A Braithwaite woman has spoken of her experiences accompanying her husband to his native village in Africa.

Susan Gablack has visited the Cameroon four times in the past five years to meet her husband's family and friends.

She was welcomed with open arms the moment she first arrived, and soon fell in love with the "beautiful" country.

Samuel Gablack, 41, grew up in the remote village of Mbem but has lived in Keighley for the past 20 years.

He was sent to England by his government in 1979 to seek treatment for his deteriorating eyesight, and decided to take the opportunity to study.

Samuel and his wife now help missionaries educate children in Mbem by taking out much-needed Bibles and other supplies.

The couple, of Broster Avenue, met while attending Keighley Disabled People's Centre, in Temple Row, and they married in 1997.

They travelled to the Cameroon two months later, flying from Leeds/Bradford Airport to Brussels, then on to the Cameroon capital of Yaound.

After resting for a few days, the couple travelled by road to the town of Bamenda and then along rough tracks to Mbem.

Susan says the buses constantly rock from side to side because the country roads are made of large stones piled on top of each other.

She admits she was apprehensive at meeting Samuel's family -- he has nine brothers and sisters as well as cousins, many still in Mbem.

But Susan says: "I was welcomed with open arms. We were given some gifts to bring home."

Susan and Samuel have returned to the Cameroon three times since 1997, visiting not only Mbem, but staying in mission halls around the the country.

On their travels even Samuel was surprised how much the country had progressed since he last visited in 1984.

He says: "There's a lot of changes going on. Roads are getting better and buildings are going up. The economy is improving a lot.

"They're in the process of bringing electricity to Mbem. They've got everything in place -- wiring, lights -- they're just waiting to be connected."

The village has long had a Baptist school and mission but now has a Baptist-run health centre, two colleges and a second church to house all the worshippers.

Samuel was brought up as a Baptist and now attends the Liberty Ministry, a Pentecostal church, in Keighley with Susan.

The Liberty Ministry provides the Bibles to the couple to take to Mbem.

"It gives them hope. In Africa there's a lot of poverty so religion keeps them going," says Samuel.