Happy to Be On Cameroonian Soil Again
Enjoy a few photos and videos that will give you a taste of what I have written about below.
It is good to have my feet planted on Cameroonian soil once again. It really does feel like my home away from home. I deeply miss Julie and my children and grandchildren but regular video calls help a lot. The Tamfus are treating me with amazing hospitality. Fellowship with them and their entourage of children, neighbors, students, and church folks is very rich.
I am still basking in the precious memories of this past Sunday’s inaugural public worship service and eagerly anticipating tomorrow’s service. I invite you to visit the first Sunday of Église Baptiste Bethléem. One of my favorite moments in the service begins at 1:05:50 in the video clip. Watch for at least five minutes and you will experience the warmth of this God-centered, Bible-saturated, heart-felt preaching and worship.
It was also deeply moving to me to be led into worship by apprentices who are vital parts of the church plant while they are enrolled in Bethlehem College & Seminary’s extension site here in Yaoundé, a 5-minute walk from where the church gathers for worship. The integration of church and seminary is vital to our philosophy of pastoral training.
Concerning pastoral training, I’ve now completed my second week of teaching while physically present in the classroom. My appreciation for Zoom teaching which I’ve done with them since August is not lessened in the least, but face to face in the classroom and in the community is even sweeter. The spontaneous conversations with students and with the Tamfus are priceless. Yesterday I had a talk with one of the students who is the lead pastor of a church of about 500 who said his church members and the leaders in the church have told him how excellent his preaching is becoming. Some of the leaders now want to join their pastor and attend the seminary with him!
Other blessings so far: regular contact with Julie and my kids and grandkids back home; excellent conversations with Dieudonne and Dominique (hour long traffic jams are being redeemed by Kingdom conversations); walking twice a week with a seasoned missionary as I try to learn my way around this part of Yaounde and hear wisdom from him about learning French, housing, school options, and support services that will help me help our three families who are preparing to join the team here; evangelistic opportunities as we invite neighbors to embrace Christ and become part of the church; eating delicious Cameroonian cuisine on a daily basis; learning to wash my clothes and hang them out to dry in between glorious rainy season downpours; dreaming together about the future of the church and school as we carefully seek to build on the foundation with Christ alone as the cornerstone.
My heart continues to be filled up with appreciation for your interest, your prayers and your financial support. A couple days ago I looked afresh at my support and rejoiced that my support level has moved from 60% to 70% since my last communication. If God nudges one-time givers to become monthly givers, or if you know of an individual or a church who might be interested in joining our team, please connect me with them or direct them to my website or to my giving portal. Thank God with me that so many have sensed God's leading to partner with me and pray with me that the final 30% will come in.
With abounding joy in Christ Himself,
Tom (and Julie!)