Dear Friends and Family,
Last week, we concluded about four months of substantial travel in Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, with a quick run into Ontario. It was really great to have time to connect with old friends, meet new ones, and report on the work we are doing to a good number of our supporting churches and friends. Sonya (aka ‘grand poobah’ of scheduling) rose to the challenge of incorporating 
recreation into our oft-rescheduled travels, and so we worked in a reasonable number of walks, hikes, paddling, and swimming opportunities, board game sessions, and something new – Spikeball with the kids at Thanksgiving.
We were sad to conclude by late August that it would not be advisable/practical to visit our American supporting churches, but trust that we will be able to do so next home assignment. We are grateful for the alternative opportunities that Zoom and other electronic media have afforded us for connecting in this crazy time, and especially that we received assistance producing a short update video that we were able to share with all of them.
During this time in Canada, we have been in close contact with our friends in Cameroon, through WhatsApp and cell phone. Many things are happening. One important item for prayer is the fact that some information posted on the internet concerning our doctor and the health clinic resulted in him receiving death threats for the good work he is doing. Paul’s request for prayer anticipated this reaction long ago: “pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith” (2 Thessalonians 3:2). Another minor setback is that the administrator hired for the clinic was recalled to his previous position. It was a possibility we were aware of but thought (and hoped) it might not happen for a long time. He did a great job and got the work off to a good start organizationally.
Please continue your prayer support for the doctor, his family, and the whole medical ministry. Pray that suitable people and methods are found to handle the administration and book-keeping needs for the medical work.
Meanwhile, our friends continue to minister God’s love to pre-Christian refugees in eastern Cameroon as they flee from armed militias in the Central African Republic. The work is very hard – just getting there is a grueling two- to three-day journey – but God is being glorified through it, and people are responding.
Pray that there would be an openness to hearing the gospel and that our friends would have strength and grace in the difficulties, and boldness and clarity as they share.
Thankfully COVID-19 has not hit Cameroon as hard as it has us here in North America, but it has had an impact. It has caused the important Leadership Program to be delayed, since it requires a good amount of travel – and travel is one thing made much more difficult by the virus.
Water projects, however, should be able to go ahead, and the critical time for assessing viability and harnessing the springs in these areas is in the driest part of the dry season – usually January. These spring catchment projects meet needs for clean water, improving health, and creating other possibilities in communities, and is a powerful, tangible way to share the love of Christ. If you would like to contribute to this, go to the special projects page on the NAB website (nabconference.org/give/special-projects) and look for Cameroon Water Project.
Pray for wisdom for the leaders as they develop leaders in the interim and for wisdom as to when to fully launch. Pray that the communities applying for water projects can be properly assessed and approved in good time and that the work will open doors for ministry.
We will continue to connect with people and congregations in our remaining months in Canada, but aside from some electronic meetings, we will be remaining in the Edmonton region. We are looking forward to Christmas with family. Our plan is to return to Cameroon early in January 2021, and we are very grateful that we have valid 10-year resident cards, as that is one less potential problem that some friends and colleagues have run into after extended time away.
Please pray for wisdom in the areas of intersecting ‘bubbles’ with regards to COVID over the holidays and that we will be able to return to Cameroon with minimal difficulties.
Jeff and Sonya Kilmartin
Blog: kilmartinblog@wordpress.com
Email: jeff.kilmartin@gmail.com