My choir tour weekend went very well. There were 3 vehicles full of 23 people that caravanned together. We went east to a town called Batouri. The landscape was beautiful! The contrast of the green plants, blue skies, white clouds and red dirt was awesome! We traveled for about 10 hours each way, and were gone for just 4 days, so it made for a long trip. About 75% of our traveling was on dirt roads, but none so bad that we couldn’t pass them. We did lose our spare tire at one point because of a rather large rut in the road, but we had no other problems, which was amazing. We had the chance of singing at a prison, hospital and church. Two nights we invited the town to come to the mission compound and hear us sing, watch a Christian movie with a gospel message and hear a gospel message presented in person.
It was a unique and great experience for myself and for many of the kids. We ate true Cameroonian food the whole weekend. This means plantains (boiled or fried), seasoned beef, rice, dried fish, okra soup, a grassy/leaf peanut sauce combination and manioc fufu (finely ground root mixed with boiled water to form an expanded sticky substance that is used as utensils to scoop up the other food on your plate—a staple food for many Cameroonians). 
At the prison the men only get feed what their families bring to them, generally speaking, so some looked healthy, but there were quite a few that looked like they would not make it another week. Up to this point I had seen malnourished kids and hungry families, but I had never seen someone literally starving to death until last weekend. I pray we planted seeds for Christ in the lives of the men there.
The hospital was unique too. Don’t picture an American hospital, but rather try to picture a dirt cul-de-sac with 5 cement buildings around it. We sang outside each building as there wasn’t much room inside. We had many come out of their rooms to listen to our singing and to the gospel message shared. There were many Fulani refugees staying outside the buildings because family was sick inside. The Fulani people are traditionally of the Islam faith, but it was neat to have them attentive to the message of Christ that we shared. I could write more about this weekend, but I need to stop somewhere.
I am now staying with 3 students for 2 weeks while their guardians are in the US (the same kids I stayed with for a weekend in the fall). It was Kati’s birthday yesterday and today she is having some friends over. That should be fun for all and hopefully not too tiring for me. The 2 boys are in 9th and 10th grade and Kati is 11th, so they are fairly responsible on their own. It is however, something I enjoy doing.
My last piece of news is that I have finely decided for sure, that I am returning to the states next year. I plan on living with my parents in the fall and attending North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago starting in January. I will be arriving in Pittsburgh in the first week of July.
Well, I hope this finds you all well. It is hard to leave hear, but I look forward to seeing many of you again soon.
Much Love,
AMY
