I'm Ghana Togo to Church Now

I apologize for the increasing stretches I must take in order to make puns on the names of the African countries [see the title of this blog post] that Susan's cousin Mary is visiting and working in. I'm torn between my limitless desire to be clever and my limited ability to do so. In stark contrast, Mary herself is at no loss of clever ways to express her experiences abroad. The latest update:

"On Good Friday I went to Aflao with Mavis to her church, the Church of Pentecost in Aflao. Aflao is the border town between Ghana and Togo. The service, like all services here, was very long. I stayed entertained by Mavis' interpreting the Ewe for me, the 'healing' of people who were sick, and the removing of voodoo curses. As always in Ghana there was tons of singing and dancing. On Sunday I finally got to the Catholic church, and . . . the service was five hours and also conducted in Ewe. The music and drumming were beautiful, and at one point the service turned into a full-out dance party. People here are not shy about singing and dancing. If I ask my class for a volunteer to show me a native dance, I have no shortage of willing students."

"On the way home from church on Sunday, I passed a dead cow on the road that someone was sitting next to and cutting up. He would then sell parts of it to people passing on the road. It was gross."

"Tomorrow Jon and I are going to bike to Keta by the ocean. He estimates that it is 'five or ten miles' there and back. One or both of us might pass out from heat stroke."

"On Wednesday I am going with Mavis to Accra to meet her aunt, who is from India and apparently keeps a handgun in her purse. That is all Mavis has told me about her."

"Mavis wants to cook Jon a big African meal on Saturday and says she needs me to help her. That means I will sit and watch her cook, and then she will make me do the dishes. . . . Mavis is an excellent cook, so I hope she changes his mind about the native cuisine. Every day I get fed enough for five people by my family and every other woman in town. I think I might be the only person in history to travel to rural Africa and gain weight."