Banyo update

Long time, no blog! Since our last blog update, we finally made it back to Banyo! And I would have loved to tell you all about it while we were there, but unfortunately our Internet was soooo slooooow. If only I knew an IT guy that could do something about that. ;) Ironically, the whole time that we were in Banyo Josh was consumed with finishing millions of lines of code for his Mbingo project (this sentence is the extent of my knowledge on what said code actually does.) That project will eventually be put in place in Banyo which should increase our Internet speed in Banyo- so here is hoping for more Internet umpf to be able to blog, maybe even skype or watch the Chebacca mom viral video.

I digress. Back to the blog and the reason I keep talking about Banyo in the past. We are now in Mbingo once again! After one short month in Banyo, Josh was needed once again in Mbingo. This time he is joined by another electrical engineer from the States. They will be doing a massive electrical project for the hospital. Charlie and I are excited to catch up with our friends again. One such friend is Mamudu. He wants me to teach him English. Ha! His English is amazing (way better than my Fufulde), but I guess we can both help each other learn more.

But while we have great Internet, I thought I would share some stories from Banyo over the next few weeks! Like how it was really great reuniting with our friends in Banyo! Here is a picture of Charlie playing Disney Princess Monopoly with her former nanny Bianca and the mother of our house helper- Ma Brenda. Ma Brenda won by the way and the whole time she kept on saying, “Oh look at all the money I have!”

Not only were we able to catch up with Bianca, God poured out His blessings on us as we were able to arrange for her to continue to watch Charlie in the afternoons after she is done with her teaching responsibilities at one of the local schools. I cannot tell you enough how awesome this is! Bianca is phenomenal!! It is no easy task, we have heard from other missionaries, to find responsible and reliable caregivers for children!  Sometimes she even brings her baby and Charlie likes to think that she is "watching baby Beatrice!" Charlie loves her and so do we!

A Tea Estate Birthday

Today, my sweet little baby turned 5! I can't believe it- she is a big kid now!

So we had to celebrate! But there is no Chuck E. Cheese here so we had fun- African style!

First off, my "big kid" requested breakfast in bed for her birthday. When  I asked what she wanted, she said "fruit with a side of carrot sticks!" My child eats like a rabbit. So fruit with a side of carrot sticks it was, but we have a tradition of a cupcake for breakfast so we had to include that also!

Guess what she ate first? Yep, the carrots!

Then we went on an adventure to the Ndawara Tea Estate. It is the biggest privately owned tea plantation in the world and is about an hour from Mbingo (if you take the crazy muddy and windy roar or 2 hours on the nice road).

The Birthday Girl was a little disappointed when she learned that the tea plantation was were tea grew and not where you went to have fancy tea parties.

But she was excited again when she saw all of the animals at the tea plantation!

Here is a pic of our friend Mamudu and Charlie checking out the horses and all of the babies. (I love this picture because she is very shy with new people, but she has finally warmed up to Mamudu- so sweet!)

There were also different types of primates.

And ostriches and peacocks.

And super scary snakes!

Oh and the tea plantation also has tea!

And on the way home there was this beautiful waterfall!

When we got home, we had a kid friendly dinner (chicken fingers and corn) and then cupcakes, popcorn, and a movie with friends! Charlie said, "it was the best day of her life!"

He is risen!

Charlie and I woke early on Easter morning- at 3:45 am. Yes- AM (hence the reason Josh decided to stay in bed). You see, we had to get to church and even though we woke “in the middle of the night” (according to Charlie), we were late!

Easter is a big celebration here even without grocery aisles of Peeps or visits from the Easter Bunny.

At 3:30 in the morning, the drums started. Wake up everyone! Get to church!

The Easter party started at the church where youth and kids banged on drums and shook gourds filled with beans. Following behind, the crowd took to the road singing and dancing. Through the hospital compound, the joyous sound could be heard. We met up with them at the hospital exit.

Then we marched past the market and waited for more people. Eventually the crowd grew bigger and it was time for us to take the celebration on a hike up the mountain (maybe a mile?) in the dark. Charlie did awesome! She walked it all!

We sang and danced. We celebrated the fact that Jesus conquered death and sin- for us. We heard a message that called us to find our “mission field” because like the women at the empty tomb we all have been called to “go and tell what we have seen!”

As the service ended, the sun arose. It was a beautiful sight. The whole thing was so moving. What a celebration! And as another missionary said, “There is no doubt to the unbelievers living around here that today is a special day!”

We then hiked back down the slippery mountain (I only fell on my bottom once) and then down the road.

Although the group continued the celebration at church, Charlie and I went home because I thought we could use a nap. Ha! Charlie had another idea- her Easter basket! I had brought a few treats for her from the States. Yes that is a Cabury egg in her hand- yum!

Josh woke up to a fun Easter surprise too- preseptal cellulitis (aka an infection around his eye). He looks like he got punched in the eye. Shinar has a shiner! (not to worry- it is getting better after some antibiotics- great thing there is a million doctors here!)

Then we celebrated with 30+ other missionaries at an amazing Easter pot luck and the food was awesome! I am starting to drool even thinking about it again. Charlie had a ton of fun playing with friends.

Although I miss family and friends (and even some of the holiday hype) during holidays, I love being in a community where it really is all about Jesus. Where it is less about stuff and more about time with people! Less about stuff and more about a concern for the lost! Less stuff and more Jesus! For He is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Rain, rain, it's time for play!

I made a vow to myself that I would blog once a week. Last week I failed. We were busy with a retreat that we had with some of our Banyo colleagues and we didn't have internet for several days. Nonetheless, I failed. So even though Josh blogged yesterday,here is a bonus blog to make up for last week... and there are lots of Charlie pictures!

When we first arrived in Cameroon, it was the end of rainy season. This is by far my least favorite time of the year. Dust, dust everywhere! As the rainy season approaches, the humidity builds and you are sure that it is going to rain, but it doesn't. It just gets hot and sticky. And your feet look like this after to walk to the market.

In Mbingo, the Harmattan is so thick at the end of dry season that you cannot even see the mountains right outside your door. What's a harmattan you ask? It is a dry wind that blows over the Sahara Desert and picks up sand and then covers Western Africa is a fog like sandy haze.

Then it happens- it rains and rains! Glorious rain! Not all day and not everyday, but almost everyday really heavy rains fall. You can hear it in the distance falling loudly on the tin roofs as it approaches (usually just enough warning to run outside and get your almost dry clothes off of the line). Maybe it is because I lived in a desert for so long, but I LOVE the rain. It smells amazing. The sound is soothing. The temperature instantly cools. The mountains turn green again. People slow down and rest. Planting starts and people are hopeful at the prospect of their crops.

But what is one to do if you are an active preschooler when it rains?

Well,

You ride horses even though the sky is dark and it is thundering because it is just "a little rain."

Or you read outside on the porch under the overhang while mom studies.

Or play in a blow up pool with friends because wet is wet!

Or you dye Easter eggs.

Or when mom is really going crazy, she just might send you outside in your raincoat and boots!

Josh's blog- SIAS

A blog from Josh!

We are getting very close to launching the very first formal release of SIAS, the Sustainable Internet Access System. I have worked pretty much straight through since my arrival here in Mbingo in developing an improved version of SIAS which will give the hospital a huge boost in sharpening its most valuable information tool: the Internet. I was able to present my project to the board of the hospital chain last week which was very encouraging. They are very interested in deploying it to all the other CBC hospital locations. Once we get those running, I hope to make it available to the world! There of course remains an infinite amount of work to do in Africa, but progress is being made.

We had a wonderful time of meeting with our future Banyo team here at Mbingo last week. We look forward to our soon approaching return to Banyo. We have some great ideas that we are praying through with how to reach out to our city.

I am working with a new American doctor here in Mbingo, the chaplains and our IT team to develop a way to get the Jesus film and the spoken Bible on as many patient's phones as possible. The material is in their heart language so it is very meaningful. Right now we are loading them one by one onto a handful of phones but we hope to spin that up by making a way to distribute preloaded SD cards compatible with the majority of cell phones here. Sorry iPhone users, no Jesus film for you...but as it turns out that doesn't exclude anyone here anyway. I'm always amazed at how technology can be used in such a powerful way on the mission field. Think about how much better it is to be able to give someone the complete story verses a sheet of paper with a few questions on it. Plus the cool factor of watching a video on one's phone hasn't worn off yet here.

I've also found some time to hike and enjoy the beautiful scenery!

International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day!

Did you know there is such a thing as Women's Day? I had no idea until I moved to Cameroon! I first learned about it when I saw so many women wearing the same fabric, you see each year there is a special fabric print for Women's Day. It is the “trend of the year” for sure. But the movement goes beyond just fashion. In a developing country like Cameroon, Women's Day is an acknowledgment of the plights of women and in Cameroon there are many.

Another thing I learned when I first moved to Cameroon was the Pidgin word, “ashia” (the “I” is silent). If you walk the streets, you will hear it a hundred times. It is more than a greeting. “Ashia” is used when you see someone working hard, struggling, or in pain. It is a way to show sympathy, but even more it is way of saying “I appreciate you” or “I see you.”

To be seen is so important. For generations, women around the world have not been seen. Their needs, struggles, abuses, dreams, hopes, and human rights have not been seen or appreciated. Today, many women around the world and even in America are invisible. As a woman of privilege, I did not see. I have never had to worry about where my next meal would come from, if I would be safe in my home, if I could find warm shelter for the night, if I could could an education, if I would succumb to a health problem because I could not afford healthcare, etc. These struggles were not in my eye sight. “Out of sight out of mind.” Living in a developing country, my eyes have been opened for sure.

So today on Women's Day, there are many women in Cameroon to whom I would like to say “Ashia- I see you!”

• To the woman Charlie and I saw carrying a giant load of wood on your head (the one to whom Charlie said, “Whoa!” when she saw you): You work hard to ensure you and your family not only survive, but thrive! Ashia- I see you!
• To the girls in the Far North Region that were abducted by Boko Haram 2 years agao: You are not forgotten. Ashia- I see you!
• To the thirteen-year-old girl that was taken out school so that she could get married and provide her family with dowry money: You are worth more than gold. Ashia- I see you!
• To the women whose husbands abuse them in the privacy of their homes: you have done nothing to deserve this. Ashia- I see you!
• To the young girls that have had their breast flatten in painful ways by your families so as to discourage boys from looking at you: you were made perfectly. Ashia- I see you!
• To the mothers raising children: your efforts will not be in vain. Ashia- I see you!
• To the women who did not consent: you are not damaged. Ashia- I see you!
• To my missionary friends that have left home, friends, and family: your faith encourages me. Ashia- I see you!
• To my daughter and the next generation of women: we have made some progress in the fight for women to be seen so that you can continue to make more strides. Do not close your eyes. Ashia- I see you!

Women of Cameroon: Ashia- I see you, but more importantly Jesus sees you.

“God never overlooks a single sparrow. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail – even numbering the hairs on your head!” (Luke 12:6-7 MSG).

Shopping in Cameroon

Today I went shopping.

Shopping in Cameroon is an experience for sure and it is never easy- specially if it involves driving in traffic like this.

Today, I traveled an hour from Mbingo to the "big town" of Bamenda. There are a  few fun stores there that have things you can't get at most local markets- like cheese puffs, shampoo, and corn starch. (Don't tell Charlie and Josh, but I even got an ice cream cone!)

Cameroon shopping is quite diverse! When I was in Yaoundé, I went to my favorite store called Orka. It is like a mini Ikea. It is 3 stories tall, has air conditioning, the kitchen aisles are arranged by colors, and the prices are very reasonable.

This is Orka:

This is the market I usually shop at while in Mbingo.

And a little store that I frequent. (Sorry for the blurry picture. I was trying to be incognito):

Here is the floor of the shop I buy most of our daily groceries. I don't even want to think about what creatures live under that floor (and perhaps also frequent the shop).

This is where I buy vegetables.

This is where you can buy fish (I say you, because I do not buy this fish here, but you certainly can!) Cameroonian "fast food."

When we first arrived in Africa, I was overwhelmed at how to get the supplies we needed and wanted. It has taken me some time, but now I totally feel like I can navigate the markets and "big city" shops like a pro!