|
January 2002
Dear Friends,
Belated holiday greetings to one and all! We pray that in these
difficult times you were still able to experience the wonder and
hope that comes through the celebration of the Christ child’s
birth.
We apologize for not having written in so long. Anna was actually
in the midst of writing a newsletter on September 11 when Larry
came running in with news of the attack in New York. Being from
New Jersey, we anxiously began the wait of news from family, friends,
and supporting churches. It was with great sadness that we learned
that one couple from Larry’s former church, the Petersons,
in Manasquan, New Jersey, was on the plane that went down in Pennsylvania.
As sad as that news was, Larry was quick to point out that Don
was the kind of man who would have either helped in confronting
the terrorists or else been leading passengers in prayer. It has
been a comforting thought to know that Don and Jean had faith
enough to see them through that terrible tragedy. May they rest
in peace!
Here in Cameroon we were quickly surrounded by students who came
to offer words of comfort and to pray with us. The Cameroonian
people are quick to offer friendship, prayers, and whatever support
they can give in times of trouble. This was evident again when
one of our beloved lecturers—who is also pastor of our church—fell
ill. The family was surrounded with love, food, and endless visits
from students and parishioners alike. The Reverend Dr. Mungong
was a well-known pastor within the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon.
It was with great sadness when we said goodbye to him in early
October. He was only 58.
The mourning process here is much different than in the States.
Here they have an all night wake keeping/death celebration. Friends
and relatives come together to support the family. Singing and
dancing take place in front of the house for literally the entire
night. After paying our respects to the family, we headed home
and to bed. We fell asleep to the mourners singing a song with
these words: "Join me in the morning prayer. For the evening
prayer may be too late, join me in the morning prayer." In
the morning we awoke to hear them singing the same song yet again.
In light of the events of September 11 and the rapid demise of
the Reverend Mungong, the words of that song struck a chord within
us. It reminded us of the fragility of life and the importance
of staying close to the Lord—of being in a constant state
of prayer throughout the day.
Because the mourning process is so important here, classes were
canceled for the week (he died on a Sunday). Students could be
seen praying and singing in small groups around the campus. On
Thursday a delegation of students and faculty headed up to Bamenda
(a six-hour drive) to attend the burial, which was on Friday.
It was reported that hundreds of people attended the service.
We were unable to attend, but can well imagine what it was like
knowing how it is when Cameroonians come together for something
like this. His passing was a great loss to the seminary and to
the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. With his passing, his courses
were redistributed to other lecturers. Larry was one of those
to add a class, which made his semester especially busy as he
scrambled to get up to speed with his new class. The family didn’t
see much of him for the rest of the semester, but we all managed
to get through it.
Since it was such a challenging semester, one student suggested
we do something special at the end of the semester. She proposed
a "cultural evening" after finals—a evening of
song, dance, drama, and the chance to celebrate the meaning of
Christmas from a purely Cameroonian perspective. We were impressed
with what the students came up with in the midst of finals. You
would have thought they’d been practicing together for months.
The evening was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun—a
great way to end the semester. We hope it becomes a part of the
schedule from now on.
We are now on January "break," which hasn’t been
much of a break for Larry. Besides being a pastor and lecturer,
he is also a carpenter and a jack-of-all-trades. The dean has
decided to utilize these talents by putting Larry to work in some
building projects on campus. The first project was the hardwood
ceiling of the seminary chapel. Larry drew up the design and is
now supervising the building of it. We hope to have the chapel
completely finished by the start of next academic year, when the
seminary will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Larry was also helping to design a new wing to the library for
an enlarged reading room and a computer room. While home this
past summer, we received a donation of thirty computers from two
different companies, which the seminary has gratefully received.
Some have gone to Cameroonian lecturers for use, others to the
two centers the PCC operates, but most will continue to reside
here for the use by students. They are excited about the prospect
of being brought into the twentieth century, as one student put
it. Most are computer illiterate as of now, but Anna will be working
with them to help them learn the basics.
Despite the many challenges, we continue to feel blessed and
thankful to be part of such a wonderful community of faith here
in Cameroon. Please know that your Cameroonian brothers and sisters
continue to pray for America and join together with us in praying
for peace throughout the world.
Grace & Peace,
Anna & Larry Bauerband
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 31
|
