Typical Weekday

This post is dedicated to my mom - she wants to know what in the world we're doing here! 

After we retire to bed, we hear the neighbor's next dinner (her cats) scratching on our screens, and music from the sidewalk pub, periodically throughout the night.  Around 4 am the birds start "singing", the neighbor starts reving his motorcycle, and finally around 5 the popsicle truck music calling our long robed neighbors to prayer begins - and we finally get up.  We don our tennis shoes, say a prayer and open the 4 locks to get outside the front door.  We open another padalock to open the front gate (there is a sign that instructs us to keep it locked at all times due to the murder and robberies in the Pedu/Aubra neighborhood in which we live :) and we're on the road just before daylight for our morning exercise of walking/jogging 30-45 min.  On our way home, we stop by the "bread factory" (you don't want the details) and pick up a warm loaf of wheat bread which is like a large hoagie bun with no salt.  We open all the locks again to get back in, and then lock ourselves in again.  We stretch, take a navy shower, grab breakfast, feast on scriptures, and start the lock routine again around 7 am as we head to the office.  We smile and wave to all the people on the way down the long driveway - where Lynn's 4 wheeling skills comes in very handy.  It's kind of like a parade.  We drive around 5 kilometers to Nkanfoa where the Mission Office compound is located.  We honk and one of the guards opens the gate for us to drive in.

The Mission President and his wife live in a beautiful home in the compound.  There is also a small apartment for the Assistants to the President, and this is our air conditioned office!

We do whatever it takes to keep approximately 165 missionaries healthy and happy so they can teach the gospel.  This is at least two times the number of missionaries in an average mission, so the 10 hour days fly by quickly.  It wouldn't surprise me if they split the mission soon.  Most offices have more than 1 couple working too!  Many seniors have health issues that prevent them from serving in a place like this, so they take what they can get - us.  At first we dreaded the phone ringing because we couldn't understand anything they were getting impatient to tell us.  Now our ears are tuned in to them better and we enjoy associating with the missionaries.  We enjoy listing to the I-Pod with speakers while we work - fireside or conference talks or uplifting music like the Tabernacle Choir.

Ghana has a cash economy, so Elder Asay is up to his eyeballs in filthy lucre everyday!  We try to mix up the routine of going to the bank for obvious reasons.  The bank is an interesting place which reminds me of the worst DMV you can imagine.  Only people don't pick a number, they wait in chairs and move up until it's their turn - which can take hours.  The bank is not air conditioned so imagine the smell.  Luckily, we have a "Royal" account, so we walk behind the tellers to the desks behind, where we are helped immediately.  The load  usually fits nicely in my bag and my handsome body guard (Elder Asay) gets me out without anything but stares.  

We drive approximately 10 kilometers into Cape Coast to go to the bank when needed, and the post office 2-3 times a week, until the holidays - and then everyday.  I wish I could take a picture of this post office, it is inexplicable, but it is against the law.  I always keep Toffee (Ghanaian word for candy, unfortunately they don't have any Heath bars here) it helps "sweeten up" the employees so they will wait until we arrive to open every box to determine how much duty is owed to receive it, it also helps keep sticky fingers out of the boxes.  It's sad how much American mothers spend to send a box to their missionary, and then how much the missionary must pay to receive it - usually many times the value of the contents of the box.  Poor African  missionaries never get anything (If anyone is looking for a Christmas service project - let me know)!  If items are sent in large envelopes, they are not opened and duty is not imposed.  The only problem is the area where these are kept, are infested with bugs.  The envelopes are usually crawling with them.  The postal worker smiles, blames it on the Toffee, takes them out into the hallway, bangs them together, and then hands them to us.  We take them back to the office in the trunk and repack the items to keep the infestation at the post office and not our office.

Mail and other deliveries are separated into the nine zones of the mission - it really stacks up everyday!  Each zone has a couple of districts.  Each district has a couple of missionary companionships.  There is leadership at each level so the amazing network of pass offs trickle down through the leadership until it get's to the missionary.

We maintain inventory and fill supply orders from missionaries for literature, personal items, cleaning products, (not a fast mover) Permethrin, and Doxycycline.  The Permethrin is heavy duty mosquito repellent which also works for bed bugs I'm told.  Yikes!  The Doxycycline is taken daily to prevent Malaria - which is the biggest killer in the country.  I compile a monthly medical report for each missionary and send it to the area office to Dr. Fife.  He and his wife have got to be the youngest senior couple out here - only 42 yrs old.  She also gives Elder Asay his SHORT hair cuts!

I create packets of information, paperwork, and travel arrangements for incoming and outgoing missionaries.  This represents everyone from Oct - Dec 2011.  In connection with this, I type and mail or e-mail around 250 letters a month to parents, bishops (pastor) and stake presidents (regional leader over several pastors).  A file is also maintained on each missionary and includes weekly written reports sent to the mission President. ie:  a LOT of typing and filing!

I enter the baptism records for each convert that the mission baptizes - around 170 month!  Did I mention a LOT of typing?  It's a good thing my little flanges can fly - sometimes I feel like I'm buried in paper.  

 

OK, I can totally hear Garold Maxfield laughing at me 10,500 kilometers away on this one, because I get to do my very favorite thing - the monthly newsletter!

We are supposed to be home before it gets dark at 6 pm, so when we're done we head home and go through the lock ordeal again.  We fix a simple meal and spend the evening doing laundry, reading or watching a movie.  Now brace yourself - we're usually in bed by 9 pm and everything starts over again.  Saturdays are our P-day (preparation day)  We are not expected to be in the office all day so we deep clean the apartment, head to the market or explore.  Sundays we go to church!