President Nyiwé made a request to us for curtains for the new Bureau Conference Room, and we thought it would be a good message of Companion Synod communication as every time they meet and look at the curtains they will think of the MNO Synod.

The church at Beka Hosseré is completed and we attended church there last Sunday with Etienne. Between the second lesson and the gospel, the pastor asked Jack if he would preach. So he did!

We had a great time together: took many pictures, and dined on rice, bread and sweet, sweet coffee following the service. Karen & Val later celebrated Mother’s Day (NA) at La Plaza for a buffet lunch minus their children. The week was busy as we were transporting workmen back and forth and finally had to use one of the station trucks to bring back the leftover material.

In the mid 1990’s the village of Beka Hosseré was home to about 300 Moslim people. The first Christian (Doua Philemon) to arrive, was told he was not wanted, but after some negotiating with the chief and the elders, they decided to wash their mouths (change their minds). A very interesting man to talk to. The one Christian eventually grew to the present hundred – these people built a mud brick church dwelling, and on this past Sunday a metal roof gleamed in the sunlight. The next sight to behold above the gleaming metal will be a cross: the symbol of a peace that surpasses human understanding. The Muslims are no longer laughing at them!

We now have a request from Pres. Nyiwé for a fourth church roof. This church is in a more accessible area. We hope they will be starting Mayo Djiinga next week and have it completed  before we depart. We  will not be able to attend church there as the roads are impassable due to the very heavy rains. Departure date is now Friday 6 June out of Douala… ~June 3rd from here.

President Nyiwé also requests that we would continue to have funds available for motos, as he feels that offering transport for his pastors is a high priority. They agree that it is proper for the congregations to have at least 100.000cfa of their money up front before the moto will be purchased. We hope to provide 5 additional motos for pastors within the next few months.

President Nyiwé has offered great appreciation of what the MNO Synod has donated to projects in the EELC. His focus is on church oriented projects, whereas we had veered in the direction of hospital improvements and welfare assistance. We still have a very worthwhile project in the Orphan’s Program which we believe is sustainable. 

The construction of a church roof in villages is most rewarding. It occurs mainly in smaller villages where people have had to prepare mud bricks, purchase cement which is very expensive (we paid 8,400cfa per bag/~$21./bag) to parge the walls, and ensure the upper level of the wall has reinforced cement to sustain the construction of a roof that will last for at least twenty years. The villagers reach a point where they can only afford shelter from the sun and rains with a grass roof OR NO roof until mission oriented people offer a sustainable alternative: a well trussed metal roof. We believe that metal roofs for village churches are wonderful contributions.

Jack (ELCIC/MNO Rep) has been attending the Bi-annual Partners’ Consultation meetings this week. On Sunday, May 18th there will be a special church service at the new Millennium station church – in honour of Jim and Karen Noss for the many years of service here within Cameroon (EELC). They are retiring and returning to their home in Minneapolis on July 5th.

On Wednesday, May 21st we will be departing on our Evangelism trip to the far north of Cameroon – Maroua, Rumsiki, Mokolo, Maulvoudaye back to Maroua (church on Sunday), Guider and then home on Monday the 26th.

We ask your prayers – as we reach out—as in the Gospel message this Sunday found in Matthew 28:19-20.

God Strong (Eph 6:10-11) …    Jack  & Val               
EELC Mission Station
N’gaoundéré, CAMEROON in West Central Africa javafrcan@yahoo.ca