Village Visit to Bambalang

A major learning experience of our five-week Cameroon orientation program was the village visit February 2-6. A family or several single ladies stayed with three pastors and their families in the Bambalang community of 35,000 – 40,000 people. “The Golden Girls” (Char, Sandy, & I…all over 55) received the gracious hospitality of Pastor Novethan and Emilien Shanui and we enjoyed their son - Aldrich, age 2.

  

The Golden Girls spent much time leading children in songs and games. I taught them “Jesus Loves Me” in sign language and shared the book “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” with Char and Sandy leading the motions as we sang along. Favorite songs included “My God Is So Big,” “My Father’s Big House.”  

The youngsters enjoyed acting out “Jump, Jump Went the Little Green Frog” with my frog puppet.

   

We walked approximately 40 minutes to a combined service on Sunday with eight churches represented. Several languages, including some English and the Bambalang mother tongue, Chrambo.  Folks brought both money and food offerings; each church  group went out and came in the back door and down the aisle doing a kind of shuffle dance step and presented their offerings. Immediately following the offering, one pastor led an auction unto the Lord and turned the food offerings into cash for the churches.

On Monday we visited a government primary school. Tuesday was market day with wall-to-wall vendors selling food, clothing, beautiful fabrics, goats, pots and pans, and a multitude of other items.

Our host Pastor Novethan is one of two minister translators working on translating the New Testament into the Chrambo mother tongue to potentially reach 30,000+. He uses “Translator’s Workplace5” software. It was exciting to see translation in progress. Luke is already being used in print and audio.

   

 An ingenious hand washing aid was rigged up on the side of the house – a gallon plastic jug, hung from roof, with bar of soap hanging to one side and a string below cap that attached to a stick on the ground. Stepping on the stick tilted the jug and water came out a hole in the cap.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS on Village Visit:  I am so thankful for the village learning and adaptation experiences. I CAN live without indoor plumbing and any electricity! I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL God has not called me to do so at this stage of my life. I came back with new perspective and patience for some of the inconveniences of Yaounde living.

MIRACLES in the VILLAGE: One evening near their village host home, Drew and Emily Maust had quite the scare when daughter Poppy was hit by a motorcycle. Drew saw it happen; stunned, he was sure that Poppy was going to be seriously hurt. The rider reacted in the culturally appropriate way by showing extreme remorse and insisted on holding Poppy—you would have thought he had hit his own child. After Nurse Mummy (Emily) examined Poppy and found no major injuries (only minor scrapes), they could only conclude that God had worked a miracle that very hour.

       Also during the Mausts’ village stay, a motorcycle fell on 17-month old Henry, but he “happened” to be in the place where there was space…only a few scratches. Drew wrote in their newsletter: “There is no reason that he should keep us from such harm except that he receive the glory through our praises for protection.”