I Lost My Heart...../Tooth in Cameroon.

Katie has lost something that will forever remain in Cameroon...her tooth actually 2 teeth in 2 nights. The first one, as you can see, was with daddy's help. We didn't have anything to grab it with so he grabbed my corn tweezers or whatever you want to call them. He soon found out that they were too big to fit in her mouth so we handed him some floss. With one quick tug out it popped. Now the tooth fairy might fly all the way to Cameroon but first the ants take their turn. These tiny ants are everywhere and you cannot escape them. We laid the tooth on the dresser and the next morning look what we found. If you can zoom in on the picture it is amazing and in this case a little gross but they cleaned that tooth up better than any dentist could. This is our new entertainment source.

Happy New Year and here's your bag!

On the appointed day, New Year Day, Drew along with 5 others headed back to Douala to retrieve the missing bags. As they entered the airport luggage room they were able to quickly locate 2 of the 3 bags. After much searching the third was still not located so as they left they asked the airport attendant that had been helping them to please call them is he found it. They loaded back in the van and headed home, but before they left Douala they received a phone call from the attendant that the bag had been found so they turned around and returned to the airport. They found that the missing bag had been searched in one of the other airports and due to our new found talent of being able to stuff every possible nook and cranny and then some after that, they couldn't close the suitcase so they taped it together and stuffed it in a big plastic bag, thus making it unrecognizable. This suitcase contained all of our medicines from Mrs. Jones (which might have been what they were checking) and the kids stack of paces, so we were very happy to have it back. As it was New Years Day we knew the roads would be very busy so many prayers were going up for a safe journey. They returned after having only one minor scrape with another vehicle. After checking the damage they both waved it off and continued. Thank God for all answered prayers today!

New Year's Celebration!

On New Year’s Eve the church had a watch night service. It started at 10:00 p.m. with singing, African style with clapping, “dancing”, and a lot of joyful noise! At one point it was a greeting song so everyone went around singing, hugging, or shacking hands. Bro. Peter’s wife, a very sweet and bubbly person, came up to Katie, wrapped her in a big hug, and danced with her. It was a surprise to Katie but she broke away with a big smile. Later in her journal she recorded, that the service was so much fun! She got right into the singing and clapping along with everyone else. Singing was followed by sincere prayer and a service from Bro. Eko. As midnight approached we sang and prayed in the New Year. It was a very special service and a great start to our new life here in Limbe, Cameroon

Settling in

The kids have school around the table until their desks come in the container.

Katie enjoying her picture book from her friend Abbey and the quilt Grandma Derscheid made her.

Kent kills a cockroach.

My feather and flower arrangement! This beautiful table and chairs are our only decorative pieces for now. The church had them set up for our welcome!

Kent's bed was originally a bunk bed but we took off the top so he wouldn't have wood spit on him all night from the termites.
We have been surprised at just how tired we are this time. I know that this has been a bigger deal all around with long term preparations and different emotions to deal with but it has still been a surprise to us at the lack of energy we have. Of course the normal jet lag and time adjustment takes its toll as well as the heat. We lefts piles of snow and when we arrived it was 91 degrees, quite a change. Most days the heat runs high 80's to low 90's with the nights being much cooler. The Homiton (this is sands coming in from the desserts from the north and filling the air) makes it look like there is a dense fog or haze over everything. It leaves a brownish red dust over everything but we are told that that haze keeps the temperatures down by creating a barrier between us and the sun. The hottest months are yet to come so we have some time to adjust and prepare.
Doing the smallest jobs seem to wear us out but it is getting better as the days go by. Drink lots and rest when your body says and it eventually levels out. The bags are mostly unpacked except for the lost ones, we are praying they will be available as they said. It didn't take long for Kent to want his own room, we had the kids share a room while they get used to a new place. We don't have much to decorate with except the sheets we brought and the homemade quilts that Grandma Derscheid made for them with pictures of their friends and family. They have been a huge blessing, making the rooms cheerful and bright. My one luxury or folly, my peacock feathers and flower, made it here safely and only slightly ruffled. Mrs. Chamberlin loaned me a vase and they are sitting on the table as a pretty centerpiece. Little things seem big as we settle into our new home and I thank God for them.

Dude, where is my luggage?

The airport baggage claim in Douala is a zoo but thankfully this time went much smoother due to 5 men from the church showing up to welcome and assist us. It still took a long time but we felt much less frazzled. As Drew, Victor, and the men located luggage we stood to the side with the children. After checking and rechecking several times we found that 3 of our bags were missing, including, wouldn’t you know it, that hygiene carry-on bag I was required to check in. To report the missing bags Drew had to get in a long line of other unfortunate souls in a small, airless room. When he got to the desk he was relieved to hear that they could look up the missing bags on the computer and see that the flight had run out of storage room but they would be sent in 2 days. With that information in hand we headed out to the vans. Again we found that the journey was to be smoother. Arriving on a Wednesday held much less traffic and the van trip took only about an hour and a half. Now to see if our van could make it up the steep hill to the mission this would be the final challenge.
We were riding in the first of the two vans with Mom Chamberlin, the orphans, and two other men. We began to climb the hill but as it reached the steepest part it began to lose traction and slid back a little. We gave it a few tries before the men, Kent, Bless, and I climbed out. I followed the boys up the hill while Drew and the other men got behind the first van and began to push. Unfortunately this van was not 4-wheel drive and though the driver had it floored and the men behind were pushing it still proceeded to slide backwards. There were some concerned moments but finally the van got some traction and made it to the top of the hill. At the mission the vans were quickly unloaded and a delicious meal was waiting for us. It was a lovely welcome from the people here.