Yesterday, Charles heard some extra goat bleating that seemed abnormal. (He's very dialed into animal sights and sounds.) So, he looked out our window and saw one of the miniature goats with three brand new babies! They were SO new that their umbilical cords were hanging down and they were wet and wobbly! He called to us quickly and we ran to the window to Oooo and Ahhhh! Sister Charlotte then went to the goat enclosure to check on them and beckoned us to come too. We raced over and had a fabulous time watching these darling triplets with their very proud mom!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

This and That

Here are a few scenes from our lives here in Cape Coast.

Holly and Emily taking a break at the school....giving a puppy some water.



Charles walking in Cape Coast, passing one of the MANY street sellers displaying her perfect balanace.



One of the sweet Kindergarten kids asleep after lunch.



Emily holding Christina on her lap in the library.



The Popes and Acquahs after Church last Sunday.

The Stake Temple Trip

We enjoyed a trip to the Ghana Accra Temple with members of the Cape Coast Stake. On Friday at 5:00 a.m. we boarded buses which were AIR CONDITIONED!! We were cool and comfortable for the first time since leaving the Movenpick Hotel back in February. Then, we checked into the Temple Housing which was also AIR CONDITIONED!! We thought we had died and gone to heaven! Then we entered the Temple to do Baptisms and Sealings and of course, knew we were in Heaven. :)

It was a good trip, even though the air conditioning on the bus ride home failed us. So, we returned a little early to feeling sweaty and sticky. Despite that, we had a wonderful two days.

Charles's Birthday

We celebrated Charles's 57th here in Cape Coast. He reported that it was a very happy day for him! He was pretty excited to have a homemade birthday banner, get a couple of new, clean shirts and new books to read, and receive some Mounds candy bars which I had packed in my suitcase before coming. They weren't even melted....but we've been storing them in the refridgerator just in case. In the evening, I prepared the German Chocolate cake mix (also packed in my suitcase) which turned out PERFECTLY with the help of Mama Charlotte's oven. We topped it with vanilla ice cream and the Popes and Acquahs had the perfect party!

Visiting the Slave Castle

On Saturday, we took tour of the Slave Castle. This is the place where all Ghanian slaves were processed before being shipped overseas. For details, read my story, "The Darker Side of Cape Coast."

Kakum National Park

Here are some pictures of our outing in Kakum National Park today, which included a really fun nature walk with our guide, Isaac, and a "canopy walk" on suspension bridges!

This first photo is of a wicked looking tree with incredible thorns. Our guide said it is just teaching us to protect ourselves from our enemies.



Enemies like....THIS? I think so! Seeing this black scorpion was pretty scary and exciting at the same time. He was at least 8 inches long.



Millipedes are timid. They curl up when you get close, hoping you won't notice them.



Isaac showed us some pretty cool things in the forest, like rubber trees and tooth brush trees and the devil tree...which does NOT have thorns but instead, has the slickest, shedding bark of all the trees....so much so that no one can climb it.




The rain forest is SUPER tall. The canopy walk on suspension bridges takes visitors through the tops of the trees for a spectacular view from 130 ft. above the forest floor!




Emily and Holly had fun on the canopy walk.



Charles and me at a photo spot in the forest.

Our "new life" at New Life International

Three of the teachers enjoying a break from class. I'm helping them do some simple "mesh embroidery". It started with four women and now there are six women and one man who come at lunch time to stitch. The male teacher is probably the best stitcher in the crew!



Emily and Holly helping kids in the library after school.





Charles, Holly, Emily and I are in the process of organizing the Library. It's the perfect project for obsessive compulsive Americans. We were mildly amused (or chagrined, as the case may be) with the types of books people donate to Africa! "Join the American Girl's Club?" "How to make Martha Stewart Christmas Decorations?" What were the good hearted donors thinking? Our trash pile was pretty big.

Life at the Acquah's

Emily and Holly doing their laundry together. Washing everything in buckets in the bathroom and wringing it out by hand was a pretty long process. Holly said she will never, never take our washing machine for granted again!



Charles on a conference call with LSI in California (he serves on their Board of Directors.) The time zones worked out well for that call. In India, he had to get up at 2:00 a.m. one time!



I love helping the Acquah's youngest daughter, Theodora, with her embroidery. She's a fast learner!



Papa William and Mama Charlotte in their living room. We eat our meals and participate in Gospel study every evening in this room. They have truly taught us about dedication and faithfulness through their humble examples. We love them.

Week One at the Orphanage

Two of the cuties who go to school at New Life International. Look at these beautiful eyes!




We all took turns helping in classrooms.






I was fascinated with the "Ghanian Pencil Sharpener" .... a double edge razor. Every kid has one.



This is our favorite teacher, Anthony, who is guiding his two new classroom "prefects" through their pledge. They will serve the room for two weeks as good examples. Anthony rocks!



These kids are visitors from another school who use the computer lab at New Life.