Old posts!

These are from a couple weeks ago. Then my computer decided it didn't like Microsoft word and I couldn't write any more. The last two weeks have been pretty busy and I'm finally here with an internet connection, so I'll post about them in a little while. But these are from when I was free to do other things.

Day 16

I’m still in Bamenda. I was supposed to leave Friday or Saturday, but the guy I’m traveling with said that since no one works on the weekend we’d leave Sunday night or Monday morning. It’s Sunday night. We’re not leaving until tomorrow.  It’s fine with me. One less night I have to pay for.

I’m staying with Karl and Frida Grebe. I just feel bad because they initially thought I’d only be here one night. I’m sorry!

The road flooded. That was a time. We left Kumbo (apparently, the proper spelling is Kimbo’) Friday afternoon to come to Bamenda, but once we got here, there was traffic a mile long because one of the bridges flooded. It was really funny, actually. No one was hurt, as far as I know. Cars could just drive over it and people would just hop on the back of trucks or pile in cars. I’m pretty sure one truck was hauling at least twenty people in the back. And everyone was yelling at everyone else, trying to direct it all. So many people were taking pictures and videos, too. It took us an extra hour to arrive at Karl’s house, but we made it safe and sound.

Nothing interesting has happened besides that. Looking back it makes me laugh that my first few entries were so long and now I’m not even writing every day. Such is life when visiting a new country.

Leaving on Friday was really sad, though. I really didn’t want to leave those kids. They were so much fun. Sure, every time I went in front to teach the verse they stared at me like I was a fish with two heads, but still. I really enjoyed it. I loved seeing the older kids really be interested in the Bible stories and hearing the little kids recite 1 Peter 5:7. That was especially adorable, because if they recited all the memory verses of the previous days, they’d get a prize, so all the older kids would tell me their verses and then I’d be surrounded by little kids and they could all say 1 Peter, and when I tried to lead them through the others, they’d say the right book and all, but then just say “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.”  Aw…

I just realized, I have typed up a prayer in a while. Of course you’ll read this after, so you may already know the outcome of some things, but that’s okay. We can still pray.

Lord, than You for all these beautiful country you’ve shown me. Thank You for bringing me here and allowing me to work. Thank You for the good time I had in Kumbo and please help me to be as useful and blessed in Pinyin. Please bless the Grebes for putting me up this weekend and give Karl a safe journey back to Kumbo tomorrow. Please also give me safe travel to Pinyin. Lord, please give the translators the strength and good humor to work through these last few bits of editing. They are so close to having the full Bible in Lamnso’. Please let them be encouraged in these last few months when the end is so near. Remain close to the children’s hearts, too. I know a few came to know You as their Savior this last week, and I ask that they remain close to You. And for those who were already with You, please remain with them. Help them all to put their full trust in You and to lean on You always. Keep them from staying too far and allow this Lamnso’ Bible to be a blessing to them.  Please keep them reading and studying Your word.

I know I just left, but Lord, if it is Your will, please allow me to go back. I know I may very well say this of all the places I visit, but it was so good there. I could see You blessing those people and allowing them to become close to You. I was barely able to scratch the surface of their language and was only starting to know the kids when I left. Being there was so good and such an experience. I can only hope I was as much a blessing to them as they were to me.

Lord, please allow my time in Pinyin to be as good.

Amen.

Day 17

I’m still in Bamenda. I’m staying at the SIL guest house. There are two book cases full of books. I’m actually kind of glad I couldn’t get the internet to work. It meant I could read.

Two pretty funny things just happened to me. And all in the last hour or so. But I should explain just a bit first. I’m staying at the guest house with three other guys. It’s a pretty big house with four rooms and three bathrooms. I have a huge room with three beds and my own bathroom all to myself. Okay. So, I came out of my room because I finished a book and wanted another. There’s really nothing I can do right now because I’m waiting to go to Pinyin and I don’t really want to go exploring Bamenda. This is only slightly prompted by the copious amounts of books here. But anyway, there I was, looking at the books, trying to decide which one I wanted to read next, and one of the guys comes out of his bathroom just wrapped in a towel. I kind of looked back when I heard him come into the room, and I almost died. I quickly grabbed book and scurried back into my room, because if I had stayed out there I would have cracked up. I don’t know if he forgot I was staying here or what, but oh man…

The other thing that happened was I was looking for the switch for the water heater. They are usually pretty obvious and near the bathroom, but I can’t find this one. So, I was flipping all the switches in my room and checking to see if the heater went off, when I rang the doorbell. No, no. You read that right. There’s a doorbell in my room. Again, I almost died laughing. I could hear the guys opening the door and wondering what was up (I wasn’t laughing at them, but at the fact that there is a doorbell in my room). I probably should’ve at least poked my head out of my room and said “Sorry! That was me!” but I didn’t. Life goes on and now I know which switch not to press. But seriously. If I were of a trickier disposition – or staying here with friends – I would totally press the switch again. All the time. And laugh and laugh and laugh. Oh man. THERE’S A SWITCH TO THE DOORBELL IN MY ROOM! How often does this happen?

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to go to Pinyin. Also, I need my funds, so hopefully CABTAL will have some of those for me. But now it’s 10:20 – later than I’ve gone to bed in 2 weeks! And I’m tired, so good night!