More of March @ Greenhouse

At Greenhouse, A Learning Center for Missionary Children, I sometimes visit classrooms for library related instruction. On March 14 I did a review of reference materials with 5th and 6th graders in preparation for their standardized testing in April. Covered were such things as: recognizing information from a library catalog record, using an almanac, dictionary, atlas, website search terms, table of contents, index, organizing info in a web, and more.


For preschoolers, I hosted “Color Your World with Books” Storytimes with Craft – Red, Orange, & Yellow Days.

Materials checkout and check-in are common to each day. Above preschool moms stock up on books, educational games, and puzzles before spring break.

March also includes the beginning of processing recent acquisitions. Much gratitude to DeAnna Anderson for creating barcodes and spine labels; she will soon teach me how to do that part. Preparing for the “Joint Learning Session” April 8-30 when home schooling families around Cameroon will be in Yaounde for classroom teaching.

Homesickness Sneak Attack & “Goldilocks Syndrome”

The last song of the March 17 bilingual Sunday morning worship was “The Old Rugged Cross.” On the wall appeared the words in English my favorite hymn as a child, 6000+ miles away from home. Four of my friends and I were the only white people I saw in this friendly Gospel church of approximately 400...but I can handle that.

Memories and thoughts flooded my mind. As a child, this was the hymn my mother called in as my request to be played during “Aunt Helen’s Bible Story Hour” on the Winchester KY radio station. My first holiday on foreign soil/Easter was 2 weeks away; and my first birthday abroad would be a few days before Easter. OK, I confess my mind was wandering.

The several hundred voices of the congregation sounded like and an angelic choir in my humble opinion. I felt God’s presence in a powerful way. My eyes started leaking just a little, then more. I took deep breaths to fight the tears, but it didn’t work for very long this time. Huh oh!! I think a sneak attack of homesickness had struck. At the same time I was experiencing a vivid reminder of God being with me through all the new experiences.  

I thank God that I have found a church in Yaounde, Cameroon that deeply ministers to my heart and soul as I endeavor to support Bible translation / missionary families as a school librarian and make plans to minister in my neighborhood children’s Bible Club. 

I’ve experienced “Goldilocks syndrome” in searching for a new “home” church in a city of 1.5 million where there are none of my denominational background. One church downtown is “too English,” “too Western,” and “too white” to help fulfill my goal of learning Cameroon culture and French as I worship. Another church extremely close by in my neighborhood is “too French.” A few song tunes sounded familiar, but not a word of English was spoken; I prefer small steps in learning French and hunger to hear God’s word proclaimed in a way I can understand. At another bilingual church the preacher and translator were both “too fast;” and I struggled to understand African English with and hardly caught a word of the French translation. 

The African pastor of this evangelistic church has superb English enunciation for my ears  and usually  speaks slowly phrase by phrase; I am catching and recognizing more and more words in French. This church the last two Sundays feels “just right” in this season for this new missionary struggling to learn a new language and desiring to fellowship with Cameroonians. I experienced the power of one’s mother tongue (mine) to speak to the heart and soul.

On the Job + More

It’s great to be serving in my assigned role of supporting Bible translation as librarian with the Field Education System (home schooled, village based families) program and the educational co-op, which has a new name: Greenhouse: A Learning Center for Missionary Children.

  

     On Friday, February 22, we hosted students from the local Rainbow Innovative School with four rotating stations. For the story time station in the library I shared four interactive character building story books, plus a book illustrating “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and led in action songs and rhymes.

A weekly preschool story program, “Color Your World with Books,” began March 1. Children and parents are invited to wear the designated color of the day, children bring something that color for “show and tell,” I share stories about theme color objects, and lead action rhymes and songs. My principal, Mary Santos, called our first session a “smashing success,” and our second week program was also very well received. I have received much appreciation expressed by missionary moms for this literature enrichment program.

I consider it a privilege to be part of the education of missionary children whose parents are involved with furthering the Gospel in Cameroon, but am not content to stop there. I feel compelled to “Bloom Where Planted” in this huge city of Yaounde, starting where I live. On Saturday, March 9, I visited a neighborhood Bible Club about a block down my dirt road hosted by Cecilia Engoro (Yaounde friend I visited a weekend during CAMBO orientation), led by Sandy Mitchell and teacher colleague Barbara Lane. A delight to spend time with these 26 precious Cameroonian children and chat with one mom who glowed as she told me Christ was now in charge of her life. Sandy retires in August; I plan to assist now and anticipate co-leading the Bible Cub with Barb this fall.