The Last Night

by Jan
Well, here it is on Wednesday morning, exactly two weeks ago since we left for Africa. I crawled into bed last night at 10:30, exactly 44 hours after having gotten up. Of course I caught some wink-eye on the plane, but sleeping sitting up just doesn’t seem to have the same restful effect. It took us 4 and ½ hours to get home from the airport as we had to take all the back roads home. Traffic had come to a complete stop while we on the 401. We decided quite quickly that things didn’t look good. There was no traffic at all going eastbound which meant one of two things – either the highway was closed due to weather conditions or due to an accident. Because we happened to stop just before an overpass, there was a section in which we could do an easy u-turn. In hindsight, it was a good decision because as we listened to the radio, the situation was not good and we could have been stuck in traffic for hours. When you get that close to home, you just want to get home, especially when travelling has gone on for so long.

I am just going to share a few final thoughts about the trip. First of all, George and I thank all of you who prayed for us and for our safety, and for those who supported us financially to make this trip possible. A trip such as this one is very expensive and not something one would do on a regular basis. Your support has been much appreciated. The first few days I had to pinch myself to believe that I was actually in Africa. I did really not know what to expect since George had been the one who had the email contacts and I didn’t really ask him too much. I didn’t want to form anything in my mind and I just wanted to take it as it came, although I had no idea that the place where we were going was as “third world” as it was. The heat could also be overwhelming at times and it is hard for me to imagine that the hot season we were in, is still going to get hotter. Then the wet season begins after that, in which it apparently rains constantly and it doesn’t get a whole lot cooler either. The last afternoon I was there, I was helping in the kitchen, cutting up some cabbages for our party that night and the sweat was literally dripping off of my face. I don’t think that I have ever experienced that before as I am not one that sweats easily. Coming home to winter was a welcoming thought at that moment.

I wondered as we first arrived, how we were going to be able to make an impact on these people and if indeed, all the money that had been spent to make this trip possible, was actually worth it. I mean, what do we have to offer that they can’t accomplish themselves? But now that the trip is over, I do believe that we made a positive impact. I thought that George’s talks went really well and his speaking seemed to get stronger as we went on. Quinton’s (the VBI guy from South Africa)talks were also very good and spending time getting to know him was fun for both of us. Sometimes you really wonder why you get to meet people who live far away, wondering if you will ever see them again. Quinton was very interesting and fun to hang out with. After reading Clever’s email which he sent us this morning, I truly knew that God had used us to impact the people there and to encourage them. As we have stated before, the people are very special and kind and hospitable. I felt as if we made a lot of new friends. Of course, there is an immediate bond knowing that they are Christians and then even more of a bond, when they have our Vineyard values. They don’t come across so religious. Once again, are we ever going to see them again?

The Douala group threw a wonderful party for us which they called their “African Night” on our last night there. We got decked out in true African garb (Quinton asked if we had our pajamas on) which they had specifically made for us. We got lavished with all kinds of gifts from different individuals, most of which was African clothing. (So if any of you need any African dress, you know where to go).The courtyard was all set up with tables and decorations. We were sat at the head table and it actually felt like we were at a wedding.

There was nice music playing in the background and some final words were said. I wish I could have taken more of it in, but many wanted pictures taken with us so it seemed as if the night was done almost before we started. We were going to spend some time doing worship before we left, but Clever decided to call the airport to see if our flight was on time.

They bumped up the time! So all of a sudden we were in a mad rush to get last minute packing done (the gifts and such). Some people wondered why we got out of our African garb so I tried to explain to them that we would freeze once we got to Paris. After some very quick good-byes, we left. Things were closing at the airport when we got there, and we just managed to squeak in, which meant that we could not say good-bye to Quinton, Ann, and Genevieve. I was really bummed about that. I thought that once we got checked in we could go back and say good-bye but it is set up differently there. Genevieve became very special to me. She is only 5 years older than my oldest and a very dear lady. She has a sweet spirit and I felt an extra close bond to her. Eunice came from Nigeria for the conference and she grew very special to me in a few short days as well. I really like the black people and find them very beautiful. I made sure that I kept telling them that as I was told that they often don’t like being black. I also find it amazing what these people accomplish in the midst of difficult circumstances. Once again I was reminded of how much we have here in North America, compared to the rest of the world. This particular country has next to no crime, which was truly amazing to me, so I never had a time when I did not feel safe (except when I was in a car).

We came to a wonderful welcome home. All our kids, (except Denise who was on business), son-in-laws, and Hayden were there to meet us and once again, I felt like a truly blessed woman. Will I ever go back to Cameroon? Absolutely, if the opportunity arises.