Sunday in Buduburam

Sunday we drove to Buduburam to attend church. Buduburam is a community about 27 miles west of Accra. This little village is the home to the Liberian refugee camp. Buduburam began 17 years ago as a United Nations sponsored refugee camp for Liberians. The camp was populated with 40,000 refuges. While it was once a tent city it is now a shanty town with cinderblock homes crowned with tin roofs. There is little electricity in the village and no running water. The Ghanaian government has been trying to deport the refuges back to Liberia this year. Many are hesitant to return. Some having lived in Buduburam during the first civil war in Liberia returned and were killed when the second civil war began in 1999.

Buduburam branch has a current population of 250 members with 125 coming from the refugee camp. The village is on the main highway to Cape Coast, but the branch currently meets in center of the village in the Ghana Primary School building. Few roads are straight. The roads are dirt often with deep ruts washed into them by the rain. For our children visualize the worst case senerio for the Maple Creek Road to our Cabin, except without the steep hills to climb.

Driving through the village without a 4-wheel drive vehicle was quite a challenge. We traveled up and down the road 3 times asking questions about the location of the building, as everyone stared at this nice van (an oddity in itself) occupied by four "Obrunis" (whites). We had in our company the new Area Doctor and his wife. In our last attempt at asking directions we noticed a small family crossing the highway dressed for church with scriptures in hand. A tender mercy of the Lord placed in our path so that we could get to church on time. On the way down the dirt road, another family saw us coming and begged for a ride. We obliged and opened the door to let them in. We had 7 Ghanaians and 4 Obruni's in an 8 passenger toyota van on a rutted dirt road. Needless to say we often drug bottom!

We did arrive on time with just a minute or two to spare. The building was very sparse - a cinderblock building with slits in the walls for ventalation and probably for light, though we did have electricity inside. A chalk board adorned the front wall of the large room with cement floors and folding chairs to sit upon. Sacrament meeting began on time. As we sang the opening hymn I could see people walking quickly to get into the room before the sacrament began. By the time it was passed the room was full - my guess would be about 150 people. A deacon age boy sat in front of us. The McCarthy Hill Stake had had a youth camp during the last week and he pulled the camp's program from out of his scriptures. Notes were scribbeled on the back and he read and re-read the paper carefully handling it as if it was the best experience of his life! Two talks were given by women and the last by the high counselor for the ward.

Sacrament meeting was followed by Sunday School. Primary for age 12 and under was held in another room of the school. The Gospel Doctrine class was attended by families, mothers and fathers and their older children who sat together as families. The teacher was excellent. The subject was Alma - the 2000 sons of Helaman - the wars. We were impressed with their knowledge and ability to glean from the scriptures the truths taught. Having been in a war torn country they had a lot to say about the motivations for war - righteous and unrighteous. They realized in the end that unrighteous wars are for power, and righteous wars are fought for freedom. Even the children participated.


Lastly we attended Priesthood and Relief Society. The main room was divided into two rooms by a metal screen. As we sang the opening song in Relief Society the men were singing their opening song in Priesthood and it was like a competition to see who could sing the loudest! Outside the Young Women sat under a tree to be taught and the Young Men sat under a different tree nearby.

It was just beautiful to see that these people who struggle so much, were able to express their testimonies of the gospel, and treasure the knowledge of the restored gospel.

Elder Shipley With the Future of Africa

The Gardens at 57 Independence Avenue

57 Independence Avenue is by far the most beautiful property in Accra. The gardens here are soothing to the soul. I often walk the grounds early in the morning and take in the beauty. I thought I would share some of the photos with you.
These palms are unique to West Africa. They line the sidewalks on the North and South sides of the temple.

The flowers are mostly on shrubs and ground cover. Unlike at home there are few cut flowers around Ghana. The Ghanians cannot afford cut flowers, they prefer artifical flowers. At the airport there is a flower shop that looks like any flower shop you might see at home except the flowers in it are not real! I love cut flowers and miss them a great deal. Sr. Snow must have known I was really missing flowers. When we picked Pres. and Sr. Snow up from the airport when they returned, Sr. Snow presented me with a red rose. I was in heaven for a week until I finally had to throw it away.

Here are more pictures of the shrubs and trees on the grounds.


This is a ficus tree. Instead of thinning it out in the shape of a tree they trim them like hedges into ball shapes. This is a tree that is just beginning to flower.

In Africa, this is all a bit of heaven!

Always Reaching to Touch Him

We live in a world where the veil is drawn over our minds and we have no recollection of the sphere from which we came. And yet my soul tells me that there is more than this earth life.

I am reaching, always reaching to touch Him, to Come unto Him. There are many ways I try to reach for him. I reach for Him as I read and study my scriptures. They are His words and the spirit speaks them to me. Missing them is like going without water for the day. Since the beginning of my mission I began a re-read of the Book of Mormon. I love this book. It enlightens my mind, helps me to understand God, and gives me direction in how to live in order to make my journey home, and fills me with peace.

I have two prophets that I love. The first is Alma, son of Alma a prophet, who spent his youth persecuting the saints of God and living a wild and wicked life until an Angel of God appeared to him and told him he needed to repent.

Alma suffered a spiritual coma in which he claims he was wracked with eternal torment for 3 days and 3 nights as he remembered and saw the sins which he committed. But as he thought upon the things his father had prophesyed of the coming of Christ and how he would redeem us from our sins he was filled with inexpressible joy as exceeding as was his pain (Alma 36). After this experience Alma choose to go among the most wicked of people to preach the gospel. Because he was "born again" and because he knew wickedness first hand, he became a powerful missionary.

My favorite chapters from Alma are about "The Word" (Alma 32). Alma compares the Word to a seed planted in the ground. Some seeds sprout, others do not. If the seed is nourished it begins to grow. But when the hot sun comes (the trials of life) and the seed is not nourished it whithers and dies. Like seeds, our souls must be nourished daily with the Word. If we do this we become "alive in Christ". If we neglect the word, we begin to die...as God is the source of life. His Word is our spiritual food. Some of us are starving to death spiritually. Others seem to be filled with joy, peace, and an assurance of who they are and where they are going. "Yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yet it beginneth to be delicious to me." Continual supping of the "Word" eventually causes the seed to sprout and grow into a tree that bears fruit that we can pluck and eat "until we are filled, that we hunger not, neither do we thurst." The love of God - the atonement is internalized, and we become more refined, more as God is: filled with love, patience, long suffering, charity, integrity, etc. I have spent the last 8 years really studying the scriptures - before I read them but I rarely dug into them, comparing one scripture against another, I simply read. I can testify that studying them has increased my faith and knowledge exponentially. I love to feast upon "the word".

The last prophet in the Book of Mormon is an amazing man - Moroni. Moroni led armies in the final battles of his civilization. He watched as his people turned from having the completeness of the gospel, to prospering so much that they began to set their hearts on material things and eventually lost their faith, and became a blood thirsty people destroying themselves in horrific battles. Moroni pleaded with the people to repent, but they were beyond hearing. He was given the extraordinary experience of being able to view our times in vision. He describes us to a "t". Then because he saw his own civilization crumble he writes of the demise of several civilization and cautions us to live the commandments of God or risk destruction. He reminds us of the promise of this land: "If we live the commandments, the Lord will prosper us, but if we do not he will destroy us."

He writes heavily of the atonement of Christ....of its ability to give us power to rise above the wickedness that may surround us, of His power to redeem little children from Adams transgression, assuring them of celestial glory if they die before the age of accountability. He writes of our ability to be "alive in Christ" through faith, repentence, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and endurance through prayer. In his words: "the Holy Ghost filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer until the end shall come." I am continually reminded as I read the scriptures that the core of all the scriptures is the Atonement of Christ and the gospel (Faith, repentence, baptism and covenants, the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.) Understanding these principles is all that is needed.

It is difficult for me anymore to forget to read my scriptures. To me they are like food that I must have everyday. One of my weaknesses before my mission was morning prayer - I always prayed in the evening before going to bed, but now I am more conscious of saying my prayers each morning before going to the office. If I forget it is like I missed a phone call home. Maybe it is because I am getting closer to home. I remember the movie ET: "ET call home" It is the same message "Marian, call home."

Growing Pains

Last Sunday we went to Tesano Ward. Two wards were invited to the meeting where the Stake President presided and divided the two wards into three. Everyone seemed to take it all in stride until the bishop of the new Alajo Ward was announced and you thought they were all going to stand up and cheer! There was an audible buzz of excitement. It was fun to see. These are small wards now and they will have to work hard to grow.This is all what we call here "building from Centers of Strength". Within 3 years these wards should be large enough to make another division...and eventually another Stake.

It is a wonderful thing to observe. Sunday night we got an email from our neighbor in Nevada who announced that our ward at home had been divided and we were now in the new ward. The church is growing! Lives are being blessed with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Africa, A Pretty Big Place

Last month the missionary department sent the mission calls that were to go to Africa West Area accidentally to the SouthEast Africa Area in Johannesburg. In speaking with Salt Lake on the matter I was told to wait a week. I did. No calls came. Wait another week. No calls came - The point is few people realize how far away Johannesburg is from Accra. Most people think of Africa like the United States. So I'm putting this picture up to educate you. Africa is a Big Continent!

A Room With a View

We spent most of last week in London staying in a flat with this great view. I love flowers in windows, which are a common site along the streets in London. We stayed with the Public Affairs couple who we met in the MTC, The Buckles. They were very generous in letting us stay in their spare bedroom and even more they went out with us every night for dinner and shows. Some of you I know are going "How come they could leave their mission and go to London!". No we did not go AWOL. It was a condition of our acceptance that we seek a medical check-up for my pacemaker every six months in either Johannesburg, London, or Frankfurt. Sometimes pacemakers are worth it! We enjoyed being able to walk the streets, go to shows, eat outside at night, drink tap water, ride busses and walk through parks. It was a wonderful time, much of it due to the Buckles. Oh and by the way my pacemaker is doing just fine.

We enjoyed reading the names of shops along our bus route. These names are almost as good as the sayings on the back of tro-tros in Africa - some of you will say even better! Here is a list of some that we saw:
The Goat in Boots (a pub)
Snapdragon (furniture store)
Night Owls - Langerie
Blue Bubble - a laundry
Wheatsheaf - a tavern
Blooming Marvelous - a maternity store
The Parson's Nose - a butcher shop
Fast Flowers - a silk flower shop
The Hummingbird Bakery
Nuts About Life - (didn't catch what this was)
Fishmongers - fish market
Still Too Few - Antique dishes and decoration

While there we visited Portabella Road in London - I believe it was mentioned in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and maybe also in "Nottinghill". It's an interesting street with lots of little shops that sell their wears outside as well as inside.

For you scrabble fans I had to take this picture.


Pizza Anyone!


We arrived back in Accra on Sunday night, rested and anxious to get back to being missionaries. London was fun but Accra is satisfying.