African Adventure

2006-08-06T18:10:00.000Z

We had the elders over to our apartment for a spaghetti dinner on their preparation day. We were sad to hear that Elder Brown will be leaving to go back to Douala on Monday, Aug. 7th. Elder Mol, an elder from Congo, will come to Yaounde in his place. Around the table we have Elder Ndonde, Elder Badger, Soeur Badger, Elder Aviles, Elder Brown and Elder Wiberg.

2006-08-06T18:01:00.000Z

This is the mobile candy store. The young man with the wheelbarrow is selling goodies to Fabrice at the end of our driveway.

2006-08-06T17:57:00.000Z

On August 5, 2006, the elders held a talent show as a missionary activity. They participated by doing a skit that had everyone doubled over with laughter. Elder Wiberg is behind Elder Aviles and is using his hands to feed, wash, and shave poor little Elder Aviles.

2006-08-06T17:53:00.000Z

Mary Mukankusi sang a beautiful song with the audience joining in. Mary is from Ruwanda. She was baptized a year ago.

2006-08-06T17:49:00.000Z

Olivier, the Young Men's President, did a very funny impression of Elder Badger and his "Mauvais" French.

2006-08-06T17:47:00.000Z

Nadine Kemle sang and played the piano. She was given a rousing ovation afterward. She has a a beautiful voice.

2006-08-06T17:42:00.000Z

The Young Women of the branch performed some of their traditional dances. What a lot of fantastic talent!

2006-08-06T17:36:00.000Z

This is Desiree weaving the top to a stool with plastic fibers in the colors of Cameroun. Desiree was baptized a few weeks ago. Rowan is watching him work. By the way, Desiree is blind.

2006-08-06T17:31:00.000Z

After the talent show, the Badgers were presented with a beautiful stool that Sister Badger is sitting on and the shelving unit with a picture of the Badgers painted by the brother of Dersiree. Desiree did the weaving on top of the unit. His weaving is in the colors of the Cameroun flag. What a marvelous surprise!

2006-08-06T17:24:00.000Z

Soeur Martine, an old friend, surprised us by giving us matching African outfits that she had made. We only put on the tops for the picture. From the left we have Elder Badger, a friend of Martine's, Soeur Martine and Soeur Badger. Martine left that afternoon for Ngaoundere in the extreme north of Cameroun.

2006-08-06T17:15:00.000Z

A friend we met in Koutaba last January came to visit and brought the Badgers wonderful produce. Ya-Ya had tomatoes, green peppers, avocados, green beans, watermelon, and carrots. We were able to share the gift with others.

2006-07-26T08:08:00.000Z

Hopefully, this is the site for the chapel that will be built in Yaounde. It is up by the Omnisport, which can be seen in the background. It is a beautiful location.

2006-07-26T07:50:00.000Z

Around the city of Yaounde, we see these push carts used to carry just about everything.

2006-07-26T07:40:00.000Z

This is the newborn baby of Ekam Paul Ndongo's sister. Elder Badger was asked to give mother and child a blessing.

2006-07-26T07:33:00.000Z

The young women of the Bastos Branch are the greatest. Starting from the left is Cecile, Valvina, Soeur Badger and Coquine. Coquine gave a wonderful talk in church about proper dress standards.

2006-07-18T15:49:00.000Z

This is Claudine, a new member of the church, with Soeur Badger. Claudine is the sister of Josette and aunt of Lambert.

2006-07-18T15:26:00.000Z

An important man in our neighborhood died. These are members of his family preparing food for the funeral. Women were cooking in every space available across the street from the family home.

2006-07-18T15:22:00.000Z

These women are preparing goat meat, plantains, pineapple and other food for the funeral. Notice the goat head the woman was showing us.

2006-07-18T15:19:00.000Z

The women worked together to prepare the food for the many family and friends who had come from miles around for the funeral.

2006-07-18T15:16:00.000Z

Lambert, on the right,one of Elder Badger's English students and a new member of the church, invited us to his home to buy some fish from his mother, Josette. Little did we realize what a wonderful meal we would have.

2006-07-18T15:12:00.000Z

Josette is a master at cleaning and preparing the fish. She also cooked plantains on the little gas stove in the background.

2006-07-18T15:10:00.000Z

Josette and her sister are cooking the fish on the brazier. She put condiments of onion, garlic and other African herbs in and on the fish.

2006-07-18T15:06:00.000Z

We are enjoying the delicious fish prepared by Josette. Around the table we have Elder Badger, Soeur Badger, Leticia, Josette holding a neighbor child, Josette's sister, Elder Ndonde and Lambert. We ate the meal with our hands. We washed our hands with soap and water and then dug in to the fabulous food.

2006-07-18T15:00:00.000Z

The U.S. Embassy celebrated the Fourth of July this year with an open house at the new embassy building. Many dignitaries and diplomats from other embassies were invited as well as the Americans in Cameroun. There were booths with different kinds of American food for everyone to try. We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, cotton candy, ice cream, cookies, fruit and much more. The elders got their fill.

2006-07-18T14:54:00.000Z

There was a short program with the presentation of the flag. The Star Spangled Banner was sung by the two young people in the picture and Ambassador Marquardt said a few words.

2006-07-18T14:41:00.000Z

Elder Anderson, seated on the far right, had been in Yaounde for a year. He left for home on June 23rd. We had a breakfast before it was time to take him to the bus to Douala where he would catch his plane to the United States. From the far left we have Elder Brown from Oregon, Elder Wiburg from Utah, the Badgers and Elder Aviles from Maryland. Elder Anderson is from Fairview, Utah.

2006-07-18T14:31:00.000Z

Mentally ill people in Cameroun have no services to help them. This young man sits at the same corner every day. People give him food, but his clothes are in rags. He gazes out at the world and talks to himself.

2006-06-19T07:58:00.000Z

June 18th is Fathers Day in Cameroun also. Sister Celine, the Relief Society President, wore her beautiful African dress on this special day. The Relief Society and Young Women handed out little packets of candy to the men.

2006-06-19T07:56:00.000Z

On June 18th, seven fine men received the Melchizedek Priesthood. From the left are Ebah, Benjamin, Ignace, Pierre Toutou, Faustin, Immanuel Odoumba and Francois. These men will be a real strength to the branch and will also be future leaders when the branch is divided soon.

2006-06-19T07:52:00.000Z

This is Corine with her new baby boy that was blessed on June 11th.

2006-06-19T07:46:00.000Z

On Saturday, June 17th, four wonderful women were baptized. On the front row starting from the left, we have two daughters of Antoinette, then the daughter of Odile and finally the mother of Patick, Thierry and Nathalie. It is thrilling to see family members join the church! On the back row from the left are Salomon, Antoinette's husband, who baptized his daughters, Elder Anderson, Elder Wiberg, Thierry, Patrick, Nathalie and Sister Celine, the Relief Society President.

2006-06-19T07:41:00.000Z

Elder Badger has taught an English class for the past year. This is a picture of the teacher and some of his students.

2006-06-19T07:38:00.000Z

Elizabeth Essoka is an energetic woman who has lived in the USA and is trying to organize 4H in Cameroun. She invited us to her facility to show us what she has accomplished and to ask for our help. She fed us a delicious African breakfast. Elizabeth is on the left, then Victor Kumba, who retired from Habitat for Humanity, Reverend Bartholomey, a pastor for the Seventh Day Adventist church and Sister Badger. Elizabeth is setting up a summer day camp and is looking for people to assist her.

2006-06-19T07:33:00.000Z

One of the projects for 4H is raising pigs and rabbits. This is a litter of pigs at the facility.

2006-06-19T07:30:00.000Z

Elizabeth is amazing! Not only is she trying to set up a 4H facility on this land, she even dug her own well. Elder Badger is pulling up the bucket from 14 feet down below.

2006-06-19T07:26:00.000Z

The Douala elders came to Yaounde for zone conference. They rode the bus from Douala on Thursday morning so they could take part in a preparation day football game with the Yaounde elders and the Bastos Branch members. The field is by this beautiful building in Bastos.

2006-06-19T07:23:00.000Z

Our first branch conference since we arrived in Cameroun was held on Sunday June 11, 2006. In preparation for the conference and the arrival of President Maycock, members of the branch turned out to really clean the building and yard. President and Sister Ndongo are hard at work cleaning the drainway.

2006-06-19T07:19:00.000Z

A zone conference was held on Saturday, June 10th. In the picture are the Badgers, President and Sister Maycock, our eight missionaries in Cameroun and the Bastos Branch Presidency.

2006-06-03T13:27:00.000Z

The Mauclairs, the French senior missionary couple in Douala, invited us to accompany them on a mini-vacation on our preparation day. We met them in Edea and drove to Kribi on the Cameroun coast. When we arrived at the beach, the fishermen were just pulling in their nets. Notice how everyone helps, including the women.

2006-06-03T13:24:00.000Z

Once the net is on the beach, the people divide up the catch among themselves. The women and children came with pots and bowls to collect the fish.

2006-06-03T13:15:00.000Z

These are the dug-out canoes called pirogues that the people use for fishing. They are made from one log.

2006-06-03T13:11:00.000Z

Elder Mauclair is interested in different kinds of shells. He asked many of the local people what shells were found in these waters.

2006-06-03T13:06:00.000Z

After checking into our hotel, we went exploring around Kribi. Just past the town, we found the Falls of Lobe. Some young men there offered to give us a boat ride to get a better look at the falls, but their boats were dug-out canoes, so we respectfully declined.

2006-06-03T12:55:00.000Z

After a day of exploring the country around Kribi, we returned to our hotel for a fabulous seafood dinner. The food and service were exceptional. You can see the ocean behind us.

2006-06-03T12:50:00.000Z

This picture shows the restaurant part of the hotel. You can see how close it is to the water. It was wonderful to sit and watch the waves as we ate.

2006-06-03T12:46:00.000Z

This is the beautiful, empty beach by our hotel. This is paradise!

2006-06-03T12:27:00.000Z

We drove down a steep, rutted road to reach the fishing village of Londji. Here the people fish for their living. They use dug-out canoes, some with sails, to travel far out from shore to catch the larger fish. We are walking down the beach to the main part of the village.

2006-06-03T11:14:00.000Z

This is the street that runs through the village of Londji. Notice the thatched roof on the house. The people were rather surprised to see four white missionaries walking around their village. We were asked why our church was not in Kribi or Edea. We told them that one day the church would be throughout Cameroun.

2006-06-03T10:46:00.000Z

While in the village, Elder Mauclair bought two large fish called Dorade. Together the fish weighed almost 5 pounds. A woman cooked the fish over hot coals along with some plantains. Here the sunburned couples enjoy the meal. There were no plates, napkins, etc. We had to ask for forks. Thank goodness we had our own water and glasses. The people searched to find four chairs for us to sit on. The fish was tender and delicious.

2006-06-03T10:38:00.000Z

Meligui Serge received his mission call to the Ghana Accra Mission, English speaking. He is the first missionary to leave from the Bastos Branch for more than ten years. We are so thrilled for him.

2006-05-28T20:56:00.000Z

Saturday May 27th was a very special day. Brother Odoumba baptized his wife. When he was baptized a few months ago, his wife was going to leave him. When the missionaries came to their home, she often looked sullen and disinterested. On the day of her baptism, she looked radiant and happy. The missionaries behind the Odoumbas are, from left to right, Elder Brown, Elder Aviles, Elder Anderson and Elder Wiberg.

2006-05-28T20:53:00.000Z

Each Saturday the young men of the branch help clean the chapel, the porch, and the grounds so they will be ready for Sunday Services. They do a really good job under the direction of President Ndongo.

2006-05-24T11:37:00.000Z

Teme Simplice, one of our very faithful members, was able to baptize his wife on May 13th. To celebrate Salome's baptism, the family invited the Badgers and the four elders to their home for a wonderful African meal. They even killed their big rooster and served him. The meal was delicious and was served on a beautiful white table cloth with china, glassware and napkins. Sister Badger says it was one of the best meals she has eaten since arriving in Africa.

2006-05-24T11:28:00.000Z

This is Jean-Jacques, one of our guards, and his new bride that he brought back from the village. She is only 15 and does not speak French or English. They communicate by Patois (their own dialect from their village). This is our garage and the steps going up to our apartment.

2006-05-15T18:29:00.000Z

Elder Burnham's family came from Arizona to see Cameroun and to fly home with him after his release from his mission. He had Sipora Gwet make International Women's Day dresses for his mother and two sisters. Brother Burnham is dressed ready to baptize two people who were taught the gospel by his son. The Burnhams arrived on Thursday, May 11th and departed on Monday, May 15th.

2006-05-15T18:22:00.000Z

Last minute preparations for the baptismal service. Jeff Smith is in the center. He led the choir that sang at the baptism.

2006-05-15T18:20:00.000Z

These are the six people who were baptized and the Priesthood holders who performed the baptisms. Brother Burnham was able to baptize two of the people.

2006-05-15T18:17:00.000Z

This picture was taken after the baptism. Included are those who were baptized and their families and friends.

2006-05-15T18:13:00.000Z

After the baptism, Elder Burnham's family had the opportunity to taste African cuisine at President Ndongo's home. The party was in Elder Burnham's honor.

2006-05-15T18:09:00.000Z

Soeur Ndongo put a blob of taro on each plate and then hollowed out a place for the yellow sauce.

2006-05-15T18:02:00.000Z

We ate the taro, yellow sauce and ndole with a fork, but Africans use their fingers. President Ndongo is enjoying the meal. Soeur Ndongo is giving some taro to Abinadi, her youngest son.

2006-05-15T18:00:00.000Z

The missionaries and the Badgers leave the Ndongo home and start the walk back to the car.

2006-05-15T17:48:00.000Z

Sister Badger and the missionaries cross the bridge and head up the hill to where the car was parked.

2006-05-15T17:36:00.000Z

A woman is digging around the corn or maize on a plot of land by a home that has stood partially built for the last two years. It seems like all work in Africa is done bent over.

2006-05-15T17:33:00.000Z

This is the fourth corn crop since we arrived in the fall of 2004. Corn is planted in every possible piece of land available. Elder Badger wanted Sister Badger in the picture so everyone can see how tall the stalks are.

2006-05-15T17:24:00.000Z

Yaounde is a city of hills. You can see how steep this one is in our neighborhood. When we walk our circuit, we always have to go up a hill so we get a good workout.

2006-05-15T17:19:00.000Z

This is down the hill a little. Notice the wall on the right at the bottom of the hill. It was built right out to the road. It has caused a totally blind corner. We always honk when we approach the corner.

2006-05-15T17:15:00.000Z

This is a street in our neighborhood. Note the little store on the left. The woman, who owns the store, sells bread, soap, matches and other grocery items. Each night she packs up all the merchandise and each morning she brings it back and sets up shop.

2006-05-15T17:09:00.000Z

This is a very large mango tree in our neighborhood. There are many little yellow birds that live in the tree. Even though they are small birds, they are really noisy. Elder Badger loves mangoes!

2006-05-15T17:01:00.000Z

Here is another picture of our neighborhood in the Bastos quarter. Note the young man with bread on his head.

2006-05-09T21:23:00.000Z

Sister Badger had noticed these African dolls on the sidewalk in Bastos. She finally stopped to take a look at them up close.

2006-05-09T21:20:00.000Z

Sister Badger is buying fresh produce in the Nkol Eton Marche. Everything is on a cash basis. The people selling the produce usually do not have change. If they want you to return and buy from them again, they may give you a "cadeau" or gift of some extra vegetables or fruit.

2006-05-09T21:16:00.000Z

In this part of the marche, you can buy eggs, which are sold in a tray of 30. They are brown and are not refrigerated. Right next to the eggs you can buy charcoal.

2006-05-09T21:12:00.000Z

This man is cooking and selling brochettes or meat on a stick.

2006-05-09T21:10:00.000Z

This is a street just around the corner from the marche. There are shops selling every kind of merchandise.

2006-05-09T20:49:00.000Z

On May 5th, we were invited by Jon Reed and his wife to visit a gorilla preserve an hour outside of Yaounde. The monkeys and apes are brought to this place if they are orphaned in the forest. Hunters kill the gorillas and chimpanzees as "bush meat." The orphans are brought here and given a home. Some will be introduced back into the forest. We had a very good guide who explained that they are a charitable organization. The entrance fee was $10 each and $10 for a camera, but we figured it was for a good cause.

2006-05-09T20:43:00.000Z

This young gorilla was rather angry. As we walked away, he threw a piece of fruit at us. It hit Sister Badger's purse so no harm was done.

2006-05-09T20:42:00.000Z

Our favorite part of the preserve was the home for the baby gorillas. Many are brought to the place as tiny babies.

2006-05-09T20:39:00.000Z

This little baby gorilla was pretty laid back. He seemed to enjoy watching us as much as we enjoyed watching him.

2006-05-09T20:35:00.000Z

Our guide took us on a walk in the rain forest. We stopped at this gigantic tree. The guide is on the left, then Leora and the Badgers

2006-05-09T20:32:00.000Z

This sign was next to the big tree. It explains how important trees are to all of us.

2006-04-30T17:03:00.000Z

In this picture, we are approaching one of the peages or toll stops. When we travel from Yaounde to Douala, there are three toll stops. Each time we pay 500 cfa or $1.00 American.

2006-04-30T16:59:00.000Z

The two lane highway between Yaounde and Douala is a dangerous road. There are signs posted along the way to remind drivers to be careful. Translated the sign reads: Here 32 deaths!

2006-04-30T16:56:00.000Z

These ladies are roasting ears of corn (maize) on little stoves. They fan the coals to keep them hot.

2006-04-30T16:51:00.000Z

As you can see, there are no emission control laws in Cameroun. Also, there are no laws that say you can't herd your long horned cattle down the street.

2006-04-30T16:47:00.000Z

Each free morning we try to get some exercise by walking up to Hotel Mt. Febe. From this picture, it looks like Sister Badger needs the exercise. Notice the ant hill on the left.

2006-04-30T16:43:00.000Z

This is our goal. We hope to reach the hotel grounds within a reasonable amount of time. Each time we walk, we try to do it in less time.

2006-04-30T16:40:00.000Z

After a 25 minute walk up a pretty steep hill, we reach our goal.

2006-04-30T16:36:00.000Z

When we finally make it to the hotel, we have a breathtaking view of Yaounde spread out before us.

2006-04-30T16:34:00.000Z

This is another lovely view of Yaounde from atop Mt. Febe. You can see Yaounde's only golf course. It rarely has anyone on it.

2006-04-30T16:28:00.000Z

When we come down the hill from the hotel, we often stop to buy mangoes from the vendors along the way. This family was very friendly. They took our card and came to church the next Sunday.

2006-04-30T16:25:00.000Z

This is a street in our neighborhood. I wish I had the balance to carry things on my head.

2006-04-30T16:22:00.000Z

This is a little walk-up restaurant in our neighborhood. The man does a booming business. He is only open for breakfast and lunch. His food must be very good based on the number of people that walk to the place and the taxis that stop.

2006-04-30T16:17:00.000Z

This is the marche (market) near the chapel where we do our shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables. There are many marches around the city.

2006-04-30T16:10:00.000Z

The first weekend in April 2006 was a big first for the Bastos Branch. We were able to watch General Conference on both Saturday and Sunday. The conference was from last October, but the messages were still very pertinent. It was the first time many of the members and investigators had seen and heard the general authorities speak and the choirs sing. We showed the sessions in French upstairs in the main chapel and English downstairs in the YW room. Everyone loved hearing the Tabernacle Choir!!

2006-04-24T10:35:00.000Z

Jon and Leora Reed invited us to Easter dinner. They also invited our four elders and the Smith family. We had a typical American Easter meal. Sister Smith baked a bunny cake and brought homemade ice cream. There was a colored egg with a name on it at each place. Our new elder is Elder Brown from California. He is seated third from the right.

2006-03-26T08:48:00.000Z

We were invited to our first African wedding on Saturday, March 25, 2006. The groom is the nephew of Pierre Kemle, our wonderful friend. The marriage ceremony took place in Tsinga at the city hall. This is a picture of the newlywed's car parked outside the city hall. The wedding ceremony started a little after three o'clock in the afternoon. We left the reception at ten o'clock that night. The party would continue all night long.

2006-03-26T08:43:00.000Z

We were escorted to the wedding by Pierre Kemle, Jacob Motchie and Henri Kembou. All three are members of the church.

2006-03-26T08:38:00.000Z

The small room at the Tsinga City Hall did not hold all of the family and friends that came for the marriage ceremony. We sat outside and could watch through the window. With Sister Badger is Henri, Pierre's mother and Pierre.

2006-03-26T08:33:00.000Z

Before the governor married the couple, Bertrand and Linda Stephanie, he gave them some good advice and counsel.