Eli and Landon come to Ghana

My nephews Eli and Landon Henriksen came to Ghana to do some humanitarian work and stopped on the way to spend a few days with us.

We started out by visiting the Deaf School in Mampong. Elia and Landon brought gifts and most of all, they brought themselves.

Eli signs so he was a big hit. It was hard to leave.

We took a quick trip to Cape Coast Castle. Not only did we feel the sea breeze, but also felt the pains of slavery past and present.

                We hiked up to the bat cave and feed the baboons at Shai Hills.

We climbed up the light house in Jamestown.

And shopped in the markets.

Family Home evening in Ghana.

We are all waiting to hear what song Eli will write about Ghana.

"We've Been Working on the Railroad"

Actually we were working on the gutters in Ashaiman Market.  Theses gutters are deep to catch the run off from the rain, but when they are plugged up with garbage, sewage, and muck, they clog up and we get flooding. All of the members of the Church put on vests and worked together on Saturday the 15th of August, 2015 all over Africa. We are in the Kpone ward right now, so we went with the Asahiman Stake to clean our market. We all became Mormon Helping Hands.

We bought rakes at the market for 3 cedi each.

Our friends the Wades worked with us and bought us some gloves to wear.

President Morrison is the Stake President of Ashaiman Stake and does a wonderful job of leading and teaching.

Elder Wilde drinks coconut milk.

The real work was done by the shovelers who made large piles and then shoveled it into large garbage containers.

It was a joyous occasion and everyone celebrated when when the work was done.

We had hundred of workers in this market. In Accra we also had a stake cleaning the beach, and another cleaning and painting a hospital.  In Medina they worked on the Medina market. We became one.

Nzulezo - Stilt Village

 All the time we have been in Africa we have been hearing about the "stilt village". The stilt village is Nzulezo, the “Village on water” in Ghana's Western Region.500 people live in this village on the water. The vice chief told us that the original people were from Mali and were chased by their enemies across Mali, through Cameroon and into Ghana over the course of forty years. They were trying to protect their golden stool and were lead to this place by a god in the form of a snail. The tribe has lived on the water for five hundred years.

 We got to the village in this motorized canoe. The locals paddle. It takes about an hour to paddle to the village.

We wore life jackets though we were told the water was so shallow we could stand up if we capsized in most parts of the canal. We went with several other senior missionaries, the Pecks and the Kirkhams.

 These kids gave it their best to beat the Obrunies.

 This fellow has clearly spent a lot of time paddling.

 Welcome to Nzulezo.

The building on the left is under reconstruction. The pilings have to be replaced every five to seven years.

 This neighborhood is probably cooler in the hot weather.

 From time to time a building collapses. Garbage floats underneath the buildings.

 This is the school.

There are various trades in the village.

"Who came to see me?"

The residents are friendly. 

 Hanging out with my buddies.

All Ghanaian school children wear uniforms.

The cones on the left are fish traps. At the end of the block are cooking pots.

The trip to Nzulezo was worth the seven hour drive, each way. It gave us a view of a way of life which has changed very little in hundreds of years.