Culture Smart

Geography

“Welcome to Ghana – The Center of the World” is a proclamation you may hear during a visit to Ghana. The actual ‘center of the world’ is about 200 miles south of the port city of Tema, in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea. However, Ghana is the closest landmass to the artificial center created by the intersection of the Equator and the Greenwich Meridian.

Ghana is sometimes referred to as being under the ‘armpit’ of Africa or the ‘trigger’ of Africa- imagining Africa could be held as a gun.

Ghana is a very fertile and rich land, and is noted for its plentiful supply of yams, cassava, cocoa, rubber, maize, palm products, pineapples, oranges, papayas, avocados, plantains, bananas, and pepper.

Mineral resources are also synonymous with Ghana, which is the reason for its nickname, Gold Coast. Diamonds, manganese, bauxite, and timber are found in large quantities. In 2007 large, good-quality oil deposits were discovered off the coast.


Climate

Temperatures average 91 degrees F in the daytime, and 69.8 degrees F by night.

December through February is the coolest and driest time. This is also the time of the Harmattan, a red dust that covers the sky as it blows south from the Sahara Desert. Then it becomes very hot until April when the first of two rainy seasons start. Rainy seasons are April-June and October-November in the south. The north area of Ghana receives one rainy season from August-September.

More next week!

She's Walking!

This evening I was in the kitchen talking with my friend who had come over for dinner, and all of a sudden I heard JJ yelling, 'Mommy, Bobby walking!' I looked up to see the tail end of Jayla walking in the middle of the room! She'd been practicing standing on her own all week, and now she is ready to roll! She kept taking off over and over and over tonight!

You have to tilt your head to see the vid....I don't know how to flip it around!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Remains

(The Love Chapter for Parents)
By: Cindy Sigler Dagnan

If I spend my days building skyscrapers with blocks, assembling cool stuff out of LEGOs and creating relationships with other moms at Starbucks, but have not love, I am only the siren of the kids’ ride-on fire truck, annoyingly stuck on hold.

If I have the gift of knowing which child attempted to flush the Hot Wheels down the toilet and which one pushed her sister, and if I have faith that somehow we’ll survive life’s emergencies, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I save all my box tops for school and give outgrown clothing to the local shelter, and if I surrender my body to stretch marks and under-eye circles (without the benefit of BOTOX, tanning salons or diet bars) but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient when someone isn’t ready to use the big girl potty. It is kind when my husband has a hard day. It doesn’t envy my neighbor who drives the new sport utility vehicle I can’t afford.

It is not rude, snapping at my spouse or children when things don’t go my way. It is not easily angered at perceived or real injustices.

It always protects the smallest, sweetest family confidences; always trusts God to provide my children’s needs; always hopes in the freshness of tomorrow and the bright future of family; always perseveres amid hardship and doubt.

Where there are sleepless nights, they shall end. Where there are diapers, Little League and dioramas built from shoe-boxes, they will cease. Where there is knowledge of baby-care trends, discipline strategies and boy-girl problems, it will pass away.

Now these three remain: faith, lived out in my daily circumstances and instilled in my children; hope, of one day rejoicing with my family in heaven; and love, which covers over a multitude of less-than-perfect moments.

But, the greatest of these is love. It is what remains…..long after I am gone.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Mom the Builder

The other afternoon we went to Ankeny to try out a new park I had spied during one of our drives to the gym. Once we played awhile lots of people started flooding in to the area, and then somebody out walking handed me a map of kid’s activities that were going to be starting. I found out that we happened to be at the spot where the All City Play Day for Ankeny was about to be held. So, of course we stayed to get in on the action! And, JJ roped me into building a birdhouse at the Home Depot stand. The two of us hammered and nailed and followed the directions to come up with a crooked, non-weather resistant, and wobbly birdhouse! “It looks wow, mom”, JJ said. Yes, some definite wow factor going on. But, to JJ we were Bob the Builder and Wendy, and there was no lookin back. When we got home I had to snap a picture. JJ was SO proud of our creation!

Take 1

Ooops, eyes closed.

Take 2

CHEESE!

Last night we went to get some birdseed, but there were about 20 different kinds and they were all really expensive so we didn’t know which to get. We’ll have to ask Grandma.

We also found a great pond next to the park with lots and lots and lots of ducks to feed! In JJ’s words there were mommy ones, and daddy ones, and baby ones, and JJ ones, and Grandma ones and Grandpa ones….oh my! Jayla loved the ducks too, and would point at them and say Ooooooo and then she would roar like a lion because she thinks all animals roar. I snapped a quick pic on my phone.

The ducks came right up to us expecting food, and luckily we had lots of crackers in our bag. So, this was a great pond to get up close and personal with ducks. I don’t think there are any like this in Ames, at least we haven’t found any. If you want to go to this pond it is called Hawkeye Pond and it is off of NW Ash in Ankeny.

In The News

Yesterday afternoon while the kids took their naps, I happened to have the TV on the channel airing Michael Jackson’s memorial service. I hadn’t planned on sitting down to watch it, but instead had it on in the background as I worked on my naptime to do list. However, as I was listening to those that spoke of him and shared memories of him, I was quite inspired and encouraged. One part that caught my attention was when Martin Luther King III spoke. He said he remembers his father always telling them that they needed to find the calling that the Lord had for their life. And, once they found what it was, they needed to be the best at it that they could be. If they were to be a street sweeper, they were to be the best street sweeper that ever lived. If they were to be a teacher, they were to be the best teacher that ever lived. If they were to be a speaker, they were to be the best speaker that ever lived. He said that God put gifts and talents in each one of us, and they were to be used. Aim to be the best, he said. Try your hardest, he said. Whatever it is you do, do it well.

As I caught tidbits of the other speakers, who were family, friends, pastors, and others in the music business, I heard music to my ears. Right there on public television was the name of Jesus being spoken. A few of the speakers shared that although the family and friends of Michael were sad in his death, they knew that God had a purpose in it. They knew that there was life waiting after this life, and that this life is not our end. One speaker shared that this world is not our home. In this world we may have sadness and despair. We may be ridiculed, persecuted and hurting. But, there is comfort in Jesus Christ alone. And, might I add, a heavenly reward of eternal life waiting for those who would confess and believe.

I am not sure what those who tuned into his service expected to see and hear. In fact, one of the background commentators said at the end that they did not expect the service to be so much about family and so much about faith. In fact, I wonder if they would have aired the many parts about faith had they been able to edit it before. That stuff always gets cut out or played down. It seems like the focus of the world and the news and the stories on TV are centered around this man right now. And, I believe God used this memorial service that was shown around the world to display a tiny handful of celebrities saying that there is one God, there is life after death, and hope in the comfort of taking Jesus Christ our Savior. We will come face to face with God on the day we die. It is true and certain. I’m not on board with how America worships fame, I don’t know what Michael Jackson’s personal faith was, nor that of each of his family members, and I don’t know if he was guilty or not of the past accusations against him. But, I thought it was moving to see a few of his family and those that knew him demonstrate that although they are hurting from their loss, they know inside that God is sovereign and in control.