Greetings from Yokadouma!

Friends! We're in Yokadouma safe and sound! God provided us a safe journey  and opportunity to meet some really great people. Thank you so much for your prayers! We stopped along the way (three times) to visit past colleges from Yokadouma and learn about their lives. We were able to see a church at its finishing stages of construction (this mans desire for God to reach the Abongmbong town was so evident!) and to see a cocoa/plantain/all other kinds of plants plantation. We met with a pastor who oversaw about 18 churches in the Bertoua region and hear what God was doing there.   What an encouraging trip! (and we got to drive through hours of Gods beautiful creation in South Eastern Cameroon! How diverse and interesting!)  When we got here, we were greeted by stories from the COCELMPU members of the work that had happened while David and Henny were away. People who were literate in French needed little to no instruction to begin to read in Mpumpong! What a testimony to God's goodness and the simple and useful design of the alphabet!  Its been so interesting and encouraging meeting the memebers of COCELMPU  and hearing their stories – the translators are eager to begin the translation now that they have finished the translation courses and David is back to help them get started!  How exciting it is to see their excitement and eagerness to do this work! Keep the project in your prayers as they soon begin!  I want to thank you specifically for your prayers for my French! You have no idea how encouraging it is to know that people are praying for that specific area of my life. I've found it really discouraging – I want so much to communicate well with these people and develop relationships with them, but the language continues to be this barrier. Everyone is so encouraging and forgiving of my French mistakes, saying I'll learn soon, but it continues to be a struggle of mine. I've learned so much already, but sometimes it is hard to see that and is so much easier to focus on what I can't communicate. Pray for both my learning, and my mindset!  This week I'm learning more about the computer programs I will be helping them with, and next week I will hopefully begin both teaching them, and learning from them! Pray for understanding, and God to be glorified. The second one being key, the first one being kind of nice!  Because our God is good (And can speak French and Mpumpong too!) 

We're learning about being flexible - the car should be ready tomorrow

My Friends,
Cameroon is currently warm with a slight breeze. The birds are singing, and Audrey is sitting on the couch listening to Mpumpong recordings and speaking French to herself. David is finishing up his Mpumpong orthography statement (a paper that talks about the language, grammer, and written form of the language), and Henny is doing some quick things over at CABTAL(Cameroon association of Bible translation and literacy). We were planning on being on the road long before now, but the car had some problems with the radiator and a car with overheating problems in the middle of Cameroon on a hot day is not the best for a 12 hour driving adventure.

The last couple of days have been full of information – it seems everyday there are so many new things to learn and remember about the culture, I'm afraid I'll forget them all! (Pray that my memory is really good and I am faithful in writing all the observations down.)

This Saturday I played soccer with a group from a friends church; it was an evengelistic tournament, so they passed out tracts to the team of 'motos' (motorcyclers) that we were playing. We had a great time playing together! (picture below!)

I'm getting quite excited about Yokadouma, though I know it'll be tough. I'm really excited (ok, a little nervous too) to get to know some of the Mpumpong people, to learn about their lives a little bit (as much as language will allow), learn their cooking and just who they are. I'm looking forward to meeting the four people in COCELMPU who I will be helping with their computer skills (There are more than 4 members).

Here are names to keep in your prayers!

Sidonne – the secretary, learning general computer usage
Charelotte – literacy coordinator, learning scribus for publishing
Joseph – a translator (one of three), learning about the translation software
Salvador – the bookkeepper, learning about GnuCash an accounting program.

Keep them in your prayers! Also that I'll be able to communicate with them well, and develop relationships with them that aren't just focused on work, but on learning about God and serving Him with them. That I'll stay open and receptive to learning many things from them. For transition for me and Audrey and we change locations and have to adapt to the village.

Thank you for your prayers – I don't think I've said this enough lately. It's exciting to see God's children in Cameroon!

(Yesterday while running around CTC, I had a couple really good conversations with Cameroonian employees here on the center. Zach, one of the gardners and I talked about the importance of being truly 'born again' and living for Chrst. My friends, I'm falling in love with this country, I wish you could come and see the people going about their days, smell the freshness of the rain, hear the birds singing and taxi horns honking. I wish I could properly convey to you the difficulty of not having God's word in your mother tongue – the difficulty of going to church in French, and the need for this work to happen.)

Until next time, From Yokadouma,

-Andrea

The long awaited photo's...

So guys, I know Audrey has been amazing and doing this all along... and I haven't done all so well, but here are a few photo's from over the last month!
This is something you don't see everyday in Canada! There were also many people crammed into this bush taxi!

David is very good at trying to keep the house as 'ant-free' as possible. Audrey and I are learning the tricks of the trade. Step #1 - buy a really large bottle of insect spray. Step#2 Wipe the counters really well, rinse the dishes before stacking them, and leave no crumbs of food on the table, floors, or sinks.

We went to the typesetting office at CABTAL (Cameroon association of Bible Translation and Literacy) and learned all about the detailed process that goes into typesetting! What a great job these guys do!

About half of the kids in the middle school retreat on the way back from the pool and last session with Christy! The girls in my small group are - the one on the very left who you can only see half a face for, the girl with sunglasses and the blond girl beside her, and the girl with the arm sling (She broke her collor bone, but learned much from God through that!). I had a great small group - and we learned a lot and got to know each other! Thank you for your prayers!
(These vans are great! This one has seats for 15 I think - very handy for carpooling and transporting around Yaounde!)

A part of the city of Bamenda


Me in my Cameroonian dress! Photo complete with Palm tree! It is kind of crazy how I've gotten completely used to seeing plantain., palm, coconut, and papaya trees everywhere!

I had a really crazy day today - I got to learn a lot more about Cameroon! I am becoming more and more attached to this country and the people here! They continue to be very welcoming.

Thank you for your prayers through day to day life. What an encouragement they are!
Because our God is greater than we know...
-Andrea

The internet was down last night...

Good day all :)

I feel like I'm on an informational/experiential/emotional overload. This week has been busy and full of learning!

Break it down

*Middle school retreat – what a great group of kids! It's been a blast spending the week with them and developing relationships with them. God is speaking through Christy (the speaker) and really just challenging them (and the leaders!) to bloom in the soil God has planted us. To remain in Him, the vine, so that we can produce fruit, and to just grow in the Lord. Pray for the hearts of these kids as God has already worked and will continue to. A number of students (8) took the steps this morning to give God control of their lives again, and one or two did this for the first time. PRAY THESE SEEDS TAKE ROOT AND FLOURISH AND PRODUCE FRUIT!

*Yesterday we went to visit a school that integrated blind students into the classroom. The only integrated school in Cameroon, and one of only a few for blind students. The prices associated with writing paper and materials is quite high. The work that they do is really unique – what a cool happening! (I don't think there was any Christian connection, but that is just all the more reason to pray for them!)

*Visited the CABTAL (Cameroon association of Bible Translation And Literacy) type setting office this morning. After the text of the Bible is translated, this is where is it checked for the final time, and formatted and organized and finally sent to the printers. It can take between 2-4 months for a single language project to go through the typesetting process which is very detailed and specific. It is so encouraging seeing the care taken to make sure the Bible is printed correctly. PRAY FOR THE TWO CAMEROONIAN TYPSETTERS TO CONTINUE DOING GOD'S WORK WITH JOY, FOCUS, AND THAT THINGS AT HOME CONTINUE TO GO SMOOTHLY SO AS NOT TO DISTRACT THEM FROM THEIR IMPORTANT TASK.

*Course selection is upon me for school for this summer term. To be really honest, I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. My program is still for math and teaching, but I'm not sure if thats where I want to go/what I want to do. The linguistics interest me, the computer programming parts interest me, and the development and humanitarian aid sides still interest me. I really just want to be where I can be used by God – whether that is here in Cameroon one day, or in Canada. I really struggle with wanting to do THINGS to please God, as opposed to SITTING AT HIS FEET and FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM. I know I need to get my focus straight, but its tough.

PRAY FOR WISDOM FOR ME CHOOSING CLASSES AND DIRECTIONS FOR STUDIES IN THE FUTURE AND FOR TAKING TIME TO JUST SIT WITH GOD, NOT ASKING, NOT TALKING, JUST TO LEARN.

OOH! I can't leave this out! There is a Cameroonian employee here who is going to let Audrey and I borrow his guitar and bring it to Yokadouma with us! What a blessing this is! I'm so excited and thankful! (Its taking me some time to learn to worship in different ways and in different languages – time spent praising God in familier ways with familier words is so refreshing!)

BUT PRAISE GOD FOR THE GUITAR!

Middle School Retreat Next Week!

It rained!

What a beautiful smell! I am constantly amazed at how God blesses us by beauty through all senses! Amazing sites, new tastes, fresh smells, beautiful sounds, the ability to express ourselves, interesting textures... Its so cool!

We're currently in the middle of the long dry season during which it is not uncommon to get rain twice in 4 months! And it was beautiful.

Next week Audrey and I will be helping out with the middle school spiritual retreat at Rain Forest International School - the high school organized by SIL. Its a great opportunity for the students to spend time in God's word and learning from the speaker. Audrey and I are leading discussion groups (5 and 4 girls respectively).

Pray for...
*Christy, the speaker at the retreat
*The Students, that God will prepare their hearts and that they will listen and learn next week
*The leadership of the retreat - for wisdom and organization
*That nothing (safety, disorganization, ect.) will distract from the spiritual focus of the retreat
*For energy for all involved
*For Audrey and I to build good relationships with the students, and that we'll be able to serve wherever we are needed!

Audrey's beginning to learn some Mpumpong from the sound files that David and Henny have. Its pretty exciting!

Praise God for His blessings, the care He takes of His children, and how He continues to lead, guide, and direct!

My God is a good God,
Yes He is!!!