About That

If Africa doesn’t make a person flexible, I don’t know what will. When I talked to Tia, the other homeschool teacher, about staying in Cameroon to help with school, I asked her if she was flexible. I explained life in Africa this way: “Often, we’ll go from plan A to plan Z in 30 minutes and end up going with plan A in the end.”Well, I didn’t intend to fully test Tia’s flexibility and adaptability, but we’ve run into a few snags along the way. Long story short, due to visa complications, Tia will have to head back to the States next Sunday.

It is a huge disappointment, but it’s has been so encouraging to see God’s hand throughout the entire situation. It was so obviously God’s working that enabled Tia to stay and help out with school. Even though she’ll only have taught for two weeks when she leaves, her help has been invaluable. Tia came at a crucial transition time for us as the Loeschers returned to the country. It has been quite a week working to coordinate the students to be on the same page in their classes. Monday, the Loeschers’ first day back to school, was a crazy day. I left the schoolhouse around 1:15 to eat lunch with Barillas and teach some violin lessons. My desk was a disaster zone, so I had no choice but to return to school to try to organize my life (and my students’ lives). Tia and I were at school until 5:30. I know that may sound normal to most of you teachers, but I’ve never had to stay at school that long in all of the time I’ve been in Cameroon. Thankfully, with Tia’s presence and help, the other teacher and I now feel like we’re organized and more put together.

It’s just as obvious that it’s God’s will that Tia return home. There’s not much we can do when the government refuses to grant a visa. From our end of things, we can’t see God’s grand picture, but what he does is best. I’ve been so thankful for God’s perfect timing. I’ve even been thankful for the fellowship of another girl my age. (I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing that!)

This afternoon, we actually got a rainstorm!! All afternoon long, I heard the sound of thunder and smelled the rain approaching. Unfortunately, our house never got the rain. This evening, we went up to the Loeschers for church. I was still hoping to run out into the rain. But the rain didn’t come while I was there. Actually, the rain had already come to the Loeschers’ hill. To say I was disappointed to miss the rain is an understatement. But, rainy season will come in just a few months, so I’m looking forward to that. And, I’m still holding out that I’ll get to experience an early rain.

Pictures from the Bush

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Manko Bush Trip

I know that I am woefully behind in blogging compared to last month, but who’s comparing? Earlier this month I had the privilege of going on a medical evangelistic outreach in the bush to the village of Manko in the Akwaya region. The week that we’ve been home has absolutely flown by with little time for reflection. And such a trip deserves reflection. How can I adequately describe for you the multitude of ways in which we saw God work and answer prayer? My words and descriptions, I know, will pale in comparison to the power and beauty of God’s work this week.
We had a huge team of about 35 head out to the bush with us; most of us and our supplies had to be flown in via two small planes. God graciously provided safety for every landing and take-off. I was able to head up the pharmacy department this week. No, I have never done anything of the sort, but I had a lot of fun. I had great helpers in the pharmacy. B always jumped in where needed. Throughout the week, she could be seen counting meds, giving injections, cleaning out ears, and even consulting when needed. Gerry was another great encouragement. He came with the team from the States. He’s in his late 60s and has two artificial hips, but he jumped in where he could and helped out. He had a wonderful heart for the people. It was very special to see him lead the village chief and the second-in-command to Christ. Of course, we couldn’t do much without our translators. The people in the village spoke Pidgin, and my Pidgin skills are very limited. The Needham girls stepped in where needed in the translating department; we couldn’t have done it without them!
I also gave “eye exams” to those who said they needed eyeglasses. At the beginning of the week, I had high expectations of how an eye checkup would go. The patient would stand 20 feet away from the eye chart and read it for me. I know it sounds simple, but that scenario never worked out quite right. I ended up creating my own method which consisted of me asking, “Look outside. Can you see the trees? Can you see the leaves?” If the patient responded yes, I replied that he didn’t need glasses. If the patient responded no, I gave him a pair of glasses to try on to see if that helped his vision or not. I know; my method is so very high-tech. It may not be surprising that I didn’t sell many glasses for distance. I did, however, sell a number of reading glasses. At the end of the week, we were having a prayer meeting in which we were to pray specifically for the individuals we were able to witness to. Honestly, I didn’t have many opportunities because I was always working in the pharmacy. And then, I realized that I enabled about a dozen people to read. Each individual that received medicine or a pair of glasses from the clinic also received a copy of the Word of God. I pray that God uses those glasses as a tool for his glory.
I think the biggest lesson God brought back to my mind this past week is that his timing and his plan are perfect. All throughout the past semester, we (the missionaries in Foumban) have diligently been praying that God would provide another teacher for this semester when the Loeschers would return. Carol worked hard on her end in the States to try to recruit a teacher. But, it seemed like all leads fell through. While we were in the bush last week, I started planning in my mind how my schedule would have to change to accommodate extra students (the Loeschers) with only two teachers. I figured I would probably have to start teaching the Barilla children earlier so that I could get to the schoolhouse earlier to have more time to work with the other students. Then, on Friday, one of the girls from the team from the States came up to me and said, “So, I’m thinking about staying to help you teach.” I had not shared that need with anyone, so I just stared at her and said, “Really!?” Apparently, Tia had asked Ellen if there were any way she could come back to help in the ministry. Ellen suddenly remembered our need for a teacher and mentioned it to her. Tia flew out of the bush on Friday to call home and talk things over with her parents. The team was leaving early Monday morning, so a lot of details had to come together in just a few days. Once again, I see how God knows exactly what we need before we need it. When I thought we were past hope of getting a teacher, he provided one already in Cameroon.
God worked in great ways in the bush. He strengthened my weak faith. He answered prayers. He healed and protected. He saved many from the bondage of sin. God is so good!

We're Off!

This is just going to be short and sweet today. I'm off to the bush tomorrow for the medical evangelistic trip. We've been working diligently this week at packing everything up. I've counted thousands of pills and dozens of injectibles. I've carefully packed my own bag to include everything from a pillo to snacks to toilet paper. There's not much left to do except pray for the trip. Please pray with us as we prepare to spread God's Word for His glory! (And when I get back, I'll try to post pictures and updates.)