Vestry survived

Vestry done for another year. Congregations are the same all over, questions asked, points of view belaboured, financial reports given, prayers offered and at last, it was finished. Sitting on the sidelines was a pleasure, it sure beat sitting in the chair position

so here I am now sitting, watching BBC news, knitting a pale blue sleeve for baby sweater in preparation for the Tuesday class at the Skill Centre, I have to stay at least one step ahead of the fastest knitters. Thanks to all who contributed wool for the centre!!!!

The rooster is outside my window cackling loud for some reason, the goats are rooting at the few blades of greens on the school grounds (the goats come and go most days, I have no idea if they belong to some or not). BBC reports the Pope is addressing head on the sexual misconduct in the church, finally, but the proof will be in the pudding so the saying goes. The world is as busy as ever with good stuff happening and other stuff as well. change occurring, and new info being discovered and then there is Trump, what more can I say

Evangelism here in Ghana

Last week there was a mission of outreach at the cathedral directed in one community about 15 minutes by car from the cathedral, there was 8-10 of us getting out of the bus and door knocking to bring the Word of the Gospel to the householders.Outreach was carried out for 5 days in a rows. (I went only one night) Community had many houses looking new or in the process of building. Roads are still red dirt, no street lights, street ditches or gutters. That level of street development is many years down the road. Now I was trying to imagine this method in Canada and I think many doors would not be answered. Here a mom cooking supper stopped, got us chairs outside, and listened for maybe 30-40 minutes when Rev. Kingsley talking about the story of Jesus. She attends a local evangelical church. We, next walking down the street, saw men curing goats in an open fire and butchering them for sale. So we stopped, Kingsley said his piece intersperse with gaining info about the three men. They too attend a local church, one owned the local restaurant /bar and had a house near by. We then went to see the Sub chief who is an Anglican when Kingsley talked about the outreach, the following Sunday the Dean lead a service in the Sub chief's house (I do not know how that went)

Mom and kids with the tenant next door

goat processing place

restaurant owned by butcher which looked well cared for

TOMORROW IS VESTRY AT THE CATHEDRAL     😕😕😕

GOVERNMENT VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

                                                                                     Principal

Daniel (fabric designer) now works at a government vocational school. It covers many acres with several buildings. skills from carpentry to electrical to plumbing to catering to dress designing as options. there are corre subject for each specialty. I was told that their students are sought after as their skills are good at graduation. It is a three year course for both day and boarding students. It is one of the best in the country and still no toilets.

I had a visit yesterday and they happen to be demonstrating sandwiches so I walked off with a club sandwich on a bun (it was a treat for lunch)

 computer lab but no funds for internet

boards to practice electrical installation, 

boards can be hooked up to electricity after installation is complete

Fashion design : teacher and I sharing a joke

                                                            Daniel and Vice Principal                                                          

Michelle and I communing

Up until yesterday Michelle (Dean' Granddaughter) cry when I got too close,  I have this effect around babies here, Mommy wanted to stir the supper pot on the burner so I took Michelle, the quiet lasted about 5 minutes and then she realized that I was very close so started to fuss. But we did have 5 minutes, she is laying very still, and I think quite stunned at being so close to me.

opening of a school block

Monday morning a gathering celebrated.

 a new school block will be used by the St. Anselm Primary School. A chief, a member of Parliament, the clergy, teachers, students dancers, musicians, bathrooms were not part of this build

 

 little girl in kente dress holds a tray holding scissors with which to cut the ribbon 

 computer lab

the road leading to school, only red dirt

skill centre - knitting success

I sorted much of the wool and knit needles that was donated (very boring job but thank good ness for zip lock bags to sort things out)
made two booties last night to show the result of following the pattern. I used two colours to show how to use bits of wool to decorate

so class starts and eagerness appeared

the result this morning. three students finished their first booty   YEA TEAM!

Traditional Wedding Story

A traditional wedding is an arrangement between two families regarding a couple who want to be married. Today at the bride's home the Trad'l Wedding took place.
the setting; pointy roof tents with chairs set up, even though it is not a church service,priests get the front row and offer prayers during the event

LOOKING FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK

FRONT SET UP

Chairs on either side is where the family is seated,  each family on one side facing each other

Then a conversation starts from the groom's family saying they had seen a beautiful flower that they would like to have. Groom's rep on the left and the bride's rep on the right, you can see water, liquor, suitcase with clothes and envelopes with money for the bride being offered as a dowry, the bride's rep did say there was not enough money so more was added (this is staged these days but I think in years past it was not), so when the negotiating for the dowry is finished.

The groom's family then asks that the bride be brought out. 

There was some playing around as to how she was going to arrive, plane, car or walk

Bride (Mercy) was brought out and seat on her family's side facing the groom's family, 

her Mom is the first person on the right.

Mercy was asked three times if she accepted the dowry gifts and then the wedding proceeds

Included in the gifts are the wedding rings and a Bible

all the gifts were blessed by the clergy present

I was asked to bless her and put the wedding ring on her finger

 next the Bible was presented to her

 Now you may be wondering where is the groom (Daniel), 

he is out of the country so his brother is proxy groom for the service

It was followed with envelopes being handed out,
then  announcing of donor's envelope gifts of money plus gift parcels.

The time closed with thank yous and the benediction by a pastor friend of the family.

Upon leaving everyone is given take-away meals, sweets and drinks in a bag.

VERY INTERESTING HAPPENING!

more school visits pics

kids are the same everywhere here, my white skin is a major attraction when I come up to a school, the little ones are very cautious whereas the bigger ones want to give me a 'high five'
Basically schools are underfunded, lack basic resources, teachers struggle to teach, parents strive to provide the best with very limited funds, kids try to learn what they can in circumstances that can be defeating, BUT everyday teachers get to school, kids sit at their desk or on a bench, ever striving to do their best.

SHARING A HUG

 MEETING BETWEEN THE SCHOOL HEAD MASTER AND THE MANAGER OF EDUCATION FOR ANGLICAN SCHOOLS FOR THE DIOCESE OF SUNYANI  (KINGSLEY second from the right)

 KIDS in Berekum STARING AT THE OBURONI (white person, me)

PRIEST PLAYS A LARGE ROLE AT THE ANGLICAN SCHOOL AMONG THE TEACHERS

TEACHER'S NO FRILLS COMMON ROOM

just crude tables and benches or stools to sit on

tough school visits

yesterday visited 3 school sites and delivered bags of school supplies from the 2 drums that arrived from Canada, the bags are the size of a grocery bag with about 8 or 10 items inside, it felt like a drop in the ocean even though the full barrels seemed like a lot of stuff, 

There are 92 Anglican schools in the Diocese of Sunyani and each one have or will get a few items selected for their specific grades.

In Dormaa, money donated from a few parishioners at Holy Trinity Chippawa was delivered, after a photo op, conversations and a few laughs the teachers from the kindergarten told me that a few of their kids have no shoes, not  even one pair, some are orphans and others are from families who can not afford shoes. I was shocked into a reality that made me very sad and angry, actually I felt like crap and said to Kingsley on the way home that I could not visits schools like that everyday, it was tooooo stressful and emotional for me to deal with the gap between the haves and the have nots  when it hits me in the face like that it did in Dormaa

I wondered out loud if parents at the cathedral could be asked to give their kids shoes that no longer fit for these kids, does not cost any money as I have not seen one kid at the cathedral without shoes on, so Sunday a box is going to be put out to collect shoes, 

Talk about a baseball bat hitting between the eyes, this was it yesterday for me

this is the kindergarten in Dormaa, no shoes on some

it is a block structure with a cardboard on a wood frame divider between Jr and Sr. Kindergaten 

 this side has four low tables  each with a few chairs in front of a blackboard

 the kindergarten kids with teachers

more pics tomorrow from other schools

KNITTING IS IN THE AIR

for all who donated needles, wool or anything that is related, here is knitting in the works
reviewed casting on and knit stitch for those who forgot, and those who were not here last spring.
I found a easy pattern for baby  booties that they could sell in the market so will start them next week, about 5 or 6 were ready to go today so the homework was knit as far as the piece of wool they have, rip it out and do it again until next Tuesday for those who knit, you become a good knit with practice, practice practice they are very intense and willing to learn

Only in Ghana

ss Sunday afternoon, laying around reading, oh thought I would defrost some chicken, fry some and make the rest into stew, got all the bits and spices ready, heating the oil to fry the chix and the hydro goes off, oh well had cheese and bread instead for supper. After a couple of hours, chatting outside, saying hello to Michelle who still thinks I am a ghost so I don’t get too close or she starts to cry,  lights back on. Back to frying chix, start the stew in the crock pot, go to wash fry pan, dam it now the water is off, so I put my two pails outside as I am not to fetch water, too old or being a canon or ?..not showing me respect, anyway they do not show me how to get water from the poly tank, finished stew, eat some, go looking for pails and they are gone, asking, looking, find them and Atta goes for water, I show him the new one way valve that I had brought from Canada to stop a repeat of 3 inches of water from the septic tank that backed up in the shower stall Friday evening with a stench.. well you know just outside the bedroom,
Friday the water did drain away leaving black sludge on the shower floor and because the pails, the dishdrainer etc had been floating in the septic backup. I became quite ocd to clean everything within an inch of its life with bleach, Dean came about 10 pm to say if the stench was too bad for me but I had the bleach treatment done so the everything smelled real clean, now you know the reason for the one way valve. I had a problem a couple of years ago and plumber, Dominic said there were no one way valves in Ghana so I brought a couple the next time, I promised him if he installed for free I would give him one,, a fair trade so he said, so today he took a new one home for his house, I will bring a couple more for him next year, I keep the tradespeople here very happy.

it has taken a few years but I think my middle nationality is Ghanaian

I get up at 710 today for a 7am service, arrive at cathedral 720, (I jumped into clothes and cassock) no food of course but that is not usual. AND the beginning of the service is Matins and it is still going so I am not late, I announced to Eramus, celebrant, that I am now Ghanaian and arrive late like many others, he just laughs

ok ... back on track

do not know why it took days for an emails with pics to go from my phone to my inbox on  my computer but it did

fufu with peanut soup compliments from May

went to Nsoatre with Dean on Sunday morning to an outstation of the cathedral who have been worshipping in a class room for the past ten years. They are still considered an outreach of the cathedral but hopefully soon they will become a church with their own name

.

the kids were wonderful, Grandma in the back row right had to be persuaded to be in the pic.

this group does have a plot of land which is one step to becoming a parish and stop being an outreach of the cathedral.

plot                                                                                          Dean & parishioner from cathedral, 

                                                                                                Mr. Amankwah surveying the land

and

Dean's granddaughter Michelle and her mom Lois is visiting from Kumasi

a real cutie pie !