Cameroon Trip Report--Part 2

Once we were checked in at the hotel, the pastor left us for a few hours to rest before the church ladies brought in a delicious meal with spaghetti, a stir-fry sauce, rice, oranges, and local soft drinks.  We especially enjoyed the “Special Pamplemousee”—a carbonated grapefruit juice.  The Malta was ok, but not a favorite for any of us.  (President Martin later described it as “drinking a loaf of bread” because of it’s yeasty flavor.)  The Bavaria Apple drink was delicious!  Mrs. Nicolene (Pastor Timothy’s wife) informed us that this would be our last American/western meal.  The rest of the time she would be serving us Cameroonian food.  She promised us ten exclusively Cameroonian dishes by the end of the week.  We counted more than ten that were new to us!  

Around midnight, the team from America arrived—FEA chairman Larry Gardner, FEA president Harold Martin, and Bible Methodist Missions leader and president of SGC, Timothy Keep.  It was great to see them! 

Tuesday was a rest and preparation day. We prayed together, planned some of the details of the sessions, rested, and President Martin and I went for a short walk on the crowded market streets.  

The church provided a meal once again, and Mrs. Nicolene was true to her promise that it would not be western-style food.  I do not remember the names of the food, except for the fufu corn—something a bit like cornmeal mush that is a staple food throughout much of Africa.  There was also cooked greens and maybe some fish in a yummy tomato sauce.  (The meals are all kind of running together in my memory, and I didn’t take pictures of all of them.)  Each day the church ladies brought in our main meal to an open deck area at the hotel.  We ate an incredible variety of foods—at least three varieties of cassava, yams, rice, okra, varieties of fish, chicken, beef, something called pudding (a savory meat dish), hard boiled eggs, local vegetables, beans, plums (nothing like what we call plums!) and others that I have forgotten.  We were blessed to sample a GREAT variety of the local cuisine!

Ok, that's probably enough food pictures, but we really did enjoy trying the different dishes even if some of them tasted unusual to us!

Wednesday was the day for the Shepherds Global Classroom teachers' training.  The theme for this day was 2 Timothy 2:2  “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”  Besides the leadership from Pastor Timothy’s church, several other pastor friends of his were in attendance.  Some of them had traveled for as much as five hours to be a part of the training.  A few couldn’t be physically present, but were watching via Facebook Live.  We divided up the sessions between us with each person presenting topics where they had experience or gifts.  Towards late afternoon, these teachers-in-training were each given a Shepherds Global Classroom book and they took turns teaching a lesson or part of one to a small group of their peers.  This was the highlight of the day for me as these pastors and leaders recognized that it was completely possible for them to set up and teach an effective Bible School anywhere a few interested people could gather.  Though some looked a little nervous at the beginning, by the end all were participating with great animation and enjoyment.  At the end of the session they begged for more time to finish up their lessons.  It was very rewarding to see twenty-five teachers preparing to teach other Kingdom workers who in turn will train more!

Practicing teaching

While the rest of us were teaching teachers, Stephanie held a seminar or workshop for children’s ministers.  Back in April when she had another stroke that affected her speech, we wondered if she would ever be able to teach again.  We are so grateful for God’s healing touch!  She was able to teach/facilitate this six-hour workshop in spite of the heat and humidity that we are not at all used to.  

Children's workers

Thursday through Saturday was the ten year anniversary celebration of Dignity Chapel International.  Thursday morning, Maricka spoke to the women of the church.  That afternoon, I spoke to the youth on being effective witnesses for Christ through holy living.  In the evening, President Martin taught on effective leadership.

Friday was scheduled to be a day of services again, but we had to get PCR Covid tests before our flights back home on Sunday.  Mrs. Nicolene did her best to find out where we needed to go for these tests in hopes that it would be a very short process and we could continue with the speaking schedule.  In spite of her efforts, things didn’t go to plan.  We went to three different places, the first two referring us somewhere else.  The third time was the charm, and we got our that tests which were negative.  In the evening service, the Lord helped me in a special way to preach and teach on the life and work of a missionary.  Pastor Timothy and his church have a vision to reach beyond Cameroon with the Gospel.  They have already begun by sending a church planting team to another district several hours south of Douala.

Saturday morning Pastor Timothy wanted to take us to see a bit of Cameroon.  We were thrilled at the opportunity, so rose early for a quick breakfast.  Before long Pastor Timothy and Mr. Richard, the head deacon of their church, arrived with two vehicles to take us up the coast to Limbe where the first Christian missionaries landed with the Gospel in the 1800s.  As we drove, we passed through rubber and palm plantations.  I remember studying about rubber trees, probably in grade school, and was overwhelmed that God allowed me to see them for myself!  I digress, but you will NEVER regret surrendering your life completely to the service of King Jesus!  

A palm plantation

Fishing boats

Tensions rose visibly the further we drove.  Though it seldom makes international news anymore, a bloody guerrilla war has been going on for six years in this part of Cameroon, especially in the jungle foothills of Mount Cameroon.  One of the ladies who attended the children’s ministry workshop and anniversary celebration has started a foundation to help orphans and displaced children from this war.  Her stories of the awful things that are happening are tragic.  The rebels announce “Ghost Mondays” where anyone who leaves their home on that day is in danger of being killed.  The guerrillas sometimes  carry out some kind of a terrorist attack during that day just to prove their strength.  I was definitely relieved when we took a different road that went to the coastal city of Limbe instead of on into this conflict zone!

In the botanical garden

In Limbe, a relative of Mrs. Nicolene took us on a tour of a botanical garden.  His career in conservation, especially to protect the big primates in this area, made for a fascinating tour guide.  We estimated that some of the palm trees in this park were over a hundred feet high.  We were disappointed that he couldn’t take us to the wildlife refuge because of Covid, but he took us to a fishing community where people make a living fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.  The grilled fish dinner complete with plantain, cassava, and chili pepper sauce was unforgettable!

The Atlantic Ocean

Though we initially planned to be back for an afternoon service, time is flexible in West Africa.  Instead, we got back for the last afternoon session with Brother Keep who did a masterful job of speaking on Effective Discipleship. In the evening service the church people put on a couple dramas that communicated the Gospel in powerful ways, and there was lots of singing and some celebratory dancing for their tenth anniversary.  A lady pastor whose church was instrumental in the salvation of Pastor Timothy when he was in high school preached the anniversary message.  Her theme was living a life led by the Holy Spirit, and the truth was powerful and well-presented.  I am certain that both we visitors and church people were helped by the truth she shared and the spirit in which she shared it.  

A good crowd turned out for this Saturday night service as you can see from this video clip:

Sunday morning, we were once again up fairly early to catch our flight back to South Africa via Ethiopia.  Once again, the process at the airport went smoothly, and our flights were comfortable.  There was nearly an hour’s delay leaving Addis Ababa, but arriving at 5am instead of 4am in Johannesburg really wasn’t too big of a problem.  A kind Christian man picked us up at the airport and took us to the nearby Baptist guest house where our vehicle and Angela Thornton were waiting for us.  By 8:30 we were on our way to Ladybrand and our children.  We got home to Matukeng by early evening.  

Looking back on our week in Cameroon, there are several things that stand out in my memory.  First would have to be the incredible hospitality of Pastor Timothy, his wife, and their church people.  They went far beyond what was expected or necessary, and treated us like royalty.  Our visit was comfortable and enjoyable because of their graciousness.

The church gave us Cameroonian outfits.

My second takeaway was their sincere desire to serve God and be effective in building His Kingdom.  From the first meal we shared, this spirit came through so powerfully.  We knew we were with Christian brothers and sisters who share our passion for the Great Commission.  They exhibited a spiritual depth that goes beyond many churches here which tend to emphasize emotions and a powerless prosperity gospel.   I will always treasure scenes of young people interceding around the altar after the services, and of the looks on peoples’ faces as they drank in spiritual truth while we spoke.  Pastor Timothy’s enthusiasm as I spoke about the possibility of his church becoming a missionary sending church will continue to encourage me for a long time.  

Finally, I left Cameroon knowing that God IS building His Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.  We are expecting great things from Dignity Chapel International!  We believe God is going to helping them train effective, Spirit-filled, holy leaders using Shepherds Global Classroom.  We are praying that their church will grow, and that they will start a church-planting movement in Cameroon.  A few years from now, I can see them sending out godly, fearless missionaries to the Muslim nations of North Africa.  Please join us in praying for them and for the fulfillment of this vision!

Cameroon Trip Report--Part 1

 Early in 2021, Pastor Timothy Abah contacted Shepherds Global Classroom about the possibility of using their curriculum to train pastors and leaders in his church in Douala, Cameroon.  After much prayer and planning, HIM, Shepherds Global Classroom, and Bible Methodist Missions decided to send a joint delegation to Dignity Chapel International to help them set up a training program.  We were excited when Pastor Timothy suggested that our visit could coincide with a weekend revival and tenth anniversary celebration for their church.

Pastor Timothy, Mrs. Nicolene, and children

Maricka Herrer, Bible Methodist Missionary who is working in partnership with HIM Africa very capably arranged the details of this trip—coordinating invitation letter, details for visa applications, a hotel, and so much more.  Her foresight and expertise made a complex trip go very smoothly.  

Unfortunately, when I applied for our visas at the Cameroonian embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, I must have submitted our original Yellow Fever vaccine certificates together with the copies.  Late Friday night before we were supposed to fly on Sunday I discovered this major problem.  We were extremely discouraged, and felt that it was likely we would not be able to go along on the trip.  As we prayed however, we felt like the Lord wanted us to continue our preparations that night and trust Him for a solution.  After a mostly sleepless night, I shared our problem with Pastor Kali early Saturday morning.  I didn’t expect much help from him except for his prayers, but he immediately phoned a relative who works for the government in the Ministry of Health.  In a couple hours this man called back with the phone number of the director of the department that coordinates vaccinations for the government.  He told us that this doctor was a kind man and a born again Christian who would do his best to help even in an emergency.  I was very nervous to call a government official on a Saturday morning, but he received my call and advised us to meet at a certain restaurant in the capital city as soon as possible.  When he arrived, he prayed for us, our journey, and the problem we had, asking the Lord to help him find a solution.  We were so encouraged as he began phoning other high officials and putting together a solution.  It took most of the day, and the normal vaccine certificates were out of stock, but by evening we had stamped and signed documents testifying to our yellow fever vaccine.  All day long we saw both intense opposition from Satan but also powerful answers to prayer.  Getting any sort of official government business done on a Saturday is almost unheard of in Lesotho!  

We left Lesotho early on the 14th of November.  We dropped our children off to stay with Johan and Hessie van der Merwe at their farm outside of Ladybrand, South Africa.  At the Lesotho border, God answered another prayer—the the children were allowed more than the normal 7 days to stay in South Africa since we would be gone longer than that.  We picked up Maricka Herrer in Ladybrand and headed for Johannesburg.  That Sunday night we were able to attend a Christmas music service put on by missionaries from the Africa Evangelical Band (AEB).  Even though we knew without doubt that God wanted us to go to Cameroon, I (Glenn) was still just a bit nervous about the trip, how best to approach the teaching and preaching, and ministry in a culture that is unfamiliar to us.  God met with me so powerfully through this song that our dear friends Albert and Joreth Bartsch and some of their coworkers sang.  Emmanuel; We Are Not Alone!  You should be able to listen to it below.

After the service, one of the AEB missionaries dropped us off at the airport a few minutes away, and we boarded the first leg of our trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  We were favorably impressed with Ethiopian Airlines.  Their staff were helpful, the service was excellent, and the airplanes were among the nicest in the world.  Though we have traveled quite a bit, it was our first time to fly in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.  We were impressed with how quiet this airplane is.

We arrived in Cameroon around 11am on Monday.  The arrival process was long since everyone had to be tested for Covid on arrival.  There were certainly some challenges like figuring out the French forms, but overall we were impressed with how well the government was coping.  All of our team’s interaction with Cameroonian embassies both in Pretoria and Washington D.C., as well as immigration in Cameroon was impressive. We can only wish that U.S. embassies and immigration could take a lesson from this country on serving people efficiently and in a customer-friendly manner!

Pastor Timothy met us at the door of the airport.  He had arranged an air conditioned vehicle to take us to our hotel on the other side of city.  I really enjoyed the trip!  The traffic is much more chaotic and dense than we are used to in Lesotho, and there is probably three or four motorcycles on the road for every car.  I enjoy motorcycles, and enjoyed watching people riding three or more up, splitting lanes, and weaving through the traffic.  If safety were no concern, this is definitely the fastest way to get around!

This shaky back seat video isn't great, but it gives you a feel of the traffic as well as the expertise of our Cameroonian drivers!

Due to some technical difficulties, I had to start another post to complete this report.

Here's the link for more pictures, videos, and text:

Part 2

Trip to Cameroon

Early this year, Pastor Timothy Mbue of Dignity Chapel International was looking online for a curriculum to help him train Christian workers in his church in Douala, Cameroon.  Shepherds Global Classroom caught his attention as he scrolled.  What perhaps seemed like a "random act of Google" has culminated in an invitation to FEA Ministries, Shepherds Global Classroom, and Bible Methodist MIssions to join this church for their 10th anniversary celebration and help them kick off their training program.

 We will be leaving very late on the 14th of November to catch an overnight flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, then on to Douala, Cameroon on Monday.  Maricka Herrer (Bible Methodist missionary on assignment with HIM), will be traveling with us.  She has been the key to all the arrangements for this trip and has been a HUGE help!  Once we get to Douala we will meet up with SGC president Tim Keep as well as Harold Martin and Larry Gardner from HIM.  

We'll have a busy schedule while we're there.  Wednesday we'll hold a training for the teachers who will be teaching the SGC courses in Pastor Timothy's group of churches as well as several other Cameroonian churches that want to start training programs.  Stephanie will be holding a workshop on children's ministry that day also.    

Thursday through Saturday is a revival and anniversary celebration for the Dignity Chapel International.  There will be two services a day plus a Q&A session each afternoon.  As guest speakers, we'll be addressing a variety of topics ranging from Women in Ministry to Effective Ministry Leadership.  I am especially excited about a session on mission work and how Africans can become missionaries!  

We are looking forward to this opportunity to join Pastor Timothy and other Christians in Cameroon, and we want to see God's Kingdom grow through the efforts of each person who attends.  Our goal is to see a generation of well-trained pastors, missionaries, and children's workers emerge from these churches to bring in the world-wide harvest of souls.  Please join us in praying!  Here are a few requests that will help guide you:  

• That all of us will have smooth, safe travels and that we will stay healthy.  
• That the Lord will give us wisdom as we teach and preach in a culture that is unfamiliar to us.  
• That the Holy Spirit will be present in His power to apply the truth to each person who hears.  Pray that lives will be changed, that believers will sanctified, and that new workers will answer the call to ministry.
• Pray for our children who will be staying with Oupa Johan and Ouma Hessie van der Merwe on their farm in South Africa.  

We are also excited that Angela Thornton is returning to Lesotho!  This is a BIG answer to prayer, so join us in praising the Lord!  She will arrive in Johannesburg on the 20th of November.  On Monday the 22nd, we will drive back to Lesotho together.  Please pray for her as she travels and then readjusts to life in Lesotho after being away almost two years.