Mama Helene turned sixty the other day.  She told all her adult children ahead of time that she wanted a birthday party.  Here in this culture the birthday girl throws her own party.  Her birthday happened to land during the time the family would be coming together for a family meeting.  That's a time when families get together and discuss issues of concern, iron out problems, and make decisions regarding the future of the family.  Family meetings generally take place every year or two.  Any adult member of the family has the right to call a meeting.  Attendance is mandatory.  The meeting lasts from two to four days, depending on how many items need to be discussed.  And the discussions can be quite heated.  But in the end, problems are solved and harmony is restored in the family.  We see the thumb print of God in this aspect of the culture.

Without consulting with her children, Mama Helene invited all her neighbors, her entire church, all her friends, and the entire extended family to her party.  That's a lot of people!  When her children, their spouses, and all the grandchildren arrived for the family meeting, she announced what she had done.  Needless to say, the family exploded!  Who was providing the food for all these people?  They knew Mama Helene lived hand to mouth.  Therefore it would fall on them to come up with the means to cover all expenses for her party.  But without any advanced warning, they had not come prepared to contribute.  Most of them came with little more than their transportation home money.  Francis, our cook, contributed money Papa Jim had sent for this very purpose.  He chipped in some of his own money, too.  But he was one of the few who could make a contribution.  He pulled Mama Helene aside and let her know that he, too was mad at her.  It was wrong for her to do something like this.  She should have given them a fair chance to prepare for this large event.  She graciously took all her children's complaints on the chin, and remained firm in her assertion that God would provide.

Francis and Ingrid went to the market with what money they had and bought a large bag of rice and other food.  They even made the money stretch to buy a fancy heart shaped cake for Mama Helene.  The day of the birthday, a table was set up in the living room and what food they had was laid out on it.  And then they watched God unfold His miracle.  Some of the guests came bearing food, which is not commonly done.  Before long the food table was groaning from the weight of all the goodies on it.  And the people came.  The living room filled up and guests spilled outside.  The ladies of the church had planned a lovely program.  Francis, as the oldest son, was asked to speak on behalf of all the children.  One of the grandsons, who is a strong Christian, had been asked to speak on behalf of all the grandchildren.  There was special music and many other speakers.  Then Mama Helene spoke.  She told her testimony, starting with her early life, and going right up to the present.  She explained what her life was like before she came to know the Lord as her Savior, and went on to tell how God has completely transformed her life.  The party ended with her Pastor sharing from God's Word.  Two of Mama Helene's invited guests accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior at the end of her party.  What a time of rejoicing they had!

After the party, Mama Helene and her children took food around to each neighbor who had not attended.  The ones who stayed home are the ones who hate her, and persecute her for her walk with our Lord.  She wanted to do good to her enemies.  Mama Helene is an amazing woman.

The following morning when the family gathered to continue their family meeting, Francis felt led to share from the Word of God.  During that time two more members of the family prayed to invite Jesus into their lives.  Francis thanked his mother for her great faith and told all of them that he was duly rebuked.   Mama Helene then explained that she chose not to tell her children of her plans in advance.  She knew that some of them would not come if they knew what she was planning.  She wanted everyone there to listen to her give glory and honor to God for all the ways He has led in her life.  And she wasn't worried about how she would feed her guests.  She knew that the God Whom she serves was more than able to provide for her every need.  And that is exactly why Mama Helene is my favorite Cameroonian lady.  I stand in awe of her and her great faith.