A change of pace

I have arrived safely in Pennsylvania! I even got to briefly explore Paris on my way here. My first breath of fresh air was after getting of the metro outside Notre Dame Cathedral. It felt surreal. There were big beautiful old buildings, sidewalks, trees, trash cans and white people. I still heard french all around me, but my eyes took in all the sights to see. I sat in Notre Dame listening to the music and wondering how many others had sought refuge in there before myself. That was a rest for my soul. I also saw the Eiffel Tower and the outside of the Louvre museum. I took my final rest at a sidewalk cafe with a cup of real espresso and a square of dark chocolate in my hands. I arrived home last friday evening with all my luggage intact. I was also however, very sick with the worst headache and sore throat of my life. I spent the next day in the ER and was tested for many things, thankfully the only positive result was strep throat. I was put on an IV and felt the pain ease out of my system. I am now healthy once again and still trying to get used to routine here.
I like to picture myself in the huge international terminal of the Atlanta airport. I came up the escalator and could smell Starbucks. (For those of you who don't know, I am a huge coffee fan.) I stood about 15 feet outside the entrance and felt like I was smelling and watching my past go on around me, like in a Christmas Carol. I then faced the food court and stood with my mouth agape, literally, as I looked at all my options for supper. I was reassuring myself in my head and telling myself to take it nice and slow. I ended up enjoying a burrito from Qudoba. I waited until later this week to get my coffee.
I look at things differently now. The grocery store was an interesting trip. It took me longer to get my small basket of things then it did for mom to complete a larger list. I feel like I take everything in and I do so very slowly.
Some of my first observations upon returning (these are in no way meant to offend anyone and are generalities): everything is very expensive, many in our culture struggle with obesity, clothing is way more revealing than I remembered, kids seem louder and less respectful, patience is limited. Right away some things I appreciate are: the medical care I can get, convenience, english, driving, peace and quiet, family, familiar food, good sales, milk and cereal, grocery stores and plenty more. it is nice to be home. My life will not be the same ever again because of the lessons learned in Cameroon, but I am excited to move toward my new life here. I will continue to update my blog with stories of life at home for those of you who would like to keep reading. Thank you all for your support in prayers, words, and finances over this last year. I could not have done it without you. I will be working on my last newsletter to send out in the next few weeks. If you have not received my past 3 and would like to receive this one, please let me know (amyoxendale@gmail.com)
May God bless each one of you with his abundant grace.
With love,
AMY

I will be sharing in our church service this sunday at Stoneridge Covenant Church in Allison Park, PA if you would like to come hear.

A quick update from my amazing journey!

Greetings! We are now a week into our 2 week missions trip to the North West province of Cameroon. I feel so blessed to be here and sharing the love of Christ with the people we meet. I feel this trip is the toppings on my year of hard whipped cream. I'm not sure if that analogy makes sense, but just know I am so blessed. I can talk to most people in english which is a huge answer to prayer. I have visited a village and seen first hand the relationship work that goes into learning a language so the Bible can be translated into that language. It is amazing work. Each place we go the students have done various dramas and puppet shows speaking of the love of Christ. God has used us and blessed us. Tomorrow we leave to go into the mountains to live in and work at a Fulani village. We will be serving two widow compounds by helping them with weeding and working in the fields, as well as working with the cattle and animals. We will speak of Christ as much as we can without offending their muslim faith. Please pray that the love and joy of Christ can shine through us and speak louder than our words. The mountains here are green and beautiful! I feel God's presence all around me. Please keep me and my team of 15 students and 5 other leaders in your prayers untill we return a week from today on Sunday the 29th.
This is a wonderful last adventure for me in Cameroon. God knows me so well and knew what I needed.
May the love of God dwell in you all.
Love,
AMY

Last Adventures

Well, today is my last official day of working at Rain Forest International School. Graduation was last week and this week has been finishing up paperwork and class work. I can’t believe it is over. I still have 3 weeks in the country and get the chance to go on a missions trip for two of those weeks.
I feel my time here has finished well. Many students and fellow missionaries have left the country to go home, wherever that may be, for the summer. So things around here are quiet. I say goodbye to two more friends tonight. By the time I leave I will have no one else to say goodbye to.
The graduation service here was so different than what I am used to. There were only 12 students in the class so something personal was said for each one of them. There were continual celebrations all last week so there were many chances to say goodbyes to my students. (the first picture is my business math class and the second is my science class)



I got to go on a bus 3 hours to Douala on Monday to have 1 last adventure with some other ladies. We stayed at a guesthouse and went shopping in the artisan market. Found some good treasures. Markets here can be very overwhelming, just ask my family. Because they don’t leave you alone and follow you around and set the price WAY too high to begin with and you have to barter a lot to get it down. But if you don’t know French very well, this can be even more challenging! I guess it is a good way to NOT spend money. I often get overwhelmed and feel I can’t buy anything. But then I remember I can always tell them no. The trip was nice. The bus ride amused me because it was very ‘fancy’, which just doesn’t normally happen in Cameroon. It was air-conditioned and there was a stewardess on it. She reminded me to buckle my seatbelt. They even showed a movie (in French) on the way back. The whole package entertained me very much.

The 2 pictures below are of myself and good friends and co-workers, Liz and Anna, and of me and some of the guys I connected with being themselves.

My Last Day! It has arrived!

Praise, glory and honor be to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He has gotten me to a point I was not sure I would ever make it to—my last day of class. It is 8th period on the last Friday of school. Next week is finals and graduation is Thursday night. Then I get to wrap up everything at school and say goodbye to many people. I remember a few weeks into school I honestly could not even grasp reaching the end because I was so overwhelmed with what was.
I have 4 more Fridays in Cameroon and I am really looking forward to time to just be and reflect on all I have learned before I am forced into the movement of the American culture again. Some lessons I am sure of, others I am not sure I even realize I have learned or grown in. I need to time to reflect and give God the praise that is due Him for every moment he has given me strength to move on.
Please pray for me as I go through this transition of goodbyes and reflection these next few weeks.
Sorry I don’t have many words to say today. My heart is full, but my mouth is empty.
Blessings to you All,
AMY

Trusting God's call

Wow! I can’t believe it is Friday already! I feel like I JUST wrote a blog. (Apparently I was very out of it when I wrote my last update because it had a lot of grammatical mistakes in it.) We had a long weekend and started school on Wednesday this week, so the days have gone by fast.
Our school banquet last weekend turned out great. I helped do hair for 7 girls. It was fun to see everyone all dressed up. I will post a few pictures. It was a time to say goodbye to the seniors in a formal way. So many goodbyes are happening, they cannot be stopped.

This week in chapel the worship team members each shared about how God has been working in their lives this year through being on worship team. Being a worship team advisor I got to share as well. I was struggling with what to say because I don’t feel like I have gone through as many changes in worship and understanding of it as the students have. But I did realize something. In college I started as a music ministry major because I felt God has called me to lead people into worship. But then my desires changed and I switched to a youth ministry major. I thought perhaps I had felt God’s leading wrong. But because of being on worship team this year and leading the kids into worship at the retreat, I realized something. I realized that though standing in front and leading worship through music is not something I feel strongly called to do; leading youth into worship by encountering God in new, different and real ways is something I have a great desire to do. I want these kids and any others I work with to understand how much God loves them and be drawn to worship Him because of that. So my understanding of God’s call for me is different now than I originally thought, but I didn’t hear Him wrong. I feel He has called me to lead youth to encounter Him and I desire to use whatever means I can to do that. I just thought I would share that realization with you.
We shouldn’t doubt God’s leading even if it confuses us. He has reasons and timing that we may never see. But trust His voice. His timing is so different.
I think I could write a book on timing and all the confusing things I have learned this year about time and how slow, fast and confusing it is.

Tonight we have a staff appreciation dinner. Just one more goodbye thing to go to, but it should be fun. I enjoy the staff I work with. I have one more week of teaching left, then finals. Just over 40 days before I leave. My emotions are torn.

I would appreciate prayer for finishing well and strong. I need to manage my time well so I get a chance to say goodbye to all the people, places and experiences I need to.

Enjoy God’s beauty around you this weekend. Get outside and seek to give Him praise for all He has created and all He is.
Be Blessed,
AMY

The ending begins

Hello again. Sorry I didn’t post last week. We had some internet issues at school. As for this week, I am tired. It went very fast though. I had been staying at the Hudlow house with 3 teenagers for two weeks until this past Tuesday. That was a lot of fun and a huge blessing, but also very tiring. You have to think differently when you are now looking out for 3 others and feeding 3 others, (2 teenage boys).
I know only have 8 days of teaching left. Monday and Tuesday of this next week are holidays for Cameroon, which means no school for us. So hopefully I can get my last days planned and work on goodbye notes to my beloved students.
A tradition at the school is to take some time during lunch to express your appreciation for the staff who are leaving. Today was my day, along with some others. I was truly blessed and encouraged by what the students had to say. Those who I never expected I truly impacted were the most who spoke up. I am blessed and encouraged.
This weekend they high school has their Banquet. Which is somewhat equivalent to prom in the states. (Only ballroom dancing though). I get to attend and sit with one of my students. It should be a lot of fun and another level of saying goodbye. Following banquet there is an after party at a students house, that the everyone is invited to. I have been one of several who have been asked to chaperone that. It is until 6 am and they don’t sleep. So I am very grateful to have off Monday and Tuesday.
Our volleyball season ended last Saturday with my team (I was one of two assistant coahes) taking the trophy in the tournament. I was proud of the girls. They had some awesome rallies and showed great improvement. I learned a lot too.
Well I am going to go. It has been a long day and I need some exercise then rest.
I hope you are well. I fly into Pittsburgh on July 4th. I have 48 days until I leave for home. I will never understand time and how it flies by yet moments of it can be so long.
God bless you all.
AMY

New Adventures to Share

Bon jour! As I write this I am free from school for 4 days! There are two national holidays today and Friday. I now only have 18 days of teaching left! I need to work at figuring out how to get my students well prepared for their final.
My choir tour weekend went very well. There were 3 vehicles full of 23 people that caravanned together. We went east to a town called Batouri. The landscape was beautiful! The contrast of the green plants, blue skies, white clouds and red dirt was awesome! We traveled for about 10 hours each way, and were gone for just 4 days, so it made for a long trip. About 75% of our traveling was on dirt roads, but none so bad that we couldn’t pass them. We did lose our spare tire at one point because of a rather large rut in the road, but we had no other problems, which was amazing. We had the chance of singing at a prison, hospital and church. Two nights we invited the town to come to the mission compound and hear us sing, watch a Christian movie with a gospel message and hear a gospel message presented in person. It was a unique and great experience for myself and for many of the kids. We ate true Cameroonian food the whole weekend. This means plantains (boiled or fried), seasoned beef, rice, dried fish, okra soup, a grassy/leaf peanut sauce combination and manioc fufu (finely ground root mixed with boiled water to form an expanded sticky substance that is used as utensils to scoop up the other food on your plate—a staple food for many Cameroonians).
At the prison the men only get feed what their families bring to them, generally speaking, so some looked healthy, but there were quite a few that looked like they would not make it another week. Up to this point I had seen malnourished kids and hungry families, but I had never seen someone literally starving to death until last weekend. I pray we planted seeds for Christ in the lives of the men there.


The hospital was unique too. Don’t picture an American hospital, but rather try to picture a dirt cul-de-sac with 5 cement buildings around it. We sang outside each building as there wasn’t much room inside. We had many come out of their rooms to listen to our singing and to the gospel message shared. There were many Fulani refugees staying outside the buildings because family was sick inside. The Fulani people are traditionally of the Islam faith, but it was neat to have them attentive to the message of Christ that we shared. I could write more about this weekend, but I need to stop somewhere.

I am now staying with 3 students for 2 weeks while their guardians are in the US (the same kids I stayed with for a weekend in the fall). It was Kati’s birthday yesterday and today she is having some friends over. That should be fun for all and hopefully not too tiring for me. The 2 boys are in 9th and 10th grade and Kati is 11th, so they are fairly responsible on their own. It is however, something I enjoy doing.
My last piece of news is that I have finely decided for sure, that I am returning to the states next year. I plan on living with my parents in the fall and attending North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago starting in January. I will be arriving in Pittsburgh in the first week of July.
Well, I hope this finds you all well. It is hard to leave hear, but I look forward to seeing many of you again soon.
Much Love,
AMY

A week of learning

I just re-read my post from last week and find it very fitting and so God like that this week we had a women, Libby Stephens from Interaction Int., here speaking on transition, leaving well and the process of saying goodbye. Almost all of the kids I work with are TCKs (Third Culture Kids). This is the largest growing people group. Their 3 cultures are that of their citizenship, all other cultures they have lived in, as well as the culture of other kids like them. TCKs are kids of missionaries, international businessmen, immigrants, diplomats, military persons, and refugees. They are often constantly moving and saying goodbye both as they leave and as others leave. It has been a very hectic week, but a very enjoyable week as I listened to and learned from Libby.
Tonight we have the school carnival. It is an annual event that creates something fun for the community to do and raises money for each class. Each class sets up 5-7 booths that people give purchased tickets to be able to participate. The community loves it and the students look forward to it as well. It is supposed to be outside, but has been raining off and on. Hopefully the skies will clear and plans can stay as they are. Tomorrow night is what they call Music Night for the main mission branch here, SIL. I have been invited to perform which I am looking forward to. The chamber choir I sing in with the students is also singing. It will be a good preparation for next weekend. The chamber choir leaves next Thursday to travel to Batouri in eastern Cameroon. I have not been east of Yaounde so that should be a very fun adventure to see more of this country and spend more time with these kids.
I am still enjoying assistant coaching volleyball. I get to practice my own skills with the kids a lot and really enjoy that. I am improving immensely and get very excited when I do something right. A few times I have seen the girls laughing at me because I get so excited about learning something new or accomplishing a hit. I guess I have never been very good at hiding my excitement about things.
My women’s bible study is studying a book on becoming a woman of excellence. Last night we discussed the chapter on obedience; never a ‘fun’ topic to discuss if we are truly honest with ourselves. I realized that I often seek to obey God by doing what I think is right or by what I have always done. In the study she talks about asking God first how he wants us to obey him, then listening for his response, then acting on that. I often skip to the last step. I am working on asking, listening, then acting. Just a recent simple lesson that I wanted to share.

Here are some pictures of my Covenant World Mission retreat at Kribi over break. The first is of our whole group that gathered there. Many came from other parts of Africa and we made quite a unique group. The second is a picture of our group gathering to pray for one another each morning on the beach. It was truly a blessing and encouragement.




You will not hear from me next week until Monday perhaps. I will be traveling with 16 youth and 6 adults an 8-hour van ride away. Please pray for safety as well leave next Thursday and return Sunday. Pray for God to be seen and heard through us as we sing and perform at outreaches for Him.
Thank you for the part you have played in allowing me this experience.
God Bless You,
AMY

Contemplating Goodbye

Let’s see, what new adventures to share….Nothing much new has happened this week. It has gone by very fast. I can’t believe I now only have 7 weeks of teaching here left. I am excited to return home and see all of you and discover what new adventures God may have for me. I am also looking forward to putting into practice the many things I learned this year. I have learned a lot about how to live more simply. It will be harder to do in the American culture as there are more temptations for materialism and more availability to it. But I am determined to not spend God’s money on things I do not need. I have learned to cook from scratch and found I really love it. I rarely eat out here and have found great joy in sharing a meal with friends in their home.
I have students asking me to stay and trying to convince me that I should teach choir (our music director it leaving) and help out with chapel details. I would not want to teach again. But there are some other things that would intrigue me to do. If I am honest I can say that I don’t know what to do next year yet. I think of a great idea and get excited about it, but then become so uncertain. Then I find another idea and get excited about that. This is my biggest prayer request now. That I will be seeking God’s wants and will for me and not my own. I know I will find true joy in what He has for me to do. Please pray for wisdom in decision-making as I look toward what may come next for me.
Also, you can pray that I can finish well here. I have built some great relationships with students and co-workers and it will be hard for me to say goodbye.

This first picture is one of my co-worker and good friend Anna and I. The second is Anna and I with some girls at one of the hostels after a water fight.



I get tired of saying goodbye so many times. It is an emotional thing for me. I get tempted to shut my emotions down and not care because often it is too exhausting to care. I don’t enjoy saying goodbye to new friends and people God has used immensely in my life to challenge me, encourage me and love me. I wonder if it is something in me that needs to move on each year and fears the deeper relationships that would come with staying put. I do enjoy the adventure of moving on, but I hate the pain of leaving. I will leave it at that. I don’t have the time to analyze myself anymore and I am sure you do not care to read it all.
I pray you are blessed today and that you can take some moments to be still and truly know that He is God.
May His peace that passes all understanding guide and guard you this day.
AMY

Fellowship and Sunsets

April. Wow! I cannot believe it is here. This spring break has been wonderful, but is almost over for me. We start school again on Monday. Then I only have 8 weeks left of teaching until I finish this year. I have already finished all of my teaching units for Science 10 and it is now time to review for the IGCSEs, a sort of standardized test for the British school system. So may main teaching for that class is over. I still have to plan review, but basically my main planning and teaching will just be in Business Math now. I still enjoy that class very much and am excited to teach them more.

I had a very nice time at our Covenant retreat on the beach. There were 34 people there at the most. We had missionaries come from Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cameroon, a Nigerian and a Congolese man, as well as CWM staff from the states. It was a great time of fellowship and growth. We had meetings twice a day to learn, discuss and make decisions. Also we had many times of worship and prayer. The highlights for me came in the fellowship with the new friends around me. I was blessed immensely by their love for each other and the Lord and their example of dedicated service to Africa. I am excited and encouraged by the growth and changes the Covenant World Mission is going through and I am honored to be a part of it.



(Pictures of a beautiful sunset, some of my buddies for the week, and an example of fun times and quirky magic)

I have been having conversations that are spurring new ideas for what I can do next year but it is all still unclear. Prayer for guidance for decisions and direction as I search would be greatly appreciated. I want to continue to use the gifts and passions that God has given me of relating to youth, loving them and encouraging them to come alive. But what that will, can or should look like, I am uncertain. I cling to the fact that God knows already where I will be next year and what new adventures He will take me on. I am reminded so clearly of His love and provision for me through these verses I recently read.

“When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.” (Psalm 142:3)

“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.” (Psalm 143:8)

My life is His. I strive to trust Him. I seek His unfailing love each day. He will show me where to walk.
God’s grace and peace be with each of you this day,
AMY

He is Risen! What a glorious day this Easter has been. It started with a ‘Sonrise’ Service on the school grounds with a bunch of missionary families, including many of my students. Then I got to rest for about an hour and headed out again to a baptism. In Cameroon it is very traditional to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with the baptism of new believers. Then it is a celebration of new life all around. The baptism I went to today was that of my friend Fiacre. He started out as a ballroom dance teacher to Liz and I, but is now a dear friend. He has recently been growing in his faith and decided the next step for him was baptism. It was a very loud and vibrant celebration. That is the way Cameroonians celebrate! A Cameroonian church service and a lunch to celebrate followed the baptism.

Good Friday I went up Mt. Nkolbesan with a group of 12 students as one of two chaperons. It was lots of fun. You hike up, sleep on a rock face over looking the city and then watch the sunrise and hike down the following morning. It is about an hour-long hike up and 45 min. down. It was a great time from great Easter discussion and quality conversations as well as a lot of laughter.




This Tuesday, the 25th, I leave to go to Kribi (the beach) for the Covenant meetings and fellowship. There are Covenant missionaries from all parts of Africa coming as well as some folks coming from the States. We stay there a whole week. I am looking forward to it and hoping to have lots of free time on the beach to read and swim.


Well I wish a Happy Easter to all of you and prayer to you may truly celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord and Savior and all it has brought into our lives.
Much love,
AMY

Drama, drama, drama...

So the rainy season is definitely here! Late yesterday afternoon it rained so hard I could scream and barely hear myself over the rain on the metal roofs. The humidity is back in full force as well. This is a very busy and exciting time here. Our break starts next Friday and our grades our due for this quarter on Tuesday morning. So I am finishing up tests and grading. It is also the weekend for our school play. They are performing a play called Reunions, written by Kevin Chilton one of our English teachers here. The kids have worked hard and done a great job. I have been involved in the beginning and end. I helped cast students at the beginning and this last week I have been helping give notes on acting and character development. Opening night was last night and I helped with hair and makeup. It all takes me back to high school and my high involvement in theatre then. I am really enjoying it. On top of that the 10th grade class I advise is doing a fundraiser at the show. They are selling dessert and drinks at intermission and after each show. This means I have to help set up and supervise and clean up and sell coffee (my specialty) all at the same time. I am exhausted and dreamed of coffee and hot chocolate last night. But I just need to make it through next Thursday, then I get to go to the beach the for a week the following Tuesday!
I was just talking with a co-worker today about how fast this year is going. I can’t believe I am almost ¾ done with teaching here. It is amazing and sad all at the same time. I remember when I didn’t know if I would make it through the first quarter! I year goes by so fast, yet so much can happen in a year. I think I have grown more these last two years of my life then the 4 before that combined. I have been challenged, stretched, broken and God has built me up, saved me, used me and taught me so much. What a blessing these struggles have been. I don’t know what will come next year. But I know that God will walk me through it and amaze me in the midst of it and on the other side of it as He has done for me again and again.
Things are still calm here. The President will speak Saturday, which will hopefully be a good thing for the people and not stir up any problems.
You can pray for energy for me these next few days as well as a restful break with lots of relationship building with both God and others.
I hope this finds you all well and looking forward to spring. Thank you for your words of encouragement and support. As always, I love to hear from you. Please feel free to post a note or send me an email (amyoxendale@gmail.com)
I pray you may see and experience God’s goodness around you in both the peace and the pain.
Sending you love from Africa,
AMY

Peace

Greetings my Friends. Sorry for the delay in a post. Last Wednesday, the 27th was the start of an adventure for all of us living here. We were sent home early from school as a result of riots going on in the main cities of the country, including this city, Yaoundé. The riots started with a huge rise of gas prices along with many other rising prices. Those riots turned into some political problems and got worse. School was cancelled both Thursday and Friday and we were not supposed to leave our neighborhood at all. I never saw or heard any danger, it was further away. Our city was one of the calmest and as far as I know, none were killed here. The last total I heard was 20 killed throughout the country. This country has been very peaceful for years and years. Many Cameroonians were terrified at what was going on. However it is also a very corrupt country. Many who are well educated cannot get jobs. Those who have good jobs have them because of connections and not skill or education level. People who are supposed to be paid by the govt. often don’t get paid. It is sad to see. I don’t want riots or war, but it would be nice to see the corruption gone. It just runs very deep. Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon has been in office since ’82 and is seeking to amend the constitution to allow him to be in office for life. This would not be good. The decision and vote for that is happening next week. So I am leaving my evacuation bag packed until that is over with.
All that said, the city does feel safe again. The main damage was done on gas stations and vehicles. You can pray with all of us for peace and resolution in Cameroon.
Today I am tired, but this week has been good. I have only 2 weeks until our semester break. I get to spend a whole week on the beach with the Covenant World Mission Africa staff. I am looking forward to that rest. Until then I strive to keep working hard and serving God.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak in chapel. I could not have asked for things to go any better. I performed a monologue I had written of the adulterous woman in John 8 and then spoke on how we can each find our story in the Bible. I have heard so many positive and encouraging things about it. God is so faithful and really came through and used me. I am humbled and blessed.
I will finish on that positive note. Tomorrow I have a volleyball tournament with our senior girls team. Should be almost all day, but lots of fun. I hope each of you has a blessed weekend.
In His Hands,
AMY

TGIF!

I love writing on Fridays because I am in a good mood because it is Friday! Today the sun is shining once again and the air is hot. It is nearing the end of the dry season, but it is the driest part of the dry season so far. Dust everywhere, very dry contacts, chapped lips, thirsty skin….. But rainy season is around the bend because the mango trees are growing mangos. From what I understand they are here for just a short time, but very plentiful and very cheap. I look forward to adding it to my fruit intake.
Tonight, my co-worker, Anna and I are hosting a “Girls’ Night” for five 11th and 12th grade girls. We have a whole list of girls to eventually invite to a girls’ night. After retreat we decided we wanted to be active in getting to know the female students better. We are having pizza for supper and dessert pizza for dessert. It should be a fun time.
My roommate, Liz, is gone for the weekend. She left today with a drama evangelism group from school. They are traveling to a village where they will perform their dramas, which present the gospel message to music, and minister to the people living there. They can use prayer for safe travels and for God’s protection on them. They will be out on the front lines fighting for God’s kingdom and Satan never likes that. They need protection from sickness and discouragement. We have two teams at school and Liz leads both of them. They have performed several times at churches and neighborhoods in the area. Each time people have come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. People here seem to be ready to listen and eager to respond. I pray the response in the village this weekend is the same.
I have been feeling well this whole week. I am so thankful for that.
I just started a new Bible study called Becoming a Women of Excellence. It is with a group of 7 women from the missions community ranging from age 25 to over 60. I am really looking forward to the fellowship, accountability and personal growth with Christ.
Well this sums up thing for today. I hope you are all well, but I know that is probably not so. If you are stressed, exhausted, sick or worse I pray you can truly feel God’s grace and mercy surrounding you today.
Blessings to you all,
AMY

Living in Massive heat

Greetings on this very HOT Monday. I am sorry I forgot to post on Friday, I have excuses, but won’t use them. So here I am on Monday, putting off planning lessons for this week. I am good at that.
I had fun this last week. I was able to go to one of the hostels two nights to hang out with kids. It was a lot of fun to keep building relationships with them outside of school. Saturday we had our Valentine’s Dance community event. Every class puts on a few community events each year to raise money for them as a class. Part of the money goes toward tithing, part towards their class ‘bank’. It is traditions for the juniors to put on a banquet for the seniors each year so they have to save money for that. Also, the seniors get to go on a class trip each year. I am an advisor for the 10th grade class and they were helping the seniors run the dance, so that meant I was cooking rice and chicken for hours on Saturday. But it was good to be serving with students and getting to know them better. It was also a good patient tester and cultural teacher. The work ethic between Cameroonians and missionaries is very different and can be frustrating to deal with.
Sunday I had a wonderful day of rest.
I had another doctor appointment Friday, hopefully my last one. I was given some more medicine and she thinks all my ulcers and symptoms should be gone in two more weeks at the most. I pray this is so. I am definitely feeling better already.
Well, that is all for now, I finished my newsletter, so you should be getting it soon. Once again, if you do not get it and would like to, please let me know.
Enjoy your week.
AMY

Praise God I thrived!

Well, after getting over 25 hours of sleep in 2 days this weekend I think I am fully recovered from the retreat. I had a blast on retreat though! I felt I was truly in my element. I was able to be goofy and myself as I sought to connect with the kids. I led a small group with 4 girls as well as led 2 of our worship sessions. Both of those went really well and I feel that God truly used me to bring the group into an interaction with Him. Also I set up 8 different prayer stations for the hr. long optional worship time. That went really well and about 1/3 of the students came. But of course, I would have been content had just 1 person come and truly met God. I didn’t get much sleep (we had 3 hr night guarding shifts, mine was from 2:30-5:30am), and spent a lot of energy, but God kept me going strong. I was hoping for some conformation that working with youth in a spiritual/small group/connection level is what I like and am gifted at. I got that confirmation! Praise God. I feel I started building trust and relationships with so many more students this last week on retreat. I am so thankful.
Now we have about 6 weeks left until semester break. Which seems like a lot, but I know the last 5 went really fast, so I am expecting the same. My days coaching Jr. girls soccer are over. Sad, but true. However, my days assistant coaching Sr. girls volleyball will start this week. It is feels good to add on some new things and not be completely overwhelmed like I found myself at the start of the school year.
Well, please look for my winter newsletter. It should be coming out in the next week, I am almost finished with it. If you didn’t get my fall one and would like to receive my next few, please send me an email or respond on the blog and let me know.
At the beginning of the year, I found God everyday in the struggles and challenges and He was what sustained me and kept me going. Today I can say I find him in the joys of each day and in the satisfaction of serving Him. In both cases I am blessed and rejoice in Him. But today it is nicer to breath more easily.
If you are in the hard times now I pray for supernatural strength for you and a capability to praise Him still. If you are in the joys of life, I pray you will not forget who brought you to this point. God deserves our praise in every circumstance.
I thank the Lord every time I think of you and the support and encouragement you give me. I would not be here loving these kids and growing in Christ without so many of you. Thank you.
Because of Him,
AMY

God's Awesomeness!

I am alive! I realized I didn’t write after my climb. So if you are a person who comes to dramatic conclusions, you could conclude that I didn’t make it. Ahh, but it is quite the opposite. I made it all the way the summit! What a great experience it was. Thank you for you prayers for me and my team. All but 1 made it to the top and we all made it back down in one way or another. It was so great to get to know the kids better and to see God work in their lives. I could feel your prayers around me and I truly believe that God sent and angel to protect me and get me up the mountain. I had some knee and feet problems on the way down, so I rode the last bit down on my porter’s (bag carrier) back. Quite an experience. He ran and jumped down, wearing socks and flip flops, a span that would have taken me over 2 hours and took him only 25 min. We had a beautiful view up top! God is Awesome!
More new….I have some small stomach ulcers. I had been having reoccurring stomach problems, so went to a French specialist to get tested. I got an endoscopy done last Friday and was put under, which is why I forgot to write. I have meds for my small ulcers and a follow up appointment to try to prevent any further problems. I would appreciate prayers for this.
If you pay attention to international news you will know that both Kenya and Chad are very unsettled right now. We feel no effects of that, except for the evacuation of missionaries, some parents of our students. Kenya is having tribal wars as a result of the recent election and Chad has rebel soldiers rising up to the govt. and trying to take over. I encourage you to read up on the issues and pray for the situations. Choose to not be ignorant and even take action if you can.
It is very last right now (but by request of my sister, I am writing). Tomorrow we leave for our school retreat. I procrastinated on some last minute details and just finished them. But now I have to pack. If you know me well, this is now surprise. I am in charge of worship for the retreat and am very excited. Please pray with me seeking God’s provision and intervention during this week (5-8). I feel this is more in my element than teaching is and I am very excited to get involved. I am praying also for some sense of God’s leading for my future through this.
Well, this is detailed but shorter. I will post a picture of Mt. Cam if I can. But I am tired and hoping for bed soon.
I love getting letters from you. I have just received numerous Christmas ones and it brings me the joy of Christ’s birth all over again! What a blessing.
God be with each of you this week.
AMY

A new adventure to experience and a Mt. to conquer!

Hello. I don’t have much time right now. The group of 14 of us leave for our Mt. Cam. Trip in about 3 min. But I wanted to say hello and ask again for your prayers. Today we have a 6 hr. drive and will stay in a hotel tonight. Tomorrow, Saturday, we will start the climb and camp in a hut on the mt. that night. We will then get up at 3am and climb to the summit then descend all the way. We will stay in another hotel that night and return to Yaounde on Monday, arriving in the evening. There are 10 students and 4 staff. Pray for safety and endurance. But also for good fellowship and conversation. That lasting relationships can be built and that we will see God’s glory around us and feel his presence among us each step of the way. Thank you. I look forward to writing you with the result of our climb. God Bless!
Amy

A Faithful God

Greetings on this somewhat cool day in Cameroon. I will start with the news that I completed my 10k run last weekend and as long as I stay healthy, will be going up Mt. Cameroon next Sat. and Sun. Thank you for your prayers.

I love the way God wakes me up and reminds me of his faithfulness is small personal ways. In chapel worship yesterday I momentarily got distracted from the songs and started praying about where I will go next year and what I will do. I confessed that I want to do what is familiar but I new I couldn’t serve myself and had to follow Him. Then the next song was on how life without Jesus would be nothing and that anything but serving him with my life would be useless. In that moment I was reminded that in following Christ here I have been so blessed. Life this year is not easy, but it is so full of blessed moments with God. Silent tears fell down my face as I praised God for his faithfulness.
I hope you can experience God in little moments like that.
If you have any brilliant ideas for what I should do next in life I would be willing to hear them.
But for now I am still here teaching in Cameroon. I started to do a New Year’s evaluation of where I have come from in the last year and what I have gone through. I got overwhelmed. I changed jobs, homes, countries, cultures, languages, fellowship and gone through many personal battles with God. God has sustained me and been my strength. I can credit it to no one or nothing else. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Well this entry will be short today. Someone eat a yellow bell pepper for me please. I miss them, the red and orange ones too.
As always, I love to hear from any and all of you.

May you know God’s blessings today,
AMY

Hello again! Sorry I have not posted for the last 2 Fridays. I was off traveling with my family. We had such a great time together. They arrived 2 days after Christmas safely and with all their luggage. We stayed the first 2 nights at an apartment on a missions training center by my school. Then we flew north and traveled around there with a van and guides and stayed in 4 different places and saw many beautiful parts of this country. The landscape and way of life up in the far north is very different than here in the south and city. Here it is rainforest and there it is dry and hot and brown, but it still carries it’s own beauty. We went on a safari and saw African animals in their real habitat. It was lots of fun. Then after a brief stop back in Yaoundé, we headed west to the beach. There we stayed in a nice hotel and spent our days swimming, reading and relaxing. We also had a very interesting bush taxi experience on the way back. A bush taxi is a big bus or van that you buy a ticket for, but they sell way more tickets than actual seats, and every ticket owned gets on. On our 30 person small bus we counted about 40 people plus the back row full of luggage! This is the Cameroonian way of doing things. It was crazy, but we made it. Praise God that he kept us safe the whole time with no major illnesses or injuries. A few colds and stomach problems, but we all pushed through. It was a short time with a lot of traveling, but it was such a blessing. I am so glad they could come and see where I work and live and meet some of my friends, both missionaries and Cameroonians. I will send out my next newsletter with more stories and pictures at the end of January.
Now it is back to school. This semester seems so much less intimidating to me! I now know people, the culture, some of the language, my students, how to teach, what to teach and other things that I didn’t know starting off last semester. I need to remember to still seek God’s strength in all I do and not my own. It is a lot easier to depend on him when I can’t depend on myself. But when I gain self confidence it is easier to try to do things in my own strength. I do still feel stretched and challenged in what I am doing. I am not a pro at living here or teaching yet. You can still pray for wisdom and discipline to learn and be organized as I teach.
Today I have a big challenge in front of me. I wrote a while back about the running club I am in. We run together twice a week to train for climbing the tallest mountain in western Africa, Mt. Cameroon. While the climb is on the 25th and 26th of January, so it is coming up. As a test of endurance we are supposed to successfully complete at 10k run round our dirt driveway/circle/track here on campus. They have a whole event to cheer us (10 students, 4 adults) on. They play music, make a slip-n-slide and provide food for those who come to watch and cheer us on. This event is tonight at 5:30, which is 11:30 east coast time. I have to run 23 laps around, which makes 10k. I am a little nervous and anxious. So if you read this in time you can pray for safety and endurance for me and the other runners. With God I can do all things! Right?

Well, I hope this finds you all well and refreshed and blessed after your Christmas and New Years. Seek God and be blessed!
Peace,
AMY