We are back on line again. There is no way we can catch you up on all that has been going on here at Shiloh.  We try to cram as much as possible into each and every day!  

But let's return to T-H-E wedding.  That was Saturday.  The stories flowing out of that one occasion would fill an entire chapter in our book.  You know, the book we're never going to get around to writing cuz we're waaaay too busy living it to have time to write it all down.

As you may already know, there are three aspects to every Cameroonian wedding.  It starts with paying the bride price, which is the traditional wedding.  Once the bride price is  paid, in the eyes of the tribe, the new couple is married and can begin living together.  Though everybody understands that many have already been living together, and may even have produced children.  The church in Cameroon teaches that one is not "really" married yet in the eyes of God, so a godly couple will not start living together at this point.  Next comes the civil ceremony.  It can take place the following day, the following weekend, a month later, or years later when the couple gets around to it.  But for Christian couples (or even quasi Christian couples) the church blessing is the final phase of getting married.  A godly couple will make every effort to have the civil ceremony just as close to the church blessing as possible.  Once they have been "blessed" in the church, they are officially married and can begin married life without fear of committing fornication.

Last Saturday's couple decided to combine the civil ceremony with the church blessing.  All was to take place at their church.  Guests were instructed to arrive on time as it is considered an affront to the government to arrive after the mayor arrives.  So 1 p.m. was the appointed hour, and 1 p.m. is when we arrived.  We met certain members of the groom's family and a couple of people from his church already there, but mostly we were way early.  (No surprise there.)  And then began the long wait.  Finally, at 2:30 p.m. the church leadership decided it would be OK to begin certain parts of the church blessing.  So the musical instruments started up and soon we were being led in congregational singing.  With many pauses in order to re-group and decide what to do now, we limped our way forward.  The small church choir sang several numbers.  There was a lengthy prayer.  It was decided we could take an offering before the mayor arrived.  Finally the powers that be felt that the bride and groom had been kept waiting out in their fancy rental car long enough.  They were each escorted in in typical Cameroonian fashion.  A semi-professional guest soloist was invited to perform.  Eventually the pastor decided to preach the wedding sermon.  It was long, rambling, and difficult to follow.  When he was mercifully coming to an end, the mayor and his assistant arrived.  It took them some time to set up, but finally, at 5:30 p.m. the 1 p.m. civil ceremony began!!!  Only in Cameroon. 

We gathered together today to celebrate the life and work of a missionary colleague and friend.  She and her partner have invested the last 35 years of their lives translating God's Word into one of the many languages of Cameroon.  That completed New Testament was dedicated last month.  And today the mission community came together to honor her, celebrate her life, and say our good-byes.  Our hearts were filled with memories.  The various times Jim and I spent in their village.  The many meals we have eaten together.  The game nights.  Singing together.  Laughter.  Fun.  It was a bitter sweet time.  Good-byes are always hard.  Will we meet again this side of Glory?  God alone knows.  

Once we are finally Home, we will never say "good-bye" again.  No more farewell events.  No lingering hugs.  No bitter sweet times.  The focus on that great day will not be on a life well lived, but on the Life Giver Himself.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Yesterday was Ndzana Day at Shiloh.  In the morning "our" Ndzana came to visit Pastor Ndzana who is staying at Shiloh for a month.  We took a picture of the two Ndzanas.  And "our" Ndzana delighted us with the news that he is going to be spending two weeks in Eyene in January, doing evangelization with Ndzana II.  Then in the late afternoon Ndzana II (also known as Damien) and his wife came for a visit with Pastor Ndzana and with us.  The Pastor challenged all of us to be more diligent in prayer for Eyene.  We discussed future plans for penetrating the Manguisa with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We took a picture of these two Ndzanas, and Sylvie, the wife.  It was decided that we should join the Ndzana Family, so we became Jim Ndzana and Alice Ndzana.  Now we're officially "in". 

The ship's purser from Africa Mercy is overnighting at Shiloh.  As part of his many administrative duties, he is in the capitol city of Yaounde taking care of paper work.   Operated by Mercy Ships, Africa Mercy is the world's largest civilian hospital ship.  She arrived in the port city of Daoula in late August and will spend ten months here.  In addition to offering free specialized surgeries and health care to the people of Cameroon, she will provide specialized training for a large number of local doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.

The ship's purser, who is from Sierra Leone, has invited us to come and tour his ship.  We would love to do that.  Maybe we can find the time to do so sometime between now and the end of May 2018.  We hope so.

The Christmas Season has officially began here at Shiloh.  The Christmas trees are decorated.  Both of them.  The Nativity Sets are on display.  All four of them.  The Village Scene is once again delighting children, with real lights shining forth from little windows, and snow everywhere.  A large vase full of poinsettias adds color to a corner of our hutch.  The stair banister is adorned with red bows.  Our largest (floor) giraffe is wearing his Christmas bow. And the Christmas dishes are once again in use.  With a five foot tree in the library and a seven and a half foot tree in the dining room, it takes four days to decorate Shiloh.  Anticipation runs high as we all know our annual Shiloh Family Christmas Party is just around the corner.  Central to everything is the One Whose birthday we will be celebrating.  He is the One Whom we love, honor, serve, and adore every day of the year, not just at Christmas time.

He came to us with 20 days to go before his wedding day.  Wanted us to meet his fiancée.  And then he asked if we could give them pre-marital counseling. They decided they could come twice a week for three hours each time.  And so, doubting their sincerity, questioning their motives, we agreed to meet with them.  Our reason?  Maybe someday, in the not too distant future, when the realities of married life have slammed into their folly, they might come back to us.  And maybe, just maybe, on that day, and in those circumstances, they might have ears to hear, and we might be able to help them.

We've known him for the better part of ten years, and we've watched with sadness his downward spiral into total foolishness.  His exaggerated opinion of himself, his suffocating pride, and his determination to rise to greatness without any effort on his part, have all combined to  bring him to where he is today.

Three months ago she agreed to marry this man who is nine years her senior.  Virtual strangers though they are, they are confident that wedded bliss is just days away.  The missing ingredient in all of this?  It's that essential four letter word, without which no marriage can survive...L-O-V-E.  How our hearts ache for them.

Life out here on the Dark Side of the Moon has been out beyond busy.  Thanksgiving slipped by almost unnoticed.  Shiloh has been full to the brim with many and varied guests.  We spent an entire week feeding three meals a day to seven people.  We've been involved in a variety of counseling situations.  One couple, whose wedding day will be here in six short days, have been coming twice a week for pre-marital counseling.  Another lady came with her non-Christian husband of ten years.  We poured ourselves into their lives during the six days they were with us.  The husband is open, seeking, interested, moving ever closer to giving his heart and life to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  In addition to lingering conversations with us and other guests around the dining room table, we engaged in three counseling sessions per day.  Sometimes Papa Jim met privately with the husband while Mama Alice invested in the wife's life.  Sometimes the four of us talked together around the library table.  Daily we watched Christian DVDs that address various marriage issues.  In addition we ministered to a missionary who had had a close brush with the Boka Haram Terrorist group.  We listened with rapt attention to his stories of much good that our Amazing God is doing in the midst of great evil.

Today is no exception to the above.  We currently have a student, a pastor, two missionaries, and a short-term missionary staying at Shiloh.  Tomorrow we have a seminary professor coming in from Europe to spend two weeks with us, while teaching at a nearby seminary. 

No matter how busy, no matter how crazy life gets, day by day, and in every way, God's grace is all sufficient for our every need.