Sanderlin Update

Well, we have travelled a lot of miles since the last update. We are so thankful for safety from the Lord especially with all the deer running around.

We had a tremendous missions conference in Toloedo, Ohio, with promise of support from this church, Hope Baptist.

We had a meeting in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, where we met a number of new friends.

We checked in with our sending church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and I was able to fly with Capt. Warinner in the Wings as Eagles newly acquired Cessna 172. He showed me a few things that I had never experienced before, and I counted it an honor to be able to fly with someone with so many flight hours.

We had a meeting near Milwaukee cancelled (hopefully just postponed) and so we were able to attend the entire missions confernce in Napoleon, Michigan.

We will be heading for Falls Baptist in Menemonee Falls for their conference starting this Saturday.

R&R at the Farm

We had a great time to just enjoy family and the farm in Illinois for a few days after such a busy month. Jessica and the kids came down for a few days after we got there.

Charlotte, Michigan Missions Conference

We had a wonderful time a Calvary Baptist in Charlotte, Michigan. We were there from a Wednesday through Sunday a few weeks ago. They were a very friendly church as we were at a different house for almost every meal. We even got to go flying with a man from the church in his plane.

North Carolina

Our whirlwind trip to North Carolina is over. We had a wonderful time with friends and churches. We updated a church in New Bern Sunday morning and presented our work at another church in Kinston a half hour away on Sunday night. I did some instrument flying with Jack Hunt again, and Abby and Elena had a great time with his wife Jonnie. We made it from Kinston (eastern NC) to Ypsilanti in about 15 hours. What a day! Elena did wonderful on the long trip back. Thanks for praying!

Michigan Travels Continue

We just finished our third missions conference in Michigan in a few weeks. This one was in Central Lake in northwest Michigan...NE of Traverse City and SW of Macinac. Why it is still so warm up north I don't know, but it was a very beautiful drive. The conference was a blessing to us as we heard a preacher from Bearing Precious Seed in Ohio give the messages. Bible Baptist Church is in a small town but is a vibrant growing church. Thanks to Pastor Tharp and the church for a wonderful conference.

We are briefly in North Carolina (pictures and events to come) and will return to Michigan again for another missions conference next week. We thank the Lord for safety in travel. Thank you for praying for us!

A relaxing moment

Elena sits to read one of her favorite books in her room in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Snoopy is after the Red Baron on yet another predictable mission. She treasures this respite as she knows all too well that not too long from now she will be reading from her car seat...she prefers the rocking chair :)

Fall Play Time

Here is one of my all-time favorites...peek-a-boo with daddy from behind the tree!

We had a great meeting in Superior, Wisconsin, and the Lord protected us from several more deer along the way. The leaves were a beautiful orange, yellow, and red, which made for a refreshing drive.

Elena absolutely loves to be outside and often stand at the door to go out. Once we let her know its time to go out, she will go and look for her shoes and bring them to you talking with her usual animation the whole time. Here are some pictures of her playing in the leaves...a new adventure for her this year.

Wisconsin Travels

On our way to a meeting in Superior, Wisconsin, we stopped to see the championship softball game at Baptist College of Ministry. The Goforth fellowship won the exciting game, and we stopped at their victory get-together afterwards. Adam was gracious enough to invite us over for food before we finished our first day of travel. We stopped in Oshkosh at our friends' Lake Winnebago cottage and headed for Superior the following morning.

On the way to Superior

We had a tremendous time in Byron, Michigan, at Antrim Baptist Church's missions conference. The pastor and people treated us like royalty, and the Lord blessed in each of the evening services.

Friday morning will find us on the road for Superior, Wisconsin. Pray for safety as we drive. We may be borrowing Abby's dad's car for better gas mileage on this long stretch.

Missions Conference in Michigan

We are currently in Byron, Michigan at a missions conference. Peter Leclerc and his wife are starting a deaf church in Indianapolis...they were a real blessing to us as we stayed with them at a house down the street. The Pitmans are missionaries on their way to Australia. We heard Pastor Moses preach Sunday morning, and he is an American Indian reaching his own people in the U.P. of Michigan. Thank you to Pastor Ashley and Antrim Baptist Church for being such gracious hosts to us. Please pray for us as we continue our travels to Superior, Wisconsin next week.

Full (Fall) Schedule

We thank the Lord for a full schedule this fall. We have been scheduling meetings and visiting churches for the last two weeks. Starting this weekend we will be in many missions conferences and meetings in the Mid-west until mid-January when we head down South for two months. Our van is doing great with a few minor repairs along the way. Thank you for praying for our safety on the road.

Uhauling to Ypsilanti

We will be pulling a small Uhaul from Oshkosh through Chicago to Ypsilanti on Saturday so pray for our safety. We hope to have it all unloaded by a decent time Saturday night. If you want to come over and help/watch, maybe you can enjoy some pizza with us before we fall asleep! Elena is staying with Abby's family in Ann Arbor right now. We miss her and look forward to seeing her again

Visiting family in Michigan

Elena is walking now, although she holds her arms out like Frankenstein for balance. Abby went to get Elena from the nursery, and she saw me taking my projector and computer down at the front of the auditorium. She then walked to me with a smile on her face all the way from the back of the auditorium. She is obviously excited about her new life skills. Keep praying for us as we teach her the things of the Lord. The Lord is definitely teaching Abby and I to lean on Him for direction. Pastor Hirth preached a wonderful message about Christ being "I am..." whatever it is we need. We definitely need the Lord not only as our salvation but as our provider, our peace, our shepherd, our everything. May we seek Him today for all our needs.

We made it back!

Praise the Lord for a safe return flight last week (Monday). Brother Tom Needham flew back with us as he is preparing his new Sportsman to fly back to Cameroon. We visited Zurich, Switzerland during our layover...a beautiful city!

We jumped right into ministry here with our annual Wings as Eagles Flight Camp. Ten young men participated this year receiving flight instruction, maintenance classes, and missions classes. One young man surrendered for the mission field of Cameroon!

Thank you so much for praying for our survey trip. The Lord worked mightily, saving souls, starting a Bible study in our ministry base town of Ndop, and burdening our hearts for the Muslim people. We also saw the need for using aviation to reach out into the remote towns, cut off from civilization or just hard to get to with the current state of roads.

The picture of me standing by a termite mound was taken on our way down to the capital of Cameroon. The picture of Elena wearing the traditional tribal hat was taken the same day. The other pictures are of us in Zurich and back in Oshkosh for Flight Camp.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

This picture is of me with the Glastar. This was the first time the hangar doors were opened the whole time we have been here. Tom Needham still does not have his reauthorization to fly. We were cleaning the plane with the hopes that it would be flying soon, and with the purpose of taking a few pictures.

Salifu's family

Please pray for Salifu and his family. He was one of our Fulani guides when bro. Needham and I trekked 20 miles from Sabga to Ndop. He approached us from behind on his horse and bro. Tom began talking to him in Fulfude and witnessed to him as well as other Fulani Muslims along the way. These Muslims respect him so much even though he wintesses to him because he knows their language. Salifu was excited about us moving to the town closest to him. We spent the night at his house, had fufu for supper and fried rice and tomatoes for breakfast with hot milk. He guided us the next day all the way to the top of Mt. Ngoketunjia, which you can see in several of the pictures below. This mountain overlooks the town of Ndop, which after talking with the chief we found out has a population of about 26,000. Please pray for those who have heard the gospel in this town as well as the one we know of who trusted Christ...her name is Christine.

Scenes from Cameroon

Internet speed is slow and unreliable much of the time here, but we hope you enjoy these pictures.

We wanted to thank everyone who sent us all birthday emails...we are all one year older now! Elena had a great one year birthday party at the Needham's house with all her new friends here in Cameroon.

Tom Needham and I trekked 20 miles from Sabga to Ndop with several guides the Lord sent us to help us along the way. Tom witnessed to many of the Fulani people throughout the mountains, most of whom are Muslims. Please pray for Salifu and others who we spent time with along the way. The mountain view in the picture is overlooking the city of Ndop, where the Lord is burdening our heart to begin a church. Please pray for the people in this town as the gospel is preached.

People in Cameroon

Elena is making many new friends, including some of the Fulani girls. The picture with me was taken at the meat market. Probably the main meat here is beef and it is often killed fresh or the previous day. There are so many people on the streets walking, selling, buying, driving, riding, talking, eating, well you get the idea. It is a very social country and very easy to pass out tracts and witness because the people are everywhere.

Cameroon at last

We hope you all received our prayer letter that we emailed today. It is rather difficult to get to the internet here. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures. This country is absolutely beautiful. We experienced some jetlag and sensory overload as we arrived, but we are getting used to the way things are here. We are praying that the Lord will further direct for where to serve Him in Cameroon, and that we would be able finish our deputation quickly.