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