p.p.s…It is now 9:40 a.m. (2:40 a.m. yours) on Thursday, the days roll on – we haven’t had rain since Saturday, there is a thick dense fog, really DUST, (harmattans from the Sahara) over the mountains we view out our kitchen window. I awoke before 5 with my eyes swollen and glued shut. The Muslim’s call to prayers starting at 5 seem to be getting louder, the other day I heard a church in Burkina, on other side of the mountains, ringing their bells in response. GOOD!

No internet……………..Desolate again! We tried again yesterday! Yesterday was spent in meetings…the President/Bishop is back, we were greeted officially on Tuesday morning at the church office devotions. We spoke to many about how we can and should proceed with our projects. The first church roof in Mayo Djinga (a long trip over very rough roads) will be #1 says Pres. Nyiwé. Fanta handed out food supplements for the growing numbers of orphans on Sunday. The little child (girl) in the photo has died – how sad it all is!

We have been arranging a date for the evangelism trip with the vice-president, Etienne Fomgbami. Tentatively for the week of May 5 – 9th. We will travel to Roumsiki, Mokolo, Mora and to the extreme N border to Chad. We will need prayers for that one. We will also be traveling before April ends to the N West and Yimberé/Bankim/Mayo Darlé area to oversee the church roof and outfitting a man with a prosthesis. The President has just returned from that area and says we must go soon as the roads are terrible and with the oncoming rains they will become impassable.

4/18/2008 8:57 AM
The rains have been very sporadic since our arrival – dust has shrouded the mountains out our kitchen window. Yesterday and very early this morning we had massive downpours accompanied by much thunder and lightning. The first call to prayer by the Muslims tried to drown out nature’s call to the new day at 5 am.

Next week we climb the mountain. We need a mountain top experience! God is great…

We attended our morning devotion at 7:30 – the insects, birds and all was alive with the freshness that followed the rains – we even had lightness to our steps. We did have a supposed appointment with the hospital electric tech about the status of the rewiring of the hospital in readiness for the installation of the new back-up generator. He was a NO show – patience… we’ll try to locate later this morning.

We are traveling to Garoua Boulaï (GB) tomorrow at 9 a.m. – a difficult six hour drive over rough roads – if you check the Cameroon map it is right on the border to CAR. Jack is preaching on Sunday – we will visit the hospital and the Bible School which our ELCIC church helps support with funding. We will return Monday afternoon.

We have arranged and sent a man, recommended by the Norwegians, to travel to two villages (Mayo Djiiga and Djitam) in the west to write up estimates of church roof material. We hope construction on these two churches will begin before months end. There is another church we will visit next week ~5 kms from here that is another possibility for a roof.

Our Mary Ruth motorcycle will be going up to a village very close to Ndjamena (a new church being formed) on the border of Chad. We will be traveling in that far north area in Cameroon in May with Etienne Fomgbami. We are also hoping to purchase ~ 10 bicycles for catechists to make their travels from church to church easier.

New statistics for the Église Évangélique Luthérienne au Cameroun : President Nyiwé was very proud of the EELC’s growth. Two thousand were baptized at Easter within the 1,320 churches. There are 158 pastors plus 20 seminarians in their intern year with ~600 evangelists and catechists. Very impressive – we could take lessons.

The work within our partnership with the Cameroon church and the MNO synod within ELCIC is in action – we thank the folks that have found this a vital ministry.

Kelvin: an invitation did arrive yesterday for the Partners’ Consultation May 14-18th.

Until next time…we would love to hear from you all. It does get lonely when we have no news.

God’s blessings, Jack & Val

(we had a torrential downpour that flooded the city streets with us driving through it all around 11 a.m. now 3:48…hope this goes.)

EELC Mission Station
BP 111 N’gaoundéré,
CAMEROON, West Africa Telephone: 011.237.999.48721

4/22/2008
Val and I had traveled. South about 270kms to Garoua Boulais (a 6 hour drive) to visit the Bible School (ELCIC supports them with $5000 per year) and to speak with the EELC Hospital Director there, who is also a good friend. We did some video interviews for the Companion Synod Program and I also preached to a congregation of about 800 persons. We departed gowned in African clothing (gifts). Some of the roads we drove on had been graded, but the parts that were bad, were very bad.

Val and I should be back in Pinawa before the 25th of June [w’ere hoping by Father’s Day] and I will be available to lead services when desired in July and August: assuming that we are sharing with the PCF.

We have a new video camera (MNO Synod’s) which I am getting familiar with operating. Unfortunately, I did not have the camera in the proper mode while filming and missed recording a tribal war dance. Valerie had wooden spears waving in front of her nose. I will have to offer an oral description of the look on her face.

Who is the delegate to the MNO Convention this week? Whomever… would they pass our greetings – especially at the Anniversary event – celebrate with them for me.

Off to the Norwegian internet room.

God’s blessings, Jack

EELC Mission Station
BP 111 N’gaoundéré,
CAMEROON, West Africa Telephone: 011-237-999-48721
javafrcan@yahoo.ca