Another Great Week in Ho!

It's been another busy week here in Ho and the heat, thunderstorms and "light off" have been our constant companions. We did a bit of traveling last week going from Accra, the southernmost point in the mission, to Hohoe, which is the farthest north, putting almost 800 kilometers on our truck. Sarah keeps our daily calendar in pencil because the schedule can change on an hourly basis and we've learned that being flexible is a necessary trait for all missionaries.

Sarah's excellent organizational skills come in handy as do lots and lots of post-it notes!

At the start of each week, we work together on a short message that we can share with the people we meet and the less-active members from each branch that we've been asked to visit. Last week we shared a thought on "being of good cheer"and read a scripture in John 16:33 that helps us put our trust in Jesus Christ.

It's not always easy finding some of the homes as there aren't street addresses or house numbers

We helped with another funeral last week and our truck was used as a hearse again. The tradition here is to hold the funeral on a weekend and sometimes it takes a few weeks before the family can all travel to where they're holding the funeral. The families wear mainly black if the deceased was older and passed on after living a fulfilled life. They'll wear mainly red if the funeral is for a younger person who left this life too soon. We've enjoyed sharing the message of God's plan of salvation with those in mourning and that we'll have the chance to be together with our loved ones once this life is over. 

We've been helping some of the youth with their English literacy and have been providing computer training to some of the adults. We love to see the joy on their faces as they learn something new and they share what they learned with others. 

This is our good friend Christian Dikro. He just finished writing a letter to his daughter who's away at school and I showed him how to add a picture of himself to the letter. He was overjoyed to send it to her!

We were busy most of the day on Saturday, but we were able to have the missionaries over for pizza and ice cream that night to celebrate the 4th of July holiday. Being away from home and living outside of the United States has deepened our love for our country and the many conveniences we are blessed to have. We pray for and are thankful for all those who have served or are currently serving to keep our country free.

Ghanaians love America and this store hung the flags together on Independence Day.

The missionaries at our house celebrating the 4th of July with pizza, ice cream and a good game of golf. Just a tip for future missionaries - the elders from the Sudan and Nigeria love to look at their cards!