Category: Christian Missions
I Never Thought to be Thankful for Ambulances
You always hear people saying that you never know what you have until it is gone. This is the real reason why our moms all told us about the starving children in Africa when we are refusing to eat something she prepared. The idea is that, if you were living in a place where you did not have enough food, you would even be thankful for split-pea soup. It is a principle that I have learned is true since moving to rural Cameroon. There are the little things that you miss, and wish you had previously been thankful for, like…
The Reign of Death and Dying
On Monday of this week, I walked into a mud hut where the body of a young woman lay. She had an unknown medical problem that had plagued her for some time. I had intended to go visit her that very day to pray for her healing, but apparently I was too late. I walked into the cool, dark room and saw many women sitting around its edges, all looking at the body, weeping. Some were sitting on benches close to the ground, others on sacks, and some on the dirt floor. The deceased’s mother was kneeling by the side…
My Neighbors Ate My Dog, and I am Sad
I am not a very sentimental person. And to be honest I have felt a little perplexed when I have seen people mourn the loss of a pet. I have had many pets throughout my 33 years of existence. I have given many of them away, some have run away, and a few have died. Just since we have been here in Cameroon we have lost 3 adult cats, 3 kittens, a Western Tree Hyrax, and most recently a tortoise named Jack. I was sad to see them go, especially the ones that died. Sad because I knew that this…
If Faith Comes by Hearing, How Do We Pray for Bible-less Peoples?
Am I the only one who starts to pray for a Bible-less people group but gets a little stuck? I start my prayer like this: “May they put their faith in Christ”….but then I realize they do not have a good understanding of who he is. So I try a different approach: Oh God, please change this people…but then I am reminded that without the power of the Spirit, we all remain slaves to sin. It is only those who repent and believe in Christ who receive the Holy Spirit. And then that brings me back to prayer attempt #1:…
[Videos] Can We Come to VBS 2016?
Like last year, we made some videos for VBS. We made them for a specific church, but I am putting them here on the blog with the hopes that several churches will introduce our ministry to their kids this VBS. There are five videos, one for each day of the week. Check them out!Video #1: Our Friends Video #2: What We Do for Fun Video #3: Church Video #4: School Video #5: Our Work Thanks for including us in your VBS program. This time next year, we will be back in the States for our first home assignment!
Radio Interview and Update on the Little Girl
I had the recent opportunity to be interviewed for a radio program called “His People” on the Pilgrim Radio Network (pilgrimradio.com). I was able to talk a bit about our ministry and also the challenges of helping the poor. We reviewed my recent blog “When NOT Helping Hurts” in which I talk about a sick little girl in our neighborhood. Below is the audio from the interview, and even further below is an update on that little girl. Update: After the blog, I sent some money to this family in order to pay for them to go get tests done…
How to Help: Recruit
We just finished our annual field conference in Yaoundé. We met with our co-workers from all over Cameroon. It was a very encouraging time that led to a better understanding of what God is doing here. It also led to a better understanding of needs throughout the country. As many of you often ask what you can do to help our ministry, I thought I would give you the opportunity to recruit for our field. Below are some examples of needs in Cameroon right now. Of course we are always looking for church planting/Bible translation types, but look also at…
When NOT Helping Hurts
“Can you help me? My daughter is sick,” my neighbor asked me the other day. He showed me her swollen stomach and her hands are turning yellow. I looked into her sad eyes knowing that children die here often, usually from curable diseases. My missions professor in seminary called it the “stupid stuff.” There are so many people dying from preventable causes, and that is how it feels: stupid. It is stupid that this little girl might die because of intestinal worms that could be cured with one round of meds. But then again, it could be that she has…
Monsters, Ghosts, and Demons…All in a Day’s Work
I have spent my life studying the Bible seeking to ground my beliefs in God’s Word. Biblical truths are those that I have spent years thinking through, debating, considering and reconsidering. In contrast, being dropped into a new culture has revealed to me that I have many beliefs that are not so well thought out. In fact, there is much of my worldview that I have never thought about at all, just accepted. The earth is round, mangos do not cause malaria, not everyone who is white is a European, and germs cause sickness. You can imagine Dave’s shock the…
The Hardest Thing About Being a Missionary
I am coming down off of a pretty difficult time with my own attitudes regarding missionary life here in Cameroon. I can honestly say that right now I feel content, excited, and motivated. But not everyday is like that, and some worse than others. When I mention these struggles what comes to your mind? What do you think is the hardest part of being a missionary? People have told me the hardest part would be the heat, bugs, snakes, isolation, sickness or language learning. But I would say that none of these things are the “hardest” part of being a…
