BUGS,

 BUTTERFLIES

 & BABIES 

       

      OR




     CREEPY     CRAWLERS,

     COCOON CREATORS

  & CURTAIN CLIMBERS
   










We hope you like our collection of small critters. The beetle above isn't very large, but it is one of the most beautiful bugs we've seen.



 The millipede to the right is 7" long. Pretty amazing creatures here in Ghana.

This is the most common spider here. They are flat and can hide in almost any location. They are also pretty good size, as you can see by the fork.

     These roaches are so fast, we had to photograph a dead one. We've seen many outside and sadly,     .....a few in our apartment. We sprayed, hopefully eradicated them for the time being.

The insects are similar but with some colorful differences to those at home.

                                                                               

This inchworm is tiny, but the elders had him performing for their camera. Several of the pictures of critters in this blog are compliments of the missionaries. We wish we had kept track, so we could give photo credit where it is due.


                                                                                                                                                                       

We have scorpions of varying sizes and types.

These little guys (about 3" long) look pretty, but can inflict a painful bite. One hid in a Sister's slipper and bit her on the foot. It was swollen for several days and hurt like crazy.

Some critters we have never seen before and look prehistoric

Lots of beetles of all descriptions

Dragonflies are favorites with us and quite unique here. Can you see the face below the head where the wings attach?
 

Katydid on our truck window


* * * * * * * * *

There are hundreds of different butterfly and moth varieties in Ghana. Here are just a few........

This one was taken by Sister Robison, the MTC president's wife. It was so well camouflaged that she had a difficult time finding it in the viewfinder of her camera.

And yes, the appendages on the tail are part of this delicate creature.

The picture of this moth was taken by one of the missionaries. Thanks for the photo.

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                                            And now........a few of our favorite little people!

This little girl was in church and became Sister Julander's friend.

Children are the toughest subjects to photograph here because they are so active and change so quickly. I loved capturing the picture at right. He was so expressive and intense. This was taken in a small village built on stilts at the edge of a lake.

              This little guy was all alone, with open water all around
              him. My daughters would have had coronaries. This was
              also taken in the stilt village.

This little girl had a sister with
an actual toy. This is one of the
few toys we have seen children
play with. Most toys are home-
made and consist of 2 wheels on
the end of a long bamboo pole.
They cut the wheels out of
old sandals or flip flops.


                                                    

This is a rare thing to catch kids smiling. They are so happy and smile and laugh, but as soon as they see a camera, they get very serious and shy. This little one was crying one minute, and had a smile the next.

Most of the kids get excited when they see us. They light up and shout "obroni" at us.  As soon as we point a camera in their direction, this is the typical look we often get.

These are all kids at church. They were all smiling and happy until the camera came out.

Even with very little hair, it's easy to see this is a beautiful young girl. Occasionally, we've had to look for earrings or dresses on some kids to be
sure.

Now, this is more typical of the facial expressions we get. They are so happy and excited to see us. 

This is the granddaughter of the members we buy eggs from. She is two, and has more energy and spunk than we can keep up with. Kids here are very respectful of adults (normally), and call anyone older "daddy" and "mommie".

This little one was at church, and didn't really appreciate the photo op.

We took this after interrupting nap time in the preschool class. They were quite curious and excited to see these strange white people who
showed up in their room.

This little one caught me taking the picture of her as she went to work with momma. (I got the mother's permission first)

I'm hoping to get a pic of a child asleep on their momma's back with their head flopped back. It's pretty amazing how they can sleep in the positions they do back there.







                             *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
                                       We have included a few recent missionary pictures.                

These are the Elders and Sister we picked up from the airport last week. They had flown in from Liberia and Sierra Leone after they closed those missions down due to the Ebola virus. They left their missions after being quarantined in their apartments and were unable to say good bye to members, investigators or the other missionaries. They are doing well, though, and are a great asset to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission.

The departing missionaries come to the mission home the night before their flight for a final interview, testimony meeting, and a last meal of their favorite food - fufu !

  

We had a really difficult time saying goodbye to this group of missionaries. We were so close to so many of them. Sister Julander cried. Elder Julander was stoic.  We love them wish the very best life has to offer as they move forward in the next chapter of their lives. Kia Kaha!

The departing missionaries go to the mall in Accra before they hit the airport for the long ride home. Their favorite place to eat is, yup, KFC. There is nothing like it in our Cape Coast mission, so this is a real treat.

This is Elder & Sister J. with Frank Elselfie, a  missionary that is entering the MTC on his way to Nigeria. He stopped off at the mission home
to get set apart. He is from one of the branches we have responsibility for, and it has been fun
to interview him and help prepare him for this experience.





We hope you enjoy our blog.
Love, Elder & Sister J.

                                              DO YOU KNOW WHAT THESE ARE????

This month we decided to take sections of some random pictures and see if you can guess what they might possibly be. There is no particular rhyme or reason to the photos and some are quite strange. So....see how you do. We have included the entire picture at the end of the blog with an explanation, if needed. Let us know of some of your more humorous or interesting guesses.

#1

#2

#3

#4

                                              #5                                              

#6

#7

 #8

#9

#10

#11

                                                                                                                                                               

#12

#13
 

   

                                           ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~    

We've had a major change in our mission. Our good friends and neighbors, the Shulz's, have finished their 3 years and returned home. We now have a new mission president, so we have included a few farewell/welcome pictures......and also a few random shots.

Elder & Sister Ivie, Sister J. & Pres. & Sister Shulz at a very cool outdoor restaurant....at our farewell dinner.

Pres. & Sister Shulz's feeble attempt at flying home. Actually, it's the traditional jump off the temple steps prior to going home.

Our brand new "fearless leaders", President and Sister Stevenson as they say goodbye to their very first missionary to return home, Elder Mthalane from South Africa.

They arrived in Ghana from Portland, OR on the 28th of June and the Shulz's left on the 30th.

We are very sad to see the Shulz's leave, but also very blessed to have the Stevenson's here.

 President and Sister Stevenson experiencing their first Fufu...what
we lovingly call "a giant glob of paste" in soup. It is the missionaries
most requested "last meal" for their farewell dinner at the mission home. We actually like it....in small doses.
They DO know how to use spoons, but Fufu is traditionally eaten with the fingers.




                                             ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

 A cool tree on the Temple grounds with a long, green ponytail.

We discovered this amazing plant with huge leaves while on a walk one morning.

We are so happy and blessed to be here!

                                        ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  

And now.........the rest of each picture from above.

#1 ~ A homemade visual aid we saw in an elementary school. We thought this was a great effort in lieu of commercial products which are typically not available here.

#2 ~ This is a main street in Takoradi after a heavy rain storm. We saw several stalled taxi's up to their axles in muddy water. Thank goodness we have a four-wheel drive truck. Elder J. was wishing he had a kayak.

#3 ~ A local bakery where they bake their bread in this wood-fired brick oven. A gunny sack is used for the door.

#4 ~ A local street vendor's egg display. Surprisingly, most are intact.

#5 ~ Elder J. found this incredibly beautiful moth (?) at the bottom of our stairs

#6 ~ Some of our elders bought and cooked a dog which they graciously shared with Elder J. Sister J. was not impressed. The small, black thing at the top of the plate is part of the inedible hide.

#7 ~ This is a Muslim Mosque not far from our home. They begin their call to prayer each morning over a loud speaker around 4:30 AM. If the wind is blowing our direction, it sounds like it's right outside our door!

#8 ~ While at a Zone activity on an island near Shama, some local fishermen were bringing in their net. So, all 14 of us joined in for an impromptu service project. 

#9 ~ A local "Chop Bar" (Ghanaian fast food) around the corner from the church where we attended a district meeting.

#10 ~ The back of a truck load of oranges. The local sellers unload their share by hand to sell in the markets.

 #11 ~ A young member at choir practice wearing one of the bracelets our granddaughters Kate, Ashley, Grace and Summer made and sent over.

 

#12 ~ Sister J. on the bow of a typical Ghanaian fishing boat
               

                #13 ~ Two grave markers found in a local cemetery. The landscaping is all natural.



We hope you had fun playing our little game as well as gaining some insights into the life and culture of our beloved Ghana. We love you!!!

Elder and Sister Julander