Yummm....Funeral Potatoes!

Some of you are probably saying to yourselves, "What in the HECK are funeral potatoes?" If you do a google search you'll find all sorts of recipes for funeral potatoes, but if you do a search for cheesy potatoes, you probably won't find anything!

Funeral potatoes are a traditional dish typically served at a Latter-day Saint luncheon after a funeral. They are also known as a dish served during the Christmas holidays. Personally, you could serve me funeral potatoes any day of the week and I'd be a happy camper.

Today marked the 17th funeral in three years since I've been the Ward Relief Society President. And I'm afraid that we're going to have more before too long. We have several older brothers and sisters in the ward who are their late 80's and 90's and their health is failing fast. I feel so sorry for their burdens and struggles that their little bodies have to endure.

I'm telling you about my cheesy potatoes for Dawn Rapsas' benefit and anyone else who would like to be enlightened in the ways of the LDS culture. I think it's a beautiful service that we offer to our fellow members. When a member passes away the Relief Society President is notified (me) and then I make a phone call to my Compassionate Service Leader who in turn notifies our funeral chair. If the funeral will take place after a Sunday they will pass around a sign up list during services on Sunday for brothers and sisters to cook funeral potatoes, make salads, bring fruit plates and dessert. The ward budget provides the meat for the funeral and mostly the sisters in the ward provide the additional dishes of food. If the funeral will before Sunday, then a food sign-up e-mail list is sent around. We have the most AMAZING ward! Our members are so caring and giving of their time, talents, and energies. These are just four of the most amazing members of our ward. Rachel, on the left, is our Compassionate Service Leader, Shelli next to her is our funeral chair, and Rachel's parents Lee and Carol do MORE for the ward members that almost anyone I know. They are always the first to volunteer, the first to arrive to help, and the last to leave the church. Carol and Gus are just like Carol and Lee! They will help and assist anyone in need.

I picked up 20 pounds of beef and Carol and Gus cooked it, plus added a roast of their own, sliced it and simmered it in Au Jus. It was to 'die for'. Funny pun, don't you think? Considering this was for a funeral. I'm on a roll! Oh .... speaking of rolls .... we have another couple, Peggy and Marloe who bake and donate all of the rolls for every funeral, and they're delicious and Peg is legally blind!

I'm so grateful to be living in this wonderful neighborhood. They truly are my brothers and sisters and indeed angels. I had to be over to the church by 8:30 a.m. There were tables to set for 60 people, windows and floors to be washed, drinking fountains shined, floors mopped .... yes the ward members do all of the church cleaning. It's all volunteer. Isn't that amazing? No one gets paid for their service, only in spiritual blessings! Not even our clergy are paid.

Then the food started arriving. Dawn, I remember you asking me if the ladies really came walking down the street carrying their funeral potatoes and salads and desserts for the luncheon. And, yes ... you are absolutely correct! Food just magically starts to appear and yes ... all of the pans and bowls have a piece of masking tape with their name on it so we can hand-deliver the pans and bowls back to the owners after being washed and dried! Some of the younger sisters have learned how to etch their names onto their glass dishes. That's a lot nicer looking than a burned old yellow piece of masking tape. You ladies know what I'm talking about, and I can hear you laughing!

There's a lot to do for a funeral. We arrange with the family to bring special mementos which we put on the tables for centerpieces. Today's theme was Africa. Marjorie and Rex served a mission in Botswana, Africa and there was a hint of Africa everywhere. It was beautiful. Marjorie will be missed. She was my mother's first cousin and I loved her dearly. I visited in her home monthly for over a year and just a week before she died we had a wonderful visit just days before Christmas. We talked about death. Marj had been diagnosed with terminal cancer just a few weeks prior. She was given about 6 months to live. She looked beautiful the day of our visit. She had been wrapping Christmas presents for her grand kids. She was a little breathless and mentioned that she had some fluid on her lungs. But she had done her own laundry that day.
She never complained about her illness and had a positive attitude about life. She mentioned that it would be wonderful if the Lord would let her go to sleep and her heart would just stop. Well, that's exactly what happened. I was surprised to get the Bishop's call telling me that she had passed away in her sleep.

Shortly after her diagnosis I found the cutest, cheetah, fuzzy, warm pajamas that I bought for her. I enclosed a card telling her that as she wore the cheetahs to remember what a fighter my mother was with her illness and that she too could fight the cancer that was taking over her body. Marjorie was such a lady, so proper and prim, and cheetah print probably really wasn't her style. But you know Linda ... I LOVE anything on the sassy side and I just HAD to get them for her. I wondered if she would ever wear them. This morning her daughter-in-law came up to me and with tears in her eyes said that Marjorie was wearing her cheetah pajamas the morning she passed away.

I'm so thankful for the promptings of the spirit. I felt prompted to visit Marjorie. Although Christmas rush was upon me, I felt that it was most important. I'm so thankful that I followed those promptings and was able to visit with her and give her a kiss on the cheek, one last time. Little did I know that she was very close to the other side.

Well, it's been a long day, but wonderful. I love working with these wonderful sisters and brothers! I love them for their dedication, hard work, and service and love for the Lord. The funeral was beautiful, the speakers were inspirational and the music was a gift from heaven!

After the family left, we boxed up the remainder of the food and ran it around to our shut-ins and elderly brothers and sisters in the ward. And I forgot, there were dishes to wash and dry, return to the owners, tables and chairs to be put away, floors to be swept and mopped, and doors and lights to be checked. Other than that ... a funeral is a breeze!

So here's the simple recipe I use for "Funeral Potatoes". If you have a better recipe, please post. We'd love to try it!

• (1) Pkg. Frozen Hash Browns or Cubed O'Brian Potatoes
• (1) Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• (1) Carton Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• Potato Chips, Corn Flakes, or Ritz Crackers
• Melted Butter
  

Mix soup with sour cream. Add shredded cheese. (As much as you'd like!) Stir until blended. Pour over frozen potatoes and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese. Crush potato chips, corn flakes, or Ritz Crackers and place on top. Drizzle with melted butter. (About a half of a cube.) Place in 350 degree oven til hot and bubbly.

Enjoy! Hugs to you all!!

Geez Louise!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged! Life just seems to get in the way.

I turned the 'ripe' old age of 62 in July and decided to take early retirement from Social Security. I now only work 19 hours a week at my wonderful nonprofit job at World Joy. I've been so busy that I don't know how I ever had time to work full-time. I'm really enjoying this early retirement status.

As promised, I need to catch you up on the status of the well in Abrenya, which so many of you donated to. We raised over $8,000. We have been waiting for a dryer part of the season before drilling. There was a terrible flood shortly after we left Abomosu, which destroyed most of the farmer's crops. It's been too wet to drill until now.

Abrenya was probably my most favorite village that we visited. The people are so grateful and willing to do their part in improving their conditions. We had to walk on foot, about two miles, into the village. It wasn't a hard hike and the weather was cooperating with us ... not too hot. There were sights, sounds, and smells that I had never experienced before and I was so grateful that I was finally here in Ghana, Africa!

As we approached the village we could see the World Joy school up on the crest of a small hill, nestled among the jungle. I watched a teacher running along the classrooms, clapping his hands to announce our arrival. Then the most marvelous thing happened. At least 200 children came running out of the school towards us. They placed their arms around us and loved and hugged us. As they were running they were shouting the word, "Obruni". I thought they were yelling "Granny", which my grand kids call me. We were all overwhelmed with the welcoming party and we all had tears of joy in our eyes as we hugged the children back. I later found out that Obruni means white woman and not granny!

We were shown the lovely school which World Joy built for this small village a few years back, as well as the living quarters for the teachers. The school is overcrowded and they need more classrooms. They could also use playground equipment and supplies for the students. The tribal leaders and village met with us under the Mango trees and had a little traditional dance and singing for us. They proceeded to thank us for all World Joy has done for them and then petitioned some additional help which they are in need of. We told them of our plans to build a well in their village. They were so grateful for the news.

Upon our arrival back to the states we found out that the government was going to be drilling a well shortly for their village. But, they are in need of an additional well, so the funds that we raised from our dinner in July will build the extra well that they need. We are in looking for a contractor and the drilling should take place any day now. I'll keep you posted with pictures as they become available.

I'm excited to announce that two large companies have asked if they could do a service project in our villages and then take 50 volunteers over to complete the projects. Veridian Energy from Norwalk, CT will be going over in February. World Joy will be conducting the excursion. They will be installing solar panels which will generate electricity for our new Health Post and Library in Asanafo, and school in Abrenya. These solar panels will store electricity in lanterns and the children will be able to check out a lantern in the evenings so they can work on homework and read.

I'm not at liberty to announce the other company's name just yet. But many of you are familiar with this company and may even be distributors for them. They will be announcing their venture at their annual convention in the New Year. So, I may be seeing some of you on their excursion to Ghana. They are going to build a school and then at least 50 of the distributors and executives will go over for a week to complete the project. I can't wait to announce the name of the company after their convention. Oh ... and I'll be at their convention in our World Joy booth so you may see me there!

After immersing ourselves in the African culture in Abrenya, the skies were threatening rain so it was time to hurry back to Abomosu. The rains came and the floods came up ... as we slipped and slogged our way back to camp. And I mean it didn't just rain ... it poured. I met a lovely young woman with a baby strapped to her back, a pan of plantains on her head, packages in her arms and she handed me a large palm frond to hold over my head like an umbrella. She insisted that I take it. She gave me the one that she was holding over her and her baby. I tried to refuse, but she insisted. That was the most kind and loving gesture!

So ... lots of great things are happening for our brothers and sisters in Ghana, Africa.

Life has been kind to the Hansen family. I'm so grateful for this past year. We've had three lovely grand babies join our family. We're enjoying good health. Perhaps I've partied a little too hard ... I've got about 10 pounds to lose. I've signed up for the Salt Lake Half Marathon in the Spring so will be starting training as soon as I get rid of this nasty cold. I lost my voice on Christmas day and it still hasn't returned. BOOOO!

Got lots to do today to get ready for my laundry room makeover, which my daughter Ginger and her family gave me for a Christmas present. Can't wait for Friday!

Abomosu Here We Come!

As promised ... I'll catch you up on my trip to Africa after telling you what I've been up to.

I had the wonderful opportunity of flying to Oregon and being with Natalie while she gave birth to her first boy, Jacob Doc Peton. Doc is a family name on the Peton side and I think it's an adorable name so I just may call him Doc instead of Jacob! It was a fabulous week getting to spend time with the girls while Natalie took care of the baby. I think my lot in life is being a mother. That's ALL I ever wanted in life. I loved every minute I spent taking care of the family.

I participated in another Half Marathon last Saturday in Provo, Utah, the Halloween Half Marathon. Words of advice ... don't participate in a Marathon without training first! There were several of us who dressed alike, "Where's Waldo", and we were VERY easy to find in the crowd of 4,000! A grateful thank you to my daughter Angie, and niece Eden, who stuck with me the entire time and helped me limp across the finish line because of leg and toe cramps! We had to leave the house at 4:30 a.m. to catch the bus in Provo at 5:30 a.m. The most exciting time of the race was riding on the bus up the canyon, which caught fire and we had to evacuate, in the dark, cold, and windy morning. It was FREEZING! Fire trucks, police, and ambulance arrived to make sure we were fine. It was pretty exciting!

Then yesterday we participated in the blessing of Margaret Rita Martineau. What a gorgeous little grand baby girl! Lindsey and Ryan provided a delicious luncheon for all, after Sacrament meeting. It was a great day being with family. I LOVE the Martineau family!

Back to Africa ... I was warned that I would be swarmed with people begging to take my luggage at the airport so they could receive a tip. No one bothered me in the airport and I was feeling pretty smug until I arrived at the van which would transport us to Abomosu. We were swarmed with many men trying to take our suitcases and place them in the van. I handed a tip to our driver and told him to disperse it to whom he thought was helping the best. It was sooo hard to ignore their pleas for money. But, I couldn't pay everyone, so had to tell them that Yaw would disperse the tip. There was a lot of grumbling and I had to just ignore it.

I was very worried that we wouldn't be able to get everyone's luggage into the van. Thankfully Teri, who has been a luggage handler for an airline was able to offer her expert advise and all luggage was soon packed tightly and neatly into the van. We piled into the van, with Granny in the front with the driver, and off we headed into the busy streets of Accra. Yes, it was a shock at first, to see all of the vendors coming up to the van as we stopped at the traffic lights, begging us to buy their wares. We were warned not to buy anything but a specific brand of bottled water or we would become sick. The breads and fruits and vegetables looked delicious, but once again, we couldn't eat the raw items without treating them with bleach first.

Our first stop was at the Accra LDS Temple. The grounds were beautiful and we were able to take some gorgeous pictures there. We didn't look too bad for having traveled 1 1/2 days without a shower!

We had many stops that we needed to make before driving to the village. The traffic was horrendous and crossing the streets on foot was literally taking our life in our hands! We had to buy some minutes for our international phone as well as internet time for our computer. Then it was off to the market to shop for our groceries.

The mall was very nice and modern with a very nice grocery store. All of the foods were imported from various countries so the prices were extremely high! We divided and conquered by splitting up in two's and shopped for our items. Total bill was over 900 Cedis. I'll never forget how frightened and vulnerable I felt while pulling out and counting 900 Cedis, in small bills, from my sweaty money belt!

Now the big challenge was getting ALL of the food into the van. Luckily I had brought a collapsible cooler which we placed our frozen foods into. We shoved groceries EVERYWHERE in the van, pockets, under seats, on laps, in between seats, you name it ... we stored it. And we made it fit. It was getting dark and our driver was nervous about making the trip into the jungle during the night, but we had no choice. We were ALL tired and hungry so ate at the mall. There was a nice chicken place and pizza place which we enjoyed. We were told that we didn't have to worry about eating the food there and we shouldn't get sick. And none of us got sick our entire trip! We were really blessed.

Finally we were on the road to Abomosu. It was dark, dusty, and extremely hard to see. What an experience! It took forever to get out of the city of Accra. And just when we thought the roads were clear and there would be a break in traffic, everything came to a screeching halt. The road would literally end and cars would be dodging pot holes, each other, people, and there was no rhyme or reason to where everyone was driving. It was a nightmare! There was no sleep for me! We had now been up for 2 days and a night!

It took us over 4 hours to drive 90 miles. We pulled into the little jungle village of Abomosu just after 11:00 p.m. The village was asleep with a few goats wandering around. We were excited to see our new home which would house us for the next 10 days. We pulled up to a gated structure and within minutes Brother Abu came to greet us and open the gates. The house looked wonderful compared to the other structures in the village. We quickly entered the home and were met with extreme heat! The windows had been shut and the fans weren't on so it was extremely hot and stifling. The appliances were much smaller than American standard and I was worried that not all of our perishables would fit in the fridge. The fridge wasn't working but we were able to run an extension cord into another outlet to get it to work.

Our party quickly spread out in the home to claim their beds. I was assigned to the bunk bed room. It had (4) sets of bunk beds and there were (4) of us sleeping in that room, so we each got our own bunk bed. While I took care of the groceries my sweet companions made up the beds for us. The pillows and linen weren't quite what we were expecting. The pillows felt like bricks under our heads. I learned to sleep better without one!

I thought it may be cooler sleeping up top closer to the fan, but it was extremely hard for me to climb to the top without a ladder, and the fan was making such a rackity noise, and my head was so close to the fan ... I thought it would chop off my head ... I decided to sleep in the bottom bunk. Because of sooo many high bunk beds in the room there wasn't much air circulation so my first night of sleep was next to nil. In the night I could hear something munching in the corner of the room. I was too tired to care so didn't worry about it.

We were all anxious for morning to arrive so we could see our surroundings in the daylight. I got up bright and early to see if the internet connection would work and post an e-mail to my family to tell them I had arrived safe and sound. Internet was too slow so decided to start cooking breakfast for the crew. When I went into the kitchen I was met with a 'slew' of bugs on the countertops. Although the windows were screened the tiny bugs could still fit through the screens. There was no hot water in the home so water had to be heated for dishes as well as treated with bleach. Even the egg shells had to be treated before cracking them into our food! Food prep took a lot more time because of the precautions that had to be taken.

It was a beautiful sunny morning and it was amazing to watch the villagers walking back and forth in front of our home, with Plantains and water buckets on top of their heads. The children were dressed in their school uniforms, fetching water for their homes before heading to school. I could hear the bleating of the goats, roosters crowing, strange animal sounds that I had never heard before, and smell the fires burning used to cook the villager's breakfast. The village was coming alive and my companions were still slumbering in their beds! I couldn't wait to get started for the day.

More to follow on my Africa trip .... Have a wonderful day!

Packing for Ghana!

Demonstrators sent in TONS of craft supplies which we used to teach crafting projects and left with some of the local teachers for use in the schools.

Some of the gang --- Holly was off getting something to eat and Trav and Terri had already left on the red eye to New York.
New York here we come!
Accra, Ghana Africa .... we have arrived!

Wendy Oakes, one of our school teachers and me at the Accra airport.

Looking Forward To This Day!

I know ... I know ... guilt trip ... It's been months since I've posted anything on my blog. I promise nothing is wrong. In fact everything is terrific. Yesterday was a day that I've been waiting and longing for, for years! I officially joined the ranks of receiving social security and I've semi-retired from my job. I'm taking my Social Security early because I'm afraid if I don't there won't be any left when I reach full retirement age. And ... gosh darn ... I've worked hard and I'm getting older and I deserve a little break from work! So yesterday was glorious. I woke early and sat in bed crocheting, then did a little reading, ate a little breakfast, played with the dog, took a little nap, ran some errands, cleaned a little bit, networked three of our computers to a printer, cleaned a carpet, and rearranged Lynn's office. I think he's afraid I'm taking over his personal space. I am!

And I only have to work 3 more hours this month at my day job. And ... I'm flying out to Portland, Oregon to stay with my daughter for a week while she brings her first baby boy into the world, tomorrow! Isn't this fun?

As promised, a few months ago, I told you that I would recap my glorious trip to Africa. So I'll post just a few comments today and continue to do so for the next while. I tried posting to my blog while in Africa but the internet connection was next to 'nil', so I was lucky to get an e-mail or two posted while there, to the family.

My Executive Director, Regina, and I planned a site visit to Ghana, Africa where World Joy has adopted 13 villages in the eastern region of Ghana. Up until working for World Joy I knew nothing about Africa, other than I thought South Africa was a location in Africa, not realizing that there are over 70 countries in Africa. Ghana is located in the western part of Africa and is a tropical country. There are no lions, tigers, hippos, water buffalos, and etc. that you typically think of when you hear the word, Africa. But there are man eating ants, large snakes, grass cutters and all sorts of strange looking creepy, crawly things. And of course the biggest danger, mosquitoes, which carry malaria.

When word got out among our friends and family that we were going to Africa, everyone wanted to come along too. Because we were going on a site visit to see the projects that World Joy had completed and assess what still needs to be done, we weren't sure how we could use volunteers on this trip. But soon there were 10 of us making plans to travel to Ghana together for 10 days. There were 3 mothers with 3 teenagers, 2 school teachers, 1 teenager, and one ole granny. I was responsible for the lone teenager. What a blessing these teens were. Talk about entertainment and such good, hard workers. And ... they were cheerful and so helpful the entire trip. Our trip wouldn't have been nearly as successful without their help.

We determined that we would each take 2 suitcases, one with personal items and the 2nd with school supplies, newborn kits, food, and craft items for our villagers. Our volunteers had raised money for paint for one of the schools that we were planning on re-painting and we put together a vocabulary packet for teaching English in the classrooms. This took weeks of planning and preparation.

Prior to leaving on our trip we were required to have a Yellow Fever shot to enter into the country. But many of us took extra precautions and had Typhoid shots and whatever else they recommended prior to take off. We also needed to secure passports and Visas, and an official entrance letter from World Joy. We also had to start taking our Doxycyclene pills prior to leaving on our trip and continuing taking them for 3 weeks upon our return. This was to prevent Malaria. We also pre-treated all of our clothing with Permethrine prior to our trip.

I planned the menu and shopped for food items that I knew would be hard to find in Ghana, like peanut butter and tuna fish and canned chili. And each traveler was asked to provide the ingredients for one dessert. So we all had brownie, cake, and cookie mixes in our luggage. We knew that it would be a hard adjustment for the next 10 days and if we had something sweet, and something from home, we could make it through anything!

So, on the morning of June 22nd, 8 of us took off from the Salt Lake airport heading for New York for a layover. Terri and Travis were flying stand-by and took a red eye the night before to New York and met up with us there. We were soooo excited. This trip brought 10 strangers together for an unforgettable and marvelous experience. I couldn't have asked for better friends to share this experience with. I still marvel that 10 people who had never met prior to this trip could have been matched more perfectly to live, eat, and sleep together for 10 days, without ever having an unkind or harsh word between us.

We arrived eager and anxious in New York and could hardly wait for the next leg of our trip. Our flight didn't leave until after 11:00 p.m. As we approached our gate for departure I noticed that we were in the minority for skin color on this flight. There were many blacks dressed in American clothing and a few in traditional African attire. I was mesmerized by the fabric and head dresses that the women wore and had great plans of acquiring a traditional dress while there. This was also the flight I was kind of dreading. I don't normally sleep well on a plane and have a hard time getting comfortable with my long legs. But one very nice thing ... my body is a lot smaller and the seats are much more comfortable these days!

Ghana is only 6 hours ahead of Utah time, so after flying all night we arrived at 2:30 p.m. the next day, which was only 7:30 a.m. Utah time. The sky was a little overcast and as I stepped off the plane I noticed the humidity, which was nice, but I was expecting more heat and surprisingly there was a gentle breeze. The airport was small and extremely crowded. Going through customs was a breeze. But going to exchange our currency into Cidis was very hectic. Although the money changer spoke English I had a very hard time understanding her and had to keep asking her to repeat what she just said. I had to exchange over a thousand dollars into Cidis and asked for small bills. And what I received in exchange was a wad of bills that would have choked a horse! Here I was trying to stuff the 'wad o' cash' into my money belt which was readily exposed for all to see. I was sure I was going to be robbed the minute I stepped out of the airport. Since I was the one in charge of the money I told the others that I would go meet the driver and wait for them. Picking up my luggage was a nightmare. There were at least 50 people, with luggage, trying to shove their way through a check-point. The officials were going through everyone's luggage. I decided to act like I knew what I was doing, so pushed and shoved my way through the check-point line and was able to get through without having my luggage searched.

As I exited 'check point Charley' I searched for our driver, Yaw, who said he would be holding a sign with my name on it. I've spoken many times to Yaw on the phone but we had never met. Sure enough, there was a good looking black man, holding a sign with my name. I ran with open arms, screaming, "Yaw!" He looked a little surprised, but hugged me back and grinned. A few minutes later another black man came over to us and I noticed he had a World Joy shirt on. It was then that I found out I had hugged the wrong man. This man was holding Yaw's sign while he used the restroom. We had a good laugh!

More to continue tomorrow! The next post will take you to the streets of Accra and thru the jungle to Abomosu our little village where we lived for 10 glorious days!

Hugs to you all! Make it a great day. I certainly am!

I'm On My Way Tomorrow!!!

Ghana, Africa ... here I come!

I'm all packed and ready to go. Now if I can just get a good night's rest I'll be all set for the big day tomorrow! I'm so excited. This is going to be an adventure of a lifetime!

I have planned all of the particulars for this big trip. We have ten people in our group going to Ghana. We have three mothers with three teenagers, two teachers, one teenager, and one ole' granny. It's been fun planning the meals, grocery list, and itinerary for the 10 days that we will be there. This will be a 'first' for all of us in our party. I think that's why I'm so nervous. I really don't know what to expect. I've seen lots of pictures and asked lots of questions and talked to the people we will be working with in Ghana, but until I actually experience it, I'm sure it's going to be different than what I've imagined!

We leave Salt Lake tomorrow morning at 11:00 and fly to JFK. Have a 3 1/2 hour layover there and then leave on a direct flight to Accra, Ghana at 9:30 p.m. We arrive the next day at 12:30 p.m. We have a wonderful driver with a 15 passenger van who will meet us at the airport. We are each taking 2 suitcases, one with our personal items and the second filled to the brim with school supplies, rubber stamps, ink, card stock, and paper. One of my suitcases was designated to hold food items. It was overweight by 2 pounds so I had to remove a 3 pound jar of peanut butter. I may be hand-carrying that on the flight! I hope TSA doesn't consider it a dangerous weapon! Gotta have my Extra Crunchy Skippy Peanut Butter!

Yao, our driver will take us grocery shopping, to the pharmacy to get our malaria pills, to the phone store for a phone card, and then to the computer store for a wireless modem. Yes, we plan on having internet in the jungle. After getting our essentials, we'll get on the road to Abomosu. It will take us probably at least 3 hours to get there. It's 90 miles from Accra, but on a very bumpy, rough road. We are going to be packed so tight in that van with all of our suitcases and groceries, I'm not sure where we're going to put the pigs and chickens??

My plan is to post our daily experiences on my blog as well as Facebook. I'll try to include some video footage as well. So, please check back daily to see the wonderful 'good' that World Joy and our volunteers are bringing to the Atiwa District in Ghana. We will be working in some of our schools which we have built, as well as helping out in the Health Posts, and helping repair and paint one of our World Joy schools. We've got a LOT of work to do, and I'm anxious to experience this new adventure!

I'm off to get a good night's rest. Probably won't get to chat with you until Friday!

PLEASE VOTE FOR WORLD JOY!

Hey Everyone .... it's a dark, dreary, dismal rainy day here in Salt Lake this morning. I HATE this kind of weather. Give me the sunshine and I'm a happy camper! You'll all probably laugh in a few weeks when my tune changes. I'll be leaving for Africa on June 22nd and I'm sure I will be experiencing some very hot and rainy weather. UGH! But I'm soooo looking forward to the trip. I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm excited ... all emotions are swirling around in my head. I'm not afraid that something scary is going to happen to me. I think I know what I will encounter, but until I REALLY see and feel the poverty and the living conditions of the villagers it will hit me hard and it will be very emotional for me. Not sure how I can handle that. I want to help everyone and yet I know it's not possible!

We had the most wonderful donation from Ogio. They delivered over $28,000 worth of backpacks and computer sleeves for our children and teachers in Ghana. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they are delivered. We have a fabulous sponsor who ships containers to Ghana every few months and has offered to ship the backpacks for free. Our first shipment of used books arrived a couple of weeks ago. They will be going into our first, ever school library. Isn't that marvelous?

World Joy has been nominated for the Vivint Gives Back Project for 2011. With your help, we have the chance to win $250,000, but we need your votes daily to win. A few months ago the Utah Food Bank was in a voting campaign to receive one million dollars ... and with their supporters they were the winners of the million from WalMart! We just need to get the word out! Put the link on your facebook, blogs, e-mails and help us raise funds for our mothers and children in Africa. You can vote once a day for World Joy. Please get the ball rolling to help our wonderful charity.

Here's the link to vote, http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject. When you get to the site you'll need to click on the Mountain Zone, View All, List, and then click on the "W" for World Joy. There will be voting button to click on. Let's make this happen!

Thanks to you demonstrators who have graciously donated retired alphabet sets, stamp sets, ink and paper to World Joy for our expedition. These supplies will be used in the classroom to help support our English teaching classes. We can still use more supplies. Please send to World Joy, 420 W. 1500 S., Ste. 101, Bountiful, UT 84010. If you let me know the value of your donation I can send you a receipt for tax purposes.

Can't wait to see many of you at our upcoming Evening to Remember - World Joy 2011 event. We will be having an organized swap, with (20) in each group. You can access our web here for information regarding the swap. You will need to bring your own adhesive and scissors for your projects. I still have a few more seats available. Please visit www.worldjoyghana.org to register or call me at 801-797-9935.

Loves and Hugs to All! -- Lou