Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Cameroon a few days early (better than a few days late)! 

Here are a few pictures of what we have been doing this month...

 Kids playing with "snow" sent to us from Iowa!

Testing the camera for family pictures!

 ...our best Christmas gifts from God!

"I told you once, I don't do solo shots!" -Chloe

 

Flying to Amanavil, Akwaya to drop off supplies for a new bridge.  Bro Tom is starting a church and the river is often too high to cross during rainy season.  Also, pray for a dental evangelism outreach there in February.

Ladies' meeting of fellowship churches at the lake in Bambalang

  

 Building lego WWI fighter planes with Elias...

 ....building a wooden bi-plane later after we opened a Christmas package from America! 

We had several days of New Testament distribution in the neighborhood (quarter) of our church.  They were meant as a Christmas gift from our church to all our neighborhood.  All in all we were able to give out about 3,600 or so.  Thank the Lord for all who helped and for our home church for sending the Scriptures! 

Me and my baby girl! 

Happy Thanksgiving...belated

We drove about 3 hours to spend Thanksgiving with a number of missionary families.  Here are a few pictures...

 Elias and Nate eating first while waiting for the rest of the boys to get their food...

Elena and the girls table...

 

Driving several hours and then taking 240 stairs to the top of a hill that looks down into a crater lake.  This was the day after Thanksgiving picnic that we normally take with the other missionaries.

 At the top...right behind us is the beautiful blue lake and surrounding crater...

 A better view of the drop-off

 Abby holding on tight to the kids!

Playing American football on the picnic...at the bottom of the hill :)

A few days after Thanksgiving I was able to get an official airstrip checkout by Tom Needham at the Banso Baptist Hospital airfield.  The field is pretty sloped and is divided by a dog-leg turn in the middle.  I did about 4 solo takeoff and landings on this challenging field.  The pictures are of Tom doing his own takeoff and landing after I finished mine. 

What do you do when the juju is on your car?

Well, the answer is just watch and enjoy the show.  At least that is what I did along with the Cameroon-index-finger-wave to show disapproval.  There is a never a dull moment in Babungo.  Today, Abby and kids came with several from our church to help in the Babungo afternoon Bible study.  Before we bagan, we heard clanking metal instruments and looked out to see palace men all dressed up in traditional outfits marching down the road next by our Bible study.  I guess they were announcing to all who cared that the juju (witchdoctor) men were soon to follow.  I guess there was a big funeral down the road, and the person must have been associated with the palace.  Sure enough, the juju soon came dancing and running down the road being led by a bunch of boys in native attire and spears.  The juju come in all forms, shapes, sizes, and apparel.  These today were pretty scary looking.  One was half tree and half demon.  The other was half demon and half fire and feathers.  The latter one proceeded to climb up my RAV4 and show his superiority and power by dancing and prowling on top of my roof.  I thought it was pretty "impressive" until someone told me that he left two big dents in the soft metal on top!!!  I guess I could go to the palace and complain to the chief what his people did.  The people with me were pretty upset over the lack of manners of this witchdoctor!  Please pray for our Bible study.  It is days like to today that remind us of the spiritual powers at work in Babungo.  Elena and Elias watched spellbound today.  While they are afraid of the juju, Elias likes to talk about beating them up, and Elena knows that Satan is the influence behind them. 

Still here!

It has been way too long since I posted, so here are a few pictures. 

 

Eating at our favorite (and only) restaurant in town...the Royal Garden.  Actually, it is a very nice place for a town of 25,000.  

It was a perfect, beautiful week for our Bible Conference in October.  We had a week of teaching, films, and preaching to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. 

Showing some slides teaching the history of the Bible

Pastor Ernest preaching the final message

Reading and eating popcorn with Chloe late on the first night of our family vacation.  Some how Chloe is a night owl.  She often will lay quietly in her bed for over an hour or two.  This time she got to stay up with Abby and I. We had a short 3 night stay at a resthouse near the hospital where Chloe was born.  We also finished some needed documents for Chloe and had a good time together.

We decided to go exploring and take a picnic with us.  We were not disappointed.  All of have our "picnic" hats on for the trip! 

We found a nice spot to eat with an incredible view of the mountains and villages around Mbingo. 

Chloe picking flowers...

Elena picking flowers and running to give them to Abby.

At the top of a nearby hill overlooking all the other nearby hills! 

Running down the mountain on the way back to the rest-house. 

Watching the sun set over the airstrip at Mbingo Baptist Hospital. 

Pray for us next week as we have a week of soulwinning training and outreach. 

A couple of postcards for you...wish you were here :)

Just a couple of pictures from the last week or so...

We went over to the Yeiters for lunch with all the Northwest missionaries.  It is always fun for everyone to get together for a few hours! 

Tom and I flew a Yaounde delegation of four out to Akwaya on Thursday and picked them up today.  We have been flying their technicians out there off and on for about 8 months or so.  They are putting in a communication center in an area that doesn't have a way to reach the outside.  Communication is essential when trouble arises out there due to fightings, serious illnesses, and such. 

Election Day in Cameroon

Today, election day, the markets are quiet and the churches have finished their early services.  This happens every seven years in Cameroon.  Elias and I were at church a little after seven this morning thanks to a refreshing two mile motorcycle ride.  Abby and the girls pulled in around eight in the RAV4.  We had a full crowd for Sunday School which bagan promptly at 7(:40)!  We were finished with church by around 10 am today.  I preached a message on the Legacy of the King James Bible, and how is has had the power to change a culture, give birth to a nation, and spread its influence to dozens of English speaking countries.  Winston Churchill quoted that over 760 dialects had a Bible translated from the King James Version.  The new country of Southern Sudan is one of those.  Sudan happens to be Christian and English speaking.  I marvel at how English and the Bible have traveled the globe and changed cultures.  William Carey, Baptist missionary to India, put end to the practice of burning surviving widows with their husband's corpse.  Alfred Saker, Baptist missionary to Cameroon, rescued numerous infants doomed to be buried with their dead mothers.  Today, I thank God for Cameroon, and her willingness to hear the gospel.  Please continue to pray for people to take heed to the Word of God.  They plaster sayings of the Bible all over their cars and motorcycles, but many still have to personally accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour from sin.  Praise the Lord for several Muslim ladies who have trusted Jesus Chirst in the last few weeks.  Please pray for the peace of Cameroon in the month of October, especially in a few weeks when election results are known.  Many African nations have erupted into war this year.  Pray it is not so with Cameroon.

"thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers..." (Exodus 18:21)
"Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."  (Proverbs 14:34)
"And he [Jesus] hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:16)

Believer's Baptism

It is always a wonderful day to watch a believer follow the Lord in obedience by being baptized.  It is even better to be able to counsel, teach, and then baptize them.  Most of them we had a part in directly or indirectly seeing them trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.  One of the young ladies was led to the Lord by my mother on her trip here earlier this year!  One trusted Christ at Camp Joy.  One trusted Christ in our baptism class after being invited to church by her friend.  One trusted Christ last year on our front porch with Pastor Chrysanthus.  One trusted Christ so many years ago but had never been biblically baptized.  Praise the Lord for allowing us to have a part their lives!

One Last September post

We had a super busy week as always.  Every single week seems to race right on by us.  Being a church planting pastor, Sundays sneak up on me so fast.  The end of the post will highlight this coming Sunday...

David and I trekked about an hour over the hills of Ndop on Tuesday to visit my friend.  Well, actually, after David and I lost the trail twice, it was about an hour and a half!  The picture above is looking back over the town.  The isolated compounds of the Fulani are over the little mountains. 

We ate some fu-fu corn and okra sauce and then he gave me a brand new food that I had not heard of before.  It was a corn based grain soaked in milk and sugar...pretty good.  After we talked for a bit, we began showing them the Jesus film in their language.  We finished the first half, so I look forward to going back for the second half later. 

So, this week I have been following up a number of people in regards to baptism and membership.  We finished our class on Wednesday, and tonight I finished visiting the last two people.  So, on Sunday, we hope to baptize 5 and transfer one from the Akwaya ministry!  Please pray for our big day during which we will also have the Lord's supper for the first time in our Ndop church building. 

We have all been physically down lately, but we are thankful for the ability to keep going!  Chloe is the latest to be pretty sick.  A lot of people around the community are sick right now.  Maybe next week, we'll get a few days away in the beautiful haven of Sabga!  Abby works hard to keep me going during the day, she is teaching Elena, and tonight she taught some of the girls of the church how to make the bread for the Lord's Supper!  

The Lord is also continuing to work in Babungo, so please keep praying! 

September rains, planes, and gains

I needed a word to rhyme with the first two, so it was gains.  We have had some good gains this month and praise the Lord for fruit that remains!  I must be tired...

I am actually really enjoying the rain this month except for the fact that from 7-8 am when it is raining the 2,000 students and hundred motorcycles and cars turn our road to a muddy mess.  I have loved being in the mountains of Bumunka and Babungo this month at times when you can just walk or sit and watch the mountain rain develop.  The mountains generally build the rain showers that spread throughout our area.  I love watching the rain build up at the top of a huge mountain and then spread down the valleys. Today, I watched it happen as I listened to Chrysanthus lead a soul to saving faith in Christ.  Thankfully, we were well protected sitting under a rusty tin roof (with a few leaks) watching the market road turn to puddles of mud.  Please pray for souls to be saved and discipled in Babungo.

Here are a few pictures and descriptions of our last few weeks in Cameroon

This picture is for Mom Burtt so she will know we are not suffering too much.  It has always been a bit too expensive to have a Pepsi here until I stumbled across this economical way to buy it in Bamenda!! 

I asked my neighbor (on the far left) to take up into the hills to see the leader of the Muslim people of our village.  He is next to me in the purple and yellow. 

David trekked with me as he knows a bit of Fulfulde.  I tried learning and writing down a few things they all taught me. 

Here is my neighbor and I on the way back overlooking Ndop. 

Ngoketunjia hill/mountain towering over the town and overlooking the valley of thirteen villages that bears its name. 

Tom and I changing the tires, wheels, and brakes on the Glastar

On the way up to Sa'bel above Sabga.  We went to see a Fulani family whose mother had died.  The mother who died was like a grandmother to Elias and Elena when we stayed in Sabga last year. 

"Stairs" leading up the mountain...  Elena is sitting at the top waiting for the rest of the slow-pokes.  She enjoyed leading the way for the 30 minute hike. 

Visiting in the house with some of our friends from last year's stay in Sabga. 

Elias, Chloe, and I went for a hike while Abby and Elena visited with the ladies.

Sitting on top of the world watching the rain spread over the Ndop valley

On Sunday, Abby and Chloe wore matching dresses that Abby and Elena used to wear when we first arrived in Cameroon. 

Elias getting ready to take Chloe to town to get some groceries...well, maybe in a few more years!

Today, I was able to preach to close to 600 high school students in Babungo and give them all a copy of John and Romans along with the tract God's Simple Plan of Salvation.  

A number of us have been in Babungo witnessing and preaching every day since Thursday and already saw much fruit in souls saved and opportunities like this high school and another private high school.  Please keep Babungo in your prayers!