Number 2...I am second

The Second Saturday in Ghana…

We are still on a mission in Ghana; second weekend, second main letter. 

The mission leader is the president of the mission.  I have a companion, she has claim on me as it says in the scriptures; I am number 2 for her, and I consider her number one, she is number 2 for me, and she looks at me as her number one (after God and Jesus).  We are striving to work together; if we are serving each other and unified, we are the power of 4 or 2 squared. 

“I am second” is also a bracelet I have from a Christian church in Dallas.  I liked it because it means that Jesus is Number 1…as he should be, and then I am second.  I also like the sticker

 “He > I ” which puts Jesus first.  “We > I” is how a companionship can work, hopefully 2 working together can do the work of 4.  Just a thought.  Gratitude for Sandy, gratitude for a mission.

This week was like syrup, slow and sweet.  There were times of frustration and learning. But in total, a good week.  I am not about to complain.  Complaints are for weak people; just look around!  My worst day is better than many of these people’s best day…and they have a smile every day!  New experiences are what we signed up for…we knew this coming here.

African Accounting:  I am a Financial Secretary for the Ghana Accra West Mission in the Africa West Region.  I have a boss at the “Area Office” who runs the Africa West Region.  He has been here 3 out of 5 days, giving me instructions.  He has a degree in accounting and is smart in “African Accounting” or church accounting. I am taking over from able-bodied men who have done this before, but because I had a visa delay, there was no clean handoff or start.  I was thrown into it, and I usually pay others to do this. (Thanks, Noreen! Thanks, Dixie!). It is different.

Cash Business:  So me, “Sammy Sosa”, and “Mengeshi” have to count every bit of money in the safe and in the basket in my drawer.  I have been instructed by my leader to “round up” the coins that are worth part of a penny.  Who cares?  Someone does…. President Sosu (he is NOT Sammy Sosa, I keep reminding myself - but he looks like it!). He is so nice about not agreeing with me.  He keeps saying, “This is the way we do it.”  We count and recount all the money…plus coins.  “That is money”.  We are off about 252 Ghanaian CV. About $16 USD.  “Can I just give this to you and be done with this?” I asked…no.   We have been looking through files and receipts all day.  Sandy (oops, Sister Bertha) made me soup at noon… It's like 430!  Soup is cold, and in my mind, I am singing one of my favorite Albert hymns… “I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care”. Followed up by that old standard in our home…” when are you leaving, when are you leaving, when are you leaving…”. I was soooo done that first day.  But this guy is so nice!   …Or he thinks I am so dense…he came back two more days.  It will work its way out.  It's just Africa. Deep breathing.

3 days!  So when the accounting boss tells me that I am doing it wrong, I tell him that I have been here “just 3 days” and I show my three fingers.  My excellent Ethiopian companion is Elder Mengesha - he was called to help with the transition.  I was told that he knew what he was doing. I asked him, “How do we close the month?”    “ I do not know, I started three days before you.”    “The time we were on Zoom was my first day.”   That was a surprise to me, and we are laughing that he is only three days more experienced than me.  He is, however, far more adept at using technology and likes to write code in JavaScript to automate part of our work…I can do it faster with a pencil and a calculator (not on my phone).  We laugh a lot.  When it gets too confusing, we take a walk for Mango!  Love the missionaries. 

Black Holes: Mengeshi asked me what my office looked like at home.  I am the third financial secretary in a little over a year, and the place was organized differently from the way I think. So, I have been trying to learn how to do my job, and also organize the space... so I have to take everything out of the files and drawers and see what I can re-file or throw away.  My first check that I wrote was, of course, an exception.  It was always done a certain way, and I copied that, but Sammy Sosa said I have to do withholding of taxes.  That’s new.  I already wrote the check, so can I just gross up the taxes? No, we need an invoice to reflect that.  The medical Elder agreed to the amount… So I got him to get a new invoice with the taxes reflected.  While this was going on, we (maybe me) lost the check.  Yes, I have created a black hole…but I am trying to repair it.  In time, I relabeled everything so it looked neat, but there are still the effects of a black hole…I think I brought that into the country with me.  Things just disappear.  Thank you, AirTags and Tiles.

Name Calling:  I am supposed to call my mission companion “Sister Bertha”.   I keep calling her “Sandy,” “Sandal,” “Babe,” and “Honey,” and I have to correct myself.  The guy from the Area Office who is giving me remedial accounting lessons, I keep calling “Sosa” (Sammy Sosa - home run king). Mengesha, my Ethiopian partner/companion, is also trying to figure out what we are really supposed to be doing. I often add an “I” to his name – “Mengeshi”.  I put up a sign on the wall in front of me that says “Her name is Sister Bertha, MengeshA, and Sosu."  I am trying harder not to do that… I will get better at names…

Outside Shower: They told us to expect the unexpected in Africa and be patient.  The house we are in, which is also the office, is nice and has AirCon.  The mattress is old, and Sandy is getting a new one. I have gotten used to the canoe-shaped impression I sleep in.  The first shower I attempted was made for a short person, but the pressure was low.  There is a nice pool three doors down, and I have not seen anyone using it.  When I was a kid in the summer, a dip in the pool or the ocean counted as a bath.  I am doing that here, I think I can go the whole mission with the outside shower they have at the pool.  I go there with my towel and shampoo, and I am good to greet the day.  I also assume that malaria mosquitoes go home at 7 am, and I swim at 7:30 am.  President Jacobsen joined me on Saturday morning.  Swimming only, his shower is fine.

Good food, YES!:  Sandy is not happy that I eat on the street, but I try to see if the medical officer, Elder Divis, has eaten there.  If it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.  He even confirmed the safety of a homemade hot dog today at the market.  I had one with President Jacobsen.  I had it well, well done, and it was delicious.  I might gain weight here.  Every time there is good food, I eat up as if it is my last good meal for a while.  I need to stop that.  There are some good markets, with good food, and I will NOT starve here.  Have I eaten real Ghanaian food? no.  I will avoid that if possible, like I avoid taking a short shower.

Share the Love:  We had two new missionaries show up at 7 am, and they were here to get their Non-citizen cards.  Sister Divis and Sister Bertha took them to get a physical, including blood work, fingerprints, and processing.  They have to renew this card every 12 months.  While they are gone with the Sisters, the other or senior companions are in our office.  One has a classic hole in the shoe.  These are such good young men.  One lives in a fishing village on the coast that has wind that blows in off the beach with grit and dirt.  They close the windows to keep the dirt out, but then it gets hot.  The choice is tough: more heat or more dirt (plus the smell of fish).  Part of our responsibility is to share the love with the missionaries.  Even though I have accounting stuff, if there is a missionary in the office, I want to hear their stories and share some of mine from my mission and my life.  Looking back, the experiences I did not like at the time are proving useful now to share and to teach.  God is in the details of our lives.  Stay faithful.

Feed My Sheep:  Jesus Christ told his apostles to “feed his sheep”.  President Jacobsen said, “Feed my missionaries,” and Sister Bertha is well qualified.  She had to feed two groups at our house on Tuesday and Thursday.  She cooked up pancakes and used part of the chocolate chips she packed from home.  The missionaries will eat well with her around.  She has been great about giving me a good breakfast of eggs on toast.  We had a missionary stay with us one evening, and they were well-fed also.  Her best ingredients are her energy and her smile!

Oklahoma:  Before we got our call, I was worried we were going to get sent someplace I did not want to go, like a place called “Oklahoma.”  Sorry, Engebretsens.  But I have never been there, and it seems like the Prius of places, so I avoid it.  This week, I met a missionary who was proudly from…Oklahoma!  After laughing a little, I had to see the good that was in Oklahoma and learned that they actually have trees and hills.  I commit to visiting Oklahoma when I get home.  I also commit to seeing and looking for the good in everyone, even if they come from Oklahoma.

Temple Trip: The President does a session with all the missionaries who are leaving in the next six weeks (a transfer).  He and his wife teach them to set goals for the next 6 weeks to finish strong, and also to set goals for returning home and continuing on the journey.  Then they have lunch and go to the temple.  The Temple in Accra was built in 2004 and is 20 years old.  Another temple has been announced in Ghana, but the construction has not started.  It was good to be in the temple with these young missionaries coming to the end of their mission.  There was one Samoan Sister from Sydney whose dad was from the village near Samata on Sava’ii.  That was cool only to me, but I liked it.  Stay the course and start your life after serving a mission.  You only have this one time to do it by yourself and focus…a senior mission is a little different.

Missionaries are tough!  We, on the other hand, are spoiled, and I am learning how lucky we are in this situation.  Accra is a good place for me in Western Africa.  We can get good food both at restaurants and at select stores.  We live near the embassies and the area caters in a way to the “Abrones” (foreign or White people).  We have AC, and there is a guy who washes our car once a week…We have a Nissan Truck made in Ghana.  We are blessed, and we must have a lot to do in other areas because the setup is rather nice.  The Judds are MLS senior missionaries living farther out and go without power and water at times.  I can deal with my minor accounting issue. 

Bracelet:  Ghana is known for great beads.  At the butterfly market today, I found a ton that I liked.  I will bring some home for my neighbor Bobbie and some for Monica, Megan, and me to make new ones.  I only wear one now, and I gave it to Elder Mengesha this week.  I go to explain the story of Hope and Humility in a Lokai bracelet.  I still like the message.  My twist on it is that the river that runs into the Dead Sea is the River Jordan.  Jesus was baptized there, so our hope is not just hope, but hope in Christ, and we follow his example to keep that balance in life

Sounds:  The house we live in is on the landing path of the international airport, and we hear and can see the big jets landing.  It does not bother me, and it seems similar to the train behind Beach Road.  Not as much shaking.  When there is no one here, it is silent!  Quiet is a difficult way for me.  I have not been able to get Alexa to work yet, and really, I should be listening to hymns and uplifting music.  I miss my music and don’t like hearing the ringing in my ears.  I'll adjust to it.  It should help with inspiration and letting the spirit whisper…

Sunday…I look forward to Sunday when we get to see members in their areas.  There is such joy and love in these people.  I think because they make it so hard to enter their country, the people do not have militant migrants who mess up the culture.  They are happy and have soft hearts and want to hear more about Jesus Christ and his restored gospel.  Good people are receptive to the truth when they hear it.  The work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ is going well in Ghana

Till we meet again… Elder Bertha

Matthew 5 : 14-16

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.