Well, finally 2 1/2 weeks into this mission I am getting around to posting our first blog!  We just got our internet set up in our apartment today.  HURRAH, HURRAH, HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!  We had a wonderful two weeks in the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  Our first day was October 25th.  We had a week of training about teaching the gospel and the 2nd week we were trained on how to be office missionaries.  We had great teachers and a wonderful district of other couples:  two of them going to Chili and one couple going to Zimbabwe. 

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Our District:  Sister and Elder Morris, Sister and Elder Smith and Sister and Elder Cook.  

They have some pretty neat statues at the MTC and the weather was beautiful.

While in Provo I got to see all my brothers and sisters!  That doesn't happen very often, so I was grateful for that!

We also got to go to the BYU Football game with our besties, the Ortons.  We stayed with them while at the MTC and they spoiled us rotten.  We have been friends since our college days at BYU, so it was like old times.  

We also got to stay with Joye and Ryan and the girls for a few days and bonus.....Grant was in town from Dallas, and we got to see him one last time.  We were fortunate to meet up with many friends while in the MTC:  Kelly Thompson, Bekky and Jeff Peterson (who gave us their football tickets💙), Robyn and Linda, Cameron Howe, Diedra and Roger Mahaffey (who actually taught us a wonderful lesson while in the MTC).  We have been so blessed with wonderful friends and family.💚💚

 

The day finally came that we were to fly to Kumasi, Ghana.  We traveled on Saturday from 2pm and finally arrived in Kumasi on Sunday night about 6:30 PM.  Needless to say......we were EXHAUSTED.  I really think that Senior Missionaries should fly business class when they are old!  Hahahaha.  But we made it and we are here.....

This is a picture of us and Elly and Ron Moomey.  They are our next door neighbors here and we couldn't be happier about this!  They are such good examples of cheerful service!  We traveled here together and will be here in Ghana together until April of 2023.  Elly is the nurse and Ron helps with apartments and vehicles and many many more things....always willing to help.  For example:  

We came home from being at the office all day and our entire entry way was flooded with water.  The Moomeys came over and mopped up for us! 

 We are just working the kinks out of our apartment but I really cannot complain.  It is a very comfortable apartment with air conditioners in most rooms.  We have 2 bedrooms and 2 and a half baths. (So yes, if you want to visit us, we have an extra room!)  

Our mission president Tom Kunz and his wife LaDawn, have really made our living conditions comfortable.  Elder Wendell     Coombs & Sister Venda Coombs have been training us as we will try to fill their shoes but they have big shoes to fill.  As we have driven just from here to the office and to the store and have seen the conditions that many of the people live in here, I realize how very blessed we are here in this apartment and especially in America.  We have so much and still complain, but the people here have so little and yet are some of the happiest people that I have ever met.  

It has only been two days since we got here....so we are sure that we will learn so much.  One thing that we do here that we (at least I didn't) do here is bleach our eggs and vegetables and then rinse them in filtered water:  

Here is a picture of the front of our apartment and the truck that will be our transportation: 

Well that is about it for this week.  I am sure that I will have much more to report.  I want to thank all our friends and family for the love and support that we have received and remind everyone to stay strong and steadfast and that Jesus Christ is the key to our happiness here on earth.  AKWAABA!