Outside the Camp #4

Quick Waite Update from Cameroon

(Here is an update my Dad wrote when they arrived in Cameroon.)

"just a quickie to let you know we are in cameroon. we made all our connections and arrived in doula--what an experience that was trying to get thru customs. then we spent the night in a guesthouse and traveled today to the rain forest where they work among the oroko. the kids are out playing with the village kids--we are actually in a house in the middle of the village."

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)

Outside the Camp #2

The Waite Praise Update~October 20, 2009

Dear Praying Partners,

It is very obvious to us that you have been praying for us and God has been answering those prayers for His glory and our joy. And when I say "our joy", I have more people in mind than just my family as we experience great joy in preparing to make our Vision/Survey Trip to Cameroon in just a few weeks.

I also have in mind those people in Cameroon who are not only considered "unreached" because they have not responded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ but are also considered "unengaged" for the simple reason that right now at this moment there is no one among them or even reasonably close to them to engage them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because they have not been engaged with the Gospel they remain unreached and thus, they have not experienced the great joy of God's amazing grace. So, as God answers your prayers on our behalf so as to provide us with the means necessary to go to Cameroon and especially to the Fulbe people--it is so that one day they will experience the joy of knowing Jesus and their sins forgiven in Him.

There is another group of people I have in mind as well when I use the phrase "our joy" and its you. You see, those who involve themselves in missions, either as goers, senders, and/or supporters are involving themselves in an adventure and an endeavor that is aligned with God's passion to make Himself known among all the peoples of the earth for His glory and their joy (Num. 14:21; Ps. 96; 117; 72:18-19). According to passages such as Revelation 5:9 and 7:9, there will be people from every tribe, language, and ethnic group in Heaven standing before the throne of God worshipping Him. They will be worshipping Him because they heard and responded to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will have heard the Gospel and received it because God sent people like us to tell them and the reason people like us will get to go and share the Gospel is because of people like you--who for the great joy of seeing God glorified in all the earth involved yourselves in missions by praying for us.

So, thank you for your prayers and your support on our behalf as we engage ourselves in going to Cameroon.

God truly has blessed us in so many ways. We are on schedule to leave for Cameroon on November 18 and return to New Mexico December 8. Our trip can probably best be described as a whirlwind trip, traveling throughout the country to see World Team's works among the Baka people, the Oroko people, and finally the Fulbe in the north-central part of Cameroon. We will spend the bulk of our time in what is known as Fulbe-land with the Lokkers who have been ministering in the area of Banyo. They will take us on a trip into areas of Fulbe-land that have not been engaged with the Gospel as of yet. These areas, which are north and east of Banyo are of particular interest to us as they are where the vast majority of the Fulbe who have not been engaged with the Gospel live.

These areas are best described as "beyond reach" in that they are deep in the bush and are characterized as "hard-to-get-to" and "beyond the end of the trail" type places. Interestingly enough, we have heard that one of the issues that causes some to avoid missions in these kinds of places is lack of internet capability so as to keep in touch with family and friends back home. Well, ultimately we are headed to this kind of an area. Much of our travel "in country" will be on dirt roads that the State Department characterizes as "dangerously unsafe" at best--not so much because of the road condition as much as the drivers.

God graciously has provided for this trip's financial needs all in the course of one month. Through the generous gifts of people within our church and many outside of our church--some whom we have never met personally, God has provided the means for our whole family to make this trip. This will allow our children to also see where they will be living, how they will be living, and hear their new language once God moves us there permanently.

As to our progress, we purchased our airplane tickets last week, got our Yellow Fever shots yesterday, and are still waiting on the kid's passports. Once they arrive (hopefully this week) we will apply for our visas. Then we have some light packing to do as well as arranging for the care of our house and animals while we are gone. Two days before we leave New Mexico we will begin taking our Malaria meds. Then it is to the airport for a really long flight that will take us into Houston, Paris, and then Douala in Cameroon.

Well, this should bring you all up to date on our progress to Cameroon. We are so very thankful for each of you and praise the Lord that you are praying for us in this endeavor. God has been faithful and we can't wait to see Him continue to work on our behalf so as to use us and you in this great work of engaging the Fulbe people with His glorious gospel.

Please continue to pray for us. A big request right now is that we will get our visas in time for the trip. We would ask you to pray for our health, safety, and strength. We also desire prayer that God would open our eyes to see where He is at work and how we might be able to effectively join Him in His great harvest among the Fulbe. Please pray that we would be a blessing to all we meet. We also desire that perhaps God would allow us to be a blessing to you as well.

Ambassadors For Him (2 Cor. 5:20),

Mark for the Waite family, all

Outside the Camp #1

Here am I---Send Me

I am excited to share what the Lord has been doing in my families life over the past several months. My parents have always wanted to be involved in foreign missions, but up until recently God has always had other plans for them. The past year my parents and siblings have been praying about an opportunity to serve the Lord in missions, and as time has gone by God has directed my family to join World TEAM. World TEAM is a mission agency that focuses on church planting in unreached people groups around the globe. My family has been praying about an opportunity to serve the Lord with them in Cameroon, Africa. The Lord provided the money for my family to take a vision trip to see first hand the ministries going on in Cameroon and see where they would best fit. They had an awesome trip and are confident that God has called them to Cameroon. Now they are in the process of raising financial support.

A Treasure

Once a man in search for a treasure,
Set out, his heart filled with pleasure.
Eagerly he went to work,
A man with a mission, no one could jerk.

He searched far and wide, up and down
For a treasure, which seemed, could not be found.
He raked the ground, but to his dismay,
Found only leaves to be thrown away.

He sat himself down in quiet defeat.
So discouraged, humiliated and beat.
So down in his heart with all his failures,
He did not even notice a sudden stranger.

“Tell me my good man, whatever weighs your heart down?”
Said a kind looking gentleman to the man with a frown.
“I came to this land in search of a treasure,
But now I sit here discouraged beyond measure.”

The friendly man smiled and spoke,
“You’ve come to the right place don’t be so easily broke.
The treasure you seek cannot be found,
Unless you dig deep under the ground.”

“It will be hard work, yes indeed,
But work well worth doing if you don’t concede.
Give up not, nor lose heart,
If you continue on you’ll have your part.

So the man in search of treasure did do
What the stranger had instructed him to.
He dug down, deep into the ground,
And what his heart desired he found.

Christians, too, can learn from this lesson.
As they go along life’s procession.
The Bible is full of treasure, ‘tis laden,
For any who come by for the taking.

So dig deep in God’s Word to receive it’s treasure,
And you will come out with an abundant measure.
But if you only rake at the surface, don’t be surprised,
When leaves is all that you ever find.

No Turning Back

I love standing outside at the close of the day as the sun is setting behind the mountains. The sky comes alive with beautiful colors as the clouds reflect the sun's rays. Gold, pink, purple, blue, and all in various shades. The sight is breath taking and causes my heart to flip. The heavens above beckon my soul to join in something greater than myself...to join in with all creation glorifying and praising the Lord Almighty.

I also love hiking in the woods, watching squirrels and chipmunks scamper up and down the tall trees, and listening to a gurgling stream make its way down the mountain. Butterflies flutter by the wildflowers growing along the path and the bees buzz along as they collect pollen. All of creation is a constant reminder of the awesome Creator who brought it into being and who deserves all of our worship and adoration.

So here I stand, amazed by the God who saved me and made me His. My life is no longer mine but His and I want it to be completely spent making much of my Lord and Savior. He alone saved me from His Father's holy wrath against my sin and clothed me in His righteousness...to Him I owe everything. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I will not turn back. Wherever He leads, I will go and whatever He says, I will do. My joy and delight is found in Christ alone---my greatest treasure in this whole world! No matter the cost, I will follow on in the strength the Lord provides. By His grace I will stay the course and fight the good fight. I will run the race and climb the path He has set me on---no matter the cost. People may misunderstand me and think I have lost my mind, but all that matters to me is Jesus. I must live for an audience of one---there is no other way to live completely and fully for Christ. So I fix my eyes on the Sovereign Lord of my soul, setting all my hope on Him, and trusting Him for direction and help as I travel down the path He has set me on.

The Hidden Hand of Providence

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose.”
--
Romans 8:28

The Christ-centered life is not like a joy ride around a still and peaceful lake, but an extreme adventure down a winding river, full of rapids and plummeting waterfalls as the Savior of your soul, who is also the Captain of your raft, steers your life. Sound exciting? Well, that’s not all. Most of the times as you are plunging through angry rapid the light seems to disappear. Darkness envelopes you in a heart crushing force as fears, doubts, and questions fill your mind. What’s happening? Where’s God? Why isn’t He at work in my life? Why is Jesus putting me through this? Doesn’t He care? The once amazing adventure has turned into a horror story, right? But wait...

Behind the pain, confusion, frustration, struggle, suffering, blessing, joy, peace, and everything else you experience and go through in life is an invisible hand leading, directing, orchestrating, and unfolding a plan that was determined before the foundation of the world. The hand of God’s providence is never absent from the ones who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Perhaps at times you may feel as though the waves and rapids of life determine your direction, but really hidden from your eyes is a loving, heavenly Father who works everything together for your good and His glory. Do not rely upon sight for it will fail you; but, believe in God’s promises and look at life through the eyes of faith.

The situations God brings into your life may not make sense at the time, but do not doubt His love and care just because you cannot understand what He is doing. God uses suffering as refining fire. He crushes His children in order to make them into vessels He can use, He empties His people of earthly joy in order to fill them with true, heavenly joy, and He causes all things (suffering, sickness, joy, happiness, disappointment, death, life, sin, sadness, etc) to work together for GOOD…to those who love God…to those called according to His purpose.

Sometimes it is tough to sit back and enjoy the ride God is taking you on in life, but when it comes right down to it that is all you can do. Your life is in God’s hands, so love Him and enjoy life---the good and the bad. Trust in the Lord…rest in His love…wait upon Him. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is the very thing you need to do…Sit back and enjoy the ride. It may not be easy or fun, but remember that the Captain of your raft is completely in control and directing your life where it needs to go. He loves you and is doing what is best for you. So love God and enjoy life…it will be an amazing ride!

Thoughts on Grace

As I sit waiting for my next class to begin, my thoughts turn to the amazing message I listened to Sunday out of Romans 4:5. To ponder the depths of grace and to think about God's amazing, uncomprehensible love can be mind boggling. It is hard to wrap our minds around the truth that it is by grace we are saved...by grace that our sins were removed...by grace they were placed upon Christ...by grace they were paid for by Christ...by grace Christ gave us His righteousness...by grace we stand not as sinners stained by sin, but as saints clothed in righteousness not our own. Why? Why are we given grace when all we deserve is hell? Why did God show mercy when we hated Him? God sent His only Son to die and bear His wrath when we were yet sinners...our salvation has nothing to do with us and our actions, and has all to do with His grace. He justified us while we were yet sinners for His glory and our joy.

The Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is the example Jesus chose to demonstrate this great love that God has for sinners. The story lines: A father rejected by a selfish, rebellious, younger son who demands his inheritance---in essence telling his father, "I wish you were dead, so I could have what's mine!"The father liquidating the land that was to be his younger son's inheritance and giving it to him. The son leaving home---disgracing his father---spending his money on prostitutes, a life of immorality. Famine striking the land causing the son to hire himself out to feed pigs. Coming to his senses when he realizes that his father's servants eat better than him. Returning to his father in repentance, but the father has already been searching for the son. When the father sees his wayward son he runs full speed to meet him, wraps his arms around him, protects him, kisses him, and already had forgiven him. The son tries to put forth his prepared repentance speech, telling his father he was not worthy to be called a son, but asks to be made a servant. The father putting his ring on the son's finger, calling the servants to bring the best robe---the father's robe---and place it on the unworthy son, and telling them to kill the fattened calf for this son of his was dead but is now alive; was blind but has received back his sight. The son was not worthy---but the father made him worthy by placing his own robe on him. The son should have been killed, but the Father gave him mercy and showed him grace. The older, religious son angered by the father's actions---jealous, bitter, and refused to be apart of the father's celebration. The story concludes---the younger son is restored, the father is overjoyed, and the older brother is enraged.

But the story was not finished for in essence the end of the tale came after Christ told it...for someone did pay for the sin---Christ did. He gave mercy and grace and then offered His body, His blood in order to take our place. The picture is powerful, but it receives its power from that which it portrays---Christ giving Himself for sinners, taking upon Himself our sin, bearing God's wrath, being forsaken by His Father, in order that we might be reconciled---so we could have peace with God. What an amazing God we have who has removed our sin, never to be brought up again. Christ took care of it at the cross. We can stand today before the Father because of Christ---so let us fix our eyes on Jesus (not on our sin that seems to hold us captive at times), continually remembering what He has done for us---remembering that we are saved by grace and sustained by the same grace, the grace of God.

Meditations

"Forgiveness is like a violet sending forth its pure fragrance on the heel of the boot of the one who crushed it."

~Author Unknown

Forgiveness is love, grace, and mercy in action. The three bound together in prayer produce true, genuine forgiveness. Love overlooks a hurt inflicted whether unintentional or on purpose. It is not concerned about the pain received, but the person who caused the pain. Grace looks to the cross and acknowledges that Christ already paid the penalty for the wrong committed and chooses to forget the offense because it was paid for by the blood of Christ. Mercy pours out upon the offender as love overlooks and grace forgets the hurt caused and the offense committed. In essence, forgiveness is the gift of mercy given in love and wrapped in grace, bought by the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross.

Forgiveness is to be given freely no matter what the circumstances may be because its price has already been paid by another. Since Christ has forgiven us our sins so we too must forgive others their sins. The price of an unforgiving spirit will cost more than any of us can pay. When we refuse to forgive, we deteriorate from the inside out, consumed by our bitterness.

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is what children of God are called to do. It can only be bestowed as we fix our eyes on Jesus who has already forgiven us, relying upon Him for strength and help to put love, grace, and mercy into action. He alone can and will enable us to follow in His steps. As a violet releases its beautiful fragrance when it is crushed so we should be the same way by forgiving others in a spirit of love.

Thoughts from My Day

Today God has impressed my heart with His great faithfulness and the merciful way He deals with His children daily. I sin momentarily, forsaking my precious Lord and Savior, but I rejoice that He remains faithful when I am faithless---He finds me when I have lost my way. My heart is overwhelmed, but when I fix my eyes upon Christ and not upon the waves surrounding me, I find peace---peace not of this world, but peace that can only be attributed to my heavenly Father.

As I am tormented by the waves and storms of this life, I cry out to God and His reply is TRUST. I find that it hurts to trust---to let go of my scattered dreams and desires and hand them over to my kind Creator. I struggle, but Christ is greater than my struggles; I hurt, but the joy I have in Christ is greater; and I grow weary, but Christ's strength never runs out.

Knowing that I am held in sovereign, loving hands, encouraged my heart today. Remembering that I am hidden in Christ---that I am not my own, but have been bought by Christ's blood---makes my soul rejoice.

Almighty Father, I praise you that I am Your child. You are my daily strength, my constant joy, my sustaining grace, my gracious Lord, my mighty rock, my shelter, and my sure foundation. Fix my wandering eyes on You and uphold me today. I rest in Your arms, safe from the storms around me.