Plans and Progress

It is amazing to realize that we are already done with our first quarter of our first school year! Our school kids have been working so hard, learning their letters, beginning reading, and quoting memory work...

It is so encouraging to see doors opening up and our dreams for a Christian school that will build character from the ground up being realized. God has been so good, providing for this undertaking and giving us the energy that we need to work with these great kids. We have had two unexpected visits from school inspectors already, and both times, they have been in awe of what we are undertaking here, always leaving with high praise and an appreciation of our efforts. Their feedback has been so encouraging and reaffirming.

Brittney has been doing a fantastic job, handling a combined Kindergarten and 1st Grade class, teaching them numbers, letters, shapes, and getting the 1st Graders started on reading. It is a high-energy class, and she has truly impressed me... she is a gifted teacher. Hannah has been working with me on her PACEs (I also help with other things, such as PE, Music, French, opening devotions etc... which are combined). Hannah did a great job this 1st quarter, completing 22 PACEs (the required amount is 15) with an average of 98.8%, including getting 100% in all her Math tests this quarter! We are very proud of her efforts.

Paul, in Romans 1 longed to visit the Roman Christians that {you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith." There is something tremendously encouraging about spending time with other saints, those who have a like spiritual focus. We are looking forward to two opportunities for this in the next months. 

First, at the end of this month, on the 22nd of November, we are looking forward to having Brittney's folks, Rhys and Sharon Thomas, come out to Cameroon for their third visit. They have always been a big help and encouragement when they come and we are really excited to have them again. We thank God that they keep coming back, even when sometimes the coming can be really tough. (Remember when we got stuck in Nigeria? 

Having visitors is wonderful, to be able to share what we are doing and show how God has been making a difference here in Cameroon. It is also very encouraging and refreshing, like Paul, to visit others and be encouraged by their faith. We hope to do just that in December, as we are planning to visit Ghana for their Annual Family Preaching Camp. Ghana is really a home to us, where I grew up, where we graduated from high school, where we met, where Brittney got saved, where I graduated from college, where our two oldest were born and so much more. We look forward to seeing saints that we have known for so many years and haven't seen in two, and hope God can also use us to be an encouragement to them as well, that their faith will be uplifted as will ours. 

Finally, while we are on the subject of comings and goings, we are planning to go to the United States (or for many of you, come to the United States) this next summer, that is June to September of 2015. One of our main goals is to take part in some training programs, especially the ACE Schools Supervisors and Administrator's Training. This is important to our school here in Cameroon going forward. I also hope to get certified as a Personal Trainer, which will be good for our gym, and also to take part in training for the Let's Start Talking program, an evangelistic program that uses English lessons to teach the Word of God. This is a program that we really think would be great to have here in Cameroon, a bilingual country. In addition to all this training, our other main goal in Coming to America (forgive the pun) is to visit with and see many of you, to encourage you and to be encouraged by you. We are saving up for tickets and planning our trip now as we would like to visit as many of our fellow saints, family and friends as possible in three months. We are looking at going everywhere from New York to North Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and more!

Much to share of both progress and plans for the Lord. We covet, as always your prayers and greatly appreciate your continued support in these endeavors! See you in the summer! (Or sooner???) 

A Volunteer Visitor- Bethann!

Beth Ann has been in Cameroon since March staying with another missionary family in the NW region and we were blessed to have her come to the SW to stay with us for the week. A special thank you to the Schilinski family for letting us borrow their cousin!

As soon as she got to our house in Buea after a 6.5 hour trip she grabbed a bite to eat and jumped in the car to go to a Njangy meeting. The ladies in this meeting come together each month to eat, visit, and contribute towards projects that help the community. 

Bethann's main reason for coming was to help with the gym ministry. She was a professional weight lifter for a time, and specialized in clean & jerk and snatches. She helped us learn these lifts and helped us to perfect our form in others. She also taught us some new ab workouts.

All of us ladies loved having her here and we already miss her. One of my favorite things was hearing her share a Bible verse with the ladies each day. It was SO encouraging! Here's the verses she shared:

• 1 Timothy 4:8 – “…bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things…”
• 2 Corinthians 4:16 “…our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-21 “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…glorify God in your body and in your spirit…”
• Matthew 4:4 “…’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
• Philippians 3:20-21 “…[Christ] will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body…”
• Psalm 139:14 “…I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”

Though her main purpose of coming was to coach the ladies in gym she was a BIG help with the school as well. She made lots of needed photocopies...

Taught the music class...

And had story time with the students.

Bethann had fun making the local dish eguar...

And eating the SW specialy dish fufu and eru.

She taught the Wednesday evening and Sunday morning children's class. Bethann was full of energy and the kids had so much fun learning from her. It was nice for me to have a break from preparing lessons this week.

Bethann is not only a big help but lots of fun to be around with her vibrant personality. We played basketball on the University of Buea campus. Our bodies were so sore the next day (bball is very much a contact sport here, we kept getting "hugged," elbowed, and slapped in the game) but it was worth it!

We have some very beautiful spots around Buea but it usually takes a visitor to get us to go to some of them. Here is a beautiful waterfall on the way to Limbe. We went to Limbe' (about 40 minutes away) for the day to go to the beach and monkey sanctuary. 

We hiked  2.3 miles to and from the water fall on Mt. Cameroon.

And there she is! It was such a joy having Bethann here and we hope to get together again in the future. Till then she remains in our thoughts and prayers.

We love having visitors and volunteers come to see and be a part of our ministry... there is always something that folks can be involved in and help out with. Maybe YOU would like to be our next volunteer visitor?!?