Our Arrival in Cameroon (July 1-2)

We had good flights to Cameroon. After dropping our dogs off in Fayetteville, NC, Roy's mom and step-dad took us out to eat for our last American meal (at Cracker Barrel) for a while and then to Raleigh where we had a 8.5 hour flight to Paris, France, a 6 hour layover and then a 6.5 hour flight to Yaounde, Cameroon.

On our way!

We were able to meet up with my former college roommate, Kristin in the Paris airport. She and her family are working to help plant a church on the outskirts of Paris. Kristin treated us to breakfast and it was fun to catch up! They've had a tough year, but God is working through their efforts.

Denise and Kristin

Soon, after a few airplane movies, a couple airplane meals, short naps and several walks around the plane (doctor's orders), we arrived in Yaounde. The baggage carousel felt like a free for all, but we were thrilled to get all our bags and get through customs smoothly. A Covenant missionary, Konroy who works at a an the Rain Forest International School, was generous to pick us up and on the way to our guest house we got a quick synopsis of Cameroon history. It was first colonized in the 1400's by the Portuguese and called Cameroon (which means "shrimp"). After WW1 it came under German rule and then after WW2 it was given over to France and England. Then it gained her independence in 1969 with the national languages of English and French. The country is pretty stable today which has been really important to those missionaries in Central Africa as they have relied upon Cameroon as an entry/exit point and for other logistics.

We got settled into a three room apartment at the SIL guesthouse in Yaounde. The next day we would be joined by three men who would be going with us to Central African Republic to see the CEFA project. We were tired but so happy to be on African soil!

Mosquito net to make sure no mosquito got a meal from us at night.