Long Rich

I have a rich life! Rich in friendships, Rich in experiences, Rich in love, Rich in faith, and Rich in family.  I am grateful for these blessings.  While touring a botanical garden, I was asked which cacao plant I would plant.  There is one tree that takes a long time to produce; it takes 7 years until you start to get fruit. They also have a hybrid that only takes 3 years to start producing fruit.  Naturally, I think that I want to start getting my returns faster, so I would pick the 3-year Hybrid.  But that tree with only 3 years of roots starts to die after about 12 years.  If you plant the 7-year tree (Sandy’s pick) that takes longer to produce, you let the roots go deeper, and the tree will produce good fruit for over 50 years, it will bless you and your children.  This is what they call “Long Rich.”  I want to be Long Rich with deep roots in my faith, friends & family, and I want the fruits of those relationships to bear fruit for a long, long time.  I have received plenty of blessings here on my mission.  So grateful!

May “B”: Two good men were born in May.  My brother and I.  We have a company called BBCI, which stands for “Bertha-Bertha,” so it doesn’t matter who is first.  We are only 2 years and 11 days apart.  He joins me in the 60 club this month, this year…I think it will be a good decade for both of us.  Happy Birthday, brother!  Another decade to enjoy with family and friends and in our faith.  Thanks for the visit.  It was with great effort that he made it to Ghana, but we were rewarded with great memories.

Nephi Guy:  My brother understood the Gospel early (age 12) and, with my mother, listened and joined the church in Hawaii.  Missionaries came in the front door, I was out the back door.  But we never give up on our people, our family.  It took a little more time, but I too joined, and we have been in ever since.  Thank you, mother!  My brother and I talked a little this weekend about why we just stayed with the church when we see others come and leave.  We went on our missions, we have always been active, and always had simple faith, and just stayed with the program.  Compounding experiences over time increased our faith and our love of God. Deep roots and many fruits are the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of happiness.  Stick with the plan…Stay in the boat; keep the commandments and you will prosper…that is “Long Rich”…

Differences? Yes:  My brother and I are different.  My brother asks a lot of questions and is really smart.  I am adept at working well with less information and getting close enough, taking action, and then getting a better view.  He is tenacious at drilling down on any subject.  Everyone has their unique gifts and talents. It is good to recognize and appreciate the talents of others.  Don’t judge, don’t compare…just work together for the good of all involved…embrace and celebrate the unique differences of your friends.

“Did you see my 48-page PowerPoint on the subject?”

-Brian to me! …but it was really good!  He cut it to 10 pages for me.

Protect & Defend each other: I might tease my brother, but I do not like it when others tease my brother.  He is too nice, and a “pleaser,” and it can allow others to go too far, and he might not even see it.  Years ago, I visited a trade show with his business.  Some Obama-look-alike was teasing him about not coming out to play basketball with “the guys” from the office.  He was so out of line…so I got in my older-brother mode. “…so where did you play ball?  College?  No?…So, intramurals?…hmmm?  Did you win a t-shirt?  So, no real college athletics? Did you know that Brian here lettered in varsity athletics at Princeton?  Wait, what community college did you attend?  Anyway, at Princeton, as a freshman, Brian lettered in Gymnastics, as the “all-around” man.  Let me explain it to you…the all-around man is the one guy on the team who can and does every apparatus, and his score for each is included in the whole score.  It’s pretty important.”  He backed off as intended… It is OK to protect people and defend your faith and your family.

“And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall DEFEND your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore, for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to DEFEND themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.”

-Alma 43:47

“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar... And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

-1 John 4:20–21

Get out and teach!  The highlight of the visit was getting out to teach with the missionaries.  I had it set up with the Sisters close to us, but when we got there, they were sick.  (They could have called?) But that is Ghana; things change.  Call an audible.  We called other sisters and took the two Sister Berthas to teach in Bortianor.  They were able to teach Steward again, and he is working his way toward baptism.  Getting out to teach in Ghana is a special experience and truly to be cherished.  We teach here…and if you don’t progress, we plant the seeds and let them germinate for a while, and maybe you come back to it. Sometimes the timing is wrong, and the missionaries only have 2 years to teach, and here they want to teach people that will progress to following the covenant path…faith, repentance, baptism, enduring, and keeping the commandments.  Pretty easy if you want to follow Jesus, and he is good to follow…

Patience: My brother Brian and I caught up with Elders Anderson (1 of 3 Andersons) and Luvulo(Angola).  We taught in an outside fruit shop.  Shade is good.  There were 8 people there as we were teaching Elizabeth.  She has had all the lessons and wants to join, but she has never been to church.  Her mom makes her take care of the shop on Sundays for her.  Even the grandmother, whom we were teaching in the shop, did not know how to deal with the mother.  The missionary looked at me as if to ask, "What now?" I told him to just be patient and wait.  We have a well-planted seed, and we will pray to find a time that the mom will let her leave the shop on a Sunday…Not everything falls into place quickly…sometimes you let the plant grow longer…

Grey Dot Miricle:  A “grey dot” is someone that has been taught, but for some reason, we stopped teaching or they stopped progressing…a young man, who had been MIA for some time, walked into the church and said he had all the lessons (by one of our missionaries) and he wanted the get baptized… “When is your next baptism time?”…I think we can fit you in!  Seeds are planted, and sometimes it takes time for the spirit to work on people so they get to a point when their faith grows and they want to make further commitments to God (and to themselves).  It’s fun to see people change and grow and follow the Savior.  We can only do our part while we are here, and sometimes you just plant seeds and sometimes you teach & nurture, and sometimes you harvest…it’s all good.  Surprisingly, Elder Kaaen President Jacobsen, and I were “slow burn” converts that took 2 years to bake…or make the commitment to get baptized.  It is really the spirit that converts, and some of us take a little longer.  Be patient with your friends; it's God's time, not ours, that matters…

Sow and harvest:  Winter Quarters was a place where the early Saints stayed and prepared for the trek west to SLC.  They ate the food they could harvest that was planted or sown by the others who left before.  Before leaving, they would sow more corn and vegetables that could feed the people coming through after them.  As missionaries, we invite people to follow Jesus Christ. Some say yes, some say no, but many seeds are planted that may grow into interest and faith in the future.  Patience, Love, and sew what you can while you are here.

The District:  Sister Bertha and I attended a District Council on Tuesday at Ashtown Ward.  Driving there on a “market day” was an adventure….following Google Maps headed us right through the middle of Kasoa New Market.  A market day is when all the sellers and buyers come and do the most business of the week.  There are taxis and Tros being stuffed with goods that will be taken out to smaller towns and villages and resold.  It is the Ghanaian version of a distribution center, and it works.   Driving through it is slow, but good for pictures.  We are never bored driving because it has always remained interesting to see.  The Elders and Sisters gathered and discussed their goals and what they accomplished last week, and what the new goals would be. Then they have a discussion on a talk or part of the Preach My Gospel manual.  They have all been trained by the President on how to run a meeting, and they do not waste time.  These kids are getting great training for the rest of their lives. Fun meeting and proud of Kabanda(Zimbabwe) and Naeta(Tonga), the Zone Leaders for teaching and leading…

Rain is coming:  One night last week, it just dumped rain. Pouring rain with wind like a hurricane…Sandy and Sister J played Quirkle. I was up late with new apartment leases and bills. Trying to get ready for the guests coming to our place, and also the Jacobsens….  We both looked at how we could juggle work and entertaining the guests.  Jacobsen’s have to interview everyone every transfer, so they are the busiest, so we had to double up on the entertainment committee work…not a problem! Fun!

Ghana Time:  The Visas can be a real problem when coming to Ghana.  Sandy and I were delayed in getting to Ghana last year because someone was offended in the visa department.  It slowed down a lot of missionaries coming in at the time.  This time it delayed my brother…he has a great skill at changing directions quickly with these speed bumps in plans.  He finally talked to a real person and got it 5 days later and made it to Ghana!  Megan, who lives in Washington DC, went to the Embassy and did not run into the nice Ghanaians.  She had her sweet children with her, and the “grumpy pants” man made the kids sad.  Sorry about that, but thanks for trying to help your uncle.  He finally found someone to send out the visas on a Monday, so he could leave on Tuesday…come on over!

Temple as a center:  Lauren wanted to visit the temple first.  She is a good example of putting first things first, and we made sure they got to visit the temple.  Built in 2004, the temple has blessed so many lives in Western Africa and all over the world.  Rollin and Amy Anderson used the Accra Temple for their wedding/sealing when their family was here serving in Ghana.  When the Jacobsens were called here, that was one of the connections that made us think this mission would happen, and we are so glad to be serving here with our friends.  Yes, we are working and serving, but we are also having a great time with our friends…we are VERY blessed here.

Reruns: “Batiking”, which is printing and dying cloth, and seeing the beadmaking are the most repeated tourist events that we take our guests to.  We made a cool tablecloth for my Mom for Mother's Day.  The Art market is also a well-returned place.  They all know me there, and if they don’t know me, they think they do.  Same uniform-white shirt and tie.  Same first name – “Elder, Elder, Elder…”. I respect their tenacity in selling.  It is tough to navigate, but a game also…

Early rather than late:  I came out to walk and swim, and the sisters were already here.  Here at 7 am for a 9 am meeting.  They were here for MLC, which is a leadership meeting.  Amazingly, they have been well trained to be early rather than late.  They know Ghana travel time is unreliable, and the taxis and Tros do not run on a schedule, so they come early and leave enough time to be on time and early.  Sister Bertha just extended the eating time before the meeting.  Good habits are being formed on the mission…

Careful with your Pig:  One of my favorite islander missionaries was in here for a burned hand.  He was boiling water and cleaning another pig for his district activity.  They love their pigs!  He burned his hand pretty badly.  They had it checked at the hospital, and the companion was trained by our health advisor (the Busiest woman in the mission) on how to change the dressings. 

Washer Purchase:  Two men should not be purchasing a washer for the home without a woman’s help! I was minding my own business, reloading the gas credit cards at Total Energies, and I received a call from the guy working on the President’s house – minor, that became major upgrades.  Termites were found, water leaks were found, and the water heater was pulled off the wall and crashed into the washer.  Anyway, so they bought a new washer that was large capacity (good) but a silver non-matching color (bad).  If Sister Bertha were in charge of this, it would match perfectly, and Sister J would not have to deal with this.  They called me to pick up Enoch, the purchaser, and get the washer.  I saw that it was silver (and I did call Sandy), but we bought it anyway.  Then, only a few hours later, they discovered that it was a cold water washer and did not use hot water…that was not going to work.  I stepped away by that time.  They fixed the old washer with its dented top and returned the new non-matching washer.  Sometimes, just let a Ghanaian fix what you have.

Teach Teach Teach

Joy Joy Joy

-the Beauty of Exchanges with the missionaries

“We are getting it done.”

-Regina from HSBC. A really helpful rep.

“Mental health-wise…I was under the impression they sent all the stable ones here; I don’t think that anymore.”

-Medical Expert in Africa

Family time:  So grateful to have time with my niece to talk and walk and talk some more.  We walked a lot Sunday afternoon and did a Bertha biathlon on Monday morning (walking and water aerobics).  It’s always better to do things together, so you get time to talk as you are doing something.  No one sits down and talks that long anymore (thank you...not, Mr. Cell Phone).  I love the bike trip started by Sandy’s family, which gave us so many memories.  No real good biking in Ghana, but the walk and talk were perfect in the healthy humidity…

Laughter:  No one makes me laugh as much as my brother, and no two people cry in unison like my brother and I…crying from laughing.  It was great to have him here for a fast and furious weekend.  The best was teaching with him in a shop in Wieja

Botanical Garden:  Monday, we drove out to Aburi Botanical Garden (My Mom would be proud of us).  Our guide, Maxwell, was from the Bolgatanga region of northern Ghana. He was proud of how strong and healthy his people were.  In the days of the slave trade, they tried to catch his northern tribes because they were the ones that actually survived the best on the slave ships and did not die…ouch.  They also have a strong history of using plants for every medical use to stay healthy.  Every plant had a use.  He is the one who taught us about Long Rich with the right plant that has deep roots and lives longer.  He also taught us about all the plants that cure diseases.  (See Alma 46:40 pg 325 BofM).  It was amazing his knowledge; we found the Center for Medical Plant Research just up the road from the Botanical Garden.

Backroads and Beads:  We continued the drive to Korofufu and went to the Bead Market.  It was over a ridge and a beautiful drive with giant trees and a lot of locals selling fruits on the side of the road.  I hope I still want to wear a bracelet or two when I come home, because we have definitely had our share of Ghana beads. Sister Bertha has specific tastes that if she can’t find what she wants in its raw form (a strand), she will buy a necklace or bracelet that is made and get the beads she wants out of it.  She is really good at it.  For my Birthday, I received bracelets from Sister J, Sister B, and my Niece, also a “Sister B.”

Art market again:  While the Jacobsens were out doing the hard stuff interviewing, we got to take their guests from Northern Ireland to the Art Market.  We love a reason to leave the office and haggle with the locals.  I played the Irish Card hard to get a better price.  “He only eats potatoes in Ireland; he can’t afford that price…” Ben was a good sport.

Birthday Dinner:  I had a great dinner with the Kaaens, Jacobsens, and Botchways at Shogun.  Played some Tap4 and was given the best gift by Sister J., Candied Almonds.  She made them at the Deseret Ranch for me and always sent me home with a big bag.  I think she imported the ingredients.  Truly a labor of Love.  Sandy put pictures of “us” all around.  I got to talk to my Mom and my kids.  I am so grateful for family and friends.  The missionaries got in on the celebration and sang to me.  It was a happy day.

Mothers Day:  It always comes after my birthday, so while it is fresh in my mind how good Sandy was to me, I have to be good to her.  Card, Breakfast in bed, foot massage, check, check, check…. She went to church happy, and we had another great day.  Also talked to my mother in Florida.  Blessed to have a great mom and a great wife and great Moms in my daughter and daughter-in-laws.  Also grateful for the moms who raised the spouses of my kids.  I am surrounded by super-women.

Ofankor Stake Conference:  another good choir and a group of faithful saints.  So good to see all our missionaries gather.  They love being on a mission in Ghana.  There is enough to keep them busy that they don’t get down much.  There are always guests to take care of…lose yourself in the service of others is a good way to really enjoy your mission.

It was another good week. #blessed. #busy. #timewarp.   May 1-11

Elder Bertha

“Bertha Week”

Accra May 2025