The team returned to Minneapolis on February 2. Thank you to all of our friends and family for the prayers while we were in Cameroon and traveling. We are now gathering all of our pictures and thoughts to share. We are also trying to climatize our bodies to the -100 degree shift in outside air temperature that we experienced from Cameroon to Minnesota. Welcome back!
From almost the beginning it was clear that we would fare better if we said the words, “If the Lord wills. . .” AND if we really meant it.
We should have been saying, “If the Lord wills, we will arrive in Yaounde at 7:05 pm, Monday.” Instead, our plane had mechanical problems and our flight was delayed until the next day, so we arrived 26 hours later than planned.
We should have been saying, “If the Lord wills, we will rest Monday evening, check emails and post on our team blog.” Instead, on Tuesday, our arrival night was filled with unpacking and reworking our schedule to fit our work into one less day. And for some reason, the blog that had been set up never accepted the posts we tried to enter. And most times throughout trip, it was hard to use email for various reasons—electrical outage, no internet connection, no time, etc.
We should have said, “If the Lord wills, we will have a lighter schedule the first day, as we get into the swing of things.” Instead, since we arrived a day late, we packed 2 days of work into 1 day (until 1 am), so the rest of the time could remain pretty much on schedule (if the Lord willed!).
By the end of the 1st day we knew that we were on the Lord’s schedule. And he gave us his strength to do what he gave us in each day. If any of us had been tempted to think we had things planned and under control, he showed us from the beginning that this was his mission, not ours.
At the human level, we were bringing wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches to just a handful of the Cameroonians who can’t afford them, and thus offering them greater mobility to participate in their communities. At a deeper level, we prayed that families and churches would be more and more open to see that every person in their community is created in the image of God, no matter how their bodies or minds may be different.
The therapists and mechanics prayed with each person they worked with and each person received a Bible and/or other Christian literature and spent time with one of the local pastors who volunteered their time the days we were working. We were so thankful for this partnership. As I heard our team leader, Bob Horning, express it: We gave equipment that will last for a few years, and that is good. But vastly more important is what the pastors offered—eternal life with Jesus.
Now, back at home, if I can just remember in the midst of my everyday routine, it still is all “If the Lord wills . . .” – not just during extraordinary times.
Noël Piper
