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The unrest and civil war in the anglophone regions of Cameroon continue with little human hope of ending anytime soon. But our hope is not in humans. In the midst of the on-going conflict we continue to have many opportunities to partner with the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) to alleviate some of the overwhelming suffering.
By God’s grace and the generosity of donors through the NAB Cameroon Crisis Relief Fund, over $85,000 has been received thus far. A growing area of relief work that we are engaging in is trauma healing. Millions of people have been emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually traumatized by the atrocities they have witnessed and experienced. The CBC is partnering with international organizations to provide training in order to counsel people and give them skills to overcome their trauma. George Minang, a colleague on the CBC Crisis Relief Committee, recently attended a training seminar in Nigeria (pictured). As soon as he returns, we will organize more training seminars locally.
Please continue to give to the Cameroon Crisis Relief Fund. As the conflict continues, the number of injured, displaced, and traumatized people only increases.
https://nabconference.org/give/cameroon-crisis-relief/
By God’s grace Ysabelle graduated from Rain Forest International School on June 6th with her College Preparatory Diploma. Susie, being the chair of the RFIS board, had the honour of handing Ysabelle her diploma.
After graduation we all spent a couple of weeks together at home in Bamenda, then time in Scotland, Oregon, and British Columbia, seeing sights and visiting family. The first days of August we returned to Cameroon, saying teary goodbyes to Ysabelle as she prepares to start university at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. By God’s grace we have left her in good hands: God’s, grandma’s, and good friends’.
Elianna (R) and her hostel siblings
By God’s grace Elianna started 10th grade classes two days after we arrived in Cameroon. She reunited with her hostel siblings and welcomed the new hostel parents, Brian and Debbie Schmautz. Brian and Debbie are long-time friends of ours from Portland/Vancouver. We’re so thankful that they accepted the call to volunteer as hostel parents for this school year.
We’re not taking education for granted these days. While our girls are privileged to attend school and receive an education, hundreds of thousands of children in Cameroon’s two anglophone regions have not been able to attend school for the past three years. It is part of the insurgents’ strategy to keep schools from functioning. (No, we do not understand the rational.) A whole generation in this part of Cameroon is not being educated. As a result, most children and youth are idle and become easy targets for radicalization by the insurgents.
Please pray with us for a miracle this September – that by God’s grace, school will be able to open so children can be educated.
Calvin & Susanne Hohn