Everybody here at Shiloh went to church and then we listened to a sermon on line while they were gone.  Even Dorothy went to church with her three nieces.  It was good for her to  get out.  In the afternoon when Theirry came back, he and I had our weekly Bible study.  In English now days.  Near the end of that time Pastor Patrice came for his spiritual retreat.  So he listened in on our study and then we checked him in.  But he had to begin on the balcony because the lady who was moving out of the room that was going to be cleaned for him was still at church.  She came back to Shiloh around 4 p.m., got her things, and left.  And we quickly cleaned the room for Patrice.  He's an old timer so he wasn't inconvenienced.  It's a busy place here at Shiloh.  At least until after the election results come out.  The election is next Sunday.  Hopefully things will calm down and our Bamenda people can go back home in safety.

We are in a bizarre situation tonight.  Part of the house is in darkness while the rest of Shiloh has electricity.  Actually this whole area is in the same predicament.  Fortunately we have an electrician on our team.  We try to keep him well fed and happy in between jobs.  He's busy stringing extension cords around the house so that our refrigerators and freezer can have power.  So life will go on without a hiccup.  And one day soon the electric company will solve their problem.

Guy is quite the soul winner.  He's really something.  Last evening he visited Theirry's fiancee (chauffeur Theirry...not student Theirry).  His purpose was to talk to her about the Lord.  Before he left her home she had prayed with him to receive the Lord as her savior.  She's a nice gal.  And truly loves God with all her heart.  But she knew nothing about salvation and the new life in Christ.  Actually Guy and I work in tandem.  I talk to them first and discern where they are spiritually and then he comes in and leads them to the Lord.  It's like the Bible says, one sows, one waters, but it is God Who gives the increase.

Today we downloaded our voting ballots for the state of AZ and voted.  Then we put them in an envelope and drove across town to the U.S. Embassy.  We gave them to the voting officer, a nice young man who is new out here.  He was very glad to see us and encouraged that we are doing our civic duty and voting.  This is something they stressed at the Town Hall last week.  We are very civic minded so it's no problem.

All the way across town we saw signs talking about Paul Bea, the strong leader.  It's campaign season.  Much shorter than in the U.S.  Voting will be on the 7th here.  The Embassy is warning us to be out of the NW and SW Regions on the 1st of the month and to be careful until after the election results are posted, no matter where we are in the country.  Careful is our middle name.  We're used to this.

We are back from the village.  We had a profitable time.  On Saturday evening a group of young people spontaneously showed up and began singing.  It was an unplanned young peoples meeting.  Sunday morning there were eleven for communion.  Imagine that!  Five baptized Manguisa believers sitting around the table with those of us from Yaounde.  There were twenty-one for the morning service.  Several spent the day with us.  Then on Monday evening we had twenty-two for the Bible study.  Each time we ate there were others at the table with us.  Lots of people came to share their problems or to just be with us.  On Sunday after the service a twenty-two year old lady gave her heart to the Lord.  She is now asking for baptism.  Damien is talking with others  who also need to be baptized.  We are amazed at what God is doing in the village.

We've got them swinging from the chandeliers tonight!  We couldn't fit another person in sideways.  There is a family in one room, a pastor from Switzerland in another, a lady who works for the Minister of Education in another room, a different pastor in another, Theirry in another, Dorothy in the living room, and a Bible translator who left Bamenda until after the elections in another.  And at 10:30 p.m. the guard woke us up to tell us there was another person who had just arrived!  So I drugged myself downstairs to talk with John.  He had spent two weeks with us and then went to his father's village for a few days.  He was due back tomorrow morning, but decided to come in tonight instead.  Thankfully Theirry has two beds in his room and he is extra flexible and kind.  He was willing to take John in on short notice.  Tomorrow John will get his own room and things will calm down a bit.  Just a little bit.  All the other places where people can stay (SIL, CABTAL, etc.) are full to the max also.  The war in the SW and NW has brought many people to town.  With elections in just nine days, there is much unrest

We leave in the morning for the village.  There will only be six of us in the house so it will seem quite empty after this!

Just came back to Shiloh from the U.S. Embassy Town Meeting.  It was well attended and informative.  Have to type up my notes and get them out to certain ones who asked for them.  Talked about security issues.  Learned some things.  Talked about issues like death and getting a body back to the U.S. for burial.  Talked about being arrested.  And talked about evacuation in addition to other things.  

Afterwards met with a man who is over the Liaison group of people. Discovered that they are modernizing the Warden system and turning it into Liaison instead.  So I got the paper work to sign up for that.

Also met the new Security Officer and learned that he is a Christian.  That's great!

We are preparing for the village.  Lots of things to pack.  Don't forget the solar lights and our French study Bible.  Food for Papa Pollycarp and Mama Clair.  Cooking for us.  Including extra for the add-ons.  Like Joseph and Jean Magloir.  Looking at various statements of faith from different churches.  Adapting something to propose to Damien and Guy for the church in Eyene.  Realizing that we need to write up something that will cover some of the problems that have already surfaced and others to come later.  Leaving on Saturday.  All will be ready in time.

We've filled Shiloh right back up again.  More and more people are coming down from Bamenda and surrounding areas each day.  Today we have pastors who have escaped the war.  Some stay with us for just a few days as they find more permanent housing.  All white people have been told to get out, and so they have.  Tomorrow we have a missionary family coming in for several days with a brand new baby.  People think they are out of the NW and SW for two months.  Hard to believe things will have changed enough in that length of time.  I highly doubt we will be going back to business as normal.  But time will tell.  We take it one day at a time and do what we can to make people's lives easier. 

Tonight Romeo and I finished studying the Old Testament.  We've been at it for a long time now.  He has taken copious notes and has asked endless questions.  And he has learned a lot.  Now we are going to study the New Testament.  He's eager to have a good grasp of the whole Bible.  It's been educational for both of us.

It was an ordinary day.  We had three rooms to clean before ten thirty when our next guests arrived.  And we filled Shiloh back up before noon.  Then we made a lovely meal for one of our guests.  From there it was washing dishes and other ordinary things.  At days end we are falling into bed ready for a good night sleep.  Oh, and we did turn someone away.  You have make reservations early if you want a room at Shiloh.  We are very popular.

Yesterday we learned that there is a problem with Pastor Ndzana regarding us and the work in Eyene.  So we called he and Damien in today to meet with us.  Guy came too as well as Dorothy and Doris as we were all at the Bible Conference.  We discussed issues for three hours before we came to a halt.  The long and short of it is that Ndzana would like to get a salary from us, one way or another.  We were not forthcoming with the funds, so I guess the problem will continue.  Not sure we resolved anything, but the culture is  big on discussions, so I guess that counted for something.  Another bone of contention was communion.  Jim voiced our opinion that the Bible says any child of God (and we would add male by inference) can administer communion.  But Ndzana (and Damien by association) feels that Old Testament Levitical law applies.  For him a man must be ordained, wearing pastoral robes, and using a communion service in order for communion to be administered.  We will be discussing this some more in the village in a week when Guy, Dorothy, Jim and I join Damien for three days.  We have to come to a resolution.  We didn't expect that planting a church would be easy.

Death is not an easy thing for the family to deal with at any time.  But right now death in Bamenda brings its own problems.  People traveling to the funeral have to carry information regarding the death.  Was the person shot to death?  Are there hospital records of the natural death?  Where is a picture of the deceased?  And so on and so forth.  As a result only the family is going to brave the challenges of the trip.  They are asking friends to contribute financially and stay home.  Dorothy's pastor's burial will be very simple and very short.  They will just put the body in the ground and pray over him.  It won't be anything like it would have been in the past.  War impacts every area of life.  Even death.

Today we were contacted by another embassy family looking for a domestique.  We put them in touch with Gordy and Bear's godly gal.  They leave on Saturday and she's looking for work.  So here's hoping.  But she is the last one we know about.  If you know of anyone who speaks English and has worked for Americans before, just let us know.  The pay is outstanding.  Between 80-100.000 F and maybe as high as 125.000 F.  That's roughly $160 to $200 or even $250.  When you consider that you can rent a studio apartment for about $50, you can see that this is a good living wage. 

This day for Dorothy started on a sad note and ended on a joyful one.  Mid-morning her friend (and our new seamstress) phoned to say that her father, Dorothy's pastor, had just died.  He was doing so much better.  Everyone thought he was going to pull through.  Dorothy was in tears as she told me about his death.  She wants to go to the funeral whenever it takes place.  I knew the pastor.  He is the one who preformed her wedding ceremony when she married Rev. Ngoh.  He's not that old.  We talked about him and then spent time praying for the family and all concerned.  Dorothy said her pastor always used to tell them that when a person is born there is another date out there that is waiting for them.  That is the date of their death.  He urged people to be ready to die.  When we separated, she said she was going back to washing dishes while waiting to die.

Then this evening her other friend Esther phoned to report on her new job.  Today was her first day.  She said that her boss lady is real nice.  The lady told her that she had put their children in their room but set things up so they could hear what was happening in the living room while she interviewed Esther and the other lady.  When the two applicants left she asked the kids which one they liked and they picked Esther.  Esther says they are lovely people to work for.  And she is getting paid 125.000 F per month!  That is just unheard of.  God is so amazing.

It was a perfect day.  Our friends picked us up at 9:30 this morning.  Dorothy took over Shiloh and we went off to church with Gordie and Bear.  And then we drove to Bastos to a really nice restaurant for lunch.  The food was delicious.  The place filled up before we left.  There was hardly an empty table.  And we had a grand time talking over life.  We hit it off right from the start when they first came out to Cameroon four years ago.  They stayed at Shiloh for several weeks and we just clicked.  After a very leisurely meal we went back to their apartment to pick up some things they are giving to us.  And then back home again.

It was a perfect day in every way but one.  This is the last time we will go on a double date with them.  The last time we will sit and talk over everything.  The last time we will see each other.  It's the one down side of being a missionary.  Good-byes are so much a part of this life.  And it never gets easy.  Each one is painful.  Some more than others.  And this one most of all.  The bright spot is their mission might send them to Madrid next.  And if so, we will certainly find a way to visit them for a week on our way back to the U.S. one of these times.

Work had just ended and there they were, leaning over a book studying languages.  For Dorothy it was French and for Doris it was English.  They were going down lists of words and each struggling to pronounce the opposite language.  They are determined to become proficient in their new languages. More power to them.  We are glad they have each other.

They phoned around five this evening to ask if there was a room available just for the one night.  They said they should arrive around 8 p.m. but they couldn't remember how to reach us.  So they would phone when they got near.  Well they phoned around nine to say the trip was taking longer than anticipated.  Then again around ten they phoned to say they were near by.  And then the phone calls began in earnest.  They would phone telling their location and I would tell them where to turn and what to do.  Then they would call back ten minutes later, having driven on beyond the turn.  They would be heading back now and what was it they were to do??  They went the wrong way at every turn in the road.  Too far this direction.  Too far that direction.  Twisted around here and there and everywhere.  Finally they were on the right road, heading towards us.  And at long last they arrived.  I don't know how these people function!  But they are here at last and tucked into their bed for the night.  It's almost eleven thirty and I'm heading for bed myself.  At last!

We had a lot of fun today.  We phoned Joseph this morning and asked him to come in to work.  He's on vacation so he really does not have to be here.  But he came.  And we had a nice family breakfast together.  

Then later on the finest seamstress in the entire Kom tribe showed up to discuss uniforms with us.  We laughed a lot.  Mostly at Doris.  She was very particular.  Dorothy kept reminding her that these are work uniforms.  I told them we are going to have to raise our rates now that we are getting so fancy.  Theirry came back from school in the middle of everything and asked if he would be getting a uniform, too.  I reminded him that he is family but not an employee.  Sad but true.  

The gals each get two skirts and one blouse.  Why two skirts is beyond me, but my voice was drowned out.  And they each get a dress.  A great deal of discussion went into picking out the styles of everything.  Each item for each person had to be unique.  Then it was the guys turn.  They actually took a good bit of time talking over shirt styles.  And they too had to be unique.  Slacks were slacks.  Fortunately they did not generate much discussion.  Finally, finally, finally, everybody had been measured and everything was written down.  All details were finalized and everybody was happy.  

The seamstress is soooo glad to finally have work to do.  She fled the war in her village five months ago and has been trying to find a way to live.  Fortunately she has a brother in town, so she has a roof over her head and food to eat.  But she wants to contribute her part.  She was able to get out of the village with one machine.  She used to have a big business.  She trained many others in sewing. And she had many machines.  Fancy ones that did fancy stitches.  Everything was left behind.  

In a month our new uniforms will be delivered.  Everyone is saving their new work shoes for their new outfits.  We'll take pictures on that day.  We're all excited about it.

They phoned to offer a job to Dorothy, but I told them she already had a job.  Then I told them about her friend Esther.  They asked her to come to their house yesterday at 4 p.m.  She rushed there and arrived at the same time as another lady, applying for the same job.  The lady of the house interviewed them together.  The other one had a stack of references.  Had worked for many embassy families.  She spent the interview trying to brag about all the stuff she could do.  Esther just sat quietly and answered only the questions she was asked.  At the end of their time together the lady of the house asked the first person how much she was expecting to receive in salary if she should get the job.  She immediately stated that she earned 150.000 F (which is a ton of money!).  Then the lady asked Esther.  Her reply was that she had been looking for work for five months and would be grateful for any salary the lady wanted to pay her.  The interview ended and they both left.  As soon as they got outside the first gal started in on Esther, accusing her of stealing her job.  Would she really work for only 10.000 F per month?  She was furious.  In the taxi going back home the lady phoned Esther and asked her if she could start work on Monday morning.  She is ecstatic to say the least.  And we are very happy for her.

Today we loaded Eric's car up with myself in front and Francis, Doris, and Dorothy in the back.  Off we went to Mokolo Market, the largest market in all of Yaounde.  If you can't find it in Mokolo, it does not exist.  We were shopping for material for uniforms for our team.  Everyone was very excited.  The very first stall we went to they found what they were looking for.  Then it was just a matter of haggling over the price, including saying his price was too high and taking off for another vendor.  That strategy almost always works.  Once they had selected five lengths of fabric all the same and two lengths a darker contrasting color, I went to work looking for something for myself.  And the vendor felt the price should go up now that the white lady was buying!  But the white lady was tough and mean and won in the end.  I stayed sitting in his stall while the rest went across the way to buy trouser material for the guys.  They had decided that the gals would each have a dress and then a blouse in the material with a skirt in the contrasting color.  The guys would have shirts and black slacks.  And everybody wants hats.  Caps really.  A good friend of Dorothy's will do the sewing.  She is the best seamstress in their village and has recently fled to Yaounde.  She's a strong believer and is very excited to have found work already.  Then they announced that everybody needed shoes so we took off for the shoe section of the market.  After considerable time we found shoes all around.  Finally it was time to head to a lovely Chinese restaurant to have lunch and celebrate Francis's 33rd birthday.  Did we have fun eating won-ton soup, drinking Jasmin tea, and all sorts of other things.  We ended the day buying a phone for Romeo so he can listen to sermons while he works this month.  He is filling in for Joseph who is on vacation.  Romeo is downstairs now setting up his new Smart Phone.  He's one happy camper to put it mildly.  We returned to Shiloh with smiles on our faces, tired but happy.

It was shopping day.  Eric drove.  Dorothy rode in back.  I took the front passenger seat.  We went here, there, and everywhere.  And when the car was fairly bulging with stuff for the month (food and otherwise) and our stomachs were growling, we headed to a new place in Bastos to get a bite to eat.  We sat around a table, studied the menu, and put in our orders.  And then while we waited for the food to arrive I started a conversation.

"Did I ever tell you the story of two houses?"  

They had not heard that story.  So I prattled on about how long about the mid-90s missionaries began building houses for their domestiques.  And all the problems that ensued.  Nothing good came of it.  Seriously.  We cannot think of one success story.  Oh sure, people got houses that otherwise would never have owned their own.  But at what a cost.  They were bitter and angry.  Their patrons were bad people.  And on and on it went.  Jim Tucker declared that he would NEVER build a house for a Cameroonian.  As in never ever.  Period.

The years rolled by and then about two years ago he brought up a surprising topic.  He declared that since we have no plans to retire to the U.S., we therefore have no use for our small (minuscule) retirement fund. So we should give it away.  He wanted to build houses for both Guy and Francis.  Each had worked for us for ten years or thereabout.  Each had proved themselves to be godly and faithful.  He wanted them to be able to live when we get too old or maybe even die out here.  They should at least have a house.  So he gave them each enough to buy some land and build the beginnings of their houses.  Guy moved in over a year ago.  Francis hopes to occupy his house in October.  

Eric and Dorothy were very moved by the story of two houses.  They saw God's hand at work in an amazing way.  They talked about how it is not necessary to be jealous because another person gets something that they do not receive.  So we gave God the glory, our food arrived, and we enjoyed a good meal. And then we went back to Shiloh to put all the food away.

Guy came by on his way back into town this late afternoon.  He dropped off three regimes of plantains and a large bag of tangerines.  All given by the church.  We had not been able to go to the village with him as we were both just back on our feet from illness.  But he and Theirry went and had a wonderful time.  Guy decided to visit each of the church members in their homes on Saturday afternoon and spend time praying for them.  A lot of good things came out of that.  He discovered that two of the men have decided to each spend three days helping the other in their farms.  It's great to see these brothers in the Lord functioning as members of a family.  Today there were twenty who showed up for the Sunday service.  He was impressed with their interest in God's Word.  There is a new couple that has been coming for about a month or so.  They are newly back in the village.  He had a long talk with them after the service and felt that they truly know the Lord.  The church is growing and we are grateful for all that God is doing.