World Team - PDF document

World Team
World Team Reda Anderton 1431 Stuckert Rd. 734 Main St. Warrington, PA 18976 BAKA BULLETIN Akron, PA 17501 (800) 967-7109 SUMMER 2020 (717) 859-1814 www.US.WorldTeam.org Reda.Anderton@worldteam.org Dear Kingdom partners, As summer draws to a close, most of us have had a very different season than we had imagined at the beginning of 2020. As I enjoy the long summer evenings, the unchanging cycle of nature reminds me that God is in control. For those in the United States, remembering that God is in control will give believers peace in the present election season. Kingdom news… how we rejoice when the church functions as the body of Christ! In July, word came that Nestor and his young wife Teti were having marital strife. The expectation was that Nathan, our team leader, would intervene with marriage counseling. This was during a hectic week for the Conrods, preparing for Laurel & Boaz to return to the US to settle Boaz for college. Nathan asked Samedi & Pe, one of our few couples where both are believers, to go and talk with Nestor & Teti. Praise God, their listening and advice was helpful and well-received, resulting in resolution of the situation. … Satan is seeking to tear down the existing leadership team in the Mayos church. As I returned to the US in May, Ngelo, one of the deacons, had not been attending the Sunday worship gathering for several weeks. Currently the news is that he has moved his family to a different Baka camp, his wife’s home camp. It is reported that he may be leading a worship gathering there, which has the potential to be a good thing. However, he did not leave with a blessing from the Mayos believers, has not sought out prayer support for this new venture, and generally seems to be operating on his own. Cameroon culture operates with a “big man” mentality; accountability is not valued. Pray that Ngelo will stay grounded in his faith and live with integrity in his wife’s camp. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead him to seek accountability in ministry attempts. … Meanwhile Teyo, the other deacon, recently acquired offering money for the purpose of replacing the skin head on the drum used for worship. While that is a legitimate use of offering funds, he lied about this decision being approved by Nestor. Subsequently, Teyo did not spend the money wisely and the fraud came to light when he turned up to ask for more funds to complete the task. Once again, integrity and accountability should set believers apart from the rest of Baka society. When this is not the case, Christ’s name is disgraced. We all know leaders in the US who have the Bible in their heart language, abundant discipleship resources, and years of faith who allow sin to fester and blight their witness. How much easier this can occur in a Baka context! Please pray for Teyo to acknowledge his sin, confess it to the church, genuinely repent, and seek restoration. At this time, he is letting his shame keep him captive and is avoiding the worship gathering on Sundays. … You have prayed that Samedi would finish the house he is building for his family. I hear that the walls are now up, but no roof, yet. This is progress; thank you for praying. Pray now that Samedi will prioritize finishing the roof so his family can have their own space and thus reduce the conflict between his wife Pe and her sister Tataa with whom the family is currently living. Samedi & Pe have the potential to become the storekeepers when the training center opens a small store of essential goods for the folks at Mayos. However, he needs to be learning diligence and faithfulness to complete a project that has been started as part of preparation for a steady job in the future. National news… Reports continue to come in from the NW & SW of murders and kidnappings. The constant risk of being shot, raped, forced to flee and having house & fields destroyed is a daily reality for anglophone Cameroonians for the past 4 years. Please continue to pray for an end to this conflict which is destroying lives. Pray protection over believers in the NW & SW, and for the church leaders to have wisdom and bring comfort to their members during this ongoing terrible conflict. Cameroon remains below the top 5 African countries in terms of known coronavirus cases. Medical news… In the spring, we saw a 3 yr. old girl named Awe [ah-way] with a terrible abscess on her leg. Both her mother Iya [ee-yah] and father Ebote [ay-boh-tay] are known alcoholics whose children suffer from neglect. Iya brought Awe the first time, then left it to her older sister to come for the drainage procedure, which was long and painful. Awe left in a lot of pain, but was on the way to healing the abscess. The next night, a knock on the porch door after dark revealed Iya and her 9 month old baby girl. Iya was looking very shaken, and for a good reason. Ebote had come into their house straight from the bar and roughly shoved 3 yr. old Awe aside. Awe cried out, still being in a lot of pain from the abscess drainage the day before. When Iya yelled at her husband to stop, Ebote turned on her and grabbed the 9 mo. old baby out of her arms. Then he swung the baby by her feet and brought her head down quickly, hitting it on the ground. Another man was close by. He

first thought Ebote was trying to "pla
first thought Ebote was trying to "play" with the baby, swinging her but misjudging the distance because he was drunk. But when Ebote lifted the baby up again, the man saw he was enraged, so he intervened and grabbed the baby before her head hit the ground a second time. He then got a moto (motorcycle taxi) and brought Iya and the baby to us. The baby was unconscious, and her eyes didn't respond to light appropriately. Iya said the baby hadn't cried or opened her eyes since the injury, but had suckled. There wasn't anything we could do at that point. It is not possible to get a CT scan in the middle of the night to check for bleeding inside the skull. Just as we were finishing the exam, another moto pulled up. This one had Ebote on it, passed out drunk, and covered with blood where someone had hit him on the forehead with a piece of wood. The man who brought him was insisting that we help him. I refused. I told the man that Ebote had tried to kill his baby, and he should be taken to the gendarmerie (local policing authority). I assured the man that Ebote would not die from the scalp wound. These are the times when it is very frustrating that there are no authorities to be called into the situation. No policemen, only corrupt gendarmes who won't come out of their office without a bribe and transportation provided to the scene, no children's services to protect these kids from their father, no functional chief to address the violence locally, etc. The baby has lived, but whether or not she will have brain damage remains to be seen. Ebote is such a helpless slave to alcohol. I remember him in earlier years when he was our guard, working to build a house, working alongside Phil to make wooden mortars to sell, to collect charcoal from forest fires, etc. If only he had turned to Christ instead of turning to alcohol! In June, Jennifer had another nighttime visit from Iya, this time with 3 yr. old Awe again. Iya said she had a sudden onset of fever and became unresponsive. Jennifer began treating her immediately for cerebral malaria. Sadly, Awe died 3 days later. Life is so uncertain among the Baka, and so hopeless! Pray for Iya, who has a miserable life as a battered wife, and now has the loss of her daughter as well. Pray she will surrender her life to Jesus and find hope. Pray for Ebote. Only Jesus can rescue him from his self-destruction. Team news… The Abbotts were able to return to Cameroon in time for their 2 kids to start high school in the capitol city. They are beginning a study of Acts with the believers in their location at Ndjibot. Pray for energy and consistent good health as they move back into a busy ministry schedule. … Sky has joined the Abbotts at Ndjibot where she will continue learning the Baka language and start assessing literacy needs as she plans her future literacy ministry. Pray for her as she practices Baka and forms relationships with the people. … Laurel returns to Cameroon very soon, after a quick trip to the US to see Nandry and settle Boaz for college. With 2 kids in college now and 1 at boarding school, pray for peace, health and productivity for the Conrods in coming months. They are hosting an intern (also named Nathan) who has just arrived and will be exploring possibilities for working in Chad, so extra energy is needed for adding another facet of ministry right now. … Jennifer learned in July that Annabella’s immigration visa has been approved! Praise God! Thank you for praying her through this l-o-n-g process up to this point. Several steps still remain between approval and actual issue of the visa, with no time line given, so don’t stop your prayers! It is a huge answer to prayer that the approval has come, as that assures Jennifer that the visa will follow...someday. Meanwhile, Annabella has begun 4th grade; pray for her focus for school tasks and patience for her mom/teacher! Pray that God will cause the remaining steps for the visa to be completed without further delays. … Colemans arrived at the Mayos location this week, after finishing their 2 week quarantine in the capitol. Pray for their adjustment to rainforest living, for good health, and for relationship building with teammates and with the Baka. … The Hanson family (coming to translate the scriptures into Baka) have been delayed in starting French studies in Quebec due to the continued border closing. Pray that they will be able to move to the school soon, and for wisdom in managing 3 kids’ homeschooling as well as changes coming soon. … Ashlee (also on the translation team) is in need of further support to be able to start French studies. Pray for God’s timing and provision, and her diligence and patience. Family news...Nelson (21) has begun a 2 year welding program at Thaddeus Stevens College. Classes will be hybrid: virtual and in the welding lab. Noah (24) has a fellowship position at HOPE International. Pray for clear next steps when the fellowship ends in December. He is also working from home at this time, so it is a blessing to have 3 of us together here in Akron for now. I will be traveling to Michigan in September and appreciate prayer for alertness and safety on the roads. I will also be completing medical education credits for the October licensure renewal. Priority prayer items… End to the conflict in the Anglophone region of Cameroon; protection of civilians. ... Protection physically and spiritually for Nestor as he leads the believers without faithful deacons …Completion of Annabella’s immigration process! ... Diligent workers for the training center construction process …Spiritual growth among the believers that will be evident in their daily lives Partners with you bringing hope to the Baka - Reda, Noah, & Nelson Anderton