Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Lent!  We have decided to give up flowing water every other week.  Right now we have it as it came on at 4:30 am on Monday morning.  We got up and filled our barrels as we never know when it will go off again.  The water had been off for about a week before coming back on.  We can make it just about that long without having to hire some kids to go down to the watering hole to fetch it for us.  This year we have been very lucky as it seems to stay off for a week and then return for a week.  We had considered a long list of other things to give up such as driving a car, chocolate cake, and Dunkin Donuts coffee.  However, all of this would be good only until we leave Ghana on the evening of March 16.

On Monday the school administrators and proprietor took us to the carpenter to see the desks and chairs being constructed.  As we mentioned in an earlier letter, “Friends” has paid to have these built. Twenty chairs are almost complete with the fabric being added to the seat and the back.  The tables have a basic frame but no top yet.  We think that both will be stained before delivery.  A nice thing about the things that we have paid for is that the work is being done by local residents.  This was true of the windows and doors as well.  The concrete frames around the windows and doors have now been painted, but doesn’t quite match the color of the wall.

On Tuesday we walked to M’ Sinai Senior Secondary School.  We pass the entrance every day on our way to school.  Some of the students which we had two years ago now attend there and invited us to visit.  The school now has about 1,200 students who are mainly day students but they now have some dormitory facilities as well.  We were shown around by a very nice teacher who introduced us in every classroom.  The school is located on the property of the “Sacred Order of the Silent Brotherhood”.  There is a huge “temple” which is about half the size of a football field.  There are very large twin towers in the front which are five stories high with large classrooms located on every floor.  Yes, we did climb to the top!  There are ten staircases (two required to reach each level) with twelve steps each.  If you have climbed to the top of a church steeple you have some idea of what it was like—narrow and closed in..  There are two other classroom buildings.  The first is a four story structure with a girl’s dormitory on the first floor and four to six very large classrooms on each of the top levels.  There is also a single story building with additional classes.

Unlike, the Okuapemmen Secondary School down the road, M’ Sinai is not considered a top rated school.  The large classes are the main reason for this.  The largest class we visited had 150 students! Students were practically touching the blackboard.  The teacher said they were in the process of dividing the class in two—just 75 in each class!  Most classes had in the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s.  The smallest class had 36.  The students stay in the class all day and the teachers move.  The upper level students are in the tower rooms and the lower levels are in the other two structures.  Considering the number of students the classrooms were not overly hot.  All the buildings are constructed so that they pick up some breeze—at least they did yesterday.

On our way out we were offered the opportunity to see the “temple”.  It is non-denominational and is used on Wednesday and Friday for prayer services.  They expect people to attend their own church on Sunday.  Easter is huge!  They expect thousands of people from around the world.  From what we were told they will get them.  The structure was built in the 1970’s.

Tonight we are planning to go to church at 7:30 for an Ash Wednesday service.  We asked if this was “White man” or “Black Man” time.  We were assured that it will start on time.  We shall see!

Yesterday was the first time that one of us was not feeling well.  Harry had a bit of a stomach upset in the morning.  The walk to M’ Sinai and all the climbing during the hottest time of the day was probably not a great idea.  When we came home he took a cold shower (there is no choice) and went to bed for a couple of hours.  He also went to bed early.  He is fine today.  One of the Project Abroad volunteers has contracted malaria, even with all the precautions.  The rainy season took along time to leave and left some mosquitoes here!!

We have asked the school for estimates for other projects for which grants could be written or which “Friends” might fund in the future.  Next week Harry is to travel to Accra with someone from the school to get some prices for an additional bus.  We are also getting prices to bring electricity to the campus, wire the rooms, and to drill a bore hole for water.  A man came today with an estimate for the water but he did not know that we do not have electricity.  I have asked about solar as an alternative and they are checking into that too.

Harry has also contacted a Rotary in Koforduia.  He will visit next Thursday.  They meet at noon for a lunch.  Thursday is our busiest day (with eight classes) so Joan will have to teach some of Harry’s classes next week.  He can do the first class but she would have his late afternoon group.  We just found out this information today so he will delay for a week to be able to plan something for Joan.  We think that an administrator and the proprietor will go with him.

We also just found out that the proprietor’s brother died in early January.  He was only in his 40’s and left three children ranging in age from attending college to primary school.  We do not know the cause of death.  The funeral will be a week from Saturday and we are invited.  They keep the body on ice for a very long time before the funeral is held.  This allows people from around the world to attend.  We will discuss funerals in a later letter.  They are very big and expensive here!

We will stop by the internet on our way to church to send this out.  Take care and be safe.

Love and Prayers,
Joan and Harry