April 17, 2008
Dearest Friends,
A FIELD OF CHILDREN
Children from three schools gathered for an early morning program. As our friend Mary said, "Their number was uncountable." They were so excited and full of joy as they delighted in every part of the program. When we finished, even the teachers were excited! As we left, they lined the sides of the road as they walked back to school. The children laughed, smiled, and waved. We are rich!
JONAH’S STORY
Sam told the children the story of Jonah at a place called Jirt. His story held them spellbound. They responded to the story with the same enthusiasm that they had greeted us with when we arrived. Two schools were waiting for us in a large church. A roar escaped the building as we arrived.
It was quite a trip to get to this place. All of the roads that we are traveling on are dug out by hand and rougher than you can imagine. We hugged the side of a mountain as we drove into a deep valley. Farms crawled up its sides. The view was spectacular, but the children’s smiles were the best part of the afternoon. Dozens and dozens of children trusted in Jesus. Praise God!
PURE JOY
At the second and fourth program we experienced pure joy. The children had waited for us to come all day. They were so excited with every single thing we did. Best of all, they prayed by the hundreds. Each day is such a display of God’s Holy Spirit moving among the children. I can never express to you the joy and wonder that is ours. Please stay on your knees! Tomorrow, Friday is our 12-hour drive home. You would not believe the roads. Pray for "walka fine" which is pidgin English and it means safe journey.
MIKE
It’s been over 2 ½ years since Mike went home. Perhaps, you think it odd that I still miss him desperately, but I don’t. I loved him and prayed for him for over 34 years. His loss does not cripple me, but it has birthed in me a deep tenderness that I never thought possible. Mike always had a greater compassion than I possessed. All this pain has been used by our Father to grow my heart. In spite of everything and through everything, I am so grateful.
When I stand in front of the children and look into their eyes, I see such deep need and pain. I pray the Father lets Mike glimpse what I see. These children are worth whatever price we must pay, with our bodies and our finances, to tell them about Jesus who is their only hope. He is my only hope!
Sunday morning, I shared part of my story and encouraged wives to love their husbands and husbands to love their wives. I encourage you as you read these words to live lives marked by expressions of deep love. Our marriages must reflect the glory and wonder of our Father if we are to show this broken world His love.
April 19, 2008
DJOKO BORIS AND BRANDON
Djoko Boris and Brandon are 2 little boys, about 11 years old, and best friends. Today, they became brothers in Christ. At an outside puppet show, just before a storm, they asked Jesus to be their Savior. Then they came up to thank me.
THE FACE OF AIDS
In the North West, we met Mymona, a grandmother who is raising her grandchildren. Both of her daughters and their husbands are dead from AIDS. This is a common story as so many die daily here. This place is full of orphans.
BLESSINGS
Today, we smiled as we did a show on the steps of a large church. When the children heard that Jesus healed the blind man, they all clapped. It is a good thing to be like a small child!
Today, we received a texted thank you from the Catholic priest in Ndu. He was very grateful for the puppet show we did where hundreds attended. We told all the children how they could trust Jesus and prayed with them.
BACK IN YAOUNDE & PRAYER REQUESTS
We returned safely from the North West and we appreciate your prayers. While we were in the villages, the President of Cameroon declared himself President for life, changing the constitution. The government is renowned for its corruption and trouble was expected. To stop the potential for riots, more armed checkpoints were established. Consider that we passed through 36 stops on our way to Ndu and there were many more stops on our return to Yaounde. All were armed.
We are scheduled to leave Cameroon at 10 pm Tuesday night, but must travel 4 hours across the country to reach Douala. More, we must finish training our new team. Please pray for us. There is much to do. Also it is extremely hot here and we are all very tired. Because we are back in the city, there is a lot of pollution. Ask the Father to give us strength and wisdom for the days that remain.
In Jesus,
Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor, Humphrey Nformi & Cameroonian Directors