An update from Josh in Gamboula

I made it to CAR safely but my nerves were a little rattled. We had just heard that the General who was keeping Gamboula peaceful(unlike the entire rest of the country) was moved back to Bangui. In his place an unknown new guy who had just taken office that day. I along with 3 other missionaries drove the 11 hours from Yaoundé to Gamboula. When we got to the border crossing we hid our vehicles on the Cameroonian side. We took a taxi and filled a local ag truck with the rest of our stuff. I along with Timothy rode in the back of this pickup along with one of our local friends. We picked up a plastic 10 ft piece of pipe to carry back to Gamboula for a fish pond and mounted it to the truck, unfortunately much resembling a missile launcher. Needless to say we didn't look all that friendly as we crossed the border into CAR, especially me holding on to said pipe to prevent from falling off the back of the truck over the bumpy roads. The day was absolutely gorgeous though and as the wind blew through my hair and the warm sun gently peeked through the trees, I felt totally content with life. Even if things went horribly wrong at the border with my bazooka-look-a-like, I was at peace. I was fully expecting to be greeted by the 40 turbaned AK47 wielding "new government" that is now normally present, but luckily we had just missed them. One nice, armed border crossing gentleman let us in, not even checking our passports. I did shake hands with the new guy but it was just a pleasant "hello" and "how are you" as we passed through. We left a few cokes with them for good-will. I'm living in my old house now all alone.

The looting wasn't too bad all things considered. They didn't get anything I hid in the attic and all that I noticed was missing was the 2 laptops and the desktop. A bunch of stuff was broken needlessly like our floor fans and all our dishes are new but most of that was replaced by Aleta before I even got here. New stuff is kind of nice really. Most everything that I think is important is still here. I'm not sure about Lori or Charlie's stuff though.


Things are a bit elevated here. We had a mission wide meeting yesterday to discuss all the unpleasant details of being in a torn country. Evacuation, where to run and hide, rendezvous points when things settle, etc, etc. It is a little nerve-racking to sleep but I'm so tired from all this work that I don't have time to think about it too much before nighty-night. Timothy and I along with Bonard and Fredoline have lunch together each day. Even though I've lived here longer than Timothy his Sango is at least 10 times better than mine. I have made improvements though, I can tell already. It is lunch as usual with Bobo and Fifi. Lots of laughing. Today I explained that I taught high school kids how to dance. They were a little confused so I showed them a video. They LOVED it. They got up and tried to do some moves. They said "it is so fast!!" We talked about starting a ballroom dancing class here but after a few minutes, the obvious became clear...No way.

Yesterday Fredoline explained how she and Bonard fled when the rebels broke into our house. It was pretty frightening but she was able to hide in Charlie's room until she heard them actually get in. Bonard had already fled to the Ag building but kept an eye out for Fredoline. When she heard them enter she made a run for it to the back door and got out. Bonard and she caught eyes and Bonard said "Loro fadeso hio hio!" or "run now quickly quickly!". She made a bolt for it and made it without being followed.

All the CAR people remember me and greet me enthusiastically. I never knew so many people knew my name. They really love having me back but immediately the where's Charlie question comes up...I can tell the whole story in Sango now, I've told it so many times!

I got the internet working here after a "Feed Horn Assembly Cross Polarization Adjustment", also known as hitting the satellite dish with a hammer a few times and hacking some Linux root passwords. (Side Note: just saw that 6 inch rat/squirrel thing in our living room again. Just waved hello and went back to typing.) The internet is now wired all the way to the furthest houses now after doing some troubleshooting. Marus is helping me again full time. Today we dug a trench to the chateau (when I say we, I mean Marus) to run a line for our Gamboula 2 side antenna pointing towards our "tree relay" (working on it). I'm working non-stop on getting all this tech stuff working. A month seemed like a lot of time to get it done but I'm concerned about having enough time already and I'm only a few days in! Tomorrow we brave climbing the tree. We need to get some measurements then hopefully by the end of the week we'll get it mounted. -Joshua

Farewell and goodbye

I hate goodbyes and I am really bad at them. I get awkward and clumsy or really sappy and blubberish- especially if I will not see the person for a long time. So instead I prefer to do the “pretend that it is not really goodbye for a long time” thing- meaning I just say “Bye, see you later” like it is no big deal all the while trying to hold in the blubbering, sappy, awkward fest.

Although I hate goodbyes, I feel like I do them often. The first of the monumental send offs was when I moved from Georgia to Arizona. While it was hard to leave everyone in my family, I particularly remember saying goodbye at the airport to my little twin nieces, who at the time were 4 years old. With their sweet cherub cheeks and baby curls, they fought over who would get to hold Aunt Lori's hand. While they didn't grasp the meaning of the separation, I was devastated that they would continue to change and grow while I was gone. And they did. Every time I return to Georgia, they are taller and so not babies anymore. In fact, those little girls start high school tomorrow! A lot has changed since that airport goodbye!

 

I also vividly remember my mom crying when I moved to Arizona. I tear up just thinking about it. Actually, my mom crying at the airport is a reoccurring image because I think she has cried every time I left after a visit. Now that I am a mom, I get it. If my daughter moved across the country, she would take my heart with her. So now my heart grieves every time for the grandparents that have to say goodbye to a certain adorable, curly-haired princess.

 

The sadness I felt when I moved across the country was multiplied when I moved across the world- across the world! No longer was I only a short plane ride away. I felt the sting of this goodbye all the way to my core. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Blubber fest for sure.

Yesterday, I had another monumental goodbye. My husband of 9 years left for another country without me- on a day when the whole world was on high alert for a terrorist attack. Insert nervous sigh. But I managed to keep it together as best I could at the airport when I dropped him off. That was until from the backseat Charlie said, “Where daddy go?” Me- “Daddy went bye bye on the plane.” Charlie- “No, I want daddy. See daddy. Please. Please. Mommy please, see daddy. No bye bye. Charlie go too. I want see daddy.” Insert choked up crying mommy saying, “me too honey.”

 

I am happy to say that Josh has arrived safely in Cameroon and already has duties lined up at the Rainforest International School for the next week while he waits for his ride to CAR.

 

We would love if you could pray for safety for him over the next month as he returns to CAR to complete several projects. Also that he would have discernment as he decides whether it is safe for Charlie and me to join him there in a month or whether we should go to Cameroon as a family. Charlie and I have another monumental goodbye facing us in a month's time as we go back to Africa too, please pray for meaningful and memorable times with family this month. Thank you and

goodbye.

 

Now try to watch Kermit say goodbye to Miss Piggy without shedding at least one tear. I dare you.

 

 

Long overdue update!

Wow, our last blog was over 2 months ago! Sorry for the long blog silence! A lot has happened in the last 2 months:

• We flew to Georgia and spent time with the Williams family and our friends.

• Josh spent time with family in San Diego and went on a Shinar men hiking trip to Vancouver.

• Charlie and I joined my sister and her family on vacation to Panama City, FL, then we relaxed and played in Georgia once again- lots of pool, playground, and water park fun with the cousins.

•  We all met up again and relaxed in Arizona with family and friends. Charlie has ben thoroughly entertained and spoiled by the grandparents.

• We went to the McCoy family reunion (Josh's mom's family) in Colorado. We had a great time with family and enjoyed the chilly air!

• We ate ourselves silly!
• We shopped (ok, mostly me. Oh the Target and Wal-Mart trips).
• We relaxed.
• We waited for news from CAR.

We had great advice to take the first month of our return trip and just relax and recover from the evacuation from CAR. This would also give us a chance to see how things develop in CAR. Our mentors, the Danforths and a few other missionaries have returned to Gamboula. They have been there now for almost 2 months. Although they feel safe in our city, there is still some question about the stability of the rest of the country- too much uncertainty for a little one. For that reason, we have decided not to go back- right now. Instead we plan to go to Cameroon to work with Fulani there- hopefully for just a few months followed by a return to Gamboula. Currently, there are 2 locations we are researching and praying about. And yes- we still do not know where we are going even though we are scheduled to return to Africa August 3! Ah! I might be panicking a little! Despite the anxiety, we know that God continues to call us to the Fulani people and we long to be obedient to that calling- even with short notice!

We would appreciate your prayers over the next few days and weeks as we prepare to return to Africa. Please pray:

• That we will have clarity and peace about what city we should serve.
• For ease with documentation and logistics of moving back overseas.
• For safe and easy travel.
• For our families as we say goodbye and they go through Charlie withdrawals.
• For continued peace in CAR and safety for our friends there.
• That we may be able to return there in a few months and safety in whatever city we reside.

CAR update

Last week, 5 members of our Gamboula team returned to the Cameroon/Central African Republic border. They met with several leaders from Gamboula that crossed the border to report on the situation in town. The reports were good. They said Gamboula was peaceful and even encouraged the group to cross the border to visit, which they did. The team reported that everything looked and felt normal despite a few new government officials from the Seleka group that apparently were very cordial and professional. The highest official is a 31 year old gentleman that has the respect of Seleka and the community. A lot of the peace in Gamboula has been credited to him. All of the workers from the women selling produce on the side of the road to the nurses and shop owners have returned to their jobs. Schools have also resumed. It appears that Gamboula has remained relatively unscathed during the rebellion. We also learned that the looting of our houses was not as bad as first thought. Apparently some of our neighbors video taped the looting and others wrote down names of those looting. Some teenagers even tackled some looters and recovered items. Days later, some of our neighbors went to the houses of those they knew were involved and recovered even more items. Our silverware was found in the Garden of Eden! Until we return and see for us we will not really know the extent of what was taken. Our team was warmly welcomed and many asked for us all to return. Over all the trip was a great success. It was healing, meaningful, and a wonderful chance to encourage our friends. We also learned that our house helps' daughter had a baby girl that they named "Lori" now all 3 Shinars have a name-sake in Africa! 

The state of Gamboula is remarkable considering the rest of the country is still in unrest with continued looting, violence, and instability. Just 2 hours north of Gamboula, anarchy remains. Hospitals and schools are not functioning in the capital and poachers are killing elephants for ivory in the parts of the country. We pray that peace remains in Gamboula and spreads throughout CAR.

As for us, we will return home on Tuesday for a few months for rest and healing. We pray that we will be able to return to Gamboula. We are also praying about other options in Cameroon if we are unable. We would appreciate your prayers for easy travel and that we will be healthy- all of us have been sick today! Please also pray for our friends in CAR and for the country that is so dear to our hearts.

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No place like home

Since ending our vacation in Kribi, we have been staying in Yaounde- the capital of Cameroon. Josh has been helping out at the Rainforest International School (a school for missionary kids, expat children, and some local kids as well). He has been using his geeky giftings in their IT department. He has also managed to find a way to serve God through swing dancing. He is assisting the gym teaching with the dancing module. He has been having a blast.

Charlie and I have been hanging out. We live next to a family with 3 small children that Charlotte adores. Every morning she says, “Go play friends!” And they have! There are 3 playgrounds close to us that we frequent and Wycliffe Associates has an amazing library for Mks- there is even a story time. We have also been learning to live “the African city life” of on and off water and electricity. And I have been learning how to survive a 2 year old whose favorite phrase is “no way!”

We get news everyday from CAR- some good, but most not so great. It looks like Gamboula is relatively safe and quiet now, but Bangui the capital is still a mess. Our hopes of a quick return have been dashed. We are hoping that things will turn around in a few months.

In the meantime, we have received wise council that the best thing for us to do now is to return to the States for a short time of rest and recuperation during which we will continue to pray for CAR, but also any other open doors through which God may lead. We will visit family and friends for a month in Georgia and another in Arizona before returning to Cameroon in August. (We are leaving Cameroon May 14).

We still feel God calling us to Africa and continue to have a heart for our Fulani brothers and sisters. This brief time home does not reflect a change in our calling, desire, or mission. We just feel we need to regroup, repair, and restrategize!

We appreciate your ongoing prayers for our family as we travel and also for our friends in CAR.

Post vacay

You know when you return home from vacation and all you want to do is sleep in your bed?! Oh how I wish we could craw into our bed! Ugh I am tired of living out of a suitcase. Vacation is over and our paradise bubble has popped. We are now in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. This is a bittersweet situation. We are thankful for a place to stay and there are many positives here- big, fun stores for shopping, high speed internet, playgrounds for Charlie, and friends. But, both Josh and I are not so in love with the “big city.” It is loud, ugly, crowded, and power and water go off all of the time! Yesterday the power went off and on and then off for almost 24 hours. It is back on, but the water is off- can't win.

Please pray for us as we wait and seek what the Lord has in store for us. We are anxious to “do something” and don't want to sit around, but at the same time we want to be patient and wait for the Lord's timing. Josh is excited about several possible opportunities and I am kind of feeling blah about everything. I would appreciate prayers for daily renewals of God's peace.

P.S. If you want to see pics from our trip to Kribi, go here- https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200973296311793.1073741825.1148034892&type=1&l=45c614225e

Empty

“I went away full, but the Lord brought me back empty.” (Ruth 1:21)

Sorry for the silence lately. This has been a crazy disorienting time for us. If you haven't heard, the Central African Republic government has been overthrown by rebels. There is now a new president in power.

Last Sunday, all the missionaries in Gamboula left our homes in a hurry. For months, rumors and news about rebels had come to us, but we thought news was all that would reach us- we were confident that the skirmish would never reach our area since we are so far from the capital. None the less, Josh and I decided that it would be wise for us to leave the country on Sunday. We were already planning to go to Cameroon for vacation and a conference with the Evangelical Covenant Church so we decided to leave a little bit earlier. The rest of the missionaries were planning on staying put in Gamboula- that was until we learned that rebels were in fact in our town. We all left on Sunday in a hurry. I will spare you all of the details, but tell you that there was a lot of nail biting and praying along the way. God delivered us safely to Cameroon after many miracles!

For the last week and a half we have been staying in paradise- Kribi, Cameroon. It is a beautiful tropical beach town. We have stayed in lovely hotels (some even with air conditioning!) and eating yummy seafood. All of this has helped to buffer the loss and confusion we are feeling right now- or at least numb it some.

Right now we are at the missionary conference. We are studying missions in the book of Ruth. Verse 21 of Ch.1 spoke to me because it echoes what I am feeling now. Naomi left full, but came back empty.

When we started this journey, we sold almost everything we had- cars, clothes, furniture, on and on. I'll be honest, I am sinful and there was a mourning of the loss of our things. We left for Africa with 9 suitcases. A week before we evacuated, we finally received the container that was sent from the States in December. We had Christmas is March! We were giddy over candles and lotions that smelled so nice, yummy candy and other goodies that were so rare and precious. Because we packed for a beach vacation with the intent on returning afterward, we left most of our things behind. Thirty minutes after we left the mission station, our house was looted- to what extent we do not know, but we do know that some of our things are gone and there is a great chance that everything will also be taken. Now we have 4 suitcases to our name.

While the loss of things has been hard for me (not so much for Josh because he has always had little need of “things”), an even greater loss has been the loss of a ministry. We were just getting to a place where we knew the language, had friends and were making strides in our ministries. Gamboula felt like home. We will stay in Kribi for 2 more weeks, but after that we do not know what we will do. We pray that we can return to CAR quickly, but that scenario is looking unlikely. Right now it feels like we do not have a home or a purpose. We are refugees and jobless. We will probably stay in Yaounde (the capital of Cameroon) for a while and help out where we can while we wait- may at the international school. If it looks like we will not be able to reenter CAR for a while, we will search for other ministry options in Cameroon or neighboring countries.

The most devastating loss is the people we left behind. As our convoy of trucks fled the country, flocks of people lined the streets and waved goodbye. They are our friends, colleagues, and ministry partners. Our hearts breaks over the unrest in their country and their unknown future. I also mourn the loss of opportunity to share the love of Christ with those that are truly lost.

So right now, I feel like Naomi that said, Do not call me Pleasant (the meaning of Naomi), call me Mara- bitter. I am bitter, raw, sad, empty, confused, disillusioned, and disoriented. I came to Africa full, but now I feel empty. But that is what I love about the Bible, there are books like Ruth and Lamentations that say it is alright to feel that way. Our God understands. He is not threatened by our asking of why.

If you know the story of Ruth, you know that Naomi is not left empty handed. Her redeemer fills her until overflowing. I cling to this. I pray for this. I wait for this- not only for me, but for my friends and neighbors in CAR.