Three months out!

  Hello!  As we pray and plan and pray and plan...I was advised to get started blogging so that we would know what we were doing when we arrive in Cameroon.  Here I am - Lord, help know how to do this!

We are well on our way for this amazing journey.  The hope for a short term mission trip to Cameroon started over 5 years ago, when Ben Sinclair answered an email sent out by Missionary Steve Anderson that said our church had a VBS team that was looking for a place to minister.  Ben said to us in an email, "When people find out how much it costs to come to Cameroon, no one comes."  That made me really really sad and I have never forgotten the emptiness of that comment.  I began praying that we could be the team to make it to Cameroon.  We did our best in 2007, but alas, sadly we had to tell Ben, "We can't afford the trip at this time."  God provided us a short term VBS mission trip to Chile in 2008 and then to Bolivia in 2009.  They were fabulous trips...but Cameroon remained in my prayers.  As 2011 rolled into view, I began working with Pastor Quilty again counting up funds and pricing.    Amazingly, we would have the funds, Lord willing, by July 2012 to make the trip a reality.  In early 2011 the trip and budget was approved by our deacon board.  Wow!  After 4 years of praying about it, I could tell Ben, "We are coming!"

I look at planning a mission trip as major hurdles that must be cleared one at a time.  They cause me nightmares.  Praise Him, we have already passed several major hurdles.
     1.  Budget made.  Nothing like figuring out what it will cost 1 1/2 years in advance!!
     2.  Budget approved by deacon board.
     3.  Seek volunteers, spread information, pray, talk to people, assure them they won't be eaten by tigers.
     4.  Talk to more people.  Pray.  Talk to more people.  Try not to be discouraged as I hear the
           comments "It's too far away" or "It's too much money."  Pray for the exact team of people God
           wants to put together. Wonder at what God was doing as people signed up and then withdrew over
           and over. Trust Him.
     5.  Finalize team - more people appear as the deadline for purchasing plane tickets draws into sight.
     6.  Buy plane tickets (we did this twice as one airline cancelled the flight after purchase)
     7.  Plan meetings for team
     8.  Begin having meetings.
     9.  Apply for Visa.

It will take another post to share with you the Visa process!!