April 2016 in Cameroon

April 2016 Joint Learning Session of the Cameroon 

Field Education System  (I'm in the back, third head from left end)

During the April 2016 Joint Learning Session, I did literature enrichment sessions with Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, and 3 and 4. A reference review with Grades 3 and 4 plus Grades 5 and 6 helped prepare students for the Iowa Standardized Test and to be information detectives the rest of their lives.

 

The 2016 Summer Reading Program log was shown to students at morning Opening. The Grades 5 and 6 class chose the theme “Bounce and Spin into Summer Reading Joy!” to go with the jacks/ball and yo-yo prizes they selected. After 18 years in a county public library system in the U.S., I introduced a Summer Reading Program to our missionary children in Cameroon. This is the fourth such annual program that I had the privilege of spearheading for our Field Education System.

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SIL Cameroon Academic Library

Our branch was greatly saddened with the passing of the SIL Cameroon Academic Library (http://silcam.org/folder020500/page.php) head librarian Kilian Bongkiyung. Rain Forest International School  Librarian Stacy Cawley and I were asked to assist temporarily with this library as responsibilities with our assigned library would permit (limited right now).

4/22:  HAPPY DAY!!!  Handing to SIL Cameroon Academic Library assistant Jam Paul 5000 barcode labels that I retrieved and printed out on Friday. SHOCK! Actually it is the result of teamwork and persistence undergirded with prayer from branch members for us to conquer Koha, the academic library’s new software system used by 22 SIL libraries around the world. Being rather electronically challenged, I have felt so utterly incompetent and dense in trying to figure out this new system.

        THANK YOU Ron Hand, assisted by Bonnie Lambert, for working through barcode instructions left by our late head librarian Killian and recently given to me by a colleague in the Philippines…instructions that were a great starting point, but did not exactly work for the big one-time task for this library of retrieving to print barcodes adapted by Koha from the old software program LibCat. Thank you Stacy Cawley for clarifying for me some vital accurate details that needed to be done for this one-time task.  5500 bar codes were printed in correct order …12,500+ more to go so that Koha will scan the catalogued collection used by missionaries, students, researchers and many others who want to know more about the languages of Cameroon and Bible translation, literacy, linguistics and Scripture engagement.  Instructions for this task updated – check. Procedure for one function in Koha conquered…PTL!

         4/26:  “IT IS FINISHED.” Words I hate to hear when shopping for a particular item in Cameroon, but love to say regarding a project phase. The PRINTING of approximate new 18,050 barcode labels for the academic library was finished Monday afternoon because of great TEAMWORK. SPECIAL THANKS to Bonnie Lambert who printed some 11,500 labels Monday (even up to 2000 in a batch) …YOU GO, BONNIE!!! Again THANKS to Computer Services Dept. for sending Ron Hand back last week...Ron did terrific detailed tweaking of instructions enabling others of us to carry on.
          "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor." Ecclesiastes 4:9.   Three and more…watch out – progress being made! More teamwork coming to get the labels applied.

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Grace Baptist Children's Church 

In preparation to introduce "Lessons from Luke" to a group in Bamenda, I sat in on Grace Baptist Children's Church in Yaounde where the curriculum is used. David Ndam did a great job with the curriculum...a nice refresher since returning to Cameroon.

One CC staff member asked me if I had anything to share. Well...I did have my puppet friend, Grandma Gracie" in my tote bag and a children's book on Proverbs in case an opportunity arose, but insisted that the staff first carry on with their worship time and lesson as planned. They did.  


The student leadership particularly appealed to me - a children's worship team and a children's choir led segments of their service, assisted by several children on drums. I hastily wrote down two action songs new to me to share with my neighborhood Bible Club.


Grandma Gracie sang with the children and shared some great truths of Proverbs from Wise Words for Little People by Kenneth Taylor. Thank you Vicki for translating for me.

Grandma and I were very well received, with numerous "high fives" and hand shakes before we left. David emailed me later, "Accept greetings from all the children we miss you so much. We will always be ready to welcome you." I plan to visit again in May with different puppets.   

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Trip to Mbingo Hospital  

for Eye Injection

I am very grateful that I was able to get eye injection in North West Cameroon at Mbingo Baptist Hospital, enabling me to finish the school year in Cameroon.

Protocol and procedures are different here. While the approximate three-hour customary eye exam, injection, and follow-up check in the states took three days of appointments in Cameroon (injection treated as a surgical procedure), God provided some divine appointments and ways to "bloom where planted." 

The hospital library is organized very simply with general subject labeled shelves and a ledger check-out. I admire the librarian's desire to take the librarian to another level. He asked me for library training, particularly to learn coding (cataloging) medical books. I am working on finding very user friendly software for this. The library has no children's books, so I plan to ask for donations and send up some of own own.

Visiting the children's ward with my African "Grandma Gracie" puppet and stopping along the sidewalk where family members from various from various wards sat to give handshakes and "high fives" brought numerous smiles. 

I am excited about meeting a pediatrician from Samaritan’s Purse who is working on new potential ministry connections with SIL Cameroon and mother tongue translations.

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  CHILDREN'S MINISTRY Seminar in Bamenda

It was my privilege on April 29 to lead a seminar with students from Faith Bible College  and Calvary Chapel members. I introduced the awesome Children's Ministry Resource Bible developed in conjunction with Child Evangelism Fellowship and shared the qualities of an effective teacher via the acrostic T-E-A-C-H-E-R from it. Main part of session was introduction of Lessons from Luke (http://www.scripture-engagement.org/content/lessons-from-luke),  a free downloadable 52-lesson curriculum for children, based on the Gospel of Luke and developed in the North West region of Cameroon. We went through a sample lesson with HOOK, LOOK, and TOOK segments, pictures, memory verse practice and lesson review game, etc.

 

  

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March 2016 in Cameroon

PUPPET WORKSHOPS at 2016 Branch Retreat – leading two sessions; several men attended the second.  Objective: to provide overview of uses and types of puppets plus puppet resources.
Neighborhood BIBLE CLUB: Easter weekend - Using a chick finger puppet in an egg to explain why we see eggs at Easter. The egg is like a tomb from which breaks forth new life.	Using "resurrection eggs" containing symbols of the Easter story; allowing children to open each egg and explain what the object (donkey, silver coins, nails, etc.) has do with the death and resurrection of Jesus.		From 6280+ miles away, the two children beside lead us in long fervent prayers in French for my sister Juanita's healing from blood clots then in lungs and for her being a blessing to those around her. I recognized them repeatedly calling to God as Lord - Seigneur (they nailed it IMHO!) I did not understand what all  they said, but God did and recognized they meant business.
EASTER POTLUCK: The "Golden Girls" of The Greenhouse, A Learning Center for Missionary Children hosted an Easter Potluck Dinner at the WA Commons with our wonderful conference child care team as guests. Lots of great fellowship (approx. 38) and good food, including a unique empty tomb cake.		Thank you Mindy Tembon and children (we missed you, Efi!) for this beautiful empty tomb cake. It was baked in a bundt pan, and a chocolate chip pancake made the roof. A battery votive candle delivered the light inside. Each Tembon child provided a prop to help make it more authentic. Great family teamwork! That is a real flat stone on the right. The cake sliced out for the doorway was cut into a bench upon which a white piece of fabric for empty grave clothes was placed.
2016 SIL Cameroon Branch 2016 SIL Cameroon Branch photo in Cameroon flag colors. (Kay Watts in yellow, on right, near back). Full branch photo is at bottom of blog.
“The Plane”        In early February, I received an email from one of our branch pilots asking me to transport to Cameroon some cables and other parts for a plane that had to be replaced. Ok, I confess that my and my sisters’ imaginations were bigger than reality. The cables, a 60 amp breaker plus other breakers, bushings and other things easily fit into my carry-on luggage. Two packages were overnighted to my sister’s home in snowy Ohio and I could hold each package with one hand…I had been concerned about dragging heavy luggage hurting my back! (I had been told that the aviation dept. would pay the cost of an extra piece of luggage if needed.) I knew the plane was small, but had no idea about the size of its cables.      Though this plane IS small, its work is not little in importance, and I really wanted to help our aviation department. This plane does emergency medical flights, sometimes saving loss of limbs and even lives plus scheduled medical transportation; it takes our Vernacular Media Specialist to remote villages to dub native voices in various languages to the Luke Film; it takes translation consultants to projects in other countries; it takes short-term expat doctors to hospitals around Cameroon.        When I arrived back in Cameroon, three airplane mechanics from JAARS in North Carolina had the Cessna in several pieces doing repairs, inspecting it very thoroughly, and making a good plane better and safer. The contacting pilot knocked on my door early the morning after my arrival to get the parts…the mechanics needed them to proceed.        MORAL OF THE STORY: Say yes when God calls YOU to meet a special need (check!) AND keep your imagination under control about the possible details…it’s likely only a fraction of what you imagine.        Pictured with me above is Brandon Penkoff, the same missionary pilot who delivered the used recumbent stationary bicycle which I bought from missionaries in the north and was flown down from Banso. Brandon not only delivered it from the hanger to my compound and apartment…he also put the bicycle (in pieces to fit in the Cessna) back together for me. This missionary pilot sure went the extra mile with a smile! This bicycle recommended by my physical therapist here, has helped eliminate hip/back pain and helped some mobility issues due to aging. The nominal charge I paid for the bicycle’s transport to Yaounde took some cost off the Luke recording project from which the plane was returning. WIN-WIN!
OTHER:        Academic Library Assistance. The SIL Cameroon Branch was deeply saddened by the death of the academic library head librarian, Kilian Bongkyung. HR Director, asked the librarian of Rain Forest International School and me as Field Education System (elementary) librarian to assist in the academic library temporarily until a new librarian is hired. Stacy Cawley and I began assisting there in the last week of March during branch conference.      Wycliffe Career Guidance. I am in the midst of taking a battery of surveys and inventories meeting nearly weekly via Skype with a career advisor in preparation to transition to a stateside assignment. Teacher Appreciation Brunch. Teachers and staff at The Greenhouse, a Learning Center for Missionary Children were blessed by the Parent Committee with a delicious brunch, a few goodies plus thank you notes from students.