Week 2

So much has happened this week! Where to Begin?

I started the week by going to the Hope Center for their church service. The Hope Center is temporary housing for the patients that live far away and need continued follow up care like rehab or wound care. The Hope center is about a 15 minute drive through Douala and nothing reminds you you're in Africa like driving in a busy city! I took these photos from my window so they aren't good photos but I wanted to show you what it was like!

I'm so impressed, they carry EVERYTHING on their heads.

So many motorcycles. And they can fit 4 people on them, they carry everything on them(even mattresses), no one wears helmets ,and they make their own lanes all the time... talk about terrifying. 

Street market

The patient I introduced you to last week began walking longer distances! The patients go up to deck seven for an hour each day for some sunshine and play. While we were up there a photographer asked Assiatou to walk for him, so she showed off her skills! Sadly in these photos she was only able to put weight on her heel using a double thickness cast shoe I had rigged up for her, but later in the week she had her dressing changed and can now use her whole foot!! You have no idea how happy that makes both of us and how much easier it is for her to walk. It has given her freedom as well, now her balance is good enough that she can walk around when she wants to, go visit friends, and go to the bathroom without needing staff to help. She's made pretty good friends with another girl about her same age in the next ward over, so they are usually sitting by one another's beds and chatting. This week they found out I can make balloon flowers and I made them each a balloon flower headband that they wore with pride all day! Wish I had a picture of that!

Adjusting the boot because it always slips.

Trucking along, even with that boot she had a hard time keeping her forefoot off the ground!

She has a butterfly sticker on her forehead  if you're wondering :)

Standing a little closer for turning, it's hard to balance and turn a walker! This picture also shows the craziness of deck 7! So many patients and kids riding bikes, playing games, and walking around... its a mad house!

After our walk, the chaplaincy team  got together and we had some fun dancing an singing!

 On Thursday night for our weekly meeting we had a barbecue with our day crew! It was so fun! A group of Cameroonian singers sang for us and we all danced together. SO sweaty and hot, but so fun!

The rehab gang

This Guy was Jammin!

On Saturday morning I went to New Destiny Orphanage. I was so impressed. The children were so kind and loving toward one another. The older kids loved on all the babies and cared for them like a parent. There were 49 children there and about 5 small babies, 1 toddler, and a bunch of older kids. I didn't ask their ages but the oldest looked about high school age. The man in charge of Mercy Ministries is named Lere and he explained to us that when Mercy ships arrived in Cameroon they didn't know about New Destiny orphanage. They only recently learned about it and they were in bad shape. The woman in charge was providing a home for the children but was having difficulty feeding them. When the first Mercy ships visitors came back from the first visit to the orphanage, they did an offering on Sunday night and raised $15,000 for them. With that money they are going to be able to build an orphanage and not have to pay rent at their current building. They also have an arrangement with a local bakery/ice cream shop name Maison H, that they can come get free fresh bread every day. Makes me want to support Maison H even more! The children had only a 1/2 of a baguette for breakfast and lunch and some warm chocolate looking drink. Even with so little I looked around and all of the kids were sharing! It was so sweet. I helped bathe and feed the babies, then we had a story time and crafts. Two children became my buddies, Jovanny is an older girl and she helped me feed the baby and Roland was a little boy who was deaf and always seemed left out. I wondered if he knew any sign language-he didn't seem to know how to communicate with anyone. At the end Jovanny gave me a hand drawn flower plant and colored it, then wrote I LOVE YOU and Je T'aime all over it. Then when I left she said "Please Please come back!"Ugh, so cute.

We aren't allowed to take pictures but the leader had a Mercy ships camera and took all of the photos. So luckily I have photos to remember my new friends.

The experience was beautiful and heart breaking at the same time. They have so little but are so happy, sweet, kind, and loving. We have so much, way beyond what we need and now we're entering a season of giving more and stressing out about it. Again, this experience is humbling beyond words and I pray that the experiences here will stay with me. That I will continue to be reminded how lucky we are, how much we have, and will remain aware and thankful for everything we've been given. That my heart will be changed and transformed not just temporarily affected. 

Isaac is the baby, Jovanny is smiling and making the baby open his mouth, and Roland is holding the bowl. 

Singing my favorite African songs, all I know is AAAAAA-Ahhhhhhh, then you clap hands with your neighbor. 

My second favorite song- Bumbulayla(I have no idea how to spell that) There a whole dance that I though Isaac wanted to participate in :)

Story time-Isaac was all danced out. 

My roommate Alicia was telling me about the money that was raised.

Teaching Roland thumb wars. 

Jovanny taking me aside to give me my drawing

Dancing with Roland to this really fun french song. I didn't know all the words but you danced in a circle  to the right, then to the left then he would shout a number and you had to get that many people in your circle and dance with them. We usually failed because we just danced together each time. I wondered how much he understood, but he seemed to really enjoy the dancing!

While the older kids did crafts I played with babies and blew bubbles. 

Blowing some bubbles, this guy didn't wear his name tag and wouldn't tell me his name.. . so  he's just my bubble friend. 

At the end of the day the kids danced a choreographed dance for us, it was so cute. The kid front and center in the plaid had some legit moves! 

Group photo

We had to try several times :)

 Every day I'm trying to learn a new french word! My favorite word this week was Bon Journee, it literally means good journey and they say it like we say "have a nice day".
Until next week Bon Journee!