Acts 20:20

"Wuna sabi sei A no bin liv bak som ting no smol weh e fit helep wuna. A bin di tich wuna fo miting dem and fo haus dem."

Sharing the word with people, both publicly and house to house. Of all the things that we do here, I feel that this is one of the most important, because it's the Word of God which changes people's lives. We can't change people, but God, working from the inside out, can. Thank God, we've been able to have many opportunities to share with people... please pray that more and more opportunities open up. Just today, I (Jeremiah) am planning to meet up with a young man named Divine for Bible discussions. Please pray for more of these such openings. By the way- if you want to help out with this, you can always send Bibles. The three versions that I prefer are NASB, NKJV and NIV. I don't really prefer NIV because it's not real literal, but it is easier for people with less education to handle- it's written for a 4th grade education, whereas the other two are 8th grade, so we need a mix of these. Our mailing address is  P.o. Box 636, Buea, SWR, Cameroon. Most importantly though, pray! We need MORE studies- in fact, we can never get enough! :)

Teaching Sunday School in Churches both small---

and Large.

Bible Studies with Families---

and Individuals

Cell Group meetings---

Meetings with Preachers (Including Bro. Dan Goodyear, a visiting missionary).

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Up the Mountain

The Week after the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope, we decided to try and do a little hiking on Mount Cameroon, as the trail was cleared and well-marked. So, we contacted a guide, which is required, hired a couple of porters, (mainly to help with the kids, as it's a pretty crazy hike), and on an early Saturday morning, set out.




Though Hannah was able to hike quite a bit, Jonathan decided to take the "Daddy Express" to the top. He did also help us test the strength and beaver-proofness of our walking sticks. :D


Break time! :D




Parts of the hike were very steep, so both of the kids had to be carried. We were very happy to have porters to help.



This is the first of 4 huts along the path to the top of the mountain, and marks around the 1/3 point of the hike.


People like to make their mark.


Much of the hike was swathed in thick fog/mist. The high amount of rainfall creates a thick, thick jungle.


Finally, we reached the treeline, and from there on walked on the volcanic savanna. We had a few moments when the clouds cleared enough to see the mountain rising up above. It was almost other-worldly.

The kids had a blast, and Jonathan was really fascinated by the strange terrain.


This was our stopping point... the Security Hut, which is right about 1/2 of the way up the mountain. With the kids, we knew we could not make the 10 mile hike to the top and back in one day, but were pretty happy to have made it up that far.


Jonathan and Hannah made the trip back down on the backs of the porters. They both promptly fell asleep, worn out by hiking.

It was such a fun family day, getting to hike and see some of the beautiful countryside, and to marvel at God's handiwork. It made us think of so many stories of mountains in the Bible... Moses, the Ark, Mount Carmel, the Transfiguration. It also reminded us of the church, the Mountain in Daniel which grew to fill the whole earth. It is a reminder of what we are doing here in Cameroon, seeing that Mountain grow. Please continue to pray for us that we can reach "Higher Heights" for the Kingdom! The Happy Hiking Hostetters! :D

Busy Busy Brittney

Hey All!

Well, I (Jeremiah) decided to dedicate this post to my wonderful wife and help-mate, Brittney! She's a truly amazing woman and God has really worked through her life and continues to do so in ways that astound. Here's a few of the those ways that God has been working here in Cameroon.


Brittney is an amazing traveler. All through our travels to and around/in Cameroon, she has been able to shine for Christ, with an awesome attitude. It has been a real blessing to me to be able to get things done and count on her great attitude whether we are crammed like sardines on a bus or riding in our own car, she's been content.

Brittney has such a sense of fun, it's been great to be blessed with not only a working partner, but someone who makes me laugh and brings such joy to the people she's around.


I'm clothed, fed, and in general taken care of because Brittney has done an amazing job keeping things running in our house. I've been often out and about getting things done, and she's really done a super job keeping our house in shape. So helpful!

Brittney's also been able to be used by God outside the house as well, whether it's going on walks and meeting people or making contacts in the various places she goes for groceries, it's been encouraging to see her make friends in such an amazing way.



Wow, God is indeed so BIG! Seeing the way that these kids have been learning Bible stories and seeing love is just amazing. This is something that is all hers... I don't really help out at all with it, and she's doing a fantastic job.


That right there is a missionary woman... keep on smiling, even when this is what the meat market looks like. Hannah's face tells you the natural response. :D

























 

Of all the things Brittney does, none is more important to me than how she is such a wonderful mommy to her kids, whether it's helping Hannah with her schoolwork, or making Jonathan a birthday cake, or going with Hannah to women's day, she is absolutely dedicated and devoted, and an all round awesome mom!

I could go on, but in short, Brittney has been so busy here, serving God, and making an impact in so many ways! I couldn't even imagine where I'd be without her... she really completes me, and I'm beautifully blessed with such a special woman. Thank God! 

"Our Town"- Life in Buea.

Life in Buea, what's it like? We've been here almost 2 months now, but are getting to know our town little by little. Here's a few pictures and observations about life in Buea:


It's really, really humid. Clothes never dry, even though this is supposed to be the dry season. It is overcast about 50% of the time, and clothes, if they are hung up, don't dry unless there is a fan or a dehumidifier next to them. It's just a fact of life here.

You can see, we have a lot of misty/foggy days as well. The weather is very pleasant for sleeping at night, if a little damp. We haven't needed a fan, and usually wake up a little chilly. Just watch out for mold. We lost one mattress to it already.


Different markets have different days: Soppo market (the biggest) is Tuesday and Saturday. Muea is Sunday and Thursday. Buea Town market is Monday Wednesday and Friday. Haven't been to the latter two, but hopefully will sometime.


Mount Cameroon is amazing... it is like a mystery in many ways, so often shrouded in clouds or fog. Buea is on the slopes of the mountain, just up to where it becomes practically impossible to build. Mount Cameroon determines Buea's weather, areas where people can build, and even supplies our water out of a spring. It also is a threat to Buea... there have been 4 sizeable eruptions in the last 100 years, and while none of these have caused major damage, there are also many mini-tremors which cause problems for some of the poorly constructed concrete homes. This is also a reason why many of the older homes are either built up on stilts or are made out of wood. 


People are wary of strangers, but open up when the see you are friendly. Cameroonians in general are not as much of extroverts as Ghanaians, but they can warm up to you and take you in when you've proven yourself friendly. People don't want strangers taking their picture (understandably... how'd you like some stranger sticking a camera in your face, taking your picture and then posting up on their blog?) so, we try and ask permission. Once you explain it, and also if you offer to bring them a printout (and then actually do that), they are pretty happy.


Well, hope you enjoyed the pics and the thoughts! Next blog post: We Climbed Mount Cameroon- Half-Way. :)

The Mount Cameroon Race of Hope

Hey All! So excited to be able to put out another blog post. We've had some problems with our internet and just got it up and running after 2 weeks. The good news is that the new setup is considerably faster, so we will be able to update our blog more frequently, with more pictures and so forth! Well, here's the first of those updates- pictures of Buea's Mount Cameroon Race of Hope which was last month. This incredible 26.2 mile marathon straight up and down Mount Cameroon is an amazing race, a display of unbelievable mental toughness. As we watched it, we kept thinking of Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the [b]author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (NASB) Hope this thought and these pics bring you encouragement.



The starting line.

Local Flavor Band

Military Band

Newscasters

On Your Marks, Get Set...

Go!

Running Up to Soppo, a neighborhood in Buea.

Where the pavement ends.

Upper Farms

One of the most fit grey-haired men I've ever seen. He was doing the veteran's run, just a half marathon, up and down.

Coming back, this guy has less than a 1000 yards to go!  Finish HARD!

Wow, despite the pain, this guy was feeling pretty good about nearing the end.

Look at two things... the expression on the runner's face, and the soldier clearing the track.

The winning woman. She finished in under 5 hours. Amazing. It rained by the way... turning the trail into a cold, muddy, slippery, dangerous slide.

Sometimes you just need a friend or a coach to come alongside you and run. Kind of like the Christian race eh?