July 2002

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Yaounde, Cameroon. I arrived here just a few weeks ago, and now am getting settled––and getting acquainted with the place and the work. Yaounde is the scenic capital of Cameroon, blessed with a beautiful climate, a green landscape in the hills, and what seems to be a thriving community. Coming from Ouagadougou, the weather is a real treat, though I find that this city lacks the quaintness and personal friendliness of Burkina. But, then again, there is time to discover that here as I move into the local community.

I will be working primarily with the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC), which is the English-speaking church here. I have met with the moderator, the Rt. Reverend Nyansako-ni-Nku, who has a great personal concern for the AIDS crisis and is most enthusiastic to work together. He has been traveling quite a bit, but I hope to visit him at the church headquarters in a few weeks time and then really begin to learn about the church life and work here. In
the meantime, I have been attending a large local PCC church that is
characterized by vibrant worship and challenging messages from the pulpit. This local congregation is concerned about AIDS as well. Each week so far, in the sermon, in announcements, or in prayer, the pastors speak about AIDS. At their dedication service for the church three weeks ago, they said that this church is a church that welcomes those with AIDS into their congregation—while trying to combat this disease at the same time. It will be a joy getting to know Rev. Anyambad and Rev. Shu, the pastors here, and this congregation, both as a fellow participant in their worship and for our work
together against HIV/AIDS.

Today I leave for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for two and a half weeks in order to meet our two partner churches there and spend a little time getting to see their work. The PC(USA) supports several orphan programs there, all of which I hope to see as well. Though they are not specifically for AIDS orphans, it is clear that AIDS is responsible for growing numbers of orphans and needs to be a central focus of the church’s work. This trip and my initial visits in Cameroon are just preliminary work in getting a better
understanding of how AIDS is affecting people in these countries. Many groups are working against HIV/AIDS, so we want to be discerning in knowing how to work effectively and together in this struggle.

Since I have been here I have already heard many stories of people with HIV/AIDS. We need to have a better understanding of the picture of AIDS in Africa, as it is so different from the picture that we tend to have––outside of Africa. HIV/AIDS doesn’t generally claim one member of a family. Many times it claims the lives of entire families. Certainly it claims parents, and so we see families of grandparents raising children when they are normally at a point to be cared for themselves. The young, unmarried die young. Infants die, as so many mothers are infected. There are no isolated cases here (as there really are none anywhere). Here, HIV/AIDS is weaving
itself into the very fabric of society.

As Christians, we have eternal hope. There is no cause to give up. Yesterday was Ascension Day here. Pastor Anyambad read from Acts 1, saying that the word for witness––something that each of us as Christians are called to be—is the same word as martyr. He said, therefore, "we are not called ‘to hear’ but to ‘go and see for ourselves’" and to be personally involved in the work of the church in society in whatever way we are needed. Certainly this was a personal challenge for me to engage more fully into the work of the church in the midst of HIV/AIDS. But I pray that you all too, will be challenged and will seek out ways to be witnesses for the loving, healing, and redemptive work of Jesus Christ in a very broken world.

Please let me know if you would like to be part of an e-mail "mailing list" to hear about the work here. I have had lots of trouble with e-mail––but hope to have that resolved soon!

Blessings to you, knowing that it is the power of the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, that enables us to accomplish "more than we could ever ask or imagine."

In Christ,

Caryl

The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 31