Tuesday, January 29, 2008
New Year, Semester, Challenges
11 January 2008
Our CHRISTmas break was great—really nice to be up in our old neighborhoods! We made it all the way to our village of Benade. It was a bittersweet time of seeing friends, bringing out the last of what we had stored there, handing over our home of many years for use in the continuing work there.
Our Christian Missionary Fellowship annual retreat was very refreshing. And we returned to our home in Yaoundé to find everything in order, a real answer to prayer. Two families were able to stay there part of the time we were away, which was a help to all of us. We have little hope of recovering the things we lost in the burglary, but continue to be grateful for what didn’t get taken. God is using this experience to help me loosen my grip on material things, and that’s a very good thing.
Yesterday was our first day back at school for our second semester. The boys are back into the routine of classes and soccer practices. Arnie’s Bible students broke up into groups to discuss the basics of being a Christian. And my world took an unexpected turn when I learned the guidance counselor who had gone back to the US for the break is unable to return to Cameroon this year. This leaves a rather large gap and much work to cover. I have been asked to be the Examinations Officer, which involves all the details for administering the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, Advanced Placement, and ACT tests over the coming months. Please pray that I will keep abreast of the countless little essentials for these tests. Thanks!
Our new location here in the capital allows us to be involved in the “Member Care” aspect of missions to a much greater degree than ever before. We’ve tried to be an encouragement to colleagues who were involved in a serious car accident yesterday, one of our teams whose drunken neighbor attacked and killed his wife on New Year’s Eve, normal high school kids with normal “growing pains,” and those just passing through town who need a meal or a place to stay. We could use your prayers for wisdom and compassion to minister His care to our colleagues.
We appreciate you and your prayers for us!
Karen <>< for all
God's Way is Great in 2008!
I’ve been thinking about a motto for 2008. (Thanks to my sister-in-law Ann’s idea, we’ve been trying to focus on heaven in 2007.) The subject of this email is one idea for the soon-coming year. Maybe you have other suggestions? Let us know if you do.
We had a nice Christmas. Finding out what had been stuffed very surreptitiously overnight in our stockings (which were hung on the wood paneling in the living room—fireplaces are totally irrelevant in Yaoundé!)…a potluck brunch for some of the missionary singles around…a jigsaw puzzle of penny candy…playing the games we’d opened on Christmas Eve.
Speaking of Christmas Eve, part of it wasn’t so nice at all. We left our house in the afternoon to go caroling at some neighbors’ house about 2 blocks away. After about 45 minutes, Arnie came back and discovered a thief inside the house. He had jumped over the 7-foot fence, pried his way through window protectors, broken the kitchen window, kicked in our locked bedroom door, and when Arnie surprised him, he fled with some money and some jewelry, including my wedding ring. He’d been trying to gather a computer, radio, and cameras, but ran out of time. It could have been so much worse. It has kind of put us on edge and we haven’t been sleeping too well. I am trying to focus on God’s sovereignty and seeking His peace. We’d appreciate your prayers as we process this new wrinkle in our urban living.
We have planned a trip to Bamenda Saturday and then on to our village of Benade on Monday. We’ll have an Esimbi meeting Saturday evening with our translation team and committee. Please pray for good communication as we strategize for the coming year for the Esimbi Bible translation and literacy work. From the 4th to the 8th we look forward to our annual Cameroon Missionary Fellowship retreat. It’s always a great time of spiritual refreshment and fellowship with like-minded colleagues, and the boys enjoy some fun time with their MK friends. Classes at Rain Forest International School begin again on the 9th of January.
We are trying to make arrangements for someone to be here at the house during our absence—that alone is a big deterrent for many thieves. Please pray for finding the right person or two for this.
I’ll be missing my missing ring on Sunday especially as Arnie and I celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. I am so grateful for this wonderful godly man and our growth together. I think this last year has been our best yet, and we’re looking forward to many more to come.
We pray your 2008 will be great as you seek God’s way, and we ask you to pray the same for us.
Love and prayers,
Karen <>< for the Colemans
arnie.coleman@worldteam.org
We had a nice Christmas. Finding out what had been stuffed very surreptitiously overnight in our stockings (which were hung on the wood paneling in the living room—fireplaces are totally irrelevant in Yaoundé!)…a potluck brunch for some of the missionary singles around…a jigsaw puzzle of penny candy…playing the games we’d opened on Christmas Eve.
Speaking of Christmas Eve, part of it wasn’t so nice at all. We left our house in the afternoon to go caroling at some neighbors’ house about 2 blocks away. After about 45 minutes, Arnie came back and discovered a thief inside the house. He had jumped over the 7-foot fence, pried his way through window protectors, broken the kitchen window, kicked in our locked bedroom door, and when Arnie surprised him, he fled with some money and some jewelry, including my wedding ring. He’d been trying to gather a computer, radio, and cameras, but ran out of time. It could have been so much worse. It has kind of put us on edge and we haven’t been sleeping too well. I am trying to focus on God’s sovereignty and seeking His peace. We’d appreciate your prayers as we process this new wrinkle in our urban living.
We have planned a trip to Bamenda Saturday and then on to our village of Benade on Monday. We’ll have an Esimbi meeting Saturday evening with our translation team and committee. Please pray for good communication as we strategize for the coming year for the Esimbi Bible translation and literacy work. From the 4th to the 8th we look forward to our annual Cameroon Missionary Fellowship retreat. It’s always a great time of spiritual refreshment and fellowship with like-minded colleagues, and the boys enjoy some fun time with their MK friends. Classes at Rain Forest International School begin again on the 9th of January.
We are trying to make arrangements for someone to be here at the house during our absence—that alone is a big deterrent for many thieves. Please pray for finding the right person or two for this.
I’ll be missing my missing ring on Sunday especially as Arnie and I celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. I am so grateful for this wonderful godly man and our growth together. I think this last year has been our best yet, and we’re looking forward to many more to come.
We pray your 2008 will be great as you seek God’s way, and we ask you to pray the same for us.
Love and prayers,
Karen <>< for the Colemans
arnie.coleman@worldteam.org
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