Voices from the Field Craig & Maureen Moody Get to know Craig & Maureen

How Many Feet Does It Take to Wear Down a Path in the Rain Forest?

Published on September 14, 2022

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There are so many questions. There are so many hard questions. And there are so many questions without answers! Like how many ants does it take to change a flat path into an ant-sized super highway? Here in the rainforest, we see ants arriving and departing daily. Their columns stretch across the paths we walk to the school. At a distance it looks like a thick black rope has been left lying on the path, but up close it is easy to see the mass of rapidly moving ants. The next day the ants are gone and only a deserted “highway” or path created by thousands of tiny feet remains.

We have now been in Cameroon just over 4 months. And we still have lots of questions. What account gets charged for that? How many loads of sand and gravel do we need? Can you use water-based paint on top of oil-based paint? What medications can you buy in Cameroon? How do you say _____ in French? Where can we buy foam for mattresses? How do you stop termites from eating your furniture? Is that a poisonous caterpillar? How can you keep your wooden spoons from getting moldy? Are you serious, I can buy 10 avocados for a dollar? Now that is a question with a super answer – YES!

Last week we moved to a one-bedroom apartment. Thankfully, it is just up the hill from where we were living, so we didn’t have far to carry things. We are enjoying the new space and are happy to be able to really unpack and settle in. Maureen is especially happy to have a desk to work at and a place to keep her field director files. The plastic bins have been replaced by an actual filing cabinet!

School at RFIS is in full swing now. Maureen has been working on organizing and restocking first aid supplies and has already been called to assess her first student patients. Small groups have also begun, and Maureen is excited to be leading a group of Grade 9 girls. She is anticipating what amazing things God will do in the lives of these young women as they spend time together getting to know each other and studying the Bible together.

Craig continues to be busy with the hostel renovations and his administration and finance work at RFIS. A new schoolyear means a new budget and lots of decisions for the admin team. They are certainly thankful for in-class learning! Next week, Maureen is traveling to the Cameroon White Cross Centre. You’ll hear more about the trip in our next newsletter.

Thank you for partnering with us! We appreciate you all so much!

Craig & Maureen Moody

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