We never know what kind of fruit will happen in a persons life when we minister to them. This is especially true of teams that go to foreign mission fields. They go, they minister and they leave. We always try to encourage those who come that they will have a profound and lasting effect on the Cameroonians that they minister to. Not only did the last team that came from Florida in Oct of 2017 put up screens on the windows of the orphanage (which will have a profound effect on the incidents of Malaria...greatly reducing the number of cases at the orphanage), but when they ministered during a Sunday church service at our village church they had eternal fruit come forth. There was a family....whose male head of the house started to attend as a result and started bringing his family. Every week they sit under the Word of God as they attend....growing in their new found relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus!! AND the visiting Pastor preached a message encouraging those who were there to GO and make disciples of their neighbors. That message had a profound effect on the children at the orphanage who decided to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. They began to GO and share the love of God and His Word in their neighboring villages as well as their own. As a result (and remember as I write this it has been just over 2 months since the team was here) a new church has been started in one of those neighboring villages. God is so good!!! So yes....the team had a profound and lasting impact on not just the village they ministered in but the neighboring villages also. WOW!!! Keep these GTS children in your prayers....they have caught the vision of GOing. In January 2018 we will GO and share in a village about 4 hours from the orphanage while we are also helping to build a home with our new block making machine. We are believing that the Lord will continue to use these children to win many souls to the Lord

Blessings -- Sara

It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day battles that life brings our way that we lose sight of all that the Lord is doing in our lives and through us. I know that I am particularily blessed to need to produce a video every 2 years or so to share in churches. I put together pictures and videos we have taken of things that are happening (this time around it's at the orphanage, village water projects, the Bible College etc...). Figure some kind of theme, find a song to show it with and then spend weeks putting this picture in, taking this one out....tweeking, tweeking and more tweeking.

Then I will show it to Tim and see what he thinks...it's about this time that the Lord speaks to my heart....your life here in Cameroon is making a difference, I am using you to impact lives....oh how sweet the gentle whispered voice of the Lord. I so need to remember that even in the midst of battles (some intense), disappointments, struggles etc.... that the Lord is still doing a good work in and through me. He is not limited. It's no wonder that we are exhorted to set our mind on things above and not on the earth and to remember that we are indeed seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places. That position gives us a great advantage to see our lives from His perspective. When we allow ourselves to be "earth bound" our view is limited to what is around us (the battles etc...). Lord help me live heavenly minded so that I will be more useful here on earth.

Blessings -- Sara

Prov 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (NIV)

The Living Bible says it this way:

 Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy.

Tim traveled to the remote village of Ntseimbang in May of 2014 with the desire to provide a well for them. When the well drilling company was unable to do a hand bore hole well we were so disappointed. But when we saw the villagers celebrating the well and had to tell them they would have to again wait for the well it was heartbreaking. We would have to raise funds to do a different type of well. 8 months later the funds were provided, 1 month after that the funds were in Cameroon, 2 weeks of back breaking digging and 2 more weeks of waiting for cement to harden enough to use: and finally on March 31, 2015 we arrive back in the village for the unveiling ceremony/celebration. Here is the longing fulfilled….the villagers of 2 villages now have clean drinking water and we have seen the fulfillment of an almost 10 year desire to provide wells for remote villages come to pass with the opening of our first well. Praise the Lord!!! We have now seen a new phase of our ministry here in Cameroon come to pass.

Blessings -- Sara

The spring the 2 villages used                       Children learning the importance of washing their hands

Unveiling the new pump/well                                               PTL! Clean driinking water at last

I have to say that one of the great things about it being the dry season is that the roads start to be repaired....not all but many are scraped and graded, filled in with stones/dirts. We have already started to see some improvements on the roads that we take to GTS.

Here are 2 videos that we took on one of our trips during the rainy season. This isn't the worst of the trip (but I was holding on for dear life and wasn't inclined to try and video that part of the trip.....yes, I know a little bit of a wimp....lol).

So.....I will try and add the videos tomorrow.

Blesings!!! Sara

so...it says that I can upload videos, but.....NOT! Sorry they are pretty good videos that give you at least a small taste of what our drive to the orphanage is like in the rain....driving through rivers.

So....Sunday was the baby dedication for our care giving couple at GTS. Julius and Constance dedicated their daughter Eve this past Sunday.

We left early in the morning so we could make it on time....flat tire....and I mean flat. Fortunately, there were a couple of motorcylcle drivers who were willing to help us change it so Tim didn't get all dirty. Out to the village we go. Tim drops me off at a small village church and heads out to help everyone else from GTS, the food, and all of the other stuff they are bringing for the dedication get to the church safe and sound. 6 hours later we head home. On the way we decide to stop and get some money out of the ATM since it's on the way home. While Tim was doing that I hear this weird noise almost like a growl. I jump out of the car and start looking around to make sure we didn't somehow pick up some animal while we were in church. Tim comes back before I can finish looking and we get in car and head home. I am telling him...I know I heard something. Tim...umhummmm.

Look...I know I am not crazy...I really did hear something. We get home and just go about our business. The next morning Tim gets in the car to run out and get something. He starts honking the horn like crazy....I come out thinking he is just a little impatient about me opening the gate for him. When I get out there he points to the back of the car....and there is this rooster with his head poking up from the very back. He must have hidden behind the tire that needed to be fixed. Unbeknownest to us....during all of the ferrying of people and things, a rooster was placed in the car for the visiting Pastor. Since things went so long and we left before some of the others we took the rooster with us. Only in the village....haha. So it's now in our freezer and the roosters owner is now 3000 cfs richer (around $6). I think we have had many firsts in Cameroon and this qualifies as one. We love it here...you never know what to expect!

Julius Constance and sister (holding Eve)              praying for Eve

On the right....widow with 3 children

One of the more difficult things is when you really want to rescue children and you can't. Pictured above is a widow who is struggling to feed children that she was caring for (she got them when a relative died and they needed someone to care for them). We were in the process of rescuing this widow and these 3 children (they weren't eating well and had never attended school). But, before she could join us and bring the children she needed to check with the head of her family. While in the village the family head told her no she couldn't live at GTS. So another family member took the children so they could work in their farm. It's really hard when you know that these children will probably grow up and not be able to read or write and be used mainly as slave labor for this family (a common thing here in Cameroon). I pray that regardless of their station in life that they will come to know the Lord's love and find His saving grace. We run across these situations too often and while we really do want them to stay with family if they can it's just difficult to see. This situation is better than some we have run into. We tried to rescue an infant girl one time and had the heartbreak of finding out later that she died. Pray for the Lord to continue to open up the doors for us to rescue as many children as we can....for the finances to come in, for us to have favor with the children's family and the government. We are so grateful for the chance to be here doing what we do.

Blessings -- Sara

I was thinking back over our time in the U.S. (Tim has been in Cameroon since Jan 21st...I will be joining him on Aug 4th). We had the Lord meet so many needs during this time, but it wasn't always the way we expected. Just a short list of some of the things:

- money towards a rental car for our trip around the country/Canada

- a great home to purchase at an unbelievably low price (and we bid at just the right time so that our bid was guaranteed to be accepted)

- a no interest loan so we could purchase a house that our girls could live in (and a home for retirement in ? years...haha)

- since the home was a HUD foreclosure it was in need of a LOT of work....the Lord provided free labor for tiling, tearing down walls (then putting them back up) and so much more.....

- our church purchased the kitchen cabinets and our countertop

- we needed to redo a section of the roof and the Lord sent us some help to do it

- an inspector looked the other way when there was other work he was inspecting (we didn't know you needed permits for some of the work done...but did get them for what we did know we needed). Someone told us they had never seen one let it go before

- we were given a 5 night stay at a Wyndam resort (the only way we would have gotten a vacation is this way)

- we were given tickets to SeaWorld (we had never gone and wanted to this time home....but wouldn't have spent the money on our own as there were so many other needs).

- someone treated me to the Holy Land Experience (and got me several anointing oils to take back to Cameroon)

Many of these (esp the house) were needs that we had been praying about and had a peace that God would meet that need. Things just came to be in ways that we did not expect and His answer was so much better than what we were expecting to happen. God is so amazing....I learned lots of lessons through these experiences (again...it seems). To keep my eyes on Him and not on looking for the answer because it may not come where my focus is but from a whole other direction (and I could actually delay that blessing if I am too focused on where I am expecting it to come and not on the Lord who is giving the blessing).

We are so grateful to the Lord for His provision, but also to those who have opened their hearts and allowed the Lord to meet those (and lots of other needs) through them.

Blessings!!! -- Sara

More than 13,000 miles later we have finished up the deputation portion of our furlough. Wow...so many States, so many miles in such a short time. We were so blessed to be able to see so many family and friends. I will admit that we started to slow wayyyy down towards the end. It can be exhausting. But, what an amazing God we serve and what wonderful family and friends who came along side us and provided for our needs, There was such an outpouring of love and support that we were overwhelmed and brought to tears. Saying thank you just doesn't begin to convey how filled with gratitude our hearts are. (ok....that just didn't come out right, but can't think of a good way to phrase it).

So...a short synapses. After Canada, we visited one of my sisters in Indiana, off to Michigan where we stayed with Tim's cousin's for 2+ weeks using that as a base for several churches (we did stay with friends in Big Rapids also), then to Maryland for 2 1/2 weeks staying most of the time at friends in Frederick and visiting 2 of my sisters in the Annapolis area. All of this time we shared in churches, around kitchen tables, in stores (and lots of other amazing places) the work that God has called us to in Cameroon.....the children's who have been rescued, the projects that have been done, students who have been discipled, villages that have been evangelized (and souls who have been saved), Every time I would sit and watch the video of the last 2+ years of work in Cameroon and the future work that the Lord has set before us, I am awed at the faithfulness of God. It really is the Lord who has done it! We are only 2 of His many vessels who He is using. There are many others involved....those who are praying for the children and us, those who financially supports the ministry: by supporting us personally, sponsoring children, giving towards projects or give general gifts, those who encourage the children and us through letters and packages etc... Without these peoples obedience and faithfulness, probably none of this would have happened.

Just so, so grateful for the overwhelming support and love we were shown as we went around the country (and into Canada). So happy to be back in Florida with our daughters, but wouldn't have given up a moment of the time we had with family and friends on our East to West, South to North, West to East and North to South circuit! Now to enjoy Christmas with both of our daughters for the first time in 9 years.

We just couldn't quite make it to Edmonton....so a hotel in Calgary it was. In the morning we made our way to Sherwood Park. The Mapquest directions weren't quite clear. So we learned the Canadian idea of a gas station right off the highway is not the U.S. idea of a gas station right off the highway (lol). What a blessing it was to play the role of "refresher" to James and Becky. James is really missing Cameroon....we were able to bring news, gifts, just a little taste of Cameroon to him (and Becky). Usually it is teams coming to Cameroon and refreshing us with a taste of the U.S. There was great fellowship and lots of laughter (we were refreshed too)  etc.... We felt privileged to be able to reverse roles and then to be able to share our vision with their church last Sunday too....wow! We are humbled once again by God's goodness and His blessings. Once we get to Michigan and are settled one place for more than a night or 2 we will post some of our pictures. At the moment we are several days from the Etah's in a hotel (on our way to Crown Point, IN). So....just over 8,000 miles down and many more to come.

Tired, tired, tired. Lots and lots of driving, but a chance to see family and people we haven't seen in such a long time. Sharing at DHS, CA went well (1st time always leads to adjustments, but...) then to see Lisa and Mike in LA (right after lunch with Aunt Barbara and Uncle Bob).....Tues off to Ashland, OR to see Jerry, Roberta and Michael. Now we are in an Oregon, resting for the night. Tomorrow to Richland, WA overnight (where we will see my Uncle Art and Aunt Lura and see their Washington home for the first time.) and off to Alberta Canada where we share on Sunday Oct 6th.

Can't wait to see one of our first TMI Bible school students (James), his wife Becky and 2 sons.

We will have a chance to rest when we get to Michigan (at least some...haha)