Dear Friends and Family,
Well, the end is definitely in sight, a fact which is a bit painful to realize. Of course I look forward to coming home to see friends and family, but am beginning to understand just how difficult it will be for me to leave this place. All the parents in the village are beginning to approach me saying, "Creez, do you know how painful it will be for our children when you leave?" I simply say, "It's going to be hard for me as well." Currently my days are spent grading and playing with the village munchkins--bible studies and Makam (their version of "tag"). All grades must be submitted by Friday, which I assure you will be no easy task. As I look at the stacks of theology papers and exams on my kitchen table I am reminded of the summer when I climbed Mt. Washington with two of my best friends, Matt Ramsey and Brigham "the OG" Lee. As I stood at the base of the mountain I remember looking up thinking, "Wow, this is not going to be easy!" I have the same feeling concerning the K2-sized paper stack on my kitchen table. Always by God's grace! Concerning the heading "pigeon English" I find myself speaking this odd language more and more as of lately. Even some of the older youth have taken notice saying, "Creez, you are learning to speak Pigeon?" "I guess so," I reply. A quick story: Last week I was down at the stream gathering water with a large group of children who were busy doing the same thing. As i made the journey from the valley back towards my home, I notice that a whole host of children began to follow me. i looked back, smiled, and continued on my journey. When I arrived back at the house i counted about 16 kids on my heels. I said, "Bible study?" And they said, "Yes." We sat down on my front porch and I took them through John 4, the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It was awesome. I think more than anyting, well, besides teaching my seminary students, I will miss bible studies with the children. Another story: last week, specifically on Thursday, after administering my final exam for gospels I left the classroom and was approached by a few of my students. One of them said, "Pastor Chris, I have been greatly challenged and influenced by our gospels class this semester. I now read the gospels in light of the Old Testament and feel equipped and confident to teach the gospels." I report this for the glory of Christ. This has been my prayer for my students all semester, and to hear such comments from my students is a wonderful testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness. It is such a blessing to be used by the Almighty for His kingdom work. Throughout this semester I have realized my inadequacies, which has caused me to see that only in Christ can we be effective for the kingdom. Please keep me in your prayers as i continue to grade, prepare for my final class beginning on June 7 and prepare for my transition back to the States. To God be the glory. Oh yeah, after finishing with exams last week i began to watch the mini-series, "Band of Brothers." Wow, it is quite wonderful and made for a nice break.
In Christ,
CT
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wooooo! Wooooo! African Dress, Football in the Rain & Bear Grylls!
Dear Friends and Family,
The double "WOOO" battle cry signals the completion of the Spring semester. It has been wonderful. Last Thursday, my final day of class, as I walked out of OT Introduction I lifted my hands in praise and seriously considered doing 5 consecutive flip-flops down the dirt road in front of the seminary, but decided against it. Because this past Thursday was a national holiday (Ascension Day) most classes were canceled. However, because we only had two chapters left in the Hebrew grammar, I encouraged my Hebrew class to meet at 7AM so as to finish out the grammar (the dreaded Hithpael Stem). I also promised them snacks if they came for class--they were more than happy to. When I arrived, a bit groggy because the coffee had not yet kicked in, i noticed that my students were gathered together in a huddle. One of them left the group and walked over to me. "We have a surprise for you," said Lobe. I said, "Sweet, what?" He had me step into one of the classrooms and presented me with a gift from the class, an offical Cameroonian dress (understand that dress simply refers to what one wears, whether male or female). They said I had to wear it as I taught my final class. I was so honored and blessed by such a gift. It came complete with trousers, a shirt and hat, all with amazingly awesome African colors and designs. I decided to wear my outfit for the remainder of the day which resulted in numerous marriage proposals from some of the local ladies (lol). The Wednesay before was the semi-final football match for the inner-school league, a separate league from the one I have mentioned in previous blogs. I was picked up by one of the teams. We began the match about 5PM and I found myself playing with and against several of my students--how cool! Anyways, about 35 minutes into the match the sky turned to death--it became so dark that we could hardly see the football. And then the rain began to pound against us, relentlessly, and yet the game continued on. It was incredible. After halftime the skies cleared and visibility returned. Our team won 3-1, and I had two assists, along with a horrible miss right in front of the goal. The final match will be played in two weeks. The locals get such a kick out of seeing a white man play football (soccer) with Cameroonians. In other news, this past Friday, in celebration of the completion of classes, I had about 12 students over for a night of fellowship. It was quite a night. We met in my living room area, equipped with snacks, and students began to unleash a barrage of questions concerning difficult gospel texts we were unable to cover in the semester due to time. It was beautiful. Also, I received such encouraging comments from my students concerning my different classes--it was such a blessing. After our discussion time, I prayed for the students in preparation for final exam week and then played the movie, Luther (Martin Luther (reformation)) on my laptop. The students absolutely loved this film. Today i finished writing my final exam for gospels and tomorrow will be giving exams for my Hebrew and OT classes. I have an exam on Wednesday and Friday as well. The next two weeks will consist of much grading, papers and exams, and preparation for my summer 1 Hebrew exegesis intensive. Lastly, concerning the "Bear Grylls" title, this past week I was without cooking gas, power and water which resulted in the application of numerous "Man vs. Wild" content. I cooked over an open fire for a few days and drew water from a stream for bucket baths. Presently the power has returned and I have been able to buy more cooking gas. I am still without water, which really is not that bad because of a nearby spring that provides water for cooking, cleaning, bathing and drinking (filtered of course). My time here has truly been wonderful--I look back over the past 41/2 months and am so thankful. It has been difficult, but my time with my students, the youth group and the little munchkins from the village has been fantastic. I will greatly miss this place, but am looking forward to what the Lord has in store, post-Cameroon. I hope to come back some day, if not fulltime, at least for a return visit so as to teach intensives. I hope this update finds all of you well and rejoicing in the glorious grace of our Lord and Savior. Thank you so much for your prayers.
For His glory,
CT
The double "WOOO" battle cry signals the completion of the Spring semester. It has been wonderful. Last Thursday, my final day of class, as I walked out of OT Introduction I lifted my hands in praise and seriously considered doing 5 consecutive flip-flops down the dirt road in front of the seminary, but decided against it. Because this past Thursday was a national holiday (Ascension Day) most classes were canceled. However, because we only had two chapters left in the Hebrew grammar, I encouraged my Hebrew class to meet at 7AM so as to finish out the grammar (the dreaded Hithpael Stem). I also promised them snacks if they came for class--they were more than happy to. When I arrived, a bit groggy because the coffee had not yet kicked in, i noticed that my students were gathered together in a huddle. One of them left the group and walked over to me. "We have a surprise for you," said Lobe. I said, "Sweet, what?" He had me step into one of the classrooms and presented me with a gift from the class, an offical Cameroonian dress (understand that dress simply refers to what one wears, whether male or female). They said I had to wear it as I taught my final class. I was so honored and blessed by such a gift. It came complete with trousers, a shirt and hat, all with amazingly awesome African colors and designs. I decided to wear my outfit for the remainder of the day which resulted in numerous marriage proposals from some of the local ladies (lol). The Wednesay before was the semi-final football match for the inner-school league, a separate league from the one I have mentioned in previous blogs. I was picked up by one of the teams. We began the match about 5PM and I found myself playing with and against several of my students--how cool! Anyways, about 35 minutes into the match the sky turned to death--it became so dark that we could hardly see the football. And then the rain began to pound against us, relentlessly, and yet the game continued on. It was incredible. After halftime the skies cleared and visibility returned. Our team won 3-1, and I had two assists, along with a horrible miss right in front of the goal. The final match will be played in two weeks. The locals get such a kick out of seeing a white man play football (soccer) with Cameroonians. In other news, this past Friday, in celebration of the completion of classes, I had about 12 students over for a night of fellowship. It was quite a night. We met in my living room area, equipped with snacks, and students began to unleash a barrage of questions concerning difficult gospel texts we were unable to cover in the semester due to time. It was beautiful. Also, I received such encouraging comments from my students concerning my different classes--it was such a blessing. After our discussion time, I prayed for the students in preparation for final exam week and then played the movie, Luther (Martin Luther (reformation)) on my laptop. The students absolutely loved this film. Today i finished writing my final exam for gospels and tomorrow will be giving exams for my Hebrew and OT classes. I have an exam on Wednesday and Friday as well. The next two weeks will consist of much grading, papers and exams, and preparation for my summer 1 Hebrew exegesis intensive. Lastly, concerning the "Bear Grylls" title, this past week I was without cooking gas, power and water which resulted in the application of numerous "Man vs. Wild" content. I cooked over an open fire for a few days and drew water from a stream for bucket baths. Presently the power has returned and I have been able to buy more cooking gas. I am still without water, which really is not that bad because of a nearby spring that provides water for cooking, cleaning, bathing and drinking (filtered of course). My time here has truly been wonderful--I look back over the past 41/2 months and am so thankful. It has been difficult, but my time with my students, the youth group and the little munchkins from the village has been fantastic. I will greatly miss this place, but am looking forward to what the Lord has in store, post-Cameroon. I hope to come back some day, if not fulltime, at least for a return visit so as to teach intensives. I hope this update finds all of you well and rejoicing in the glorious grace of our Lord and Savior. Thank you so much for your prayers.
For His glory,
CT
Monday, May 10, 2010
No Power, No Showers, Motorcycle Adventure, Preaching in the Village
Dear Friends and Family,
Let me address the above items one at a time. I have been without power for about 1 week now. I study at night by candle light, which sounds romantic, but I fear I may need reading classes upon my arrival in the States (lol). Also, the power issue has resulted in no hot water for the past few days. Being in the mountains, the water from the taps is a bit chilly. As a result I have taken a break from showers which has resulted in a foul smell throughout my home. Every room seems to have this pugnant odor...I soon realized it was myself I was smelling...woooo! I shall remedy this problem tonight despite the painful cold. Concerning the motorcycle adventure, I was recently asked to preach in a village church where one of my OT students is presently serving as the pastor. He picked me up this past Sunday (yesterday) on his motorcylce and we ending up driving for about 45 minutes over mountain roads to reach our final destination of Sehn, Cameroon. It was such a beautiful trip. The roads were a bit slipperly due to the massive rains the night before which almost caused some problems---almost. Where we travleled I have inferred that I may have been the first white person many of these people had ever seen. One small child was terrified of me, probably because of my awesome mountain man beard---I wish. The whole sermon was interpreted by the pastor into the native dialect of the people, a language which I have picked up on a bit while living here. I was able to greet the people in their language which caused an uproar of laughter. I walked out in tears--just kidding. The whole service was incredible. I had a wonderful time preaching to these people. My text was Mark 2:1-12. It's hard to believe that this is my final week of class before final exams. In way I am relieved, but know that I will greatly miss teaching my students. Time is running out, must be going. Sorry!!!
For His glory,
CT
Let me address the above items one at a time. I have been without power for about 1 week now. I study at night by candle light, which sounds romantic, but I fear I may need reading classes upon my arrival in the States (lol). Also, the power issue has resulted in no hot water for the past few days. Being in the mountains, the water from the taps is a bit chilly. As a result I have taken a break from showers which has resulted in a foul smell throughout my home. Every room seems to have this pugnant odor...I soon realized it was myself I was smelling...woooo! I shall remedy this problem tonight despite the painful cold. Concerning the motorcycle adventure, I was recently asked to preach in a village church where one of my OT students is presently serving as the pastor. He picked me up this past Sunday (yesterday) on his motorcylce and we ending up driving for about 45 minutes over mountain roads to reach our final destination of Sehn, Cameroon. It was such a beautiful trip. The roads were a bit slipperly due to the massive rains the night before which almost caused some problems---almost. Where we travleled I have inferred that I may have been the first white person many of these people had ever seen. One small child was terrified of me, probably because of my awesome mountain man beard---I wish. The whole sermon was interpreted by the pastor into the native dialect of the people, a language which I have picked up on a bit while living here. I was able to greet the people in their language which caused an uproar of laughter. I walked out in tears--just kidding. The whole service was incredible. I had a wonderful time preaching to these people. My text was Mark 2:1-12. It's hard to believe that this is my final week of class before final exams. In way I am relieved, but know that I will greatly miss teaching my students. Time is running out, must be going. Sorry!!!
For His glory,
CT
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