Picture from the Guardian newspaper in Nigeria
On August 17, 2019, a newspaper in Nigeria published a story that started like this: “As part of its commitment to a clean environment, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nigeria is partnering with the Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), states and local councils to clean, paint, renovate public institutions, and market, erect street name posts, and collect seaweed and garbage from waterfront. The exercise is part of activities for it’s 13th annual All Africa Service Project (AASP) … across the country.” [https://guardian.ng/news/church-lawma-join-others-for-community-sanitation/]
According to the Church’s website, the All Africa Service Project, “organized yearly by the Church, is but one of the many rallying points that the Church uses to sensitize both its members and non-members on the love for community and the need to keep our environment clean.”
The Christiansborg Stake, our stake, selected to have its members help in the New Horizons Special School prior to opening its doors to the new school year. Members of the stake have served and still serve in this school as special teachers, music instructors and in other capacities. The New Horizon Special School in Accra, Ghana, provides education and training for children and adults with mental disability as well as day school education for children, vocational training and employment for adults between 4 and 40 years of age. Funded through donations, sponsorship and the proceeds of their products, any kind of support is very welcome.
My friends Shelley, Naume and I went to the school with Sisters Andrus and Hamilton. We entered the building and noted that everything looked clean. The small library was organised having everything in its place. Upon our arrival, we found the school director and she asked us to clean the upper floor that was very dusty. Not knowing what we were going to do prior to getting there, we went unprepared. We had one washcloth, one bucket, one scrub brush and 2 pairs of rubber gloves to use among the four of us. The school staff provided some wet cloths, a large cup to fill the bucket from the small bathroom sink and some powdered detergent. We went to work starting with the two bathrooms. Dust and dirt were everywhere. We cleaned walls, windows, doors, sills, floors, and, of course, the sink and the toilet (which was surprisingly clean on the inside). Two other families came to help and in two hours we had finished “dusting” the kitchenette and several offices/bedrooms. We were almost done when one of the organizers came to tells us that they were going to take a group picture outside and they wanted us in it. That is when I realized that probably the original idea of the service project was to clean the large schoolyard, removing trash and debris, mowing the grass, and general clean up. And when we went outside, the evidence was there: a very nicely groomed backyard with very nice piles of debris ready for pick up. So we contributed an additional service that had not been contemplated in the service plan. Not bad, I would say. And we did go out for the picture but got distracted and probably missed it. I have found that group pictures are totally spontaneous in Africa. No one says: 1, 2, 3, smile! Or maybe they do but no way to hear the photographer who is at a high point looking down. I just got some random pictures and here they are.
This tree in the yard of the school reminds me of our island. A large gourd like the ones on the tree would be used to make rustic bowls or vases. Smaller gourds are still used to make rhythm instruments such as maracas and “güiros” (a long gourd is dried, scored with horizontal lines and stroked with a wire pick to make a rasping sound). They are sold everywhere in Puerto Rico during the Christmas season, but Amazon has them year round, as you see in the picture below. To the right, a gourd vase we bought in Côte d’Ivoire.
Journey to Serve 