Death in Cameroon

One of the ladies in our church died today. Death is handled a little differently in Cameroon than it is in America. After the lady died, it was up to the family to transport the body to the morgue. As in America, those in the church with pick-ups must always be ready when someone in the church is in need; so our co-worker took her truck to the hospital to transport the body.

When we got to the morgue, we first had to wait until the man that runs the morgue got there. Then someone went to the pharmacy to buy the formaldehyde. It was then discovered that the cooler at the morgue was full; so there were several options: 1) move the bodies closer together to make room for one more; 2) move a small body to the floor to make room for the new body; 3) leave the new body on the floor until space opens up tomorrow; and 4) take the body directly to the house. In the end, they decided to leave her body on the floor and put it in the cooler tomorrow when one of the other bodies is taken.

People often wait a long time before the funeral to allow family member to travel in from out of town (I guess that would explain why the morgue was full). Next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, the church will go to the family's house to sing, pray, read the Bible, etc. Next Friday the family will pick up the body from the morgue and take it to their house. The funeral and burial will be on Saturday.

Washing Machine Repairs

We are thankful for mechanical missionaries who come to visit us from time to time. This week the Studdards, who are missionaries in the Far North of Cameroon, have been in Foumban. Yesterday Randy fixed our wringer washing machine. We are thankful for his mechanical abilities and for the other missionaries here who no longer use wringer washers and who allow us to take parts from their machines to use in ours. Randy did suggest, however, that we start to think about investing in a new washing machine.

Amy has had some major events in her life this week. She has another tooth coming in. She has had 2 teeth for several months, and now a third is finally arriving. She also also been standing up on her own. She usually chooses to do this on a soft surface such as a bed. We have tried to convince her that it is easier to stand on more solid objects, but she seems to prefer the soft cushioning when she falls.

In our prayer letter we mentioned the dust storm that had arrived. We are thankful that the dust has cleared and that it has been raining some the last few days.

Prayer Letter

February-March 2010

We would like to begin this prayer letter with a Cameroonian weather update. Each year around this time of year winds from the Sahara Desert fill the sky throughout Cameroon with sand. The sky stays hazy for several days; in the past, however, it has affected only the sky. This year was different. We awoke last Saturday morning to the visibility in the picture on the right (the picture on the left shows about the same view when the skies are mostly clear) but also to a layer of dust covering everything inside the house. This continued for several days not only in Foumban but in all of Cameroon. We asked people how often this happens, and they said that it has never happened before.

We have had several special services in the church in the last couple of months: Friend Day on February 7, a Family Conference March 18-21, and a deacon ordination service on March 21. Please pray for fruit from these services as there were many visitors who attended them.

We were very excited as the church in Foumban ordained Asong and Samuel as its first national deacons (see photo at right). We are thankful for the example of service these men were giving even before they were elected deacons.

The church was very excited about the teaching at the Family Conference by Marshall Fant, a visiting pastor from the States. The people showed their eagerness to learn as they asked many good questions and faithfully attended the sessions. On Saturday of the conference, the ladies had a special session, which lasted an hour and a half. That was immediately followed by the regular session, which also lasted an hour and a half. Many people then stayed another hour for a question-and-answer session. Biblical instruction on this subject is a great need in Cameroon. Purity before marriage and faithfulness in marriage are concepts that are completely foreign to most Cameroonians. Danny is currently examining marital customs here from a biblical perspective for his dissertation for a Doctor of Ministry degree. Pray that this will be a means of teaching biblical principles concerning these issues throughout Cameroon.

Please pray for wisdom for us and our coworkers as we plan for the future. Pray for us as we continue to bring the Bible Baptist Church of Foumban under complete national leadership. Bringing the church under national leadership will allow us to expand our ministry, and we need wisdom to know which direction to go.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support. Please continue to pray that the Lord will meet our need to increase our monthly support. Please also continue to pray for the authorization of the Cameroon Bible Fellowship. We pray that the Lord will bless you because of your faithfulness to pray for us.

In Christ,

Danny, Carrie, Jimmy, William, Joel, and Amy