Dear Friends and Family,
Ok, so this past week could quite possibly go down as the most hardcore week of my entire life. I preached three time during chapel services and taught 16 hours worth of classes. Two of the preaching days were back-t0-back. It is during weeks such as these that one is able to see the gracious hand of God at work. Early Wednesday morning I began to notice the early signs of sickness. I was like, "This is not good." However, I was determined to trust God and He totally carried me through the rest of the week. I had such a wonderful time preaching to the students this week. My texts were Galatians 5:16-18, 5:22-26 and James 5:19-20. Thursday morning as I stood before the student body and faculty of CBTS I told them, "It still amazes me that I am here in Africa preaching God's word to my brothers and sisters in Christ half-way around the world. This is so cool!" My classes are also going swell. In OT Introduction we completed the Pentateuch this week (Genesis-Deuteronomy). In Hebrew we are already in chapter 9 of the grammar (Pronominal Suffixes). I am still amazed at how quickly we are moving through the grammar--this is certainly not normal, nor should it be, but it is what I have been instructed to do. The majority of the students are doing well, however, some are simply not committing vocabulary to memory which is reflecting poorly on their quiz grades. In Gospels we are in Mark 10. Two more weeks until mid-terms. Can you believe that? Holy Smokes! Today at 1PM I am having some students from one my gospels classes over for tutoring. These students have a difficulty understanding my English accent, so I have agreed to meet with them for the purpose of review. Occasionally I attempt an African accent while teaching but this probably makes things more difficult for the students. Don't misunderstand, most of the students are able to understand me perfectly fine; it's those who have not been accustomed to the English language for very long who are struggling. Tomorrow I am having students over for fellowship. I've invited about 10 students, but am expecting 200--just kidding. I am really looking forward to tomorrow night. I hope to listen to either an N.T. Wrigth/Greg Beale lecture or John Piper sermon, followed by a movie. Also, tomorrow is football (soccer) day. We were victorious last Saturday, 2-1. I told my team that from here on out we would not lose again. This was not prophetic, just my goal for the remainder of the season. Tomorrow's match will be a difficult one. We play New Generation. I'm convinced that half of their team is on steriods or some type of lion tranquilizer. Anyways, thanks again for all of your prayers. I am still feeling ill, but am confident that i am currently on the up-and-up. To God be the glory for this amazing opportunity. I love you all---keep your eyes on Christ.
For His glory,
CT
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
God is good!
Dear Friends and Family,
Ok, I have to make this quick. Last night I had my first preaching opportunity in Cameroon. It was a wonderful blessing. I preached to the students on Galatians 5:16-18 during the Sunday evening vespers service. Here is the cool part. About two days ago I ran into Julius (African Traditional Religion guy) in the village and invited him to the Sunday night service. His words, "I'll be there." I was so excited. Sure enough, last night about 5 minutes before the service began in walked the J-man. After the service we had a wonderful discussion in which he expressed a strong desire to learn more about the Trinity. He asked me if I had any material he could check out. i told him I would provide him with some helpful material. Today, while making some copies for Julius from Wayne Grudem's theology text, guess who walked in? Julius. I was like, "Julius, I'm making your copies right now." He was so excited. Talk about a providential moment. Ok, here is the crazy thing. He has invited me to come to his village to addess his people from the Bible. It seems that I will have the opportunity sometime in the upcoming weeks to preach the gospel to an entire African village. Oh my goodness! Also, today I had my first mentorship meeting with Paul, a blind student in one of my Gospels classes. He asked me two weeks ago if I would spend time with him, mentoring him in the word and in prayer. I prayed about this for 4 or 5 days and then decided to meet with Paul twice a month on Mondays for lunch. I discovered that his blindness was the result of a brutal robbery while he was in Nigeria some time ago. He is a wonderful brother, married and with two kids. His life story is pretty amazing. I would like to say more, but I really must go.
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Ok, I have to make this quick. Last night I had my first preaching opportunity in Cameroon. It was a wonderful blessing. I preached to the students on Galatians 5:16-18 during the Sunday evening vespers service. Here is the cool part. About two days ago I ran into Julius (African Traditional Religion guy) in the village and invited him to the Sunday night service. His words, "I'll be there." I was so excited. Sure enough, last night about 5 minutes before the service began in walked the J-man. After the service we had a wonderful discussion in which he expressed a strong desire to learn more about the Trinity. He asked me if I had any material he could check out. i told him I would provide him with some helpful material. Today, while making some copies for Julius from Wayne Grudem's theology text, guess who walked in? Julius. I was like, "Julius, I'm making your copies right now." He was so excited. Talk about a providential moment. Ok, here is the crazy thing. He has invited me to come to his village to addess his people from the Bible. It seems that I will have the opportunity sometime in the upcoming weeks to preach the gospel to an entire African village. Oh my goodness! Also, today I had my first mentorship meeting with Paul, a blind student in one of my Gospels classes. He asked me two weeks ago if I would spend time with him, mentoring him in the word and in prayer. I prayed about this for 4 or 5 days and then decided to meet with Paul twice a month on Mondays for lunch. I discovered that his blindness was the result of a brutal robbery while he was in Nigeria some time ago. He is a wonderful brother, married and with two kids. His life story is pretty amazing. I would like to say more, but I really must go.
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Friday, February 19, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
Almost six weeks in, a bit hard to believe. However, while here I've noticed that time passes neither too swiftly, nor too slowly. My days are extremely busy, and I have already mentioned to some that teaching here has been like seminary on steroids. Of course my time at seminary remains one of the greatest periods of my life--I know I'm still a young-gun, but I am so thankful for that period of my life. Teaching here has been like seminary on steroids in the following way: I love teaching here, I absolutely do, however, on top of studying the material, much like seminary as a student, I am teaching what i study as well. On Thursdays, after teaching for 6 hours straight I feel like I just got into a fight with Bruce Lee; and yet, I am encouraged by the fact that I am teaching the Scriptures to God's people called to minister the gospel in Cameroon. It has been an unbelievable privilege and I remain so very thankful. Today (Friday), which is usually my day off, I'll be meeting with two students for an independent study on NT Survey-Acts to Revelation. We will be walking through all of Acts 2, Romans 6-8 and 1 Cor. 15:1-8. I'm pretty stoked but am wondering how long this will take--too bad for the students, but we will probably be together for at least 3 hours. I'm hoping to have some students over in the near future, maybe a Friday night, for fellowship. In seminary, the guys and I would get together on the weekends for a movie or Piper Biography. John Piper gives these amazing biographies on heroes of the Christian faith. I may attempt this next Friday. Of course I cannot have every student over--that would be impossible, and yet I hope that students do not get their feelings hurt when they are not invited. I'm hoping for a group of about 6-8, 1 to 2 students from each class. Maybe I can draw names from a hat. Anyways, tomorrow I'm meeting with Ngala, my little Muslim friend, once again. He is planning to come by my home about 11AM for a study of the Bible. After this I will follow him to his home so as to meet his family. I'm not sure what to expect, or how they feel about me sharing Christ with their grandson, but I am excited all the same. Pray that the Lord would give me boldness to share the gospel with the entire family. In other news, Pa seems to be doing better. Until he recovers fully i have hired another cook. Her name is Ansela and she is the mother of 5. She seriously puts Betty Crocker to shame. She makes this sauce called Pepe which I think may have its origin in pieces of our sun that have broken off and fallen to the earth. One drop of this stuff makes my nose bleed and yet I just cannot stop eating it. I'm hoping that it will aid me in my beard growth--a goal of mine while here in Africa. Lastly, I had a wonderful week teaching. My students are so encouraging. My Hebrew class is still going well, but the pace is becoming frightful. Last week we covered four chapter from the grammar--for those of you who have not taken Hebrew, that is insane. The students are coping well, and I hope their desire to learn the language, coupled with God's grace, helps them to endure to the end of the semester. Well, i must be going now. I'm preaching this Sunday night to the students on Gal. 5:16-18. Please keep me in your prayers.
For His glory,
CT
Almost six weeks in, a bit hard to believe. However, while here I've noticed that time passes neither too swiftly, nor too slowly. My days are extremely busy, and I have already mentioned to some that teaching here has been like seminary on steroids. Of course my time at seminary remains one of the greatest periods of my life--I know I'm still a young-gun, but I am so thankful for that period of my life. Teaching here has been like seminary on steroids in the following way: I love teaching here, I absolutely do, however, on top of studying the material, much like seminary as a student, I am teaching what i study as well. On Thursdays, after teaching for 6 hours straight I feel like I just got into a fight with Bruce Lee; and yet, I am encouraged by the fact that I am teaching the Scriptures to God's people called to minister the gospel in Cameroon. It has been an unbelievable privilege and I remain so very thankful. Today (Friday), which is usually my day off, I'll be meeting with two students for an independent study on NT Survey-Acts to Revelation. We will be walking through all of Acts 2, Romans 6-8 and 1 Cor. 15:1-8. I'm pretty stoked but am wondering how long this will take--too bad for the students, but we will probably be together for at least 3 hours. I'm hoping to have some students over in the near future, maybe a Friday night, for fellowship. In seminary, the guys and I would get together on the weekends for a movie or Piper Biography. John Piper gives these amazing biographies on heroes of the Christian faith. I may attempt this next Friday. Of course I cannot have every student over--that would be impossible, and yet I hope that students do not get their feelings hurt when they are not invited. I'm hoping for a group of about 6-8, 1 to 2 students from each class. Maybe I can draw names from a hat. Anyways, tomorrow I'm meeting with Ngala, my little Muslim friend, once again. He is planning to come by my home about 11AM for a study of the Bible. After this I will follow him to his home so as to meet his family. I'm not sure what to expect, or how they feel about me sharing Christ with their grandson, but I am excited all the same. Pray that the Lord would give me boldness to share the gospel with the entire family. In other news, Pa seems to be doing better. Until he recovers fully i have hired another cook. Her name is Ansela and she is the mother of 5. She seriously puts Betty Crocker to shame. She makes this sauce called Pepe which I think may have its origin in pieces of our sun that have broken off and fallen to the earth. One drop of this stuff makes my nose bleed and yet I just cannot stop eating it. I'm hoping that it will aid me in my beard growth--a goal of mine while here in Africa. Lastly, I had a wonderful week teaching. My students are so encouraging. My Hebrew class is still going well, but the pace is becoming frightful. Last week we covered four chapter from the grammar--for those of you who have not taken Hebrew, that is insane. The students are coping well, and I hope their desire to learn the language, coupled with God's grace, helps them to endure to the end of the semester. Well, i must be going now. I'm preaching this Sunday night to the students on Gal. 5:16-18. Please keep me in your prayers.
For His glory,
CT
Monday, February 15, 2010
Dear Friends and Family,
Waysakey? (How are you?) Well, Pa seems to be doing a bit better. I stopped by his home a few days ago to visit him and assess his condition. He is still unable to speak or move his right side very well, however, he is walking with more confidence and his mood has improved. I have to be very careful in this situation. Cameroonian people are very dependent, and therefore see a westerner as a means to their financial improvement. This is what experienced missionaries are telling me. I agreed to pay Pa for the full month, and have decided to pay half his salary for the remainder of my time here in Ndu, or atleast until he is back to full strenght. During my visit with him and his family a few days ago I was presented with a small piece of paper. Pa had handed to me with no reservations. I opened to discover it was their electric bill. Again, it was the equivalent of about $3.00, not a big hit finacially my any means, but I have been told to expect this type of thing much more often in the future. It seems that I have taken Pa's family under my wing. Pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in this situation and that not merely my actions but my words as well would communicate the love of Christ Jesus. Also, I had my first meeting with Ngala this past Saturday. He came by the house about two hours early, which was fine, and we spent about an hour drinking tea and looking at two chapters in Matthew and two chapters in Mark. He seemed to be very interested in the life of Jesus being that much of what I had read to him was new information. I emphasized the deity of Christ and spent time looking at some of the divine perogatives in operation via Jesus, i.e., forgiveness of sin in Mark 2:1-12. After reading through the Bible I took him to sura 23:102-103 of the Koran where it speaks of the day of judgment and the scale by which man's good deeds and evil deeds will be weighed. Muslims believe that if just one more good deed is found than bad deeds then one may safely pass into paradise. I spoke to him of the holiness of God and how because of just one sin committed by man we are unable to enter into God's presence. This led to the sharing of the gospel, whereby i was able to speak to him of God's ultimate sacrifice on behalf of sinful mankind, the substitionary atonement. After our time together he appeared once again at my home, a few hours later, to watch our football team play in the afternoon. We played "New Generation" who was victorious, 4-3. Our team played well but was unable to come away with the "W." It was still a great time of fellowship, and more blood and pain--due to the merciless battle field we play on. Saturday night there was a staff dinner due to the presence of the General Secretary of the Cameroon Baptist Conference. It was a great feast, however, it caused me to be late to my youth meeting. As soon as I was dismissed from the meal, i rounded up all the kids and we headed to my home. We continued our journey together and Mark 1 and spent the rest of the night outside around a camp fire drinking some strange African cola and eating strawberry cookies. One of the kids asked me if I had any country music on my ipod. I was very surprised to hear this, but immediately begin playing some George Strait. She loved it, which made me laugh hysterically. Lastly, my classes are going great. I'm really enjoying my Hebrew class to my surprise. The students have done very well on the first two quizzes. There is one student who is struggling, but I greatly respect his effort. I tutored one of the students Sunday after church which went very well. Well, i have to run.
For His glory,
Chris
P.S. I'm preaching 3 days next week. please pray for me--woooo!
Waysakey? (How are you?) Well, Pa seems to be doing a bit better. I stopped by his home a few days ago to visit him and assess his condition. He is still unable to speak or move his right side very well, however, he is walking with more confidence and his mood has improved. I have to be very careful in this situation. Cameroonian people are very dependent, and therefore see a westerner as a means to their financial improvement. This is what experienced missionaries are telling me. I agreed to pay Pa for the full month, and have decided to pay half his salary for the remainder of my time here in Ndu, or atleast until he is back to full strenght. During my visit with him and his family a few days ago I was presented with a small piece of paper. Pa had handed to me with no reservations. I opened to discover it was their electric bill. Again, it was the equivalent of about $3.00, not a big hit finacially my any means, but I have been told to expect this type of thing much more often in the future. It seems that I have taken Pa's family under my wing. Pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in this situation and that not merely my actions but my words as well would communicate the love of Christ Jesus. Also, I had my first meeting with Ngala this past Saturday. He came by the house about two hours early, which was fine, and we spent about an hour drinking tea and looking at two chapters in Matthew and two chapters in Mark. He seemed to be very interested in the life of Jesus being that much of what I had read to him was new information. I emphasized the deity of Christ and spent time looking at some of the divine perogatives in operation via Jesus, i.e., forgiveness of sin in Mark 2:1-12. After reading through the Bible I took him to sura 23:102-103 of the Koran where it speaks of the day of judgment and the scale by which man's good deeds and evil deeds will be weighed. Muslims believe that if just one more good deed is found than bad deeds then one may safely pass into paradise. I spoke to him of the holiness of God and how because of just one sin committed by man we are unable to enter into God's presence. This led to the sharing of the gospel, whereby i was able to speak to him of God's ultimate sacrifice on behalf of sinful mankind, the substitionary atonement. After our time together he appeared once again at my home, a few hours later, to watch our football team play in the afternoon. We played "New Generation" who was victorious, 4-3. Our team played well but was unable to come away with the "W." It was still a great time of fellowship, and more blood and pain--due to the merciless battle field we play on. Saturday night there was a staff dinner due to the presence of the General Secretary of the Cameroon Baptist Conference. It was a great feast, however, it caused me to be late to my youth meeting. As soon as I was dismissed from the meal, i rounded up all the kids and we headed to my home. We continued our journey together and Mark 1 and spent the rest of the night outside around a camp fire drinking some strange African cola and eating strawberry cookies. One of the kids asked me if I had any country music on my ipod. I was very surprised to hear this, but immediately begin playing some George Strait. She loved it, which made me laugh hysterically. Lastly, my classes are going great. I'm really enjoying my Hebrew class to my surprise. The students have done very well on the first two quizzes. There is one student who is struggling, but I greatly respect his effort. I tutored one of the students Sunday after church which went very well. Well, i have to run.
For His glory,
Chris
P.S. I'm preaching 3 days next week. please pray for me--woooo!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Good news and bad news!
Friends and Family,
Well, I'm torn between divulging the good news or bad news first. I'll begin with the good news. Two days ago I was passing through the village so as to make copies for my classes. There is a small building where I am able to make copies for about 2 cents per page. On the first story of this building is a small shop where many men of the village gather together for discussion--much like a barber shop in the States. I often stop by this store to greet the men gathered together. They often yell, "Hey white man!" The owner of the store is a Muslim by the name of Alhaji. He is a very kind man whose shop provides me with eggs. Back to the story: So, as I passed by the shop two days ago I noticed a rather large group of men gathered together. I strode into the group and greeted all the men gathered. The conversation quickly turned toward Christ, namely, His identity. The main voices in this discussion were mine, another Christian brother, a Muslim and an individual associated with ATR (African Traditional Religion--ancestral intercession)--his name is Julius. We quickly got into it, in a very civilized way--it did not get crazy. I began to address Isaiah 52 and 53, the background for the NT term, "gospel." I talked about the OT expectation of God's coming kingdom associated with His salvation and restoration. I then drew their attention to Christ as the fulfillment of these texts, along with others. We looked at Hebrews, the gospel of John and other places. It was a wonderful conversation. Julius and I are hoping to get together in the near future for more discussion. Surprisingly, he has had interaction with John Piper, when the Pipe-dawg was here visiting the seminary sometime ago. At the end of our conversation Julius admitted the possibility of his being in error. I was very thankful for this opportunity to share the gospel. Also, I will be meeting with a young Muslim boy this Friday so as to talk about Jesus. I have played football (soccer) with him on many occasions, and he often stops by my home to borrow my football and receive free food--it seems that some of the children in the village seldom have more than one solid meal per day. His name is Ngala and he knows very little about Jesus. I am very excited about our time together. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in sharing God's truth with him, and further that the Lord would prepare His heart for our time together. Classes are still going very well. I find myself exhausted at the end of each day, but by God's grace and due to your prayers, I surely believe, He has given me the strength to persevere each day. Teaching 5-6 classes per week is a busy workload, but i love my students very much. Also, the students thrive on confrontation. Don't misunderstand, they respect their professors, however, they are not afraid to ask difficult questions and to challenge the professor on certain points, especially much debated passages. I must come to class ready and prepared--both in prayer and in my studies. Some students even stand up to address me in class--I'm like, "Whoaa wildman!" So far the teacher-student dialogue has been quite enjoyable, and i often find myself impressed by their observations and thoughtful questions. This past Saturday was week two of tournament football (soccer). My team, literally named, "the Winning Team," faced off against Regeneration F.C. They happened to have three semi-pro players from the village. It was a great match which ended in a 3-3 draw. I had two goals and more battle scars. I'm not kidding when I say the field is a death trap. We are currently in the dry season which makes the field hard as a rock. Dust pervades every square inch of ground and somehow finds a way into one's home despite all attempts of prevention. They say that the dust blows south from the Sahara Desert--pretty cool, but dirty. The great thing about Saturday football is that i have the opportunity to play with and against my students. After the match on Sat. I hurried home to prepare for bible study (YOUTH NIGHT). We continued to move through Mark 1, looking at the baptism and temptation of Jesus. Afterwards, we headed outside for our traditional campfire. I played some sweet American tunes for the kids on my i-pod: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Bob Marley--it was hilarious. It was another great night with the kids. Ok, now for the bad news. Last Saturday, Pa Zachaeus, my cook, did not come into work. I figured that he may have become sick, but nothing too serious. I received a call from his wife on Monday concerning his condition. All I could gather is that he had had a high fever, which indicated the possibility of Malaria. Tuesday I had Ma Yong, a wonderful missionary and my next door neighbor, take me to his home to visit him. Upon visiting him I found out that it was much worse than i could have imagined. He had experienced a stroke, leaving his entire right side paralyzed. Furthermore he is unable to speak. I was so broken to see him in this condition. Worse yet, he refused to go to the hospital, wanting to first place his trust in traditional religion for aid. There are many "Christians" who still cling to their traditional religious beliefs. I was very saddened to here this, knowing then that Pa was not a true believer. At the end of our visit I asked him if i could pray for him. He was willing. When i returned home, i went immediately to the health center to explain his condition to the local physician. He expressed great concern and encouraged me to go back so as to plea that Pa Zachaeus come to the health center for a thorough check up. This morning I returned to his home determined. I explained the dangers of his condition and the need to get checked out by a doctor. I told him i would cover the fees (a consultation is the equivalent of 75 cents in US money). He agreed to go tomorrow morning. Please pray for physical healing on behalf of Pa, but more importantly that his eyes would be opened to the gospel. I will be meeting him at his home at 9am tomorrow to help get him to the health center. Although he is a wild man and the batman of Cameroon, his condition seems to be very serious. He is quite old for a Cameroonian, and is probably not expected to live much longer. Just pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in making him aware of the salvation available solely in Christ, and to help him see the importance of severing his ties with traditional African religion. Again, i greatly appreciate all of your prayers. Well, i must be going.
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Well, I'm torn between divulging the good news or bad news first. I'll begin with the good news. Two days ago I was passing through the village so as to make copies for my classes. There is a small building where I am able to make copies for about 2 cents per page. On the first story of this building is a small shop where many men of the village gather together for discussion--much like a barber shop in the States. I often stop by this store to greet the men gathered together. They often yell, "Hey white man!" The owner of the store is a Muslim by the name of Alhaji. He is a very kind man whose shop provides me with eggs. Back to the story: So, as I passed by the shop two days ago I noticed a rather large group of men gathered together. I strode into the group and greeted all the men gathered. The conversation quickly turned toward Christ, namely, His identity. The main voices in this discussion were mine, another Christian brother, a Muslim and an individual associated with ATR (African Traditional Religion--ancestral intercession)--his name is Julius. We quickly got into it, in a very civilized way--it did not get crazy. I began to address Isaiah 52 and 53, the background for the NT term, "gospel." I talked about the OT expectation of God's coming kingdom associated with His salvation and restoration. I then drew their attention to Christ as the fulfillment of these texts, along with others. We looked at Hebrews, the gospel of John and other places. It was a wonderful conversation. Julius and I are hoping to get together in the near future for more discussion. Surprisingly, he has had interaction with John Piper, when the Pipe-dawg was here visiting the seminary sometime ago. At the end of our conversation Julius admitted the possibility of his being in error. I was very thankful for this opportunity to share the gospel. Also, I will be meeting with a young Muslim boy this Friday so as to talk about Jesus. I have played football (soccer) with him on many occasions, and he often stops by my home to borrow my football and receive free food--it seems that some of the children in the village seldom have more than one solid meal per day. His name is Ngala and he knows very little about Jesus. I am very excited about our time together. Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in sharing God's truth with him, and further that the Lord would prepare His heart for our time together. Classes are still going very well. I find myself exhausted at the end of each day, but by God's grace and due to your prayers, I surely believe, He has given me the strength to persevere each day. Teaching 5-6 classes per week is a busy workload, but i love my students very much. Also, the students thrive on confrontation. Don't misunderstand, they respect their professors, however, they are not afraid to ask difficult questions and to challenge the professor on certain points, especially much debated passages. I must come to class ready and prepared--both in prayer and in my studies. Some students even stand up to address me in class--I'm like, "Whoaa wildman!" So far the teacher-student dialogue has been quite enjoyable, and i often find myself impressed by their observations and thoughtful questions. This past Saturday was week two of tournament football (soccer). My team, literally named, "the Winning Team," faced off against Regeneration F.C. They happened to have three semi-pro players from the village. It was a great match which ended in a 3-3 draw. I had two goals and more battle scars. I'm not kidding when I say the field is a death trap. We are currently in the dry season which makes the field hard as a rock. Dust pervades every square inch of ground and somehow finds a way into one's home despite all attempts of prevention. They say that the dust blows south from the Sahara Desert--pretty cool, but dirty. The great thing about Saturday football is that i have the opportunity to play with and against my students. After the match on Sat. I hurried home to prepare for bible study (YOUTH NIGHT). We continued to move through Mark 1, looking at the baptism and temptation of Jesus. Afterwards, we headed outside for our traditional campfire. I played some sweet American tunes for the kids on my i-pod: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Bob Marley--it was hilarious. It was another great night with the kids. Ok, now for the bad news. Last Saturday, Pa Zachaeus, my cook, did not come into work. I figured that he may have become sick, but nothing too serious. I received a call from his wife on Monday concerning his condition. All I could gather is that he had had a high fever, which indicated the possibility of Malaria. Tuesday I had Ma Yong, a wonderful missionary and my next door neighbor, take me to his home to visit him. Upon visiting him I found out that it was much worse than i could have imagined. He had experienced a stroke, leaving his entire right side paralyzed. Furthermore he is unable to speak. I was so broken to see him in this condition. Worse yet, he refused to go to the hospital, wanting to first place his trust in traditional religion for aid. There are many "Christians" who still cling to their traditional religious beliefs. I was very saddened to here this, knowing then that Pa was not a true believer. At the end of our visit I asked him if i could pray for him. He was willing. When i returned home, i went immediately to the health center to explain his condition to the local physician. He expressed great concern and encouraged me to go back so as to plea that Pa Zachaeus come to the health center for a thorough check up. This morning I returned to his home determined. I explained the dangers of his condition and the need to get checked out by a doctor. I told him i would cover the fees (a consultation is the equivalent of 75 cents in US money). He agreed to go tomorrow morning. Please pray for physical healing on behalf of Pa, but more importantly that his eyes would be opened to the gospel. I will be meeting him at his home at 9am tomorrow to help get him to the health center. Although he is a wild man and the batman of Cameroon, his condition seems to be very serious. He is quite old for a Cameroonian, and is probably not expected to live much longer. Just pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in making him aware of the salvation available solely in Christ, and to help him see the importance of severing his ties with traditional African religion. Again, i greatly appreciate all of your prayers. Well, i must be going.
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Friday, February 5, 2010
Need to clarify
Sorry, after reading through my last post i noticed some mistakes.
- My Hebrew students did very well on their first quiz. Also, the kids followed me home, not hope. My health is good and i am also sleeping quite well--a nice change (early to bed and early to rise--my Pops would be proud).
Furthermore, i failed to mention a pretty interesting story. Yesterday, a Christian book distributor donated a few thousand books to the students at Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary. The students were organized in lines before several book tables and were allowed to choose up to 5-7 books a piece. I have never seen such excitement. It reminded me of the Christian Book Distributor warehouse sales when i was in seminary, but on steroids. The students would get their books and immediately begin waving them in the air as if they were holding up a great trophy of some sort. I realized how needy these people really are. Most of the books were old and provided very little contribution to Christian scholarship. I was rummaging through the books, desperately trying to find books that would be a blessing for the students in their studies while in seminary. Many of these students are lacking a good bible--that is hard to imagine with them being in seminary. Don't misunderstand me--many of these students know God's word very well, it's just that they lack resources which would be of great value for students in seminary. I hope to leave Cameroon in just my underwear and a t-shirt. Pardon the hyperbole. In two of my classes i have assigned papers, an OT theology paper and a gospels' exegesis paper. As an incentive for hard work, i have promised to reward the top paper writers with a commentary and OT theology text. All I'm saying is that it will be difficult not to leave everything behind for those whose needs are so much greater than my own. Please pray that God would provide for the needs of these students. Many of them are struggling greatly just to pay their fees to stay in seminary--it seems to be a semester by semester struggle. Also, pray that i would continue to be able to see my students through the eyes of Christ and that i might be able to communicate to them clearly the truths of God's word. The need for the gospel, although great worldwide, is especially great here in Cameroon. These students will be tomorrow' s pastors and missionaries in Cameroon. Pray that the Lord would prepare them well, and that I would be used in that work during my short stay here.
For the glory of Christ Jesus,
Chris Taylor
- My Hebrew students did very well on their first quiz. Also, the kids followed me home, not hope. My health is good and i am also sleeping quite well--a nice change (early to bed and early to rise--my Pops would be proud).
Furthermore, i failed to mention a pretty interesting story. Yesterday, a Christian book distributor donated a few thousand books to the students at Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary. The students were organized in lines before several book tables and were allowed to choose up to 5-7 books a piece. I have never seen such excitement. It reminded me of the Christian Book Distributor warehouse sales when i was in seminary, but on steroids. The students would get their books and immediately begin waving them in the air as if they were holding up a great trophy of some sort. I realized how needy these people really are. Most of the books were old and provided very little contribution to Christian scholarship. I was rummaging through the books, desperately trying to find books that would be a blessing for the students in their studies while in seminary. Many of these students are lacking a good bible--that is hard to imagine with them being in seminary. Don't misunderstand me--many of these students know God's word very well, it's just that they lack resources which would be of great value for students in seminary. I hope to leave Cameroon in just my underwear and a t-shirt. Pardon the hyperbole. In two of my classes i have assigned papers, an OT theology paper and a gospels' exegesis paper. As an incentive for hard work, i have promised to reward the top paper writers with a commentary and OT theology text. All I'm saying is that it will be difficult not to leave everything behind for those whose needs are so much greater than my own. Please pray that God would provide for the needs of these students. Many of them are struggling greatly just to pay their fees to stay in seminary--it seems to be a semester by semester struggle. Also, pray that i would continue to be able to see my students through the eyes of Christ and that i might be able to communicate to them clearly the truths of God's word. The need for the gospel, although great worldwide, is especially great here in Cameroon. These students will be tomorrow' s pastors and missionaries in Cameroon. Pray that the Lord would prepare them well, and that I would be used in that work during my short stay here.
For the glory of Christ Jesus,
Chris Taylor
Survived my first week of teaching--Praise Jesus!
Dear Friends and Family,
Well, i survived my first week of teaching. What a week it was! I absolutely love my classes, especially Intro. to Old Testament. This class is composed of both MA and BA students, all of which seem very excited about studying God's word--so much so that many students stayed after class yesterday to continue discussing Genesis 3--this was after 3hrs together. These guys and gals are hardcore. I must mention how thankful i am for OT scholar, M. Kline. His works have inspired my lectures greatly. I was a bit concerned with my Hebrew students after our first day together. They were terrified by the Hebrew alphabet--I told them to quit whimpering and to get tough--just kidding. We had our first quiz yesterday, and the students to very well. In this class i have three french speakers, however, they seem to be able to follow the lectures very well so far. I must tell you guys about a crazy incident i had earlier this week. A massive group of lil turteheads (mostly 5 and 6 yr olds) followed me hope this past Monday. I told them that i could not play due to the amount of work i had to do in preparation for the next day's classes. They wouldn't listen, and thus began the chaos. I happen to have this massive fruit producing plant in my front yard which caught the kids' eyes. They poured through my fence and literally begin diving into the plant (lil pirates). This began a game which consisted of me picking up kids over my head and throwing them (just kidding, gently setting them) over my fence. After about 30 minutes of this I realized my great need to get inside and begin studying. So what did i do? I released Scamp, my wild dog, who quickly devoured 5 of the children. In all honesty this game continued for about an hour until both myself and the kids were exhausted--i'd like to say that i was victorious, but my naked plant is evidence of their vicotry. Again, i greatly appreciate everyone who is praying for me--God has been very good to me, as He always is, even in the midst of suffering. Please continue to pray for my Hebrew students. We had a good first week together, but as some of you know, it will continue to get more and more difficult as we progress. I am so thankful to be here in Cameroon and look forward to the weeks ahead. Tomorrow is week 2 of tournament football (soccer). It's on!
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Well, i survived my first week of teaching. What a week it was! I absolutely love my classes, especially Intro. to Old Testament. This class is composed of both MA and BA students, all of which seem very excited about studying God's word--so much so that many students stayed after class yesterday to continue discussing Genesis 3--this was after 3hrs together. These guys and gals are hardcore. I must mention how thankful i am for OT scholar, M. Kline. His works have inspired my lectures greatly. I was a bit concerned with my Hebrew students after our first day together. They were terrified by the Hebrew alphabet--I told them to quit whimpering and to get tough--just kidding. We had our first quiz yesterday, and the students to very well. In this class i have three french speakers, however, they seem to be able to follow the lectures very well so far. I must tell you guys about a crazy incident i had earlier this week. A massive group of lil turteheads (mostly 5 and 6 yr olds) followed me hope this past Monday. I told them that i could not play due to the amount of work i had to do in preparation for the next day's classes. They wouldn't listen, and thus began the chaos. I happen to have this massive fruit producing plant in my front yard which caught the kids' eyes. They poured through my fence and literally begin diving into the plant (lil pirates). This began a game which consisted of me picking up kids over my head and throwing them (just kidding, gently setting them) over my fence. After about 30 minutes of this I realized my great need to get inside and begin studying. So what did i do? I released Scamp, my wild dog, who quickly devoured 5 of the children. In all honesty this game continued for about an hour until both myself and the kids were exhausted--i'd like to say that i was victorious, but my naked plant is evidence of their vicotry. Again, i greatly appreciate everyone who is praying for me--God has been very good to me, as He always is, even in the midst of suffering. Please continue to pray for my Hebrew students. We had a good first week together, but as some of you know, it will continue to get more and more difficult as we progress. I am so thankful to be here in Cameroon and look forward to the weeks ahead. Tomorrow is week 2 of tournament football (soccer). It's on!
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Beginning
Dear Friends and Family,
Today was the beginning--my first day of teaching. I hardly slept last night thinking about my first day with the students. I had Old Testament Introduction from 8:15AM-11:20. It was a wonderful time. I must remember to speak very slowly, being that not all of my students are native English speakers (some are Francafones (French speakers)). The class was very interactive, which i encouraged at the outset. The students appear to be very bright and very eager to study the Old Testament. I was quite surprised at how quickly i was able to move through 6 pages of notes. There are 32 students in the class. Today was more of an introduction and we will begin in the Genesis 1 this Thursday. It's gonna be sweet. Tomorrow I have Introduction to Biblical Hebrew and the Gospels. I am very excited about my Gospels course, and am equally excited about Hebrew and yet am approaching this course with a bit of fear concerning the large amount of material i have been asked to cover in a very short time. Pray for the students. Ok, so this past Saturday tournament soccer began. There are four teams made of students from the seminary. These guys are unbelievable football (soccer) players. We played on what resembled a war-zone. There were massive holes and grass knee high in certain places on a pitch 120 yards in length. It was awesome. Within the first 5 minutes of play I was served a sweet cross from the left side about 18 yards away from the goal keeper. I lept forward heading the ball into the left corner of the goal. I stood up a bit surprised that i had actually made contact and was immediately accepted by the Cameroonian players. My legs were bleeding from the fall, but I was so excited I didn't have time to notice until after the game. Please do not misunderstand. For the rest of the game I was pretty much dominated by these players. It was just sweet to get a goal for my team--praise the Lord! When I arrived home Saturday evening I had about 30 minutes before the youth arrived for our weekly youth meeting. I made a decision to take the students through the gospel of Mark. Although last week we studies chapter 2, i began afresh in chapter 1, verse 1. It was a good time, and the students seemed pretty engaged during the study. After studying God's word we went outside for a small fire and snacks. The kids told stories, most of which I could not understand, but they enjoyed themselves immensely. Once the fire died down, we headed inside for Remember the Titans on my laptop. The kids loved it. They would laught hysterically whenever the players came out in their uniforms and gear. They could not get over the shoulder pads and tight pants--they thought it was the funniest thing ever. I told them that they better not disrespect american football in the presence of a Texan--heck, shoot! I must go now.
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
Today was the beginning--my first day of teaching. I hardly slept last night thinking about my first day with the students. I had Old Testament Introduction from 8:15AM-11:20. It was a wonderful time. I must remember to speak very slowly, being that not all of my students are native English speakers (some are Francafones (French speakers)). The class was very interactive, which i encouraged at the outset. The students appear to be very bright and very eager to study the Old Testament. I was quite surprised at how quickly i was able to move through 6 pages of notes. There are 32 students in the class. Today was more of an introduction and we will begin in the Genesis 1 this Thursday. It's gonna be sweet. Tomorrow I have Introduction to Biblical Hebrew and the Gospels. I am very excited about my Gospels course, and am equally excited about Hebrew and yet am approaching this course with a bit of fear concerning the large amount of material i have been asked to cover in a very short time. Pray for the students. Ok, so this past Saturday tournament soccer began. There are four teams made of students from the seminary. These guys are unbelievable football (soccer) players. We played on what resembled a war-zone. There were massive holes and grass knee high in certain places on a pitch 120 yards in length. It was awesome. Within the first 5 minutes of play I was served a sweet cross from the left side about 18 yards away from the goal keeper. I lept forward heading the ball into the left corner of the goal. I stood up a bit surprised that i had actually made contact and was immediately accepted by the Cameroonian players. My legs were bleeding from the fall, but I was so excited I didn't have time to notice until after the game. Please do not misunderstand. For the rest of the game I was pretty much dominated by these players. It was just sweet to get a goal for my team--praise the Lord! When I arrived home Saturday evening I had about 30 minutes before the youth arrived for our weekly youth meeting. I made a decision to take the students through the gospel of Mark. Although last week we studies chapter 2, i began afresh in chapter 1, verse 1. It was a good time, and the students seemed pretty engaged during the study. After studying God's word we went outside for a small fire and snacks. The kids told stories, most of which I could not understand, but they enjoyed themselves immensely. Once the fire died down, we headed inside for Remember the Titans on my laptop. The kids loved it. They would laught hysterically whenever the players came out in their uniforms and gear. They could not get over the shoulder pads and tight pants--they thought it was the funniest thing ever. I told them that they better not disrespect american football in the presence of a Texan--heck, shoot! I must go now.
For His glory,
Chris Taylor
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