Greetings in the name of our wonderful Lord!
It has been a while since we were able to send a Connecting Points newsletter, and many things have been happening. Here are some highlights of these events:
Florence and Magdalene had an enjoyable, but tiresome, experience attending the MN Joni and Friends Family Retreat/Camp in August. They were invited to attend the Retreat by MN JAF to enable Magdalene to gain first-hand knowledge as to what happens at these annual events. Plans are now underway to hold the first Family Camp in Cameroon in July 2009. Because similar facilities as were used in MN are not available in Cameroon, some modifications as to activities are necessary, but a suitable location has been found in Bamenda (a government secondary school) and the planning continues. Since this will be a first of its kind for Cameroon, it will also be on a smaller scale, but we (CEFED and Crossing Bridges) are excited about the possibilities. Please pray with us as we plan for the Family Camp. Pray that God will provide the necessary funding, and the right staff to assist, and that the event will be a blessing to all participate and assist.
Magdalene being videotaped for Joni and Friends, with Florence as off-screen “coach”
David began teaching Hermeneutics at the Bafoussam Center for Biblical Studies in September. There are about 20 students in the advanced class, nearly all French speaking, which means that his presentations must be interpreted by Brigit Bilog, the wife of the Director. Each Monday afternoon, David makes the 1½ hour journey to Bafoussam to teach the class in the evening. He returns to Bamenda Tuesday morning. Pray that the students learn well the principles being presented, and that the notes prepared for them will be meaningful (they do not have textbooks). And pray for safety while David makes this weekly trek to Bafoussam.
The Special Education Teacher Training Institute in Santa has attracted many students. A second “batch” (36 new students) began in September, this group consisting of primarily trained teachers from the government schools. David has been teaching Introduction to Exceptionalities and Special Education to the new group while another person is teaching an elective class on sign language and Braille to the original group. Plans are to combine these groups in January to continue the “regular” part of the curriculum so that everyone can complete their training in August 2009. Pray for David as he prepares lessons for these classes that they will be relevant to the Cameroonian situation, and pray that the students will be able to understand the concepts and practices of special education and be able to incorporate them into their teaching, even if they are teaching in a regular classroom setting.
David has just begun teaching an intensive, 6-week course at the Bamenda Center for Biblical Studies on The Role of the Church in Ministry to and with Persons with Disabilities. This course meets on Saturday mornings for four hours. Twenty-two students are enrolled, including many of the regular students at CBS, several area pastors, five Presbyterian Sisters from Bafut (a town about 40 minutes outside of Bamenda), and some women from the AGLOW ministry. (Some of the AGLOW women are also enrolled in the special education training program in Santa. These are women to whom we presented a short session on disability ministry in 2005, and who have become supporters of CEFED.) Pray that God will grant them understanding and insight into how they might become involved in disability ministry.
October 1 marked the launching of the annual Teachers’ Day celebration. David was invited to address a group of teachers, school administrators, and teachers-in-training on the topic of inclusive education. This meeting was chaired by the Provincial Delegate for Basic Education, who has asked David to speak again to teachers and school counselors in the future. Pray that such opportunities to advocate education of all children and youth in Cameroon will lead to positive changes for those with disabilities.
Florence continues to travel to Santa on Fridays with David, where she works with the children while David teaches. This term, she has also been sitting in on the sign language class. The children enjoy her presence as much as she enjoys interacting with them. Pray for strength and health, both for Florence and for the children, several of whom have experienced various illnesses. Pray for health and God’s continued provision for the children of CEFED.
Because Joyceline and Elijah have been at the Baptist hospital in Mbingo, Florence has made several trips to visit them, bringing small snacks and other things for them to do during the day. A parent must stay at the hospital with the children to care for them which, aside from their concern for their child, adds to an already stressful situation. Pray for Florence as she makes these periodic visits, pray for the families – Joyceline’s father and Elijah’s mother seem very loving and concerned about their children. Without going into the details of the issues affecting these two precious children, we just ask you to pray for wisdom for the doctors who are treating them, and pray for the children’s recovery.
Last Sunday (October 26) was the last of the CEFED outreaches into villages and towns in the North West Province. Florence has participated on many of these outreaches. We praise God for the ministry of CEFED. There has been a clear and definite impact on many: those with disabilities who have heard the Gospel presentation and received the gifts of soap and salt (very useful, but also symbolic of spiritual cleansing and being the salt of the earth) and New Testaments; and the non disabled folks in the churches and communities where these outreaches occur. These activities are largely funded through grants from organizations in the US – Christian Fund for the Disabled (Joni and Friends) and the Riverside Foundation. These programs will resume next year if this funding is continued. Each outreach to a particular community involves about six visits to the churches involved, along with training to the leaders. The expectation is that those churches (or area ministries) will continue to disciple those with disabilities who have responded to the gospel. Pray for those whose lives have been touched through this ministry. Pray for the continuing discipling ministry. And pray for ongoing support to continue these outreaches, and to expand the outreach into other communities.
The team and some of those who came to one of the CEFED outreaches
David has authored a book for use in training church leaders in disability ministry: Reaching Out and Bringing In: The Role of the Church in Ministry to and with Persons with Disabilities. The book was printed in Bamenda by Gospel Press. (We thank God for leading others to help pay for this book’s publication.) Pray that this will be a useful and effective tool in preparing churches for this forgotten area of ministry.
Upcoming events include:
● Participation in a Pastors’ Conference in Belo in early December. The theme of the conference is “Breaking Down Strongholds.” David and Magdalene have been asked to give a presentation on working with disabled persons. (Dr. Philemon Yong, whom many of you know, will also be a participant in this conference.) Pray for the success of this conference. It is our understanding that there are some poor relationships among the churches in the Belo area. The goal of the conference planners is that this conference will promote unity among the believers in these churches, as well as contribute to the spiritual development of the participants. And pray that God will open hearts and doors to an inclusive ministry through what David and Magdalene share.
● Magdalene is also arranging for David to present two-day seminars on disability ministry in Douala, Kumba, and Melong in December and January. These cities and towns are some distance from Bamenda (different provinces), which will necessitate greater travel and overnight lodging. Pastors and ministry leaders in each of these areas have been asking for this training for some time, but it has been necessary to schedule them around David’s teaching schedule. Pray for appropriate arrangements for lodging and for travel, and pray that God will prepare the people who will attend these seminars so that their hearts and minds will be receptive to the ideas presented, and that they will be able to devise ways to engage in ministry to and with disabled persons appropriate to their specific locale and situation.
On a sadder note, David traveled to Florida in October after receiving word from her doctor that his 94-year-old mother was “in the active stages of dying.” He was able to spend some time with his mother before she passed away. Although she was only semiconscious, we believe she was aware of his presence. She died peacefully in her sleep on October 18. God’s timing was perfect in the arrangements, however, allowing David to arrive prior to hear passing, and giving time to handle the various arrangements before he needed to return to Cameroon. We thank God for his grace and presence in all of this.
We have added a blog site which includes description of some of our activities and thoughts. Please visit the blog site often to keep up with what we are doing. The address for the blog is: www.crossingbridgesinc.wordpress.com.
Thanks to everyone for your continued prayer and financial support in these troubled financial times! May God replenish your strength and your resources.
May the God of peace, and the peace of God be with us all!.
David and Florence Anderson
floanddav@yahoo.com
Florence with some of the CEFED children
