Jungle Abbotts

Christmas in Baka Land

2011-01-09T23:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a wonderful celebration in the village. We were excited to see that many people were expressing their desire to celebrate this ‘be a Yesua’ or ‘celebration of Jesus’. Most year’s thoughts are turned to the New Year celebration which usually involves getting new clothes, food, and much alcohol. We were excited to see that there was more thought as to the real reason for the season this year.

So there was much excitement in our house over a few of the gifts our kids received! Some of the gifts will have to be supervised more than others . . . a big knife!!

We planned a big celebration for the main Baka camp on the Thursday before Christmas. We organized a slew of games ranging from red-rover to duck-duck-goose.

It is always a pleasure for us to see our kids getting in on the village fun . . .

Throughout the festivities the Conrods took pictures of all the families at the camp so that they can have a copy and so that we can have a photo book that lists all of the families by name. This will be a wonderful gift for each of them and a priceless aid for us.

Everything was in order until we brought out the water balloons. It was anarchy in the jungle. I was soaking wet when I ran for cover and watch the mêlée from afar.
It was a combined effort . . .

Just before dusk, we settled everyone down to listen to the Christmas story. Everyone circled around and listened attentively. I kept thinking and praying as we gathered together that their hearts would be open to the enormity of this Gift. After the story was completed, Nathan gave an exhortation to come and hear God’s story each week so that they could know the whole story of His love and provision for them. Pray with us that God’s word will continue to change hearts in our corner of the world.

My People

2010-12-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

The term ‘my people’ evokes ideas of indigenous peoples . . . politically correctly ‘first nations’. Or perhaps aliens of the extraterrestrial sort . . . “take me to your people”. For someone from the rural southern sector of the United States, a familiar drawl summons the urge to ‘take off your coat and stay awhile’. Even amongst southerners, there are the more familiar regional accents that can illicit more familiar responses including taking off your shoes and engaging in certain circular dancing rituals.

Recently I’ve been expanding my idea of who ‘my people’ might be. I’m a Christian so, naturally, I’ve been joined to a group of people that are forever growing in diversity of ethnicity, culture, and interests. There is no cookie-cutter definition of this subgroup of society. And even though I consider myself to be a part of this group of ‘believers’, I’m not inclined to call everyone in this group ‘my people’.

There’s more to the term than membership in a social establishment or religious system. I can feel alone in a group that adheres to the same system of beliefs. I can miss that feeling of belonging which requires more than just understanding what the other person is talking about. I would like to say that it is about being loved or accepted, but the warmth of togetherness . . . the reality of ‘place’ transcends even these warmest of sentiments.

Recently, we returned to our little sub sect of society . . . a small Baka pygmy village that we have called home for many years now. We were gone for only one week, but when we returned there were shouts of joy and dancing as we pulled into our makeshift driveway. That felt good. There was celebration! There were hugs from our missionary teammates. There was ‘place’. It is not always as pronounced as when we returned from our trip, but it is always there.

Lately, we’ve been traveling some unknown ‘roads’ (if you can call them roads); perhaps more accurately pathways through the jungle. Some so narrow that the scratching sound of vines, branches, and leaves on the side of the car is in constant syncopation with the hum of the diesel engine. Last week, this particular symphony was an accompaniment to the songs being sung on the inside by the 14 adults and 7 children that went along for the ride with our family of four. That’s 25 people total in our 12 capacity Toyota Landcruiser. These were some of ‘my people’ that wanted to visit their family and ‘celebrate’ together on the one-year anniversary of the death of their sister. We are different in so many ways, most notably in appearance but even this seems less noticeable when compared to the cultural differences. Sometimes, though, I feel like these are becoming less and less prominent as I experience the commonalities of simply being human. There were those passengers in the back that were more prone to car-sickness and succumbed to that weakness in obvious ways. Ah, the joys of being living sardines when that happens! The trip brought with it memories of family excursions from long ago . . . ‘John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, his name is my name too’, but with a decidedly different beat and an incomparably different language.

Our destination that particular afternoon was ‘Intersection 11’; a fitting name considering how far it is from any other place in the world. It conjures up images of the Bermuda Triangle or Area 51 . . . mysterious and unknown. The ‘path’ we followed took us through villages where life was being lived by others and their own ‘people’. As we passed through certain of those villages, we were met with curious stares. In other villages exuberant shouting and gesturing. The road was longer than we were led to believe . . . and 50 kilometers and two and one half hours later we arrived . . .

More shouts, dancing, embracing, and reuniting. This time we ‘foreigners’ stood back and observed. For the first time we saw one of ‘our people’, an older Baka woman as she stood side by side with her very elderly (by Baka standards) father and mother. As she introduced them to us, I saw the eyes of a child emerge from the face of a woman who is old enough to be a grandmother herself. She beamed as she explained that she is the oldest sister in her family. Her mother also smiled with her entire face and I saw beauty in this toothless and wrinkled expression of joy. I feel like I know my friend Apuma even more now that I have seen them side by side. With pride I also shared with her family that she and her husband were family to me. Her father said that we were now one. Epic.

We made that trip back in the dark . . . with less people returning, but more living things including a chicken (with a previously broken foot) that was given to us as a gift, another chicken one of our passengers brought along, and a very tiny puppy belonging to the same lady. Our chicken was supposed to be food, but Brianna bonded with her on the way home and I broke. Now we have a new family member living in recently-constructed coop behind our house. Welcome to the family, Jewel Famous Abbott.

I’m enjoying the feeling of participation in this story. I think that this is the key to knowing who your people are. Who are the key characters in the story that is being played out around me? Realizing my part and entering into my own role and the roles of the other people in the story is paramount to recognizing who they are and who I am in relation to them. My story is made up of the present day to day interactions with my neighbors, but it is also comprised of those who know me best but are far away from me. They are also part of who I am. Warmth comes from knowing that I belong in their stories too. My people are sometimes near and sometimes very far away from me, but I am engaged, connected, defined by them like it or not. I like it.

Cameroon Grill and Market Day

2010-06-10T06:20:00.001-07:00

A Taste of Cameroon

The idea just kept exploding until we had a real food market, complete with signature soya (or meat on a stick), grilled plantains and corn, ground nuts (peanuts) and fruit. Not to mention the souvenir market and model Baka village.

We stayed in character (adopting the accent and mannerisms of Cameroonians) the whole time and told stories of Cameroon throughout the day. It was so much fun for us.

Some people came with 'real' Cameroonian currency, but had to stop and have their papers checked by the local gensdarme (police) before entering the country.

Once inside they were greeted in true Cameroonian fashion with kisses, long-lasting handshakes, and then . . .

the fruit vendors . . .

Smiling faces! Did we mention the grill?!?
Good food! While we tried to give everyone a better view of our life in Cameroon, the whole idea became a nostalgic experience for us. Everyone had a chance to learn about Cameroon and we enjoyed wetting our appetites for our return in July.

The biggest hit was the souvenir market where Desma served as the master artisan/saleswoman.

"I give you good deal. You are my special customer today!" You can't hear the blaring market music in the background, but it added to the feel as we recreated an artisans market in our backyard. Everyone had the opportunity to walk away with a reminder of their time.

We were amazed at the turnout and realize that it helped people to feel more connected. We had a chance to answer questions and explain life in Cameroon like we never have time to do during our presentations.

The road to the Baka village travel down a picture gallery we hung from the clothesline.

And then to top it off, a Baka village . . .

If this wets your appetite for visiting Cameroon, come see sometime between July 2010 and 2013. We'll be there. Even now we are busy sorting packing and making final arrangement for our return to Cameroon in less than six weeks!

Growing up!

2010-06-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

BRENDAN TURNS FIVE!

After getting an awesome Nerf dart gun and a cool aquarium cake . . .

We went to a REAL aquarium. We had a great time at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokeys in Gatlinburg!

All I can say is "Wow!"

Ifyou ever get a chance to go there, you'll be amazed. You're so close to the animals . . . you can even touch some of them.

And penguins! I think we scored.

From the Old to the New

2009-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

Much joy has been experienced by us as a couple over the past year. We have been doing what we love to do and we have had the extra-special experience of having done it together. We have spoken much about an ‘approaching harvest’ recently in our contacts with supporters and friends. We are excited about what God is going to do.

As we sit and discuss these Bible stories with our neighbors and develop the most effective way of communicating these truths, we are amazed at how much we are learning and how many of the participants are retaining details of the stories beyond what we could have imagined at the outset.

We have recently finished the presentation of the Old Testament stories with accompanying discussion questions and had the wonderful opportunity to begin with the first New Testament story of the birth of John the Baptist and the foretold birth of the Deliverer, Jesus Christ. This is a crucial time in the telling of these stories as we are now revealing this Promise that we have reported about over and over in the Old Testament stories. Now we are seeing eyes opening to the truth that the promised Savior is Jesus Christ.

When we meet together on Thursday nights, we are aware that this is a sacred time. This is the hour for the Baka people of this small camp that we affectionately call Kol. This is the hour for families to hear of the Truth that will transform their lives. Can you hear our excitement . . . our trepidation . . . our longing? We stand on holy ground as we bring the words of God to a people desperately in need of the promises within for those who believe.

Thank you for walking with us.

Telling God's Story

2008-09-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

We wanted to give you a sneak peak into our Thursday night Bible study times, so here are a few photos. My favorite is the one of the Baka man (Inaya Jean) listening intently with his hands to his chin and his face leaning in. We are experiencing this excitement and receptivity from week to week as we share and discuss God's word with the Baka.

The Inter-mission

2008-07-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying how the work is progressing with the Baka. In many ways we feel that we have finally begun the work that we came to do. Everything up to this point has been preparation for this time as we begin to tell God’s story. The amazing thing is the timing of it all. So many people are ready, hungry, and responsive to the Old Testament stories we have begun to share.

The last few weeks have proved to be a much needed ‘inter-mission’ as we were able to get away and share some down time with friends all around Cameroon. We are ready to get back to work, but are grateful for God’s provision for us in this time.

We first visited some World Team missionaries that are working amongst the Muslims in a town called Banyo. We loved the beautiful scenery and good fellowship. We also got to attend a prayer service of the local believers. God is faithful. We were blessed to see these people who have risked much to become followers of Christ.

The next week we were able to spend some time with friends we met a few years back before they left for home assignment. Brianna had a good time playing one last time with their daughter and we enjoyed some good conversation. Though it was sad for us and them, we are grateful that we found the time to get together.

Then we spent some vacation time with another World Team family, the Friesens. It was a very relaxed time with them. We enjoyed more adult conversation and the kids enjoyed playing with Joshua. We also had a good time swimming with their daughter Rachel. We enjoyed some yummy food including shrimp and a hamburger/hotdog cookout for the 4th of July.

The best part of it is that I (Barry) got to do all of this with my best friend.

Campin and Playin

2008-06-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Sufayo, Inaya, and Asi

Here are some pictures fresh from the last few days. We went camping a stone’s throw down the road at the same place we are doing our Thursday night Bible stories. It was a fun time to spend an extended time with our neighbors in their front yard. It was also a good chance for Natalie (our intern) to get a feel of what life is like in the camps both day and night. As it goes with these camping trips, it rained and became quite muddy, but we all survived and had an over all good time. We finished the story of Cain and Abel the first night. The next story we will discuss with them is Noah and the flood. Come to think of it, that would have been a good story for this camping trip.

This week we had a fun and games festival for the kids. We played games with them, handed out balloons and candy, then ended with the story of Noah. The kids really enjoyed it and so did we.

BUGS!!

2008-05-23T00:56:00.001-07:00

Our New Baby

2008-05-23T00:50:00.000-07:00

Recently we became the foster family for an orphaned chimpanzee baby. Its mother was killed by a greedy hunter which left this poor little girl alone. I convinced him to let us take her to a wonderful zoo here in Cameroon (much longer story there).

The whole family has enjoyed having her around and she has really taken to Desma the most. Whenever she walks through the room, the chimp starts to ‘oo, oo, oo” reminding Desma that she sees her. As I write this she is sitting on my lap. We will travel to Douala today and give her to the zookeeper. We’ll be sad to see her go, but are convinced that she will be much happier with the other chimps there. The people at the zoo will let her stay with the name we give her, so we are affectionately naming her ‘Desi’. That way we will know her when we visit. Enjoy the pics.

Yes, she is talking baby talk to 'Desi'.
It takes a village! Mama Lendo and Kosene team up to feed the 'baby'.

Construction Crazy!

2008-05-23T00:35:00.000-07:00

Brendan bulldozed his way to three years old on the 21st of May. To celebrate, the kids donned their hardhats and tool belts and went to work having a good time. The kids room was transformed into roadways where they could drive their tractors and toys around.

The cake was a construction site and everyone enjoyed “digging” into that. We are thankful to everyone who helped make the party a success by sending over some good party supplies like construction tape, tootsie rolls, milk duds, and construction cone birthday candles.

I don’t know who had more fun, Desma and I preparing the party, or the kids actually being there. When all was said and done, we had excavated an area on the porch and dug up candy goodies, took a “wrecking ball” to a pyramid of orange construction barrels, and had some good pictures.

Limbé

2008-04-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Greetings again from Cameroon. We are heading home from our annual World Team conference which was held this year in Limbé. We enjoyed some time at the beach and with family and friends.

We, along with seven other families enjoyed worshipping together, playing together, and looking to the future of life and ministry here in Cameroon.

We enjoyed going on a horseback ride on the beach as a family.
Brianna and Brendan with their friend Laura.

And a new family photo . . .

Or two . . .

We’ll be back in the village for awhile, so the blog posts won’t be as often. We hope you enjoyed a couple of current ones.

Much love from all of us.

Rainy weather friends and speckled hens

2008-03-26T01:01:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying saying hello to the returning rains and goodbye to the dust. We recently returned from another trip to the southeastern corner of Cameroon. We had another worthwhile trip and were able to strengthen our relationships with the Baka people down that way. We also met with church leaders in the area to better assess how we can invest in the work that they are doing.

Some things we discovered along the way:

Saying goodbye to dust means saying hello to mud!

Brendan and Brianna still love camping and cooking over the fire.

You can play duck duck goose in Baka. Just change the words to bird, bird, frog and everyone has a good time. Here’s Brianna in the middle after getting tagged.

Brendan makes friends wherever he goes.

And enjoys whatever toys he can find.

Barry did too! This is me with the Baka chief (red sweater) of the village where we camped along with some others.

Our friend Motomo (center) was very happy to see us again.

Motomo loves his job as a church leader. Here he is leading the children in worship.

The students of the Baka Bible School have a wonderful vision for the future of the Baka church. Here they are with their wives and children. God is good!

The Baka give gifts to cute little girls. Here’s Brianna with her new chicken (in the basket), whom she lovingly named Famous Speckled Hen.

2008-01-01T06:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

This past month has been full of fun activity for our family. Desma's parents were in Cameroon for most of the month so we took the opportunity to vacation a bit. We had a great time playing on the black volcanic sand beaches of Limbe, Cameroon, visiting the botanical gardens there, and then doing a little hike up the bottom part of Mount Cameroon. We enjoyed the beach the most. The resort we visited transported us out of our normal view of Cameroon into a tropical beach paradise.

We returned to the village with Nana and Papa after a week of vacation. We quickly began getting things together for Brianna's fourth birthday party. The theme was 'The Princess and the Frog". We played games like kiss the frog, fish the golden ball out of the water, and musical lilypads. There were also crafts, an awesome storybook cake, and a giant frog balloon hung from the ceiling with streamers. All the kids had a great time. Brianna was princess for the day, complete with crown and beautiful dress. We are really finding ways to be creative for party times.

Christmas was all the sweeter with family to share it with. We opened gifts for several days before Christmas and even a few days after. Each day was devoted to opening gifts from different family and friends. We had pictures there of the people that sent the gifts so that the kids wouldn't be too confused. They had a blast and completely enjoyed the holidays.

Our new hymn for Christmas was 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear'. We knew the tune, but found the words to be very poignant as we are learning to stop and listen to the proclamation of Christ in the midst of our work and lives. The final verse reminds us that we too will echo back the song the angels sing. May we all find time to pause by the weary road to listen to what Christ would say to us.

Hit it Brendan!

The Best Life There Is

2007-12-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

We recently took a trip to the southeastern-most corner of Cameroon to check out the work being done to help the Baka people. We were excited and encouraged by what we saw and have dreams of what God is planning to do in the lives of so many people down that way. We have been chronicling our journey and sending out our ‘journal’ to whoever might be interested in following that. Drop us an email if you are interested and we’ll make sure you get them.

Along the road we hit a few troublesome spots where some large trucks couldn’t make it. We eventually made it through this spot, thanks to four wheel drive and some Cameroonian friends.

We spent a few nights camping in Baka camps along the way. One of those camps was called Mombungu. We spent a very interesting three days and two nights there. We had a wonderful time getting to know the Baka there, eating with them, and talking with them about their lives, hopes, needs, dreams, and desire to hear more about the God who created them. The last two days were very rainy and muddy. So muddy that you couldn’t walk a few steps without adding two inches to your height . . . very sticky!!

We were surprised with a new meat to add to our list of ‘never had that before’ items. The Baka of Mombungu presented us with a pot of ‘ya’ which is the Baka word for elephant. We accepted their gift and chewed away at the very tough meat . . . tasty, but we prefer more marinade. Later we took a family photo with an elephant skull. Elephants are protected in Cameroon, but hunting is not strictly forbidden. Hunters must obtain permits and then inform the local chief when there is a kill. The meat stays in villages and is divided among the inhabitants.

Desma broke out the balloons and drew an excited crowd of kids and moms in the process. Brianna and Brendan enjoyed helping mom distribute the goodies. The kids enjoyed the fun, but stayed close to our sides throughout the festivities. One mother tried to adopt Brendan as her own, but he soon made his way back to Desma. We were treated as their special guests and will cherish our time there for a long time.

The Baka call us Mbunge (mboongay) which means ‘stranger’. We know that we are waiting for the day when we realize our true citizenship. The Baka don’t think of this as a ‘rude’ way to address us. They are only stating a fact that we know now more than ever to be true. We are ‘strangers’ passing through a foreign land with hope that our message of hope will penetrate hearts and provide freedom in Christ for those who hear.

One of the Christian workers that we met along the way echoed our heart’s cry when she said, “I don’t know why everyone isn’t doing our job. It is the best life there is”.

THE HAPPY CAMPERS ! ! !

New Beginnings

2007-08-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

We’re finally back home and enjoying getting settled back into our home and routine. We had a lot of sorting to do to get everything back into its proper place, but even so we were able to make a day trip to another Baka village about 2 ½ from our house.

Teen Missions International had a group of about 25 teens camped out at Mbang working on a school and clinic for the people there. The interesting thing about this organization is that Desma began her missions involvement just like these young people and with the same organization. We made it a family trip and took along with us one of our Baka friends, Samba, and teammate, Nathan. We enjoyed meeting and fellowshipping with the group leaders and the kids before having an opportunity to share some with them. Desma shared her testimony with them of being moved toward full-time missions involvement as a result of her two terms with TMI. Afterwards we answered questions and gave them more information about the long term needs among the Baka. Perhaps one or more of these will be a future teammate? We were able to visit the local Baka camp at the end of our visit as well. It is a nice feeling to expand our knowledge of areas where the Baka live in Cameroon.

Many of our supporters have generously donated baby clothes as well as children’s clothes to distribute to the Baka. Desma had the idea for a ministry to new mothers before leaving the village. We received all the clothes from a shipment that arrived in July and she was able to make her first trip to the camp to bless a young mother with clothes, a receiving blanket, soap, and a baby rattle. We are sure that word will get around that there is a gift awaiting them on this special occasion. The day she made the trip to give this gift, she received word of another birth. They arrived at our door the next day to receive their package. Our hope is that this will be a bridge over which God’s love may reach our friends and bring a greater receptivity to the gospel message.

We had a Saturday sale this past weekend. With the donated kids’ items we were able to set up a makeshift store on our front porch. For a nominal fee they could buy clothing for the kids and the proceeds will go to buy more soap for the new mother/baby packages.

We are excited about all that the future has for the Baka and our part in that. Until next time . . .

Going Home

2007-07-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings again from the capital city of Yaounde. We are nearing the end of a long absence from village life, but are happy to say that we are ready to get back home to our little house in the jungle.
The last ten days were spent at the beach with the Scotts (another missionary family here). The area is called Kribi because it is located near the town of Kribi. We had a very relaxing time in a small house on the beach. The clouds stayed overhead most of the time, but that didn’t hinder us from spending time in the water. Upon arriving, we were warned that there had been a jellyfish invasion and many people had been stung. Needless to say, we were a bit apprehensive to jump in the water so opted for a river that runs into the river. The second day, I braved the surf and happily reported that the little guys were gone.

I had to include a picture of a Cameroonian internet café for your viewing pleasure (jungleabbotts.blogspot.com). Answer this question: Would you hook up? Hmmmm. It is nice to have this option, but I haven’t yet gotten up my courage to plug in. You know, the fear of viruses that can attack our bodies are bad enough . . . and then there are the kind that can make you lose valuable information.

We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the Scotts. Desma knew them from her preparations to come to Cameroon as they went through orientation with World Team together. Know they are a family of six so it was fun for her to get reacquainted with some dear friends. I feel like I’ve made a deeper connection with them as well and look forward to continuing the process in the future. Our kids were never lacking entertainment. They couldn’t wait to get out in the morning to play with their new friends. Laura (the youngest Scott) was a perfect playmate for Brianna. The older girls were also fun for her to be around as well. She is intrigued by the ‘grown up girls’ these days. I enjoyed getting to know Kenneth. Keeping up with him is another story. As we were preparing to leave Brianna asked me in a very sad tone of voice if they were going to have anyone to play with at their house. When I told them that they also have friends in the village, she felt a bit better. I think that was her way of saying that she will miss playing with them. We all had an unforgettable time.

We are in Yaounde for a brief interlude (buying groceries and odd and ends) before moving back home. We have felt a growing sense of what our mission is among the Baka and are anxious to enter in again to the process of establishing the church. Sometimes things seem very easy when you first receive the call to ‘go to the nations’ and then you have to learn again that everything in this life is about learning to place all of your trust in the Lord. We are again learning that we have nothing to offer apart from Him. But when we are yielded to Him and His purposes the sky is literally the limit. Pray for us as we return that we would practice ‘leaning on the everlasting arms.’

We are doubly excited about our return for a selfish reason: We have many things there that came on a shipment over a month ago that we have yet to open. It is all in our house waiting to be enjoyed.

Thank you for your prayers for us and your encouraging words. We are glad that we are not in this alone and that we serve a Faithful Lord who cares for and delights in His children.

Love from Cameroon,

Barry for Desma, Brianna, and Brendan

Body Life

2007-07-18T06:31:00.001-07:00

Greetings again from Yaounde, Cameroon. We have just finished our annual World Team Conference and are awaiting vacation time at the beach in Kribi, Cameroon. We have enjoyed hanging out with other families and practicing 'being the body' in practical ways. The main focus of our conference this year was helping one of our missionary families move all their belongings down from a city 6 hours north of here to Yaounde where they will begin a new ministry to the students of Rainforest International School.

The men made the trip over Friday and Saturday, returning late on Saturday evening, while the women stayed back and did a banner cleanup job on their new house. The long ride provided a time for the guys ample time to talk and connect a bit deeper. All of our families have been enriched by this time of community.

The kids were especially pleased. Combined, we have 11 kids ranging from 2 years through the teens. There was also a birthday party for our teammates daughter, Nandry, who turned 7. It was a great time to have a party.

We have personally enjoyed the coorporate worship and sharing with others. Did I say that it has been an enriching time?

Sunday, we had lunch at the French Club in Yaounde. Afterwards we had some fun in the sun.

Until next time . . .

Presents and pickpockets

2007-07-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

The following is from our Weekly Updates. If you would like to get those, drop an email.

Hello from Yaounde, Cameroon!

We are still in the capital city and nearing the completion of our stay in the CMF hostel. It has been a wonderful change of pace for us and has definitely been a time of ‘resetting’. We are now looking forward to our annual field conference with fellow World Team missionaries. The conference starts on Wednesday evening and continues through Monday of next week. The men will spend two of those days helping one of the families move from a town north of here to Yaounde where they will start a new phase of their ministry teaching at Rain Forest International School.

The last week has had its share of excitement and drama. We were excited to receive news that our container shipment arrived and cleared customs. Nathan came in from the village on Monday and Tuesday we made the trip to Douala to pick it up in our two vehicles. After some creative repacking in Douala, we got a late start heading back to Yaounde. The sun went down halfway through the three and a half hour drive. That wouldn’t have been so bad except that a light rain began to fall. The oncoming headlights of large trucks combined with the mist on the windshield made it difficult to see. I never was so glad to be back.

The following day (Wednesday) we got up early to make a doctor’s appointment for Desma.
The clinic is located in downtown Yaounde near the largest intersection in town. It is a roundabout. That means that there is a huge circle with eight or nine main roads that branch off around the outside. We had to park in an area that required crossing a very busy street. There were about 5 lanes of traffic to cross. Desma was holding Brendan and I was holding Brianna’s hand with my left hand. A man crossed in front of me a bit close for comfort and proceeded to place his hand in my pocket. Luckily my pockets were very deep and I noticed what he was doing. I was able to sweep his hand away before he got anything. The area is known for pickpockets. Thankfully, he wasn’t a very good one. We got home after lunch and had a much needed nap after two long days of driving and drama.

We have enjoyed going through some of the things that came on the shipment. We were only able to keep a few things here to search through. As Nathan was leaving to go back to the village on Wednesday, we needed (for space sake) to send most of the things back with him. We are looking forward to going through the rest when we get back. One thing I am personally very excited about opening is my mountain bike. I have missed it. Thanks to all that made the shipment happen. We will be sending out more personal thank yous, but wanted everyone to know what a blessing it was to receive. Many of the things we asked to have shipped will help us to bless our neighbors with some basic needs such as clothing for babies and vitamins for kids. You should have seen us acting like a couple of kids at Christmas. Some of the things were gifts that will have to wait for Christmas. We’ll do it, but it’s going to be difficult. Note the photo of me and my new collection of Sudoku . . .

We’ve also enjoyed getting to talk to family and friends on Skype and telephone. That’s something that we don’t get to do very often from the village. Here we have been able to sit out on the balcony and casually chat. While in the village we have to drive down the road to get a signal and roll down the windows of the car all the time hoping that a truck doesn’t decide to pass by.

The next couple of days will be devoted to packing up all of our things and preparing to move to another rest house in Yaounde. The new house parents will be arriving here on Thursday and we need to get the place clean and ready for them. Our kids are looking forward to having some other kids to play with. There will be four families at the conference, the Conrods, the Scotts, the Colemans, and us. That means a lot of buddies for them to play with. We are also looking forward to a time of fellowship with the other World Team missionaries in Cameroon.

Speaking of the kids, they have really been into role play lately. Brianna is the mom and Brendan is the dad, which means that Desma and I are ‘little girl’ and ‘little boy’ respectively. It is an odd feeling to have your two year old son call you ‘little boy’. But its also pretty cute. They have especially enjoyed the yard here and the

two German Shepherds (Tess and Ruby) that serve as guard dogs. Brendan has really begun to hold up his part of a conversation. He has added an unbelievable amount of vocabulary in the last few weeks. Most of it comes from mimicking Brianna, but some of it is definitely Brendanesque. I always knew that he would evolve from being our little grunting cartoon character to a little person, but it is surprising to see him communicating so well. He’s definitely all boy and Brianna all girl. I think its amazing how God does that. Nobody told them to act that way. It’s just in their makeup. Wow. Oops, I think I hear them unloading all of the Tupperware from the kitchen cabinets. Better go check on that soon!

After the conference ends we will hang around in Yaounde until the 20th of July, then we’ll head to the beach (Kribi) for some relaxing time before heading back to the village. Were not sure if we’ll be able to squeeze in another update by then, so don’t be surprised if there is a delay in the next ‘weekly’.

We appreciate your prayers and encouragement.

All of our love from Cameroon,

Barry for Desma, Brianna, and Brendan