Convention is over

Hello everyone,
We have had a busy busy month... We had 2 weeks of Preps-getting ready for convention, 3 days of convention which were amazing, and 2 days to clean up convention. Now we have almost everything back to normal, and a chance to connect on here again. There is one small piece of info that I have to share from convention. 2 of "our big family" made their choice! Auntie Koyo and cousin Ernest! It was so very very exciting. That is all but one auntie and the little girl.

As of today, I have 10 days left here in this great country, with my Amazing boy! The tears have already started, and I'm sure there will be more. However, we are trying to make the most of these last days.
I had to come to the cafe to deal with some work emails, so I wanted to give you an update. I won't be putting anymore pictures on the blog in the next week, as it takes up too much of my time, and all these last days are precious, with many thing left to do before I leave! I will be sure to catch you up on all the convention pictures and the pictures from the last days.
Hope everyone is well there. I am having a hard time to convince myself that I'm excited to come home, because first there's sadness in leaving here. But, I will be glad to see everyone again I'm quite sure of that!! And to eat some cheddar cheese :) :) That's what I miss the most as far as food goes :) hahahaa.
Anyways, all good things have to come to an end (temporarily) and if there was no leaving there wouldn't be coming back :)
bye for now, and see you all again in a couple weeks.

1 month wait, but I'm still alive :)

Hello again,

Well, here goes another epistle from Togo, Benin, and of course some more of Ghana.
I realize that it's been a month since I last posted, so bear with me, I have a MULTITUDE of photo's on this post :) I managed to go to Togo and Benin with no threats of floods this time ! I had 10 days over there, and enjoyed it a lot. Was great to see some more familiar faces.

Here a few from Ghana before I head away on my trip...

I went down town with Auntie Teiko to get some material to get some clothes made. There is no such thing as a slow day in town. People everywhere! (not to mention this was the day the Ghana Black Stars were going downtown to do their parade).

The Sister's had me over for lunch one day, wow, what a treat... Roast Beef, Potatoes and Gravy with Vegetables. Was so nice!

July 11, was a special day! This was Philip's 24th Birthday. I managed to find a few ingredients and put them together to bake a cake. However the piping incident wasn't so successful, I had green on my hands for some time :) He did appreciate it though, so it was worth it :)

Ami, Marium, myself and Esther, it's party time :)

Everyone loves blowing out the candles. He seemed to want to cut his own cake too !

This was a cool sight, I believe it's called a sundog?! Someone correct me if I'm wrong. It just looked cool so I took a picture.

Another trip to the mall, this time I thought I'd take a picture of the very "useless" traffic director's/police here. They're not exactly as good as a traffic light.

US ;)

Ok, here we are, in TOGO now. . . .

Anyone want to buy a coffin? They're hand made

Mud huts

Beautiful beaches by the Ghana-Togo Border.

Always somewhere to play a game of football

I stayed a couple nights with the Sister's in Togo at their batch. Here was our special breakfast! Yumm, Ham and Eggs

This is the batch from the road. They live up those stairs, kind of on the left.
These are the Sister's I was with here... Dany(from Madagascar, raised in France), and Delia (From South Africa)

Not sure exactly if we would even get out of the driveway looking like this!! And these kind of loads are all over the roads.. no wonder there's potholes the size of car tires.

I stayed at the convention grounds in Togo the night before we left for Benin. This was us havin supper.

The convention building, Sister's quarters upstairs, Brothers downstairs.

Brother Kossi taking Sister Dany to the roadside to wait on a taxi. I think they had enough bags for their journey, Delia and I walked and met them there.

The Sister's and I stopped for lunch at a beautiful ocean front restaurant and these men were out fishing here.

Friendly monkey there also, (chained up).

This is a beautiful thing when they throw their nets, hard to see, but it goes out in a perfect circle usually.

Now pulling the nets back in

Ok, we are now in Benin... .. ...

How do I know?? Well, there are WAY more motorbikes (Zemi-Jon's) here than anywhere else, and it's the most common and cost effective way of transportation.

more large loads

Delia ahead of me, and us waiting in traffic at a light. Everyone squeezes in to be at the stopline

Rosanne on the bike as well. We met up with her in Ouida, a town just outside the capital city, Cotonou.

The whole family fits on a bike

This is why they are soo good at carrying things on their heads, they start at such a young age.

We met up with Kaarina and Alize and Amy (from Scotland/Poland) at a little restaurant. Here we had burgers and fries!! Yumm.. not to mention the delicious ice cream.. Here's some Mango, my favorite!

Delia, Alize, Kaarina, Rosanne and I

If you need to take something somewhere and only have a little cash, you take your piece of glass/mirror on the zemi-jon with you..

A local gas station! Pull up and fill up! (homemade fuel)
(they do have real stations too, but they charge more)

A little cutie

We had a study with this old lady. She doesn't speak french (main language in Togo and Benin), so we had a young boy come along and translate into their native language of "Fon." She was really sweet.

More talented children

One day we played the tourist part. We went to the temple of Python's. This was our guide, showing us the snakes.

I even got to hold it..

And, it got to hold me ;) It was kinda squeezing around me a little....slightly frightening.

Notice the marks on this man's face. These are tribal marks, given to them as babies, I think they are put in with razorblade and then the cuts filled with a powder so they can't heal well. This is all part of the Vodo traditions.

We are going into the snake temple.......they are free inside here

and there are many of them

Yup, I was brave, only for a minute or two :)

This one was the biggest one in there, probably about 5 inces thick.

Anyone want to buy a teddy bear? roadside selling

These are not light loads, very heavy coconuts!

The road the slaves were drove down before they got to the port

Ouida slave port

Beautiful beaches

Cows even use these beaches :)

We went for wednesday study meeting here and this is the gate (with no walls). The walls were broken down, but the gate still stands.

The nice little family we ha meeting with, 2 Sister's, and myself.

After meeting they climbed the coconut tree for us to try them

spot the boy?

first time drinking coconut milk. Was good

This is how people travel. If you have a baby and you need to go to town on your bike, it goes with you :)

many many bikes....notice the airplane eye covers used to block the polution for these people :)

At the convention grounds in Benin. This was our job, cooking lunch for 30 Africans, 3 white girls cooking for them. They did however enjoy it :)

All the young kids that came to help for prep's to get ready for the convention.

The little boy is from the conv. grounds named Just David. He sometimes is called Justo and sometimes David. Super cute.

Alize, Amy and I had a little swim at the pool. We stayed in a hotel here one night.

view from our window

dining on the patio. This is Amy and Alize

Myself and Kaarina

Yummy Mint Limonade.

Us Gals, Alize, Myself, Amy and Kaarina

Amy and I at the airport, seeing her off.

filling up the bike with gas. Alize is a great driver, we had lotsa fun on this bike together.

want to buy a duck?

sights in Cotonou

University of Benin

Another crazy load

Majorelle (Majo), Justo, and Mabellia. These kids live on the convention grounds

Majo, such a little cutie

This is one spoiled little boy. His sister carries him everywhere

The family...

Alize and I on our way to sunday morning meeting. We had 45 mins ride, so bundled up and went on our way.

Dining out, Yummy Chinese

Head scarfs are key! Keeps the hair free from the dirt and breezes

A whole family in the same material on bikes, looking quite funny

You can sleep just about anywhere, it's the only way that these drivers sleep, or your bike would get stolen while you sleep

Group of Young kids at a Sunday afternoon sing

Well, many of you were wondering, yes I did get to meet up with Gildas. He sends many greetings back home to you all. Was good fun to see him here in his own country. Even though Canada misses him :)

On our way to the beach another day. All of us girls went to relax. This was the road out there, a sand road with DEEP holes haha.

men pushing a cart full of fishing nets

but when we got to the end of the road, it was a beautiful place.. 5 * for sure!

Delia, Rosanne, Alize, Kaarina and myself.

Again, Rosanne, Delia, Myself, Alize and Kaarina

a Puse puse...not sure how to spell it, but it's a nice little mode of transport also

more beach, going back to Ghana..

Ghana I have come home :) :)

Preps has gone underway here, getting ready for Convention. Here is Colm (white man) directing the show :)

Others busy busy in the sewing shop, making clothes I have ordered ;)

re-painting the poles to hold all the canopy's

Jamaica and Philip hard at work

They even let me get on a ladder and stain the frame. I was quite enjoying this job :)

Brother Leslie(from South Africa) and I, a good working team!

Ami and I, taking a lunch break

Colm and Leslie, they are always giving us good laughs. They thought they would be Mafia :)

more work being done putting up tents

after our hard day work, there were still even a few smiles :)

Cute little neighbor girl named Mami (sounds like mommy)

Mami and I

Marium, Fee(neighbor boy) and Mami listening to music

Philip and Mami, kids just love him, and I have to say he loves them too :)

I took Marium with me to the mall the other day to get a few things. This was her first time there, so we spoiled her :) We stopped for ice cream.

Philip and I yesterday after meeting. Yup, we're still friends!!! :)

This morning I made breakfast. It didnt' quite work out as planned, however they were grateful and complemented me still. This was all of us filling our bellies.

The attempt at Canadian Breakfast.... Bacon, Eggs, Sausages, Bread and Hashbrowns. The hashbrowns ended up more like mashed potatoes, but they still had lotsa flavor :)

Well, I think you are now caught up. I have to go now, can't write more this time, as I am responsible for afternoon tea for the working crew. I got the day off to get a few things I wanted to do done.
Hope all are well at home. I miss you all, but believe it or not I'm coming home in 4 weeks. 14 weeks already have happened. Sad sad I tell ya :)

Look forward to hearing comments for you all. All for now, Off to get snacks to feed the hungry preps crew :)