Follow-up to Cameroon

I had forgotten about this blog, but signed on so I could comment on a friends blog. I was shocked to see how many people have looked at these blogs in the past year. Last month over 200 people looked at my old blog - from all over the world! When I first started writing, my purpose was to keep my friends and family informed about our trip to Cameroon and fill in all the fun details of living there. I loved watching the stats and getting feedback from my friends, especially during some of the lonelier days. It seems very amusing to me that anyone else would find any of this interesting.

Since we have returned home, life has gone on at the same crazy speed as ever. One difference that shows me that we will never be the same from our experience we shared as a family- a day does not go by that one of us does not reference a memory from Africa. I love that we will always have these amazing memories. We are constantly comparing our days in Minnesota to what they were like in Cameroon. We all share the longing we have to see our friends that will always have a place in our hearts. Another change that I see is that our prayer life is a little richer - oh how I would love to have the depth of prayer that some of our African friends have. The missionaries that we have met along the way (especially those who were our neighbors), are prayed for as if they were family. I have so much respect and admiration for the missionaries that are working side by side with our brothers and sisters in Cameroon bringing God's Word to the ends of Cameroon (and beyond). I honestly cannot think of any other 3 month time of my life that had a greater impact on me or my family. My faith deepened, my eyes were opened to what the "true" missionaries do on a day to day basis and all that they give up for the Kingdom of God. I am stirred to be discontent with who I am and settling for living a "comfortable" life. I'm constantly praying and asking God what he wants to do through my life here in Minnesota. Asking and waiting for clear answers but seeing my family as my main ministry. I see my job of discipling my kids as an even greater calling. My children have been changed in ways I never could have imagined - I am excited to see all that will mean as they spread their wings and explore the path that God will take them on as young adults.

It has been over a year since our whole family returned from our great adventure.  This past January (exactly one year from the date we went last year) - Kyle and Drew returned to Cameroon to work on a concrete project in Bamenda.  This was not in our plan but when the opportunity came they just could not refuse.    The time they spent there was quite different than our time in Ndu and there were not the daily blog of all that they did.  Two other men from our church joined them for 2 of the weeks that they were there.  Kyle and Drew added a 3rd week and headed up to see our friends in Ndu again.  It was encouraging for them to connect again with many of the people that had imprinted themselves on our lives.  They also made new friends in Bamenda.  Drew told me of a family that had them over a few times for pizza and fellowship - missionaries from the states who have been in Cameroon for 20 years or so.  He said I would love meeting the wife - and that we would certainly be good friends.  Sadly, Karen Jackson died recently  - leaving her husband and daughters (and the whole Jackson Village) mourning their loss.  Even though I had never met her, I found myself mourning with them and looking forward to that day when I shall meet her.  Her death has challenged me.   I read of the joy that all those who knew of her talk about, of the dedication she had towards her family and her extended "village", of her deep love for her Savior and how that love drove her to show Christ to those around her.  She lived her life to the fullest and there will be a large whole left in this world.   She was only a few years older than I - and I am reminded that life is short.  Her life and their blog have challenged me to want to be a brighter light and to take more risks as I live a life fully sold out for our Lord Jesus.  As I see all the people from all over the world searching for something new to read.... I hope that they will come across one of my blogs and find encouragement and hope.

My family often talks of how we long to return to Cameroon... but actually, I believe we are longing for our home in Heaven.  Cameroon showed us a glimpse of the fellowship we can share with believers from all areas of the world.... Heaven will be that and so much more.  I can't wait for that ADVENTURE!!!!

Feeling the Love

This morning was our send off prayer at the CBTS chapel service. We made the kids come to chapel and were expecting a prayer at the end, but honestly were not prepared for the touching send off these dear saints gave us. Our whole family was brought to the front of the church and then ushered into a prayer room in the front while some announcements were made. Mrs. Maasa met us with a bag full of specially made African outfits for the whole family. The boys all threw their shirts on and left Ellie and I to quickly change into our skirt and top...I felt a little like a model having to make such a quick transition. The kids and I were given Certificates of Appreciation for the work done in the library - they were very sweet. There is a mystery gift for Drew that had not made it in time for chapel so we still have that to look forward to. A few of the Pastors on campus came up and prayed for us. Drew was given the mic to make a speech but instead he sang the song "Pleasing To You" by Jared Anderson. After Drew prayed a heartfelt, emotional prayer (after the emotional song), the President of CBTS had a few words to share.

We were so touched by his words and wish we had them video taped because really they were prayers for all of you. He prayed for our son Chris, who is still in the states (he is 24 years old). He prayed for our Pastors, thanking them for the influence they have had on our family's life, that we would be willing to come here to show the love of Christ in practical ways. He prayed for all of you that have contributed financially and in prayer so that it would even be possible for our family to come at all. There is so much to do around this campus from a construction point of view and he prayed earnestly that we would return for years to come. It was so encouraging because he understood and conveyed to everyone there in the chapel that we were only there at all because of a whole team of people. God may have called us to the dusty place of Ndu, but we could never have done it without Him also putting it on peoples hearts to give and to pray and to be our support team all along the way.

Last night we enjoyed dinner with a couple of the Master's program students who have become good friends to our family. They were telling us all the things that we do that are so contrary to their culture. Some examples are that we have conversations with adults and our children are a part of the conversation, we interrupt each other (which isn't a good thing and we will be working on that), we engage in getting deep with people - whether they are eating or whatever is going on, without sending our kids off to another area of the house. They asked if there are other families like ours, and we were able to say YES. We know this because we rub shoulders with them at our co-op and at our church every week. Over the years we have met many families that have influenced our vision for our own family. They asked about our Pastors, because they thought we must have amazing Pastors influence us for God's Kingdom - again they were right. We are so thankful for the leadership in our church and our church family and the impact they have had in our lives.

God has put some amazing people in our life, both at home and here in Africa... and in Canada. We feel so privileged that He would find us worthy to be used by Him and that many of you had faith to trust us and support this adventure God has brought us on. I hope as we return home that we will be able to pass on the gratitude and lessons we have learned from these 2 months in Ndu.

Our Last Weekend

We just ended our last pancake night here in Ndu. Drew made an extra amount of pancakes but we ended up with quite a bit left over since it was a light crowd tonight. There was no electricity so we sat around the table by candle light and enjoyed the company of our friends. There are some doctors here for a month, 2 of which are from Burnsville and go to Bethlehem Baptist, they gave us M&M's as a contribution to the pancakes. Banana and M&M pancakes are pretty amazing. During the conversation we found out that all the noise we had heard last night was not a good thing. We had thought there was some late night sports event or something by all the shouting and cheering. The field Pastor for the area Baptist churches was beaten by Jujus pretty seriously. From what I can understand, a man in the First Baptist church wrote some Christian lyrics to the juju songs (Jujus are basically the witch doctors). He recorded these songs and the jujus are angry, so angry that they want to kill him. Tonight while we were sitting here we heard more noise and one of the missionaries received a call that for safety reasons they were bringing this man on campus for the night. He is staying at the house the Schroths were living in just down the path from us. Tomorrow a meeting is being held and hopefully a solution will be found to satisfy the jujus without shedding blood. Pray for wisdom for all involved and for safety for the Pastor and his family.

Through our time here in Ndu, we have made some wonderful friends. One of the men we have gotten to know is a student in the Master's program - his name is Steve. Tonight we found out more about Steve, including the fact that he is a Master in Martial Arts. I've been trying to iron out the details of our family traveling to Limbe and being tourists for a while before we leave. It seems complicated and we had just decided to hire a taxi to stay with us the whole time, thinking it would be worth the expense. Talking to Steve we found out he finishes his last test before break the very day we are leaving. He is from the area we are going to and speaks both French and English. We asked if he would travel with us and be our "body guard" as well as tour guide. He seemed really excited. Even with paying an extra persons expenses this will be quite a bit less expensive than what we were originally looking at. We will instead take a bus once we arrive in Bamenda, it will be an adventure. It works out well because the Schulzs will be going to Yaounde over the weekend and can bring our extra luggage so we can pack light. God is so good in providing us with this extra help. The other great thing is this will prolong our good-bye with Steve and we will enjoy exploring more of Cameroon with him. I'm feeling quite thankful and relieved by this turn of events. Pray for safety for all of us as we travel. Continue to pray for Levi as he is still not feeling well.

Looking Towards the Goal

Just 2 months have gone by since we walked out the door of our home in Minnesota starting our adventure. I would like to think that we are all changed and transformed people, and I'm sure we are to some degree. The reality is that I have discovered more of my selfishness and my sinful heart than I would have by staying in my busy lifestyle at home in the middle of my comfort. I wouldn't have had to face the fact that I really don't like to be uncomfortable or outside of my control. I could just go on joking about how much I like to have my way, instead of seeing how ugly that really is. I don't know why I was born in a country and own a home that is huge by these standards. I'm not a more valuable person because I live in a land of comfort. I hope that I will appreciate even the smallest comfort once I go home, but honestly I doubt it will take long before I settle back into my life of expectations. What do I do with the fact that I live with plenty, when others live in want? People that I have met and walked with, if even for a short time, will continue in their struggles and I will go home to my easy life. I have no answers, it doesn't change their lives if I should sell everything I own, even if I gave it all to them. It wouldn't give them better plumbing or an endless supply of food, they would still have dust on everything. Both here and there we would be tempted to fill our time with things that do not satisfy. Which leads me to the fact that it is all pointless. If all our life is about our accumulation of "stuff" and we forget that we are made to bring God glory with our lives, than we're missing out. I've seen some wonderful examples of people who understand that here in Africa, with the full time missionaries and many students who have committed their lives to serving Christ. I want to bring home a little of that zeal and that purpose as I too fix my eyes on the goal before me.

Philippians 3:13-16 (The Message
"Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to JESUS. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision - you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

Pray for us as we end our time in Ndu, Cameroon and prepare to reenter our life in Minnesota and the mission God has for us there.

Trust

I woke up this morning and was asking God, "What are we here for? Will we even know what our purpose was? Are we even making a difference?" Almost immediately a word picture of life being like a strategic chess game came to my mind. I sometimes feel like God is this Master chess player and he can see the whole "game" - He has each move mapped out and strategically places each player right where He thinks best for the whole game. Then I had to laugh because it is not really like that at all. Can you imagine this amazing chess player trying to play this perfect game but all the pieces can decide for themselves if they want to trust the Master and do what he says or not. The pieces can only see what is right around them and could easily get discouraged without the view of the whole game. If one piece was in a place where there wasn't much action, he might think that the Master didn't know how valuable he was and go looking for some action. On the other hand, pieces that were on the front line might just bale out and leave valuable pieces vulnerable. I know this is a silly illustration but it did get me thinking about trusting God each day, that He knows better than I what is good for my growth.

In talking with some of the other missionaries around here, there is a common thread of discouragement and wanting to "go home". Please pray for the missionaries here at CBTS. Pray that they will trust that God's timing is perfect and wait for His hand to move them. There is a very real spiritual battle going on, as well as the rainy season is coming in and it is cloudier than normal. Pray that we will be an encouragement to them these last weeks that we are here.

Homesick

Tomorrow will be 7 weeks since we left Minneapolis. This past week I have been in a funk and this morning I finally voiced that I wish we could go home. Drew laughed and gave me a big hug and said "It's too early to start that yet". Then Levi piped up and said "Remember Mom, we were warned that 6 weeks is when it gets hard." I'm so glad someone around here has a memory. It's true, there have been trials of various kinds all along but this week I have just wanted to be finished. Ellie is feeling homesick too. Drew hasn't voiced it in the same way but he does feel a bit "lost" now that the main project he was working on is done. Levi has been sick all week too so that hasn't been good. Kyle is pretty easy going and takes each day in stride, however, I have noticed he is not as patient with his family lately as he can be. It helped yesterday to go to Kumbo and do something different but when I woke this morning I still was longing for home. As I'm typing this, I'm encouraged knowing that I can be completely honest and my friends will be supporting us in prayer. You can not imagine what a blessing it is to know that we are not alone, we appreciate your kind words and mostly your prayers. Thank you so much!

Now that I have that off my chest, I am really excited to see what God has in store for us these next few weeks. Once we get over this hump, I believe what is ahead will be some of the deepest parts of this whole trip. I am anticipating deeper relationships, greater understanding and renewed hope... as well as a few more dead mice.

I noticed our home church is singing this song this coming weekend - the words are so good:

You Never Let Go by Matt Redmon
Even though I walk, through the valley, of the shadow of death,
your perfect love is casting out fear.
And even when I'm caught, in the middle, of the storms of this life,
I won't turn back I know you are near.

And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me,
And if my God is with me,
Whom then shall I fear, whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm,
Oh, no, you never let go, every high and every low,
oh, no, you never let go, Lord you never let go of me!

And I can see the light, that is coming, for the heart that holds on,
A glorious light beyond all compare.
And there will be an end, to these troubles, but until that day comes,
We'll live to know you here on the earth.

And I can see the light, that is coming for the heart that holds on,
And I can see an end to these troubles, but until that day comes,
STILL I WILL PRAISE YOU, STILL I WILL PRAISE YOU!!!

An Encouraging Day

We're down to the last month of our journey and are trying to be very purposeful in documenting everything and experiencing as much as possible. I asked the kids what they miss most about Minnesota: They ALL answered "The People". I then asked them what they think they will miss most about Cameroon when we go home: They ALL answered "The People". I really liked those answers. Today we headed north of Ndu, walking for about 2 hours just to see what was around each new bend in the road. It seemed like we hiked UP the whole way but once we turned around we found ourselves walking UP some more. The day was very cloudy so I'm hoping we can go back on a clear day, what we could make out was quite beautiful. It's interesting to see how the people react to us. People here are so friendly - all afternoon we were greeted with "Good Afternoon". Many people would stop and come to shake all of our hands and thank us for taking time to say "Hello" to them. We had our friend Matthew Lee with us - he is teaching a computer class on how to use translation software. Matthew is working with SIL/Wycliffe and is originally from Virginia. We have forced him into our "group home" and have enjoyed having his company. It ends up he likes exploring as much as we do so it was quite a day. I was so humbled when we stopped to rest for a bit and a man with one leg and maybe 2 teeth hoped up the bank to greet us. He wanted to invite us into his home but we were already pushing it on time. Who does that in America? This man really had VERY LITTLE but wanted to share with 6 total strangers. Later we met a woman who went out of her way to greet us each with a hearty handshake. She was on her way home from choir practice at First Baptist Church in Ndu (Wow - she walks along way). She knew Ancela, who had been our cook when our team was here. This woman gave us some kind of nuts just because she wanted to bless us. Another man had a fruit stand and I asked for bananas. He only had 3 left (which costs about 10 cents) and he wanted to just give them to me so that he could bless me. I accepted and then "dashed" him a bit to bless him back. It's really crazy how generous people are. I'm completely inspired to change and be the generous stranger to people I meet back in Minnesota.

Alyssa's Thoughts On The Missions Trip To Cameroon

My half of the Evergreen team went to Ndu in the northwest province of Cameroon, a solid 2-day drive away from the capital, Yaounde. It was the dry season when we were there, so the roads were dusty and bumpy from the SmartCar-sized potholes in the road. We actually thought that made the trip very entertaining and there is some shaky video footage to testify!
We had 8 full days in Ndu, which Kaley and I lamented from the moment we arrived. The Petersen family, Kaley, Kim Poulsom and I made up our little Ndu family, and as such, we stayed in a house together in the Baptist seminary while we were there. Drew Petersen worked on a cement project which was the entire reason the group went to Ndu in the first place. And while Kim helped the backlogged seminary librarian and Marie acted as “house mama” for the team, Kaley, Ellie and I were assigned to help with the Day Care center…to liven it up and give the staff more ideas for working with children. We were pretty attached at the hip, Kaley, Ellie and I. We had so much fun getting to know each other, getting to know Cameroonians and appreciating Cameroonian culture, and especially appreciating Cameroonian food! Since I lived in Cameroon for two years at another point in my life, I was so excited to eat the street food, and get Kaley excited about it…which resulted in one of us getting a verrrryy ill…no more “feeding the tapeworm” as we referred to our excessive interest in the food!
The three of us ladies got to meet one very special person during our short stay in Ndu. His name was Felix, a Missions student in his final semester of seminary. He came to us the first day at the center, timidly with a trembling lower lip to ask if he could help us with any work in the Day Care center, which we knew meant he was looking for some paid work which is hard to come by for students. We wanted to bless the day care center ladies by painting their white walls and furniture with bright primary colors, and Felix had some experience with the oil-based, super potent, industrial strength paint, so he worked alongside us with the painting, but taught us so much about trusting the Lord and perseverance that it felt like we were hardly the missionaries at all, but the ones receiving the blessing of his kind friendship. He invited us to meet his wife and 1 month old baby, Prince Lee, and the emotions we all felt leaving their home are hard to articulate, but suffice it to say we were all teary from their encouragement and kindness in offering to host us when they had no money, no bathroom, hardly anything material to call their own. We couldn’t even accept their generous invitation to join them for a meal because of our newfound fear of food contamination, so they went and purchased soda and American cookies for us so they could still treat us to some hospitality in their home. My heart was warmed by the entire experience of going there to serve and bless this center with our hard work and small donation of paint and labor, but the work for us ended up being just the means to building relationships and finding out how our friends could show us a fresh perspective…
As sweet as it was to watch God cultivating mission-minded Cameroonians, I watched two younger women grow in their perspective in such a sweet humble way too. Watching Kaley and Ellie accept every opportunity to meet people and learn about Cameroon was the most heart-warming experience of them all really. I watched them pick spiderwebs off furniture, learn the local Limbum language, boldly order and taste the spicy meat from a street vender (it was safe), and seek out the Lord daily through regular quiet times…this was the part of the trip I treasured the most! I didn’t think that a trip back to a country I’d grown to love so much would end up being even better for the Americans I traveled with, but as Cameroonians always refer to loved ones as a member of your family in some way, these two lovely sisters in Christ became like family to me in every sense of the word.
I don’t know how to sum up my thoughts about our time in Ndu, and I won’t even try. I had a conversation with a full-time missionary there in which I told him that I believed this visit to Cameroon was about “tying up the loose ends from my last time there”, and he responded saying, “so you want it to be a neat packaged deal, huh?” I can’t give much of a neat, packaged account of visiting Ndu, but I know we all loved the people, culture and growing in our walks with the Lord together while we were there, and I’d like to thank everyone who sent us there from the bottom of my heart! Who knows, you might have the chance to be a part of the next team to Cameroon.

Sunday thoughts

This morning we went to another church about a half hour walk from here. We were invited to attend because Martha (our team's cook) and her niece Courage attend this church. Once again we had to stand up and be greeted - we are getting pretty good at that. Church "officially" starts at 9am but we didn't even leave our house until 915am. I'm really thankful we have printed bulletins back home. For over an hour the service was announcements. During the announcements they announced how good it was that the missionaries sat in the grand stand during the National Youth Day event. To be honest, we avoided sitting in the grand stand because we didn't want to get stuck in there for hours. The grand stand was full of "important" people and the only thing that makes us "important" is that we stand out because we are white. We had 4 different people come up to us and ask us to sit in the grand stand - we told them we wanted to be able to take pictures and they did not force it. Finally when the parade was over and the performances were about to begin a man escorted Andrea and I through the crowd to the grand stand. Drew and the kids thought it was over so they went back to our house. So in church this morning, when they announced how good it was that we sat in the grand stand, I realized we came very close to insulting these dear Cameroonian people. Live and learn. Next month there is another big event, similar to the National Youth Day, called Women's Day. The women march and all wear matching dresses, there are speeches and performances. After church, all the visitors were invited for a lunch (we tried to leave but they pursued us). There were 3 women at the lunch who I recognized from the grand stand the day before, so I went over and introduced myself. The one woman had a strong resemblance to Oprah W. from the side so I asked if she knew of her. She didn't at first but then knew who I was talking about and said "thank you, that must mean I am beautiful". Actually, she was very beautiful and held herself with confidence, like she is someone important. Somehow in our conversation, they asked me to speak at the women's day event on my experiences keeping a home and caring for my family. I tried telling them that in my country it is much easier, I don't have to carry water on my head or have a permanently curved spine from working so hard in my field. Life in America is easy compared to the hard life African woman have. They insisted that what I have to share would be worthwhile. I told them I would pray about it because I have nothing on my own to say, but if God gives me something to share I will do it. They took that as a Yes, because God is faithful and will give me the words to say. So once again, I can use prayer... help me, I'm not sure how to get out of this.

PS> On a lighter note: I went to use the potty behind the church and it was an outhouse with a small (4inch across) hole in the floor...I'm sure they could tell which stall the American woman went in because it's really hard to aim... Just saying.

Women's Tea

Last night was the women's tea for the staff and students here at CBTS. I got there right on time, even though nothing in Africa seems to start on time. When I got the invitation from Ma Massa Angelista, she told me it would begin right at 5pm even if all the people were not there. Ma Massa lived in the United States for a few years so I was convinced it would really start on time. Needless to say, Ma Massa did not even arrive until 515pm. This is only the second such event they have had with the women here and it was not like we have at home. The classroom was big and dusty, there was tea in coolers to keep it warm, the missionaries brought baked goods but nothing was set up "pretty" or even organized. We offered to help but were told we were the guest of honor so we couldn't do that. In the front of the room, there was a long table that they put a plastic table cloth with hamburgers and hot dogs along the edge as decoration. At this long table was seated: Ma Massi, Stella - the student body representative, Helen - Secretary, and a man (whose name I did not get) - dean of men. The tea only started 20 minutes late and moved along pretty well after that. I think they had hoped it would be a celebration with dancing and fun but not one followed through, even when Helen encouraged them to get up and dance. It was new to them and the fact that it was held in a classroom made the women feel like they were in class and should control themselves, I guess. Ma Massi shared a devotion in the beginning about unity. My talk that followed fit right in with unity. I shared some of my testimony and then shared about small prayer groups that I have been involved in over the years. My topic was on Women's ministry in the USA - the first thing that popped into my mind was scrap booking and I was pretty sure that would have no place in this land. I did share how our women's ministry has retreats, socials, Bible studies, teas and other events. At the end there was a woman who stood up and said she thinks they should have retreats. Prayer groups seems like something anyone who wanted to grow in their faith could do. The prayer groups I have been involved in have always fit a purpose in whatever season of life I have been in, and the relationships made through those experiences are rock solid. What surprised me is how emotional I got when I was sharing - I was not expecting to cry for goodness sake. Ellie was there with me and I ended by sharing how Ellie started a prayer group for young ladies when she was only 13. I wanted them to not make excuses but to see that anything is possible. When I finished and sat down, Helen stood up and said, very earnestly "How are you feeling women, after hearing this Ma talk? Do you have a burning in your chest as I do? How are you feeling?" Honestly, as I was writing, I had a burning in my own chest. Even though being committed to a small group of women and praying on a regular basis has been life changing for me in the past, I have not been involved with a specific group of women in a long time. This is one of the things I hope to change when I get home. After our refreshments, Andrea shared on being a Pastor's wife. She asked for a show of hands as to who were pastor's wives or their husbands were going to be pastors when they finished school. I think over half the room raised their hands. Andrea did a great job - even though her husband accidently printed page 1 twice instead of printing her 2nd page of her script, she handled it quite well. What she shared was relevant for any of us but especially Pastor's wives. She spoke on being thankful and encouraging our husbands. I know she touched the hearts of many of the women there. One thing I have noticed is that most of these women are extremely shy. I had assumed in a room that size that most of the women would know each other but that did not seem to be the case. At the end of the tea, the women just quickly left the room - nothing like the gabbing that goes on in America. I did have one woman ask if we could talk. She is working on her thesis and thought some of the things I shared would be fitting for her topic so she wanted to ask more questions. I'm looking forward to meeting with her this coming week. I could tell I had people praying for me because I felt extremely calm and I even talked slower than I ever remember talking. Before I got up, the women all introduced themselves (yes we went around a room of over 50 people). Most of them did not seem to speak English very well and I felt my heart sink. I prayed under my breath for God to open their ears to understand us because it seemed like a waste of time for me to see anything. By the looks on their faces and the nods of heads, I believe God was faithful in answering that prayer. My prayer now will be for these women to follow through and come together in unity and prayer.

Market and shopping pictures

This is where the meat comes from... they use every part of the cow.

Dinner Date

Drew and I went out with our friends Dan and Andrea Schroth last night. We were given a phone number to call ahead for reservations for the chicken dinner at the Summit Hotel Restaurant. The first day Drew tried to call, no one answered either phone number. Finally he got through and told them we would be there at 5pm, 4 of us for the chicken dinner. It was important to have early reservations since it gets dark quickly around here and we have been advised not to be out after dark. It was also important to give them a "heads up" that we were coming so that the killing and preparations of the chicken would have been done before we arrived. This also gave them time to do any shopping for the side items. It was a lovely walk up the dusty road to the "Summit". We had actually seen this hill with a hut for weeks and wondered what it was - so now we know, it's the hotel and lookout. Once we got there, we walked in the door to what seemed like a small hotel lobby with a bunch of Cameroonian people sitting all around and a small bar at the end. There were some men sitting at a table with books open in front of them doing some kind of business. We assumed they worked there and asked which way to the restaurant. They pointed us straight back so off we went. .

. Well, this was the kitchen,and the kitchen ladies all started squawking that we were in the wrong place so we quickly went back to the lobby. In moments the men had vacated the table and all the people from that side of the room went to the other side and sat down. Chairs were put around the table and a table cloth and we were seated... and then we sat and waited, and waited. It was really awkward because we didn't know if this was a temporary spot and they were going to bring us to the dining area or if the right people even knew we were here - although being the only white people there we did stand out a bit. Drew decided to call the number we had made the reservation with and sure enough the man who kept walking through the lobby; his phone rang just feet from us. We cracked up as Drew said "We are the party of 4 for a chicken dinner" and the man stepped into the hall and just looked at us. Finally, plates were brought and our food. Apparently the lobby was the restaurant. The food was pretty good, chicken was a little tough. The "Waiter" barely looked at us but towards the end we flagged him down to get something to drink. Coke never tasted so good. There was a TV by the bar with a soccer game playing - I haven't seen a TV in weeks. It was a lovely evening! Once we got our bill and left a good sized tip - the waiter guy was REALLY friendly!

Random pictures of life in Ndu

This is a sample of our life: Sunday night pancakes and praise with our friends. The Post Office where we mail our letters from - A picture of Marie gluing a stamp on (with rubber cement). Abi and Ellie in Ellie's room. Doing laundry.

Friends

Ndu Post Office

/Abi and Ellie

Doing laundry in our back yard - hanging laundry in our front yard (for all to see)

Life is short

I went to chapel with Drew this morning. One thing I noticed right away that is different than church or what I remember from my college chapel days, people here sit very close together. As people come in they walk to the furthest pew in the front and fill in until the pew is packed, then the next pew fills up, and on and on to the back of the church. Back home we sit randomly and put our things next to us so that no one sits too close. After chapel there were announcements and prayer requests. One of the student's mother had passed away during the night and her burial is today. Wow, that just seems so fast. My mom died on a Monday, we had her funeral on that Thursday and I remember thinking that was too fast. Drew came home this morning after only being at work for a short while. Alias, one of the guys he has been working with;his 2 sisters died since yesterday afternoon of malaria. Alias showed up to work this morning because he had no way to pay the 3000 cfa ($6) for the bus ride home to be there for the burial. He planned to just work but Drew couldn't imagine not being there for a family funeral and gave him the money for the bus. Think of it, that wouldn't even buy us both our favorite coffee at Starbucks. Life seems so fragile here - but is it really? In America, we have this false sense of security but even there our days are numbered.

Pray today for Alias and his family as they bury his 2 sisters, and for the family that has lost their mother. Pray also that we would live in the moment and make each day count for God's glory. Reading this morning in Exodus 16 - the Israelite s are complaining and wishing they were back in Egypt... kind of struck a note with me. For months we prayed that God would provide a way for us to get to Africa... and now that I am here, I find myself longing for Minnesota. Pray that I will embrace this culture and live for today with my eyes wide open to see what God has for me. Thank you friends!

Pictures from church

Here are a few pictures from the First Baptist Church of Ndu: The BRIGHT chair in the front if for the Pastor (and it's not a joke).

The drum set was once Lance Rundus's - he got this when he was about 13. I guess the youth leader asked to use it for a youth event some time ago. The next Sunday after the event the Pastor of the church made a special announcement of appreciation for the gift that Lance had given to the church. The youth leader tried telling the Pastor that they were just on loan but the damage was already done and it is now a permanent part of the church. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

The church sits at the highest point of Ndu and it is a beautiful view. One thing about being at such a high altitude, you feel winded when you walk most anywhere. I thought it was just because I'm getting old and out of shape but one of the kids said they feel winded too.

Here is our family with some friends:

Perpetual

My day didn't exactly go as I had planned but I am quite thankful how it worked out. For the past 2 weeks I was planning on finishing washing all the towels and sheets from the house that our team had used. The original plan I had was to do one or two sets a day, the machine is very small and there was no rush. Just a few days into this plan, the President of the school requested that the house be used for a visitor/friend of his. The thought was that it would just be for a few days but the man and his driver stayed all week long and just left today. The staff house is to be occupied by 4 teachers tomorrow - they will be staying for 2 months. Once the man moved in I no longer had a key, and today I discovered that I still had a load of wet laundry in the washer (from over a week ago - uugh!). This morning I ran down to see about making the beds and washing linens, only to realize there was no electricity. We do not have a washing machine at our new place so Ellie and I had done a few "loads" by hand and I am not very fast at it. There was a woman named Perpetual who was cleaning. I asked her if she knew anyone who would be available to help me hand wash the laundry. She offered to help me and I must say it was very humbling. This woman is so strong and makes it look so easy. I started washing something and she laughed saying "Is that how you do it?" We got through the laundry and I did learn a thing or two - mostly that I am pretty weak. While working together I asked her if she was from Ndu, to which she replied "no." Then I asked how she came to be here. It was a long story about how God brought her to this Seminary to prepare to be a minister. I stopped working all together at one point because I couldn't even see what I was doing from the tears in my eyes. When her youngest child was just 4 months old (she has 3 children), her family had moved into a new home. Earlier her husband's brother had gotten into trouble and ended up in prison. The brother was responsible for him and had to pay bail. The brother again got into trouble and wanted them to post bail again. This time Perpetual's husband said "No, we will pray for him instead". The brother then got a gang to storm into their house and try to kill them. At 2am men came charging into their home with machetes and started slashing her husband. Perpetual said she could do nothing, they had no idea who these men were or what they wanted. Suddenly, she felt a power from within and started saying the name of Jesus and went towards the men and her husband. She layed her body over her husband's and was slashed (she showed me her scar across her thigh and it was over a foot long). Somehow, the 2 of them started fleeing for their lives with the gang behind them. Her husband fell into the ditch and she had to go back and find him. The whole time she believed that they would live, because that would give glory to the name of Jesus. They made it to the neighbors house and after much pounding the neighbors let them in. They got to the hospital and were in for over a month, the husband had been slashed 18 times - over his torso, head, neck, and his arm was severely broken. While in the hospital, the man who was the head of the gang called to see if it were true that they were still alive. The brother had contacted him again to kill this couple but the gang member refused. He came to visit this couple in the hospital to see for himself the miracle that they were still alive. He said that God must be real if they could live through that, because he knows that there is no way the man that he slashed and stab could be alive. I was impressed by this woman's strong hands and after hearing her story I was impressed by her strong faith. This horrific event in her life was the catalyst for her to commit to full time ministry and that is why she is at CBTS to get her training that she needs to be a minister.

Question

So I've been rambling on now for quite a while just telling the day to day stuff. I'm looking for some blog ideas: What would you like to know about Ndu? Or Cameroon? Or what we are doing? Do you want pictures of anything in particular (keep in mind it takes over an hour for just a few pictures). Just thought I would ask since I might be missing something that you are just curious about. Thanks for the feedback!

3 weeks

Our family has been on this adventure for just 3 weeks, in some ways it feels much longer than that. For the most part we are adapting to life in Ndu. Our kitchen is missing some key pans and Irene has been a saint working around in this less than ideal space. She is normally a cook for a single gal missionary in Bamenda and is having to adjust to this house as much as I have. There is definitely a mouse that comes out at night and nibbles through plastic to get to our food. Tonight Drew is setting out a sticky trap to catch the critter - I really hope I am not the one to find him. I realized today that I sound very negative when I talk about this house. The truth is, we live in a "mansion" in MN, in comparison to this place. It's also true that most of the people around Ndu live in homes that are far less than this home I am living in now. We have 2 toilets that flush (and when we don't have water pumping into the house, we can still pour dirty water from a tank into the toilet to flush it), we have electricity much of the time, we have headlamps when we don't have electricity, we have a stove AND an oven, we have a frig - that is FULL. We also have 2 showers and one even has hot water, we have a table and chairs,beds with mattresses and blankets, french press for coffee, games to play, good books to read, a computer with an internet stick! Life is refreshingly simple here. Our friends the Rundus's asked if we would like to come over Friday evening and watch a movie with their family (if there is electricity). I said sarcastically that I would have to check our schedule... and then quickly thanked them for the invitation before they changed their mind. Generally,no one goes out after dark (which is usually about 7pm), so having something on our schedule is a treat. I have loved the family time: Drew is reading through a series by Chuck Black (out loud). The books would be an easy read for any of us but reading together is a great opportunity for discussion. Kyle brought his guitar so some nights we spend singing praise and worship songs together. There is no tv, no phone, really nothing pulling us, although at times we will have visitors show up (and they are always welcome). The weather is beautiful (if you can look beyond the dust), cool at night to the point of needing a sweatshirt, warm, almost hot during the day. The people are friendly - everyone you pass says "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon". Drew goes to chapel every morning at 730am - I haven't quite made it there yet. The President told Drew that they are "Praying the Petersens back". I could see coming back for a short term again but so far I don't feel the pull to move here full time. The biggest blessing for me has been how real and alive the Word of God has become to me. I have a whole different appreciation of it as well as a need for the Truth. What a privilege to be here and have so much support and prayers for our safety and well being.

Thoughts I'm having on Life in Cameroon

I'm an observer by nature. The first few days we were here everything seemed so surreal and exciting. Now that I have been here a few weeks and met more people, had a few more experiences I feel like I am getting a clearer vision of some of the problems as well as some of the things that are better than I experience at home. I'm only getting a slightly clearer picture - I don't think I could ever grasp all of the ins and outs of the culture. One thing I have observed is that this campus has "missionaries" constantly coming in and out. There are a few missionaries here full time and I really admire their perseverance and dedication. The short term people (like us), come swooping in with all these grand ideas to save the day. Most of the way we do things just don't work here in Ndu. For instance, there is a team that came a few days ago to paint, they brought a container full of items to give away. The container had over 100 boxes of books and videos which are now being sorted in an already overloaded room, waiting to get into the computer system and shelved in their library. The kids and I are helping Henry work through these boxes. One box was full of old children's video tapes. Nice, except most people do not even have a tv, let alone a video player (or electricity much of the time). I also saw a child playing with a roller skate that had been brought here from the states, except for the sidewalk leading up to the classrooms and the steps Drew is working on, everything here is dusty dirt paths and roads, no place for a roller skate. The children were using it like a car to play with and had no idea what it's true purpose was. Even when you go to market many of the booths are old clothes that were shipped here in containers from Good Will or other thrift stores overload. Many of the clothes we wouldn't even use for rags. Some of the books given are completely inappropriate for this part of the world - they have no use for preparing for Y2K or retirement. On campus here we have received a warm welcome, it's overwhelming to the faculty and students the amount of work that needs to be done around here and they welcome the help. They also are Christian believers and recognize us as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. When we go to market or outside the campus as white people we get stared at, or mocked. My boys were with their friends and got sugar cane at the market, this caused laughter and pointing as some older boys said "Look white man eating sugar cane!" One day when I was out, an older woman said to me "We stare at you because you are white". I told her we have many different colors of people where I am from, many black people. I explained that we stare at them because they have such beautiful colored clothes and head coverings. She thought that was pretty funny. I haven't been here long enough to have my feelings hurt over the attitude to white people but I know some of my fellow long term missionaries have felt the sting. It's sad but the truth is white people have a history of abusing people of color, there are many people today on both sides of the color spectrum that cannot see past the skin and get to know the person within. When I am in my little MN bubble I don't think about these things, unless I'm reading a historical novel like "Uncle Tom's Cabin". I think it is good to see how hurtful it can be and just chose to be one little part of the change by how I treat my fellow humans.

A new week to look forward to.

I heard yesterday, the electric company that supplies the electricity in Ndu says the CBTS campus uses too much of the electricity. Their solution is to not supply electricity on Sundays and Wednesdays. The water pump is run by electricity too so that will be effected. I guess it's good to know so I can adjust my expectations. Shower for church on Saturday night and fill every available container of water to use for flushing toilets, washing hands, and all the other things you need water for.

We went to Emmanuel Baptist Church yesterday. This church is bigger and cleaner then the church we attended the week before. I was actually able to understand more of the sermon too. The bad part about going to a different church each week is that they all have you stand up and introduce yourself if you are new. There is no way you can get away without being noticed in an all black African church when there are 11 white people all in one pew. After the service we were invited into a room where they prayed over us and gave us what looked a little like our donuts from church but there was fish inside (surprise!).

It's a new week: I'm excited to get back to the library and help catalog books. My house isn't as chaotic as it was and it's feeling like home. My new cook, Irene will be coming this morning. Drew will be off to chapel and then on to work on pouring more steps. We have fresh roasted Cameroonian coffee to start the day... Life is good.