Pronounced "Be/be/knee" with the second syllable accented, this pretty mining town six hours in the interior is home to a unique group of Latter Day Saints. Because they are located a considerable distance from what the Area Presidency refers to as a "center of strength" in the Church, the people are organized as a group rather than as a branch, and there is no proselyting done anywhere near to them. They receive no financial assistance from the Church, no budget, nothing other than what we and the senior missionary couple closest to them manage to provide "under the table" from time to time.
The leadership constantly asks us for things... hymnbooks, primary materials, a CD player, etc. That which they are unable to secure from us they find a way to obtain on their own. A recent example is the installation of electricity, lights and ceiling fans which they did themselves in their meeting place (an unused school room).
Whenever the mission holds a training session of any kind for our branches, Bibiani shows up early and with more people than any of our branches. They are always the most attentive and actively involved of any of the participants and ever on the alert for the distribution of materials and supplies.
The people number twenty who have been baptized, seventy who have not. Most of the latter wish to be baptized but are unable to do so unless their spouse is already baptized. Children may be baptized only if their parents are members. Notwithstanding the freeze on baptisms and the lack of financial support for their group, the people of Bibiani contribute more tithing and other contributions than any three of our branches combined. Most of them contribute in every category on the receipt slip, including "other" (which they fail to understand is a place for keeping record of funds identified for future needs and activities of the group).
When visiting Bibiani for Sacrament Meeting yesterday, you would have thought that Sister Turner and I were visiting royalty. The people smiled from ear to ear all all wanted to greet us individually. As coordinator of the mission branches, the people gave me more deference than deserved, but it felt good. I think they saw our attendance in their midst as validation of their existence as a group in the Church.
They are so far removed from any other groups, branches, wards or stake organization and not allowed the association with proselyting elders and sisters, yet their testimonies are strong and their commitment to the Gospel truly humbling. We are indeed blessed to count them as our friends and as our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Fine.
Elder Turner
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Never a Dull Moment
Interesting things are happening here as we prepare to leave in a blaze of something. Our house was broken into and our laptop stolen last Monday morning, the second time since we have been here. I'm fairly sure the thief lives across the road from me but I can't prove it. I saw him in town today and he looked away from me. When I told him my house had been broken into again and another laptop stolen he had nothing to say and wouldn't look me in the eye.
Apostle Holland and Elder Snow (one of the seven presidents of the first quorum of Seventy) were here a week ago and spoke to our missionaries for nearly two hours. Both were very good but Elder Holland was fabulous. He is down to earth, humorous, but also a no nonsense kind of guy. He told the missionaries that if any of them disagreed with anything he had said that he would be happy to take them down to the floor to discuss it, that he was a Utah boy and was accustomed to wrestling steers. He warned them that our mission may be too easy and consequently lead them to be lax in their work ethic. I think I may have mentioned before that only a relatively small amount of proselyting takes place here. People walk up to us and ask for Book of Mormons and tell us they want to go to our church. During discussions neighbors will listen in and ask questions.
Two nights ago we had dinner with President and Sister Sabey(our mission president) and Elder Marvin Jensen, Seventy and in charge of the Church History department. His assistant, a Brother Turley, was there along with a young and wealthy entrepreneur and his wife who are looking into putting money into a religious freedom organization which provides counsel to emerging governments. Brother Turley is a former attorney who has written a number of books, including a best seller with Oxford Press on the Hawns Mill Massacre (50,000 in print so far). Also there was Sister Jill Johnson, an amazing woman who has written the new Gospel Literacy course for people who speak little English, a new Primary instruction book for African teachers, and is here and in Nigeria interviewing African pioneers of the Church for an internet video she is compiling for the Church. She has also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro twice and climbed to the final base camp for Mount Everest. We ate outside on the beach at the Coconut Grove resort. Quite a delightful evening.
Last night we had dinner at the same location with Elder Dickson, a Seventy and 2nd Counselor in the Africa West Area presidency. He spoke to our missionaries today. He was very good, not as dynamic as Elder Holland but still wonderful. He has one arm, having lost the other when nineteen from bone cancer just before going on a mission. He said the doctors at the time were not sure he would survive, but his father gave him a blessing of healing and told him he would serve the Church for many years. He has been a mission president three times I think, starting in Mexico when he was just barely 30 and had six children. He and his wife had two more children while in Mexico. He is 67 now.
As you can see, it has been an interesting and rewarding (for the most part) last few days. This truly is an amazing place. Nearly everyone believes in God and many are willing to listen to us talk about the gospel even when they are not really interested in joining the Church. Their taxi cabs and business establishments all have religious slogans printed on their exteriors. It is nothing like home where our missionaries commonly encounter rejection from people who think we are religious extremists.
Fine.
Elder Turner
Apostle Holland and Elder Snow (one of the seven presidents of the first quorum of Seventy) were here a week ago and spoke to our missionaries for nearly two hours. Both were very good but Elder Holland was fabulous. He is down to earth, humorous, but also a no nonsense kind of guy. He told the missionaries that if any of them disagreed with anything he had said that he would be happy to take them down to the floor to discuss it, that he was a Utah boy and was accustomed to wrestling steers. He warned them that our mission may be too easy and consequently lead them to be lax in their work ethic. I think I may have mentioned before that only a relatively small amount of proselyting takes place here. People walk up to us and ask for Book of Mormons and tell us they want to go to our church. During discussions neighbors will listen in and ask questions.
Two nights ago we had dinner with President and Sister Sabey(our mission president) and Elder Marvin Jensen, Seventy and in charge of the Church History department. His assistant, a Brother Turley, was there along with a young and wealthy entrepreneur and his wife who are looking into putting money into a religious freedom organization which provides counsel to emerging governments. Brother Turley is a former attorney who has written a number of books, including a best seller with Oxford Press on the Hawns Mill Massacre (50,000 in print so far). Also there was Sister Jill Johnson, an amazing woman who has written the new Gospel Literacy course for people who speak little English, a new Primary instruction book for African teachers, and is here and in Nigeria interviewing African pioneers of the Church for an internet video she is compiling for the Church. She has also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro twice and climbed to the final base camp for Mount Everest. We ate outside on the beach at the Coconut Grove resort. Quite a delightful evening.
Last night we had dinner at the same location with Elder Dickson, a Seventy and 2nd Counselor in the Africa West Area presidency. He spoke to our missionaries today. He was very good, not as dynamic as Elder Holland but still wonderful. He has one arm, having lost the other when nineteen from bone cancer just before going on a mission. He said the doctors at the time were not sure he would survive, but his father gave him a blessing of healing and told him he would serve the Church for many years. He has been a mission president three times I think, starting in Mexico when he was just barely 30 and had six children. He and his wife had two more children while in Mexico. He is 67 now.
As you can see, it has been an interesting and rewarding (for the most part) last few days. This truly is an amazing place. Nearly everyone believes in God and many are willing to listen to us talk about the gospel even when they are not really interested in joining the Church. Their taxi cabs and business establishments all have religious slogans printed on their exteriors. It is nothing like home where our missionaries commonly encounter rejection from people who think we are religious extremists.
Fine.
Elder Turner
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Couples' Weekend
Sister Turner and I just returned from a couples weekend in and
about Kumasi, a city of a million and a half or so people,
four and a hours away, and a little more advanced than Cape
Coast. About half of the road there is dreadful, full of
pot holes and stretches of unimproved dirt, especially
challenging at night when I drove home. The mission's four
senior couples and President and Sister Sabey were all
together. We ate wonderful food, especially the cuisine in
an Indian restaurant which was the best I have ever eaten.
And the owner of our bed and breakfast fixed us a dinner
one evening which was quite a treat. Good food is rare in
Cape Coast and there are only a few restaurants here which
we think of as being marginally good at best. None of them
offer food which tastes anything like that in the United
States. You might surmise that we are not going to be
difficult to please when we get home in three months.
We stayed two nights in a delightful bed and breakfast
called The Four Villages. It has four bedrooms, each
designed and decorated in one of the styles of four
different African tribes. A white Canadian and black
Ghanaian married couple run the place and do an excellent
job. Everything is plush and clean, and breakfast is as
good as anything we might enjoy in the states, including
home made sausage and tasty marmalades made from papaya
and mango (which fruits I can normally do without).
We visited a village where kente cloth is weaved in a
centuries old method and style, complete from making the
string to weaving the fabric to sewing various items. No
machinery other than a foot pedaled sewing machine was seen.
Everything is done by hand in the crudest of circumstances,
but the results are beautiful.
We visited another village where brass tools and decorative
items are molded in the primitive methods of thousands of
years gone by. The artisans work in the dirt in the open and
in thatched roofed and mud walled enclosures with primitive
tools. They use compressed palm leaves and mud made from
dirt and charcoal dust to form their molds and string to
provide the passage ways which channel the melted brass. It
is not difficult to envision that this is the technology
which Nephi used to construct the tools necessary to build
his boat.
Finally, we visited a cultural center where traditional
Ghanaian art is displayed and sold. There were stores
specializing in painted art, sculpture, pottery, leather,
wood, brass, and clothing. Frequently the store owners
are the artisans themselves and you can watch them at work.
--Elder Turner
about Kumasi, a city of a million and a half or so people,
four and a hours away, and a little more advanced than Cape
Coast. About half of the road there is dreadful, full of
pot holes and stretches of unimproved dirt, especially
challenging at night when I drove home. The mission's four
senior couples and President and Sister Sabey were all
together. We ate wonderful food, especially the cuisine in
an Indian restaurant which was the best I have ever eaten.
And the owner of our bed and breakfast fixed us a dinner
one evening which was quite a treat. Good food is rare in
Cape Coast and there are only a few restaurants here which
we think of as being marginally good at best. None of them
offer food which tastes anything like that in the United
States. You might surmise that we are not going to be
difficult to please when we get home in three months.
We stayed two nights in a delightful bed and breakfast
called The Four Villages. It has four bedrooms, each
designed and decorated in one of the styles of four
different African tribes. A white Canadian and black
Ghanaian married couple run the place and do an excellent
job. Everything is plush and clean, and breakfast is as
good as anything we might enjoy in the states, including
home made sausage and tasty marmalades made from papaya
and mango (which fruits I can normally do without).
We visited a village where kente cloth is weaved in a
centuries old method and style, complete from making the
string to weaving the fabric to sewing various items. No
machinery other than a foot pedaled sewing machine was seen.
Everything is done by hand in the crudest of circumstances,
but the results are beautiful.
We visited another village where brass tools and decorative
items are molded in the primitive methods of thousands of
years gone by. The artisans work in the dirt in the open and
in thatched roofed and mud walled enclosures with primitive
tools. They use compressed palm leaves and mud made from
dirt and charcoal dust to form their molds and string to
provide the passage ways which channel the melted brass. It
is not difficult to envision that this is the technology
which Nephi used to construct the tools necessary to build
his boat.
Finally, we visited a cultural center where traditional
Ghanaian art is displayed and sold. There were stores
specializing in painted art, sculpture, pottery, leather,
wood, brass, and clothing. Frequently the store owners
are the artisans themselves and you can watch them at work.
--Elder Turner
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Communication
Originally a British Colony, the official language of Ghana is English. But while many Ghanaians speak it to some degree, some even eloquently, a significant number are inarticulate. The majority once you leave the capital city of Accra prefer to speak their native dialects. Often the dialects are sprinkled here and there with English words, not unlike the Spanglish encountered among Latinos at home. Most religious, music, sports and news broadcasts (with the exception of CNN and BBC) on radio and television are spoken in native
dialect.
The Church requires that the ordinances be performed in English, but otherwise the dialects may and more often than not are spoken in Church services. English literacy is being stressed by the Area Presidency and by local leaders at the highest level. Stake Presidents encourage members to speak English to their children at home and to use it more in Church meetings. They ask the members to compare the sizes of the Book of Mormon as published in English, Fante, and Tre. The latter two are smaller in size because the languages do not contain sufficient vocabulary to translate the English fully.
A wonderful new English literacy course has been developed at the Area office. It is complete with various learning tools and strategies, and is easy to teach. We provided what we thought was good inservice training to the teachers in a number of branches. Subsequent results have been a mixed bag. We have seen inspired teachers at work and others who either failed to grasp what we tried to teach or chose to discount it and rely upon time honored methods of teaching in school, characterized by rote memorization. Sister Turner observed a teacher demanding that a student read the first page of the Book of Mormon over and over again, making stern correction of mispronunciation but no translation of vocabulary. This is an extreme example, but because many of the teachers have failed to follow the prescribed instructions, too many students have soon tired of the course and stopped attending.
In speaking to the Ghanaians one is not always sure that you are communicating accurately. Often I have had to ask them to repeat themselves and to even spell some of the words that they are using. Beyond the difficulty of understanding their accents, you must take into account that they desire to make you happy and will, therefore, tell you what they
think you want to hear. And then, of course, you can never be certain that they have understood you entirely. It is common to ask them if they have said one thing or if they have said another which is different, to which they reply simply: "Yes." When misunderstandings occur, they may stare at you with noncomprehending eyes, leaving you to wonder if they truly do not understand or if they just want you to think that they do not.
I have on occasion taught temple preparation seminars in some of the remote branches. Communication in those instances has been interesting. I always carefully instruct the branch presidents to call eight to ten people to take the class and to be certain that these people are temple worthy and otherwise qualified to take the course. Legal marriage, for example, is a requirement before a couple can be sealed in the temple in Ghana. Nonetheless, in one branch the president told his congregation at the conclusion of sacrament meeting that anyone who wished to take the temple prep course could take it. Fifty-seven people showed up, including young men and women, couples who were living together without benefit of marriage, and even one man who had two wives.
In another branch, four wonderfully responsive couples arrived at my first class. They knew all the answers to my questions and seemed ready to take out their endowments the very next day. I was thrilled but then at the end of the class discovered that three of the couples had already been to the temple and only one was a candidate for first time attendance.
In both situations I needed an interpreter as only a few spoke good English. This can be a challenging situation when your interpreter does not fully understand your English or is unable to translate the English in the scriptures to the local dialect. You just have to smile and rely upon the Spirit as the members of the class cheerfully attempt to help communicate the lessons to each other.
The active members of the Church in Ghana live close to the Spirit, closer indeed than many of us do at home. There is no communication more effective.
dialect.
The Church requires that the ordinances be performed in English, but otherwise the dialects may and more often than not are spoken in Church services. English literacy is being stressed by the Area Presidency and by local leaders at the highest level. Stake Presidents encourage members to speak English to their children at home and to use it more in Church meetings. They ask the members to compare the sizes of the Book of Mormon as published in English, Fante, and Tre. The latter two are smaller in size because the languages do not contain sufficient vocabulary to translate the English fully.
A wonderful new English literacy course has been developed at the Area office. It is complete with various learning tools and strategies, and is easy to teach. We provided what we thought was good inservice training to the teachers in a number of branches. Subsequent results have been a mixed bag. We have seen inspired teachers at work and others who either failed to grasp what we tried to teach or chose to discount it and rely upon time honored methods of teaching in school, characterized by rote memorization. Sister Turner observed a teacher demanding that a student read the first page of the Book of Mormon over and over again, making stern correction of mispronunciation but no translation of vocabulary. This is an extreme example, but because many of the teachers have failed to follow the prescribed instructions, too many students have soon tired of the course and stopped attending.
In speaking to the Ghanaians one is not always sure that you are communicating accurately. Often I have had to ask them to repeat themselves and to even spell some of the words that they are using. Beyond the difficulty of understanding their accents, you must take into account that they desire to make you happy and will, therefore, tell you what they
think you want to hear. And then, of course, you can never be certain that they have understood you entirely. It is common to ask them if they have said one thing or if they have said another which is different, to which they reply simply: "Yes." When misunderstandings occur, they may stare at you with noncomprehending eyes, leaving you to wonder if they truly do not understand or if they just want you to think that they do not.
I have on occasion taught temple preparation seminars in some of the remote branches. Communication in those instances has been interesting. I always carefully instruct the branch presidents to call eight to ten people to take the class and to be certain that these people are temple worthy and otherwise qualified to take the course. Legal marriage, for example, is a requirement before a couple can be sealed in the temple in Ghana. Nonetheless, in one branch the president told his congregation at the conclusion of sacrament meeting that anyone who wished to take the temple prep course could take it. Fifty-seven people showed up, including young men and women, couples who were living together without benefit of marriage, and even one man who had two wives.
In another branch, four wonderfully responsive couples arrived at my first class. They knew all the answers to my questions and seemed ready to take out their endowments the very next day. I was thrilled but then at the end of the class discovered that three of the couples had already been to the temple and only one was a candidate for first time attendance.
In both situations I needed an interpreter as only a few spoke good English. This can be a challenging situation when your interpreter does not fully understand your English or is unable to translate the English in the scriptures to the local dialect. You just have to smile and rely upon the Spirit as the members of the class cheerfully attempt to help communicate the lessons to each other.
The active members of the Church in Ghana live close to the Spirit, closer indeed than many of us do at home. There is no communication more effective.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Earthquake Hoax
An interesting thing occurred the other night. First, most
Ghanaians have never experienced an earthquake as far as I
can determine. Nevertheless, they are terrified of them,
thanks to the television coverage of the recent disaster in
Haiti. Tuesday at about midnight a radio station in the
capital city of Accra broadcast a warning of an imminent
earthquake in Ghana and told people to get out of their
houses immediately. This news spread throughout Ghana and by
3 AM much of the country was up and outside their homes. On
the coast thousands went to the beaches to wait for the
announced quake (which could have been a mistake had a large
quake occurred... psunami waves).
Karma and I received a phone call to vacate immediately. We
were told that a mobile sound truck was cruising the streets
warning people to get out of their homes as quickly as
possible. I would have stayed in bed except for the fact
that the four sister missionaries who live in the house
behind ours were outside and worried about us. We stayed up
for about a half hour and finally talked them into going
back into their house and to bed. Why am I not surprised by
all this? As we often say here in Ghana: "TIA." Translation:
"This is Africa."
--Elder Turner
Ghanaians have never experienced an earthquake as far as I
can determine. Nevertheless, they are terrified of them,
thanks to the television coverage of the recent disaster in
Haiti. Tuesday at about midnight a radio station in the
capital city of Accra broadcast a warning of an imminent
earthquake in Ghana and told people to get out of their
houses immediately. This news spread throughout Ghana and by
3 AM much of the country was up and outside their homes. On
the coast thousands went to the beaches to wait for the
announced quake (which could have been a mistake had a large
quake occurred... psunami waves).
Karma and I received a phone call to vacate immediately. We
were told that a mobile sound truck was cruising the streets
warning people to get out of their homes as quickly as
possible. I would have stayed in bed except for the fact
that the four sister missionaries who live in the house
behind ours were outside and worried about us. We stayed up
for about a half hour and finally talked them into going
back into their house and to bed. Why am I not surprised by
all this? As we often say here in Ghana: "TIA." Translation:
"This is Africa."
--Elder Turner
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
We Want to Contact You!
My parents love reading your comments and often times wish to respond to you directly. However, they do not have contact information for you all--i.e. RICK INGRAM. Please consider leaving an email address with your comments, or if you'd like to be more discreet, you can email me with your info and I will pass it on to Frank and Karma.
They are very excited to have replaced their laptop and as soon as they can figure out the internet connection, they will be much more visible online. Hopefully that means more blog posts and pictures!
Thanks for all of your love and support,
Kara
kara.matsuda@gmail.com
They are very excited to have replaced their laptop and as soon as they can figure out the internet connection, they will be much more visible online. Hopefully that means more blog posts and pictures!
Thanks for all of your love and support,
Kara
kara.matsuda@gmail.com
Friday, November 6, 2009
Mini Miracle
Out of adversity good things often come. In late July of
this year our home was broken into and our laptop computer
and other items were stolen. From a group of neighbors
assembled at our gate later that day, a young man in his
twenties stepped forth and offered his assistance
translating Fanti (the local dialect). Twice he accompanied
us to the homes of some young boys whom we suspected were
involved in the incident. He met us at the police station to
file a report with the authorities and again the next day
for an interview with the police inspector in charge of the
area.
We soon learned that Bernard was highly educated and
articulate. I asked him to tell me of his goals in life. To
my surprise he answered: "I want to be like you." "Like me?"
I responded, "What is it about me that you want to emulate?"
thinking that perhaps it was my remarkably long and
beautiful forehead. "I want to be a missionary like you," he
said. "Are you a member of the Church?" I asked. "No," he
replied, "but I would like to be."
In that Sister Turner and I were scheduled to be out of town
the next Sunday and that we seldom attend the same branch or
ward any two Sundays in a row, I asked Bernard if he would
like to attend Church with a couple of friends of mine. He
said he would. I made a quick on the spot cell phone call to
the mission zone leader and explained that I had a referral
waiting to talk to him at that very moment. I handed the
phone to Bernard and listened as the appointment was made.
After attending Church and subsequent gospel discussions,
Bernard was baptized Saturday, October 17, 2009. Great is
our joy!
--Elder Turner
this year our home was broken into and our laptop computer
and other items were stolen. From a group of neighbors
assembled at our gate later that day, a young man in his
twenties stepped forth and offered his assistance
translating Fanti (the local dialect). Twice he accompanied
us to the homes of some young boys whom we suspected were
involved in the incident. He met us at the police station to
file a report with the authorities and again the next day
for an interview with the police inspector in charge of the
area.
We soon learned that Bernard was highly educated and
articulate. I asked him to tell me of his goals in life. To
my surprise he answered: "I want to be like you." "Like me?"
I responded, "What is it about me that you want to emulate?"
thinking that perhaps it was my remarkably long and
beautiful forehead. "I want to be a missionary like you," he
said. "Are you a member of the Church?" I asked. "No," he
replied, "but I would like to be."
In that Sister Turner and I were scheduled to be out of town
the next Sunday and that we seldom attend the same branch or
ward any two Sundays in a row, I asked Bernard if he would
like to attend Church with a couple of friends of mine. He
said he would. I made a quick on the spot cell phone call to
the mission zone leader and explained that I had a referral
waiting to talk to him at that very moment. I handed the
phone to Bernard and listened as the appointment was made.
After attending Church and subsequent gospel discussions,
Bernard was baptized Saturday, October 17, 2009. Great is
our joy!
--Elder Turner
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