We continue to work on funding for the 91 launched Gathering Places and Medical Billing and Coding project. The time that is spent on these projects is pretty incredible, but the movement remains so slow, yet steady. The Gathering Place concern is on the agenda of the First Presidency, so we feel good that everything that can be done, has been done. It would be interesting to know what number our item is on the list. Perhaps they will hear it next week. There is literally nothing else to say, but it is in the Lord’s hands. The MBC project is also in SLC. We are waiting, creating PowerPoints, and doing a lot of praying.
There is a wonderfully talented sister here in Accra, Bernice, who owns a shop called Bags by Bernice, where she sells temple bags, backpacks, dresses, aprons, etc.! (A point to make--- women always wear dresses. It is very rare to see a woman in pants. Women wear colorful dresses every day for all types of work. Dresses with large colorful patterns—everywhere!!) I joined her for a trip to Makola Market where she buys her fabric from another devoted sister who has sold fabric for over 30 years in the same little alley nook. We followed Bernice through the hustle and bustle of the market, careful never to be more than a step behind. A missed a turn, would mean days of frightful wandering before finding the path out!
Once at the shop, what a treat! I heard the meanings of traditional African fabric symbols and the stories of images. The shop was about 8’ wide, just wide enough for two people to stand facing one another, and 20’ long. The owners are devoted church members who have served as Ofankor stake president and Ghana temple president and matron. (I wish I could remember their names.) Sister took a long pointer stick and told the stories of the fabrics. Women choose fabrics to tell a story or explain a thoughts or life condition. For instance, one particular fabric that is rarely chosen, became very popular during covid as a way to offer strength. Symbols woven into the fabrics carry-on non-verbal traditions.
The orange fabric with the tree tells us that when we are alone, we bend, but a tree in a forest surrounded by others, will grow tall and straight. The white dress with the black figures (this a very typical Sunday dress—the streets are full of women dressed like this each Sunday) means, that the wearer will be your mother if your mother dies. The round images are cross sections of pillars, meaning that the wearer will be your pillar or strength.
I picked two fabrics as borders for an Adinkra symbol quilt. I’ll share the meanings of the fabric and the squares when I have the final product! I wish my quilting sisters in law were here to offer advise!!
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