Kribi in photos

 

This larger than life sized character and his mate (not pictured) are here to welcome you back from the beach into the hotel. Pictured below is their view of the beach and the extensive boardwalk to lead you to the sand.

Quite a view, isn't it! As you go across this lounging area, about halfway down, you'll notice a bit of disrepair. Then, to actually get down to the sand, the steps are, well, in need of modification. Certainly would never return with small children!

 

Our room was a tight squeeze. Yes, that is breakfast on the bed. But we weren't there for the room of course!

Proof we were there. ha ha

The twins played a lot of volleyball with our friends while we were there. Had to wait for the tide to be out, however. And below, Muz is liven' the good life, watching the games.

Hope you have enjoyed my picture album.

To Kribi: 2020

 

What A God We Serve

A vacation planned by God.

I needed to get away. God knows how much I needed to SEE other places and HEAR other sounds. So, He planned a family getaway.

Needed: a little extra cash to pay for it all – done in November

                a vehicle worthy of the trip -  done  early in December

               someone to care for our dogs in our absence – this was no easy task, since the dogs cannot be together any more, so the caretaker needed to be willing to be at our house for quite a while each time the dogs would need food or to get outside. A young new missionary was willing to help, and stay here some of the nights!
            
                another missionary friend to make the journey with …This is where the story gets interesting. Due to some difficult driving experiences in the past and our relative lack of French, we are far more comfortable driving in caravan with someone when we travel outside of Yaounde. When I found out that some families were going on vacation at the time we could also go I asked if we could tag along for the driving. Funny thing is, they’ve had similar bad experiences like us, but in reverse: our troubles happened while traveling alone, theirs while traveling with a caravan. So, when we asked them about driving together, they all said, “No, we are going to travel independently.”  Now at that point, I thought we were going on the same day and proceeded to make our plans because at least we knew that someone else that we knew would be on the road not too far away if we ran into trouble. But I couldn’t find a place to stay near where I thought they were going to be. Funny thing is, they were staying in a completely different area than where I was looking! In the meantime, another family was thinking of a vacation too. They knew the places down at Kribi far better than we and actually took the last room available at the location near the other friends!  But, funny thing is this couple was  more than happy to do the drive in tandem. They made a suggestion of a hotel not far from the group and we booked a room! (and considering we took the room sight unseen, it wasn't a bad choice) 

                The drive began on Tuesday morning and away we went with God and our friends. Our friends led the way. Though we know how to get there, it is the events along the route that get us all worked up. I know it is not a nice thing to say but THEY got stopped at the speed trap and we drove through. (This "speed trap" is a whole other story so just accept my statement as is and move on!) Then we were together again at the town mid way through the drive where most stop for gas and a little stretch break. We went separate ways to get our different choices for lunch and met them on the outskirts of town to get on the road again for the final part of the trip. Not far out of town we were both stopped by a ‘security’ check. (You never know, really, what the checks are there for. Some are police, some are speed, some are legitimate security – like asking for the emergency road supplies that all vehicles are required by law to carry.) Our friends were done in about 2 seconds but the officials wanted to inquire about us a bit longer. But we were soon free of them and on our way again. One thing that the people at that check were attempting to communicate to people is that the road ahead was dangerous with huge holes. Funny thing is, we are pretty sure one of those holes was the cause of our next God event. Our left front tire blew out. Shredded.

 Yes, we had a spare. But in this unfamiliar car we knew we were gonna be working on that for a WHILE. But God said, “No, remember, I arranged this trip with capable friends.” We called them; they turned around and came to the rescue. They could access their jack immediately; ours was buried. 

 

They have plenty of experience changing tires; us, only a little. The guy under the car is our friend's son.

 

 We stopped right in front of this building that happened to have a pile of cement rubble that was just what we needed to raise the truck so their jack would fit. 

 

We happened to stop right where a couple of young strong men were standing near the road, available to help us. One of them is in the picture above. I think we were back on the road in about 20 minutes and drove slow to the gas station not too far down the road to balance the air in the tires. We also weren’t too far from the outskirts of Kribi, where our hotel was. 

 

 

 

So, we arrived in the middle of the afternoon, settled in and went and found all our friends! 

                  Yes, Muz, that beautiful big dog belongs to one of our friends! 

Blessing Brag

 It is not often that I have several "stories" running around in my head like my husband does. Seriously, ask him sometime about how many stories he has to write. But right now I have at least 4 blog stories waiting to be told. The one I started on yesterday by copy/pasting some of my recent Facebook posts to combine was accidentally lost because I don't understand Word's desire to "recover" recent work. I assumed it was saved as I left it, NOPE. So I have now moved that one to "next in line." 

"What's a Blessing Brag?" you might be wondering.
It is when you get to brag about how God has used you to bless people. 

Blessing #1 The Printer Blessing
Probably more than a year ago we tried to sell our old printer and failed. That was because God knew that this month Dan and Lisa would need a new printer. Their old printer has worked to print off paper after paper of God's word in the village but didn't want to give anymore now that they moved to Yaounde. All our computers communicate with our old printer so we sold them the newer one. 

Blessing #2 The Bike Blessing
Maybe 6 months ago I thought we could sell the last bicycle we brought over. (Bicycles brought over are a story in and of themselves. But that is for another day.) One of the girls thought she'd still ride it some so we waited through the summer months. She never did use it again so up for sale it went. You guessed it, someone really needed a bike! Marc had been stuck walking for quite a distance sometimes to catch a ride for work. Now, after a bit of repair on the old bike he'll be on the go with less cost!

Blessing #3 The Clothing Blessing
Subtitle: Recycled Missionary Clothes: People change shape. Kids grow up. People leave. These are all reasons that we "recycle" our clothes. So as long as I can remember being here clothes have been sold and given away to other missionaries, local people, orphanages, and even to prison inmates. Our story is no different. Recently I have had an abundance of clothing to send to new homes. Maybe our shape has changed a little but mostly it is kids clothes that are no longer needed. So, I have been selling and giving clothes away since last Friday. MarieAnne bought the Tuxedo pants and jacket that Kevin used to wear for our formal event at school. (Oh, that Tuxedo, and a few others, were donations from The First Baptist Church of Atlanta that we got many, many years ago. So the story is even longer than the part I tell.) Anyway, she bought a pile of clothes from me and the Tux was in it. Her son will enjoy looking sharp. More clothes were sold to employees at school. MORE clothes were given away today to my garden helper, Elijah. And EVEN MORE clothes were given to Emelda who will send them out East to families who have next to nothing!

Blessing #4 The Combination Blessing
Through the sale of the printer, the bike, the clothes and the financial gifts of our supporters we have been able to help with three medical needs that otherwise we could not have helped with. 1) Vicky's back: hmmm, how do I summarize? Well, she'd been in pain a long time and God arranged so many details for me to be able to take her to a chiropractor and pay for her treatment. Even the chiropractor is surprised at her recovery! 2) Emelda's son: There is a problem with Joel's eyes but we really don't know what at this point. I've given her some money so they can do follow up work. 3) Elijah's son: This child has had infected tonsils repeatedly, I believe. The scheduled him for surgery and we just could not help with the cost. Normally we always try to contribute something even if it is just a small amount toward medical costs because these things are just not in the budget for many people here. But, like I said, through the sale of stuff, and more stuff, we gained a little to share. It really wasn't much more than a drop in a bucket of the cost of the surgery but Elijah was SO delighted to receive it. The young child has already had the tonsils removed and will return to school on Monday.
Oh, and there really is a 4th one that Kevin pointed out to me. All the money that comes to us is just blended together for us to live and Emelda's salary comes from that and Emelda tithes at her church and that tithe goes to help pay teacher's salaries in the North so kids can go to a "church" school instead of a government school; that is Combination Blessing number 4.

Do you have any Blessing Brags to share?

 

A Brief Travel Log

 

This is the view from my front door for the next 10 days. Not exciting, I know.  But, I could use some “not exciting” for a while. I will use the time to calm down from all the activity of the past 5 weeks of travel. I’ll dive into my studies in homeopathy. I’ll have all the time I need and want to spend in prayer. I’ll have plenty of time for exercise and PT for my shoulder. There is fairly reliable, if not fast, internet here at the center where I need to quarantine for these days for the safety of everyone so I can download as many of Michelle’s Faithful Workouts as seems appropriate. (Is all of them too many?) Everyone should look up Faithful Workouts. Michelle Spafadora has a fantastic ministry of gospel and workouts and good food! 

I wish I had thought of this theme, “View from my front door” back on July 18 when I started this 5 -week journey to visit family, friends, and experience life in the grand U.S. I would have taken more intentional pictures. I spent some quality time with all the family I could get to in this short time and that COVID-19 allowed me to. Those days were fantastic, of course, but I am glad to be just over a week away from being with my wonderful husband who encouraged me to go ahead with this trip and my dear Charis and Channah who are waiting patiently (or not) for me to come home again. 

  My first door was the Roger’s cabin in Carroll County:A wonderful, peaceful place to rest and simply existin God’s world. This was “home base” where my suitcases stayed until they and I left at 6:30 AM five weeks later. 

  If I wasn't here I was out shopping with Kaiah and sometimes Bradley or enjoying time at the Hancock's farm. Charlie and Donna are wonderful to welcome my clan over anytime. It's a gathering place for all of us whenever we find ourselves in the area. (Our families have been friends now for 3 generations.)

 In case you can't name those in the picture: l to R, Luke, Josiah, Drew, Bradley, Kaiah, Caleb.

 

I'm keeping this picture big cause Fin, the newest animal at the farm, is so darn cute!

My second door was one on Lookout Mountain, another place of beauty. TheCaldwells opened their cottage to me for the time I was in the south to see everyone down there. I enjoyed the company, of course, and the stunning mountain.

 What I did not enjoy but am glad God sent me, was 8 visits to Dr. Lesser’s office, the office with 3 chiropractors with a heart for God and people. They put my shoulder right, among a few other spots, after I slipped on one of those mountain trails.

My third door was that of the Presbyterian Church’s missionary loft in Elizabethton, TN. This was a short stay as I delivered Caleb back to Milligan University where he prays that he can complete an entire year of school. Will you pray with him?

Then I returned to Lookout for a couple days before journeying to my fourth door. I spent two lovely days with Jim and Jacque Rotruck, fellow missionaries in Cameroon quite a few years ago.  Again, of course, the company was fabulous and Jacque’s cooking is excellent. We enjoyed incredible weather and meals by the pool. I made my way back over the Appalacians to my “first” front door a couple days later. 

 YOU KNOW I DIDN’T take highways all the way to all these destinations. Check out my FB page if you want to learn the whereabouts of a few back roads. (Maybe I’ll compile those and my “comparisons” in a blog later this week. I’ve got the time.)

 

 After many hours of packing the heaviest suitcases our family has packed since the airlines lowered the limit to 50 lbs per checked bag, and one more road trip that included back roads to Delaware and back to get that a COVID-19 test, and  a few more visits with friends, on Wednesday morning bright and early Bradley drove me to Dulles Intl Airport and I arrived safely with three 70 lb bags and two carry-on bags approximately 35 hours later at Nsimalen Intl Airport. (Oh, I would be in trouble if I did not mention that it was Kaiah doing a lot of the packing of those three suitcases, which she has done several times now over recent years, and Bradley doing the weighing multiple times of those three bags.)

So, here I sit and the Cameroon Training Center, Yaounde, Cameroon with nothing but time on my hands and memories in my heart. 

P.S. I forgot about one of my travel days, the one when the black bear nearly wandered onto the road in the North Georgia Mountains. Kaiah and Bradley had joined me on Lookout Mountain for a few days to also visit with people and they needed to fly back to Maryland to get back to work. So, a second trip to Atlanta in 4 days, (we had to pick up Bradley from there since he didn’t drive down with Kaiah and I a few days before). I dropped off the kids at the airport, and like usual, I couldn’t drive straight back on those awful busy roads so into the mountains I went. And there, just on the west side of Ocoee National Park, little bear came out to say hello. (Nope, no picture, happened too fast)

Continued

After 3 fabulous days in Switzerland we did finally arrive in the U.S.

Met this adorable child, Luke. Oh, yeah, He's our grandson, and his parents were around too but I don't have any pictures of them!

                                                                  
 
 Shooting at Jim and Jacque's - some are a better shot than others!








                                         

Fourth of July celebration at the Ag Center in Carroll County







                                               Kevin and I had never been to a Hard Rock Cafe, but enjoyed this noisy lunch with our kids and Daniel's friend Alicia.





Ummm, did you know that July 30th is National Cheesecake Day? We missed the date but you really should go to a Cheescake Factory on that day if you can tolerate the crowds. Their cheesecake is probably 1/2 off.






Channah's request since long before we boarded a plane this summer was to go horseback riding again. We arranged to do this with Josiah at a farm not far from Lookout Mountain.

Caleb and I had one and a half days at his new school. We arrived early enough in the evening to catch a local baseball game. He was slightly out of his element since it wasn't soccer but I loved it! While he was at the school the next day I went wandering.



 HighPoint Climbing and Fitness centers are in several cities but I think Chattanooga might be the only place you can climb on the OUTSIDE of a building. (right)

Josiah, Charis, Caleb

 

 Last days at "The Farm," Thank you Hancocks!

 And to wrap up this eventful summer, look back at the family photo taken on the 4th of July.

A Summer in Pictures

June 15, 2019 my husband took me to Switzerland for our anniversary. Weeelll, not really. That was the choice Caleb made for his "after graduation destination." Then we were off to the U.S. for family fun and shopping and driving, lots of driving.

            Some views from our apartment window; no,I never got a photo of the place we stayed but you can look it up: Bible Guesthouse, Beatenberg, Switzerland. 

The most famous mountains of the area in the distance (Jung Frau)

 

          Took a cable car to the top of the Niederhorn, walked back down to the half-way station, got back on the cable car for the rest of the way down and a boarded a bus into Interlaken.

And we went off again on another explore the next day. This time on foot descending the mountain. Destination? Back to Interlaken to meet friends.

Probably the most photographed home in the town.

 If you look carefully you can see steps that we just came down. Then, below, you can see where we still need to go to get to the lake. Well, you can't really see where but you can see the height we are above the water, maybe. Anyway, it is a loooong way down. 

We made it to the boat just in time,

We met up with our friends at the train station and enjoyed a fabulous afternoon. 




 

The local Wal-Mart

This is the "local store" we were directed to when I asked where I could buy local products. Do you see a store clerk? We didn't either. It is an honor system, on the side of a mountain in a quaint town in the south of Switzerland. 
 
OK, so visiting Switzerland wasn't the longest part of the summer but it was the most photographed! I think I'll make another page for the rest of the weeks.