There are missionary tools that we are so thankful for here in Ghana. As I have pondered this week’s edition, I have felt we are truly blessed to have 3 tools that help the work move forward. I would hope you will consider your missionary tools as you live your daily lives.
Sister Dalton and I have a bed with a mattress, no box springs as we first noticed when we first arrived here, but now after months of service we are so thankful for our 6” foam mattress on a small wooden frame. Now you might think of, why would this would strike me as a missionary tool? The human body is truly a wonderful gift from Heavenly Father that each of us must carefully maintained. Sleep is a rejuvenating necessity the body needs. I remember sleeping on the cold ground one night in the deep woods of Idaho during a hunting trip. Each stone, branch limb, and small log, I tried to sleep on, is still recollected even today. It was a miserable night, but I did survive. I remember rising at daylight and aching all over because my body was not use to the hardness and lumps I had endured during the night. As I hiked towards the camp, I ached and even groaned a bit until the body got warmed up with exercise. But still I was really tired and felt as if I had not slept at all. It could be the same way here as we strive to keep our bodies in good order to do the Lords work. A good night’s sleep is a must for Sister Dalton and me. Most children here sleep on a small bamboo mat on the ground, with their parents sleeping upon a 6’x5’x2” or 3” uncovered piece of foam, also on the ground. Many people we see will be sleeping during the day on benches, old tires, along the side of the trail or road and on the ground at their farms. We have only noticed very few bed frames in homes. People will sleep when they need sleep wherever they are at the time and it is their culture that you not disturb them while they sleep. Sister Dalton and I are truly grateful for a good bed that allows us to rest and regenerate our bodies to work in this part of Fathers vineyard.
We are thankful for a small Ranger 4x4 truck for transportation. This missionary tool is most valuable to us as missionaries but also to the community and members. There are 2 dump trucks, 2 pickups, and 1 1972 four door Mercedes that are privately owned. Our 2010 truck is the 20 years newer than all the rest. There are a slew of totally junk taxis that run the roads between the small villages in the district. They are a hazard too, as they drive these small roads because they breakdown or parts fall off, all of the time. When that happens, the driver walks away or begins to rebuild the broken part while the car is still in the middle of the road. It is bazar to see the different types of break downs. Wheels coming off is the most common and Sister Dalton and I have dodged a wheel rolling towards us on a number of occasions. The taxi then stops in the middle of the road and the driver jumps out and runs after the tire and wheel. Usually the lug nuts and wheel studs are sheared off so the car will set there for days as they locate and repair the broken parts. Contaminated fuel is a real problem for all vehicles as well as the very cost of fuel is most prohibitive for people- $8.70 per gallon. Our little 4 door truck is in fine shape with continued maintenance I have learned to perform. My biggest challenge is the fuel contamination and I am constantly changing filters. We do change the diesel injectors every 12KM to keep the engine running smoothly. Our little truck was the only vehicle to carry loads of freshly harvested corn to needy families during the flood. We have moved 200 chairs from Sankubenase to the Abomosu Chapel for our District Conferences. We have towed taxis to safe places for repair; we have hauled about every member to or from a meeting when the heavy rains come in May- July. We have reverently used our truck as a Hearst for families with no funds to hire a Hearst to move the body. We have decorated the truck for newly married couples. We have transported missionaries on transfer days and ridden with missionaries who have honorably finished their service here in Ghana. We have also delivered missionaries to the airport for their return home. We have taken sick members to the medical center and gone to hospitals with severally sick babies who needed greater emergency care. We have taken expectant mothers to the midwife for delivery and brought baby and mother home that afternoon. Our vehicle is a most important tool in the Saviors work here in the bush and we are so thankful.
We live 12,000KM from Utah, 8,000KM from the US, 5,000KM from England, 700KM from Accra and the mission home. We have no postal service from here to the outside world. Occasionally a bus will bring supplies from Accra when people need them. Communication is primarily done by cellphones. Here they sell “minutes” to cellphone owners. 1 Cedi will give you about an hour of time to call in the area. There is a very small 2 old, old computer internet café here in Abomosu, but it is usually closed due to the “lights out” (no power) policy. Ghana does not produce enough power for its country so every couple of days lately, power is turned off in this region for 1 to 4 days. That brings a big halt to cellphone use due to no electricity to charge them. We are blessed to have a small generator to keep out home fully operational for a couple of hours each day the power is out. We are able to charge our cellphones and computer battery to continue to be in contact with the mission president and the Area Office for emergencies that have risen. It was our cellphone that kept President Judd and ultimately the First Presidency abreast of our situation when the flood occurred. Medical advisers were able to email us and when emergencies happened and needed immediate attention. When the Church needed pictures of explanation, our computer was their link. When the translation team needs communication with the set apart translators, it is through this computer because of its capacity and reliability to the outside world. And more important than all of those, is our capability to Skype our precious family and see newly born babies and grandsons ordained as a Deacon. It is a most important tool in the work of the Lord and one we are so thankful.
It amazes me the simple blessings of a bed to lay our heads on at night, a vehicle that carries us quickly and safely to our destinations, and the availability of communication with modern technology. We are blessed beyond measure and I thank Father in Heaven for his tender mercies we so enjoy on our mission.
I pray we all examine the tools that are ours to move the work forward and dedicate them for his purposes.
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