As I have mentioned before, it is rainy season here in Ghana so everything is so beautiful and green.  As we drove up to Sunyani this week, I couldn't help but snap a picture of the beautiful landscape here.  It is really always green, but now it is just especially beautiful. 

Ever since we got here, I have observed various symbols on gates, fabric, signs and pottery.  I didn't really know what they all meant but I was just fascinated by them.  In a way, they reminded me of Chinese kanji.  So I started to ask various people here what they meant, and came to the realization that they are very culturally significant.  They are called Adinkra and they are Ghanaian symbols that express ideas or aphorisms.  From what I can gather, there are about 122 known symbols.  One of my favorites is the first one in the second row above:  on this chart it says supremacy of God, but many people here just say:  except God.  I just love that thought:  except God we are nothing, except God this miracle would not have happened....the other symbol that I love isn't in this particular chart but I have put it below.  It is a bird looking back:  Many times the symbol is stylized in the pottery or fabric, but it always means the same thing.  I love the thought of learning from past mistakes and making adjustments for the future.  It has kind of become a hobby for me to look for various symbols whenever we are out and about.  I love the deep rich symbolism of the many signs. 

 This is one of my very favorite symbols.  It isn't in the chart above, but I see it everywhere,  It is called SanKofa.  It is a bird retracing it's steps to get a lost egg.  It means that it is not taboo to collect what has been left behind.  Therefore, each experience in this life should leave an individual wiser than they were before.  If the incident or experience was not good, a person should learn how to deal with such situations in the future.  

I love that so much.  Because really, isn't that how we learn and hopefully become better people?  By learning from our mistakes?  

 

Here is a picture taken after we did a Family Home Evening last Monday with Elder Simpson and Elder Sam.  I don't even think all the people were in the picture!  There were probably 20 people there, including 16 children.  The children here are always so excited to meet with the missionaries and are totally engaged in the lesson and so interested in playing pictionary!  All these people live in the same "compound"  a group of houses clustered together in an area......so when the missionaries started teaching a few in the compound, more and more just started coming.....It is so fun for us to go and witness this and see how ready they are to listen to the message that the Elders are sharing.  I made no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies for a treat and they LOVED them!  They gobbled them up in nothing flat!😉

This is a picture of Sister Konadu.  I have put a picture of her on this blog before when we first got here.(refer to the November 27th blog).  This group lives in the area of the Branch that she was the pioneer of.  She is just a lovely woman with a light that shines from her eyes and her whole soul really.   She shares the gospel with everyone and is so easy to love.  During the FHE I started holding the baby that she had on her back.  The ladies started asking me (in Twi) if my arms were heavy.  Of course I didn't know what they were saying and the next thing I know Sister Konadu has the baby and is wrapping him up on her back! I missed the opportunity to do it but I tell you, I will do it before I go home!  As you can see, the baby fell asleep almost immediately.  They just feel so secure on their mama's back; they settle down and go to sleep so so fast!💜

For the past two Tuesdays we have attended District Council with the Bantama district: Sister Ilulu,  Sister Forkpah, Sister Yula ,Elder Fitzpatrick, Elder Kampanga, Elder Call, Elder Beck and Sister Okumah-Boyd .  It is always a treat to go to District Councils on Tuesday.  The missionaries stay on task and teach such good lessons. I appreciate their dedication and spirit!💚

On Saturday we went on our first ever (in this mission) over-nighter!  We actually got out of the office and went to Sunyani which is north west of Kumasi about 2 1/2 hours.  President Kunz wanted us (Sister Kunz, Sister Moomey and myself) to train the District Presidencies of each organization  in the Sunyani District  using a slide presentation that was created by the Area West Specialists.  I was assigned the Relief Society District Presidency, Sister Moomey the YW, and Sister Kunz the Primary.  I expected 4 people at the most and look! I had 7 because 3 people came from branch presidencies.  We had a great discussion and I look forward to following their progress in implementing some of the things that we talked about.  All these women are devoted followers of Christ and it was a pleasure to get to know them.💙  

                       Here is the picture of the Relief Society ladies.....such amazing women.

The next day, we were asked to attend a branch in the Sunyani District.  We attended the Odumase Branch. When it came time to go to Relief Society, surprise!  The entire District Relief Society Presidency was doing a visit to this branch because the Relief Society President in that branch has not attended for 4 months!  So I got another surprise after that:  "Sister Garrison, you will be teaching the class!"  Hello!  I told them that for the past 8 months I had taught Primary, and that I really had no idea what the lesson might be.  No problem:  "we will show you the lesson".  They were not taking no for an answer....so I taught the lesson on overcoming our Goliaths which was an article in the June Liahona magazine.  We had a fabulous discussion and it was really enjoyable.  It was a good opportunity to model what a Relief Society "lesson" should look like:  not reading the lesson but having a thoughtful discussion and sharing ideas.   Thankfully there were a few of the women that could translate my English to Twi and their Twi to English so that we could all understand each other! 💜 

Another great example of how the people in Ghana are bold about their belief in God.  This is a picture of a car from one of the members of the Branch Presidency in Odumasu.  I love that they are not shy about advertising their devotion to their God and their church.💛

One more example of the way people here share their love of Christ.  This is obviously an add for a bakery here, but up in the right hand corner as plain as you can see: a picture of Christ, (by an LDS artist!).  💚
  

No blog is complete without a picture of someone carrying something interesting on their head!  Here you see a lady carrying a huge bunch of plantains on her head...wearing them much like a hat! Why not?😊

 

I have enjoyed so many talks from Jeffrey R. Holland.  This week I listened to one that he gave in 1980 called:  "For Times of Trouble".  It was about having self-doubt, discouragement and despair.  It was just such a good talk.  It was given to the students of BYU at the end of the semester, but truly could be applied to all of us and especially during these tumultuous times we are seeing today.  If you have a chance, look it up and give it a listen.  I know that the Lord does hear and answer our prayers, I have had prayersanswered too many times to deny His existence and help.  

Well, that is our last two weeks in a nutshell.  Hoping you are all staying strong and steadfast.  We appreciate your love and support.

Love,

The Garrisons