The Cool (and Crazy) Cape Coast Crew

You know what they say about all work and no play? Come to think about it, I actually don't know what they say...I don't even know who 'they' is. I do know that missions don't have to be all work. We spent the last two days with our very favorite bunch of missionaries--the Cool and Crazy Cape Coast Crew. We joined them on what you would call a couples retreat. One last get together for these missionaries before they split--into a Cape Coast Mission in the south and a brand new Kumasi Mission in the north.

We spend a lot of time with each of these missionaries over the last several months. We all arrived together--the Zolls (Kumasi), the Asays (Cape Coast), President and Sister Shulz, and us all arrived in Ghana within a few weeks of each other. The Thaynes have arrived this year up in Sunyani. Also with us this week was President and Sister Graham of the Ghana MTC who arrived about the same time as the Thaynes. There is really not a better group of people arround and we are priviledged to know and work with them all.

Here is the Cape Coast Crew on the Volta River

A Great Day On The River

A Lazy Day On The Volta

We spent the first lazy day the Volta River with no particular objective in mind other than to relax and take a little time away from our respective responsibilities. We visited two island schools, thanks to Chris and Jen (our guides for the day) from Empower Playgrounds, and stopped at the Pediatokope clinic again where we left a couple of the Fife Family Christmas otoscopes--makes for happy nurses. (The family gave up their Christmas gift exchange in order to donate funds for soccer balls and otoscopes--what a great service--a final blog with pictures is coming when we finally finish). 

Here are the pictures from our first day of  R&R:

The Mission Bad Boy--Traded the Harley for a Canoe (We Love Elder Zoll)

School Boys With Their New Soccer Ball

 Heading to the School

Kids at Play at School

School Boys with Grandma Brigg's Smile-Makers

Michelle and Her Boys

 Village Kids

President Graham and the School Kids

Sisters Fife and Zoll Leaving The Island School

Elder and Sister Thayne

Even Elder Fife Smiled

Who would you chose to spend 24-7-365?
(I chose wisely)

Day two found us searching for Big Game at the Shia Hills Wildlife Preserve and baboon sanctuary. All went as planned except someone forgot to tell the baboons and the antelope to show up.

'Is that an antelope?' someone would say, pointing to a blurry movement out the side window..sorry, no, its just Elder Zoll again chasing after some illusive shadow. Swift like a cheatah he ran, chasing after the baboons, the antelopes, the monkeys, and any litttle flicker of movement. He did manage to chase down this bird, known (according to our guide) as the Blue Bird Ruler. He is quite a handsome bird with bright blue wings.

We spent some time in the bat cave used by the ancient Shia people, learning about how they migrated to Africa from Isreal--pretty interesting huh?

Still, the big game eluded us. Apparently that is because President and Sister Shulz were along--something about an ancient vodoo curse that wards away animals.

It wasn't much like an African safari, but we had fun none-the-less.

One Of The Few 'Wild Life' Sightings
(I call them Fuzzy-Gummy Bugs)

The Baobab Tree (The African Tree of Life)

Elder Zoll and Our Guide Abraham--Not Quite On Safari--YET

This Ledge Is The Chiefs' Seat

Believe it or not, we did actually get some work done this month. I had an emergency trip to Sierra Leone last week to escort a sick missionary home--this is not my favorite way to travel. We set up and ran an employee health screening for all of the employees at the area office--we screened about 160 people in 4 hours and put some of the ex-pat wives to work checking blood sugars and blood pressures.

I try to blog and post pictures on this stuff, but after a while it all feels the same. Hey, I am not complaining because with our mission, the unusual is usually not good. Here is the routine from this last month:

Saying Good Bye in Sierra Leone

Employees Waiting For Health Screening

Checking Some BP

Routine Problems Abound--Like This Infected Leg

Sister Fife Checking On A Local Lab
(Hard to believe she is a SENIOR missionary!)

These Bats Hang Out In The Bat Trees (on the way to the office)

Again, some missionaries continue to struggle with health. We sent a few home this month because for various reasons--knee problems, back problems...psycotic problems. Three surgeries--an appendectomy, a mass in the thigh, and one breast biopsy. We had two cases of TB this month (our first since we've been here), one horrible new case of diabetes, and lots and lots of the routine--sore throats, coughs, malaria, and typhoid. Now we are trying to catch up on our computer work as we have been behind for some time. There are a few projects (like updating the computer files in Salt Lake with information on local hospitals and physicians). We have a slow month planned (somehow) for June and July with only a few have-to-do projects and a lot of like-to-do projects.

...Getting a little R&R in Ghana,

Elder adn Sister Fife