Day Two

Day two in Bamenda was very laid back, but informative.  We learned that a car has been designated for us, so as soon as Pete feels comfortable driving we can get the car. In the meantime we can have a driver take us where we need to go. Pete also met with the vice president of the Seminary and began to talk about what course he might teach. Pete will also be helping in Lay Formation which happens three times a year for one week sessions. 

Tomorrow we will walk down to the market (ten minutes)  with the head cook for the Archbishop and learn our way around.  Apparently we will be eating at the Bishop's house until I feel comfortable cooking on my own.  I told him the food and company was so good at his house it might take me two years to learn how to cook.

The big shocker for me was that Pete asked if he could attend a Parish visitation with the auxillary bishop.  The last one for three months is tomorrow, so Pete leaves for three nights. I am just praying everything goes smoothly while he is gone.

We also learned a bit more about the school's so we think we want to have the kids have some local testing to see where best to place them.  The Private Catholic School is just off the compound.  The easiest choice, but we want to explore our options and the Bishop supports that.

I am also learning that many of the Parish Offices are here so it may be convenient for me to work part time here and get transportation into the community when needed.

We also met two goats and a chicken who live in our common area.  We are a bit nervous of the goats despite being told they are friendly.  They do not have names and will no longer be with us after Christmas, if you know what I mean.

-Joy

We're Here!

Our three-day trip was amazingly easy.  The kids were great and loved the plane trips.  I even got to watch Hunger Games on the plane.  We were blessed to have four extra seats on the trip to Brussels so that Pete and the girls got some sleep.  Josh and I were restless but comfortable.

We were met in Douala by Fr Mike, the Chancellor, who whizzed us through customs with all of our luggage--Praise God.  We spent a night at a Retreat House and met with Cardinal Tumi after a gourmet dinner. Josh didn't make it to see the Cardinal as he could barely keep his eyes open through dinner. He was asleep by 7 and slept 12 hours.  As I fell asleep the first night, I just couldn't stop praising God for how wonderful everything was going.  I never dreamed our trip would go so smoothly.

Despite torrential rain throughout the night, the flooding was not bad so we made the six-hour trip to Bamenda.  Some of us were slightly car sick, but the views up the mountain were spectacular.

We were greeted by Archbishop Cornelius and Bishop Agapitus and had another great meal.  My trepidation about seeing our house was quickly squelched.  We were supposed to stay in temporary housing, but the couple that lived here had to leave early (due to one of them breaking an arm after horseback riding).  I feel badly that their misfortune turned into such a great blessing for us.

The house is small, but charming.  There is a nice size living room, dining area big enough for all and room to do homework.  The three kids share a bedroom but we used a movable closet to give Josh the feel of privacy.  The kids love the room, especially the mosquito nets which make the beds look regal.  It feels good to have a place to call home after living in our formation community and then traveling for a total of almost six months.

We are looking forward to unpacking and exploring the compound, meeting more people, and enjoying the Bishops' hospitality for meals.

-Joy

Pray For A Guy Named Josh

Dear Reader, 

This morning is the morning I leave for Africa! I’m so excited! Well, I have to admit that I’m freaking out a little bit but still, I’m excited too. It’s 6:38 (oh, no make that 6:39)—only 3 hours and 20 minutes until my family gets on the bus to the airport (it just changed to 6:40—sorry, I’m a slow typer)! 

Right now I’m typing in the dining room and I’m going to count how many pieces of luggage we have…One, 2, 3, 4, 5 duffels, 1, 2, 3, 4, also 5 suitcases that aren’t carry-on, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 carry-on (that includes a bag with a computer in it, a light, pink and maroon backpack, 3 small suitcases, and my dad’s guitar). Seventeen pieces of luggage. If you think that’s a lot don’t tell my mother she’s been working hard to minimize the number of bags and suitcases down from 20 to 17. She’s actually done a pretty good job. She went out and bought these bags where first you put in clothes, mattresses, sheets, blankets (anything soft) and you just suck all of the air out—leaving the airless bag about a third of its original size! She fit a lot of my clothes in one of those bags, not to mention my poor little squeezed up stuffed animals! 

The feeling has swept over me. I’m scared. Please pray for a guy named Josh that is going to Africa and is in need of God’s loving care. Thank you! You’re doing me a HUGE favor. Anyways, I think I gotta rap up so, I just want to say one final thing before I end…ONLY 2 AND A HALF HOURS!

Your missionary,

Joshua Newburn (10 yrs.)

Last Day in the USA!

Dear Reader,

I can’t believe that I’m saying this.  It’s almost too amazing to be true.  Well, here goes…Tomorrow…I’m…that is, tomorrow… (Deep breath)  TOMORROW I’M LEAVING FOR AFRICA!  I can’t believe that it’s getting so close!  I remember six months ago when I left my house in Rialto. —sniff— when I left all of my friends—sniff—and people close to me.  (Sigh)  Oh well.  At least we can Skype. 

Over those past six weeks I’ve stayed in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Maine, New Jersey, and now I’m in Massachusetts getting ready for the big day.  You know, when we make our first flight out tomorrow it won't be straight to where we're living for the next 3 years.  Our first arrival is in Brussels, Belgium, after we take a one-hour flight to New Jersey because that is where you fly out when you are flying to a different country.  Then, once we arrive at 6:00 am in Belgium (1:00 am our time), we fly to Africa at 5:00 am (our time).  We don't know where we're staying then, but then we'll have a 5-7 hour drive to where we'll be staying for the next 3 years.  You know, just your everyday pre-safari trip.

Friends and family members, I miss you SO much!  Please send me letters, e-mails, phone calls, and Skype if you can.  Until, then goodbye!

Your exited friend,

Joshua Newburn

Dear Friends:

As I write this Sunday evening, we fly out tomorrow morning from Boston to begin our adventure.  We have enjoyed several weeks of seeing family and enjoying summer fun in the Midwest and the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast.  We’ve also done some last minute shopping and getting our new laptops ready.  (Hopefully we will have Wi-Fi access in our new home!)

As our departure time has come closer, the realization has hit that we are really doing this.  Three years in a country and culture so different!  What if we don’t like it?  What if we can’t communicate?  We’re up for an adventure, but what if it feels just too different, too hard?  We’re anticipating that the experience will be both exciting and challenging.

This morning at church, as I was experiencing some fear in my gut, I was reminded that in the Gospels Jesus says “Be not afraid!” a total of 366 times.  That’s one for every day of the year, and one more just to be sure!  I am trying to remember that God has called us to this, and He will be faithful to work everything out for the good (Rom 8:28).  We are not in control, but we can trust in the One who is.

Can’t wait to see what’s in store.  Cameroon, ready or not, here we come!

-Pete

Distribution of Resources

We have spent 3 weeks in the Midwest and now are on the East Coast.  We have been enjoying the beach and special time with family.

Our family, along with my brother's family, were in our local 4th of July parade on Cape Code, Massachusetts.  The kids made a little float and we all dressed in red, white and blue.  As we went down the street, we threw candy into the crowd.  At the beginning of the parade, I noticed that the kids in the crowd had huge bags full of candy and that some of the candy still lay on the ground or had even gone into some of the puddles from the rain the night before.  I watched as our supply of candy got smaller and and smaller.  By the end of the parade route, I noticed that the kids along the route had empty candy bags and that none of the parade participants had any candy left to throw into the crowd.

To me the image reminded me of our world.  We have enough resources that everyone could have some if it were distributed differently.  Some parts of the world have so much that is easy to waste what is there, while people in other parts are struggling to have anything.

We have 10 days until we leave for Cameroon.  Our excitement and nerves are rising.  May God give us peace as we go through our final preparations and goodbyes.

-Joy

On Our Way

Well, we have said our goodbyes to our California friends and our missionary class.  We have rented out our home, and given away, sold, or discarded all of our possessions, except for what we put in a five-by-ten ft. storage unit and the two suitcases per person to take with us.  We had four months in the Mission House in Los Angeles, preparing for our mission.  It seemed at times that time stood still, and sometimes that it flew by!  Overall, it was a great time of transition for us.  Now we have several weeks to visit family in the Midwest and East Coast before we fly to Cameroon on July 23.

Ten Things We Liked About the Mission House:

·         Huge meals, living in community with great people, lots of fun and laughter

·         Daily prayer in community (including kids), daily Mass in the parish chapel

·         Quality formation classes to prepare us for mission

·         Our three kids and the Powers’ three kids playing so nicely together

·         Pizza and movie nights on Fridays, with big screen and projector

·         Being next to the parish, with basketball courts (Josh loved to play BB every day)

·         Emily learning to ride a bike, and losing a tooth during Good Friday liturgy

·         Walk-in toy closet with lots of games

·         Having a chapel in the house with Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament

·         Celebrating all three kids’ birthdays, Jessica’s first communion, and other events, including our commissioning as Lay Mission-Helpers

Celebrations

What a week.  The kids went to a roller skating birthday party on Friday for their friend Eddie.  As I watched my six year old Emily clomp around the rink with a huge grin on her face, I was very moved by her perseverance.  She would go about 20 feet before she would lose control, start flailing and then fall to the hard surface.  I would wait for the wailing.  But each time she hoisted herself up and kept on going-never losing that beautiful smile.  This quality will serve her well when we get to Cameroon.

Saturday was all about Jessica (almost 8).  Her first communion day.  I was worried that the “princess attitude” would appear and we might have a meltdown.  But once dressed, hair curled and high heels on feet, her focus moved quickly to receiving Jesus. I was so proud of her poise and focus.  She just radiated Christ’s love.  Almost the entire Mission House attended. Our House has been so supportive and loving to the entire family.

Sunday was our commissioning at St John’s next door.  It couldn’t have been lovelier. Each of us made a solemn promise to serve God’s people in the country to which we were assigned.  We received rings inscribed with the Lay Mission-Helpers’ motto “For we are God’s Helpers” (1 Cor. 3:9).  The children received medals of the patron saints of mission—St. Therese of Lisieux for the girls and St. Francis Xavier for the boys. Afterwards we celebrated back at the House with friends and family

So now we are packing, packing, packing and finishing up dr’s apt. We leave on June 6^th for our goodbyes around the country.  We will be visiting between 8-11 states before we head to Cameroon mid to late July.

-Joy