I spent fourteen minutes on the phone this afternoon, trying to phone to America.  Do you know how much it costs?  Don't ask.  It's too much.  And then the music ended and this man answered.  I no sooner explained that I was phoning from  Africa and here is what I wanted and  the call dropped off.  Disgusting!  So I have to go through it all over again.  One of the joys of living in Darkest Africa.

Today Peter told us about two men.  One was an American and one a Cameroonian.  The American was bragging about how organized we are and how quickly we get the results out after an election in our country.  The Cameroonian man replied that here in Cameroon we are much better than that because we know the results BEFORE the election takes place!  True.  Too true.

Today is election day.  Churches were told to not hold services because people needed to be free to vote.  Our church took place, but Theirry reports that very few attended. 

We had a church service here at Shiloh for the four of us.  We listened to a sermon from London.  It was really good.

We lifted our voices in praise to Almighty God yesterday when Judge Kavanaugh became Justice Kavanaugh.  God is merciful to American.

And yes, we know the results of today's election here in Cameroon.  No surprises here.  It will take a couple of weeks for the results to be announced though.

When I opened my eyes early this morning they landed on the words "Happy Birthday" which were laying on top of our mosquito net.  I laughed and Jim was immediately awake.  I think he didn't sleep since putting the words there shortly after midnight.  Later when I was called to breakfast, extra people were there.  In fact we numbered eleven around the table.  Jim had invited everyone to a birthday breakfast for me.  We ate granola and milk, eggs with yogurt and guacamole, bagels and lox, coffee, tea, cream and sugar.  What a feast!  And as we finished eating all of that, a lovely cake was set down in front of me.  "Happy Birthday Alice" was written on top of the cake and there was a seven candle plus two individual ones to bring us to seventy-two.  Lots of pictures were taken and a wonderful time was had by one and all.  What a great way to turn old!

Peter is really enjoying getting to know us at deeper levels.  We've known him for years and years, but this is different.  Since arriving at Shiloh he has discovered that we have been helping out his nieces (who are also Dorothy's) which simply blows his mind.  He declared that "missionaries don't know we have nieces and they don't care."  But here we are, helping them out repeatedly.  And today at breakfast he learned that we are the lowest supported missionaries around.  He couldn't believe it.  He asked about our savings for retirement and we told him we didn't have any.  But what are we going to do when we retire?  I asked him if God would be dead at that time?  We've been busy laying up treasure in Heaven and we expect Him to keep right on taking care of us.  He said that other missionaries are wise in planning for the future.  We told him that true wisdom is putting our treasure where moth and rust cannot corrupt and where thieves don't break in and steal.  He's deeply moved.  He does not know what to think of this.

Dorothy is loving having her big brother at Shiloh.  He's very intellectual.  Has his doctorate.  She's very down to earth and ordinary. But they love each other dearly.  They are in the library at this moment talking up a storm in their tribal language. 

Peter arrived this afternoon.  We've know him for years.  He's Dorothy's older brother and a strong Christian.  He told us that Effie was in the U.S. and met with a congressional sub committee.  He talked about the Ambazonians, his people.  He told how the government is treating them and the killings. He said many things.  And he plead with the U.S. government to help his people out.  He also introduced himself as the director of CABTAL (Cameroonian Bible Translation and Literacy).  The board of directors of CABTAL had a meeting and fired him.  He is still in the U.S.  If he were to come back to Cameroon he would be put in prison.  His wife is an American and he has become a U.S. citizen in the recent past.  They built a home not far from us here in Yaounde and had big plans for what he would do when his seven year term was up in December.  But those plans cannot be carried out now.  Our actions have consequences. 

Campaign season is short and funny out here.  We have nine (count them...NINE) men running against the president.  They haven't a chance of winning.  Three of them are supposed to be strong Christians.  Three (one Christian and two others) each have strung one banner across the street in Yaounde.  That is all.  The others?  I don't know who they are.  But Paul Biya goes all out.  There are posters, banners, and signs every few yards all over the city.  They are giving out free T-shirts, both long, short, and no sleeved.  Also there are free long sleeved white dress shirts with his face on the pocket.  There are two types of hats.  And there are neck scarfs along with material to sew into outfits.  Additionally there are little tiny back packs for small kids and children size umbrellas.  And for the elite, there are ladies purses.  Watches.  I forgot to mention watches.  Dorothy and I each got a watch which we are proudly wearing.  Jim got a T-shirt, as did Doris and Francis.  We are longing to get more free stuff. And every single one has the presidents face and his slogan for this season on it.  It's "Paul Biya, the force of experience".  Last time he ran for re-election, it was "The Peoples choice". Not that we are voting for the incumbent, but it's fun to deck out in our finery and laugh.

Yesterday morning in Bamenda, the Bible belt, all sorts of people left their homes to go to church, including Dorothy's daughter.  As they were walking along the police came and chased them back home.  They were told they were under a 48 hour quarantine and not to leave their houses again.

Yesterday in Dchang, Francis' village, they burned houses to the ground.  It was the opposition party.  People ran away from the village and now it is empty.  This is a French village.  This is the first the war has spilled into the French sector.

Today the Police were not permitting English speakers to leave their houses here in some parts of Yaounde.  But somehow today, the opposition party was able to leave their houses and march through the streets of villages and town all throughout the NW and SW Regions.  They sang songs and planted signboards announcing the first anniversary of their independence from Cameroon.

It's a delicate time.  We went shopping today and now plan to lay low until after the election results come out.