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Dear Family and Friends,
Pa Stephen Weyih 1933-2016 (Florence’s father)
It has been an eventful three months since our February newsletter. Most notable was the death of Florence’s father, Pa Stephen Weyih, at Banso Baptist Hospital on March 23rd, after a long bout with cancer. What an example he was in his last years as he lived with much pain but would hardly grumble. He was 83 at the time of his passing. For many years, Pa served as a cook for North American Baptist Conference missionaries serving in Cameroon, the likes of whom included Mr. and Mrs. Gil Schneider, Betty Mantay, Trudy Schatz and Kathy Kroll. In fact Pa contributed in a behind the scenes role to the success of medical missions. Most of us missionaries today still have cooks/house help for food preparation, house cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping. Are we spoiled? Perhaps, but please keep in mind that most food preparation here is still very much “from scratch.” When you buy meat from the butcher you still have cut out a lot of the gristle etc. when you get home. The extremes of dry season dust and rainy season mold make house cleaning more labour intensive than in North America. Without people like Pa Stephen Weyih, missionaries could not give as much devotion to the work they have been sent to do.
Family get together with Pa & Ma Weyih – New Year’s 2016
Though Pa could not read, he was well known for his ability to memorize recipes. Up until the time health issues got in the way, he was faithful in church activities. He was resolute in his faith in Christ. Stephen Weyih came from the family of the palace in his village of Njifor. At one point in time, he was identified to be the next village chief. With such a title would come the responsibility of being an intermediary to the ancestral spirits and taking over the previous chief’s wives. Pa steadfastly refused to do this.
Florence leading singing at the start of Cameroon Baptist Convention General Session. Venue: Nkwen Baptist Church, Bamenda
A few days after Pa’s death, our church, Nkwen Baptist Church, hosted the Cameroon Baptist Convention’s (CBC’s) General Session. This is a once-in-four-years come together for worship, fellowship, choosing of leadership and strategizing. Each CBC church sends a number of delegates based on the size of its congregation. It is comparable to the North American Baptist Conference’s Triennial. The theme for this year’s session was “A Church for the Community,” and we were all challenged by the speakers to evaluate if our churches/us were impacting our community for the Kingdom of God. One practical outcome for Nkwen Baptist Church is that it is now providing water to the community around it. Before the General Session, the church was getting its water from the neighbouring mission compound, where we live. The mission compound’s water source (from a bore hole well) was being overstrained since the town water source was not sufficient and so many people were coming to fetch their water. To prepare for the General Session, the church had its own borehole well dug. The Church decided that if it would allow people to fetch water from the church taps, it would be one way of building a bridge to the community.
One month after Pa Stephen died, his funeral was held on April 23. As is the tradition here, there was a wake keeping at his compound in Banso the night before the funeral, with about 300 to 400 people passing by, the church giving a devotional and then lots of singing and dancing, and also feeding of all in attendance. On Saturday the 23rd, early in the morning, many gathered at the mortuary where there was another brief service. Then all loaded in vehicles and followed the vehicle carrying the body for the 1-hour trip over a rough dirt road to Pa’s home village of Njifor. There a funeral service was held in the village Baptist church. As is the tradition here, he was then buried at his Njifor compound. When his body had been lowered in the grave and the pastor had completed the committal, a notable fired off several rounds of a shotgun in the air as a sign of honour. People sing and dance while the grave is being filled and don’t stop until the job is done. Over 2,000 people came and were fed. Funerals are big deals here and the expenses can be formidable. We saw much generosity and care as so many people contributed in cash or kind so that the hosting of the funeral would be successful. We have much to thank God for, for Pa’s life and legacy, for the compassion and kindness of those who shared in our mourning and for a successful funeral. We also are thankful for those of you who support us being in Cameroon and share in this small part of God’s Kingdom work. Thank you!
In Christ
Walter & Florence