10/31 No Tricks, all Treats

Well, today was a very good day! I woke up feeling almost normal, and my stomach had no "tricks" for me :) Honestly, I forgot it was Halloween until about 8:00 pm.

The day began with catching a taxi alongside Karen Foster, the lone GBIM missionary in Yaounde, that I know of, to one of the 14 Grace Brethren Churches in Yaounde. It was a really cool experience, one that was not unlike the churches I visited 2 years ago. Except this time I was the only honored guest, so I got invited to sit by the paster, facing the congregation. Lots of singing and dancing, many long testimonies, a few sermons, and offering line and 2.5 hours later, and we were headed to lunch. Unfortunately, my friend Paul was not able to make it, as he was translating at his church, so Karen and I had to find fool on our own. We ended up finding this little place that served rice and soup, seems harmless enough - I hope! Notice in my slideshow there are some pictures from today.

After I got back to the house I was feeling a little tired and sick, so I laid down, only to be woken by the guard dog! But it was okay because it was right in time to go to dinner at Megan's house with the guys. We hung out there a little and now I'm back getting ready to go to bed (after a skype date of course).

Tomorrow will be my second day at school, I am really looking forward to start teaching again! Guess it's a good thing I miss it. O and I also will start helping out at basketball practice tomorrow after school! Yippie!

Until later,
Kory

10/30 - Tough Night

Last night was a rough one, as I got sick around 2 am. Please pray that I will be able to recover quickly from this stomach sickness!  I had to cancel plans to go to the market today, which was a bummer.  But I'm glad it's Saturday so I can have plenty of rest!

10/29 - First Day at School and more Pics!

Hey everyone. My computer is dying and I may not have internet soon, so I'll be brief. Today was my first day at RFIS and I love it here. I have attached new pictures to the slideshow so take a look at what the school is like!

Here is part of my journal to Dr. Gaerte:

Friday 10/29: Today was the day! I caught a ride to school for the first time and arrived around 7:15, greeted by welcoming teachers and students.  I was able to meet all of the four prep classes that I will soon be teaching, as well as the entire school during the morning assembly.  Mr. Brubaker can be described as “quirky” and “very proficient” in his teaching.  He will be good to work with, as well as learn from.  I also met with Lois, the Director of the School, to talk about procedures and the atmosphere of RFIS. She will be observing me periodically and is a very encouraging, professional person. There is so much to talk about but I think I can sum it all up by saying I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity to come to RFIS.  The students are completely different, as is the atmosphere.  This will be a great opportunity for me to experience a Christian school, as well as a multi-cultural environment.  I will get to teach 7^th Grade Math, Geometry and Algebra 2.  I am also planning on sitting in on an AP Calculus class, where I will learn strategies to teach Calculus (daily), and also will be a great resource for the kids. Next week I plan to take over either the Geometry or Math 7 class.

10/28 - The City and a shower

Hey all -

This morning I traveled to what is more "downtown" Yaounde via taxi (OBIer's, it was Moses!) with Shawn and Matthew. They had a few things to pick up and it worked well for me to tag along as I am still doing orientation. We went to many different stores and stopped for lunch at this sketchy looking place that had amazing beefsteak!

After a very exhausting trip to the city, I came back to the house wanted to get cleaned up, but our water pump was still broke (one reason we went to the city) and the city water was not working either. So I napped for an hour and when I woke up the city water was on! A hot shower has never felt so great!

Now I am all clean and ready to go to dinner at the NewLand appartments tonight with Mr. Brubaker, my supervising teacher, at a lady teacher named Alison Mary's place. This should be a good time of getting to know them better and talk about RFIS. I am headed to school tomorrow morning for my first time meeting everyone and seeing the brand new campus.

I'll leave you with a few tidbits:

1. It rains here every day around 2 or 3, good thing I like storms :)

2. Coke tastes great here too, I wish American coke was this good

3. It is amazing how technology has changed everything. Everyone has cell phones and obviously internet access is available!

4. We have a house-help named Nicolae. She is basically the mom that takes care of all us boys :) Be careful of how you view her work though, It's not that we are lazy, but by hiring many lady's like her, SIL and Wycliffe can provide income for dozens of families in Cameroon! She makes great banana bread!

5. I <3 MMW

10/27 Lots of new, a little bit o' old

Today I was able to sleep in until 9:00, to get some much needed rest, then it was off to meet tons of people. Matthew took me on "the loop" around this little section of Yaounde. "The loop" is comprised of our residence, the SIL complex where I stayed 2 years ago, CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation And Literacy) offices and housing, and an Annex where Wycliffe offices, houses and an elementary school is located. All of these obviously make a loop. As I went from place to place, I met many people who are from many parts of the world, but are all united with one common goal of seeing God's Word translated into Cameroonian heart languages. This means teachers, computer techies, construction workers, administrators, businessmen, graphic designers and even a couple nurses are all working together! Not only was it good to meet new people, but it was great to be able to recognize some of these places! Our first stop was basically my home 2 summers ago, so that was a good way to start of today.

I am not quite over the jet-lag, but I have been resting and reading all afternoon so that should help. I have been welcomed here by a meal every night for the first few days, and tonight I will be going to Rachael and Mandi's to eat with others. As I type this the weather has turned from calm and sunny to windy and rainy! So it looks like I'll be wearing my jacket and boots.

I want to leave you with a section of a book that I read today while relaxing:

 "We were all created uniquely and wonderfully... Every man carries the seeds of greatness within him. It is up to us to water and nurture those seeds so that we can achieve the potential God created us for."

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have helped me water and nurture my abilities. I have been so blessed with the chance to come here to Yaounde and grow into what I hope will be a little closer to "great."

10/26: Travel and first impressions

Hello all, I have had a busy 36 hours of travel, although it feels like it's only been a few hours. But, I am very tired.  Matthew, Don (my supervising teacher) and  Jim came to the airport to pick me up, but I was already in the parking lot when they got out of the van! Matthew will be orientating me for a couple days, and then hopefully I will be going to school on Thursday. Other names you should know are Shawn, who is in charge of our living quarters, Alex, another roommate, and Megan, who had us over for dinner tonight!

I am working on getting pictures taken and put up, but I do not know how many I'll be able to put on here at a time, so I'll keep ya posted.

Tomorrow will be a day of orientation and setting up. Until then, pray that I get used to the time shift!

Kory

I <3 mmw

Africa, here I come!

I am 24 hours away from beginning my travels to Yaounde, Cameroon. This blog will be my attempt to keep in touch with all of you! Thanks for praying and supporting me and following this blog!