Ghana service day

Last Saturday all of the missions in Africa participated in a service day.   One branch cleaned up the police station in town and our branch went to a different town and worked to clean up, in and around this health clinic.   We had about 15 women and 20 men and boys show up to help.   We all put on yellow vests and began to work.   The women went inside and the men worked outside.  

 Elder Jensen and Elder Wylie were getting their instructions from one of the members in charge.  This is the clinic and grounds at which we were about to work on.

 Elder Nielson was given a grass cutter and because he didn't know how to use it we had a game of golf.    We had to chop the grass and weeds with them and the one I had was so dull all it did was lay the grass over.   Someone had a file so we sharpened all the tools and then went to work.  I got a blister on my hand soon after I started so I didn't chop as much grass as the rest of the members did.  

 I traded the golf club cutter for a cutlass which made me look cool and deadly.

 Elder wylie and Jensen learned the art of mowing with a cutlass in no time.   We cut a large section of the property down in just a few minutes.   

Sister Nielson worked inside with this little girl helper and had a big job trying to clean up the rooms.   There is no glass in the windows so the dust and insects can enter at anytime.  Because of this the cleaning effort would last for only a short time at best.   

 This cute little girl was our helper, however we didn't get much work out of her but she provided our moral support.   Her hair was in braids with little beads on the ends of each braid.   Her name is Nora.

 I took a turn at the water pump so the ladies could get water to do the mopping.    The water comes from a well.  We saw no running water inside of the clinic.  

 Some of the ladies swept up all the leaves with these small brooms.   These brooms are used by everyone here for sweeping the ground.   They are made out of the stems of the leaves from the palm trees.  

 After they swept up the leaves into piles we loaded them into the wheelbarrow.  I was the only one there with gloves so I was elected to pick up all the trash and leaves and put it onto the shovel.  

 

When we finished with our labors the branch provided us with a large meal.   Rice and beans, spaghetti, cold slaw, two kinds of really hot sauce and a smoked fish head.   It was very tasty except for the last item which the Elders dared me to eat one of the eyeballs out of so I did.   Not recommended for the faint at heart.  






When we finished our project and I
started the trunk 7 members and one
wheelbarrow jumped into the back and I had to deliver them all back to town.   I felt pretty special because after dodging all the potholes not even one of them fell out.    The Lord blessed us all with a safe ride home and a good feeling in our hearts for the service we provided.