Dear friends and partners in Christ,

Receive our greetings from Cameroon. The year 2009 is fast coming to an end. In this update we are looking back and praising God for the opportunities and challenges he gave us this year. There is no way we could love and serve the Lord as we do, without the encouragement we draw from knowing friends like you. Thank you for your love and interest in our life and service to Jesus-Christ.

Family Blessings

Let's start with the family. One year-end resolution last year was to read through the Bible this year as a family. The challenge was to read 3 to 4 chapters every evening; we thought this will help us learn as well as teach the Bible to the children. We want to praise God that we have faithfully sat down every evening for about 30mns to do the family Bible reading. We missed the reading a few times, but we always caught up the next day. We are not yet at the end, but we trust God that we will remain faithful until the 31st of December. It has been a very rewarding and uplifting spiritual exercise for the whole family. Another great blessing we praise God for is the birth of Victor Emmanuel last July 28. His siblings call him Baby Prince, and they enjoy playing together. One word describes Baby Prince, as we can read from his behavior, and that word is confidence

 

 

 

 

 

Building the Young Leaders League (YLL) label

Last July was the end of our first Young Leaders Club (YLC) activities for the academic year 2008-2009. For a first experience we are so happy to see what God helped us achieve. The YLC won the school's Best Club Award for the academic year 2008-2009. The Principal was so happy with our impact on the youths. Last June, at the end of the academic year he made the following comment: "The YLC is making a difference on our school, and this is not because of the projects it has done, but I can see the positive impact on its members. I wonder what should be done in order to impact more students with your servant leadership principles". Victor seized the opportunity of this comment by the Principal to ask if we can teach the Leadership And Development Studies (LADS) in classrooms this year, which he accepted. Praise God, we are presently teaching LADS in a few classes.

An impact story

Claude is a YLC member since last year. After being trained in servant leadership last academic year, he went to spend holidays with his family in Doume, a small town in the East province of Cameroon. His mother noticed many positive changes in his son's life. Amazed at the transformation she saw in her son, Claude's mother asked him what had happened to him. Claude explained he had joined the YLC in his school that teaches leadership based on biblical values. He even shared the Four Spiritual Laws (CCC brochure that explains how to receive Christ as personal Savior). He also talked about Victor and Florence who are coaching YLC members. Claude's mother was so happy with him that when he travelled back to Yaounde for the new school year after his holidays, she sent a tin of honey and a bunch of plantains to us to show her appreciation.

Season's greetings from the Manyims: Victor, Florence, Karis, Ester, Debora, and Victor Emmanuel

African Forum on Religion and Government (AFREG)2

From August 18 to 21 2009, 240 African Christian leaders gathered in Lumuru-Kenya for a time of reflection and mutual empowerment. Our guests of Honor were H.E. Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of Burundi, Chief Ojo Maduekwze, Foreign Affairs Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Rev Dr Laurence Bropleh, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Liberia.

You are the light of the world was the key verse for this conference. The Keynote address was Given by Dr Delanyo Adadevoh, President of International Leadership Foundation (ILF) Dr Adadevoh’s Address was titled “The whole Gospel to the whole person”. Dr Adadevoh in his address explains why the Church in Africa must embrace missions with new paradigms: preach a holistic Gospel for the whole salvation of the whole person. We also heard vibrant live testimony of H.E. Nkurunziza, of how he and his leadership team are leading transformation in Burundi. within lass than two years, Burundi built more than 700 primary and secondary schools for the Nation, without any help from outside the country. President Nkurunziza rolls his own sleeves every Saturday and goes to lay bricks and build schools throughout the country. HE encourages the people of Burundi to do the same. This inspirational leader was thus able to mobilize his people to build the Nation with their own sweat. President Nkurunziza received the first

ILF President’s Transforming Leadership Award

President Nkurunziza receives the ILF President’s Transforming Leadership Award from Dr Delanyo Adadevoh

The Address from Chief Ojo Maduekwe was also a very challenging testimony of a Godly States man who lives out integrity and who has become an island of justice and integrity in the middle of an ocean of corruption in Nigeria.

Feedback from the Young Leaders Camp

Three weeks ago we went to Mvii for the Young Leaders Camp. It was a great time of spiritual and personal development for the Young Leaders (YL) as well as the coaches. In this update we are giving you a few Comments from two participants and from a YL’s parent, a brief report of our activities, and a few pictures showing what we did.

Comments about the YL Camp

“I enjoyed every hour of it. I am able to tie a neck tie now. I really wish we could stay here a whole month. Now I will get back home and begin to idle. I can’t miss the camp next year” Davy Pondy

“Before the Mvii 09 Camp, I used to think you pray only when you have a problem or need something. I used to think you pray only when there is a specific situation. Now I have not only learnt prayer is a natural everyday activity in the life of a Christian leader. I know how to meet with God every day. I now know how to pray.” Michelle Metougou

“I have noticed a big change in my son Vianney since he came back from the YL Camp. He is more responsible in his attitude, and he now leads devotions at home” Mrs Lissouck (parent)

YL Camp brief Report

All of the young leaders who attended the camp live in cities in Cameroon, and most of them are not used to living conditions in the village. The main expectation from the parents who sent their children for this camp was that they would be exposed to the living conditions in the village and learn to work hard. And as you will see in the report below, living in a village in Cameroon is not a peace of cake, even for young people who usually live in the city here.

After devotion and after doing domestic work, Young Leaders (YL) went into exciting days, made of different activities including the following:

Bible Studies: We explored salvation in Christ, how to maintain a good fellowship with Jesus. We also taught the youths how to start every day with God. The last two days of the camp, we gave them the opportunity to start the day with God, applying what they had learnt in the previous days

1. Leadership issues discussions and community work: A highlight of the leadership discussion was the leadership of king Rehoboam. He ignored that a great change had taken place in the kingdom, he thought he would be able to discipline the people of Israel more harshly that his father did; he ended up realizing to the detriment of many who suffered the terrible consequences, that change had taken place. Young leaders learnt from these discussions that a leader must lead and some times initiate change, instead of watching it or trying to ignore it. Young Leaders understood the lesson so much that when we went to clean the village water spring. While working at the water spring, Vianney-one of the Young Leaders- exclaimed: “We are leading change!”

2. Sports: We played volleyball, football (soccer) and we even played a friendly football game with the village’s youth. The score of the game was 3 vs 3

3. Adventures in the forest: This was the best activity for many in the group. A highlight of this activity was when we went to learn how to set traps. “Dr Kumaloh”, a village specialist in traps hunting explained different techniques, as well as principles to follow for a successful trap hunting in the Jungle. After his explanations and demonstration, young leaders had to set their own traps.

4. Story telling around the fire and Jesus Film show: One of the evenings, we showed the Jesus Film in Bulu, the language spoken at Mvii. 137 gathered to watch the film. At the end, Victor challenged them to receive Christ and about half of them prayed to invite Christ into their lives. Another evening, wise people of Mvii told young leaders stories from African traditional wisdom. ‘’Once upon a time, the Turtle the hare were very good friends…” went one of the stories

Culinary and Cultural show: Young Leaders learned how cook traditional meals from a few tribes of Cameroon, they also prepared songs and traditional dances. They had an evening show with exhibition of all they had cooked. The show also included Christian singing and traditional dances