Random Pictures

Here are a few pictures that I have taken around town.  It gives you an idea of what we see every day.  Enjoy!

Shoes Anyone!

Or you can buy shoes from the traveling shoe salesmen.  We are amazed at how well they can balance them on their head.

Drinks for sale.

Taxi car wash

Clothes for sale

No worries about driving over this big hole.  

Some of the homes we see.

Here is our "American" store where we shop once in awhile.  We can often find root beer and peanut butter - although the peanut butter is about $7 for a small bottle.

Here is where I usually buy my fruit.  Can you say pamplemousse et ananas? (Grapefruit and Pineapple - I know.  You thought it was bananas.  You can see why I have trouble with French.)

Visiting Douala

We traveled to Douala for a nice, three day visit with Elder and Soeur Gailey.  The new bus was just as nice as it looked There is even a little "WC" so the bus doesn't need to stop and let everyone go on the side of the road.  It is just so much less stressful to avoid the police and the two-lane traffic, something we always worry about when we drive our car.  We love visiting with the Gailey's.  We visited their Elders and did some souvenir shopping.  It was a nice change and now it's nice to be back home and ready to work hard.

We tried out a new restaurant.  There are many more restaurants in Douala than we have in Yaounde'.  Look at the food in those pictures.  You would almost think we were in the USA!!!

I tried to get a good picture of what happens when we stopped for Soeur Gailey to buy peanuts.  I think there were 10 bottles shoved in her window.  They all want you to buy their peanuts.  The women sit all day and fill these bottles.  We love the peanuts.  These big bottles are 2,000 cfa's - or $4.

Transfers

We said "good-bye" to Elder Davis and "hello" to Elder Porter.  It's always a busy week sending and receiving new Elders.  We take them to the bus and then go back 4 hours later and pick up the new transferring Elders.  We tried a new bus line, "Touristique".  It was so nice and clean.  It is also closer to our apartment.  Instead of being a 1/2 hour drive away, we can get there in 15 minutes.  The bus ride to Douala is 4 hours.

Reading transfer letters

Adieu Elder Davis. Nous vous aimons.

Bienvenu Elder Porter!

"High On A Mountain Top" - again

We visited Mt. Febe' for P-Day with our 10 Elders.  Mt. Febe' is where Elder Jeffrey R. Holland dedicated the land of Cameroon.  It's close to our apartment, so we can get there pretty fast.  We took 2 trips up, but on the way back, we piled all 12 of us in the van.  We review the dedicatory prayer and sing "High On a Mountain Top".  Then we had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch.  It's a nice outing.  We do it when we have a new set of Elders.  I think there were a couple still who had done it before.  Enjoy the pictures!

Ekounou Elders

Bastos Elders

We love these Elders!

Elder Carl B. Cook Visits Yaounde'

President and Soeur Cook, along with Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy and his wife, came to visit for 3 days.  They visited with the District Presidency and Branch Presidents, the Young Single Adults, the Priesthood and the Auxiliary Presidencies on Thursday.  On Friday, they held a Zone Conference here in our apartment.  It was wonderful to be taught by a General Authority.  He gave the District and Branch leaders some goals to work towards growing their Branches here in Yaounde'.  He was so impressed with the leaders here and we could all feel the willingness of them wanting to do better.  He also gave the Young Single Adults hope with getting married and the challenges they face with paying the "dote" here.  It was a great visit and we were all lifted and taught.

We always get good smiles on these pictures and I'll tell you the secret.  There are about 10 cameras set on timer and it looks like Christmas lights flashing

Look at all the nice help in the kitchen.  We told Sister (s) Cooks that there were too many "cooks" in the kitchen, but they insisted on staying.  I don't blame them.  That was so much fun.

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The Elders came looking sharp with nice haircuts, white shirts and polished shoes.  It really helped bring a good Spirit to Zone Conference.

On the way to the airport, we took them to Mt. Febe', where Elder Holland dedicated the land of Cameroon in 2009.  Thanks for the great visit Cooks.

Preparing for Elder Cook's Visit - Haircuts

We did haircuts today, in preparation of President and Elder Cook's visit this week.  They are doing a "Mission Tour" with their wives.  It will take them two weeks to visit the Mission. They will be here 3 days.  They really do have a grueling schedule.  So, today, we did haircuts.  I just wish our water would have been on.  Each of the Elders received 1 bottle of water to rinse their shampoo'd hair.  We just continue to move forward with our daily chores. In the past 2 weeks, we have only had water on 4 days.  We are grateful for those days so that we can replenish our water supply and also catch up on the laundry.  Enjoy the pictures! These are some of our newest Elders.  Now I wish I would have taken all 10 Elder's pictures.

Elder Roth

Elder Naughton

Elder Hunt

I should have done a before and after on a few of them.  Some of them went quite a bit shorter, like Elder Hatch.  He is 6' 6" and said his hair gets messed up when he gets in a taxi, because it rubs on the top of the taxi. I don't think he will have any more problems.