SCA and Meg's Birthday

Greetings everyone!! Wow it has been awhile since our last post!! First the kids and I had a wonderful time in Bamenda at the Sonshine Christian Academy home school session! A couple days were yucky do to the flu and colds but over all a great time! This years session was called "Putt,Putt Motors". The kids learned about small engines and the first week took a lawnmower engine apart. The second week they put their engines back together. This class was taught by the helicopter pilot, Uncle Eric Wolf. The first day after class Elliott ran up to me and said I just drained the oil out of a engine! He was so excited! Megan even enjoyed this too! 

There were about 25 kids ages 2 up to 8th grade. We ate breakfast at 7:30. Devotions were at 8:00. At 8:15 to 9:00 was math class. 9:00 to 9:45 the kids had language arts. Then was a 15 minute break for recess. 10:00 to 10:30 were read aloud. 10:30 to 11:15 they had art class the first week and music the second week. Motors class was from 11:15 to 12 noon. It was then lunch time! 1:00 to 2:45 was the best time according to the kids!! It was swimming lessons!!! 3:00 to 4:30 was play practice. All the kids put on a play called "The Stone in the Road". The first week the older kids had testing. They took the Iowa state tests! Elliott had normal class with his classmates! Meg wasn't too happy but this way her testing is done!! For art class the kids made "Cameroonian cars". They are made out of sardine cans and flip flops! They are really cool! For music class not only did they sing but they had guitar lessons. Megan liked this! She did remember some of the chords she learned before she came!! I told her Tim would be proud!!!

We celebrated Megan's 14th Birthday while we were in Bamenda!!! Where did 14 years go!!!!! Anyway, she finally got her pool party in February!!!! We only had to come to Africa to make it happen! HA! Gretchen had a good two weeks also! Her class was so nice and played very well together! There were 5 kids including her. 

Megan was a young maiden in the play. Elliott played her little brother! They were going to town to sell flowers! Elliott was suppose to be allergic to the flowers and he had to "sneeze" all of lines! They both did so well!!

 

Megan and her friend Nandry. It was nice to see Megan have someone her age to talk to and hang out with! They became really good friends over the two weeks!

The whole cast!!!

A German couple arrived in Cameroon the second week we were at SCA. They go out into the villages and interact with the children and teach them about Jesus! They had fun showing some of the kids the games and activities they do with the Cameroonian children. Gretchen is wearing the cow hat her friend Jude wore for crazy hair day!! That is Gretchen's class standing in back of her!

This is Jude! He also had a birthday while we were at SCA! His mom, Aunt Holly, made his cake! She makes cakes like I do!!! His cake was Kung Fu Panda! They taste really good too!

Pool Party!!!!

On Friday was the pool party/Megan's Birthday!

Racing against each other during some pool games!

This game they had to put clothes on then swim to the other side of the pool! Swimming lessons were really good for both of the kids!! Megan learned to dive and different types of strokes. Elliott learned to swim under water and got more comfortable in the water! Both learned to swim without holding their noses or the use of goggles!!! 

Megan doing the clothing relay!

The bucket race! The younger kids liked this but the older kids I am not sure!!!

Singing Happy Birthday!

 Gretchen enjoying Birthday cake!! 

 The kids could not let any of the icing go to waste! Had to lick the candles!!!

 Birthday Girl!!

 The hotel that had the pool also had a turkey and two geese right beside the pool area! Not sure why but we thought it was pretty funny!

On the last night they have a graduation for the 8th graders. So Megan and her friend Nelson were graduating this year! They both had to make speeches and were given a gift from Aunt Elsie!

After Megan gave her speech, Randy got up and said a few words of encouragement to Meg! It was very nice!

Megan and Elliott were also to prepare a presentation for this night too! Elliott sang "The B-I-B-L-E" while Megan signed it using sign language! It was very nice! I was so proud of both of them! 

We returned to Mbingo on Saturday and even though we had fun and met so many wonderful new friends it was good to be home! As we were leaving Bamenda, Gretchen said "I go to Bingo" Which she sounds so Cameroonian!! They don't say the M in Mbingo either!!! It was pretty funny!!

The kids enjoyed meeting new friends and reconnecting with friends we already knew! We liked hearing about where the families are from and what they are doing here in Africa! Some of the kids and their families live out in the bush!! They are from villages that are in the remote parts of the rain forest!! One family runs a orphanage in Bamenda! They have 29 kids living in the orphanage. We are already planning a trip down to spend some time there!! 

Megan was surprised when we got back to Mbingo! Some friends of ours threw her a surprise birthday party on Sunday!!! We have been blessed with having a loving family here at Mbingo! Even though we were away from family and friends, I think she had a birthday she will never forget!!!!

 Blowing out the candles!!

 Lindsay helping Gretchen onto the slip and slide!!

 Hanging out in the pool! A little different from the other pool but hey two pool parties in less than 3 days what more could a 14 year old girl ask for right!! (And not a plane ticket home Uncle John although I'm sure she would take it!!)

Megan attempting to catch Cathen!!

Water balloon games!!

Cathen and Isaac hanging out!

Gretchen figured out going down on your belly was more fun!!

Cathen looks like she is telling Megan a good story!

Finally we all came home and had a family dinner! Megan's favorite Chicken and Waffles!! She got a waffle maker for her birthday present and while we were away in Bamenda our pet chicken sadly is no more!!!!!! He tasted pretty good though!!

Thank you for all the prayers while we were away at SCA! Especially the prayers for our health! It was pretty ugly there for a few days! A lot wishing that Mom was there to help make tummies and heads all better!!(and that was me wanting my mom!) But we are all healthy and okay now! Prayers for Jen as she works at the hospital. Dr. Acha the ENT is gone for 3 months to the states to the Mayo Clinic so Jen is treating and operating on things she has never seen before. Prayers for her that God will guide her to make the right decisions but also that she will fill their hearts and minds with the word of God and the love of Jesus! Prayers for Randy as he continues his work also. Continued prayers for his dad, Jim! Prayers for both my Grandma States and my Grandma Pepple! We miss you and love you both so much! Prayers for Dr. Dennis Palmer and his wife Nancy. Prayers for Dennis' shoulder surgery! Hurry back we miss you both! Prayers for safe travels for our friend Kaye who flew back to Australia this week for a quick visit! 

Lastly, CONGRATS to Hillary and Darren on their engagement!  

Almost 3 Months!!!!

Hi Everyone!! I can't believe we have been here in Mbingo for almost 3 months!!! 6 more months to go!! This week it rained!! We have not had rain since early November! We are still in the Dry Season! People have told us that it is rare to have rain in January!! Usually it doesn't start until the end of February! It actually has been nice! It has gotten rid of some of the dust!! But Megan will still have to wash the shoes on Saturday!!!!! Megan added some comments to the pictures!!

Here's Meg washing the shoes!!! Every Saturday after going to Market, Megan washes all shoes so they are nice and clean for church and the next week!! (Everyone has 2 to 3 pairs that need washed! Megan)

Here are all the shoes and the soccer ball drying in the sun!!

(All the shoes are clean from my hard work and 10 steps outside the door on our way to church they are dusty again!!!  Megan)

The kids have learned to use their imaginations and play with what we have!!

Hide and Seek in the sheets on the clothes line!! Gretchen calls this swimming through the jellyfish like Marlin and Dory!!!

(Notice the dirty shoes! This is only 2 days after I washed them!! Megan)

Here's Gretchen's Boxcar!

Randy, Jen, Megan, Elliott, and Gretchen went on a hike to the back waterfall! This was the farthest hike the kids have been on yet!! I did not go on this one but hopefully before we come home I will be able to go!!! 

Here's everyone taking a little rest! Keith and Kaye are the ones who took them on the hike!

These men are Fulani. They live in the mountains and raises cows and sheep and farm. They liked getting their pictures taken! It is very important to ask if you may take photo or snap before you take a picture of the local people here! Most are very excited to have their picture taken though!!

 

Here's some of the sheep!

This is their one room house or hut.

Family photo in front of the waterfall!

 Here is Megan doing her school work! This is their school room/ play room!

Here is Elliott at his desk working hard! If not Darth lets him have it!!

Of course we can't forget about Gretchen! She does not have a desk so we use the dining room table as her desk! She is very serious about her school work!




Last Thursday we took a break from school in the afternoon and went swimming/wading in a little pool at some friends house! The kids had fun!

Gretchen, Elliott, Megan, Cathen, Isaac, and Lindsay

During the dry season, the Cameroonians start burning the dry and dead grass and brush! They say that it will make everything greener once the rains come. Some say they don't like that everything is brown so they burn it!

This is Mbingo Hill.

These men were walking buy and saw we had a camera. They asked to have their picture taken with the kids.  

Thank you for the prayers for Randy's Dad Jim and their family! He is improving! Prayers for the kids and myself as we leave on Sunday to go to our school group session in Bamenda. Prayers for safe travel and prayers for us as we will be away from home for 2 weeks. Prayers for the Muthler family who leave on their Ethiopia trip this Friday. Prayers for a safe flight and a unforgettable experience!!!! Prayers for Adrianne and her family as they deal with the loss of her uncle! A big Thank you to her for helping my mom take care of the cats and all their medical issues!!! Continued prayers for Brandi and Mike as the date for Thad to deploy comes closer!! Prayers for Thad and his safety as well!! I miss everyone and send my love to all family and friends back home!! To my Brother, you better tape Hines Ward on the Walking Dead for me!!!! Hee! Hee!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Cooking and Preparing Our Food!

Hello everyone! First we ask that you lift Randy's Dad Jim up in prayer!!! I am praying for you Jim, Bonnie, Randy, and the rest of the family! May God surround you with love at this difficult time! 

People have been asking us in emails what we eat. So we have been taking some pictures! Some of the food we tried just for fun and we will definitely never try again and others we really liked! First I will explain "The Market". It is right down the road from our house and it is definitely not Giant Eagle or Martins! On Saturday all the local farmers bring their produce to the market and sell their items. Pineapples, bananas, po-po (papaya), and passion fruit are very plentiful! (And very delicious) This is the best fruit I have ever tasted! They also have apples and oranges but they are harder to find! Mangoes are not in season yet but I have heard they are really good! The plantains are good also! We make fried plantain chips! Vegetables that are plentiful are carrots, green beans, onions, peppers, cabbage, and hot peppers. In Bamenda, we can get lettuce and cucumbers.

 

This is our Market! It is basically a string of little wooden huts that have stores in them. The stores are open during the week also. They sell the basic needs. Flour, sugar, salt, rice, beans, etc. The people bring their produce on Saturday and lay it out on blankets on the ground. We took this picture from the hill above the Market.

After Jen and Randy go to market, everything must be soaked in bleach water for 10 minutes. Here are all our goodies washed, bleached, and drying!! 

Okay here is a food we definitely will not buy again!! The kids were craving bologna. So they were so excited when they found luncheon meat in a can at a store in Bamenda! It looked like bologna on the can! Definitely did not taste like Oscar Mayer on the inside!!!!

Fufu and Jama Jama

This is fufu and jama jama. This is a Cameroonian dish. They eat this a lot! It is made for any celebration or occasion.  The fufu is a lot like grits. The jama jama is the greens. I like both of them. Jen and Randy only like the jama jama! The fufu does not have any taste. It is like white mush but in a good way! Ha!

Elliott likes both too!!

This is Marlis. She is our helper. She has helped us get settled here in Africa and now she is part of our family!!! She is braiding Meg's hair! She is the one who makes us the fufu and jama jama too!

Over the Christmas, we had one of our chickens killed. Young Margret who works at the hostel killed and cleaned it for us! After she was done she wrapped it in a plastic bag and stuck it in the freezer! So Jen got it out and defrosted it! As she was opening the bag, so she could cut it into pieces, two chicken feet popped out at her!!!! So she screamed! But then she looked closer and realized the head was in the cavity of the body too!!!!! We laughed so hard! On the bright side I have never seen a cleaner chicken ever!!! 

Here's the feet hanging out!!

 

The head!! Here they use the whole chicken!!! Not us though!

Our first African Tea Party!! It wasn't the same without you, Grammy!! But the kids enjoyed it!

Here is Gretchen and her chicken!! We have not killed this one yet! The kids think of it as their pet! He follows them around when they try to feed and water him!

Here are Megan and Elliott in their matching African outfits! They wore them to church on Sunday!

We celebrated Randy's birthday yesterday! We had lunch as a family and also some of the kids came too! We had brownie sundae for dessert! Jen made the brownies and I made the ice cream! We used matches as candles on the cake!!! It worked pretty well except matches burn quite quickly!!! 

Megan roasting a hot dog over the flames of our stove!! The hot dogs over here come in a can! There are 10 of them in one can! The can is the size of a regular soup can! So they are pretty tiny! Gretchen likes them! Hot dog and french fries is her go to meal when she hasn't eaten anything else! We have so many more pictures of the food here so we might have to make another post later!!

Prayers for Jen this week as she is in Banso working there! Prayers for us as we miss having her here with us! The kids and I will be going to Bamenda for a two week stay starting February 3rd! The kids are going to a home school group session! It should be really neat! They will attend class with the other kids and also have swimming lessons. The helicopter pilot is doing the special studies for the two weeks. It is on small engines! Gretchen also gets to attend! She will be in the preschool class! I will be helping out as needed! I'm sure they will have lots to share when we get back!!  Prayers for friends and family back home! We miss you!! Prayers for the Muthler family as they are preparing for their trip to Ethiopia!  Prayers for Leevi Steele!!! Again prayers for Jim and the entire Keyser family!!

 

Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10