & those sweet peonies make a pretty picture & an even better memory. Thanks, ladies!

..

Fresh peonies added the scent of romance to our 10 year anniversary on the 1st of June. I may not be a blushing bride any longer, but those flowers take me back through the years to that rainy June Friday. Thanks, Mom!

"Why yes, these sparkly clips must be worn all at once, Mom. Oh, Nanny, I love her.I miss her. " She even slept in them.

And so, blessed, we begin another week still savoring a few new books, snacks & notes sent by many of you. Thanks!

Every Day is Mother's Day

The only mothers it is safe to forget on Mother's Day are the good ones.
(Mignon McLaughlin)
Mother's Day wasn't forgotten here, thanks to cinnamon rolls & sweetness from my husband & little ones. But it was very different. In years past I loved that first reason of the year to buy potted spring flower for our mothers & fill our house (& theirs!) with the scent of spring.

An email seems a cold replacement & the events of the day made phone calls difficult. So, I blogged this the next week. Little did I know May would be a month of not feeling well for all of us & my post was forgotten.
So, better late than never, here it is. :)


Nanny is known for her love in action. She has rearranged her schedule many, many times for her grandchildren. Instead of relaxing on vacations at the cabin, she is known for things like making doughnuts (with all 6 grandkids elbow deep in the dough!!), making playdough & taking them up on (almost) every request for mac & cheese. She even allowed Max to pedal the toy tractor the whole way to the neighbor's house while she managed the stroller. And how many laps has she made in the basement while the the children ride bikes?


Max, Rory & Elle send you hugs & kisses! We miss you ever so much.

Grandma's house has always been the place to go. Supper requests are never refused. Max just said to me yesterday he wishes he could walk in Grandma's front door. And if he asked for noodles for supper, Grandma would make them. From pink flower headbands to super hero capes, marvels are unwrapped that started in her sewing room. And now that we are far, far from Grandma's house, a super special book of memories, even the play farm!!, is here with us.

Our mothers have provided tears to show their deep love & care of us, prayers to show their love for Christ & listening ears to show the love of Christ in action. 30 years ago they were beginning a journey of raising a boy, raising a girl. The years have shown us the steadfast, covering, protective, emotionally involved love that can only come from a heart belonging to Jesus Christ.


We cannot thank you enough. We just show you the last year of our life, shout thank you for your part in our survival, & know the evidence speaks for itself. You both are a part of the reason for our being here





Tucked into a little bed at Clearfield, Elle is enjoying storytime with Nanny.



This tiny little one is Elle at about 1 month old. It was a hot summer picnic & Grandma enjoyed sharing her lawn chair with the newest Sauder.

Mommy-ing little girls is full of suprises to me. She & I find ways to get the boys to take care of cockroaches, use lotion when the boys aren't looking (it's for ladies, Mom), & save the pink gum for the girls. Like me, she actually cares what color her sandals are & always gets excited for a party. And, if I'm honest, we share the feminine emotional responses too!

My boys love me too, I know. It's just different.

Happy Mother's Day! After all, isn't every day Mother's Day?! :)