In Ho at the Batik Factory

        Wednesday it rained all day but we did go to the batik factory that was working in the rain. We got permission to walk around but we were not allowed to take any pictures. They are afraid that you will steal their trade secrets I guess. I really believe they are concerned that you will report them to OSHA for violations. It is so hard to try to convey what we saw. There were women in the front folding the cloth after it came out of very old fashioned mangles. One woman had her baby tied to her back as she sat in a chair folding cloth. The next minute she was breast feeding the baby, uncovered and still folding. Others were catching rain water off the roof into large garbage cans that were full of the colored cloth.

        We went out to the back where the real action was. There were three rows of workers, maybe six or eight in a row, each row having a specific job. The first row had large metal barrels that had a very hot charcoal fire under each barrel.The men had large poles that they used to stir the fabric that was in each metal barrel. They did wear rubber boots and long rubber gloves. With their poles they would then lift the fabric out of the pots and literally throw it back to the barrels on the next row. Hot water mixed with the colored dye flying everywhere. I think that this was the first rinse and then it would be thrown again to the last row where women would lift out the cloth and wring it by hand. Each piece of cloth is no less than six yards in length. Back breaking work. Here among all this open fire were a few young children wandering around. It seemed quite frightening to this foreigner.

        There was an area with lots of tables where they were stamping the fabric with different colors and designs. The basic white fabric with some kind of a pale pink design comes from China. Unfortunately there was not an even flow to this workplace so I don't know the actual order in which the fabric is created. Maybe that is part of the "trade secrets". I just know that the work was very interesting and that I was amazed with the woman that was melting wax over a small charcoal stove and was moving the wax around with her fingers.

        On Friday when it was sunny we drove back past the factory and saw some of the fabric laying on the ground, even up one of the roads to dry. It is so wonderful to see the colors they produce. We have been to a batik factory (also in the rain) in China but there it was only the Chinese blue and white and the designs were created from tying the cloth. Here it is done with stamps.

Our First Journey to Ho

Our Trip to Ho

        Our missionary assignment here in Ghana is to introduce the new Self-Reliance program that the Church is rolling out in countries all around the world. When we had our training in Salt Lake we were with five other couples who were heading off to do the same thing. They were going to Guatemala, the Philippines, Scotland/Ireland, Chile and Cape Verde. We did not know were Cape Verde was. If you do you are better at geography than I. If you don't know where it is that can be your challenge to find it on the map.

        We go to the different Stakes or Districts and have three training meetings; for the leaders, the facilitators and then a devotional/budgeting meeting for all the members. They then divide into interest groups, My Job Search, Starting and Growing my Business, or Education for Better Work. We have found these to be well attended and the people are enthusiastic about doing those things that will help them learn how to improve their lives by becoming truly self-reliant. It is wonderful how self-reliant these people are already. They have virtually no state system of welfare so they understand working to improve their lives. They do not generally expect anyone to take care of them except what they or their families can do. As time goes on we will be returning to these same areas and mentoring or helping improve their programs. Anyone interested in seeing this program or using it for themselves and their families can find it online in the  LDS Library. The videos, many produced here in Ghana are wonderful and entertaining. You will get a real flavor of the actual area and the people.

        We left for Ho with Elder and Sister Cannon early Tuesday morning the 4th of November. Ho is about eighty-five miles to the northeast of Accra, almost to the Togo border. The trip can take anywhere from three and a half to six hours on average. There is traffic, potholes, rough roads, dirt roads, toll booths and even little villages with immigration stops, dam closures and bridges that are out so that you have to use the ferry. We needed to be there by 5:30 so we left at nine. The fates were really with us, so believe it or not, we were in Ho by one o'clock.

We found baboons on the highway. See the one in the tree?

The twins.

The landscape much greener.

Felt like going into a Louisiana plantation

Trip to a Bead Factory

        On Saturday, November 1st, many of the men were in a mission area council meeting so about twelve of the wives went on a tour to a bead factory that is northeast of Accra. Sister Hill, the Accra West Mission President's wife and Sister Wilde, the Secretary to Elder Curtis, the Area President, did the driving honors. You all would have been very impressed as they maneuvered through the Accra traffic, especially Sister Wilde driving the area's new Honda Odyssey. You have to be a Kamakazi driver on these streets and have nerves of steel.

All types of glass is collected and placed in the yard.

The glass in placed in this heavy iron container and

 pulverized with the heavy metal rod until it is a very fine glass powder.

The glass powder (on the right) is mixed with a powdered dye of any color. This of course being blue.

The glass powder and colored dye mixture is then poured into these small white discs. A small reed is placed in the center of each hole and then they are placed in these kilns. As the glass is heated it melts to form the bead and the reed dissolves and leaves a hole in the center of the bead.

After the beads have cooled they are placed on a wooden dowel and each bead is hand painted. Layer upon layer of different colors are applied until the desired effect is achieved.

Inside the showroom there are many choices. These bundles are several strands, a single strand costing about $2.00 each.

       

More Traveling Pictures

As you drive around the city it is a sea of humanity

Getting  Accustomed

        We are still trying to learn our specific duties here in Ghana. Our mission call was for PEF, the Perpetual Education Fund, the program has now been changed and our call is as Self-Reliance Service missionaries, at least that is what our tags say. We also appear to need to work with helping business get more profitable with an African mentoring group and today we met with other senior missionaries that are on the ground floor in setting up a literacy program that will eventually go throughout Africa and then maybe on to other parts of the world. Right now we have the potential to wear many hats. We have yet to know which one will be primary and how many more we can juggle. Time will give us more incites I am sure. As we try to help these brothers and sisters we see many needs but we know that we can only help in so many ways and be effective. However, maybe it's all a good start. We certainly can see that it is all needed and of great value.

A Sunday Walk

        In Accra Sunday is a day of rest. There are very few people on the streets and almost no business, street or otherwise, is open. That's means that the traffic is also light. You can actually walk around the neighborhood. We live in what really is a rather exclusive neighborhood. There are lots of new apartment buildings going up and yet there is a lot that have been abandoned. We even have some of the Embassies around us and a rather nice hotel.
        After a week things are beginning to take shape. The people we have met are very happy to help us with anything. We enjoy our work and the chance that we have to give back. We have much to learn from these people, especially where faith and testimony are concerned. We are settling in and only looking forward.

A local store around the corner.

Office building next to our apartment.

Barry thought this might be the entrance to the Adams' Family Estate.

Lovely

I had the best croissant here the other day.

Entrance to the Danish Embassy.

In front of the Alisa Hotel

Closed shops on a good road.

A more typical road and fence.

Potholes. This is what Barry dodges every day every where.

Another nice one next to another abandoned project.

Saturday is a Special Day

Side Yard

         We ventured out today with the Crisps to get some shopping done. We have subsisted on mostly peanut butter and jelly, one Thai dinner, and a "pepperoni" pizza and ice cream last night. Here are some highlights from our day.

There is always a band, especially on Sundays by our apartment

Lots of furniture sellers by the sides of the roads

Lots of hand woven accents

All kinds of yard art

Don't know what they are but a great use of pallets. Should I post on Pinterest?

Sellers stopping to chat. No woman has bad posture. Everyone carries everything this way.

Water sellers are everywhere. The bottles maybe ok but the pouches are usually only tap water. There have been over 15,000 cases and 126 deaths from Cholera, many in Accra since May of this year.

I was surprised to this Halloween display. You can guess that they must cater to us obruni.

Vegetable & Fruit Stand

Beautiful lady preparing vegetables for the market stand.

My purchase soaking in Clorox water.

How about this? A new washer just for us.