GREETERS FOR THE VIGIL

THE VIGIL My problem is that I have to get to the church when it is advertised to start because I cannot figure out how late everyone will be. So I arrive at 6pm, one other person there so I go back and get mY Kobo reader To fill in the time and it was a good story I was reading, I see bishop’s wife and she asks ‘what is the time?’ 6pm I tell her and she jumps as she did not realize it was so late. I sit at the back of the church reading and gradually folks arrive so by 640 we do the lighting of the new fire with the 4 congregation and 6 liturgical folks, bishop, 3 priests, 2 servers By the end of the service @ 845 there are about 60 folk and now there are 7 servers. I wish I could figure out how late to be and still be there before things start, maybe with experience it will become obvious Went shopping to the market and found the cold storage where one can buy chicken, so I got home with my treasures, chicken, carrots and tomatoes, I was quite pleased at finding what I wanted in one trip, I was going to buy eggs but the clerk was nowhere to be found so do that Monday. It is like shopping in a new grocery store and not being able to find what you want without wandering around a lot

busy weekend

yesterday, Good Friday we had morning and a 3 hour pm service, a lot of ceremoy around the cross and consecrated bread, today we have a service a 6pm so I am doing laundry and shopping before that, life does go on, even around Easter

?? hydro

had a few hours of hydro last night and off again, no hydro so far toda on Thursday thank goodness for battery back up and my solar charger

Chrism Mass

Hydro come back last night after 11 or so Yesterday as in Toronto we had blessing of the Oils and reaffirmation of ordination vows. Each priest who needed oil brought their own bottle of oil and it was blessed, priests all robe, chausible and all and concelelbrated the Eucharist, it seems that is the way it done when ever all gather here whereas in To. the bishops celebrate and we the ordained are the congregation with a few laity. then here we had a retreat where I did a session on Prayer and next an open meeting of all the clergy, catechists and deacons with the bishop and thn lunch Did it rain, big downpour for an hour ... still no hydro so the generator was going full steam ahead. good celebration today picked up my passport with my extended stamp so I am legal again, goodness knows what I was before ??? went shopping as I had the car, the traffic round a bouts are gaining familiarity, the car has a sun roof which I found out the hard way..leaks. ....into life a little ran shall fall lol I knew there was a reason I never had one

NO HYDRO

It is now 645 pm on Tuesday and no hydro since yesterday pm thank goodness for batteries and chargers

PALM SUNDAY PS

In previous post, the two walking in the black robes are the Duty Wardens the pic here are the muscians

PALM SUNDAY

WOW, Palms 8 to 10 feet long, they were cut fresh yesterday, no need to order them weeks ahead. 830am start, blessing of the palms, then off to march along the streets, with some playing a horn and a couple of drumers, stopping traffic, to the second round a bout till 10, liturgical party waits outside a locked door, bishop knocks three times and the doors are unlocked and we entered, I finished preaching at 1115 and I get home by 1pm. tried translating as I went along today, you get a rhythm with your translator, rather than the translator following when I finish, it was Fr. Martin so we will discuss it to see whether we do it the same way again The services for this week are outlined, surprise, surprise ….Holy Week a busy time lol The tradition here is that each parish have a Social Event on Easter Monday … ok … I suppose as at home it is a time for rest for priests We had 3 visitors today, 2 doctors (one is also an Episcopalian priest) and a nurse (a fellow born in Ghana and educated in USA) on a Medical Mission at the local hospital Now in front of the fan, watching the Ghana Black Stars play football (soccer) and they are winning !!!!!! while my laundry is out on the line to dry

ONE LIZARD, TWO LIZARDS

these lizards are everywhere,6 or so inches from nose to end of tail Last night I had a class at 630pm, after I had gone to the Stations of the Cross which is every Friday at 5pm. Lights flickered during the service. So get to the class room and there is no hydro. The class room is inside the compound where there is the bishop’s house, my place and the guy who helps with the property. Bishop suggests that we try the generator at the cathedral, no gas so … we move chairs outside to start. Within 30 minutes too dark, cannot see, at this time the fellow who lives there, brings candles, lights them and puts three around the class room, just placing them on flat surfaces having melted the bottoms so they would stay there. So we have candles to give enough light to carry on. We managed to discuss the topic of the night. I am learning as much as I hope they are: about traditions, culture, normative behaviour in families, all of which will affect how they do pastoral care. I have said before, living here is hard work, getting things done regardless of the circumstances is a challenge that never seems to go away. Folks usually can be very creative in solving the most pressing problem, without a fuss, they just get on and do it, most admirable.

HATS???

Bishop's laundry ...drying

early church

the cathedral has prayers at 5am followed by mass at 530am today I attended it started in total darkness outside so all you could see, was within the church building and as time went on, the outside came into view, trees, other buildings, sky, from being very centred to seeing the world, a movie producer could not have done better the sound effects are the famour roosters that scream at my bedroom window, birds of all sort to trucks chugging by, to horns beeping along with the liturgy in the local language ...quite meditative AND then I went back to bed :)

MARATHON READ

just finished THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST half of last night and a good deal of today WOW, the 3 were great!

a good time at Immigration

Bishop went with me to Immigration as I needed to extend my date stamp. -given the instruction, came home, gathered all the needed documents plus 80GC ($40.00) drove myself back, submitted the lot and told to pick up my passport on the 27th, wow and and no jail time lol

dentist

my upper retainer came loose so went to the dentist who worships at the cathedral Dr.Aaron, in OPD Clinc at the Regional Hospital, traditional clinic format, wait, wait, fill out papers, pay (only 18 G Cedis about $9.00), wait, then Dr. Aaron secured my retainer, :):) :) success!!!!!! I will eat carefully as I guess I should have been all along, no pulling orange sections from the peel with my front teeth - too much tension on the retainer, oh hum... live and learn

cupboard and curtains are in place

kitchen cupboard has been made and in place, curtains are up, cloth on the table what more can one ask for!!! eh!!!

driving

went driving, I told Matthias (the bishop's driver who came with me) that he was putting his life on my hands lol it was ok, I got through a coupe of round abouts with no problem in every village they have serveral sets of speed bumps, no sign of course so you really have to look for them, other than that we arrived back in one piece :) :) :)

DRIVING

My International Drivers License came Monday so I was told I could using one of the cars tomorow :) :( it should be interesting

SHOPPING MONDAY

I really needed food so I went food shopping Took the bull by the horn, went shopping, took taxi by myself, I cannot figure out how one know if they are going straight or around the next round - about, I will ask again. I dropped by the carpenter who is supposed to be making my cupboard, originally a week ago it would be finished, then another day, so today’s version is Wednesday I can pick it up, his name is Patrick so I confirm Wednesday and he says ’God willing’ and I say ‘more like Patrick willing’ and he laughs. I will call before I organize the truck as one never knows when what will happen???? I get home and it takes on hour to recoup from the heat, cold drink, cold cloth around the neck and the fan and I ate some of my Pringles (very nice)needed salt replacemen you know, I had a coke at the store. Priest dropped in tonight to get assistance in finding data on line. It was booked for a week ago on Sunday. I gave him a chat about phoning if not coming, so we will see, he is coming back tomorrow ????

MOTHERING SUNDAY

Mothering Sunday Church unfolded in the regular manner, it actually is starting to feel familiar but my logic jump when bits and pieces are done in a different order than the BAS, actually the order is not the BCP, the pieces are the similar but the order :( :( :( After church invited with robe still on, to visit a widow whose husband was a member of the cathedral but he had been bed ridden for years with the wife doing his total care. Eventually get to the house, roads off the main road are hard earth with huge crevasses that are created in the rains, they are a challenge for a four wheel drive car, this is all within the city of Sunyani. Family are sitting outside in a circle of chairs. We go in a single file, shaking the hand of each member, after we are seated, they offer a drink, then a family member stood and asked what our business was, the People’s Warden told her that we heard that the husband had died, he was a member, so we came to pay our condolences, she thanked us for coming and then all of the family got up and went around the circle shaking everyone’s hand. All sitting quietly and someone starting singing a hymn and everyone joined in (the advantage of Ghana being still very much an oral society, everyone knew all the words) as several were sung, new people came and went around the circle shaking everyone’s hand and joined the singing. The Warden stood and gave words of comfort which the daughter stood and thanked him. Fr. Martin then stood and gave a short homily of comfort and a fairly long prayer. (THIS is ALL IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE). The ritual around funeral is very exact and everyone knows the drill. In a week the family will met for another ritual where at that time the funeral arrangements will be told. So we all stand to leave, shake hands around the circle and leave. Home by 2pm. Quite hungry, they seemed to go without or delay meals and no one seems to get bother (meanwhile I am starving), lunch is the one meal that seem to get skipped, have not figured that out yet. Now have eaten and the tv is telling me how to clean up the yard to keep Ghana clean, garbage management is a major issue, now for football (soccer) on tv

a struggle between two wills

OMG I needed some photocopying done for my class tonight, go to office and it is closed, I call Fr. Timothy to see if he knows when the office will be open but no answer -So I will go shopping instead, got to the corner and this fellow says hello and I keep on walking as many people say hello and want to talk, (I guess I look like possible resources) so I keep walking -Fellow becomes more insistent that I speak with him, he tells me that I am impolite, which I am but for self-preservation -Then he says he is an Immigration Office and wants to see my passport, I refuse, (we are standing on a corner in the city and I am not pulling any document out to show him) I tell him it I in the Bishop’s safe for security and the bishop is out of town -He shows my his id and keep wanting to know why I refuse to speak with him, I am mad now, cross my arms and stand very straight -He keeps pushing, where am I from, where is my passport, where am I living. -at this point he reminds me he is an Immigration officer and shows me again his id, I now write down his name on my shopping list -he phones his supervisor, now we are going to the office and I now see a white young man standing by who come with us -I refuse to walk there so the 3 of us take a taxi, while in taxi Fr. Timothy calls me and I tell him I am being taken to Immigration, would he please come and get me, the Immigration Officer tell Timothy where the office is -Now in office, talking with supervisor person -Where is my passport, that I must carry a copy if I am afraid of it being stolen -asks several times why I did not speak to the fellow (I wonder after explaining several times what is to be a white woman in this culture, whether he ever got it ) -Anyway I get dismissed, wish the young man good luck and Timothy picks me up outside the office. -WHAT DID I LEARN, don’t leave home without a clerical shirt on -Put collar on and went shoppng

and the beat goes on....

Bishop and Felicia have gone to Provincial Synod until Sunday, I have a class tonight and at 8a tomorrow. I am doing 2 classes every 2 weeks so the course is finished before I leave. imagine talking about leaving ..... time flies ... one end of my upper retainer is loose, I will see a dentist at the service on Sunday and ask him if he can cement or glue it back ..... ugh ....

GHANA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY 56 YRS YOUNG

lots of hydro outages, lots of discussion in the news about the fact the hydro can not be kept on. today tv ceremonies with military; many marching in formation, ships, planes, school kids marching and the President giving a speech, nothing is happening so I can read and enjoy the fan made ground nut soup with Felicia on Monday night, been eating it ever since, I guess like everything else it is not difficult when you know how. look out at the cottage, I just need to figure out where to buy the ground nuts as the rest will be easy, I guess I could use peanut butter that is just ground nuts. will see when home I do not whether is is against the rules but I am doing laundry, the need is presenting its self

reading material for that rainy day

did nothing since church but read THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO if you hve not read it, it is very good

long story

FUNERAL OF THE REV. CANON PETER DONKOR Up and out by 515 AM, please notice time lol … ouch to my reputation of no early mornings Now this was a medium sized school bus with about 40 seats, BUT 52 people arrived, how to fit everyone in… chairs in the aisle will solve the problem, a kid sits on top of a propane tank and the front seat over the engine was thought to seat 2 but alas today it accommodates 4, Guess what?.. everyone is in. The sounds were like a bus load of kids going to camp, laughing, lots of conversation with excited voices, In the outskirts of Sunyani there is number 53 looking to climb on board oops.. no room at the inn or on the bus, what to do ..what to do. So 3 got off the bus and with #53 hired a car to get them to the funeral. Around 710, bus pulls over to the side of the highway, many filed out and the problem is an oil leak, we had passerbys who made a cackle noise as they walked (see pictures), well after 15 minutes we are off again, supposedly it is fixed. I had a little nap leaning on the window and the lady beside me, slept on my shoulder. Arrive at funeral grounds at the appointed hour of 9 and on time, miracles never cease. The funeral area a like a big open space, like a town square but it is dirt, not concrete. Pointy top tents forming a U, with the part between the two side where the bishop and clergy sit. The casket is out in the centre of the square, under a tent, the sides are down so you see the whole body laid out, like on top of a table covered with a white table cloth. The deceased was dressed by clergy last night in robes and a white chasuble. It was closed for the service to start. There are tribute wreaths around the bottom of the table. Get organized and process in, quite impressive as I would guess all the clergy of the diocese are there, three church choirs, wardens from the cathedral and things get started. Usual funeral service (BCP), after 1 hour we had just finished the sermon, sheep walk back and forth like they own the place, there were hymns, readings, two collections (one given immediately to the widow) at the end they have Lidra and Commendation (clergy surround the casket, each having a candle lit for the Nunc Dimmtis and the Commendation, casket is then processed out, carried by clergy across the square, around the corner where a pickup is waiting to carry it to the grave. The pall bearers climbed in the back with casket. They took very good care of me as I was asked to ride in the truck with the bishop and a couple of other clergy. Slowly the procession of 100 or so moved along, following the cross, candle bearers, thurifer and boat boy, band playing, people singing, it seemed like a fair trek to the cemetery but I was riding what do I know, casket carried to grave, and the Commendation included hymns. It is now 12ish and I was feeling a little faint so I went to sit in the truck rather than fall down and create a scene. Then back to funeral square, then off to widow’s for food and drink. Then we went back to the square for 130pm where I was told that people will sit with the family until 6pm. During this time everyone comes in, and line forms to shake hands with the whole family, the family sits in the front row of chairs on both sides of the U. Families dance to the music, famiies who are mourning wear fuenral cloth, red and black, At the same time donations are being made to the family, each one noted and announced over the PA system, I was told that some folks will only show up at this part to see the family, make a donation which gets announced so everyone knows they were there, after the donation from the diocese was announced then got back on the bus at 3 and home by 6. An all day event! What impressed me was the willingness for people to do tremendous amount work to organize an event like this, no funeral homes or directors, equipment to gather, food to prepare, everything has to be organized by family and supporters. Since this was a priest of the diocese, the diocese played a large role in getting things obtained and done, but still a wack of work, none the less. I would guess at 4 to 500 n attendance and some had to come from afar and most of the clergy look forward to regular church services tomorrow. I was told, weddings, funerals and to a lesser degree the naming ceremony are the major social events of the community. A privilege for me to be included. cant get pcs uploaded :( I figured it out, upload one at a time :) almost forgot something I found very interesting when I shook the hands of old women, they would hang onto my hand, smile and say Ackwaaba(you are welcome) then walking to the bus to come home,an older woman walked up and took my hand and spoke in the local language and we walked hand in hand to the bus, when she made comments (dont know local language) but it felt like she was soooo so happy to see a woman ordained, she kept saying to her friend who was walking with us, the same phrase which included anglican so I think she was telling her friend that I was an anglican priest and she was very happy .... it was a neat interlude, reminds me we never know our influence verbal or no verbal or even just being present

my reputation is going down the tube

omg the bus leaves at 530am for the funeral, I am going to lose my status of hating monings at this rate :( :( :(

another day under the mango tree

Thursday another big noisy rain and the hyrdo out for a good part of the day got up and my phone said it as 10 whn it was really 8 so I was up and dressed and out os had the opportunty to go to the market with Felicia, bought chicken, ground nuts paste to make soup, carrots (the first time I have seen carrots) came home and made a big pot of chicken stew with rice etc and ate the whole thing, it was very tasty, did not eat for the rest of the day today, up and dressed by 8 and had visitor by 820, it was Joseph who accompanied me last time so we caught up on news, I asked all the dumb questions about the funeral tomorrow , it should be quite an event. I guess living here many more folks can just drop in, I guess I have to get up and dressed now that I realize visitors come at all hours of the day, well preaching again sunday, I think I am the defaut when the designate has something else to do, they need to translate it though we are leaving for the funeral at 6am (please note my most favourite time of the day). the trip is 3 hours, the funeral is 3 hours and drive home 3 hours whole day will be gone