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Memories May Live in Walls, but Legacies Live Beyond
In 2008 we were handed the baton of NAB Field Director/CBC Director of Cooperating Missions from Dennis and Nancy Palmer. This baton represents a rich heritage of predecessors involved in decades of Kingdom building ministry in Cameroon. Accepting this baton meant moving to Bamenda and into the famous Gebauer house. In 1935 Paul Gebauer became the first NAB Field Director and in 1946 he, and his wife Clair, moved to Bamenda and built a house – the first building on the newly acquired Baptist Mission land. Back then, the house also served as the field mission office.
As God continues to build His Kingdom in Cameroon through the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC), Baptist Centre looks much different than it did in 1946 with just the Gebauer house. Now in 2017, Baptist Centre is home to more than ten ministry departments of the CBC with close to 200 people coming to work each day. Ministry and service growth also means administrative and infrastructure growth.
What does all this historical information have to do with today? Well, it’s time for the historic Gebauer house to come down to make way for the new CBC administrative headquarters building. While we’re sad to leave this house and see it come down, we know its location is the prime spot for the much needed administrative building. We’ve been renovating another house at the Centre that we’ll move into by early December.
In the midst of renovating another house, and sadness to see a piece of mission history disappear, we’ve been reflecting on all those who have lived here before us. We’ve thought about the lyrics of the well-known Jimmy Webb song, “If These Old Walls Could Speak” https://genius.com/Jimmy-webb-if-these-walls-could-speak-lyrics. Everyone who has lived in this house has opened its doors to host, serve, love, and care for multitudes of nationals, missionaries, and volunteers.
Our predecessors left us a legacy that is ours to continue. While the Gebauer house needs to come down, the hosting, serving, loving, caring for, dreaming, and strategizing will continue within new and different walls.
Ysabelle and Elianna were recently home for a ten-day break from school. Since it was their last time to be in the Gebauer house, they put their artistic skills to use on the walls of the house – walls that will soon come down. The photos scattered in this letter reflect their creativity and a way to process this loss.
Always grateful for your partnership,
Calvin, Susanne, Ysabelle & Elianna
