Pictures, Sefwi Wiaswo, Ghana

Above and below: the outdoor kitchen.

We had no trouble crossing bridges like these, but Elder Dever wondered how a big drilling rig would get over some of the dicier spots.  Someone from the region, Clarence said, would have to widen and strengthen some of the areas so that they could get through.  

I'm really fascinated by these chairs that they use for all the chiefs in the larger communities.   The seats appear to be goat leather or perhaps cowhide.

These cushions have been added for the older chiefs.

Aren't they pretty?  They all have different symbols on them.

All the big chiefs have a spokesman.  It is not that they do not speak at all, but they always have someone that does most of the speaking for them, such as this man standing.  Notice he has on a very fine gold necklace.

I thought this was a crab--they said that this was a dead scorpion missing most of its tail.

We saw several logging trucks--they have some mighty big trees here!

I took this picture to show you the ceiling fans.  There are three.  In the middle of the day we got to sit in this chiefs' building and they turned them on--just the perfect time when we needed them the most.  Our skin was wet but the fans saved us.  This is obviously the main chief because he is sitting at the high point.  It is the first time in a long time that we noticed that everyone stood when he walked into the room and didn't sit till he did.  They have a huge area, and there were many chiefs there.  They are very organized and have working committees so it is a perfect area to do projects because they take care of them.  Sadly, some of the most needy communities will not take care of their wells regardless of the dire need.  The District will have some work to do to get them ready.

Jim said we could move to Ghana and he would get a fleet of these mini-trucks and rent them out and I could be the 'queen mother'.  He is so funny.

Beautiful mom with beautiful baby.

While we were having one of our meetings, right next to us the health officer was there weighing the babies.  They take a grain sack and put the baby into it and then hang it on the weighing machine by the straps.  At one point the women began to argue an we thought it was serious, but there were smiles on their faces--something about whose turn it was.  It was the most entertaining of any of the meetings we had been to.

We went from one small community to another in this one section and they were not that far from each other.  Some of the men wanted to go to all of these meetings, so they would hitch a ride in the back of the District truck.

This is the scale used by the cocoa bean purchasers to weigh the beans that the community has prepared.  Jim stood on the scale to find that he weighed about what he did in college--it was weighing about 15-20 lbs. light.  We noticed in several communities that some of the cocoa bean purchasers put a hand pump well as a 'thank you' to the community.  Was this to assuage their guilt for cheating the communities?  All we know is that they do not do any training for the well, so it is doubtful they will last very long.