Banner days…

The month of March begins with a great Sunday at one of my favorite chapels - Odorkor.  Church royalty was there…a guy named Kissee who wrote a book called  A Walk in the Sand.  For the record, there is no real Church Royalty, but there were American pioneers who walked across deserts to get to the Salt Lake Valley (when it was not part of the USA). There are the OG members in the countries in Africa like this guy - they are true pioneers of the church and sacrificed to build the church here - Good faithFUL people.  The first week of March seemed like a month that went so quickly…but it’s been only a week. I like the speed of love…enjoying every day…never a dull moment…really.  Even accounting can be interesting.  Instead of names for missionaries, I draw a picture of their name. “…how does your brain work, Elder Bertha!?”

Sunday YSA (Young Single Adult) lesson:  There were 2 to 1 - Men to Women in the class.  I see the reverse in the USA.  I thought the women were sharp and good-looking.  The men here are often faced with the challenge of having to pay a “bride price” to the family of the woman.  Sometimes, they start a family and have kids as they are saving up to pay the price.  It’s a tribal tradition that is hard to break and will take time, still part of the African culture.  The Church would rather see an emphasis on marrying another church member over marrying in the tribe.  That can be a tough pattern to crack. The Lesson was great and I hope that they can find each other…and raise families in the church.  We see such a difference between some of the African missionaries who were raised in the church.  There is a confidence and strength that helps share the gospel. The converts have an enthusiasm and desire to share.  So much to learn and so much to share with family and friends. It’s a good message…

Pack and Go:  At church, we met some really nice people who come to Ghana to bring laptops in for their business and then go home with empty suitcases.  I have missionaries who struggle to make weight on luggage (under 50 pounds) with the nativity sets for mom and Fufu bowl gifts.  If I can do some matchmaking and pack up the missionaries' stuff, label it for their home, and catch an empty suitcase, I would do a service for these kids who have spent 18-24 months sweating in Ghana.  Easy trade. I love to play Tetris with boxes in a bag.  Biggie Joe knows, ”I’m Rick James…” when it comes to packing.  They said they could do it for me. Then I found out that they were flying business class and I asked if they were going to ship a third bag. "No?  Can I give you one already to go?"  This is how stuff traveled in the past…find someone going that way.  That is how we get packages around our mission also…

“Ghana Interruptus.” I think there is still an animal that De-evolved from the Cro-Magnon man in Western Africa.  They are similar to the dodo bird which was a genetic mutation of the Ostrich (why even give it wings?).  This animal, or missionary, “Ghana Interuptus,” comes out in force when faced with a short time frame and a high concentration of people.  They ask questions right as you have been talking to another person.  They are in your personal space demanding attention and service.  I believe that they are related to the tribe of German snow skiers that step all over your skis to get to the other side.  I think their favorite song is “Me, me, me, me!“  The Americans have been programmed not to do the same, but often they are learning this bad habit by association…and if they do, I give them an eye slap (I want to physically slap them, but I look at them like “I know you know are better than this; did they do this back at East High?).  It was crazy busy and I was prepared, but maybe not enough. It’s a thing.  Everyone wants attention NOW!  But they are all wonderful young people growing up to do the same thing as wonderful adults. It probably reveals my shortcomings and a place where I can get better…

”I am coming…”

-Ghanaian for Hold your horses

MuFUNdisi.  How cool is that!? He has 'Fun' in his name.  I went out and bought a transparent phone case, printed a picture of the two of us, and put it between the phone and the case.  He loved it and I made sure he had a bracelet to go home with - Hope and Humility.  I am running low on stock of bracelets.  I gave one today (then the next Sunday to a young man headed to Nigeria on his mission from Odaben).  This week we had three elders and 4 sisters go home.

The First:  The Pioneers made trails for others.  18 months ago, four sisters from North America came around to Ghana the same time.  They were the first white women in the Accra West Mission, at least for the Jacobsen’s.  They had to put up with hard trainers who maybe did not want to work as hard and maybe struggled with exact obedience, but these four young women sister missionaries led with love, worked hard, and created a lasting culture of work, hoping to share the gospel.  They were tough and loving and baptized so many into the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were pioneers in our mission and a hole will be left as they leave this week.  DeGraffenried, Bello, Wilde & Carter.  All spiritual and great teachers, but think how resilient you have to be to live in Ghana.  They were!  We were blessed to have them here.  I hope there are men good enough for these women…

“Find someone that can pull the Hand-Cart with you…Pioneer Stock”

-Dick Peery advice to Young Adults

Childhood dream:  Don’t you wish you could be that guy just for a moment?  The crossing guard or the police directing traffic for an afternoon.  They have many traffic directors here, but rarely where it is really needed.  They are there more to help you park and make sure your wheels are straight (I really don’t care about that).  We parked for the departure dinner and there was slow traffic.  I could see our mission van in the distance so I asked the parking guy (more like, took) for his yellow vest and then grabbed his hat.  He was much shorter so he gave it up and it happened so fast.  I started directing traffic and made sure there was a parking spot saved for our missionary van. I stood right in the middle of the road, stopped traffic from right and left, and directed our van to back into a prime spot.  I made sure to spin my hands with extreme emphasis in different directions to make sure they followed turning their wheels accordingly.  With the hat and fluorescent vest, President Jacobsen didn’t notice at first.  He is getting used to new glasses, he said “That looks like Elder Bertha!?”.  Sister Jacobsen chalked it up to another Ferris Bueller moment.  Sandy was already in the restaurant so was not embarrassed in person as I am sure she would have been.  Fun times…

Banners for Departing Missionaries:  Some people have said that the missionary goes on a mission or stays on a mission just to get a banner.  I think that is kind of ridiculous.  No one would endure the work and hardships of a mission for a glorified custom scarf.  However, it is a Ghana tradition (possibly an African tradition), that I really like and there is a tangible thing like the tassels kids wear at graduation that represents an accomplishment.  The President and his wife share some words, present the banner and the certificate of accomplishment, take a picture, and the best part is when the missionary shares their testimony.  There is growth and a deeper connection with their savior and the people they just served.  It’s wonderful to see.

Because we are more powerful when we are together.

It brings the Spirit, peace, joy, and harmony.

Nothing can move without the support from each other.

UNITY is our power source.

There is a good reason God sends us out two by two,

Only when we are united will the Spirit come.

Because nothing else works.

-SJ Zone Conference Unity slide

Another Banner of Love… On Sunday in Swedru, the stake relief society president got up and told the congregation how much they loved the Jacobsen’s for always coming to stake conference and supporting them.  They were both presented with Kente banners with their names on them and they wore them as they spoke.  That was unexpected and may have caused the President to realize this really will come to an end in 4 months (less).  It will be their last Swedru Stake Conference.  Their messages were good and well-received.  Sister J spoke about Unity and the need for it. President J also added to the theme of Unity and how we can do more when we work together as missionaries and members.  This year, the mission goals were a collaboration with the wards and stakes so they are playing from the same page…

“The journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step…”

-Chinese Proverb

The First Day:  After we say goodbye, we say hello to the new incoming missionaries.  It’s the first day of the real mission. When they come to us, they have been in the Mission Training Center here in Ghana for 3 weeks for people who already speak English; or 9 weeks for others, learning English as a second language (about 50% of our mission).  New missionaries coming in are deer-in-the-headlights and it's a lot to take in for them.  Some don’t get what we are saying and then you see them in the next 6 weeks during a zone conference and they are speaking English. It’s a blessing and it's amazing to see.  Good new missionaries.  I pulled aside three from Samoa, and let them know that they should not wave the Samoan Flag - only the GAWM flag.  We are all on God's team in the mission and we want to make sure we all are focused on Christ and not make someone feel left out.  Unity helps us go farther

Independence Day Ghana (March 6th, 1957).  They have a new president and he had a celebration 1/10th the cost of the previous president.  He does not think the economy can handle it right now.  It was a holiday so the office was closed and we took a “mental health day.”  Sandy and I joined the Jacobsen’s for a morning walk and saw a VVIP motorcade (serpentine motorcycles and black Lexus vehicles with super dark windows). There was a guy in the front seat that looked like he came out of the play, Nutcracker.  Same red coat and a big hat.  Sister Beeson wanted to go to the Bead Market.  She couldn’t go so Sandy and I went on a little road trip to discover somewhere new.  The trees are BIG and the road was not that bad.  It’s a game to weave around the potholes.  The bead market might have been smaller because it was Independence Day, but it was good enough for us and we both found some things.  Sandy has made bracelets for all the sisters in the mission. S is the Bead-Master!

New Leader Meeting:  President Jacobsen and his wife bring all new leaders (District Leaders, Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders) in for Leadership training.  I do not recall anything like this on my mission, but we also did not have phones, spreadsheets, or the internet.  It is so good what they do.  I sat in on it this month to see what they taught.  I wanted to connect the dots from what they are teaching to what is happening in the mission.  When you go to district meeting on a Tuesday anywhere in our mission, you have well-planned meetings with an agenda and participation from everyone.  These are skills that these young missionaries will use for the rest of their lives in the church and in business.  God’s house is a house of order…

Bats and Moon:  Saturday night in a hot (no heater, just the sun) pool looking up at bats just coming out.  I could have been in Transylvania.  It was so beautiful in a Halloween sort of way.  Bats look really cool from a distance.  Upside down in the tree, they are ugly.  Bats for sale for dinner on the side of the road...not appetizing...but watching them roam the air eating malaria-carrying mosquitos. I cheer them on and I think, "I am so far away from my home…"  It was an unusually beautiful evening in an unusual way.  Bats and the Moon, not my normal evening but it is working here. Sister Bertha suggested we have a movie night. No place like our room, our oasis from the rest of the office in which we live in and she set up a TV screen on an ironing board at the end of our bed and hooked it up with an HDMI chord to her iPad and we watched "Palau". He was a bilingual Billy Graham. It was really good.

Comparison:  It is 6 hours and 30 minutes from London to Accra by plane.  It is 6 hours and 40 minutes from Boston to San Diego.  It is 11 hours and 50 minutes on a direct flight from Amsterdam to San Diego.  We booked plane tickets which made an ending real and we are not ready for. 

Odoben Stake Conference:  As we drove up, there was a big school bus that was filled with members who came from a different area.  A stake is made up of maybe 6-9 units, wards, and branches so they have to travel a bit to get to the conference.  Most people just walk to their wards on Sunday.  Stake conference happens two times a year and it’s a big deal with a screen on the outside for the overflow. The only thing bigger is our General Conference (Coming the first weekend in April at www.churchofjesuschrist.org to stream).  It's good to hear from the prophet and apostles, but important people in your life are usually within a walk (Ghana) or a short drive (California) away. 

“We will be pleased to hear from President Jacobsen and the wife..”

-It is still a man’s world in Ghana

No notice is fine:  In the middle of the meeting when the choir was singing, the man conducting came down to where we are seated and asked Sister Bertha and I to speak/bear our testimony. After the song, we came up and I stood next to her and with her big smile. Sister Bertha just exudes enthusiasm for the missionary work in Ghana.  I made a short reference to a scripture I had just read in the Book of Mormon. (If you read every day, you always have something to reference to).  Sandy has no problem getting up at a moment’s notice and just speaking from the heart.  Her confidence has increased as this has happened a few times.  It’s really a blessing to be put in that kind of situation and know you can trust the Lord that He will not let you mess it up.  We are all there for the benefit of the people attending, so share what is in your heart as it comes.  The spirit really does guide you in those moments.

“Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man.”

-D&C 84:85 

Fun Size-Right Size: Our church is not in the business of getting bigger for each location.  Our church is NOT a mega church.  There is a benefit to having a manageable size.  The Bishop of a ward is not paid and so it's not a full-time job. Too big and he cant manage or minister to his flock.  When a ward or a stake gets too big (like when we are finding new members) the ward or stake will be split and start growing again.  There is a size that you can know most of the people in your ward and they will notice if you don’t show up and if you have a problem.  We minister to each other in keeping tabs on them.  Keeping an eye on your fellow members is a good thing and part of what Jesus wants us to do.  Be kind, share, and help out…

Bike Master in the House…yikes!  I was inundated by the missionaries with bike issues at the Sunday Stake Conference.  They brought me to the locked-up bikes and pointed to all the issues.  While talking to one Elder, there would be another Elder interrupting saying “Elder Bertha, Elder Bertha, Elder Bertha.”  Everyone wants attention at the same time…It’s a Ghana thing I think.  I came home with a tire with broken spokes and maybe 5 bikes I need to trade out. Bikes are easier than cars, but still require constant maintenance.  One guy wanted to trade his bike because his brakes were weak and I just showed him how to adjust it at the lever…He was kinda happy.  They never return a bike that is clean.  But I am glad to help them keep teaching…

Cabo San Ghana?  On a P-day, we went to pick up one of the American sister's packages to ship home and to take her luggage.  They then had us take them back to the beach where they had an activity.  Playing soccer on the beach and eating snacks.  I think they were surprised to see the Berthas, but the Berthas were surprised to see how nice the beach and rock outcropping were…it did remind me of old Cabo beaches we used to explore on surf trips.  The approach was all poor shacks but what a cool little find.  Fun to see how the missionaries love the opportunity to hang out together

“The Ghana English is not the normal English”

-Sister D at Homecoming in Utah

“I know this to be true…my husband is a pastor and I do not want to go to his church anymore”

-Sister D’s Friend with 7 children who eventually was baptized.

“Doesn’t matter where you serve, it matters how you serve…Keep the commandments and enjoy your blessings”

Clara going to Nigeria from Swedru Stake

“It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”

-Jane Austen

“What we do every day matters more than what we do every once in a while”

-Laura’s Instagram…

Time keeps slipping….I have to get this out because another week has begun and we are still doing stuff.  Week by week, it is so fun to serve the missionaries serving in Ghana. Resilience and spiritual strength.  I am growing, watching them, and once in a while teaching with them.  Sister Bertha and I are trying to schedule more time out with the missionaries.  It is so fun to teach and see people change. God loves us all.  So love his children…you fellow man.

Elder Bertha

March 2025