Trip

Posted on April 14, 2014 by David

We traveled out of Yaoundé on April 3rd and 4th.  I (DeAnna) felt it necessary to see a US doctor who practices in Buea, Cameroon.  Buea is on the coastline beyond Douala, about 5 1/2 hours drive from Yaoundé.

It was a fast, long trip out of town.  For those of you who know the Leeton area, the roads between here and there are like EE Highway, but with tons of traffic including large motorcoaches, semi-trucks, slow heavy machinery and people driving at high speeds who pass on blind curves and hills.

I’m happy to report what I feared would be a repeat of the health problems I had in 2012 when I needed surgery, I do not have.  We were welcomed with warm hospitality.  Thank you to Bill and Trixy.  Thank you to Jeremiah and Brittney for opening your home to us and treating us to a meal.

Buea is close (20 minutes) to Limbe on the coast.  We stopped at Limbe because there are black sand beaches there.  Buea is at the foot of Mount Cameroon – the tallest mountain on the western side of Africa.  We were amazed at how wide this mountain is.  It seems that the city of Buea sits in the shadow of the mountain.  When we arrived we saw clouds and darkness behind the clouds, so we thought a rainstorm was approaching, but it wasn’t, it was the mountain.

LimbeMt. CameroonThis is Mt. Cameroon the next morning when the clouds weren’t obstructing it.

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Flashback Friday

Posted on April 11, 2014 by David

I (DeAnna) had the privilege to keep our two oldest nephews during the day when they were young, starting when Joshua was a newborn.  At first I was a bit lost being a mom for the first time with my newborn and having Nelson around 10 months old and Noah around 3 years old in my charge during the day.  It was such a blessing to have this time with them.  I loved being able to spend time with them, really know them, read to them and hear all the stories they loved to share.

It’s very difficult being away from family and friends, it pulls my heart strings and brings tears to my eyes.  Noah recently turned 14 years old.  How can that be, it was just yesterday he was a preschooler playing with toys on our rug.  We love you Noah and are proud of the man you are becoming.

Noah

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Heart Break

Posted on April 9, 2014 by David

There are many things that are shared with us that break our hearts. Sophie took a week to go to her village to plant crops in her field. While there her niece who lives in the village went into labor. The delivery was fine for her niece, but the baby was having some problems getting enough air. The women assisting in the delivery knew the baby needed oxygen, but there isn’t a place to get oxygen in the village. Sophie, her niece and Sophie’s sister made their way to Yaoundé to seek medical attention for the baby. The baby was still okay, not great, but okay when they arrived at a clinic they could afford to go to (remember you must pre-pay here for any medical treatment) that has oxygen. From the birth to arriving at the clinic was about two hours. They went inside and asked for the baby to get some oxygen and the clinic said they were full and couldn’t help. As they turned around very disappointed to leave and discuss where to go next, the baby died. There is so much preventable death all around us and it breaks our hearts. We know preventable deaths happen daily all around the world, however, when it’s in your face and not just a story on the news, it’s not abstract – it’s very real.

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To Laugh or Cry

Posted on April 7, 2014 by David

There are many things we face on a regular basis where we have the decision in the situation if we will laugh or cry. Sometimes I (DeAnna) need the release of crying, but 99% of the time I choose to laugh. Sometimes it’s small things and sometimes it’s bigger things.

I wanted to give someone here a gift of a digital photo book. I spent the internet airtime (we pay for every kb via scratch cards to refill our internet), spent the time searching for just the right photos, wrote poems to insert and found someone willing to have me send it to their address in the USA and bring in their luggage the book to Cameroon. I was excited about being able to give this gift. It arrived here and was placed in my hands about a month after I ordered it (that’s lightning fast for us). I was so excited that I decided to flip through it to see the end result before giving it as a gift.

It started off nice, great memories, fun photos, funny poems all is good until I flipped the page and was now in the middle of the book. All the sudden there was a photo of a couple getting married told from the perspective of their baby. The next page was of the delivery, complete with some pictures that showed more of the mommy than I would ever want to see. Once the baby story was over, it switched to pages of a blood hound dog and his daily adventures. Towards the end it was back to the pages I made. So it was really three books in one. I can see the humor in it, however, at the moment I wanted to cry. I didn’t cry, but was sorely disappointed with the added pages of stranger’s photos and words.

photo bookphoto book

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Royals Flashback Friday

Posted on April 4, 2014 by David

I grew up with the Royals.  My Mom is a big fan and would listen to the games on the radio.  She also jumped at any chance to go to the stadium to watch a game.  I remember her playing a trivia game on the radio to win tickets to a Royals game (pictured below Mom, Denise and I picking up the tickets Mom won on the radio).  Opening day was a big deal and we would know when that day was.  Today is the opening day of the Royals at home.

radio kc tix

When David and I started dating, he was introduced to the Royals and how much all of us enjoyed going to the stadium.  While I was working at the Hyatt, I helped with the dinner and party of George Brett’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  I’ll admit, I miss going to the game, being part of the excitement, smelling the food smells, hearing the vendors yell out what they are selling, etc…  David purchased a Royals, button up shirt many years ago.  Every year on opening day he wears this shirt.

Royals shirt

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Jonah is 9!

Posted on April 2, 2014 by David

How is that possible that Jonah is 9!  It’s so hard to believe he’s another year older. It’s hard for me to believe my baby is half way to adulthood (age wise).

There’s never a dull moment with Jonah.  He keeps us on our toes.  He also cracks us up with his sense of humor.

Happy Birthday, we love you, Jonah!

Pictured below:  Jonah as a newborn, at age three, at age six and age nine.

Jonah newborn

Jonah 3Jonah 6

Jonah age 9

Jonah celebrated his 9th birthday with a few friends at a swimming pool that also serves pizza!

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Shipment Smell

Posted on March 31, 2014 by David

There is a buzz in the air a month or so before a shipment arrives.  It’s a bit of a roller coaster ride.  One person says it should arrive on such and such date, but it doesn’t.  Poor David gets the same question twenty times a day of when will it arrive.  Once it does arrive there are many things that can delay it from reaching its destination.

It finally arrives and gets unloaded.  Everyone is excited!

Before the most recent shipment (March 14) that held items that were collected from August – November 2013 arrived, Jonah said he can’t wait for the shipment smell.  It’s funny because the shipment does smell like Sam’s Club or Costco, I think it’s the smell of cardboard that has absorbed odors from its contents.

We get excited, encouraged and overwhelmed with emotion when we receive these packages.  Thank you!

box full of homebox of home

 

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Flashback Friday

Posted on March 28, 2014 by David

Both of these pictures were taken in 2009 in Waxhaw, NC, while we were attending a training course preparing us for overseas service.

DeAnna with boys in WaxhawDavid with boys in Waxhaw

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Materials

Posted on March 26, 2014 by David

Those who know me (DeAnna), know I like to read.  My reading is usually in spurts – I get on reading rampages and then fizzle out for a few months and go again.

I also enjoy reading/flipping through magazines and newspapers for that matter.  I subscribe to several magazines and have them sent directly to North Carolina to slowly be collected for sea freight.  When I receive the magazines, I receive several months at one time, which is great for a spurt person like me.

I’m happy, happy, happy to have a whole stack of magazines to read and look through.  This stack was received on the shipment that arrived March 14.

magazines

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It’s raining…..

Posted on March 24, 2014 by David

I need to preface this post.  About three months ago Jonah was running down to the gate with David’s keys in hand, pumping his arms and oops the keys slipped from his hand and into the big bushes that line the wall in front of our home.  Not only are these bushes full, they have thorns and the barbed wire that used to adorn the top of the wall is now entangled in the bushes.  We searched for hours without any luck.  We ended up changing all our locks.

We had a rain (downpour) the other day.  We grew up saying it’s raining cats and dogs.  In language study we asked an instructor what the equivalent is in French and it was something about cow pee.

rainI was on the porch with the boys, watching a small pond form in our front yard and then I noticed something under the bushes.

forkSo I think we can say, it’s raining forks!  It’s not our fork so either a neighborhood kid threw it into the bushes or the previous residents lost it in the bushes.  I went looking for the keys, but they didn’t come down with the rain.  Maybe next time, it’ll rain keys.

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