We’ve been back in the States for a while now, and I know that most are already aware of this…but we have had a few remarks about tying up the blog, so here is the absolute last post!
Aside from a bit of sickness (not malaria, fortunately) we were blessed with the best time, and met the most wonderful people. We recently got our pictures back–homesickness strikes again!
Thanks again for praying!
-Jessica
What will we do without Genesis, Jude, Titus, or all of our other brothers and sisters in Christ here?
How will we bring memories back and also leave the sadness of leaving behind?
Although we came to minister to the people of Africa, I believe that we received more ministry than we gave. Where else can you find preachers-in-training who, for extracurricular work, brave fierce jungles to travel to villages with no connecting roads to preach the gospel. Where else do the children sit for two hours, soaking in the Gospel? From the humble, elegant prayers prayed by the new Christians to the older natives who are willing to give up a week of work just to do Bible-school with the children, the Africans taught us much in true, selfless ministry.
The Sinclairs were the epitome of gracious hosts, going above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable. They even scheduled some sight-seeing times into their busy schedules! I cannot write how thankful I am to have lived with them, if for only two weeks. Their entire focus, from family-dynamics to handy-man work, is on God.
I will never forget the wonderful time I had here. I will not forget the great men and women of the faith of Cameroon, who are willing to suffer persecution and ridicule for the name of Jesus. I pray that God will not let the fire for the ministry die down in my heart.
In Christ (and soon back in America),
-Brian
With all the things to look forward to for the return trip, it is very hard for me to leave this place. Today was Holiday Bible school in Bemenda and we did puppets for that, and then we drove over to Bombili to Bible Baptist so Brian could preach once more. It was very difficult saying goodbye, and during prayer meeting many of the people prayed for not only a safe journey but that we would return soon.
God has blessed us in every way possible, and He really has supplied our every need (today, for example, we forgot the sheet to make the puppet stand, so Pastor Ben took the curtains off of the church windows and drove those over to us instead). We’ve all been able to try new things, and learned so many differences culture-wise that if we get back and don’t remember that you can’t barter in WalMart, or that fitting thirteen people in a five passenger car with no seat belts is actually illegal in some parts of the world, then you will have to forgive us.
When we started this blog, I doubted the use we would make out of it, and I certainly did not think we’d have so many supporters keeping up with us. We’re all thankful for the prayers, and would still greatly appreciate them as we head back to the States!
-Jessica
Hi!
Just a quick update to let you know that I am mending and I have been determined to not let this cold get me down. As you can see from the pictures I am having a wonderful time. Brian was worried last night because my cough had gotten worse. I appreciate your prayers because I feel better this morning. I actually got it on Saturday since a lot of people in this area have had this virus. (Ha! I can honestly say I got a souvenir from Cameroon.)
We love all of you and will blog later tonight. It is such a joy serving here and being in this rustic place. Brian will be preaching tonight and tomorrow. I know he would appreciate your prayers as well. The rest of us will be having a puppet show.
May the Lord bless your day,
Valerie
Today, sickness set in. Praise the Lord it is not Malaria, or Typhoid, or Yellow Fever, or any of the horrid, life-threatening diseases that a green American can catch in West Africa. From what we can tell, it is either just a heavy cold or light pneumonia. Furthermore, only Mom has it. I write this only to update what is going on and to ask for prayers; God is certainly powerful enough to give strength through a sickness, but He is also powerful enough to heal the sickness.
This morning, Mom and the girls went to Camp Joy, a Christian camp partly run by the Sinclair family. The camp is having its Young Women’s Week now, with over fifteen young ladies attending. Mrs. Sinclair taught today on discerning God’s will and obedience to parents, after which the campers had a chance to ask questions. While a few of the questions were rather general, some of them were quite telling and one in particular: “How do I obey my parents when they tell me not to accept Jesus as my Savior?” Tears come to my eyes thinking about these girls, some as young as fifteen years old, who have to decide between Jesus or their own families.
This evening, we all went visiting to the Yeiter’s house. The Yeiters are fellow missionaries, close friends to the Sinclairs. They are a wonderful family and we had many hours of good fellowship. After playing the classic board-game Balderdash (they have that in Africa? Sure.), we had a fantastic meal of Sloppy Joes and home-made pie. The Sinclairs and the Yeiters are very close; in this spiritual battlefield, it must be assuring to have such good allies nearby.
Please pray that Mom’s sickness will not hinder the ministry, and that God will heal her if He sees fit. Continue to pray for the missionaries, that God will bless them. Especially, pray for the young ladies at Camp Joy, that God will give them the strength to make choices that could destroy their social life… choices that will seal their eternal future in heaven.
In Christ,
Brian
As you can read from the title, today we went into town and looked around. While we looked around, we also passed out tracts.
It was so much fun! The people in Africa are SO receptive. I only had two people refuse tracts, one of which had his hands completely full and couldn’t grab it. We handed out almost all of the tracts that we had, and a lot of the people who got them we also had an opportunity to witness to.
The men in Africa seemed fascinated to see American women. Kimberly, Jessica, and I had several marriage proposals. One man talked to Mrs.Sinclair for fifteen minutes about how he wanted to marry me and that he would wait for me. We couldn’t convince him otherwise, and just before he left he gave to me as a gift a bar of soap he had been trying to sell. It was very interesting!
The people here are very religious and so many of them are very lost, but they also really want to know the truth. I am SO thankful for the days that we have spent here so far, and I can’t wait to see what the next days bring. We will keep you updated.
-Sarah
wWar a good warfare!! The verse we learned this week for Faith Baptist Church in Bamenda is II Tim. 2:3-4: Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Seventeen people stood separately and quoted this word perfectly.
This morning at church was an absolute blessing. We began the day with church beginning at 9:00 at Bible Baptist Church in Bambili. We did our puppets for the kids in Children’s Church while Brian preached. We stayed in the service long enough, though, to sing with the Africans. It was beautiful! Brian played the hymns, a duet with Jane (a wonderful young woman who loves the Lord), and preached. This church has no electricity so Pastor Ben brings his generator to hook up the keyboard. It takes so much just to get things ready for church. The roads are dirt and have huge potholes. It is the rainy season, so the roads are very slippery. Afterward we went to Faith Baptist Church in Bamenda and sang without music (no way of getting it there). It is about 45 minutes from the Sinclair’s house. They have a chorus which each person or group sings in their own tribal language, one right after the other. Pastor Ben told us that at one service 13 languages were represented. Brian again preached and we put on the puppet play. They had an official African pot luck dinner on the grounds. Anyone for fufu? 
A metalworker constructed a portable tub for them to use as a baptistry, so we had the privilege of seeing four believers baptized. We got home around 3:30.
The church in Bambili has open doors, open windows, benches, and a cross in the front of the church which is open and the beautiful sky can be seen. I love the simple way of living here. I also understand more of why the Sinclairs have a heart for these people. Those that know the Lord seem to love Him fiercely. They are passionate people.
Thank you for your prayers. They are sustaining!
Valerie
Of course, you could give me a ticket to pretty much anywhere, and I would go, but I’ve always wanted to come here. The scenery is so amazing that I can’t describe it, so I won’t try. Maybe the pictures do some justice. Holiday Bible School was alot of fun, and the kids were very attentive and extremely thankful for anything they got…I wish we could give them more! Many of them have only one outfit that they wear almost everyday. We gave them stickers yesterday, and today they had them stuck all over their heads, making sure that none of them fell off.
We all prayed hard for the salvation of the children who attended, and today our prayers were answered! One boy about twelve years old accepted Christ after the invitation. The Lord is so good. Please pray for tomorrow’s Sunday service especially; I know that others of the group seem almost ready to be saved (we’ve had around fifty five children or so) and we’ve invited them to the puppet show during children’s church.
The people of Bible Baptist are so on fire for Christ, please remember them in your prayers!
-Jessica
God blessed us with another wonderful day here in Cameroon; the temperature was sitting right about 70° F, the sun was hidden by magnificent clouds that just barely grazed the mountains surrounding Bambili(pronounced BOM-ball-ee), and the turnout for Holiday Bible School was greater than yesterday. What a joy to wake up to see God’s handiwork of the hills and then teach people the gospel for hours on end!
It is taking us some time to get used to using European terms such as Holiday (instead of Vacation) in Holiday Bible School. Of course, the people here just ignore us or laugh good-naturedly if we make a mistake. However, even though the cultural nuances of language may stump us from time to time, the message that we teach and preach is still the same. Today in HBS, the puppets continued to teach on the fruits of the Spirit. The children listened very attentively; they have no problem sitting for two or three hours, quietly learning the Bible. If a five-year-old starts to wiggle around in his seat, all it takes is a stern look from one of his elders (ex. a six-year-old) to calm him down again. After the puppets, a young man from Douala gave a clear Gospel presentation. As I sat and listened, the Lord convicted me that I had become too comfortable with the Gospel. Here was a man, newly saved, who faced persecution from his family for his faith, teaching almost sixty kids about Jesus! He used unique phrases to convey the story: Jesus “went into the skin” of a baby to become man; Jesus began His major ministry when “His body was thirty years old,” Himself being, naturally, “eternal years old.” Of course, we know these truths, but hearing them in new phrases brings them alive.
There are so many exciting things to tell but so little time to tell them. Pray for us tomorrow, that some of these many kids will realize their sins and get saved. Pray for the young men and women of Bible Baptist Church, that they will be burdened to go into full-time evangelism to the people of Africa. Pray for the missionaries, that God would open many ways for them to witness.
I miss America, and I love Africa.
-Brian
Hello, All!
I love it here! We had a wonderful day of ministry at Bible Baptist Church in Bambili. The kids enjoyed the puppets even if some of the humor was missed. I loved being with the children. They are very attentive and it seemed to be a treat to have new people visiting them. Today there were 55 in attendance which pretty much filled the room. I took pictures of them and they warmed up to me right away. We walked up a hill to a level spot and they played a game for an hour. I don’t think American kids would play one game for that long. At the end of the Bible lesson Kimberly made animal balloons which was a hit. The gospel message was very strong and we are praying for kids to get saved this week.
We may go to another church next week and help them with their VBS. Tomorrow morning we are planning to go to Camp Joy while Pastor Ben preaches.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers. We are grateful to be here. It rains everyday and is lush, rugged, and beautiful. I think we are going to have a hard time leaving.
Please look at some of our pictures below.
Valerie
