Outside the Camp #3

The Waite Praise Update~November 17, 2009

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to get a note out to all of you who have been and will be faithfully praying for us in our journey to Cameroon that we actually begin tomorrow. Yep, we are down to about 24 hours from our departure time of 11:30 am (MST).

So, somehow in the next 24 hours we have to get the piles of clothes, ministry supplies, Christmas gifts being sent to missionaries who are already there, supplies requested by the missionaries already there, and everything Peter (age 3) thinks he will need in Africa off the dining room table and into the suitcases and carry on bags that are strewn across our living room floor. Then it is off to Albuquerque International Airport to Houston to Paris and finally about 29 hours later to Douala, Cameroon where we will then attempt to convince the Customs' Officials who speak French why we (who speak English) needed to bring so much stuff to Cameroon. Did I mention that we are also bringing the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner. I think the main meat course is some sort of bush meat that tastes like--you guessed it--"chicken".

Once we are through Customs, we will be met by one of the missionaries who will then get us to a place to spend the night in Douala. The next day we will travel by Land Cruiser to Bekundo to spend a few days with missionaries to the Oroko people. Then on the 22nd we'll travel to Yaounde, the capital, and stay there until the 24th. Once in Yaounde we will meet up with missionaries to the Baka people and travel with them to The Mayos Camp where they are living among the Baka in the jungle. We will celebrate Thanksgiving with them in the jungle. Then its off to the Fulbe people up North on the 27th. It will take us a few days to get there via Land Cruiser, arriving sometime in Banyo on the 29th. Once in "Fulbe Land", we'll have ample opportunity to visit with and see the work missionaries are doing with the people in Banyo as well as opportunities to make survey trips to villages further North and East where no work has yet been started. At this point, this is where we are finding ourselves drawn--to these places where the Gospel has not yet gone. Finally, we'll begin making our way back to Douala on December 4 where we will catch our plane back home on the 7th, arriving back in Albuquerque on December 8.

We rejoice in having this great opportunity to go and survey the possible works God would have us be involved in. Please continue to pray for us as we make this unbelievable trip. Our desire is to be a blessing to all whom we have contact with as ambassadors of Jesus Christ for the sake of the Gospel. We desire to have our eyes opened to the needs that are there, which we can potentially meet for the sake of the Gospel. We also desire to see how we can offer up our lives, talents, gifts, resources, and imaginations for the sake of reaching the unreached and in many cases people who have never been engaged with the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the glory of His Name and their eternal joy. Please also pray for our health as we are all struggling with colds and even an inner ear infection. Finally, please pray for the missionaries we will be visiting and who are putting great effort into making our trip a success in seeing where God would have us serve in Cameroon.

Again--Thank You for your prayer on our behalf and on behalf of this survey/vision trip. Many of you also generously gave of your resources to help us make this trip. Thank you so much. Only in Heaven will the value of your prayers and gifts be realized.

So, until we return, may God's great mercy and grace be daily realized and experienced in each of your lives for His glory and your joy.

In His Service,

mark, nancy, & kids (bethany, rachael, esther, & peter)