Greetings from Cameroon!

Hi everyone!

After 23 hours of travel (dallas-chicago-zurich-yaounde), our team safely made it here at the Wycliffe compound in the capital of Cameroon. We crammed into a small jeep after collecting our luggage and arrived here at night, so it was incredible seeing the sunshine and exotic trees in the morning. It's really humid because we arrived right on time for the rainy season here, but I slept so well after the exhausting journey. A few got sick on the plane, but God has been with us every step of the way. Thank you so much for all your prayers<3

Right now, I'm just trying to breathe in, see, and hear everything about this place. I'm avidly jotting down the sights, smells, and sounds so I can share with you when I get back. We have limited internet connection here, so I wanted to update you before heading out to the village on Wednesday.

I spent the afternoon playing with Danielle, one of the daughters of a translator here. Afterwards, our team ventured out to the city (nothing like the "cities" back home, for sure). We get lots of stares here (no surprise there--a group of 7 American girls trekking through the dirt roads), but a couple children waved to us from the roadside. Tonight, we'll be having dinner with a Cameroonian family to get the details on what's appropriate and what's not in the village--lots of culture-learning here! :)

Prayer request:
-safe travels to Ndu, the area where we'll be staying (our team will be split into twos and assigned to three different villages) and good relationships with our host families
-good health: I'm realizing more and more how important this is
-that we grow and encourage one another as a team, as one body of Christ, so we can be open-minded, selfless, and flexible so we can shine His light here in Cameroon

I won't have any internet until we return to this city at the end of our stay, but I'm thinking of you and the love you all continue to show me. I find strength in your prayers every morning. I miss you all very much.

Oh, and the Limbum language is tonal, so you can say the same thing in different tones, and it'll mean something totally different. For example, "beri weh" means "thank you," but if you say "beri!" with a raised voice, it means "goodbye!"

So until then, "beri!" :)

Love,
Cathy :)