Update from Africa

Well leg three is now over I am in Africa!!! Nairobi to be exact. I have put some photos of Bangkok on my photo site. Some of them are from the top of the Balioke Hotel 84 stories up!! Anyway keep praying about the Visa because i'm due to arrive in Douala in 7 hours!

Keep praying for my Visa

Please keep praying regarding my Visa situation, as I leave for Kenya this evening and need it before I get on a plane to Cameroon later tomorrow. I am still waiting for an email from the base with the form I need to present to Cameroon immigration upon entry.

I will put up some photos from Bangkok as soon as I can. You may have heard about protests in Bangkok on the news I can assure you that I have not been affected (apart from making Bangkok traffic worse if that is possible) as I am staying out in the outskirts of Bangkok. Please pray for the Thai people at this time as they have elections coming up and there is a lot of frustration towards the current PM. There are no significant opposition parties to speak of, so he is pretty much assured of another term unless they can get a vote of no confidence (which is a possible if I understand the papers).

Bangkok

Well leg one and two are over. I have got safely from Christchurch to Auckland and from Auckland to Bangkok. From here I am flying to Nairobi on the 30th March. The flight was fine, long and uneventful, I didn’t get any sleep. I arrived in Bangkok about midnight Bangkok time and stepped out of the plane into about 34 degrees!! I didn’t get much sleep, a result of time difference, heat, excitement and a noisy but very essential air conditioner. I forgot a lot about Thailand since my last visit 9 years ago. If you can sum up Bangkok in two words they would be sensory overload - smells, tastes, bright lights, noisy birds and insects and oppressive heat. Sometimes all these things are enough to give you a headache. But it is a fantastic city very vibrant. Please keep praying for my visa situation, love you all.

Steve

Links

My Family bought me a digital camera for my trip, if you want to se my photos there is a link on the sdebar. Or the link is here My family bought me a digital camera for my trip if you want to see my pictures there is a link on the sidebar. Or there is a link here, check it out.

There are also some links to other sites in case you wanted to know about Cameroon’s best export football players including THE Roger Milla, Samuel Eto’o, Joseph Desiree Job and Rigobert Song.

There is also a link to yahoo weather where you can check out how hot it is (under Africa/Cameroon/Douala).

Douala

Some of you might be interested in a little more information about Douala, the city in Cameroon where I will be for the first three months and an article about Cameroon.
The average temperatures in Douala this week are lows of about 24 c and highs of about 32 c with scattered thunderstorms. It is getting near the end of their "dry season."
And this is what down town Douala and life in Cameroon looks like.

Prayer Requests

Wow 5 days some people have asked what they can pray for.
I thank you so much for your prayer support I believe it too be as important if not more important than the finances so keep praying.
I have one urgent prayer request, and that is for my Visa it seems there may be an inevitable hitch in the Visa process. So prayer for my Visa would be very much appreciated.
There are few not so pressing requests:
God’s protection while traveling between now and the 31st I have roughly 26 hours of flying.
Health – physically, emotionally and spiritually
That God will work in my life through this adventure
That God will use me to work in others.
For the country of Cameroon.
Thank you all who are praying it is making a difference in the spiritual realm BLIEVE THAT!!

Chuff Chuff Chow off to Africa I must go

Disclaimer: this is really not relevant to my trip to Africa but it is a disturbing moment form my past that you may appreciate.

“The explanation to the ‘Chuff Chuff Chow’ remark.” In the previous post.

Queue fuzzy edges and flashback music….
It is 1980 something we are in the Papanui School Hall for the much anticipated Cotswold School Operetta “Joey and The Magic Carpet.”.
There he is (in his pajamas) the star of the show “Joey”(Stephen Thorne) doing his vocal warm ups “la-la-la-la-me-me-me-me-mo-mo-mo…etc”. He has been described by some as “The next Michael J. Fox or Mark Hammel.”
The story goes something like this: Joey comes home from school after hearing a story about a magic carpet that carries the owner to strange and exotic places. The magic words are “Chuff Chuff Chow off to Insert strange exotic place here I must go.” So Joey flies to Jamaica to see some pirates (eight year olds with eye patches) decides it is too hot and flies to Antarctica where he sees polar bears (sic) (eight year old kids with cardboard “bear” heads). Joey decides it is too cold and goes to Africa.
Finally we have the worst ending in the world, (actually the second worst behind the “Scooby-Doo” ending) the one your English teacher warned you against, that’s right “he woke up and it was all a dream” Cringe.
Our star got to shake hands with Mr McPhail (the headmaster) on closing/opening night.

T-12 Days

Things are starting to come together, I have my tickets (via Thailand and Kenya – a total of 25 hours of flying EACH WAY), I am vaccinated up to the eye balls with every tropical vaccine known to man, I am insured against attacks from the deadliest animal in Africa – the hippo, I have a digital camera thanks to my family, I have a pocket full of travels checks and foreign currency and I have my viewmaster. So “Chuff Chuff Chow off to Africa I must go” (only my family will get that reference to my demented childhood).

T-21 Days

Hey everyone this is where you can find updates about my African Adventure.
It may not be updated very frequently as my access to the Internet is not very reliable.
I will include news updates, prayer requests and also photos.
This will replace the more traditional “email for the mission field” but please feel free to still email me (again I may not reply instantly) at Sw_thorne@yahoo.co.nz
Steve