Making ourselves at home

About two weeks ago we moved into a house in Akropong where we will stay for the foreseeable future. It feels good to get to know our neighbors and start to feel settled. We came with our clothes and some books in suitcases, so this feels like starting fresh to furnish a house and figure out what we need.

A truck loaded with our stove and suitcases,

with some curtain rods tied on top

One of the projects before we moved in was finding a refrigerator and stove. After visiting several places and feeling overwhelmed by the options, we were grateful to have those basic appliances and very grateful for the friends who helped us transport them from Accra. At least we can make and keep food now! Just before we moved in, we bought a few plastic chairs and a small plastic table (which will eventually be used on our porch). Those have functioned as our only furniture thus far while we are waiting for a local carpenter who is making us a table and chairs, sofa, desks, and some other things. We did get a bed before we moved in, which involved multiple trips to the big city of Accra and asking for advice from several people. We also discovered the convenience of Jumia, an online store that will deliver items to our town so that we don't have to go into Accra.

The carpenter in Accra taking apart our bed to load it into the truck

in our living/dining room

While living without running water in the house for our first week or so and then having challenges paying our electricity bill, we have experienced some of the ‘drama’ of the utility companies in Ghana. We are thoroughly grateful for the simple gift of having water and electricity in the house, when they are there.

We are living at the edge of the town of Akropong, which sits along a mountain ridge. When we take walks in the neighborhood, we get some beautiful views of the valleys and forests in the areas around. We were specifically praying for a place to live that would be quiet and where we could see some nature around us. God has answered that prayer abundantly, and we are grateful for God’s provision.

One of the views while on a walk near our house.

Many new houses are being built in the area, so the

view may be different in a few years.