Coming to a milk carton near you…

A couple days ago, my L’Oreal for Kids shampoo, which I’ve used everyday (we’ve had water) since I arrived, disappeared. In the picture, you can see my second and last bottle of the shampoo, sitting in the same place that its predecessor dwelt every day since August. I think someone walking behind our house saw the neon-green bottle, reached through the open window, and nabbed it. That’s the most plausible explanation I can think of. So, if you see a Cameroonian with No Tears!, No Knots!, smelling of a burst of sweet honeydew, please let me know.




The second picture is of two kids who visited our house recently. I’m only familiar with the girl on the left, whose name is Sandrine. She’s adorable, both in appearance and personality.

--tg

CBTS videos

Here, at long last, are the links to videos of the CBTS campus. (Sorry it has taken me this long, guys!)

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Alex, for the team

Women’s Day

Today was Women’s Day in Cameroon. It’s not a public holiday, but it’s celebrated around the country. Here in Ndu, the women marched down the town’s main street as part of a town program. The day’s slogan is, “Whatever a man can do, a woman can do better.” There were some other cheers yelled out during the program, but I couldn’t discern them. Here are a couple pictures of the women marching, a women’s group dancing, and some children being children. Most of the women are wearing this year’s Women’s Day fabric, which came in purple, orange, and green. When I asked my tailor, he said that having my own Women’s Day shirt made would be an acceptable way to show my support for the Cameroonian women. Other Cameroonians, however, convinced me that it would be a social faux pas, generating widespread laughter over the white man wearing the women’s day shirt. I stuck with my polo shirt. As usual. At the bottom is a picture Charlie and I took with our friend Ally, sporting her own women’s day shirt. She wanted to have some authentic puffy sleeves sewed onto the dress, but her tailor told her it would not be proper, since Ally’s a white woman.

--women’s advocate in spirit, though not in attire, tommy grimm

An appreciation letter from a student

One of my students, Ernest Seka, has recently fallen on hard times financially. Several weeks ago I got involved with about 40 U.S. dollars worth of assistance, so that he could complete his registration for this semester. Today I received the following letter of appreciation from Ernest, a very warm, friendly, good-hearted student. I am posting this letter on the blog because the financial gift I was able to make to Ernest comes from the financial support I’m receiving from you.

Ernest Seka
C.B.T.S. Ndu
Donga-Mantung Division
North-west Province
Cameroon
7-3-2007

Appreciation Letter

Beloved in the Lord, accept greetings from Cameroon in Africa. I have the joy to present to you this letter of appreciation for the help I received from you through my tutor Mr. Wesley Hill. In fact I was not able to make up my fees at the required time. This made me to be so confused and even lose hope in the continuation of my studies at the seminary. I came to him for prayer as one who had concern and he gave me advice not to worry so much about tomorrow for it holds its own problems. After this advice I was presented with a gift of 20,000 francs [=$40] to support me and to pay the balance of the school fee. He also told me that this money was given him by Christians in America to support needy students.

In fact I feel that I owe a lot of appreciation and credit to this wonderful gesture. I thank the Lord for all of you and pray that the Lord should strengthen you in faith and bless you more for his glory. I also thank God so much for Wesley and I pray that God should give him knowledge and wisdom to advance more in his theological study so he can find hope and nourishment in the word of God.

Maybe I should let you know about my marital situation. I am married and a father of four children—one boy and three girls. I am doing the Diploma of Theology programme at the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary and I am a Presbyterian Christian.

May the peace and joy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be and remain with you forever. Amen.

God bless and reward you for me.

Yours,
Ernest Seka