Two Full Days in Accra

April 11-12, 2026

Saturday and Sunday were filled with a trip to the temple, tours of the MTC and Church Area Offices, a visit to the mission home, shopping in the art district, attending church, and exploring the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum. Here are a few highlights from two very full days!

We went to the temple early Saturday morning to attend a session. The Accra Ghana Temple has the same floor plan as the temple we attend back home in Lubbock, Texas—about two hours from Odessa. Parker said it was a neat experience to enter the temple as a missionary and discover that it felt so familiar.

One thing I especially want to remember is the deep reverence of the Ghanaian Saints. It was completely quiet before the session began—no one even whispered to the person next to them. There was such a peaceful, sacred feeling in the room.

We had our own personal tour guide for the MTC—Elder Samuel Essiam! Well, former Elder Essiam. He was an assistant to the mission president when Parker served as an office elder, and Parker always spoke so highly of him. After meeting him, I could see why! More on “Essiam” to come, but for now, just know that he won Brian and me over immediately—and he was a great tour guide.

Essiam now works as the supervisor at the Ghana MTC and had answers to all our random questions. Since Parker attended the Provo MTC, everything was new to him too. We toured the classrooms, cafeteria, and multipurpose room used for firesides and P-day activities.

This stairwell had pictures of West African saints who were pioneers in the gospel.

We also learned how competitive it is to be hired as an MTC teacher and about the food service. The cafeteria contracts with a catering company for six months at a time and then switches companies, giving the teachers/area office employees some variety in their meals. Interestingly, the employees preparing and serving the food were not members of the church—what a great opportunity for the workers and missionaries to interact with one another.

After our morning temple trip and MTC tour, we stopped for a picture at the Black Star Gate in Accra’s Independence Square. The monument commemorates Ghana’s independence in 1957 and bears the country’s motto, “Freedom and Justice.”

Next, we wandered through the Accra Arts Centre, an outdoor market packed with what felt like hundreds of little booths. Everywhere we looked, there were colorful fabrics, paintings, baskets, beads, carvings, drums, clothing, and souvenirs. The vendors were eager to show us their goods—and Parker and Essiam were just as eager to bargain!

Parker is with Wisdom. I think Essiam taught him when he served in this area. He is currently serving in his ward as the building coordinator. It was great to know he was still participating in church. We purchased several canvases. (No bargaining here...we wanted support him and his business.) 

Sunday morning, we attended church, of course. We had spent a lot of time with Edmund, our driver, so it was wonderful to finally meet his wife and all five boys! Parker helped teach many people who were baptized during his mission, but he said Edmund’s family was the only entire family who joined the Church together. It was pretty special to see that, two years later, they are still going strong.

Most of the time in the car, Edmund listened to talk radio. But on Friday and Saturday, he suddenly switched to General Conference—or so I thought. It was actually one particular conference talk playing on repeat, which was a little confusing at the time. Once we attended church on Sunday, however, it all made sense: Edmund was teaching the Elders Quorum lesson that day and had been preparing!

After church, we visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Well, Brian did not. He decided to have an afternoon nap so he would be "back on top" for our adventures to Cape Coast the next day....but back to the park.... It honors Ghana’s first president and one of the leading figures in Africa’s independence movement. 

The memorial is the final resting place of Dr. Nkrumah and his wife, Fathia. We also toured the museum, which has photographs and artifacts from Nkrumah’s life and Ghana’s fight for independence. It was an interesting way to learn more about the country’s history and the man who played such an important role in shaping it. 

This bronze head was once part of the original statue of Kwame Nkrumah that stood outside Ghana’s Parliament House. When Nkrumah was overthrown in a military coup in 1966, the statue was pulled down and decapitated. The body was eventually recovered, but the head remained missing for 43 years. In 2009, an elderly woman who had quietly kept it safe returned it to the government. Rather than reattach it, historians recommended displaying the head separately as a reminder of that turbulent chapter in Ghana’s history

The car President Kennedy gifted President Nkrumah was in the lobby area along with several photographs.

The exterior of the museum features detailed relief carvings depicting a traditional Ghanaian gathering. The design combines Ghanaian Adinkra symbols with touches of Egyptian influence, reflecting Nkrumah’s vision of African unity.

I love this picture of Essiam and Parker. Two great friends—one born in Africa and one who will always carry Africa in him.

Bumpy Roads, Beautiful People

April 9-10, 2026

We spent two days visiting some of Parker’s former areas farther outside the city—Akuse and Asutsuare one day, and Zenu New York the next.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.

The roads were awful. Like, AWFUL. We were packed into a small, hot car on hot, humid days. I limited my water intake because public restrooms weren’t exactly easy to come by in Ghana. Much of the drive was on dirt roads covered with large, built-up speed bumps. It felt like one very long—and very bumpy—dirt roller-coaster ride.

But at the end of that crazy ride, we were rewarded with such pleasant and interesting visits in the villages. And then, of course, it was back onto the dirt roller coaster for the drive home.

After the first day, I told Parker and Brian that I was officially out for day two. But after hydrating, recovering from the carsickness, and getting some rest, I was back on top!

“Back on top!” became my little Africa motto—or maybe my personal cheer—whenever the heat, roads, or exhaustion got the best of me.

Here are lots of pictures from our time in "the bush." 

We ran into missionaries a couple of different times, but this was really cool because these elders live in the same apartment Parker lived when he first started his mission. They were just heading out after lunch so we were able to go inside the apartment and see it. 

We ran into these four missionaries as well. They were visiting two ladies, at the shops behind us, who were getting baptized the next day.

Our driver, Edmond, is next to Parker. He is in several of the photos and was someone Parker was able to teach and baptize on his mission.

Parker was especially excited to visit Matilda, his “mission mom.” She took such good care of the missionaries. I remember Parker telling me how strong and hard working the African women were. He was in awe of Matilda. Her day would start at 4:30 with cooking. Then she would get her boys to school. Then she would work all day making and selling food and doing everything else to keep up a the household. 

We were able to meet her husband and two boys who were about ten and twelve. Parker didn't really know the husband well at the time, but he has become involved and strong in the gospel the past few years. Matilda is serving at the branch Young Women President and she does catering for some of the YSA or church activities. The Senior missionary couple told us that although Matilda's husband didn't know it yet, he would probably be called very soon as the next branch president. I hope that is working out for them! 

I wanted to do something special for Matilda since she was so good to Parker. I finally settled on a wall hanging of The Family, A Proclamation to the World. I enjoyed talking to her about her family and calling, and I hope she feels the connection of being sisters in the gospel when she looks at it. (We also brought her boys some American candy to try, and Parker slipped her a generous tip when we had lunch.)

This is her new restaurant, and she fed us some amazing food. 

It was Brian and my first autentic food in Ghana, and it was great. Parker LOVED it. He had banku and peppa with talapia

Speaking of being sisters in the gospel, when we were in Zenu New York, we ran into these beautiful Relief Society ladies. It was midday and they were gathered in the courtyard preparing food for a funeral the next day. The radiated joy and love. Even though we only stayed with them about 10 minutes, I would have loved to spend the afternoon with them. It felt like I was back at home serving with my sisters in the Odessa First Ward.

Another family we stopped by.

The church in one of the villages we visited. 

The picture below is from the inside of one of our churches we visited. I don't think it was the same church as the picture above. This buidling was having some work done inside, so it was a little dishevled. However, I LOVED seeing the white board with the Plan of Salvation outline on it. Again...it just took me back to Odessa First Ward and made me feel more connected to the saints in Ghana.

This is Brother Prosper. He has three young daughters and his wife is a teacher at their school. He has a couple of small shops he runs in the village. (Shops are usually just a small room attached to a home or a stand on the street.) He was another member who took really good care of the missionaries when Parker was out. 

He was very kind to prepare a meal for us. I also loved getting to be in their home and a couple of other families we visited. When Brian and I have traveled in Mexico or the Dominican Republic, I was always itching to see a little more into every day life rather than just the touristy attractions.

This is the outside of their home. There were lots of chickens here and wandering through the village. I also thought about how the stairs would never pass code in the states. (They live downstairs.)

We walked about six blocks to use a machine that pounded the fufu.

When Parker was on his mission, they pounded this by hand.

The fufu he made us. Brian and I tried it, but Parker ate it. (Parker's friend gave it to us and then went outside to do something. Park said that was very common. As a missionary, the members would prepare food and then leave the missionaries to eat alone.) We knew we needed to be careful with what we ate and how the food had been prepared. All of our water had to be purified. Parker was sweet to look out for us. 

Brother Prosper's kitchen. This is how the missionaries in Parker's first apartment had their pots and pans stored as well.

 

Sister Esther Apoku sewed our native dresses that Parker brought home for us after his mission. AND, I loved getting to hold this sweet, chunky baby. I think he was 14 months and he was solid! His mom had him strapped on her back while she worked. Impressive. (It's SO hot. They work very hard, and he weighed easily 25-30 lbs.)

July 2023 Blog post

More pictures of what we saw while we where traveling.

And these last pictures are from a visit with one of Parker’s favorite families, the Mensahs. We gathered in their store, located just outside the courtyard of their home. Sister Mensah had a bubbly personality and was quick to laugh. She had also prepared food for us, which was so thoughtful and kind.

Her husband works outside the country, and her son works part-time at the MTC—a job that many consider a wonderful opportunity. However, because of the distance, he leaves home at 5 a.m. and doesn’t return until 9 p.m. Sister Mensah was not a fan of that schedule, and I couldn’t blame her!

Her daughter Jessica was expecting her mission call any day. It was fun to talk with her about Aubrey’s recent mission call and share in her excitement. We later learned she received her call to Nigeria.

As we visited, it was easy to see why Parker loved this family. They were warm, welcoming, and a lot of fun to be around.

Bri, Jessica, Dennis (another friend who stopped by and who is waiting for his mission call. He has now received a call to Liberia.), me, Sister Mensah, Parker and Edmund in front

I’m so glad I rallied for the second day. (Back on top!) I’m fairly certain we will never make it back to Africa, and I would have hated to miss those experiences. We met families Parker had grown to love, were welcomed into people’s homes, tried new foods, and caught a glimpse of everyday life in Ghana beyond the busy capital city.

Everywhere we went, people were incredibly kind and hospitable. The roads may have been rough, but the people and experiences waiting at the end of them made it completely worthwhile.

The Sweetest Faces of Ghana

April 2026

 

I loved this artwork hanging in the mission home. I had never seen this particular picture before, but something about it stirred a deep love inside me.

The children in Ghana were absolutely adorable. They were curious about us and sometimes brave enough to say hello, come touch us, or hold our hands. Then they would squeal and run away. Most of the children were in school during the day, but we learned that some have to stay home while their families save enough money for uniforms or school supplies.

While we were visiting one of the villages, a little group of children followed us for about a block. One girl, who looked to be about five years old, had a paper bill clutched tightly in her hand. I playfully reached over and tugged on it, but she quickly pulled her hand away. I immediately felt a little bad because I could tell she had probably been given strict instructions to keep it safe.

She told me the money was for water. In Ghana, small plastic bags of drinking water can be purchased from the little shops.

Of all the children I interacted with during our trip, only one ever asked me for anything. She asked if I had any water. I didn’t, and at that moment I was separated from Brian and Parker, who had the money. I still feel badly that I wasn’t able to help her.

I think Parker was especially happy to hold this little guy—particularly since holding children wasn’t something he was allowed to do as a missionary.

The children seemed to have so little, yet they also seemed happy and resourceful. Some were playing with old tires. I remembered a picture Parker had sent home during his mission of a child playing with a sardine can that had tiny wheels attached to turn it into a car.

At one school, the children were playing in an enclosed dirt courtyard. When they saw us, they ran up the stairs to a window so they could wave. We were every bit as happy to see them—to smile, wave, and say hello—as they were to see us.

I also loved watching the women carry their babies on their backs while they worked. This little guy was Edmund, our driver’s son.

At the bus station, we saw two tiny babies nestled close to their beautiful mothers.

And this sweet little doll was blessed in Accra on the Sunday we attended church.

The children were a sweet and memorable part of our time in Ghana. Their curiosity, big brown eyes, and simple happiness found a permanent place in my heart.