Denver, Colorado and Shoeboxes!

Hey everybody i know it has been almost a year since i have even posted anything, but i guess i haven't done anything because my normal humdrum life wasn't worth sharing.  i know what your thinking, lame excuse Woody!  It is lame but here i am sharing with you an opportunity that God has allowed me to be part of.  It is Operation Christmas Child or OCC for short.  I arrived here to Denver, Colorado around 6:30PM, Thursday night with Phil and Rose Struck, Ramona, Dotty, and Liz.  We decided to take a cruise to the processing center to see where it was located and as God's Word tells us "man makes his plans but God directs his steps" and how true that is and instead of just checking it out.  they needed help because they had groups that never showed up and they needed help and we jumped at the opportunity to serve our King where He needed us and it was amazing.  Rose, Liz, Ramona, and Dotty all got to go through the shoeboxes and make them ready to be shipped off to Mexico and also we found out to also Haiti.  For Haiti it was canceled but God provided an open door and they will be shipped out along with the ones to Mexico on Saturday.  It was an amazing time of service and of prayer.  As you guys read this my prayer is that if you have an opportunity to go a process center I would recommend you to go.  It is a lot of hard work and you will be tired i guarantee it but in the end to know that you were part of something that not only made a difference in a child's life tangibly but it also has eternal implications as well, and i and the others have given a great privilege to be part of what our God is doing through OCC.

Home! Sweet Home!

Hey everybody!  I just wanted to let you know that i made it home safely.  I arrived in Albuquerque on Wednesday evening at 10:00PM.  i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who prayed for me.  i would just ask that you would please continue to keep me in your prayers as i seek the Lord for wisdom in how to put all this information and knowledge that God allowed me to grab that i would be able to best put it together and be able to best present it to all who want to know about it.  i didn't sleep well last night, i went to bed around 10PM last night and then i woke up wide awake around 2am this morning.  So needless to say i am really tired but i pray that tonight i will be able to sleep peacefully tonight.  i am still in awe that i back here stateside, it has been still a little surreal.  i pray that God will just help me to get back on track with what He has for me.  May He lead me where and what He has for me, may He do that for all of us.

Monday! Time To Get Ready to Travel Home.

Well, update from Sunday first.  The drama team was able to present the gospel at a church that was just starting up in a part Yaounde.  God was bringing people in even when the service was already started.  The students did a great job in doing the drama.  Liz lead in with explaining what would be happening in the drama to elmanate any confusion and shared scripture to help explain it better fro the audience.  I have a video of the production and will post it later tonight or in the morning for your time.  So check back with the blog to see the video and some pics as well.  i can't do it until the late evening because of the busy of the day so me typing is no biggie.  We came back from check around 1:30PM church still wasn't over they were still planning on having communion, so church wasn't going to be over for another 2 hours.  Church is some what different than the states, in some ways time is not an issue in some ways.

So Liz made homemade humus with bread and veggies for lunch and then we went off to dance class to teach about twenty students.  Liz and her friend from Rwanda Phi-Jacke, who has become a dear brother, he is going to seminary to be a pastor and to go back to Rwanda and to preach the Gospel.  PhiJack is a dance teacher who is teaching the classes to help pay for school.  He is very good and gifted in dance.  The students enjoy the class and PhiJack as well.  I have been very blessed to meet PhiJack and blessed to call him my brother in Christ.  It is hard to think that these people that i come to know and even love that tomorrow that i will have to say "see you later".  i have been truly blessed by this place and i am going to miss it.

Well, after dance class we were walking home, we found out they were preparing to shut down down certain roads in Yaounde because the President of Yaounde is traveling through, so needless to say we had to move our plans for traveling to Antwon and Lucy's house a little earlier to miss the road closers.  which we did make it.  During our time there we also were able to catch the Cameroon soccer team play on the TV.  Watching the game was an experience, because when the Cameroon team scored the city came alive with screaming and rejoicing.  The city loves there team, and supports them very passionately the missionaries are told to avoid going out downtown when they play because it can be violent depending on what happens, but last night the Lions hopes for the Nations Cup is still alive since they won 3-2 over Zambia.  That was my evening i didn't sleep well last night but God has been very gracious to me in giving me strength.  i will be also recording a message from Liz to the church tonight.  Liz is very excited about sending a message to the church.  i am going to have to sign off now but i will be leaving late tomorrow night my flight leaves at 11:55PM but will have to be at the airport around 9PM that evening.  Please pray that there will be no hick ups with customs.  Also, please pray that God will give me safety as well in Brussels because i may have an opportunity to go into Brussels because some people that are leaving with me at the same time, have some friends who live their and may give us a tour to some important places.  So we will see what happens.  i will give you an update tonight and tomorrow as well, but once i leave i will not be able to do anything until Dulles, Washington D.C.  I love you guys and look forward to seeing you in a couple days.  Talk to you later!

Friday Night Pizza Night!

Well, last night i got blessed to meet with Antwon, pastor of the church that Liz attends and his wife Lucy. Along with their beautiful children Daniel, Jordan, and Joann.  Celebrated Daniel and Jordan's birthday as well.  Liz allowed them to make their own pizzas and top the pizzas with either fresh pineapple which by the way is like candy here, the really good stuff melts in your mouth and is really sweet it is absolutely divine.  We also had sausage, which looks like spam, it's definitely not Jimmy Dean sausage, but it is still good.  Also, had ground beef, and sauteed onions and peppers.  Liz also made homemade pizza sauce, she also made a birthday cake for Daniel and Jordan.  i had a wonderful time with them and the kids were such a blessing to me and made me laugh.  Antwon and Lucy were such a beautiful and Godly couple, i am looking forward to spending time with them again on Sunday evening.  i have been able to watch a TV show called "Psych" it is a very well written and well acted, but also very funny.  If you are into TV shows i would recommend the show to watch.  Also, i am getting ready to go see the senior girls soccer team with their new "pink" soccer jerseys.  i excited to see them play, because i have gotten to know some of them.  My prayer is that they will represent Christ, as they play this afternoon for His glory.  i had also breakfast with some of the staff of RFIS and translators this morning,  The food was delicious, and there was plenty of awesome fellowship.  Ruth-Abigail who hosted the fellowship, she is from England.  It has been wonderful meeting with people from around the world.  i also met Larry, who is from Canada, he is the Direct of Language services here in Yaounde.  Also, Brian from the United States who helps in the IT department and looks after the server and internet  at the school.  Afterwards, i came back to Liz's and Candi's apartment and helped clean up from the birthday party last night.  So that i believe covers everything from Friday night until this afternoon.  Lord willing will give you guys an update tonight to have you guys up to date with my events for Sunday.  Love you guys and God Bless!

Praise God It's Friday!

Well, it's Friday afternoon girls soccer team is playing tomorrow afternoon so they are walking around with their new soccer uniforms, which are the color pink.  i will post a picture tomorrow i hope as a team picture.  i am very blessed being here with the students, they are truly amazing kids and very smart students.  RFIS is a very academic school with very high standards.  i wanted to write you not really about pink uniforms, but i did.  i wanted to share with about Bokoel (BO-KO-el) he is the gentleman who i shared with about last night.  i wanted share about him that because God is using him and the enemy is hitting him very hard.  He is on fire for this translation and to finish it so that his people can have the scriptures in their language.  So please keep him in your prayers and that God would protect him and watch over him.  God is opening doors now through Bokoel for relationships to be established with the translation process.  The translation is still many years off but Bokoel is working very hard and they have about four more books left.  Bokoel and Dan are currently working on 2 Corinthians 3 in the language of Makaa (Ma-Ka).  They have Galatians, Ephesians, and 1st Peter.  Please be in prayer about the Makaa New Testment that God would continue to move and guide the translation process.

Translation and Updates!

Hey Everybody!  I pray this blog finds you all richly blessed on this Thursday afternoon which is evening for me in fact around 10PM.  It has been a challenging, but a blessed day.  i learned many things and some of which i will share, but some were hard and brought more things to light with the state of spirituality in Cameroon, but first, I wanted to give you all an update on Carrie and Liz.  First, of all, thank you for all of you for praying for Carrie.  I got an update on her today and the doctors are in awe and shocked because she is doing well and with out a whole lot of complications.  God is sustaining and strengthening her by His mighty hand and using her as a testimony of His strength.  She is now up to her 14th treatment now and doing well.  She is currently having really no major side effects from the large doses of KIMO she has to go through.  The doctors are blown away because she is the first person to rich her 14th treatment, doctors said that most patients only been able to make it up to 10/11 doses.  So please continue to be praying for her for your prayers are being heard and God is continuing to be glorified in all this.  So again thank you!  As for Liz she is was diagnosed with malaria yesterday afternoon.  She was dealing with high fever which was reaching as high as 102 and then the high fever would turn to major chills that were so bad that she hurt every where.  Today, was a different story!  Today it really wasn't fever and chills, and looking like death warmed over, but now it was major fatigue and headache that would not stop throbbing. Every time she got whether it was slow or fast it felt like the back of her head was slammed up against the brick wall.  i have been told that malaria can last 3 or 4 days so i pray that tomorrow God will allow her to feel like her chipper self.  She is planning to go back to school to teach around 1:30PM.  So please pray that God will heal her so she can return back to her students and to teach.  If God's will to not heal her that He would provide her the strength to be able to teach or to have the wisdom to know that it is ok to rest.  Well, those are the updates on Carrie and Liz.  As for me it has been an awesome and a eventful day with Liz.  Her refrigerator maybe going out because of the electrical problems they have been having in the apartment she is staying at and it may have fried the refrigerator, but not sure.  Please pray for wisdom from God to  be given to Wilbur the maintenance man who oversees the apartments that they figure out the polarity of the electrical and that there will be no need to but a new fridge and that it is just the polarity of the wiring.  So she had to deal with this while she is trying to get over her malaria.
Also, today I was blessed with the opportunity to talk with the Heath family, they are Dan and Theresa Heath they are Bible translators here in Yaounde.  They have been working with a people group that is about 3 hours north from Yaounde.  They are one of the longest running translators still working on the translation of the Bible.  They have been at it for 30+ years, their kids also went to RFIS and graduated from their.  In fact i also found out that Patricia the one who i was to go for the dedication was actually 27years of working on that translation in Omaande.  i have been richly blessed to hear about what goes into Bible translation.  It is a long process, with lots of checks and rechecks.  It is a process that involves not only the translators of Wycliff or any other translator ministry, but also a large involvement of the people and the leadership of the people i.e. the pastors of that region.  It means developing a relationship with the people and living your life out to them.  Also, here in Cameroon there is a lot of corruption and many of the pastors that Dan and Theresa deal with don't want the Bible translated because the language being used gives them power over the people.  i feel like in someways hearing what Martin Luther dealt with dealing with the Catholic church in longing to have the Bible in his own language.  i am working on piece about a gentleman who is working with Dan, who was a pastor for 20 years, and God radically grab a hold of his life and is now coming alongside Dan and translating the Bible into his language for his people.  He is receiving a lot of spiritual attacks not only from the outside but also from the inside from his own piers i.e. pastors.  Please be praying for him i will pass on his name as soon as i make sure i can do so but, also pray that God would raise up leaders who would be willing to come out and to train pastors.  There is a great need for discipleship here in Yaounde there are men who long to teach correctly, but not enough people who can.  There are many pastors who is teaching heresy i.e. Faith Movement, New Perspective of Paul.  These movements and these men, are raping the Word of God for their own gain and leading souls to Hell.  For example pastors are charging people for prayer.  For prayer a free gift that God has given to us as His children through His son Jesus Christ.  Through the shedding of His precious blood and the forgiveness of sin do we have the privilege to come boldly to the throne room of God!  No man needs to go through another man for prayer, but these men are charging their own people for prayer, because they are the "so called men of God".  i pray that God will deliver these people from these men and show them the true light of Jesus Christ, and that they are of the devil and the works of the devil, and if these men are preaching out of ignorance, may God have mercy on these men and may the Lord rebuke these men and show them their error and save them.  i am sorry for going off, but this infuriates me and grieves my heart.  People are in need and are hungry for training and to learn, but few are able to help, they are looking for pastors who are willing to come out and to help these men to learn and have a passion to teach God's Word and to rightly divide it, but there are those men also who don't want it and are out for the money and prestige and honor here on earth.  My heart is to come back and to share with you, but my prayer is that God will help me to be able to represent these men and women, these families who have chosen to obey the calling in their life, many of whom i have become friends with, and have been blessed to see and hear their stories, to be an advocate or a voice for them.  We have been blessed by so much, both financially but also spiritually as both as a church and as a country, may God help us and give us wisdom on how we can best use His resources for the good of our brothers and sisters in other countries to help equip them for the work of the ministry.  i love you all!  i wish i could say more, and in more detail and i pray that you are encouraged and blessed as you read this.  Thank our Lord Jesus Christ that we have a church that lives to serve Christ and to bring Him glory in all things.  i look forward to seeing you all shortly God bless!  Good night!

Good Morning! Please Pray!

Good Morning, everyone!  Thanks you to all who have commented back to me and said they were praying for me, Liz, and all the other requests that have gone through.  First, before i get started with my blog i want you guys to continue to lift up Carrie, the one who is going through the intense KIMO therapy.  Pray that God would bring healing to her body so far she is doing well with the treatments.  These treatments are so intense that they will either do two things first it will destroy the cancer in her body or the treatments will kill her.  So please through out the week please keep her in your prayers.  Also, please keep Liz in your prayers.  We were hanging out at the SIL hostel where some of the students are housed.  These are students who's parents are out on the mission field and their kids are here to get their education for their future, but i will talk more on that later.  While Liz and i were there she started getting cold, she was thinking that she might be coming down with something, but she wasn't to concerned with it.  Well, i found out that she has 102 temp and is in bed.  Please pray that God would heal her quickly.  Also, keep the school in your prayers as well i think it was two blogs ago that i told you about the new school that they were building.  Well, found out that they will be moving into it in around June of this year.  There is still lots of work to be done on the different buildings but the campus is beautiful and it is surrounded by rain forest which is really pretty.  God has opened so many doors and continues to bless the school endeavors as they build by blessing the village around them or governments  providing finances, and even volunteers and workers for the construction part of the school.  Here i posted a picture of one of the buildings and a not so great picture the buildings when you first drive into the campus.  Thank you for all praying will talk to you guys soon with another blog!

11:30PM- What a Day!

Well, it's 11:30PM Monday night in Yaounde, Cameroon.  School started at 8:00am was out at 4PM.  I don't remember school getting out at four in the afternoon but it did.  the students had good days for the most part some i know lost good friends, who God moved on to other places, but as always God move one on He always brings a few more to replace that spot.  i can somewhat can relate from moving from Michigan to New Mexico back in 1991 with my family leaving my friends behind and going to a strange place with no one i know, but as always God allows new friendships to be developed.  though those friends are never replaced, nor should they be.  God created our hearts to be big and to have more room for another friend for who knows maybe that friend maybe a friend who like we are told in scripture "will stick closer than a brother"!  So i pray God will bring healing to those hearts, but as He heals the wounds may He open those hearts to except new ones.  i had my first experience or contact with the local wildlife here this afternoon.  It was a small encounter well actually close to 4 maybe 5 feet in length.  i am not sure what it was as of the kind of snake it was but it was pretty.  i caught myself wanting to bend down and pick it up, but then God kind of reminded me that i wasn't in Kansas any more and quickly tried to grab my camera, but it went on it's merry way to where ever it was going.  i have had people tell me that all snakes are poisonous unless dead, so once they are dead then you can ask the questions later, which i will agree with them on.  Liz and i had a wonderful supper with a missionary family who currently working at the school.  i unfortunately can't remember their last names but they are David and his wonderful wife Karen, they have two boys A.J. who is in 9th grade and Rex who is in 7th.  For supper Karen made us enchiladas for supper this is the second family to make me enchiladas in Yaounde.  They were very tasty.  They didn't have what New Mexico has, but for what they were they were good!  i helped myself with two helpings!  Liz and I then came home around 8PM she went off to meet with a fellow teacher to do their weekly prayer time.  i came back to the Riders and hung out with them for a bit.  i am going to miss this family when i leave they are such a cool and awesome family, i am richly blessed to be staying with them under their roof that God has blessed me to stay under.  Well, it's know midnight i need to get my sleep since tomorrow will be another full day at the school and i will be going to the site of the new school tomorrow, which i am very excited about the opportunity to go and finally see.  i have included a link for some pictures that you can take a look at and i will post a few tomorrow night!  God bless and good night or good afternoon which ever you prefer.  New School Photos

First Day of School!

Rain Forest International School (Video)
Hello, my family i just wanted to let you know that i am spending the day and Lord willing days.  i am having a blast hanging out with the students and enjoying the campus.  i have been able to talk with a mother of one of the students here.  i was encouraged to hear how much the school is an encouragement and a blessing to their daughter for being able to go to the school.  Their work is in a remote village in Central Africa Republic.  They work with the people build wells and areas where the people can get fresh water where the animals can't get to.  The school has many needs for teachers and hostel parents who watch over the students.  The video you watch will help out with a lot of questions and needs for the school, but i see definitely a need more for what the school is needing and what the teachers and staff do for these students.  This school helps out and allows fathers and mothers to continue their work that God has for them to do while their children are getting the education they need for their future as well.  i must sign off for now but i am going to going around and taking more pictures of the school and the staff.  i love you all and look forward to returning home and sharing with you all my adventures i am having here Yaounde.  God Bless!

Hard Ministry and Lots of Fun!

Hey Everybody this is going to be short i just got back typed out a blog and then Safari quite responding and lost everything but i wanted to see some of the precious children in the Tcheckovs village (i really hope  i spelled that right!) it is pronounced Check-O-s.  anyways i wanted to say thanks for all your prayers for me and for Liz.  It was a long day and hard work but she made it as well her and her students were amazing and the dramas they put on were wonderful as well.  The Omaande people are a special and beautiful people in the sight of the Lord, with an absolutely beautiful language as well.  they were kind and gentle and fed us some very delicious food.  I haven't starved and Paul i didn't bring any beef jerky (though it would have been nice to snack on though) i have been eating well.  I must go to bed now will write you all in more detail tomorrow.  Good night!

Just Hanging at RFIS School

Hey guys, i am finally on the internet so i can update you guys as much as possible now.  i am also going to start taking pictures and videos as well.  It has been a whirlwind since i have been here.  I have ideas of what i want to do, i have been struggling on what to do, but now i have an idea of what i going to do.  i am very excited about being able to update you guys as much as possible now.  I am beginning to see a need for missionary care and how much it is laking sometimes.  It is the little things that means a lot to our missionaries.  The littlest things like a letter or a card just to say we are praying for you means the world to them.  i also found out that even care for our missionaries sometimes are laking, for example, i found out from Liz about a missionary who's name is Carrie.  She was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer.  I found out that a lot of people that used to sponsor her have dropped her, since she returned back to the states.  My heart is grieved because her she has to return back to states because of health issues only to find out that she has stage 4 cancer, and doesn't have much time to live, but God has been faithful to her despite her donors have left her.  It has shown to me that despite people may leave, for whatever the reason is, God will never leave His children, He truly is our Father.  Please keep Carrie in your prayers she will be starting a strong dose of KEMO therapy this coming Monday and this procedure is very dangerous which may kill her.  So please keep her in your prayers that God will protect her and heal her.  I want say thank you for your out pouring of love towards Liz and myself.  I know that Liz knows that you love her and that her church in Santa Fe cares and loves her.  Thanks for your prayers and love towards me and to Liz.  Don't stop praying for her and for our missionaries and those who may know personally.  That God would continue to provide her financially but also with health as well.  Also, please keep in your prayers Liz that wisdom would be given to her on some decisions she is going to have to making here on her furrow.  Thanks for all you guys are doing and covering my duties while i am away it is because of you that i am able to do this!  Thank You!

Update on Yaounde, Cameroon

Hey everybody, i wanted to apologize for not posting anything in a day or so.  i arrived in Yaounde on the 5th of January at 5:30PM.  When i arrived it was raining which it didn't rain for over a month and a half, so it is was a great blessing from the Lord to see it rain.  Since then it has been humid and hot and overcast and cloudy.  i spent the day, Wednesday, with Liz and went to the SIL Admin office to turn in my money.  After going to Admin we went to the market to get groceries, i have been eating really healthy, i mean really healthy.  Nothing has preservatives everything is fresh and freshly grown from the surrounding regions here in Yaounde.  Today, we are getting ready to run some errands to get ready for the dedication on Saturday.  We will be going to a village that is close to the dedication on Friday.  Please pray that God will ope up oppurtunities to share the Gospel with that village, and also be able to share the drama presentation as well.  We will be leaving early on Friday, 6:30am in the morning, it is a two hour trip to the village.  Please pray that God will give us safe traveling mercies.  I will try to do another blog here shortly i am working on getting internet access so that I can work on my laptop, and not i taking up Liz's laptop.  Well, i need to sign off for now, but God bless you and you are all in my prayers and thoughts daily.

Next Stop Brussels

Well i wanted to let you guys know that i will be heading to Brussels shortly and wanted to let you guys know that i don't know if i will have internet until i get to Yaounde, Cameroon, but I will write you and keep you in contact as soon as possible.  It is currently 4:52PM and it is 10:52 PM in Brussels.  My flight is around 8 hours, i will be leaving Brussels around 10:00am on Tuesday.    i will post some more blogs here shortly.  I was challenged by Spurgeon in 2 Peter 3:18 "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  the scripture used was a challenge to continue to grow and to continue to also grow in my knowledge of my Savior, because i can never learn enough about my Lord, because He is infinite and i am finite, can i ever out learn God that thought makes me laugh because i know i can't and never will.  i came across in my reading of Spurgeon in his "Morning and Evening" he said this and this challenged and blessed me and I pray it will do the same for you guys as it did for me.  Spurgeon said "If you know the love of Jesus- as the hart panteth for the water -brooks, so will you pant after the deeper draughts of His love,  If you do not desire to know Him better, then you love Him not, for love cries, 'nearer nearer'.  Absence from Christ is hell, but presence of Jesus is heaven.  Rest not then content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus."  Love you all!  God bless and be with you!

Washington D.C. (Click the W on washington to watch the video)
Arrived at 12:40PM, Washington D.C. time.  I posted a little video just to let you guys know i made it.  i am two hours ahead of you guys in New Mexico.  It was an early morning for me.  i think i got up around 4:30am and out the door and headed to the airport.  It was interesting going through security now a days.  It was busy with a lot of people i had the impression that there wouldn't be many people flying but there were.  it took about a half hour to get through which could have been worse, so i am thankful for the quick process of the security.   The flight was booked but it was a nice flight until the last half hour coming into Dulles it became a little like a roller coaster, except without the twists and turns but there was turbulence.  It was pretty intense but God's grace we all made it through and no one lost their lunch, if you know what i mean.  It is almost three in the afternoon.  i have about two more hours and i take off for an eight hour flight to Brussels, Belgium.  German chocolate here i come!  It's is a shame i am not a big chocolate lover.  Thank you to my family at Calvary Santa Fe for your prayers and support in this awesome adventure God is blessing me with.  You are all particpating in this adventure with me because of your prayers and support.  i praise God for you and look forward to seeing what God is going to do while i am out there and to come back and to share with you my adventures in Africa.  Also, to best friends Collin and Ian, thanks again for allowing me to crash the house and also thanks to you Ian for taking me to the airport.  Well, i am going to sign off until Brussels, i don't know if they will have WiFi there the airport said they had free WiFi but it wasn't free i had to pay so i guess nothing is free in life, but praise God, that through Jesus Christ it cost Him everything but with His death I can live knowing i am free, to live this life for Him and Him alone.  May God be praised in my time in Africa as i serve Him and Liz.  God bless you guys!