The Goals of the Misaje

Recently, Bert Visser, the General Director of our branch in Cameroon, visited the Inter-Church Committee in the Misaje area. Just to give you a little background, Misaje (pronounced "miss-a-jay") is a cluster of six related languages located in the North West Province of Cameroon; the Inter-Church Committee represents leaders from several different church groups (and denominations) within the Misaje cluster, and this Committee is critical in making decisions and guiding the course of the various translation projects that are in progress or that need to be started within the Misaje cluster.

Bert spent some time talking with the committee, and in particular, he asked them what they would like to see in fifteen years time, particularly in relation to Bible translation. Their answers are, I think, very significant. Some of their responses were that:

* People [of the Misaje cluster] would be able to understand the Bible in their mother tongue, and that their lifestyle will be changed.

* People would really experience the presence of God, like they did, for example, when a pastor was recently reading from a portion of the translated Scripture in the mother tongue; during this reading, the entire church was silent, focused intently on what was being read.

* People would see God as being closer to them (rather than impossibly distant, as is taught in many Animistic traditions) and that they would live by the Word.

* The church among the Misaje peoples would become the Church of the Word, as they receive the Word in their own language and are thus better able to understand what it has to say to them.

* The Church would grow physically, as evangelistic efforts (such as the Jesus Film) become more effective by incorporating mother tongue Scriptures.

* People would be able to be Christ centered, and be able to put God first in their lives.

Dave and Cindy Lux in front of their Misaje home

Hearing these goals and desires articulated by these people who are still waiting to hear God's Word in their own language helps to remind me of the importance of the work that we do with Wycliffe. These church leaders desire to have God's Word fill the lives of the people they serve, and the only way they see that happening is for the people to hear God's Word in their own languages.

Please join us in praying for the people of the Misaje cluster who are still waiting to hear God speak to them in the languages of their hearts. And also, please pray for our friends, Dave and Cindy Lux, who have recently begun working in the Misaje cluster as consultants; pray that they would be fruitful in their work and that God would soon make the desires of the Misaje Inter-Church Committee a reality.

A Taste from Home

We all have tastes and sights and smells that bring up precious memories, don't we? For example, I love the scent of the boxwood plant. The other day, I smelled one and it immediately evoked a sense of happiness and contentment as I recalled the long-gone summer days I spent playing with my brother in Mrs. Cox's pool.

For my kids, apparently the taste that "takes them back" is Coca-cola. Now, I can't say that I love the taste of Coke but some of my kids certainly do. They are particular, though; they don't love just any Coke. They are partial to the particular flavor of the Coke that we can buy in Cameroon (in case you didn't know, the makers of Coca-cola use a slightly different formula for different countries, tailoring the taste of their cola to the particular tastes of the target culture).

It is always a challenge to take kids to the grocery store (no matter what continent you are on!), because they are always so good at spotting the "bargains" in the store that you miss; they also tend to be very vocal in their attempts to persuade you to buy the "bargains" that they've found. Usually, I can manage to say "no" to their suggestions, but this time, it was different.

Our "Taste of Home"

Because this time, Caleb pointed out a particular treasure that he had found: Coke in glass bottles. "Mom," he exclaimed excitedly, "it's like the kind from home!" I was skeptical, but had to see for myself. Sure enough, there they were, Coke bottles that looked just like the ones we often buy in Cameroon. And at the top of the display was this enticing advertisement: "A Taste from Home: Coke from Mexico."

With an ad like that, how could I refuse? So I bought some, primarily to discover if they tasted anything like our Coke from Cameroon. And sure enough, everyone agreed: they tasted like home. And as a result, for a while I had happy, peaceful children reminiscing about Cameroon. That lasted until something else, a stress or concern or annoyance from the world around them, distracted them from their peace.

In all of this, I was reminded of how we need to keep our hearts, minds and bodies focused on our eternal home, rather than on the world that currently surrounds us. Only when we focus our attention on our Heavenly home are we able to truly enjoy this present, physical world as God intended us to. Even more than that, it is only as we turn our eyes on Him and the promise of His Kingdom that we can find true, lasting peace.

Berry Blessings

     Seeing my friend, DeAnna's web page with short, interesting stories about everyday, average activities has inspired me to renew my efforts at blog posts. We had started a series about the various Cameroonian New Testament translations that we have been privileged to support during the years of our ministry, but, after the first post, it became difficult to get all of the details we needed to continue that series. I do hope that Kevin will soon be able to acquire the necessary information so that we can continue the stories of those translations, but in the meantime, my stories will have to do.

     I love how God provides for some of the "little things" in our life. I love picking fruits (and eating them!), and there are several farms here in Maryland that allow people to come and pick their own fruit. However, just when the Maryland fruits were getting ripe for picking at these local farms, we became too busy to get out and pick them! Most of the activities centered around getting Josiah ready, both physically and emotionally, to ship out to Marine Corps Basic Training.

Don't they look yummy!

     But in the midst of all that busy and very emotional preparation, the berries right here in our own backyard were beginning to ripen too. We discovered that there are a LOT of berry bushes, of various different types, scattered about the woods on the edges of the enormous property where we are living at Liberty Church, PCA, and all of them were there, waiting to be picked! So I have thoroughly enjoyed escaping the confines of the house, feeling the summer heat, getting pricked here and there, and getting a bit of exercise too. I suppose we all enjoyed eating the berries as well!

Caleb being silly while "helping" pick berries.

     Thanks, God, for Your "little" blessings! Keep us ever mindful of them, that we would always know how blessed we truly are, no matter what our circumstances might be.