Sept 8, 10
Dear friends & family,

Today is Wednesday, our first week in Lassin is behind us. Our travels went well, but we probably have commercial plane and bus rides out of our systems. The last leg of our trip was by Lassin taxis, but we each had a seat to ourselves. You should have seen the trunks of those cars, they looked like Santa's sleigh held together with hand braided rope and rubber straps. We never had rain on our luggage or ourselves, we're very thankful.

We arrived in Lassin on Thursday evening, Sept 2. Our home was clean as can be, thanks to Divine's hard work. The batteries still had a full charge so I connected the lighting that night. Even though it has been cloudy with light rain at times each day, we have always had enough power for lights and accessories. Our 'big' dining room table has 7 chairs around it now. There is never a dull moment when we're all home!

What a group! We represent about 3 cultures within ourselves and live in a 4th. Each person contributes to the needs of the group but the work extends from morning to bedtime. How I love hearing the words, 'What can I do?'.

Our new teachers are managing the 3 mile (5km) walk to & from school each day. So far, the rain has not soaked us during our trek. However, right now it is raining really hard. It followed a huge strike of lightening and an extensive thunder roll.

Group introductions are in order:
From Romania, Adela and Adelin. Adela teaches 3rd and 4th grades, she is quiet and gentle and loves the children. She taught school at an orphanage in Africa last year. She speaks English and Spanish also.
Adelin helps with whatever project is at hand. He speaks Spanish as well as Romanian, but not too much English. He is quite bright and is learning quickly. He has an apartment close to us. It is across the path from the house that will become the home of the female volunteers upon its
completion- doors, indoor shower and flush toilet.
From Georgia, USA, we have Kimberly and her daughter Kataya. Kimberly teaches 5th grade. She has attended Southern Adventist University and is working on a masters in social work. What an energetic duo they are!
Also from Tennessee / Georgia, comes Jessica. She teaches 2nd grade. She has attended SAU also and is working toward an M.D. degree.
Each one brings strengths, energy and good ideas to the project. We, and the people of Lassin, are blessed to have each one here.

Culture shock. We have it, we all have it. It looks like each of us is adjusting steadily. Pray for us though. (We knew you were anyway. Thanks)

The school? Wow! On Monday morning we found all 4 rooms ready for class.
The floors had been cleaned, leveled, wetted, and pounded hard. Each room had a door hung with locks installed. Franklin's 45 new desks were in place. They are strong and beautiful. The light streams in through open windows and under the roof eves reflecting off the bottom of our open beam, silver corrugated metal roof. Each teacher has a table to teach behind or set stuff in & on. Soon they will have a front and doors to lock supplies in.

Students? Day 1 there were 36. Day 2 saw a couple classes double. The news is out that we are open and that there are new teachers from America and Europe. The town is a buzz with 'welcome' and questions about our trip.
We expect about 80 children or so.

Church? Sabbath, Divine had the lesson, and Charles (our country host who lives in Douala) had the sermon. We sang a lot and had so many children that we had to bring a bench in from our landlord.

Some have asked what I do while the ladies teach. Well, mostly I sit here and write emails, enjoy the air conditioning, attend the washer and dryer, load & unload the dish washer, and take the dog to the groomer. Do I detect a hint of minty sarcasm? Okay, I wrap up loose ends around the house, and the school. Presently, I'm preparing videos for a evangelism class that will begin next week. We plan to record the sound tracks for the New Beginnings series in Noone (local dialect) and Pigeon (Local English dialect). Honestly, I must pray for time to do these tasks because just staying alive takes a whole lot more time this year.

We would love to 'hear' from you via text messages to our Iridium phone.
Use Iridium.com and send a free text (free to you and to us) to our phone number 8816 316 72129. Send as many as you like. Number them, and include your name or initials in each message.

P.S. keep Kimberly in your prayers. She is concerned about many issues and has requested to serve in a more developed part of Cameroon.

P.S.S. We continue to look for a couple to join us. We need new leadership to take this project forward next year. Carol & I are hoping to use our abilities in aviation and education next year.

Love and greetings from all,
Steve (& Carol) Rose