July 2021 Update

Dinner with the Tamfus and the Davi’s

July 14, 2021

Hello from Cameroon!

I’m supposed to be in Minneapolis right now. My ticket was for Monday night. But as I was checking in at the airport, I found out I didn’t exist. Somehow there was a glitch in the system and my presence on the flight was deleted. It’s hard not to exist when you are eager to be reunited with your loved ones back home! But, Lord willing, I will fly out at 8:30pm tonight.

The two-week course on “The Foundations of Christian Hedonism” which included a 3-day seminar for pastors and Christian leaders called: “God-Centered Living: The Pursuit of Utmost Joy in Life and Ministry went very well. Our MDiv students are applying themselves in their studies. It’s more than (but not less than!) an academic exercise. They are growing in their understanding and experiencing that faith in Christ includes a treasuring of him and that obedience to the commands of Scripture are not merely a duty, but a delight, even in the midst of a true honesty about the “sufferings of this present time” (Rom. 8:18).

It is a joy having Timothée and Abby Davi with us. They are exploring a long-term commitment to ministry at the BCS extensions site in Yaoundé. Timothée taught 2 sessions and preached last Sunday and will preach again this Sunday. The Lord is in the process of building a long-term team for theological education.

Dieudonné, Timothée, and I had a breakthrough meeting with one of the leaders of a French Baptist denomination who is eager for partnership in theological education for pastors who have had little or no such training. The MDiv program is not as accessible to pastors who are in full-time ministry, especially if they don’t have an undergraduate degree, which most don’t. But TLI’s 3 one-week intensive courses a year for 3 years is very accessible to a larger number of pastors. My dream is that our MDiv students will help us teach the TLI courses down the road. The aim is to gather a cohort who would come to Yaoundé from all the regions of Cameroon, then return to their areas, pass on what they’ve learned especially to pastors in the more remote areas of Cameroon.

Every time I think of you, my supporters, I feel humbled, grateful, and encouraged that God is doing something special that we can all take satisfaction in. I am praying that we are laying a foundation of a long-term, Cameroonian-led, ministry-multiplying, effort with global partner assistance. Leadership development is such a big need and the door seems to be wide open.

Please call/email with questions, ideas, prayer requests.

Please pray for blessing on our students as they finish up the homework with the intensive course and then have a break from their studies until classes resume in August.

Pray also for the Davi’s who are in the process of applying for a residency permit.

Together with you in the Greatest Cause,

Tom

p.s. I thought you may enjoy my missionary courage in consuming an old-time remedy for a stomach ache. Here’s the link if you want to go there.