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North American Baptist (NAB) missionaries Jeff and Sonya Kilmartin work with a Least-Reached People Group (LRPG) in both Cameroon and Nigeria. The Kilmartins’ strategy is to assist these believers in reaching their own people through evangelism, education, and community development.
One such community development initiative is the group operating a health clinic in a small, rural village. To get the accounting to a quality level that is expected in North America has been a work in progress for quite a while now. Their finance person has come several times to Cameroon to work with me to improve accounting proficiency. Both the Kilmartins and I felt the next step was for me to go to the village and get a hands-on feel for how the day-to-day accounting is done.
Walter (in blue helmet) on the back of a motorcycle taxi.
Getting there was a great part of the adventure! After not-so-easily getting a visa for Nigeria, I headed for the Kilmartins’ home, where our journey of motorcycle taxi transportation began. We traveled on the back of a motorcycle (with a change of drivers about halfway through). The motorcycle portion fully met and surpassed my annual thrill quotient. Starting on dirt roads that soon became little more than cow paths and bike trails, the terrain became very mountainous. The views were beautiful and thrilling, but safety anxiety (concern) was also very real. I praise God that we encountered no rain over this rugged terrain and arrived safely. Despite challenges, we were able to get through all checkpoints and customs controls along the way.
The trip had plenty of scenic vistas.
The time in the village was an eye-opener. The Christ followers of the village meet every morning in the house of prayer to worship together in their cultural oral tradition style. Then the workday started. We worked with the LRPG finance person and various staff at the health clinic. By the end of the seven-day visit, areas where the accounting needs to improve were identified and recommendations given. We also discussed with the leaders how the ministry could improve, including getting solar power and pursuing internet possibilities. God blessed us with a rain-free and safe ride back to Cameroon.
Analyzing daily revenues with a clinic worker.
June and July activities included taking part in the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) mid-year board meetings to assess ministries and evaluate goals. I also was on teams that carried out internal audits at three CBC secondary schools and three CBC health facilities. At the start of August, Florence and I transition to a home assignment (furlough) period of, God-willing, six months In North America.
In that time, we hope to connect in person, as much as possible, with supporting churches and individuals to thank them for their partnership in the Gospel and report on ministry in Cameroon.
Sincerely,
P.S. To support the Least Reached Peoples Group, follow this link: nabconference.org/give/special-projects