Dedication of Cameroon

Douala, Cameroon

Dear Friends,

On August 20th Elder Jeffery R Holland, an Apostle of the Lord dedicated the country of Cameroon for the preaching of the gospel. We stood in a beautiful place overlooking the city of Yaounde, surrounded by green hills, flowering trees and green jungle foliage.

Standing on the dedication site over looking Yaounde, the capitol of Cameroon.

It is about three hours from Douala where we are serving.

In this peaceful area a handful of members of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints gathered for this historical event. Elder Holland stood on a rock out cropping, certainly a symbol of the sure foundation of the gospel of Christ. The Prayer blessed the land that it might prosper and develop. The leaders of the country were blessed to be good and honest leaders. The people of Cameroon were blessed to receive the gospel, to have food and necessities of life, and to accept the gospel. Missionary work was blessed with strength and power. It was an emotional and joyful event! As missionaries, we have longed for this to happen. After the dedicatory prayer we sang “We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet.” President Bala of the Bastos Branch bore a powerful and touching testimony. President Bala was going to become a Catholic Priest when he was introduced to the gospel. He was baptized in 1983. Tears were in his eyes and emotion in his voice as he testified of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and of how the gospel had changed his life and of his love for the Savior. The Cameroonian saints have great faith and are so spiritual. The highlight of our mission will be being part of this historical event.

Elder Holland moments before dedicating the country of Cameroon for the

preaching of the Gospel.

In the afternoon we met with several hundred members and investigators to listen to Elder Holland, President Kollieker the area president, and President Headlee, the mission president to address us. The message from Elder Holland was that the prophecy of Daniel was coming to pass. The stone was rolling and could not be stopped. The restored gospel of Christ would fill the earth. Members were told that they need to become rocks in the gospel, a rock of strength, standing firm. We were told to become lively stones. Stones that talk about the church, read and study about the church, teach about the church and bear testimony of the church. He ended with his powerful testimony that the church would fill Africa.

We would like to share one of the rewarding moments we experience. Jean is a member in our Douala Branch. He speaks 5 languages; he is very educated, runs an NGO organization and bears a solid testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. But--he seldom comes to church and is unengaged in the work. We have met with him several times telling him that he needs to step up. We have told him that he has his priorities misplaced, that being busy is not an excuse to not serve Heavenly Father. Jean was at the meeting. Afterwards he came up to us and shook our hands, and said, “I got it”. I will be in church. He has taught the English speaking Sunday School class for the last three Sundays.

The young Elders were not in attendance at the dedication. After the Missionary Conference with Elder Holland the next day, we took our Douala Elders to the dedication site and let them stand on the spot and took their pictures. Can you see the joy on their faces? This dedication meant so much to them. We really feel the power of what has happened. Last Sunday we had 17 investigators at church.

Elders on the "Rock of Daniel" Daniel 2: 44-45. We absolutely love these young men. They are wonderful missionaries.

Our Douala Elders at the dedication site. Elders Healey (California), Wiggington (California), Treneiden (Canada), Coburn (Utah), Kesler (Utah), Willis (Montana), Lisowski (Canada), Lee (Washington State), Price (Utah).

We suppose that all of you saw the story of the dedication in the church news. If you see us in one of the pictures the man kneeling and the sister in the bright dress standing in front of Brent is our branch President and his wife.

We love these people and the work. There is so much work to be done that we wish we were three couples instead of one. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support.

Elder and Sister Willis

A Day at the Village

Douala Cameroon

Yes we are still in Africa but have been so busy we have neglected our Blog.

A few weeks ago we had the privilege of going to the villages where the Church will be digging wells for clean drinking water. The Senior Couple in Yaounde will be overseeing the well project. The villages are about an hour from Yaounde. There are three small villages strung along a 6 to 7 Kilometer area. The wells will be dug in three places where there is a concentration of homes.

The people are so poor.. A few homes are on concrete slabs but most sit right on the ground. A rectangle of woven poles and sticks covered with mud. They have no running water. Most roofs were made of corrugated tin. At each corner or along the front were large pans and barrels catching rain water. The water was full of dirt and rust from the roof.


Even at the little hospital clinic run by the government, that was how they collected water for drinking, washing and all other uses.


This was rainy season so they are able to get enough water but in the dry season the village has no source of water except for a hand dug well that had water like thin mud. Often it is necessary to walk to other areas to find water, carrying their water jugs home on their heads.


They were so excited about getting wells dug. We were treated like royalty. The village chief met us and we sat in his yard on wooden chairs set among the graves of his family.


Most of the homes were surrounded by graves, some with quite elaborate monuments, some concrete slabs and some mounds of dirt.


We were given gifts of avocado and mangos. And we could have joined the toast of palm wine. The drilling crew located the three well sites with electrical current and divining rods. We were followed up and down the roads, all very interested.



School let out and we were mobbed by laughing children.


We watched the villagers make palm oil by shelling the palm nut and then pounding or smashing the seed.

One old woman let us take her picture only if we let her change her clothes. She took off the long pants under her skirt, smoothed her hair, took off her old canvas style high top tennis shoes put on clean sox and she was ready. Pounded and smiled for us.

Their life will be much easier when the wells are completed. Infant mortality rate is high, in part because of the unclean water that causes dysentery. The little clinic was neat and clean although not modern by our standards. The pharmacy was a tiny room with 4 or 5 shelves of a few boxes of medicine. The Doctors office consisted of a wooden table and two wooden chairs.


Outside the clinic compound we watched the men sharpen their machetes on a large stone. The stone was worn down with a long four inch deep concave dip in it where the blades were drug across the stone surface.


We watched children playing soccer (they say football) with empty plastic bottle in place of a ball.

This village is so grateful and thanked us many times for giving them a well. As we left the Village chiefs approached us wanting to know what kind of church is this that would dig a well for us? We had an opportunity to give them a few Book of Mormon in French. We can not preach the gospel there as they are too far from a church center, but the seeds are sown.

On the way home we stopped to buy the four workers from the well digging company something to eat. We stopped at one of the many roadside places where food is served from little wooden tables or from trays carried on women’s heads. The workers chose African delicacies that didn’t look very good to us. We were offered deep fat fried termites, grilled lizard on a stick and dried fish. We ate our peanut butter sandwiches.

The church humanitarian department is spending about three million dollars digging wells in the DR Congo mission alone this year. Wells in these poor villages is a great blessing for the people.



Elder and Sister Willis

AFRICA NEWSLETTER #6

Our most exciting news is about the wheelchairs.  Fifty completed chairs were given to recipients at a ceremony held at the Bonapriso Branch on March 21 2009.  What a sight it was to see the Tricycle chairs lined up along side our little Branch.  Recipients were chosen by two handicap organizations.  They arrived by taxi and Moto.  Our Elders had to carry many of them into the church.  A few literally crawled in. 

The Branch Missionary Committee planned a nice program and we served sandwiches and a fruit drink. Once again our Elders served these needy people, serving them food and drink.  One man had brought his brother to receive a chair and was so overcome with gratitude that he almost cried expressing his thanks.  A woman hugged and hugged us.  We who are so use to the handicapped having corrective surgery in the U.S. had a hard time seeing these twisted and broken bodies.  After eating, the missionaries and young adults from the Branch carried them to the chairs.  Up and down the long driveway they practiced driving them.  Two little girls cheered for their mother, clapping when she mastered the pedaling technique. It was a thrilling day.  We will be giving away more soon, an opportunity to bless 50 more lives.

We had another fun day in Limbe with the Elders seeing the monkey refuge and the ocean.  On our way home we bought a loaf of Nigerian bread.  Many Nigerians live in and around Limbe.  It is very good.  When you slice into the bread, it looks and feels like Angel Food cake.  It makes good toast.  The people selling it stand alongside the road, just waiting for you to slow down so they can run out and peddle their wares.   It is an unsliced loaf about the size of a loaf of sandwich bread.  On the bottom their initials are stamped in the bread.  We suppose they all claim to be the best bakers.  Along the way are rubber trees all with the tapping spout and cup hanging on the side of the tree.  Del Monte has a large banana plantation here too.  We were lucky the police stopped us only once.  They look at our papers and if they want you can get hung up for a long time.  

While traveling around the city we see some interesting cottage industries. Several places we see men with little grinders with a thin blade all mounted on a little bench.  He sits there all day slicing old rubber tires into different lengths and widths.  Each size is coiled up in a pile on the sidewalk.  Customers select the size they want and buy right off the street.  They are used for tie downs, bungee cords and even belts for cars, motos, and equipment.  Others cut metal cans of all sizes into stoves to grill on.  They have a grate on the top and a hole on one side to feed the wood or charcoal into. Some get fancy and paint them with aluminum paint.

Several places we have seen men with a pile of rocks beside them hitting the rocks with hammers breaking them into gravel.  At the Wouri River, canoe-like wooden boats are tied up to poles.  The owners shimmy down the pole onto the river bottom bringing up bucket loads of sand to sell.  

Almost every corner has a woman cooking on a stove or grill of some sort, preparing her specialty to sell.  We are beginning to wonder if anyone cooks at home.  It looks like everyone is eating on a bench or under a tree all along every street.  Every morning carts of water jugs are hauled to the bottling company to fill them at the outside spigot.   We have been told that it is free to do this.  The carts haul them back to the cartea, (neighborhood) to the owner of the jug.  Africans are survivors!


Samuel was Baptized on Sunday.  After being confirmed he bore a powerful Testimony of the church.  We were amazed  at how a new member could speak.  A quote to remember--”It is better to repent and prevent than to repent and repent”;  this from his teacher Elder Neilson.  

We love the work!  
Elder and Sister Willis

Small, Small, Catch Monkey

March 2 , 2009

SMALL, SMALL, CATCH MONKEY
Many of the Gospel principles are difficult for the Africans to understand.  It is very much a cultural and Tribal issue.  There are those anxious for baptism before having the understanding to make the commitment.  The Elders teach that they must learn line upon line.  For some reason this was hard for their investigators to understand. One day as they were teaching Nester, he suddenly said..  “Oh, it is like small small catch monkey!”   Nester then explained the saying.  "If you run after a monkey, he will swing from tree to tree and you will never catch him.  But if you crouch down small and creep up slowly you can catch him."  Now the Elders use this African saying all the time and everyone understands line upon line.  A little bit at a time, small small catch enough understand to be baptized.

GRACIOUS AFRICANS
We were invited to the home of a member family last Sunday for a meal of traditional African food.  Eric and Evet have been members for about seven months.  They have a little boy and girl and a new baby to be born soon.  The humble home was so clean and the food was delicious.  Eric’s greatest desire is to go to Salt Lake to attend General Conference.  He has saved the money and will go this April if he can get his Visa in time.  One of the returning missionaries family are helping him get tickets.  Both of them are so proud of this accomplishment.  Those who are truly converted love the Gospel.  Their little girl Annika sat by me in church a few weeks ago.  I had colored pencils and paper.  As she colored, she whispered to me in French..  I whispered back saying, "I don’t speak French."  In a loud voice she responded, "WHAT? YOU DON’T SPEAK FRENCH!!" and then continued whispering to me in English.

TEARS IN OUR EYES
President Njampou, Elder Willis and I had a meeting with two handicapped Sisters in the Branch that are choosing the recipients for the 50 tricycle wheelchairs that the Church will be giving away in March.  We met at the three story apartment building of one sister.  Rose arrived pedaling along on her wheelchair.  We suggested that Emilienne come down stairs and we would meet on the front steps.  It would be easier for her to come down with her crutches than to get Rose with her paralyzed legs up the stairs.  Sister Emilienne was sick and couldn't come down. What to do?  How could paralyzed Rose get up two fights of very steep stairs in a dark hallway with no light?   Instantly, without hesitation, our small thin Branch President leaned down picked Rose up, put her on his back and carried her up those high steep steps, never pausing.  After the meeting, down he went, Rose on his back again.  Dear family and friends this brought tears to our eyes.  What service from a leader.  By the way he is a diabetic and has to go to a special place and stand in line a long time to get his blood sugar tested.  He has five lovely children and lives in a tiny two room house.  The children all sleep on the floor of the living area.  One daughter is a university student, one son will soon put in his papers to go on a mission.  The 16 year old daughter and 12 year old son do all the Branch music.  The son plays the organ when we sing a song he knows.  Sixteen year old Rose has a beautiful voice.

USING YOUR HEAD
Ones head is a beast of burden here in Africa. Tall stacks of men’s trousers balance on the trouser salesman’s head as he holds one pair to show his wares.  The same with the shoe man.  Women spread out a table cloth, set the large pans on it, stack the cooking ingredients in the pans, tie the four corners together and on her head it goes.  Then she is off to her little stand where she sells her specialty.  

Children from a nearby school walk by our apartment every day, their backpacks on their heads with shoulder straps hanging about their ears.  Two to three foot high plastic bags of street medicine top the heads of those who sell suspicious cures by the dose. Trays of glass bottles of peanuts, every kind of fruit, candy, and drinks balance perfectly. We saw a man with a huge bundle of fire wood, at least four feet long.  He wanted a ride on a moto.  The only way it would work was if half the bundle rested on the head of the motto driver.  They must have struck a deal because of they went, one end on the riders head and the other on the drivers. We are giving the prize to this one--While visiting a member in the hospital, patients were walking in the halls IV tubes in their arms and the bag of IV solution--(where else?) on their head. Think this is strange?  Well here came a nurse going to a patients room---a solution bag on her head!!

We are busy, preparing for the wheelchair ceremony(next letter), getting our home teaching done (nine families), planning for the temple trip to Nigeria (July), and trying to lift and strengthen our little Branch.  We miss everyone.  Thank you for your prayers and emails.

Love
Elder and Sister Willis

The Church of One Man and Two Women #4

We are finding that the church is very much in its infancy here in Douala, Cameroon.  Our former Branch President, Brother Bongongui  is the first member of the church in Douala.  He joined the church in Paris, France in the early 1980’s.  In 1990 he moved back to Cameroon, where he found and converted his wife.  At this time there was a small group of Saints in the city of Yaounde and there is where Sister Bongongui was Baptized.  Back in Douala the Bongongui’s were the only members, faithfully meeting in their home each Sunday.  A mother of a missionary from Yaounde  came to Douala making the church membership  three people.  Brother Bongongui began doing missionary work, inviting those interested to meet with them in their home.  Soon the neighbors and investigators began to call the church “The Church of One Man and Two Women”.

 

Twelve years passed before there were enough members, (about 15) to get a small meeting house (which is still used today.)  Everyone is a first generation member with exception of their children who have been baptized.  The country of Cameroon has not yet been dedicated for the preaching of the Gospel.  We are hoping that sometime this year that this will happen.  We have heard that Elder Holland may be the one to come and dedicate Cameroon.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful!  

At this time there are two Branches in Yaounde, soon to be split into three and one branch in Douala with a small group in Bonaberi that operates under the Douala Branch Presidency.   The Elders are teaching many people. During the two months we have been here they have baptized eight new members.  The many problems that face the Church in Cameroon are the break down of the family unit, alcohol, and terrible poverty.  Many live together because the man can’t afford the bride price demanded by the woman’s village.  The unemployment is very high, no industry to speak of.  It seems as though all are just scrambling to earn enough for a roof and bread.  The  Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is the hope of Africa.  But as you can see we are no longer “The Church of One Man and Two Women”.

A Brother Zenga from Temporal Affairs was in Douala on church business last week.  We took him into downtown to buy an airline ticket at the airline office.  We were having a hard time finding it so our Branch President was on his phone asking directions.  The horrible traffic kept us at a snails pace for a block or two and then a mad rush to the next intersection as the traffic cleared.  During one of our slowdowns a man came to our car window trying to sell us a nice  map of Cameroon.  Actually we wanted to buy one to take home with us but suddenly the traffic moved on.  A ways up the road we slowed and once again our vender appeared, calling out a price.  We shook our heads no,  too much.  We raced ahead, the Branch president saying turn left.  The vender ran on, stumbling over the piles of road construction rocks on the road.  He called to us in pretty good English, "You are in Cameroon and you need to know where you are."  We turned, circling the block looking for the ticket office and failing to find it, we parked to ask for directions.  A tap on the window, and the map salesman (smiling big) held up the map again, this time calling out a lower price.  He had chased us up and down the streets until he was drenched in sweat.  We offered an even lower price. No no the salesman said, I must eat, so we paid the 3000CFA (about 6 US dollars). Our Branch President asked him if he knew where we needed to go, and the map salesman spoke to a Moto driver and told us to follow the Moto.  Four blocks further we arrived at our destination.  Elder Willis and I sat in the car while Brother Zenga and President Njampou bought the ticket.  We sat and looked at our map.  Tap tap on the window.  The salesman had found us . Once again he had run through the streets to catch us.  His new sales pitch was (as he held up a map of the World) since we had a map of Cameroon we needed a map of the World so we would know where Cameroon was.  We now have a World map to go with our Cameroon map. As I paid him his money I said, you have worked hard to sell these maps.  His reply, you have to work very hard to eat in Africa.  Life is very hard here.

Five new Elders will arrive from the MTC next week.  Our Elder Thompson is being transferred to Pointe Noire, Congo (we will miss him) and two Elders go home.  The work goes forward; read 2 Nephi 26:24-28.  Our Elders are the best we think.  How hard they work.  We paid the rent out in Bonaberi today and the landlords said how clean the apartment was and  what nice young men they were for being so young.  They are their best tenants.   We are so proud of them.

From Missionaries in New Bell

We are working towards the Temple trip in July,  The members love to go and they have to sacrifice and struggle to go.  The Temple can only accommodate 70 because of housing, so not everyone will be able to go.  They know this, and are very sad. 

Be Grateful,

Elder and Sister Willis

African Adventure 3

Dear Family and Friends

We have received the funds and the final O.K. to purchase 50 Tricycle type wheelchairs to be donated to handicapped people. This is an ongoing project funded by the church humanitarian fund. You will see firsthand where your donations are helping the less fortunate of the world.

There are many crippled people here in Africa. Some born with congenital issues, many who suffered with polio, but for many an unusual problem. When they were tiny babies they contacted Malaria and were given a shot in the hip. If this shot hit a certain nerve it would cause their feet to twist, sometimes completely around. 

Note the picture of man in one of the chairs and look at his feet. He is a victim if the Malaria shot as a baby. For a long time now World Health has been teaching third world countries to not give this shot . I don’t know if has been completely stopped. The chairs will be given out in a ceremony after two handicap associations select the recipients. Later this year we will receive money for 100 more chairs. The chairs are such a blessing to these people. You see them peddling along the roads and streets all over town. Many of them being very industrious.  

The man in the picture sells his artwork which is very good. He makes stationary note cards from banana leaves, paints some and others from butterfly wings. He also sells carved wooden elephant families that he purchases from another handicap friend and ups the price a little for a profit.

Those who don’t have chairs struggle around on little wheeled platforms and skate boards, propelling themselves with their hands , some covering the hands with rubber flip flops. Some sit on pieces of cardboard and beg. Family or friends must carry them around. As you can see this humanitarian effort is a much needed one .

The young Elders are a terrific bunch. Dedicated hard workers. We enjoy working with them very much. Amidst all the strange African ways they are upbeat and positive. The other night we were driving home and saw Elder Hunter and Anderson walking from a bus stop area so picked them up and drove them to their apartment. They were laughing about what a fun time they had coming back into town on an African bus. One would have to see an African bus to appreciate the fun. The buses are made for about 30 people and look as if there are twice that amount in them. Riders hold boxes packages, kids and even chickens on their laps. It was a crazy experience for them. We appreciate their help. When we are involved in situations where we have to make church decisions we need one set to go with us to interpret. They are very patient with us. We have District meet with the 8 Elders here in Douala every Thursday . We then have supper together. This is a highlight for us. What mature young men they are. One each week prepares an excellent lesson, one a spiritual thought. The District affairs are handled so maturely . They will all be great church leaders, businessmen, husbands and fathers. We are so proud of them. 

We have been with Elder Ritchi for several discussions. He is a powerful teacher, mincing not a word. At a discussion with Elders Anderson and Hunter we saw such tender concern for their investigators understanding of the gospel message. Elder Shaw, the Zone leader will be going home Feb 4 and Elder Neilson the District leader on Feb 18. We will miss them. Elders Thompson and Landress have been out 4 months or less but are doing a great job. We love looking at their dusty worn shoes, a symbol of their dedication, and think they should take one pair home to be bronzed. New Elders arrive Feb. 18.

Several of the members, both in Bonaberi and in Bonapreiso speak English only. It is difficult to sit in three hours of church hearing only French. We have been instrumental in getting an English Gospel Doctrine class started. We would teach in the Branch one week and the group the next. Class teachers from the Branch have been called and will start teaching in two weeks. This is a huge improvement and help to members.

We went to see a Sister who was in the hospital with typhoid fever. We are so blessed in the USA None of you would believe how it is. Her family had to bring her food and also go to a pharmacy and fill the prescriptions, bring the medicine back to the hospital and then the hospital administers the medicine. When you can’t pay cash the patient is put out of the hospital. Out on the street if need be. Health insurance is virtually non existent here. Count your many blessings and appreciate our country.

We love the work . There is a great satisfaction seeing lives improve. The young adults in the Branch are very solid. Every Monday they meet for FHE together. The lesson and discussion have lasted as long as 2 hours. They want to know every detail of the gospel. Wednesday night is Institute class.

  Many of them are the only members in their family. They want to improve themselves. Some are going to college.

We miss all our family and friends. We wish you all a successful new year and hope all is well with you.

Elder and Sister Willis

Pictures

A busy street.

Inside the chapel in Douala.

Trees harvested from the jungle.

Modern construction equipment.

One of the very poor areas of Douala Sometines the city bulldozes thes areas down and the peaple have to find somewhere else to live.

Same as above.

Fireworks stand at New Years. He was telling us that we could have two for the price of one.

Skilled craftsmanship.

Lynda doing missionary work on our morning walk.

Street in front of our apartment.

Brent standing in front of our apartment building.  Our unit is directly behind him on the ground level.