Back from the East

On Sunday night we arrived back in Ndu from our excursion to the East province. We were able to spend two days near the village of Dimako, which is about a 45 minute drive away from Bertoua, a larger town. As I mentioned in a previous post, we made this trip in order to visit two missionary families (from the U.S.) who are working with the Baka people (formerly "Baka pygmies") in a VERY remote part of the bush country in the East. It probably goes without saying that it was extremely hot and muggy when we arrived. Mosquitoes, big orangeish-looking flies (that can carry a disease called fularia), and "no-see-ums" were everywhere, so we were extra careful to take our malaria prevention pills every day. We hiked through a rainforest and had to walk across logs in murky water. We got our picture taken next to trees that, at the base, where the roots were extending out, the diameter was probably close to 50 feet. We watched two of the Baka make a trap in the forest with a sapling bent over towards the ground, a piece of wire, and a strip of bark carefully concealing a hole in the ground for the animal to step in. And we got to eat exotic Eastern dishes and see the Baka make a mongulu (which is a small, igloo-shaped hut) from scratch just a few feet from the house where we were staying. Oh yeah, and we got to visit a Baka encampment and see some sad examples of a well-meaning international aid organization's attempt to "improve" the houses of the Baka (the organization had replaced all the mongulus with dozens of ugly concrete houses that the Baka told us were too hot and too different from what they were used to). All in all, we had a fantastic time. I'll see if we can upload some pictures of the trip soon.

One of the missionary families we went to visit -- Barry and Desma Abbott, and their two adorable kids, Brianna and Brendan -- live in a house that is literally three rooms (two bedrooms, and a TINY kitchen) and a bathroom, with a bucket suspended on a hook in the ceiling that you pour hot water into if you want to take a shower. We were reminded that, despite the fact that CBTS is in a fairly "bushy," backwoods area of the Northwest, and despite the fact that our power and water goes out for days at a time, we do live pretty comfortably, nonetheless. It was a whole different ballgame with our friends in the East. They truly live in a remote, inconvenient, uncomfortable place. And they're doing it all because they want to see a church planted among the Baka. So they're spending years (literally) just to learn the culture and the language, then they'll begin to try to teach the story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation, along the way work on a translation, and then, as Desma put it to me, "We want to the Baka to know the gospel, believe it, and then figure out what 'church' should look like in their context. We don't want to give them any direction on it other than encouraging them to make it authentic within their culture and keep it faithful to the good news of Christ's death and resurrection."

If you think of them, pray for Barry and Desma Abbott and Nathan and Laurel Conrod, two couples who are living a very simple existence and taking a lot of risks in order to participate in God's kingdom work among the Baka. I was totally inspired and encouraged by their (in the world's eyes) reckless, foolish existence.

We'd also appreciate your thoughts and prayers this week as we grade stacks and stacks of papers. We're working around the clock trying to get everything done before Friday, graduation day!! Everyone on the faculty here, not just the missionaries, is in the same boat. It's a hectic time for CBTS, but it will all be over soon, Lord willing.

Peace to all of you, and thanks for being interested in our adventures,

Wes