Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dear ‘family’, (Steve here)

A few years ago I wanted to be a missionary so that I could ‘watch God work’. Well, I am watching and He is busy! The landlord of our little church room is a retired teacher from the Catholic school system in Kumbo. He has a good friend, also a teacher, who teaches in N’Kor every other Saturday. We have seen him occasionally, but only became acquainted some weeks ago. He visited our regular Sabbath afternoon ‘Amazing Facts’ Most Amazing Prophesies presentation. I invited him to see the initial showing of the latest New Beginnings ‘film’ in the Noone language. Since this man speaks about 6+ languages including Noone, English, Greek and Latin (probably Banso ‘Bandsaw’ the language of Kumbo), and French he could enjoy the film.
He expressed such an interest in the Most Amazing Prophesies series that I decided to make an effort to copy it for him. I was able to grind out the 10 DVDs (had not learned about compression yet) and give them to him. I prayed that he would view them objectively and that God would bless his understanding; he is employed by the largest religious denomination in the country. Two weeks later, we met again and he thanked me heartily for the gift. I asked him how many he had watched. He said that he had been watching one sermon per night after his family went to bed. He had seen the series once and was about half way through the second viewing. He had been particularly interested and amazed by pastor Doug’s report of Jesus’ comment to the repentant thief on the cross, “Verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Doug had said that in the original Greek record of this story, that there was no punctuation. That to understand Jesus’ comment correctly you had to look to Jesus’ conversation with Mary recorded at the end of Luke 23 and beginning of chapter 24. Well, this scholar rushed to his library and pulled his Greek new testament. Turning to Luke, he discovered that Doug had told the story correctly. “All these years”, he said, “I have been incorrectly teaching the story to my students. Now, I can tell them correctly.” I was amazed. Only this man, who understands and owns a Greek new testament could fully realize this. He went on to say, “I was a bit disappointed with the lesson on Antichrist.” I’m sure he was, but that was all that he said on the topic. “Now, I can share these DVDs with my students who complete exams early and need something to do.” Do you realize which school this is taking place at? Do you have any idea of the long string of providential events that led up to this man watching this series? God is Amazing! (and I get to watch)

Gregory should complete the school well today (20 April, ’11). He has mixed concrete and formed blocks with my rugged but difficult wooden form. He has worked deep in that pit, risking more than we realized.
A couple of weeks ago, he was working at the bottom of the 13 meter
(43 ft) deep hole when a stone weighing about 2 pounds (1kg:) was silently drug by the rope to the edge of the well. The man at the top had not noticed the stone as he lowered and raised a bucket hour after hour. Suddenly, Gregory heard the soft thud of the stone as it bounced off the walls above him. In the blackness of the well, not knowing where to move to avoid the stone, he simply stood up straight.
The stone touched the hair at the back of his head before splatting harmlessly into the soft mud at his feet. Gregory told me that he looked up and said, “My God. Thank you for sparing my life.” A week later, he showed me a small scrape on his left upper cheek where a block had grazed his face in its haste to get to the bottom of the well. I’m glad to have him about out of there. He says that the water coming in now is really clear. What a blessing to have clean water for the children to wash their hands in and to drink as soon as we perform an initial chlorination of the well.

Last night Gregory came to our house to watch lesson 26 of the New Beginnings Bible lessons in Noone. It was on Heaven. I asked if he ‘wanted to go.’ He said, ‘No, I want to stay here.’ I should have asked if he wanted to go to Heaven, because he wanted to stay and eat dinner with us. Over dinner, his face beaming, he said, ‘I have a mansion in Heaven.’ After dinner we carried the last sack of cement out to his motor bike, he secured it with 3 yards of rubber cord, and rode off into the star lit night (headlight must not be working this week either).

A couple days ago, Carol and Jess took Elebert and Merlisa to Kumbo by taxi. While they were away, Divine came to the house complaining to me (he had blown a small fuse) about a teacher that frequently arrives late and how that teacher’s problem needs to be addressed. Well, this morning Dee came to our house for water (our faucets continue to be dry) and we shared breakfast with him. After Jess and Carol hoofed off to school, Dee told me how he did not teach in school yesterday.
Words like ‘hypocrite’ began to drift through my mind, then he began to tell his story. A little girl that attends our school became sick early in the morning, possibly just after school began. Dee investigated into her situation and decided to take her home. She had been vomiting and required rest, medicine, and the care of her family. So, because of her weakened condition, Dee began to carry her the three miles to her home. On the way, the watering system began to deliver the much needed water to the newly planted corn, bean, and vegetable crops all over the hills of Lassin. The little girl in his arms was beginning to become soaked in the torrential rain. Dee took off his shirt and covered the girl. When they arrived at the girl’s compound, the place was vacant. The whole family was out planting in their farm. He carried her to a neighbor’s place, finding someone to care for her he left for the health center, picked up some ‘meksin’ and returned to the girl. By this time it was too late for him to trek the hour back to the school so he just went home. Well, I never mentioned the ‘hypocrite’ thing.

Divine also told me how he plans to be ‘more busy during summer vacation than I am now.’ He is adding to the list of people interested in seeing the New Beginnings Bible study in Noone. He plans to carry the laptop to their homes all through rainy season. You know, God also plans on visiting with people in their homes this summer, do you know anybody on His list? I love these stories. I’m going to miss this people; they have become my family too.

This brings us to Elebert and Merlisa. They left Canada with their 9 month old daughter to arrive in Lassin in early April. They are sweet and love Jesus. I immediately dumped the Sabbath sermon responsibility on Elebert who picked it up happily. They are sharing a house with Jess, but plan to move into this sumptuous pad upon our departure. They have begun to trek out to the school daily. They’re toughening up just fine. I feel for them as I sit here in my Bible study production room warm and dry listening to the rain pound on the roof as they are held hostage at the school by weather. They’ll make it.

Our staff are quickly developing friendships with them. Elebert seems to be taking the 5th grade and Merlisa wants the 3rd / 4th grade room.
We still need our local teachers for a myriad of social and language reasons, but it looks like the school will be in willing hands too.

The other blog entry, I made a big mistake, saying that we did not need any more boxes of Primary Treasures, Young Disciples, or Adult Sabbath School lessons (as if every person in English speaking Cameroon already had a library full). We need them! Last Sabbath, Divine told me that Carol has been using incorrect terminology (in an amazingly polite way). He explained that there is nothing such as a ‘children’s Bible lesson’. He said that we all start learning the lessons at the simple beginning and work up. Apparently, adults around town are enjoying the Primary Treasures too. They will find someone to read it to them and they are loving them.

A pharmacist at the Lassin Baptist Health Center has been coming to get his cell phone charged at our place. One day I gave him an adult Sabbath school lesson on ‘Fruits of the Spirit’. He loved it, but a friend begged it, another friend begged it from the other, and Elvis has not seen it since. He explained that his Baptist Christians (I just learned that he is a lay pastor too) were missing the lessons that he was preaching to them from the book, and “can I have another copy?”. I gave him one of the last two copies. I gave him a hand full of Steps to Jesus for the group. He was delighted. His cell phone does not dent our power supply, his desire for the word of God is a big deal. We need to keep his church supplied every couple months or so.

Plans for school growth are limited to adding 6th grade next year and accepting only 1st graders. School finances should be about $250 per month plus repairs and expansion; what a relief after pouring funds into the place this year. The buildings look like a “university”
according to the Fon, and most anyone else you meet in town. Thank you so much for your donations! This summer, we’ll thank you individually.

School repairs are – new rafters for 3 of the rooms; some old American guy thought that saggy rafters are not cool. The well still needs a bit of concrete for the floor and plaster for the walls, and an ‘India II’ hand pump. This should do until dry season comes and Elebert will be considering where to build a 7th grade classroom for the next year; he will be expanding the school a classroom at a time until there is a secondary school.

I’m working on lesson 13 of 26 It Is Written, New Beginnings Bible lessons in Pidgin. I promised our pastor and Charles that I would be done before we leave on May 2 (yes, May 2). It seems that Pidgin “English” is the connecting language between these ever-so-many local dialects. Our pastor has a group of English speakers in Kumbo that are waiting for a series in Pidgin in his house; that thick Southern Californian accent is too difficult for them. He also has a group of Noone speakers that will meet to hear the lessons in their ‘mada tongue’; nothing sounds so sweet as Noone (to a Noni person).

Okay, I’ve been writing this too long and need to get back to work.
However, this is a happening place and you should get to hear the stories. There are more… got your visa application filled out?
Passport still valid for two years? You could… Think I’m kidding? Not!

Fresh mango and pineapple stains on our throats we press on in really Good Hands,

Steve & Carol Rose

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