Weekend Away

Hello family and friends!!! Well our visas were extended! Thank you for all the prayers! The past few weeks have been busy! The kids are almost finished with school!! Elliott will be done by the end of next week! Megan is a little bit longer yet! Well just Algebra!! They both will be done so they can enjoy our last few weeks here at Mbingo!

I went to Bamenda and stayed with friends for a few days this past weekend! It was nice to visit and see the rest of Bamenda! 

Our Mbingo family!! 

I stayed with Aunt Elsie and Geri when I went to Bamenda. Elsie took me shopping in the main market on Friday! She has been here for 16 years so it was neat to hear all about the culture and traditions! I rode in my first taxi!! On Saturday, Geri and I went to Bafut to a women's co-op! They make clothes and all sorts of different items! The drive there was so beautiful! 

Here is the entrance to the compound where the store was located.

Geri looking at all the different items to buy!! I could have bought one of everything! This is the room where the ladies work!

On Sunday morning I attended church. We went to the CBC church. It was huge!! When I took this picture I was only half way to the back of the church!!

Sunday afternoon I went to Holly and Jake Schilinski's house and then to the Helping Hands Children's Home!! I met Holly, Jake, and their children at SCA! They were celebrating April Birthdays at the orphanage. 

Helping Hands Children's Home

Holly and the kids! They are answering bible trivia to see who gets seconds on cake! :)

Audrey and Blessing

Audrey is here helping at the home and staying with Jake and Holly for 6 months!

 Some of the kids! 

This is one of the girls bedrooms!

 

Braiding the girls hair!

 Some of the boys playing soccer!!

There are 30 children at the home! They were so friendly and welcoming!! I loved spending time there and wish I could have stayed longer and got to know them better!!

While I was there I passed out faith bracelets and a little booklet! After I was done passing them out the children sang me a song!! It was beautiful!!!! Then as a special treat we watched a movie!

Some of the kids showing their bracelets!

 The wall around the home has some paintings that some visitors have painted! This one says "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." John 14:18

I have the information on how you can help the children at the home! You can make a donation or even sponsor a child with a monthly donation! The work that Jake and Holly are doing is really amazing!! The mission that they are with just bought land between Bamenda and Mbingo! The plan is to expand the home so they can help more children!!!

On Monday, Jen, Megan, and Elliott came to Bamenda to pick me up!! We also spent the day shopping and sightseeing! 

Megan and Elliott trying on hats at Joseph's shop!

We ate out at PressCafe!!

Elliott and I had the Hamburger! It had onion, tomato, lettuce, and a fried egg!! 

Our first hamburger since we left the States!!!!

Jen had the noodle salad! Megan had the tuna melt! Both were very good!! 

 The traffic and roads in Bamenda are crazy! Well, just not Bamenda but all of Cameroon! Traffic laws do not really exist over here! The motorcycles pretty much go where ever they please! Cars drive two wide or on the wrong side to pass someone! I finally got some pictures!

This is looking down on of the main streets in Bamenda! We take this road to get to the CBC. 

Stands like these line both sides of the roads!

Gretchen outside church!

On her way to church in her new African dress!

They are growing up way to fast!!!!

Elliott found another BUG!!!!!

This one was 5 inches long!! So big and gross!

Please pray for accreditation for the CIMS and PAACS programs from the Cameroonian government!  Prayers for the patients and doctors here at Mbingo. 

Praise God and Thank God for the release of the French family that were kidnapped in northern Cameroon a little over two months ago!

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:24