RBM Planning in the Grand North (MRTC)

We had an excellent time planning with the following teams in the Greater North (MRTC)
1) Mofu Gudur
2) Matal
3) Mbudum
4) Pana
5) Buwal
6) Moloko
7) Madar
8) Gavar
9) Marva
10) Tchouvok
These men came from far and near to plan look at what has happened and then plan work for the coming months. It was good to get to know them, their environment, their difficulties. It was also a blessing to see how some of them with very little or no training has been able to do quite a lot especially in ParaTExt.
Some of these teams have really advanced and some are still way behind. I am looking at organising two ParaTExt workshops; one for beginner/intermediate and one for advanced ParaTExt users specifically targetting those who are getting close to typesetting.

We got to experience life in Maroua and went out to visit one of the projects - Matal in the Mandara mountains.

Oh I got to meet my cousin Novel and her baby Mariet Berinyuy and her husband. It was really awesome to see her again after a couple of years. As soon as she heard that I was around, she didn't waste any more time to go see me.

We had fun shopping in the markets and it the Muslim prayer time so most shops were closed and everyone was set for prayer looking at one direction. So funny I bought a tea spice and took it to Bamenda as a very nice teat just to discover from my wife that it is very common in Bamenda. She even had a handful of it. All my colleagues did same and at least one also learned from the wife that it wasn't really a treat.

We had fun on the way shopping for water melons and yams. We also stopped for a few photos on the on the bridge with the sand rivers!

I was able to visit Kadada my colleague and his wife and daughter. It is really nice to get to see the environment and the people. It really helps to relate and connect with the people.

There is a lot of steak and chi (tea) in the North so you can always eat and drink tea spiced with limes. Drinking water can really be a luxury in the North so there are earthen ware pots in some street corners providing fresh water for everyone. I didn't take a drink though but I posed for the photo.

For me, it was also a working session in the North as I was able to resolve some problems and also provide Internet Connectivity for some language teams.

Everything went so well except for the 70 hour round trip! Yes 35 hours to Maroua and 35 hours all the way from Bamenda to the Extreme North of Cameroon. 70 hours is two weeks of work plus you came back again tired. Such journeys should really be undertaken by air.

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to serve you far and near. Please give me the wisdom, strength and good health to do that which you have called me to do for you so that your people may come to have a relationship with you as soon as possible.