Group 28 - November 28, 2005 - the eleven early birds

Ten Americans and one Liberian all arrived one or two days early and got treated to a Sister Ritchie cake and ice cream Sunday night treat complete without the ice cream as we forgot to get it on Saturday - but who ever heard of having a cake and water treat so imagine they also got rich, creamy, mango ice cream as well as a wonderully delightful chocolate cake with home made frosting...everyone will want to come early from now on...they spent the day working with the full time missionaries in Tema and Asihama and then had lunch and dinner with the missionaries for a taste of real Ghanaian food. They had started the day in our apartment with breakfast featuring Pancakes, scrambled eggs and Ghanaian oranges...they won't see that for breakfast for another two years.

Dinner with President and Sister Gunnell of the Ghana Accra Temple

Dinner at the Gunnell home during our break - wonderful real American made food under the expert hand of a master and her dish washing husband...even had the bonus luxury of a shower bath available if you stood directly under their leaking air conditioner...you don't get that at the Waldorf...

Seniors Fireside at Temple Site - Nov. 27, 2005

Carolyn and I spoke at this fireside as we are the next to go home. The dessert bar was open following the remarks - pictured are many of the couples including Elder Rusty Snow (center) of the Area Presidency and St. George and Valley Forge Jamboree fame...
Bordens, Strongs and Lewis' fill this table...
Not paired off exactly as they had been sealed, but friends anyway, Sister Hale, the Larkins and Elder Thompson round out this table.

Gaucho's Famous Stake (I mean Steak House) with friends

A real honest to goodness steak - imported from South Africa and eaten with friends, Tammy and Lowell 'Rusty' Snow (Elder) and Kurt and DeAnne Krieger. The Kriegers are here while Kurt serves as Africa Legal Counsel for the church. Kurt and Deanne are from Park City. We met Kurt the first time in March of 2003 when he came to Joberg on his first inspection trip as he was accepting the assignment to come as Legal Counsel to both Afrian Areas. He replaced Jamie Dester, good friends of the Tuellers and brother to one of our Midway partners, John Dester.

We finally got to Gauchos and had our first ever steak in West Africa. We didn't know such a morsel of meat existed in this part of the world and here we are just 7 weeks away from going home and we finally discover there is an alternative to Joseph's MTC meals...it was a lovely night -not only for the steaks, onion rings, baked potatoes with real sour cream and butter but even more so to be with eternal friends.

The Tie Guy - Bishop Saeahen of Accra

'Kente' - the name of a weaving process to make ties etc. from the material - Bishop Saeahen has become famous for his LDS trademark ties, book marks, sashes, bag etc.

Group 27 - Nov. 7 to Nov. 23, 2005

A Kodak moment in the chapel. 7 nations, 25 missionaries, including 4 French and 21 English, 4 sisters and 21 Elders. They bond very quickly and all the 'ites' go away and they become 'one'...
"How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of those who bringth good tidings..." The feet of the Ambassadors of Group 27...
Checking out their pictures in Sister Ritchie's office...
At the gate of the Temple in Accra...
The French Distict demonstrating the 1st Vision...one from Congo and one from Ivory Coast - 2 more assigned but being trained in the English Districts...
An English version of the First Vision on their 'all the discussions in ten minute' drill...always a highlight of their stay.
A third version of the same Vision - it is true no matter how you 'see' it...

West Africa Approved - Senior Couple Dress Code

One of most senior teachers, Sahr Doe, had a business opportunity to return to Sierra Leone for a few days and when he came back he had brought us some traditional 'dress' from his native land. Sister Ritchie in full wardrobe - shoes, necklace included.
I didn't get a necklace or shoes which means he loves 'her' more than me, but he loves me the next best and brought me this lovely shirt - I am forced to admit I would be a pretty handsome Sierra Leone native...maybe I'll move there with my new 'outfit', my most beautiful wife and run Sister Ritchie for some senior political office and I could be her assistant, body guard (I'm sure) and driver...

Kezia and Henry - This kid has lots of friends...

Kezia with her friend Henry, our head security man...this young lady has everyone 'trained' to be at her beck and call...

Only in the church could this asssembly have happened...

Ponder this dinner in a first world hotel in a third world country with eight people gathered together with such interesting and divergent histories. The question would be asked, "How they got to Africa?" "Why they are in Africa?" and "What are they doing now that they are here?"

The David Stapley's are serving as the DTA - Director of Temporal Affairs for the West Africa Area overseeing all the financial, construction, buildings, human resources, humanitarian and charitable needs for ten African countries during their fastest ever growing 'season' - the time of the African Harvest -not an easy task.

Elder and Sister Child are serving as the President of the Africa West Area. They have been here four years and have witnessed two temples dedicated and tens of thousands of people joining and building the church.

The Gunnells serve as President and Matron of the Accra Ghana Temple. They are the first ones to serve in a temple in West Africa. When they finish their current assignment they will have volunteered six years of their lives to West Africa, having served as a missionary couple to Nigeria, Mission President to Ghana and now Temple President and Matron.

We, the Ritchie's, are serving as the MTC president and preside over the only MTC in West Africa. We are the second President and wife but the first to also have a temple experience for our missonaries. We have finished four years of service in Africa. No other assignment on the planet could have brought all of us together. The Church has been the catlyst for over 30 years of volunteer service - just in Africa- of those sitting at the table.

There are no more 'ites'...

Elder Njaga from Aba Nigeria and Elder Letteer from Dayton Ohio make a great compionship and are working together to ensure I know exactly who I am and where I came from and they promiesd me that if I would accept their invitation to be baptized I would be on the road to finding 'never ending happiness'. By the way, I accepted a date to be baptized on November 26, Thanksgiving Day. The reason I readily ageed to be baptised is that they were also teaching a pretty lady next door (Sister Ritchie in her office) and she had picked that day and I thought it might prove to be a good way to get to know her and who knows what might happen...Wow, this is going to be a great church...
These two sisters, Sister Nwafor from Enugu, Nigeria and Sister Safoh from Kumasi, Ghana 'dropped' by to read the Book of Mormon with me and answer any questions I had regarding my upcoming baptism...To have two wonderful sisters from two West Africa countries so concerned about my eternal welfare made me feel very important...they were also going to stop in and visit with the lady next door and they promised they could come back and report to me how she was progressing - remember we are being baptized the same day - Thanksgiving Day. I can't wait. Another unlickly companonship without the gospel. Elder Tinkorang from Koforidua, Ghana and Elder Pasina from Nuku'alofa, Tonga are making sure I understand the importance of the commandments and if I'm comitted to 'live them' so that my baptismal date (and meeting the pretty lady next door) can happen. I told them I would do anyting as long as I could belong to this church and meet people like my neighbor. Can't wait for Thursday - I don't even sleep nights I'm so excited. (I wonder how all these wonderful young people from Nigeria, Tonga, Ghana and the United States all ended up together and have become such great friends - they even seem to love each other and they claim they just met a few days ago - amazing - when I see the rest of the world intent on killing each other it gives me some great joy to see people from so different cultures united in so great a cause - truly amzing!!)

November Birthdays

Megan turned 8 on the 3rd of the month and was baptized - an event we feel badly to have missed, but she will be eligible to go with us to The Sacred Grove next summer. Her mother, Michelle also has a birthday this month (21st) and is older than 8 (actually 37 - golly she is getting old).
Emily has blessed our family and especially Tyler's life and decided to have another birthday while we are gone - she picked up another 'big one' on the 14th.
Both of these two happy faces are celebrating birthday's this month, Curt on the 10th and Adrienne on the 22nd. I hope they only made one cake for both birthdays and made the home teachers eat it on the day they came to teach...that'll teach them for coming on the last day of the month...

More of Wisdom's Great Talent

Wisdom with his famous pineapple and three of his Noah's Ark productions. He only has three more 'Ark's' to produce and he will have his contract to us fulfilled. He has been slowly 'chipping' away at his 'contract' and it appears we will have our 'goodies' in hand when we board the airplane.

Our Senior Trainer and his Distinguished Guests

Sahr Doe, our senior trainer, is from Sierra Leone. He is shown here with Marie Chamberlain a Nigerian born, but currently a British Solicitor and her friend 'Kitty' who has been taking care of Marie's Tema home. They were leaving this day for a trip to Nigeria to visit with the Consul General of Sierra Leone and then on to Sierra Leone to meet with the President of the country. Some fine opportunities for one of our teachers to mingle with and rub shoulders with people at this level of political leadership. Marie, although she is not LDS, had made an appointment for me to give her a Priesthood blessing before they left on their trip.

Group 27 November 7, 2005

Twenty five wonderful and beautiful people, 7 North American, 3 Tongon, 2 from Liberia, 1 from the DRC, 1 from Ivory Coast, 4 from Ghana and 7 from Nigeria. Four sisters and twenty one Elders. Two French speaking and two others assigned to French speaking but will learn the language on site...one struggled with severe homesickness, and one had been disowned for coming on his mission and had no home to go home to.

Mission Presidents Seminar - Cape Coast Ghana with Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Merrill Bateman

The air conditioning unit featured in this picture along with Elder Lowell Snow, Elder Olukanni of Nigeria, Elder Sheldon Child, Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder Merrill Bateman of the 7 Presidents of Seventy. A friend took the picture and being unfamiliar with the camera got more of the a/c than of us - I think he thought we were the most 'cool dudes' at the conference.
President and Sister Edgar and Linda Stone of the Port Harcourt Mission along with 'the Brethren'
President Bob and Sister Lynette Gay of the Ghana Accra Mission
President and Sister Lindsey and Christine Dil of the Ghana Cape Coast Mission
President and Sister Norbert and Tonga Ounleu of the Ivory Coast Mission
President and Sister Stanford and Barbara Owen of the Nigeria Uyo Mission
President and Sister Taylor and Miriam Harper of the Nigeria Ibadan Mission
President and Sister Russell and Nina Booth of the Nigeria Lagos Mission. Not pictured are President and Sister Jerry and Ruth Nelson of the Nigeria Enugu Mission - for some reason I did not snap when they posed...
The 'friendly' Mission President's of the Africa West Area in the lobby of the famous Elmina Resort in Cape Coast during the conference.
The Bus ride from Accra to Cape Coast with many of the Presidents and their better lookin' halves - there is always a cell phone present to prove we can still communicate even though we live in some interesting 3rd world countries. The road to Cape Coast has been under construction for years and it seems to fall apart faster than the next section gets done...the only thing that makes the terrible ride 'worth it' was the company. Everytime we hit a chuck hole - which was nearly constant - someone from Nigeria would say, "We're home!"
The Area Presidency and Elders Scott and Bateman preparing to begin a session of the conference - Elder Scott used his computer for several of his training sessions.
From our hotel room balcony looking towads the Elmina Castle, one of the two famous Slave Trade's 'Man's Inhumanity to Man' shipping points - 20,000,000 slaves were shipped from spots such as these during those terrible years. Now they seem so historic and pristine, but REMEMBERING is both sobering and good for the soul.
A goat market on the way to Cape Coast.
The Cape Coast area is famous for their fruit - especially pineapples, Mangos and Oranges as seen ahead.
The forever under construction road to Cape Coast...This is only a 90 mile ride but will usually take four hours - and as many as five - to get there...I guarantee you never go to sleep and will often see nearly anything...last time we saw a totally nude man in the middle of the biggest village in the middle of hundreds of people - doesn't even phase us anymore...

Mango Tree Missionaries

Mango Tree missionaries (the two shown are just 'actors' - not true Mangoers). A Mango Tree missionary is symbolic of the Comfort Zones of missioary work - or lack of it. We coined the term to describe those who sit in the shade or apartment or members home wasting their valuable time with mediocrity.
Sometimes the time can be a wee bit more productive with at least reading the 'good book'...
This is the ultimate pose - the senior companion having the junior watching for someone to teach - but as usual with little success. "Anyone yet?" says Senior. "Nope, nothing yet" comes the reply. "Keep watching, surely someone will show up." This useless and wasted diaglog symbolizes the amount of time often wasted in Comfort Zones while trying to show some semblence of 'working'.

President Ritchie practicing to become Grandpa Ritchie

She likes 'Papa'...

The Magnificent Seven - the largest group of North American missionaries to arrive, for training, at the Ghana MTC. Elders Close, Letterer, Logo, Smith, Jensen, Bratt and Schwarz are enjoying a breakfast with us in our apartment. They, to avoid Sunday travel, had to leave on Friday and arrived at our doorstep on Saturday night, two days before our program begins. We had them spend the Sabbath with the full time missionaries getting a feel of real Ghanaian missionary work. They come from all corners of the US. Sacramento, Dayton, Anchorage, Taylorsville, Idaho Falls, Provo and San Antonio - pretty good representative of our wonderful and diverse country. All are assigned to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission and by the time the MTC training officially began they all had a native companion from an equally diverse part of Africa. Quite a cultural experience.

Ransford and Mercy Dei Sealed together on 5 November 2005 in the Ghana Temple

Ransford and Mercy Dei were sealed in the Ghana Temple on 5 Nov. 2005. Ransford works in the kitchen as part of Sister Dadsun's contract crew. Mercy served a mission in Ghana many years ago. They have two girls and she is expecting twins in this picture. They will be born under the covenant.
Sister Ritchie and I were privileged to attend and I was one of the witnesses. We were the only guests at the sealing. Our African friends are not big on planning for this event. We know there were family and church friends who would have been there but for the knowledge that it was going to happen. They also decided to seal their children to them another day. It will be fun to witness the church in another 20 years when more of the traditions that we take for granted will become a part of the African LDS culture - like inviting family and friends to your sealings and bringing the kids along as well to be sealed with mom and dad. President Gunnell invited a temple worker to come into the sealing room to be the 2nd witness along with me. That meant we had two witnesses, Sister Ritchie and Sister Gunnell in attendance - the Spirit was still there and you could tell it was being ratified by the Holy Spirit of Promise - and I guess that is the only 'witness' you really 'have' to have at a sealing.

History in the Making - History Writers come to Africa

Matthew Heis from History Department in Salt Lake and Bro Bonsu the local 'chief' of History for Africa came to the MTC on 4 November, 2005 to conduct an interview with us and to tour and take pictures of the MTC. He reports to Steve Olsen in SLC who lives in our Heber 1st Ward and was our home teacher.

The interview was given and recorded in our office with Matthew Heis leading the Q&A. He has focused on the history of Africa and Eastern Europe and has been with the church since 1987 when he graduated from grad school in Charlottesville. He was there for six months during our first months of our mission to Virginia. They knew the Jim Clawson family well.