I recently read an article posted on Facebook about a mother who laments her loss of “the village I never had. The one with mothers doing the washing side by side, clucking and laughing hysterically, tired in body but quick in spirit…We’d laugh…we’d be skilled at finding the joy in the mundane…We’d cry…We’d love you, not with the sappy love of greeting cards, but with an appreciative love that has full knowledge of how your colors add to our patchwork…The [village] we traded for homes that, despite being a stone’s throw, feel miles apart from each other.”
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Village Life
I recently read an article posted on Facebook about a mother who laments her loss of “the village I never had. The one with mothers doing the washing side by side, clucking and laughing hysterically, tired in body but quick in spirit…We’d laugh…we’d be skilled at finding the joy in the mundane…We’d cry…We’d love you, not with the sappy love of greeting cards, but with an appreciative love that has full knowledge of how your colors add to our patchwork…The [village] we traded for homes that, despite being a stone’s throw, feel miles apart from each other.”
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Limbe
Last week, the Jacksons and I traveled to Limbe, our favorite beach retreat spot. We checked into the hotel we have stayed at before, which is more like a semicircle of round houses than a hotel. After checking into our room, asking one of the workers for towels, soap, a working air conditioner remote, and new light bulbs (after Karissa asked, “Um, is the light supposed to turn on?”), we settled in and talked about what a quality hotel it is. Carolin took a shower, and when I asked her how it was, she said, “Oh, perfect! There is hot water and good water pressure. You just have to hold the shower head, since the piece holding it to the wall is broken.” That’s when I took a mental step back and realized the oddity of our definition of quality, which includes beds, blankets, air conditioning (very rare here!), and hot water, but not the most basic commodities anyone would expect at a western hotel, including lights and shower fixtures.
It was good to have so much time together, and it was clearly beneficial for the Jacksons to take a break from the emotional drains of their work in Bamenda and recuperate. Chris said one morning that he was feeling the most relaxed he has felt in a long time.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Freedom
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
It looks like much of our ministry will be continuing to build relationships with Cameroonians, particularly with the Fulani the Jacksons have known for years. We will be visiting a couple of Fulani villages this month to reconnect and deepen our friendships there.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Quickly Coming to an End
Tomorrow is my last day of teaching Katelyn and Lum. Tomorrow is also my last reading class for the neighborhood kids. Throughout the next week we’ll be having different graduation festivities for Karissa, and in three weeks we pick up the summer team coming from Grass Valley. We leave in six weeks.
It is so strange that my time here is quickly coming to an end. It’s difficult to figure out how to find good closure. Do I cram in as much as I can, or slowly transition out of my activities and commitments here? Is it okay to spend time looking forward to the future God has provided for me in California, or should I only focus on what God has given me here in Cameroon? How do I balance the emotions of being both thrilled to get back home and mournful that I’ll have to say goodbye to Cameroon?
But one thing I know. Even while I am pulled in all these different directions, God is with me through it all, and He never changes. When I am weary of pushing my energy levels and of missing home, He gives me peace and strength. When I dread wishing farewell to all the friends and beauty of Bamenda, He reminds me of the good plans He has for me. When I wonder if I really did anything of importance here, He encourages me that, because of His goodness and power, my labor is not in vain. When I worry about the cultural shift I’ll experience as I get used to living in the U.S. again, He reminds me that He will be with me and will provide for all my needs, even emotional needs.
I also am praising God for His faithfulness to me in regards to the future. He has already abundantly provided for my needs. I will have a full-time teaching job this fall! I’ll be the 6th/7th grade teacher at Grace Classical Academy in Laguna Niguel (graceclassicalacademy.com). God has also provided me with an apartment; I’ll be living with my good friend Amanda in Fullerton. He’s even provided me with a reliable car for when I get back.
It is also encouraging to see how He is already helping me find some closure here. A couple of weeks ago I got to stay at the missionary rest house in Mbingo (a nearby town) with my friend Elaine and her mom and cousin, who were visiting for a couple weeks. Since Elaine is moving up to the far north of Cameroon soon, I might not get to spend time with her again, so it was so nice to have a few days together, especially in such a relaxing place.
Last week we had all of our dance friends over for dinner and a movie. We ate jelof rice (a favorite Cameroonian dish) and spaghetti while we watched Hairspray. As soon as the credits started, we pushed the chairs out of the way and started dancing to the music, and kept dancing for another hour! It was such a good time of connecting with those friends in a different way, outside of dance class, especially since we won’t have very many more dance classes before we leave.
I’m also anticipating that with all the graduation festivities I’ll have a chance to spend some extra time with friends, and I’m sure that having the summer team come will provide good closure regarding the ministries and significant people and places here. But today, I’m excited to see Lum and Katelyn perform a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I’m looking forward to finishing up school with them tomorrow. I have loved teaching them, and our last day of school together will be very bitter-sweet. I will dreadfully miss being a part of their education, but I am so excited for the good plans God has for all three of us in the future!
Performing the Shakespeare scene
God is good all the time! And all the time, God is good!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Rainy Season Has Come!
It is officially rainy season. No, that doesn’t mean it’s colder (or hotter). The temperature doesn’t do a whole lot of changing at any time of year. But it does mean that there is a thunderstorm almost every day, and we get to enjoy the ramifications of the new moisture! Now, if I go out to the veranda at sunset, instead of seeing the dull, hazy yellow glow of dry season, with faded brown mountains in the distance, I am hit with the visual stimulation of a vibrant, multi-colored, cotton candy-clouded sky, with unobstructed emerald mountains spanning the horizon. When the girls and I go for a jog around the neighborhood, I have a hard time not pulling up to a halt just to look at the jungles and waterfalls that seem to have sprung up overnight (Well, maybe not just to look. I hate running). There’s also the thrill of risk when we plan to do something outdoors in the afternoons, whether it’s shopping, hiking, visiting neighbors, or horseback riding.
Yesterday, Karissa, Katelyn, Katelyn’s friend Anna, and I left around 3:30pm to ride the horses back to the house from a nearby village. Thunder was already booming as Chris drove us to the village, and a few raindrops fell as we mounted the horses. But it didn’t daunt us; we were excited for the adventure!
For the next couple hours, we braved slippery roads, steep hills, rickety bridges, mud puddles, low branches, sore rear ends, a horse that wouldn’t stop, a bucking colt that wouldn’t go, and intervals of pouring rain. But it’s nothing we haven’t encountered before, and we loved every minute of it. There were a couple times that we were laughing so hard from seeing the mud splatters on each other that we had to stop the horses. As we got nearer to home, we ran into something a little more unusual. Thousands of flying insects were surrounding us: with rain comes termites! “Aw, they’re kind of cute! Let’s imagine they’re fairies!” I suggested. But they lost their enchantment when they went in our mouths, noses, and ears as we galloped through the swarms. We finally passed through the multitude and raced up our hill to the house.
“What? You didn’t catch them for us to eat?” Karen asked when we told her about them. “Let’s make sure we serve those as a snack to the summer team!” Unfortunately, Katelyn pointed out that termite season will be over by then. Sorry Cedar Ridge team, I think you’ll have to settle for fried grasshoppers instead.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Women, Plans, and Rams
Happy Easter, everyone! Here are a few updates on some different things that have been happening over here lately:
Young Women’s Bible Study
A couple months ago, my friend Elaine told me that two Cameroonian girls she was living with were very interested in being a part of a Bible study, but didn’t know where to join one. God had been lately leading me to commit to another “formal” ministry in Bamenda, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity! So about a month ago, I started leading a Bible study with Emmanuela, Dezane and a few of their friends (Sorry, I don’t have any pictures of them yet. Coming soon!)
It has been wonderful. They are really enjoying learning different ways to study the Bible, and we are learning a lot from the women of the Bible as we go. I love having the opportunity to get to know these young women better and to speak truth and love into their lives. Even with going to school full-time and caring for all the people in their household, they are committed to learning more about God and His word. It is a joy to see. Praise God for what He is doing in their lives, and pray that He continues to teach them more about Himself!
Future Plans
At this time last year, I was struggling with the decision whether to return to Cameroon or stay in California in the fall. God faithfully guided me in that decision, as He has again faithfully guided me in my decisions for this fall. When I come home in July, I will be coming home to stay. God may have future mission plans for me that I am unaware of, but at this point, I am absolutely confident that His plans for me this fall will be in California. I am currently applying for teaching jobs in southern California, and I would appreciate prayer that God opens the door to the job where he can use me to make a difference for Him, as well as where I can have a chance to transition well back into life in the US.
I am very excited to come back and get reconnected with my California communities, but I also pray that I will live these last three months in Cameroon well. Pray that God continues to give me joy and perseverance in the ministries He has given me here.
Village Visit
Last weekend, Karissa, Lum and I went up into the mountains to visit our Fulani friends. It was such a good weekend. We helped cook mushroom soup in the cookhouse, carried water on our heads from the river, and played “Mommy Wata” with the kids (their version of a sea monster game).
The most meaningful time of that weekend was when they slaughtered a ram for an Inde (their version of a baby shower). The leaders of the compound tied up the ram, held it down, and held palm leaves over the body to cover the slaughter. They said a quiet prayer, and silently made the cut. As I watched the lifeblood drain down the hill, I realized that the ram had never made a sound. It was such a powerful image of what Christ did for us. “Like a lamb to the slaughter... so he did not open his mouth” (Is. 53:7).
This Easter, may we be faithful to remember the Lamb of God, the final sacrifice and atonement for our sins.
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev. 5:12).