The time is almost upon us to leave for Cameroon. Needless to say, we are a bit harried, trying to cover all bases for our absence. Here's an article I wrote for our local church newspaper about the trip:
On December 27, Pastor Carol and Sam will depart for their trip to Cameroon, a Central African country near the equator. Sam will stay for one month, returning on January 27, while Carol remains for two more months. During that time, Sam will serve as supply pastor. Six weeks of Carol's time will be counted as her 2010 and 2011 vacation, while the other six weeks will be considered unpaid leave.
Carol is returning to Cameroon for the second time, though this will be Sam's first visit. As most people in the congregation know, they will be working with Ruth Titi Manyaka, Carol's beloved college roommate. Ruth and her husband Raphael have visited in Arizona on a couple of occasions, so a number of Good Shepherd folk have had the opportunity to meet them.
During January, 14 nursing students from Linfield College (Carol and Ruth's alma mater in Oregon) will be conducting medical assessments on the over 500 orphans and vulnerable children that Ruth's organization -- Women, Environment, and Health (WEH) -- monitors. The children continue to reside in villages with extended families or friends following their parents' deaths (usually from AIDS), but the government has arranged for non-government organizations throughout the country to monitor them and to assure that they are in school and sufficiently clothed and fed. WEH has a social worker and volunteer contact persons in each village who see the children regularly. For three weeks, the nursing students and their supervisors visit these rural villages. They set up medical clinics in town halls or schools, or even under a canopy of trees, and patiently run physicals on each child. WEH provides French translators for each team of nurses. When there are problems beyond the capacity or authority of the students to address, the children are referred to one of their supervisors or to Barbara Stone, a nurse practitioner from Lakeside who, with her husband, also take the trip to Cameroon.
Carol, Sam and Joe are considered support persons in these efforts. Two years ago Joe provided coordination and tactical support while Carol held babies and played group games with waiting children. She also had them sing songs for her which was very enjoyable. She said during much of the time she simply prayed over all that was going on. Joe and Carol took many photographs, but this year they will have Sam's photographic expertise on hand for both still and video documentation. Additionally, Sam looks forward to spending more time with Ruth's husband, Raphael, as they continue to develop their own mutual-admiration friendship.
Two years ago, the Kearny Clinic sent a microscope with Carol, which was given to a rural maternity clinic. This year Carol is proud to be taking nearly 300 toothbrushes donated by Dr. Jim Celis and his staff. She is also carrying a large quantity of sample-size toothpastes, some gathered by Dona Wittwer and others donated by Carol's sister-in-law's Eastern Star sisters in Payson. That group also donated motel soaps they had gathered, and Virgil Thompson donated another good-sized box of soaps he had on hand in one of his yard sales. Carol's local fundraising efforts for funds to buy mosquito nets yielded around $250 and Good Shepherd is donating a comparable amount from its Winter Wonderland sale, fulfilling her goal of raising $500 for nets. Linfield student nurses have also conducted fundraising for the purchase of nets, so the team is optimistic that it will have many nets for distribution.
"Tropical people know how important it is to protect young children, the elderly, and pregnant women from the mosquito that carries malaria," said Carol. "But they often cannot afford the insecticide-impregnated nets which provide the best protection. A single net (costing between $7 and $10) protects several children because the children often share a bed." She explained that the particular mosquito that spreads malaria is a nightly-active mosquito, so nighttime protection is the most critical. In time, people do develop at least partial immunity to malaria and so healthy older children and adults are not so much at risk. And there are medications to treat mild episodes of the blood-borne disease. Visitors to the tropics, including Carol and Sam, take a prophylactic antibiotic during their entire stay in the country to protect them from malaria, but this is not an option for locals because of the long-term side effects of of this option.
Pastor Carol says that when the students' work is done and they return to the United States, she will continue to assist Ruth in her work including assisting local women in learning to use a knitting machine for the making of baby blankets, studying whether there is a market for home-made, washable sanitary napkins, and developing a business plan for the solar bakery cooperative that WEH wants to build and inaugurate. In February they will visit a solar bakery elsewhere in the country to learn more about it.
"I can't wait to worship with Ruth again at her church," said Carol. "It's a huge Reformed Church (similar to Presbyterian) where the singing is very powerful. I hope that my comprehension of French improves in this extended immersion experience so that I will be able to understand more of the sermons and of general conversation." Carol said that Ruth now belongs to one of the women's circles in her church, so she will participate in these women's Bible studies and choral rehearsals.
"Each church club, men's, women's, and young peoples', takes turns being a choir during worship," she said. "And each has its own unique uniform to wear to church. Ruth is having a dress made for me so I can be a full partner in her circle. That will be great fun!"
When Pastor Carol returns at the end of March, she will continue serving as pastor for the remainder of her appointment, to June 30. She asks that the congregation remember this mission trip often in its prayers. To keep track of their activities you can read Carol's online journal at http://mycameroontrip.blogspot.com .
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