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:
1 comment:
Awesome to hear how God has worked! Glad your travels were safe and that you experienced God working and touching personally. And a cool touch to see your drive for a little bit!
~Travis Plummer
Post a Comment