NduTime

The road ahead; I can only see my next few steps

2009-07-30T17:24:00.001-05:00

I took this picture in June. It is a Forest Service road about 15 miles up the Gunflint trail. It is a good picture of my life right now. The road in only visible for a short distance - As we raise support to be career missionaries we don't know who will partner with us and who won't. The foliage is green and rich - throughout this process God is very faithful in his provision for our needs-we are past the 50% mark so far. There is a sign post - we are oriented to our place - we are were God has right now and he has given us direction. There is a road - our way has been prepared for us.
I have posted this picture and these reflections because I have recently quit my part-time job and I am currently diving in to support raising full-time. It is a step of faith and at times feels a little foolish to be giving up a good job in a tough economy, but I believe it is what God is calling me to do. Please keep us in your prayers as we discover who God has prepared for us to partner with.

Cameroon Timeline by BBC

2009-07-30T17:09:00.000-05:00

Timeline: Cameroon

A chronology of key events:

1520 - Portuguese set up sugar plantations and begin slave trade in Cameroon.

1884 - Germans extend protectorate over Cameroon.

1916 - British and French troops force Germans to leave Cameroon.

1919 - London Declaration divides Cameroon into a British administrative zone (20 %) and a French one (80 %).

Independence

1960 - French Cameroon granted independence and becomes the Republic of Cameroon with Ahidjo as president.

1972 - Cameroon becomes a unitary state and is renamed the United Republic of Cameroon.

Paul Biya era

1982 - Prime Minister Paul Biya succeeds Ahidjo, who resigns.

1984 - Biya elected to his first full term as president, changes the country's name to the Republic of Cameroon.

1986 - Discharge of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos kills nearly 2,000 people.

1992 October - Biya re-elected in Cameroon's first multiparty presidential election.

1994 - Fighting between Cameroon and Nigeria flares up over disputed oil-rich Bakassa Peninsula.

1996 May - Cameroon and Nigeria agree to UN mediation over Bakassa Peninsula.

1997 October - Biya re-elected president in ballot that is boycotted by main opposition parties.

1998 - Cameroon classed as the most corrupt country in the world by business monitor Transparency International.

2000 June - World Bank approves funding for oil and pipeline project in Cameroon and Chad despite strong criticism from environmental and human rights activists.

2000 October - Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon denounces corruption, saying it has permeated all levels of society.

2001 June - Fears for Cameroon's environment increase, with Global Forest Watch reporting that 80% of the country's indigenous forests have been allocated for logging.

2001 October - Growing tension between Biya government and separatists lobbying on behalf of country's 5m English-speakers. Unrest results in three deaths, several arrests.

2002 July - Parliamentary and municipal elections; opposition claims fraud and vote-rigging.

Bakassi ruling

2002 October - Ruling by International Court of Justice (ICJ) gives sovereignty of oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon. But Nigeria, whose forces occupy the area, rejects the ruling.

2003 December - Nigeria hands over 32 villages to Cameroon as part of the 2002 ICJ border deal. In January 2004 both countries agree to mount joint border patrols.

2004 November - Paul Biya wins new seven-year term as president.

The Paris Club of major lending nations agrees to cancel almost all of Cameroon's $3.5bn debt.

2006 August - A ceremony marks the transfer of the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon after Nigeria completes its troop withdrawal from the area.

2006 December - Up to 30,000 refugees fleeing conflicts in Chad and the Central African Republic have crossed into east Cameroon over the past 18 months, the UN refugee agency UNHCR reports.

2007 May - A Kenya Airways plane crashes, killing all 114 people on board.

2007 July - Legislative elections. President Biya's party retains a majority in parliament.

2007 November - Suspected Nigerian militants kill 21 Cameroon soldiers in Bakassi Peninsula.

Nigerian senate rejects Nigeria-Cameroon agreement for hand-over of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.

2008 January - Opposition leaders slam President Biya's New Year message hinting at changing constitution to extend president's term in office.

2008 February - A nationwide transport strike in protest at fuel costs turns into a series of anti-government demonstrations in the capital, Yaoundé, leaving at least 17 dead.

2008 April - Parliament amends the constitution to allow President Biya to run for a third term in 2011. The opposition condemns the move as a "constitutional coup".

2008 August - Nigeria hands over the potentially oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, bringing an end to a long-standing dispute over the territory.

Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1021488.stm
Published: 2008/11/07 10:54:40 GMT © BBC MMIX

Five Burdens God Promises to Carry

2008-11-30T17:21:00.005-06:00

Taken from John Piper's talk at Missions at the Main Hall (see previous post). It was a good word. Here are the five burdens God promises to carry:

Our sins: Isaiah 53:11, I Peter 2:24
Our anxieties: I Peter 5:7

Anxiety that we won't have what we need Phil. 4:19
Anxiety that we will be useless in ministry I Cor. 15:58
Anxiety that we are too weak II Cor. 12:9
Anxiety about decisions Psalm 32:8
Anxiety about opponents or adversaries Rom 8:33
Anxiety about affliction Psalm 34:19
Anxiety about aging Isaiah 46:4
Anxiety about dying Rom 14:7-9
Anxiety that we will not persevere Phil 1:6

Our Burdens: Psalm 55:22
The Cause of Justice for Me: I Peter 2:23
You: Isaiah 46:3-4, 10

Missionary Appointee Training 2008

2008-11-08T17:18:00.005-06:00

We got a surprise visit by President Jerry Sheveland! What a blessing to be prayed for by him.

We are in Chicago at the headquarters of Converge Worldwide/BGC for training. We also worked for two days on a producing a video of our future ministry in Cameroon--coming soon to a city near you. Tomorrow morning we are sharing our ministry at Bethany Baptist Harwood Height IL.

Here are a few pictures from our time...

Missions in the Main Hall

2008-11-03T23:00:00.002-06:00

Last night we attended "Missions at the Main Hall" for our annual dose of Pastor John's heart-to-heart chat about missions. This event used to be called "Missions at the Manse" until it became unrealistic for the Pipers to host 250 or more people in their living room. Piper shared about 5 loads that God pledges to carry for us. It was powerful. Hopefully there will soon be a link to it from the DG blog.

Additionally, three experienced missionaries spoke on the topic of what they wished they would have known before going. The highlights:

Know your language-learning style before engaging in it
Find a team/agency/leaders who will hold you accountable to learning the language--premise those who are held the most accountable usually have a higher degree of success in learning the language
Visit the team you will join at their actual ministry site, not a conference or at a vacation place, and take the whole family--well worth the investment to get a true picture of what it will be like
Relationships: write out your expectations for each other and discuss them with your colleagues, especially if you are friends
Roles: be sure that you have a well-defined, legitimate business esp. if doing business as mission
Read missionary biographies and other books to help you prepare. Kimberly I. suggested After the Boxes are Unpacked by Susan Miller
And my personal favorite: have specific verses already chosen that can help you weather the difficult times... I Cor 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Pastor Erik conclude by saying even when we try to solidify all our expectations, one guarantee is that things will change, and we will still need to be flexible.