temp is 84f

I can not say I miss the ice and snow and cold very much. Bishop safely back from Gambia, AND
I had wieners and beans for lunch  ... very nice  (small things amuse a small mind you know)

hot dogs, can you believe it!

I found hot dogs at the Cold Store (meat store) today, they are even Halal Chicken dogs, never know what is out there, bought fabric for an outfit and 2 clerical shirts too

for outfit - excuse the stickers

for shirts, seersucker with a tone on tone stamp

 and I looked up the symbols

top one

DWENNIMMEN - Rams Horn -  humility and strength

bottom one

GYE NYAME - except for God  - supremacy of God

hanging around

got background done for bible study on Sunday and it is ready to roll, made ginger chicken which is quite tasty, even on sliced bread

the day after...

tired or what... woke at 930am, that is very late, and I have as much energy that would fit in a thimble, so rested and went shopping for food in pm. It was worth the trip though.

adventure to Kumasi

Mother Superior Felicia has organized that mammograms be done in Kumasi for clergy wives, Seven women came and none had ever had a mammogram (their ages, I am guessing are between 30's - 50's yrs) This monitoring tool is not on any medical person's horizon, Felicia says the only time it is recommended is, if one think something is wrong, Now we are talking about professionals and  still regular mammograms are not part of 'take care for oneself' here yet, Since there were several who did not show up, she organized on our way in, to have Pap smears to be done as well, another screening not done and it was the first time for all today.

It is hard to believe that these two tests are just starting to have a place in health care here, probably not done as they cost and are not suggested as many do not have regular physicals,

Tests of this nature can be done cheaper at the hospital but the quality of the tests is questionable so we visited two independent clinics where Felicia knows the docs, cost a little more but a better assessment will be done

Mammograms done at a diagnostic clinic

WAITING

SECOND CLINIC FOR PAP SMEARS CALLED  

PEACELAND MATERNITY HOME - ON THE WAY IN

ITS ALL OVER AND WE ARE ON THE WAY HOME

I almost forgot,

the mammograms were ready and reports typed while at the second clinic, then we went back and pick uo the films and reports, the clinic does not keep these records, the patient is expected to keep them, I understand that if there is a family doctor he/she will make a note on the file and the patient continues to keep the film etc, SO today all mammograms were NEGATIVE !!!!!

The Pap smear results will be sent to Mother Felicia for distribution in about 3 weeks.

A WEEK OFF, sorta

Bishop has traveled to Gambia. Skill Centre on break
actually a priest is on 24/7 here, much more expected than in Toronto, days off and vacation ...what are they would be the question..an unknown quantity here unfortunately

MORE SKILL CENTRE CREATIONS

Sunday in Sunyani

preached x 2, The Precentor does a great job of translating at the second service, home to do laundry as there is great pressure with the water and then 2 hours of listening on Utube - Leonard Cohen and Susan Boyle ......  a great Sunday afternoon

skill centre goods

tablecloths that I will be bringing back.
I think the students are improving and these cloths look great!     hand designed and hand painted

!

water

just a trickle, I guess no laundry today ...... ugh

had tv stand made

looks really spiffy I think, I had wanted glass shelves but maker thought not strong enough for tv so got wood that I covered with mactac as wood would not wipe clean from all the dust, of course I used staples to reinforce the sticky backing so it stays put

Happines is......

getting insoles (thanks Christine)
They came today and are a great solution to slipping heels

Hannah

Hannah, first woman ordained as priest in Ghana, had health issues and had one leg amputated a couple of years ago, told me today that she is getting her leg  prosthesis tomorrow and she is very excited, it has been a long journey, thanks to Trinity Barrie who gathered support for her.

i got a real ladder

After seeing the step stool on the chair for a ladder apparatus and my new shelves are very high and my ceiling fans need cleaning I went to search for a ladder. Adu knows where everything is or knows who to ask for direction. So we find a hardware store with ladders. The first amount they gave me was far to high so I grabbed Adu arm and walked back to the taxi saying, there is no way I would ever pay that much, I walked a little huffy I will admit. Got in the taxi and then someone shouted from the store,  at this point I stayed in the cab, Adu walked back to be given a price reduction of 30%, Adu tells me, No, not enough so I reduce it anther 15%, ...result...bought a ladder and put it in the back seat sticking out the window, Adu's comment when he got back in the car...you did very well

Now I have no excuse for dirty fan blades  which have not been cleaned yet by the way.

I know....... small things amuse small minds

encroachment

I had not heard this word much before coming to Ghana but here it seems to be a frequent occurrence,  land owned but not developed, someone non owner decides to build on it so just starts getting the block etc to do the build, no permission, no authority, just builds, one needs to put a wall around the property to stop such building, diocese owns a piece of land and someone is encroaching, dropped a load of building blocks to start building, if the legal owner does not lodge a complaint with the land office, after one year the encroaching becomes permanent, so today, bishop, 3 priests from the cathedral, all with cassocks on, warden, treasurer of diocese and a parishioner all go to land office for an appt. see probably the director, anyway, have discussion, showing of official papers and then all get in van and go to the land site, much discussion, walking about on the land, land had an dead crop of corn on it, many mounds of earth looking like a building site that had been left for years, there are cement pillars on the corners of the lot, with lot number on it, about 1 foot high, I ask is there one on all four corners, land official says yes but someone may have had new pillars put in...... to make questions about the true  ownership, really I answer, so now the person who put the blocks will be called in to prove or disprove the legal ownership. this happens frequently here, I guess the saying..possession is 9 / 10ths  of the law  really fits. I do not know how they determine the person who is encroaching, did not ask

THE PLOT OF LAND

FLOWERS IN THE FIELD

found a little key

rummaging around in a drawer and saw a pair of little keys ... what are they for, then remembered the fridge has a lock, I dont think I have ever had a fridge that locked,, a bit weird to me

In my spare time I am working on a on-line certificate course on Community Eye Health, focus is on creating models for clinics in developing countries that build on the strength in the community with little or no access to eye care, Mother Felicia has been working on starting one for a couple of years now and I found this course and thought it might assist in getting funding and in setting it up. so far it is interesting, you know I find nothing new in the material but you know how they say sometimes you study things and it reminds you of what you already know, well this is putting some of my background in an organized plan of action, 

LAUNDRY AND BIBLE STUDY

laundry, the pain of everyone, got remaining curtains washed and out on the line and my  clothes on the new clothes dryer in the sun.

over the next weeks the Bible Study at the cathedral will be on the Gospel of Mark, Bishop has got a packaged program called Christianity Explored, set up cook book style like Alpha, goal to enable the parishioners at the cathedral to know what Christianity is and what it is to be a Christian...should be interesting, DVD is in English, British actually, its early on but I think some of the concepts and examples will need to be made culturally appropriate, time will tell

twins AND sharpening a pencil

Remember these little  girls, well that was then and 

                                                                      this is now with their sister and Yaw (Gifty's nephew
                                                                      and  Gifty sitting in the background)

PENCIL NEEDS TO BE SHARPENED

Use what is handy  ,,,  a razor blade ......   be careful

passport

got delivered this pm   thankfully

Banner for the Diocese of Sunyani

designed and made in Barrie Ontario, it looks great says Bishop Festus, thanks Susan

Immigration saga continued

Bishop wearing his cassock, me with clerical shirt on, go to Immigration, the usual office, regular officer  is there along with the supervisor who is friends with the bishop, some fumbling to find my passport, regular officer leads us into another office where the Commandant I presume, is sitting behind a big desk, he begins .. that anyone who works in Ghana whether paid or not, requires a work permit  (huh, I think) it is the law and the law does not discriminated for ignorance of the law and there will be a fine of 5,000 GC ( over $1,800 Canadian)  I think,,, I will go back to Canada before I will pay that fine, Bishop says ..this is our first time of being in this office, we did not know, she is a missionary, and we don't have that kind of money. Discussion takes place and the fine will be forgiven, while we are being shown out, the Commandant admits to being baptized an Anglican, Bishop say...we will see you soon then, I pray for the commandant and bishop blesses him and we are on our way. I ask .. so what do I do when I return, ..just come to the office.

The  supervisor while walking to the car, assures me that my passport will be processed and he will have it delivered to the cathedral by Wednesday. I ask him ..what happens when I return next time... just come to the office when I arrive in Sunyani and things will be ok   

WHAT WAS HAPPENING HERE ... ????????????

No electricity for part of Sunday

hydro out for a few hours, throws plans out of wack,I had planned on finishing cleaning but with no fans ....  not going to happen, so today Monday, did laundry and working up to finishing the cleaning, now need to be off to immigration, they are giving my a hard time, and I have to have the bishop accompany me (such bs) will keep you posted...

same, same

I went to supper at Gifty's and took the dvd player along with some kids discs. SO Yaw is glued to the screen like every other kids in the world with a dvd player in his hands.

And I forgot my bath stuff so did not have a tub bath... ooppsy  next time

LESSON ON HAMATTEN

Hamatten is the winter, dry and colder season November to March, the north east winds blowing over the Sahara Desert, picking up sand and blow over Ghana to the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.

the result is dust on everything, curtains smell like the dust and grit is everywhere, people stay home when the dust is blowing. From my point of view, makes keeping the dust down very difficult,  throat is dry and I cough a lot  .... not pleasant 

typewriters, remember what they are

WE have a funding proposal form that needs to be filled out right on the form which is hard to do with a computer, I was going to write the info but writing was terrible and not enough space, I saw last week a fellow sitting on the sidewalk with a typewriter on the table in front of him, looking ready to serve any one, so I went yesterday and asked if I could use the typewriter, no problem so today back to fill the form, WELL it was an experience, ribbon not much ink on it, keys sticking, no @ key at all, space bar sticking on a regular basis, took me for ever, SO it is done but I will include a copy from the computer as I am sure they will find it very difficult to read the original application form.  All the time I was there folks coming up and asking me or the man in charge all sorts of questions, it was very busy and I was surprised, so I guess there is a need that I could not have imagined. Smart imaginative person who set it up. I asked the price to use the typewriter, he laughed and said ..how much will you give me, so he got all my ones and two  Ghana Cedis bills and change in my purse, have no idea whether it was enough but he did let me walk away so I guess it was.

Thank goodness for computers!!!!!!!!

want a laugh

One of my closed black shoes that I wear on Sunday slip a bit so I thought I would use an insole to take up the slack, I ask Gifty where can I buy insoles, she looks quite stunned and with a straight face says ..well maybe the shoe repair man could make me some.   SO they do not exist here   ooopsy a little bit of a Canadian thinking that they would be everywhere   oh hum,,,,  and then we both laughed

Embroidery class

in the style of this community, of course my phone was not working early so Adu taxi could not get through to tell me he was going to be late, eventually I figured out the phone, for some reason the phone stops receiving anything, of course I do do not look at my phone to see this, to fix it just reboot the phone and the internet etc start to work again,,WHY .. no idea, 

anyway I knew I was going to be late for class so I phoned, Adu arrives, we go to the place for the pillow case, WELL not exactly ironed and packed but they were pillow cases, variety of colours and fabrics, so bought and went to the centre, everyone picked one and got started on a design (Daniel is the fabric designer so they think he is the only one who can design) so he was doing designs on many pillow cases, I suggested today he needs to teach a lesson on design so they can work more independently, soon I hope. 

tomorrow going shopping for fabric for a new outfit to wear to a wedding in February, something with sparkle and bling, 

I just found out Gifty has a bath tub, wow,, going for dinner on Friday and taking a bath, first one since Thanksgiving, I really do not like showers, I am sure I will able to have one at least once a month. HEAVEN IS SITTING IN A BATH TUB

Happiness is....

finding everything on your shopping list, sometimes it takes Adu (taxi) to find it but eventually SUCCESS

got a wire laundry dryer (the wire kind that you can fold up and put away) Sometime the clothes line is busy but I really need to wash things so this will solve my problem (don't forget everyone here gets up in the am before me so I can be somewhat out of luck getting to the clothes line first) and I looked for pillow cases for teaching at the Skill centre tomorrow, no plain ones at Melcom's so Adu found a place (they sell pillows) who can get them and Adu will pick them up at 8 am tomorrow for my class at 10 am (this is when I miss the Dollar Store who has stuff like this)

Sunday service

9 to 230pm, an hour was spent discussing and voting about the cathedral buying a bank, a way to make funds to support the church, the good news was that the church handed out refreshment, rice, chix, sauce with a spoon AND I got 2 packages so

not cooking tomorrow either  GREAT!!!

NEW CANONS IN THE DIOCESE OF SUNYANI

The service is now over, new canons are installed appropriately or close to that (lol)

The New Honorary Canons

With their wives

with Bishop, man to the right in academic gown is now a Lay Canon 

Moi with Biretta, don;'t you just love the hat

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016 !!!!!!!!

NY eve service was long, got home at 145am, everyone seemed to have a great time, lots of singing and dancing, but a little long.

Today the Youth had been invited our to the Bishop's Court (his rectory and chapel) for 1pm

about 50 youth were there, talking, eating, (I did not have to cook for supper today) they were sharing with the bishop their concerns and wants for church, there was a very long back and forth discussion between the youth about arriving to church on time, honestly it was amusing from my point of view because Ghana time can be up to 2 hours passed the scheduled time, and they were complaining about folks being late, you see with Ghana time 'late' does not seem to exist, it was very funny to watch.

Got the programs for the Installation service tomorrow, look quite ok actually, I guess all is well that ends well, so now the service just needs to unfold.

I need to look for pillow cases in the market as I am going to have the students at the skill centre practice  all their stitches by making a row of each along the edge of the pillow case as a reminder of the stitches, there is lots of embroidery floss so they could do each line in a different colour

Having dinner

the whole gang is here

 NICE BEADS EH!  

BOUGHT FROM A STALL ON THE WAY TO THE MARKET