Cameroon - 2008-Aug. 2013
Cameroon - 2008-Aug. 2013
At the end of 2007 our 3 year commitment with Teen Missions was at an end. We love the ministry and all that they are doing here in Cameroon, but also saw needs that they were not meeting. In particular, we saw that while the Orphan Rescue Units meet a vital need here in Cameroon, in some cases, they were not enough. Some children, in fact, were in need of rescuing. It was at this time that another ministry, Win Our Nations (WON), approached us about starting an orphanage and a Bible school with them. Because WON wasn't a 501c3 entity at the time we joined Commission to Every Nation (CTEN), which is an inter-denominational missionary sending agency who serves missionaries in 48 nations. They did then and continue to provide administrative and spiritual support.
So, in 2008, we left Teen Missions and our base home in Nsongwa and moved into the nearby town of Bamenda. Here, joined by another family, the Schilinski's, who moved to Bamenda in June of 2008 (then went on their 6 month furlough) we began the painfully slow process of paperwork (to start a new ministry in Cameroon) and property searches (for the orphanage). We were also busy with our new home and CTEN paperwork etc? We had seen some problems with other orphanages where monies weren?t consistent or enough. We firmly believe that part of our ministry here is teaching Cameroonians to help Cameroonians. Heaven forbid that people in the U.S. couldn?t help here, but it?s prudent to have some type of alternative support for the orphanage. So in Jan. of 2009 the 1st of two car washes was opened. Now these businesses provide good jobs for workers and the monies to send the children to better schools and pay the rent for our current location. Praise the Lord!! In April of 2009 the orphanage was officially opened. In the fall of 2010 Faith Bible College was started.
In Jan of 2013 the WON home office changed policies and limited our time in the States to 3 months every 2 years. That was not enough time for our current family needs and raising support (we need 4-5 months every 2 years depending on family situations) so, after serving with WON for 5 years (Jan 2008-Jan 2013), we stepped down as coordinators and served on a volunteer basis. Then in Aug. of 2013 it was mutually agreed on that the volunteer status/functions weren't a good fit for us or WON Cameroon. We have now started a new ministry (Hope Filled Futures). So through Hope Filled Futures we will still be rescuing orphans, training students in the Word of God, hosting short term teams, partnering with other ministries, doing projects in remote villages and evangelism to help meet needs here in Cameroon. 9 years here and going strong!!