Normal Life

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I’ve made the shift from finding life in Cameroon novel, to finding it normal. I mostly understand Pidgin and can speak a little of it. I like Cameroonian food. I’m comfortable traveling in Bamenda by myself, I’m not as aware that I stand out as a white person, and it seems strange when I’m in the market and don’t get several marriage proposals. As life continues here, I’ve avoided updating my blog in favor of waiting for something “new” and “interesting” to happen. I had fooled myself into thinking that there was nothing noteworthy about my daily life to write about. After I realized my self-deception, I started opening my eyes to the “new” and “interesting” things God does here every day. While this update isn’t as much of an adventure story as my first Sala celebration, it’s a whole new kind of adventure to experience daily life here over an extended period of time.

Babysitting for another missionary family, and using a "baba" for the first time to hold the baby on my back!

Although I only have two students, it seems like I’m only now beginning to understand what makes them tick and how to best help them, and I still feel I have so much more to learn. But by the grace of God, the results of six months of study are paying off. Lum and Katelyn’s reading and writing skills have noticeably improved, which is evident even in their poems about farting and stories about being attacked by snakes in the jungle. They are also ever increasing their knowledge of and interest in Science, Math, and History, especially through creating Science picture books and raps, as well as reports about American revolutionaries. It is so exciting to watch this process unfold, and be a part of it! And the two of them are not the only ones who are learning. I am getting such great opportunities to develop my teaching and relational skills, and have noticed that God has not only used teaching to develop my creativity, but my humility as well. I am glad we still have three more months for the three of us to learn from each other.

Our Easter Egg Shell Animals

It has also been exciting to see the pay-off of our weekly ministries. Karen is testing her new Sunday School curriculum at our Bible Clubs, which are going well. The students in my reading class are getting better at recognizing new letters, sounding out new words, and comprehending the storylines of the books I read aloud to them. The handicapped kids still give us the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen in my life when we visit them, and we have even started helping give five of them physical therapy on Karissa’s horse Prince. It’s amazing to see how walking twice around a soccer field and giving a horse a banana can increase children’s physical and emotional health.

And then there are the seemingly small and insignificant aspects of my weekly routine in which I find such joy. I love Saturday mornings, when I can sleep in, then get out of bed only long enough to bring a mug of coffee and a bowl of homemade yogurt back into my bedroom, and spend a couple hours in quiet reflection. I look forward to each Friday’s movie and pizza night, where we can all crash from our long and exhausting week. I still get excited anytime I can go horseback riding. Also, the Jacksons and I recently started ballroom dancing classes in Bamenda, and the delight of whirling and twirling around the dance floor gives me not only really sweaty clothes, but a recharging that provides me with the energy I need to continue with my other weekly commitments.

Thank you so much for all your prayers—they have truly sustained me. I know that your prayers have been a huge part of why I have been unusually healthy this year, why I’m learning and growing so much, and how I’ve been able to see and take joy in how much God has been working here. Please keep praying for wisdom about what to do next year and how to continue being a strong support in all my ministries here. I can also use prayer for comfort when I get homesick, continued physical health, and sustained energy for the rest of my time here.

Also, many thanks to those of you who support me financially. Along with covering my living expenses, your money has made it possible for me to give gifts (financial and material) to my Cameroonian friends and those in need, like Christmas stockings to some Cameroonian kids who have never had stockings before, makeup kits for a girls’ Bible Study and makeover night, and a monetary gift to a widow that occasionally works for us.

Makeover Night

I’m also using the money to help provide resources for the handicapped students to make items they can sell to make money for the school. All of this is possible because of God’s abundant provision through your generous and sacrificial support. May you see clearly how God is blessing you because of your support.

Tug-of-War

Although I know I don’t have to make a decision yet about what I’m going to do this fall, there’s already a tug-of-war in my heart between coming back to Cameroon or staying in California.

I love it here: the colors, the hospitality of people, the scenery, the marketplaces, the slower pace of life. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people (or pineapples!) can fit in a taxi. Also, the drivers here are very skilled—swerving around bumps, potholes, other cars, and goats. And people here love hosting. I can just drop in at someone’s house, and they’ll eagerly shake my hand, usher me into their home, and offer me something to drink.

Likewise, it is so fun having an open house, where people drop by our home all the time. It’s fun playing games with the kids and drinking coffee with the adults. Hiking and horseback riding never get old, either, and I love the new experiences, like helping pluck a chicken.

I also love feeling useful—watching Katelyn and Lum improve with homeschooling, teaching reading classes, leading Bible club, and loving on the handicapped students. In some ways I feel like I’m just getting started with all these ministries, and that there’s so much more I could do.

Then the other side of the rope starts tugging. I miss home: my family, my friends, my church, my car, cheese-its, Starbucks iced coffee, and frozen yogurt. I miss being there for important events, like weddings. I miss making brunch on Saturday mornings with my housemates and going to my friends’ weekly pasta nights. I still have a desire to minister to inner city kids and teach in California.

As both ends of the rope tug at my heart, I just have to keep coming back to the only thing that remains the same. Psalm 83 reminded me this morning of how blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. His dwelling place is lovely, and he never tires of showering blessings on his children. Even the sparrow doesn’t have to worry about finding a protected place for her nest—God always provides abundantly. So I don’t know if I can expect the tug-of-war to resolve anytime soon, but I do know I can always find security in who God is, and in who I am in God, and that God will direct me in his time. My friend Sarah gave me a really great verse that applies perfectly to this struggle: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" (Is. 30:21)

Please be praying for wisdom and peace, as I continue to pray for God's direction for my future, and wait on his timing.

Christmas in Cameroon

Our Christmas traditions began early in the month. Actually, it began as soon as our Thanksgiving guests went back to their own homes. While we washed the mounds of dishes, we belted out Christmas carols, and that night, we watched a Christmas movie. When December rolled around, we began the Jacksons’ advent traditions. Each morning and evening we read a portion of Scripture to track the stories of all the important events leading up to the birth of Jesus.

In the midst of all of this preparation, the Jacksons and I heard that this year, Operation Christmas Child had decided to bring shoeboxes of gifts to our Cameroonian province! In fact, they were taking the gifts to the handicapped kids at the school where we do Bible Club! Not only that, but they were going to videotape the process to make into a promotional video for next Christmas!

It was so wonderful to see the kids’ eyes widen, mouths open, and hands clap with glee at all the gifts they pulled out from their shoeboxes.

I got to color with a deaf girl in her new coloring book, teach a boy in a wheelchair how to play his recorder, blow up balloons for a child with down-syndrome, and toss a ball back and forth with a girl who has no arms! She would pick up the ball with her toes and fling it up into the air! I created a photo album you can see here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082076&id=68602443&l=1ae034535b

It was such a delight to see the generosity of people around the world put into action. Children who are normally ignored or even left by the river to die were able to experience some of the joy of Christmas through the love of people on the other side of the world.

I got to celebrate Christmas with many Cameroonian children this year. After the excitement of Operation Christmas Child died down, the Jacksons and I hosted a Christmas party for our neighborhood Bible Club kids. It was a hilarious chaos. About 100 kids crammed into our living room for 3 ½ hours. During the program, some were singing Christmas carols, some were talking to each other, and others were shoving each other around.

We were able to maintain some kind of order, but with that many kids, nothing can go exactly to plan. There was almost a constant flow of kids arriving, a never-ending bathroom line, and Cameroonian babies don’t wear diapers, so we had to clean up a few accidents throughout the party. We also led the kids in a Christmas Bingo game, and passed out small gifts for each child. But my favorite part was when we had the kids act out a Christmas pageant.

I don’t think any pageant ever turned out quite like this one did. I wrote up a transcript of exactly what this ended up looking like, with sheep stealing baby Jesus, Mary asking “How can I be a virgin?” and more. I just posted that transcript as a Note on my Facebook page, but I can't figure out how to post a link of it for those who don't have Facebook.

The festivities continued as we hosted a Christmas Eve party for about 30 people, and opened stockings Christmas morning. The stocking-opening was quite the memorable event, as we had Fadi’s younger siblings staying with us, and it was their first time getting Christmas stockings.

One of the girls even took everything out of her stocking, admired it all, then put it all back in. When Karen asked her what she was doing, she said, “I want to open it again!” Another girl, who doesn’t speak more than a few words of English, was able to use one of her new words when she exclaimed in a loud voice and a broad smile, “Bubbles!” when she pulled that gift out of her stocking. The girls also really enjoyed their sunglasses and play cell phones. :)

The excitement of the Christmas Eve party, the fun of watching Fadi’s younger brothers and sisters enjoying Christmas morning, and the dry, hot weather was helpful in keeping my mind off of how much I missed being home this Christmas. But there were a couple times when I missed my family and friends to the point of tears.

My mood quickly picked up when, two days after Christmas, we piled a week’s worth of camping gear and food in two trucks and headed for the beach! It was such a refreshing week, full of lounging on the beach, exploring the jungle, stalking monkeys, building a hut, sleeping under the stars, and playing a midnight game of Red Rover in the ocean to welcome in the new year! I created a photo album here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083843&id=68602443&l=264b9d44a1

It was also a good time of processing the past few months, thinking about what God had been teaching me, and making goals for the next semester. It is evident that God has really been building up my endurance and my ability to give and receive grace as I get used to staying in one place for 10 months. I’m also learning how to manage my time so I can be effective in ministry and teaching and not get burned out. At the same time, God is teaching me to surrender to Him on a deeper level and to focus more on people than efficiency. Praise God for his never-ending grace through my never-ending growth process!

After a very eventful Christmas and New Year’s season, the Jacksons and I are mostly back on a routine. The girls and I have renewed energy for this next school semester, and I’m reorganizing my weekly commitments so it’s not as overwhelming as it got by the end of last semester. Unfortunately, as we get settled back into a routine, we are also fighting off some illnesses. A flu bug and a cold have been traveling through our house for the past couple weeks. We have a theory that the dry season is mostly to blame, because there is a lot of dust and pollution being blown about each day. Waiting for the rainy season to come back is a good reminder of how we should long for God like the dry land longs for rain. After experiencing an African dry season, I have a better idea of how deep that longing should be.

Praises:

--After a great deal of rescheduling and doubting whether Operation Christmas Child was actually going to happen, it happened! With great success!

--I really enjoyed Christmas, even while missing home

--God refreshed my body and soul during this holiday, especially at the beach

--No one got malaria as a result of the feast we gave the beach mosquitoes

--God is actively at work in my heart, constantly challenging me to grow and giving me the strength to do it

Prayer Requests:

--Health for everyone in our household

--Wisdom for how to re-prioritize my commitments so I can give my all and not burn out

--Wisdom for how to develop the girls’ skills and increase their knowledge in this second semester

--That I would stay on a schedule of having daily quiet times with God

Any Saturday we are in Bamenda, the Jacksons and I drive over to a Cameroonian boarding school about 45 minutes away from our house to host a Bible Club for the kids who live there. These kids are so excited to see us. Their eyes shine with delight as we greet them, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such huge smiles as the ones these kids have on their faces. We basically do the same Bible Club as the one we do with our neighborhood kids. We sing songs, I tell a story, we talk about the story, and we give them a page to color. The main differences are that instead of sitting on rugs, most of these kids are sitting in wheelchairs, instead of jumping up and down to the songs, many of them can only raise their hands or just their voices to the songs. And instead of just telling the story with my voice, I am translating the story into sign language as I talk. The school is a boarding school for handicapped children.

The first time I started signing as I told the Bible story, one of the deaf kids, Jallal, opened his eyes really wide in shock, then started making happy noises and nodding his head up and down. He was my most active participant in the post-story discussion! I got to sign with him a few weeks later, and he introduced me to a deaf friend of his who works near the school. I then got to help Jallal share the gospel with his friend! It is so amazing how God prepares us for the work he has for us, even in something as seemingly insignificant as taking American Sign Language as my foreign language in college. It has opened up doors to forming relationships that I never would have dreamed of!

Last week I especially saw God making these kids more comfortable with us. I had them help me act out a skit of the Good Samaritan, and they loved it! It was a hilarious commotion of redirecting the Samaritan to come on after the religious leaders walk by, trying to prevent the religious leaders from rolling over the injured man with their wheelchairs, helping the fallen innkeeper back up on his walker, concentrating on using simple language to tell the story, and translating it into sign language at the same time.

Wow. As I write this, I realize how good and gracious God is to work within so much chaos! Because of their active (and unique) participation in the story, I saw some of the older kids really opening up and being more willing to participate during the post-story discussion. I could tell that they were really thinking about how God wants us to treat our enemies.

A few weeks ago, we were able to go to the handicapped school for their Sunday morning church service, and it was so beautiful to see these children, who have such intense personal struggles, praising God with everything they have. The kids whose legs are crippled were using their hands to beat out drum rhythms, those who are paralyzed from the neck down were lifting up their heads and voices in praise to God, and the down-syndrome and deaf kids were leading the dancing in the front of the room. They were belting out their thanks to God for being so good to them and for showing them His grace. It was so humbling. How can I not praise God with every fiber of my healthy body when these kids, who, from a worldly perspective, have every right to be mad at God for their disabilities, are crying out glory and honor to God for his goodness?

Every time we have gone, I have been so astounded to see how these children can be so joyful as well as so caring of each other. The kids who can walk push around the children in wheelchairs, and a girl with no arms sits on the table and helps other kids by using her toes. I have seen her feeding paralyzed kids and helping them color their pictures! She’s better at drawing and coloring with her feet than I am with my hands!

It is so humbling yet exciting to be used by God to show and speak love and truth to these kids. What a privilege to develop relationships with them and to tell them about who God is and what He has done for them, especially for the deaf kids, who might not have any other way of learning about Jesus.

For the Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Such as These

It’s Wednesday, and the Jackson girls and I are frantically cleaning up our house, moving chairs around, and laying mats on the floor. As soon as we give the word, about thirty neighborhood kids stream in our front yard, then immediately commence playing with the scooters, balls, sidewalk chalk, and swinging from our guava tree. We then let them in to pick what books they want to borrow from our “library” for the week.

After everyone is glowing with excitement about their new books, we start Bible Club with singing, much to the delight of the little kids, who start jumping all around, screaming out the words. My favorite is “Jesus is Our Winner-man,” because it sounds like they’re saying, “Jesus is our wiener-man!” Apparently, Jesus is not only our Savior, but also the hot-dog hero. J After praising Jesus, I tell them a Bible story, usually accompanied by a pantomime skit performed by the older kids, we talk about what the story means, and then they get a page to color. They love showing off their coloring page to anyone who will look and praise their decorative and delightful scribbles. I often hear a chorus of “Auntie Catherine [pronounced “Catreen”]! Look!” echoing throughout the room.

I love Bible Club, because I love seeing the excitement these kids have about everything, especially Jesus. It has been such a wonderful experience to share Jesus with these kids, because as I teach them about what Jesus has done for them, I get to see their acceptance of it, as well as develop a deeper understanding for myself of just how wonderful God is. I think that is one of the main things God has been teaching me since being here: After filling my head with theology and philosophy at college, then filling my life with new experiences, I am better equipped to go back to the basics of who God is and what He has done for me. I have developed a greater appreciation for the Gospel and a deeper love for God. It helps that since most of the kids speak Pidgin, which is a simplified dialect of English, I must really focus on making the lessons simple and direct, so they can understand.

Bible Club is not the only children’s ministry in which I am involved. A few weeks ago, one of our Bible Club kids looked up at me and declared, “Auntie, I want you to teach me to read. And my small brother wants you to teach him too.” Another older kid overheard this statement, and echoed his request. Thus began Thursday reading classes. Every Thursday at 3:00, about seven neighborhood kids come over to hear a story, learn a letter of the alphabet, and play some letter and sound games. It astounds me that I kids as old as nine-years-old need instruction in basic phonics. But they are eager to learn, and they are committed to coming every week and doing the homework I give them.

At 4:00, I send the small kids home and my second group of kids comes over for more advanced word-decoding skill instruction. These kids range from ten to fourteen. I read them part of a chapter book and give them some comprehension instruction, then teach them about word parts so they can figure out how to read long, difficult words. I also just started teaching them some spelling rules, at their insistent request. They love working on the worksheet pages I give them, and these kids are just as committed to coming and working hard as my younger kids. I am really enjoying getting to know these kids in a small-group context.

It has been an interesting challenge to balance the different skill levels of all my students, since I’m only teaching two classes. Sometimes I get discouraged at seeing how much help they need in order to be reading at their grade level. But then I remember that any instruction I give helps them immensely, and I get excited thinking about how specifically God has prepared me to serve these kids in this way. Not only do I have a teaching credential, but I also taught reading classes all summer, right before I came here! Wow, God certainly knows what he is doing. I am excited to watch how God uses these classes to help improve their skills as well as build up the relationships I have with them.

Praises:

*God has led me to some wonderful ministries here in Bamenda. I get to be a part of God’s kingdom work, and do what I love to do!

*Even when the needs of these kids discourage me, I know that God has equipped me for what he has called me to do.

*We are really seeing God working on the hearts of the kids who come to our house regularly.

Prayer Requests:

*That God would continue to provide me with the stamina and creativity to continue giving my all to everything He has called me to do here, even when I am tired or discouraged.

*That God would continue to keep our whole household unified and focused on God, so as to be the best witness to all the people who come into our home.

*That God would continue to bless the families of the Cameroonian girls who live with us.

A "Typical" Day in the Jackson Village

6:45 I wake up to the sound of my alarm, as well as the roosters and babies next door. I roll out of bed, shake the ants out of my clothes, and get ready for the day.

7:10 I stumble into the kitchen, groping for the coffee, while avoiding opening up any drawers that the mouse likes to jump out of.

7:15 Breakfast. We watch as Chris mercilessly pesters Lum in an attempt to see if she is awake. 80% chance he gets her to smile.

8:00 Doorbell rings. It’s Lillian and Pa, our Cameroonian househelp (it’s culturally very common to have Cameroonians work for people in their home. It’s actually a very respected position). Lillian and Pa are amazing—Pa is friendly in a shy way, and he can get anything spotlessly clean! Lillian is sweet, a master seamstress, and an amazing cook. I love helping her in the kitchen.

8:15 School starts. I turn on the energy to keep Katelyn and Lum engaged. I often resort to wild antics like acting out vocabulary words, performing “stick figure dramatizations” on the whiteboard for history lessons, giving poetry-writing assignments about monkeys saving the world, and using numerous “Gilmore Girl” references to help explain concepts in any subject. I really enjoy teaching the girls. They are enthusiastic, quick learners, and we have a great time together.

9:00 Doorbell rings. Usually it’s someone who comes to work with Chris or Karen.

10:15 Break time. We spend most of our break playing with the new kitty.

11:45 Doorbell rings. We often have visitors come for lunch.

12:00 Cameroonian lunch on the veranda! Time to get excited about almost anything Lillian cooks. The peanut stew and curry rice are my favorite. But I am still getting used to eru, a bitter leaf that looks like grass, and achu, which, honestly, makes me gag.

12:30 We go back to the dining room to finish school, and then I finish prepping for the next day while Katelyn and Lum do homework.

3:30 Doorbell rings. Fadi’s home from school.

3:45 Doorbell rings. The person/people waiting at the gate depends on the day:

Monday: Nothing’s planned for this afternoon, so sometimes a friend of Katelyn, Lum, and Fadi comes over, or Katelyn and I go for a horse ride to some waterfalls. Dreams really do come true!

Tuesday: Elizabeth, a neighborhood high school girl I tutor, is the doorbell-ringer.

Wednesday: Every other week, hoards of neighborhood kids are at the gate, jumping up and down in excitement for Bible Club. The other weeks, a group of ten to fourteen-year-olds comes over for Bible Study. Those two activities need a blog post all of its own. More to come soon…

Thursday: Two sets of neighborhood kids come over for the reading classes I just started. I’m teaching the alphabet to kids as young as six and as old as nine, and I’m teaching word-decoding skills to kids between the ages of eleven and sixteen. I just finished my second week of teaching them, and I love it, but seeing their lack of reading skills breaks my heart at the same time. More on that to come, as well.

Friday: Nothing on the schedule, so we can usually expect the girls’ friends to come over, or Katelyn and I go for a horse ride, or we just watch a movie to wind down from the week.

5:30 All the kids leave, and we start evening chores and dinner prep. Usually one or more of the girls in our house is belting out Taylor Swift or Mandy Moore songs. But this is not just confined to the evenings. The lyrics of “You Belong With Me” or “Only Yours” float through the house at any given time of day. J

6:00 Doorbell rings. Caroline and Sherry, our neighbors who also work with Wycliffe, come over for dinner.

6:30 Dinner. Last week, we had a Japanese-Cameroonian meal to go with our unit on Japan. Horray for sushi with baked fish, rolled in cabbage! Regardless of the meal, we're usually rolling our eyes at Chris’ bad puns. Example: “Tomorrow I’m going to Bafut. But I can’t get there by foot. Ahahaha!” Our dinners are frequently filled with just as much laughing as eating.

7:30 We clean up dinner, wash the dishes, and set the mouse trap—again. I’m convinced that our kitchen mouse has a higher IQ than most. He’s evaded capture way too many times to be a normal mouse.

8:00 I help Fadi with her homework while Chris and Karen read aloud to Katelyn and Lum, then Caroline and Sherry hike back to their house.

9:00 All the Jacksons go to bed, and I start entertaining myself with e-mail, Facebook, and any book I can lay my hands on. I think I’ve read a couple thousand pages since getting here. I love it! My late evenings are filled with adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, drama from the English town of Middlemarch, intrigue with Amelia Peabody in the pyramids of Egypt, and the tragic family dynamics of the Karamazov family.

10:30 Lights out. During the rainy season I get to fall asleep to the sound of rain on our tin roof, and now, during the newly begun dry season, I am lulled to sleep by the croaks of frogs and the chirps of crickets.

Praises:

--School with the girls is going really well

--We’re finally getting settled in our weekly ministries, and I’m really excited about the privilege of partnering with God in the Bible Club, Bible Study, and Reading Class ministries!

Prayer Requests:

--Continued wisdom as I teach Katelyn and Lum and lead the Bible Club and Reading Classes.

--That God would constantly remind me that He is sufficient, and He has equipped me for everything He is calling me to do, even when I get discouraged by the huge needs of this community.

--That God would bless the families of both Cameroonian girls who live with us.

…And Then It Rained

The water pipes that brought water to the Jacksons’ house had been broken for several weeks before I arrived in Bamenda. Fortunately, it was rainy season, so the rain kept the water tanks full, and it didn’t really affect our lives for a while. However, two weeks ago, it looked like the dry season has begun. Each day without rain we took shorter showers, dealt with less water pressure, and lived by the rule, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.” Chris kept trying to get the people in charge of fixing the pipes to actually do their job, but there was not much progress.

Then, Friday October 2, we turned on the faucet, and nothing came out. The next day, we were expecting a group of seven guests who were going to stay with us for the week (it was our October Break), increasing the number of people in our house to thirteen (not counting house-help and visitors), and we had no water.

All day Friday, Chris continued to talk to the people responsible for fixing the pipes, as well as carried out his ingenious plan of hooking up a very long hose to a neighbor’s water tank and refilling our tank. There was still no rain and no pipes, but we had water, at least temporarily!

We didn’t allow the minimal water flow to affect our October Break plans, so Monday, the eight ladies of the house and I went into Bamenda to go shopping. I had so much fun bartering, and I made a few friends with the sellers I bartered with. We finally gathered all our purchases together, braved the Bamenda traffic, stumbled into the house…and then it rained. It rained all night, guaranteeing full water tanks while we waited for the pipes to be fixed! I guess God decided that it wasn’t quite time for the dry season. He is such a faithful provider!

For the next few days, the thirteen of us went on a hike a day, and got soaked every one of those days! Tuesday, we drove up to the Fulani village where we had celebrated Sala, and hiked to the edge of a cliff and to a natural mudslide. On the way back to the village, it started pouring! Wednesday, we hiked to a huge rock formation to have a picnic lunch, and just as we spread out our food, the rain began to fall. Thursday, we hiked through a beautiful tropical jungle to a waterfall, explored for a couple hours, and just as we were about to start heading back to the car, the downpour began. We ended up wading through a creek, for the rains had flooded our trail!

Our adventure group after the hike to the waterfall

Not only did the rains spice up our adventures and give us extra exercise as we tried to outrun the storms, but it kept our water tanks full to the brim! In addition, by the middle of the week, all the new water pipes had been established and connected! Thank you so much for all your prayers—it was so exciting to see how God uses the intercessions of his people to make his faithfulness and power that much more evident. He showed his abundant provisions to us last week.

October break was a lot of fun. After we wore ourselves out with all our wet adventures, I got to introduce all the girls to the wonders of the Gilmore Girls show, and we had a Gilmore Girls marathon for 4 days straight! During our endless hours with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, we got our hair braided, our toenails painted, and our energy renewed. It was so enjoyable to slow life down for a while and to spend some time with Karissa, who’s usually at school in Yaounde, and get to know the Naines, who were visiting from Yaounde for the week.

Gabby, me, Katelyn, Karissa, and Lum after we got our hair braided. :)

For a photo story of the first part of our week, you can go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2077774&id=68602443&l=5c03f21c64

Praises:

--The obvious one: we have water! Praise the Lord for providing for our every basic needs

--A fun, restful break

--Feeling loved and accepted by the whole Jackson clan

--Katelyn and Lum enjoy reading more than ever before! Reading is their favorite part of the school day, and Katelyn is reading a book that’s not a school book, which is a huge accomplishment!

Prayer Requests:

--Continued wisdom regarding teaching Katelyn and Lum—I want to maintain their love of learning, increase their skills and knowledge, as well as be a good role model outside of school.

--Restful sleep—I’ve been having some trouble with disturbing dreams lately, which throws me off when I’m trying to wake up and start my day with joy.

I am so grateful for all of you, and am praying for you as well. May you each continue living in faith of God’s provision and steadfast love. May you be content in all circumstances, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient.