Sheep or Goat?

Posted on June 8, 2011 by David

I have to admit that I never thought it would be difficult to separate sheep from goats.  The only sheep I was exposed to before living in Cameroon are wooly, fluffy, white sheep.  The only goats I was exposed to before living in Cameroon are bristle type hair, horns and some have goat-tees.  Shortly after arriving here, on the CTC compound where the main offices are, there were animals grazing on the lawn.  I commented about the goats eating the lawn.  I was quickly corrected and told that the animals were sheep, not goats.  I was a bit confused because these animals don’t look like sheep.  While we were away to Banso area in Kumbo, we took pictures so you can comment bellow which pictures are a sheep or goat. I’ll post the answers in a few days.

“All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”  Matthew 25:32

Picture 1

Picture 1


Picture 2

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 4

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ABC Bible Verses

Posted on June 4, 2011 by David

This video is from the closing ceremony of the Parent Run School for the 2011 school year. Jonah’s class recited a verse for each letter of the alphabet from memory.

 

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Space

Posted on June 1, 2011 by David

After living abroad for almost two years now, we have learned to adapt and continue learning how to adapt to different cultures, world views and spatial distances.  We learned in France to give culturally appropriate air kisses, wait in long silent lines and to greet a waiting room full of people at the doctor’s office.  In Cameroon we have learned how important a handshake is, that personal space doesn’t exist and that it doesn’t matter what manufacture’s say capacity is.  The typical taxi is a small Toyota Corolla and the taxi’s are advertised at being able to carry 5 passengers: 2 in the front bucket seat and 3 on the back bench seat with children on laps.  I’ve been in taxi’s with 8 passengers plus children on laps.  Well, the same principal applies to hauling items.  This taxi was fully loaded with plantains and it gives you a glimpse as to how things are transported and crammed in small spaces.

And sometimes there just isn’t enough space in a taxi so they fill up a truck.

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Rough Roads

Posted on May 31, 2011 by David

Growing up in a rural area, I thought I had been exposed to some rough roads.  My grandparents have lived on gravel roads, the shortcut between my two sets of grandparents was a dirt path that could be very rough, and so I thought I was well prepared for rough roads.  In preparation for going to visit friends in Banso area of Cameroon (about 460 kilometers from Yaoundé) we were told that we would be traveling on rough, dirt roads and that it’s necessary to have 4-wheel drive.  We are borrowing a vehicle from a family on furlough and its 4-wheel drive.  After traveling 8+ hours on paved roads (note:  the paved roads are like chip & seal in the States) we came to the area where the pavement disappears and the road is dirt.  These roads are very rough, like a washboard with 4 foot pits that you must drive through.  These roads wind you around the mountains displaying the wonderful creation of the mountains.

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Where are we?

Posted on May 30, 2011 by David

On our road trip to the North West we saw a sign indicating the location of a university.  The university’s name is St. Louis.  We have been living outside the United States almost two years now and we are fascinated how something as trivial as a sign can bring some comfort.

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Hiking

Posted on May 27, 2011 by David

During our North West adventure our friends led us on a short hike to a waterfall.  The waterfall was beautiful with a nice, refreshing mist.  We were followed by children who live in the vicinity of the waterfall.  The children loved having their pictures taken and being shown on the camera their picture.  When I would show them their picture they would giggle and say things to one another.  The children in this area don’t speak English or French, but a local language.

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Farming

Posted on May 26, 2011 by David

On our road trip to the North West something that amazed us in the mountains were the farms and farming methods.  The farms are on the mountain side with all farming done by hand using a U shaped handle with shovel end.

The farmers terraced the land by hand and farm it by being bent over.  The mountains were steep and very tall, yet the farms followed the mountains all the way up and down.

While driving through an area we saw a sign with a familiar marking, USDA.

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Hospital

Posted on May 25, 2011 by David

We stayed with friends over our anniversary weekend (12 years of marriage!) and they live in the mountains of the North West province in Cameroon in a town called Kumbo, part of the Banso area.  This area is breathtaking!

The weather is like year-round spring time with cool nights and comfortable warm days – it’s amazing!  The mountains are flowing with beauty that surrounds the whole area.  Our friends live on the top of a mountain overlooking the town and a very critical part of the area, the Banso Baptist Hospital.  This hospital attracts top-notch doctors from around the world to come and help train national medical staff to provide the best medical care possible.  Our friends, Dave & Claudia are with the same mission as us, he is a pilot and she does many ministries within the local community.  They are both very connected to the hospital, which is just a long flight of stairs away from their home.

Claudia took me into the maternity ward of the hospital.  This is unlike any maternity ward I’ve ever been in.  It is a large room with numerous beds side by side.  Hospitals do not provide food here so it’s necessary upon check-in to have a “care giver” with you to make and serve you meals, help with your hygiene, etc…  I have to admit at first I thought these women won’t want some stranger coming up to them while they are recovering from giving birth.  Again, my western way of thinking doesn’t apply here and the way to build relationships is to just pop in on someone, sit with a person and visit them in the hospital.  I followed my friend to the beds of the women, shook hands, held babies, prayed over the mothers and children and couldn’t get over the delightful smiles and gratitude these women had because we took the time to visit them.  I have so much to learn and am very grateful for this small lesson.

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God’s Protection

Posted on May 24, 2011 by David

Yesterday we were driving from Kumbo to Yaoundé and just east of Makenene the driver’s side rear axle rod along with the tire and wheel broke away from the car as we were driving at 80 kmh (50 mph) down a hill. Initially I thought we just had a flat tire but seeing a tire rolling down behind me in the side view mirror, I realized it was more than just a flat. I pushed on the breaks and had a difficult time stopping since I only had 3 wheels, but down shifting the car I ended up stopped on the opposite side of the road. Thankfully there were no cars coming, as the car came to a stop on the only side of the road that even had a partial shoulder.

As I got out of the car to assess the damage I quickly noticed that the tire was nowhere to be seen and that it must have went off the road into the densely over grown rain forest. But, before I was able to say, “Where did the tire go?” two Cameroonians that where driving behind me on a motorcycle hopped of the motorcycle and climbed down the ravine to look for the missing axle and wheel. Before they were back a second car stopped and this man was on his way home and he was a mechanic and he asked us if we needed any help.

So as the first 2 Cameroonians climbed back up with the wheel and axle the mechanic asked for the jack to lift up the backend of the car. We are borrowing this car and when we looked we were unable to find the jack, so he went and grabbed one out of his car along with a few tools. After looking at the damage and the brakes that had been used as a ski to bring the car to a stop he thought that he could get us going again. I was still trying to think how I call a tow truck in Cameroon and how far are we from the next town where we can take a bus back to Yaoundé.

After pounding the pan that held the brake drums back into a flat circle he said he was going to need to go weld something or use a power tool, I didn’t quite get exactly what he was saying, just that he was going to have to take the axle to the town we just drove through and fix it, 25 km away. He came back an hour later with the “fixed” part. Later I found out that the place he had to go only had their power restored 5 minutes before he arrived.

As he installed the axle and tire back on the car and disabled the rear drivers brake so it wouldn’t leak any more fluid he was able to fill up our brake fluid, which I had a full container of in the car. He then took the car for a quick test drive up and down the road and told us we would have no problem driving the vehicle back to Yaoundé 160km away but just don’t drive over 80 kmh. So just after 4 hours of losing a critical part to the car we were back on our way.

This morning as I read my Bible I read Psalm 5 and thought back to our prayers with our friends before leaving for safety and protection of the tires before we left. “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”(Psalm 5:3 NIV) I have to admit I was not waiting in expectation to see how God was going to answer our prayers but his protection was miraculous and even our tires were protected from the accident. God is GOOD!

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Down By the Riverside

Posted on May 15, 2011 by David

This afternoon we were able to attend a baptism of 14 young people, most of them missionary kids and 2 Cameroonians. It was encouraging to hear them share with all those by the riverside and the many cars that drove by their testimony – It was a very public profession of their faithWe shared this part of the river with the people that were washing come taxis along the side of the road, they didn’t really stop but I noticed when we were singing Amazing Grace there were several other Cameroonians that came to watch what we were doing.

Our boys enjoyed watching some of their friends get baptized, even in the muddy river. Please continue to pray for all the missionary kids that they will seek to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. Acts 8:36-38 NIV

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