Dearest in Christ,
Greetings from Cameroon. We do hope this reports finds you all in good health. We thank God for all that He is doing to us as we train men to preach and also preach to save souls.
Last week in CBIW and the Wotutu congregation went on well. We saw God doing great things in our lives and the life of the ministries under our care.
We thank God for His great care over us as I and some students went out for weekend evangelism to 9 different locations. As I write this report, we all made it back safe, even though not sound in my own case. I need to see the doctor because my trip took me through a very dusty road and I have lots of sand in my eyes now.
I road on a motor bike going to my trip. I was going to visit 10 congregations along the road within three days. The area is called Upper Meme division unit of the churches of Christ. The unit has more than 50 villages, but only 10 among them have the church of Christ, and among these 10, no one is strong enough to help the dying ones, so the survey and visit exposed a lot to me. It made me shed tears. Isaiah 6:5 oh the field is ripe, but laborers are not there. These congregations died because there was no one who kept after the establishment to grow the church and raise leaders. Please pray for this mission.
The task is challenging to get to some locations for weekend evangelism. Students were soaked with dust as they went out to reach souls. Keep praying for them as they see the details about mission work in Cameroon, as CBIW exposes them to areas of work.
While in the villages, we preached and shared tracts. One community has many literate people who appreciated the tracts to know more about God. Many thanks to Mission Printing for the tracts sent to us and all those our God used to get those tracts to us. It is reaching those who really need it.
People were eager to read the Bible. One catholic community lives by the threat that the catholic leaders will tell people not to read the Bible because it can give them serious mental problems. They were eager to ask questions if reading the Bible will not harm them. What a God we serve.
Along the way, I was supposed to stop by to visit our only graduate along the road. It was a time to see someone who came into preaching school blank and after two years we see him handle and nurture a congregation. Keep evangelist Oliver Anthony in your prayers as he is the lone preacher among these 10 congregations. What can he do? More laborers are needed, motivation is needed, preaching tools are needed like horn speakers, amplifier, generator, and even a second hand motor bike to explore this area.
It is always my pleasure to be part of house-to-house evangelism. It makes me see how many are religious fanatics. One young man was eager to know more about God, but he does not even have a Bible to check later from the tracts. I am blessed to be the one to point inside the Bible what God wants people to see. This weekend, God blessed our efforts with 4 baptisms and many restorations. Keep praying for the work to continue to grow, so that lives will be transformed. To God be the glory and honor. We could not get the baptismal pictures because of a lack of cameras in all of our locations this weekend
I tried to reach some fallen-away Christians who came to be part of my visit to encourage them to come back to the Lord. Who will teach them now and motivate them to be committed to the work of the church? The means of transportation from one place to another to help these congregations is a big problem. Where will my help come from?
I had a good time with evangelist Oliver Anthony, a Beta batch graduate from CBIW. He is reviving the Dikome Balue congregation, while he is also struggling to reach out to other congregations. Will he cope with the nature of the road distance and age?
I met an old preacher, Itoe Henri, in his village. He is doing well in evangelizing the area, but he fell from a cocoa tree as he was struggling to do some job there and now he needs medical attention. The fall dislocated his spinal cord along his waist. Please, with tears I write this because the brother will struggle to give out tracts and come back home in the evening. He will not be able to sleep because of the pain and there is no pain killer. There is no one to help him see the doctor. His small congregation’s Sunday offering will be around 180 frs, not up to half a dollar.
This is youth week in Cameroon. Brightland Christian Academy is going to be part of the Choral singing. While other schools will be using drums to sing, the kids of Brightland Christian Academy will use vocal as they are being thought in school. This school continues to create an impact in the lives of these little children. If more is done to develop Brightland, the community will not be the same. “It is better to train children than to repair adults.” Come be part of the transformation process in BCA. The kids study Bible during morning chapel and pray before classes, during lunch break, and during closing.
Plans
We have a mass campaign with both graduates and current students of CBIW in Menji next month. Keep praying for open doors.
Appreciations
Thank you for being part of this work. If not for you we doubt what would happen to this work. God bless you and keep you strong as you serve Him during your time on earth.
Do your best to share this report with others.
Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW