Greetings from Cameroon!

Greetings from Cameroon!

II Thessalonians 3:1

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you;"

Friday, September 30, 2011

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! 

Monday, September 26, 2011

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!

Thursday, September 01, 2011

VBS and Men's Retreat

Here are a few pictures of how we finished the month of August...
The kids waiting to play tug-of-war at our Holiday (Vacation) Bible School
I flew Felix out to Amanavil for the men's retreat.  Here he is with his wife before we left.
Here is my favorite and least favorite food served side by side...on the left is chuka-chuka beef (porcupine) and on the right is cassava fufu.  I love the chuka-chuka beef!  Notice the claw on the right of the plate!  Chuka in Pidgin is something that is sharp, like the porcupine's quills.  The cassava is ok I guess when you have some good soup to dip it in like the soup served with the beef. 
 
 Here are some of them at the conference in front of the house where we slept and ate every day. 
We are getting ready to leave on Saturday morning.  I flew the chief (in the middle) and Cleopas out to Sabga while Felix (on the right) trekked about 3 hours to another village to encourage the believers there. 
As I landed the field closed in behind with with fog.  I was glad to see my wife and children after several days away! 

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

School and Container

I'll try to continue from last night.  Also, hopefully, you'll be receiving a prayer letter today.  Please, if you normally receive a prayer letter from us and you don't see it in two or three days please email me and let me know.  I have lost my normal database and am now starting again from a very old list. You can also access the letter here at the list of blog links or at the Wings as Eagles website.  
Elena on her first day of Kindergartenl!!  She had fun a few weeks ago shopping in Bamenda for school things like the backpack, flags, and flowers you see in the picture.  We also had the blackboard made special for her school.  She is in school for a few hours every morning that Abby is free. 
 
She and I also enjoy learning French together.  Her French vocabulary is building up quick!  I hope that she can learn that language early! 
Enjoying the new lawnmower from the container.  Thank you Fellowship Baptist in South Carolina for shopping for us...it works great! 
Enjoying the lawnmower box!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

August!

I guess you get all of August's happenings all in one shot!  The main reason that I haven't posted is that my Dell laptop won't start, and I have had to use a back up laptop that is not as capable.  Neither does this laptop have all the files I need.  Office work has been a big pain this month...so here goes an attempt at a post. 
Elias and I took a trip to the famous Bamendjing Lake by the village of Bambalang.  We live within 25 minutes of it and finally made the trip.  Several pastors went with us and we met a local pastor who took us right to the lake.  Unfortunately, it was raining a bit, so the fisherman were all on their way home.  However, a few were left who took us out on their large canoe...Elias absolutely loved it!!  
The last month has seen us up helping at Camp Joy a bit.  Abby was camp nurse for a week, and I preached a few times.  The kids loved playing and seeing all the activity.  This particular picture is of Elias and Elias :)

Chloe eating a snack at Camp Joy.
We went to the wedding of Godlove and Maureen a few weeks ago...here are a few pictures of their day.
Pastors with Godlove and Maureen
Abby with Maureen and the maid of honor.

Well that was the first half of August anyway.  I'll stop there due to a super slow connection...more to follow.

Monday, August 01, 2011

Jolting on the Roads

A day in the life of a missionary not only includes soaring with the clouds (see below post) but also in coming back to earth and jolting on the terrible roads.  I had the privilege in the second half of my day to help transport people from Babungo and Ndop to Camp Joy.  Please pray for them all that this week some would be saved and others make decisions of surrender and service.  I thought I'd include pictures of the roads that we drive and the sites that we see every day here in Cameroon!  Hope you enjoy!
This is the view on the way to Camp Joy from Ndop

This is the view coming down from Camp Joy entering Bamessing

This is the next village after Bamessing, the village Bamali

This is right after Bamali, our town of Ndop.  The mountain peak is called Ngoketunjia
This is our church on the right and the sign board there in blue
Ndop town, a cosmopolitan town...people from all over Cameroon live in our town of 26,000.

Hitting the center of town overlooking Babungo and Ibal in the distance

Getting out to Mile 27, rural Ndop closer to our house

Our house in the right

My beloved keeping me going in between camp runs!

I picked up Elena who hardly ever refuses a chance to go to Babungo
The Road to Babungo


The house where we have our Sunday afternoon Bible study in Babungo.  There will be four ladies at Camp Joy this year from here. 

Looks like Illinois...except for the those palm trees in the middle there :)
Elena was enthralled with the tiger that was "watching us" on the back of this van
Back to Ndop from Babungo
Its always a fun time coming home!
An awesome dinner with hamburgers and homemade buns!

Oops, forgot to rotate the picture...Elias saying cheese for the camera while eating the cheese off of his hamburger.
She's not camera shy!

She is!

BED TIME!!!
Notice the four planes he is sleeping with!
A day in the life sure tires us all out...good night!!