Cameroon 2012 Video

A Call to Cameroon?

I honestly thought that God's provision before this trip to Cameroon was a sure sign that He would distinctly show me where He would have me go as a full-time missionary. I was wrong. There was no "calling" to Cameroon. There was no kick in the pants. No "spiritual revelation." But God did teach me something much more important. Steve Anderson, a missionary who gave the devotions on the trip said this: "All too often, peoples' mindset is, 'Lord, I'll stay, but I am willing to go wherever you want me,' when it should be, 'Lord, I'll go, but I am willing to stay if you want me to." That was me. "I am willing to go." But being willing to go and going are two different things. What is the Great Commission? Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Was God asking us to do something? No. It was a definite command. There was no calling. No kick in the pants. No spiritual revelation. He just wants me to go.

Maybe I'll be in Ghana working with the people of the Adutwi village. Maybe I'll be in Cameroon, working with Rosemary to start a school for the Muslim Fulani people. Maybe I'll be in Uganda, rescuing women from prostitution. I don't know where I am going. I just know I am going. I will simply walk through the open doors God puts in front of me, and it will be up to Him to shut them.

Cameroon 7/13/12

What do waterfalls, balloons, babies, marriage proposals, pigs, big balls, mud, rain, potholes, and bucket showers have in common? They are all found right here in Cameroon!

Man, today has been crazy but so much fun and rather bittersweet. The kids get so excited when our rickety white bus bounces down the road to HBS. I love how close I have been able to get to my class of young ones. One of my kids came up to me yesterday morning and hugged me and said, "Good morning, Madame!" -- reminded me of Ghana! And oh my, if you could only see these kids' faces when they open their prize bags at the end of the day and they see a beanie baby, you would probably lose it right there. One kid came up to me crying after dismissal. When I asked him what was the matter, he choked out, "Auntie, a man stole my toy." Oh, if I had seen the guy that did it, I would have given him a piece of my mind! We gave the kid another beanie baby and helped him hide it in his shirt. In what world would a full-grown man steal a toy from a child??? In this one. It's a dog-eat-dog world over here. If you see something of any value, you take it. It is so sad.

The teen rally in Bambili last night was crazy! Some of us had probably 100 kids up the hill from the rally giving them the gospel, playing games, and getting nearly trampled to death while making balloon animals! At one point it was so suffocating that Caleb took off running and yelling. It was so hilarious to see nearly all 100 start chasing him through the field. When it was time to start heading down the hill back to the youth rally, we quickly realized that we could not go back to the church with 100 kids tailing us, so we started walking the opposite direction toward the house. Eventually the kids dispersed. Caleb and I decided to walk all the way back to the teen tally (I had left my bag in the church, and Caleb was watching one of the national's child). So there Caleb and I are, walking down the muddy streets of Bambili, carrying a little black kid. At one point we passed a group of 4 women, whose mouths were wide open in amazement. When we got close to them, we heard their conversation -- "How can that happen? How can that happen?" -- as they pointed to the child in Caleb's arms. We realized quickly that they thought Caleb and I (two white people) had somehow produced a black baby. We laughed and explained to them that we were just watching the child for a friend. One of the women, seemingly full of hope at this news, asked me if I would marry her son (not an uncommon question here if you are white). Caleb was quick with his reply, "Sorry, we are married." I think Caleb has, at one point or another, claimed to be married to every one of us girls.

Last night our good friend Hillary gave his testimony and thanked us for our willingness to come here. He then presented each of us with a necklace. These nationals have stolen our hearts.

Hilary and the guys really bonded.

It is hard to believe our work here in Cameroon is drawing to a close. We had 320 kids today at HBS. I was so thrilled to be able to lead 5 of my kiddos to Christ today. One of them was not even a child at HBS. She was just standing nearby when I was sharing the gospel. I could tell she was extremely interested in the good news of salvation, and was so excited when she approached me and asked if she could ask God to save her.

Emily and Caleb share the gospel with some kids at HBS.

Me and Hope, a girl I led to Christ.

This afternoon was spent chillaxing after a long, taxing week, then we headed out to the parents program in Bamenda. About 25 made a profession tonight.

These past two weeks have been so tiring, but it has been so fulfilling doing the Lord's work here in Africa. Now without further ado, I am going to bed. Tomorrow is gonna be a BLAST! Waterfalls baby!

A Lesson Learned

Yesterday God encouraged me so much through a man named Justice. Justice received Christ a few days ago at the youth rally in Bamenda. He is attending a local university and is not a permanent resident of the village. Justice is an incredibly cordial individual, and our team has simply fallen in love with him. We were so thrilled to have him become our brother in Christ.

Honestly though, I never expected to see Justice again while I was here, but he proved e wrong. Justice showed up at HBS yesterday, ready and willing to serve. He jumped in to help wherever he was needed, and in so doing was a huge blessing to so many. I was thrilled to see so great a change in someone in such a short amount of time. That is the work of the Spirit and He alone.

This instance touched my heart in more ways than one. It also left me feeling guilty of my own shortcomings, and it left me realizing what service really means in America. Service in America is sometimes elevated to a god in and of itself -- a goal that many Christians supposedly set for themselves but never attain. Service! Service! A living sacrifice! We hear it preached from the pulpit every week, yet we never act on this important message. I realize now that if we are truly surrendered to Christ, a willingness to serve follows NATURALLY! In light of what Christ did for us, sacrificing of ourselves is our REASONABLE service.

There is a man here named Cleopas who has probably spent a week's worth of wages to come help with HBS and the teen rallies. I am floored by the willingness of these people, and am ashamed of myself for my lack thereof.

Cameroon 7/11/12

Today's HBS was slightly less hectic than yesterday's. We got a few things nailed down and ended up telling a good number of kids to take their baby siblings home and come back. However I still ended up holding a toddler for the majority of the time.

Quince, my little handful.

The youth rally was totally amazing! God held off the rain for game time again. At one point it was literally raining all around us, but above us were clear skies. While pastor Quilty was preaching, some of us were praying fervently in the back room for souls to be saved. When the invitation was given, many people came forward to be saved. I got to lead 2 small boys, Peter and Junior, to the Lord.

God has proven Himself so faithful on this trip. I have more to share from today, but I will save it for tomorrow because I am literally falling asleep as I type. : )

Cameroon 7/10/12

We started out the morning a little earlier since we had about a 40 minute bus ride to Bamenda. My morning started by putting a pot of rainwater on a gas stove to heat up for my bath. It's amazing how little water it actually takes to get clean. Breakfast included a puff puff and a bowl of oatmeal and fresh Cameroonian pineapple. Yum!

Then the team loaded up for the bumpy ride to Bamenda for our first day of HBS! I'm not gonna lie... It was CRAZY!!! I was put in charge of a group of LITTLE kids -- I mean LITTLE! Like probably as little as 2 years old! (not including the babies that the little kids brought!). I think we had roughly 200 kids today. It was so fun and tiring trying to explain games and help the little ones with crafts. The kids had a blast, and I am praying that we will get some things ironed out tomorrow.

After HBS we threw our things into the bus and booked it back to the Sinclairs' for lunch (Mac n' cheese). We all changed our shirts for the teen rally and headed out! The teen rally went very well tonight. It had rained yesterday, and we have been praying that God would hold off the rain today. Miraculously, it literally rained all around us, but did not touch our playing field. God is so good to answer our simple prayers like that! The most incredible part of the evening was getting to lead a little girl named Bongracia to Christ. There were a total of about 10 people saved tonight.

Exhausted, several teammates and I trudged about 15 minutes down these slippery Cameroon roads through the rain back to the house for supper (leftovers and no-bake cookies!). Now we are sitting here putting take-home bags together for tomorrow's HBS.

Pray that we will reap more fruit tomorrow and that God will keep holding off the rain for the youth rally!

Cameroon 7/9/12

Today started out with a breakfast of puff puffs (Cameroon equivalent of Krispy Kreme) and scrambled eggs. Yum yum! At 9:00 the team headed out to go recruiting for this afternoon's teen rally in Bambili. That was fun! It started out just handing out flyers and tracts, then it turned into a ballon festival! A lot of us were making balloon animals, hats, swords, flowers, etc... For the kids. It was a huge hit! Later I got to talk with a man and his wife about salvation. They believed that God doesn't turn anyone away from heaven and that there is no hell. I took him through the Romans road and then I took him to the story about the rich man and Lazerus and showed then that the Bible says there is a literal hell. He argued that it was only a parable, but I explained to them the differences between a parable and a true story. They were very curious about learning more about the gospel, and I invited them to the teen rally. They promised to show, but they didn't. The seed has been planted. It is up to God to do the rest.

Balloon animals attracted a ton of attention.

Lunch was a delicious chicken salad, and fresh watermelon. We chilled at the house until 3:00 -- playing phase 10, getting ready for the teen rally, and napping.

3:00 came quickly. About 60 showed for the teen rally. It was a good turnout considering the torrential downpour that accompanied it. It ran fairly smoothly. I got to give my testimony. No one was saved this evening that I know of, but there are still 3 more nights of it! Woopie!

We came home to another delicious meal by Mrs. Sinclair -- potato soup and cheddar biscuits! Now we are all sitting around playing cards and chilling. Tomorrow starts our first day of HBS! We are expecting to have a huge turnout! Keep praying!

Cameroon 7/8/12

This is gonna be quick because I am exhausted.

Breakfast = granola

As I was getting ready this morning, Mrs. Peterson asked me if I wanted to run children's church for both morning services. I accepted! I taught the story of Naaman (thank goodness my mom had done this story just about a week ago so it was still fresh on my mind,) Mrs. Peterson, Sarah, and I were coming up with stuff to entertain the kids on the fly. It was really fun, but very exciting. Our service in Bamenda ran much more smoothly since the one in Bambili was like a practice run. In the church services this morning I believe about 4 people accepted Christ! Praise the Lord!

We didn't end up getting back to the house until 4:00. By then we were starving! Mrs. Sinclair had made us a lunch of blt sandwiches.

The rest of the day was spent fellowshipping with visiting missionaries. One of the visitors was a single lady named Rosemary. I was able to talk with her a good bit about being a single missionary in Africa. She was such a blessing.

Rosemary Craven and her nephew, Will.

Oh! How could I forget! I got to see my new friend Maurine this morning in Bamenda. She gave me a ring as a token of our friendship. She had mentioned yesterday that she had been sick for awhile (I won't disclose her sickness) and that she could not afford the medicine to treat it. She has been fasting I think for over 3 days begging God for help. Today I gave her the money she needed to treat her sickness -- a total of $6 in U.S. currency. She was soooo happy. She said that God had answered her prayers. We are going to be keeping in touch by email through Pastor Ben. Before we parted today, she asked of me one thing. It wasn't money. It wasn't a menial token. It was a Bible. She wanted me to send her a durable Bible when I got back to America. She has one, but it is a cheaply made one whose cover has fallen off. Without hesitation I jotted a note in my own Bible and gave it to her. I thought she was about to cry. Her sister Frances was almost as excited as she.

Me and my buddy Maurine.

Since I didn't have a Bible anymore, I borrowed one from Pastor Ben's church. It has a picture of Africa on the front cover! I asked Pastor if I could buy it from him, and he said I could keep it! (but I'm definitely giving him a donation).

I am praying seriously for God to send me here. I see so much need that needs to be met and so many people that need the love of my Savior.

Cameroon 7/7/12

I can't even tell you how amazing today was! Breakfast = homemade African banana nut bread and scrambled eggs.

Our morning routine included the long, bumpy bus ride to Bamenda and canvassing for today's teen rally. Recruitment was CRAZY! We handed out tons of flyers, tracts, and plastic beads. Got mobbed a few times by grown men and women wanting the beads. While recruiting, we talked with a lady who we very quickly realized was a Jehovah's witness. Got into some real theological conversation. I felt confident in my theology, but I became very ashamed of myself for not knowing the references for the verses I was quoting. The woman definitely had the upper hand. This incident has definitely encouraged me to study different religions of the world and how to witness to people from each.

Lunch = authentic African JOLLOF RICE!!! Yeah, baby! This is what I was waiting for! It was the bomb diggity!!!

After lunch we headed to the site for HBS and finished decorating. At 4:00 the youth rally started. A few trickled in at the beginning, then more an more began to show up. After awhile, the team headed to a field about a five minute walk away from the church. I had actually stayed behind at the church to help with registration, but ten decided to go help with the games. Unfortunately all the men had left, and you just don't walk through Cameroon by yourself. However two ladies, Mourine and her sister Sylvia, showed up for the rally and wanted to go play the games, so I decided to accompany them. I thought that thy knew where they were going, but I was sadly mistaken. We had started by following their brother, but he went ahead without waiting. So there I was walking through random alleys in Cameroon, Africa, with two very talkative women. I'm not going to lie -- I was not the least bit worried. I was having a blast talking to them about their country and their lives. It felt like I was walking down the street with 2 good friends. Eventually Mourine stopped to ask for directions, and we got there very quickly. Instead of playing games, Mourine and I talked nonstop! I found out so much about her and her family -- her dreams, her hurts, and her spiritual steadfastness which amazed me. She has been through so much, and God has pulled her through it all.

The singing and preaching was amazing! I believe close to 10 people received Jesus, including Sylvia, who I was personally able to lead to Christ.

God was so so good today, as He is always. There is so much need here, folks. So much need, and so few willing to fill the needs.

Cameroon 7/6/12

Today was a BLAST! Ate a wonderful breakfast of homemade granola cereal, powdered milk, and fresh bananas right off a tree! The team loaded up and took a very bumpy, suffocating ride to Bamenda to set up for HBS (Holiday Bible School). Got to interact with a bunch of kids, many of whom helped decorate.

Next, we flagged down several taxis and had the ride of our lives to a local restaurant where we ate an amazing lunch of fish, rice, fried plantains, veggies, potatoes, and the best fruit I have ever put in my mouth! After lunch we headed to a super nice craft store where we purchased souvenirs, then we headed to the local market to get the full experience. I only bought a few souvenirs in the market. The rest came from the craft store. (Why can't my family just be content with jewelry???)

Dinner was peanut butter jelly sandwiches, stovetop popcorn, and homemade chocolate chip cookies! Sarah had a game for us to play called 4 people on a couch. It was a BLAST!

After that the girls all gathered in the kitchen for cleanup duty -- complete with the entire Sound of Music soundtrack!

The real work starts tomorrow, folks! Youth rally in Bamenda! Pray hard! Good night.

Cameroon: 7/5/12

My morning started when I woke up at 6:00 this morning -- wrapped in my hoodie and fuzzy socks -- freezing cold -- in Africa!!! I guess anywhere would be cold at the altitude we are. Breakfast was served at 8:00 -- homemade cinnamon raisin bread and scrambled eggs! Mrs. Sinclair is such a resourceful cook. You have to be when you don't have average American ingredients. This morning we headed straight to the church -- a good 15 minute walk from the Sinclairs' home. We have tried to avoid taking the vehicles since they have had a hard time on these muddy roads.

After lunch we had plans to go to this awesomely epic waterfall nearby, but God had other plans. The bus broke down halfway there. The group decided to split in half. One half would go to the falls in the Sinclairs' car, and the other would stay and hike to some amazing rock formations down a trail very near the place we broke down. I have never seen such beautiful scenery. I topped the hill, and the view took my breath away. Some of us (myself included) decided to hike down the side of a ravine to locate the source of the sound of a waterfall. It turned out to be not that amazing of a waterfall, but the hike was fun, and exhilarating! What's more, Pastor Sinclair was able to witness to Genesis, our guide. See? God's plans are ALWAYS better than ours.

Pastor Steve Anderson gave a great Bible study in the importance of the blood of Christ. Afterward we had choir practice with the nationals. They sing so beautifully!

And WOW! I just showered African style! (I.e. with a gallon bucket of warm water...)

God's been so good. Good night!

Trip Update 7/4/12

"Lean left!" someone screams. All 20 of us crawl to the other side of the precariously leaning bus. The vehicle slides further down the steep hill then stops abruptly when it hits a large hole.
Well, this looks like a good time to get out.
We all climb out of the bus into a chilly, drizzly evening. The men crawl on top of the bus and begin handing down our 60+ pieces of luggage. We carry a good number of the suitcases about a quarter mile down the muddy, African road. Once free of a considerable amount of weight, the bus makes it the rest of the way to the Sinclairs' home in Bambili.
This is just one of Africa's many ways of welcoming us, and the team took it in perfect stride.


For all you concerned mothers out there, we are all fine! No one was harmed in the least (except for maybe Sarah who took a tumble down a slick part of the hill).

I'll catch you all up on the trip so far...
(the following are journal entries.)

7-2-12
Day 1 of Cameroon trip -- not going so well. I am currently sitting in a plane in Tampa waiting to take off. Our flight has been delayed due to BRAKE TROUBLE!!! Aaaaaahh!..

I have a feeling this is going to be a fun trip. My teammates are hilarious, and I am so excited to get to know them!..

I am sitting by a lady from GHANA! Her name is Mina. I was so excited to meet an African that I started peppering her with questions. I asked her I she knew where she would spend eternity, and she gave a clear testimony of salvation. It is so amazing to have brothers and sisters all over the world!

This isn't a journal entry, but I thought it was too near to pass by. The second leg of our trip (from Washington to Belgium) I was supposed to have an isle seat, but when I arrived at my seat, a man was sitting in it. I almost asked him to move to his own seat (the middle one was empty), but the Spirit seemed to lead me to do otherwise. I took the middle seat. The man, Jean Claude, turned out to be from Cameroon, and was an incredibly sweet person. He too had a clear testimony of salvation. The girl on the other side of me (Tiffany) was a 19-year-old Belgian who had just spent 5 months in Hawaii learning English. She had no idea where she would spend eternity. I gave her (as best I could) the Romans road. I could tell she was having a difficult time understanding it, but I also saw a great curiosity in her. I left her with a tract that explained how to get to heaven in very simple terms. She told me she understood after she read the tract. The seed has been planted. Someone else must sow. Please pray that Tiffany will realize her need of salvation and that she will accept Christ before it is too late! Now isn't God amazing? He put me in an undesirable place in order for His gospel to be spread!

Cameroon is turning out to be much different from Ghana landscape-wise. I have seen some of the most beautiful scenery I could ever imagine! Huge jungle-covered mountains, rushing rivers, and gargantuan waterfalls plummeting into vast lakes -- I wish my pictures could do it justice! But these beautiful scenes are scarred by thousands of dilapidated shacks where millions of the sweetest people must sleep every night. My heart breaks for them.

I tried my hand at trading today -- it didn't go so well... The people here in Cameroon try to sell things to you when your car stops or slows down. I wanted to get some sort of nut they were selling, but I didn't have any money. Instead, I decided to try to trade a rice krispy treat for a few. The results aren't exactly what I expected. The boy took my treat, and all I got was a single nut... and the wrapper back from the treat.

This trip has been amazing so far! God has been so faithful to get us here, and He has allowed us to share His gospel with so many already! Keep praying as we continue the Lord's work here in Cameroon.

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

Well, it's here! Tomorrow, we are flying out of Tampa. Please pray for good team organization as we travel. 20 people with over 60 luggage items is a lot to keep up with. Here is the flight itinerary:

Monday, July 2
Depart Tampa United Airlines, Flight 312 @1:58p.m.
Arrive Washington, DC (Dullas) 4:15 p.m.

Depart Washington, DC United Airlines, Flight 950 5:49 p.m.
Arrive Brussels, Belgium Tuesday, July 3, 7:15 a.m.

Depart Brussels, Brussels Airlines, Flight 371 10:40 a.m.
Arrive Douala, Cameroon 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 3

Sunday, July 15
Depart Douala, Cameroon, Brussels Airlines Flight 372 9:30 p.m.
Arrive Brussels, Belgium 5:15 a.m. July 16

Depart Brussels, Belgium 12:00 noon, United Airlines Flight 951
Arrive Washington, DC Monday, July 16 2:12 p.m.

Depart Washington, DC, Monday, July 16 United Airlines Flight 360 5:30 p.m.
Arrive Tampa, 7:51 p.m.

Here is my "somewhat packed" luggage...

And this is me. TIRED OF PACKING MY LUGGAGE!!!!