Our Cameroon Journey Began
Our Cameroon Journey Began
Our Cameroon journey actually began back in 2001 when Tim lost his job as a buyer in the manufacturing industry. Before all of the general economic downturn there was the manufacturing downturn which began our journey. Sometime in the second year after his job loss and no manufacturing jobs available, Tim was driving a cab (a ministry unto itself) and we were struggling to make ends meet and praying fervently...." Lord, what is going on. What are we missing?" As is always the case, the Lord answered our prayers....this time speaking to our hearts that it was time to go to the foreign mission field (a call we received early in our Christian life and one that we had been preparing for).
During this preparation time our daughter Christi had been on numerous Teen Mission Int'l (TMI) teams. We had seen a huge change in her life, for the better, as a result. We felt that this was the direction that the Lord was leading
us. Interestingly, while we were sensing that this was the direction that we were to go, Christi was on a TMI summer team.While in the Australia debrief she also sensed that we as a family were to join TMI. So...there you go, the Lord is good and we took it as a confirmation of the leading to join. So at the end of 2003 we attended a TMI workshop for potential staff, after which we returned home, put our home up for sale and prepared to head to TMI's headquarters in Merritt Island, FL.
The home we sold before we headed to Florida
TMI front gate view
Feb. 2004, our moving van filled with the remnants of our earthly possession pulled up to a mobile home on Heavenly Street and with the help of other TMI staff and students unloaded everything in the pouring rain (common in Florida...little did we know that the Lord was even then preparing us for life here in Cameroon). TMI requires new staff to serve at the Florida home offices for 1+ years before heading overseas. So...we settled into our life in Florida, living in our trailer, working at the base (Tim in landscaping, Sara in the finance dept.). We learned the ropes and led our first team to Poland in the summer of 2004. What an experience! What a training ground, life changing and blessed experience. When back from the team and late in 2004 the director approached us and asked if we would open a Bible school (BMW) and help run the base in Cameroon. Since we both (separately) had just heard the Lord speaking to our hearts in prayer that morning..."Will you go where I send you?"...we, of course, answered yes...then hesitated and responded, "Where is Cameroon?" Forward to summer of 2005...we are again leading a team of teenagers this time to Cameroon (to be our new home). There in the village of NSongwa we began the in country part of our Cameroon journey.
View of our new home in Cameroon
Christi painting hospital in Vanuatu (TMI team)