Christmas Greetings!
For the past number of months we have served with our friends in their non-profit, Hope Social Action. In the past couple months they have been able to go weekly to an orphanage just outside of Yaoundé and share the word of God with young kids, middle age children, and teenagers; help them with homework; and hangout. This past Friday we went with our friend Hugue to visit orphans and to share the word of God with them. Hugue and others rotate every Friday. This day we met with the teenagers Perkins, Adele, and Michelle. As we began to chat with them, Hugue spoke with both the girls and we realized that Adele had accepted Christ the past Sunday and Michelle recommitted her life as she had been unsure if she had really accepted Christ and asked for the forgiveness of her sins.
While we were there, Hugue and I helped Adele with her English school work to help her better pronounce the letters in the English alphabet. I was glad to feel I could help her in a practical way since she is Francophone and I am Anglophone and it is difficult for me to talk to her in French since I need to have Hugue translate for me most of the time. With this instance I was able to use some of the French I know to help give direction as she practiced the English alphabet. Leah helped Michelle with her English homework, but since Michelle could speak some English, her homework was working on context and vocabulary from an article, which Leah said was quite a difficult assignment. Hugue allowed me to share and I read and spoke to them about Psalm 56, where the psalmist speaks about seeking God as our rock and our fortress. I told them that when they feel alone, stressed, or overwhelmed with life, they can come and pray for God's strength and peace to help them cope with any situation. I wanted them to know as I have come to learn that we have a relationship with God, he is not distant, but we are able to cry out to him and have him draw near to us everyday. Our favorite part as we prepared to leave was when Leah asked each of the three how we could pray that God would bless them in their week ahead! We are glad to pray God's blessings on their life. We hope that they feel that we do care about them and that they feel the love of Christ through us.
On Sunday, I went with Hugue and Gildas to visit 2 widows and an elderly man. Hugue and Gildas were able to help the elderly man (Papa Michael) as he was very weak and tired when we visited him. We hope that as we encouraged him and spoke Truth from the Bible, that God continues to work on his heart - as sometimes in order to accept the word of God we must realize our weakness without him. After we prayed with him and helped him back to bed and we moved on to visit 2 widows and their children. We found that both widows were out, so we spoke with the one widow's children that were outside preparing “n'dole”, which is a bitter green similar to spinach or kale. We all sat down and began to help them with the various steps of preparation. The local children were very amused as I tried to take the green leaf part and remove it from the firm stem that is not very good for eating. I may have been helpful, but I definitely wasn't very fast! As Hugue and Gildas were next to the children (age 10ish and 13ish), they began to chat and ask them if they knew Christ. Both said no and they began to share the Gospel with them. The girl accepted Christ as we helped them to prepare n'dole! God works in many, many ways indeed! As we walked back to Hugue's house we all reflected on how God has been blessing their ministry and is encouraging them to continue their ministry to orphans, widows, and the elderly! I am grateful in small ways to help futher their ministry.
Mark Janowiak
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Pictures from November
Hello All!
Here are some pictures that we have taken during November.
Our visit to the orphanage where we talked to Perkins, Adele, and Michelle.
Visiting Papa Michele and sharing God's love and hope.
While visiting the we helped them prepare N'dole.
Early Thanksgiving since Mark will be gone to the villages on Thanksgiving.
(Chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing and bread)
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Ups and Downs
Hello Everyone
I would say Leah and I highly prioritize being authentic with all people. For almost the whole time here in Cameroon we have experienced much joy and happiness. Lately though, we have seemed to become caught in a few struggles: Leah sick, small amounts of being homesick, struggles with our funding, wondering and preparing if we have to come back next June. Thankfully Leah is beginning to feel better after her cold, Leah and I are talking through our feelings of what makes us homesick, are taking steps to raise our funds, and are giving God control of our long-term situation. We see God working and providing for us day by day, but we don't always feel happy. Some of you may be saying "That's life." and indeed it is, and we know that we won't always be "happy", but God fills us with joy and peace despite our circumstances. So we face struggles, but we give thanks that God has us here in Cameroon and for the involvement we have in many peoples' lives.
Another area I have struggled with lately can be rather difficult to explain. I know I am a missionary here in Cameroon with WA, but something in my head has a desire to help with the work of improving the lives of Cameroonians in another way. What I mean is more towards non-profit work: agriculture & food security, health, water & sanitation, humanitarian aid, social development, and environmental work - all to assist in helping Africa and be the hands and feet of Christ, letting them know that God loves them and cares for them and I do as well. Obviously this work is good, but who can say it is more pleasing to God that I do this over supporting the work of Bible Translation? No, I am called to go and make deciples of all people. So I am here in Cameroon where God has called me, living everyday life with Cameroonians and sharing the hope of Christ. God has connected us with 3 men of God who are working with widows and orphans to be just what I mentioned above: the hands and feet of Christ. My "mind" thinks of ways I can help heal Africa with my hands, but our #1 priority is to bring people to Christ and allow Him to transform them. So I ask, is God working through where He has placed us or do I want to see physical things I can say my hands have done? I believe the key is that we are in God's will and are searching for ways that we can share the love of Christ with broken and empty people - which can be done in Michigan or in the most deprived village in Africa. It boils down to, "am I doing what I want or what God wants?" So, my prayer is, in the moments when I question whether or not I could be doing more: Jesus open my eyes to the work I AM doing and allow opportunities for me to minister to people that need your love, hope, and saving grace.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
I would say Leah and I highly prioritize being authentic with all people. For almost the whole time here in Cameroon we have experienced much joy and happiness. Lately though, we have seemed to become caught in a few struggles: Leah sick, small amounts of being homesick, struggles with our funding, wondering and preparing if we have to come back next June. Thankfully Leah is beginning to feel better after her cold, Leah and I are talking through our feelings of what makes us homesick, are taking steps to raise our funds, and are giving God control of our long-term situation. We see God working and providing for us day by day, but we don't always feel happy. Some of you may be saying "That's life." and indeed it is, and we know that we won't always be "happy", but God fills us with joy and peace despite our circumstances. So we face struggles, but we give thanks that God has us here in Cameroon and for the involvement we have in many peoples' lives.
Another area I have struggled with lately can be rather difficult to explain. I know I am a missionary here in Cameroon with WA, but something in my head has a desire to help with the work of improving the lives of Cameroonians in another way. What I mean is more towards non-profit work: agriculture & food security, health, water & sanitation, humanitarian aid, social development, and environmental work - all to assist in helping Africa and be the hands and feet of Christ, letting them know that God loves them and cares for them and I do as well. Obviously this work is good, but who can say it is more pleasing to God that I do this over supporting the work of Bible Translation? No, I am called to go and make deciples of all people. So I am here in Cameroon where God has called me, living everyday life with Cameroonians and sharing the hope of Christ. God has connected us with 3 men of God who are working with widows and orphans to be just what I mentioned above: the hands and feet of Christ. My "mind" thinks of ways I can help heal Africa with my hands, but our #1 priority is to bring people to Christ and allow Him to transform them. So I ask, is God working through where He has placed us or do I want to see physical things I can say my hands have done? I believe the key is that we are in God's will and are searching for ways that we can share the love of Christ with broken and empty people - which can be done in Michigan or in the most deprived village in Africa. It boils down to, "am I doing what I want or what God wants?" So, my prayer is, in the moments when I question whether or not I could be doing more: Jesus open my eyes to the work I AM doing and allow opportunities for me to minister to people that need your love, hope, and saving grace.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
A Bit of Cameroon Through Video
Hello Everyone!
Leah put together this video below of people, places, and work we have done here in Cameroon. Sorry when we upload the video the quality is not great. Enjoy!
Leah put together this video below of people, places, and work we have done here in Cameroon. Sorry when we upload the video the quality is not great. Enjoy!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Details About Misaje
Hello All!
(Sorry this has been delayed for so long!)
We thought we would share some of what we did on our trip to Misaje. We asked if any of our skills could be used to serve in Cameroon during our summer break. We were asked to serve by helping at a village site; Mark would deal with cables since they are setting it up for
electrical for computers while the team translates and shares data and I would help Kay (one of the translators) by watching her two young kids so she could get some extra work done.
Since the roads are pretty bad and the time of our trip was limited, the three of us (Jim, Leah and I) flew up to Banso in the Northwest which is about as close as they could fly us. Due to all the weight of our supplies and equipment, we had to have our fourth team member (Derrick) take some of our supplies and ride up on a bus (17-hour trip). At the air strip in Banso we were picked up by Rich, a missionary that works on the cluster project that the new translation
center will serve. The ride to Misaje was bumpy, but the views were amazing as we weaved around small mountains, saw villages in valleys, and tea fields. After two hours we arrived in Misaje and were welcomed by Chris and Kay Smoes, the missionaries also working on the Misaje cluster project.
That afternoon we went with Chris to meet the 24 Cameroonians that make up the 6 translation teams. They were very excited to see us as they are glad to be moving into a new building this Fall. They had mistaken Jim for another missionary and gave a large welcome only to
realize when we were introduced that they had mistaken him for someone else. This was quiet funny to everyone. Old white men look alike. While we were meeting with them, the rain began to pour almost deafening loud on the tin roof. Once the rain slowed down, we went and visited the new translation center where Jim and I discussed some of our plans for the work for the building.
Friday morning we had the wake-up call of the rooster getting closer and closer to our window. We decided that he was saying “I know you are in there! Get up!” We began around 8 am running electrical cable to all the electrical outlets. That took all day Friday and on
Saturday morning we began to run the electric for all the light switches and light fixtures. Around noon on Saturday we went over to have lunch with Rich and his family at their home. They live right in the village, next to the Fon (village leader or chief). We had great conversations with great food as we heard about the work Rich and Katrina are doing on the Misaje cluster project. The passion that they have to help with Bible translation
into people’s mother tongue was great to learn more about and hear how the translation center will help. After a long lunch we headed back to run more electrical cable, but needed more supplies so Jim had sent Derrick on the 3-hour trip back to Banso to find electrical supplies and so he could visit family while we are. Saturday evening we played Uno with the Smoes and enjoyed another excellent meal by Kay.
We were staying in another missionary house near the Smoes. In Misaje they have “sneak spiders” as Mark would say; they were oddly flat and slightly large. Each night Mark battled
the spiders so he could sleep better at night. One especially taunted him one night by coming out from its hiding space only to run back as soon as Mark tried to smash it. He kept telling me that the spider was staring at him!
Sunday was our 2nd year anniversary. We slept in a bit and Kay had made us a special breakfast of eggs and sausage with some homemade bread. Then we went to church around 9 am. The service was in pidgin English, so we understood about the same as when the service is
in French! We sang and gave offerings. The people brought food to auction off for tithes, which is common in villages. After the 3-hour service we came back to the Smoes' house for lunch and rested during the afternoon. Later we enjoyed some movies with popcorn and smoothies.
Monday night Leah got sick all night (keeping Mark up) and had to rest the following morning. Derrick arrived back with electrical supplies and we finished the electrical wiring and ran network cable in the attic by noon. Jim and Chris worked on the solar panel system outside
and I worked on terminating the ends on the network cables. Derrick was also able to install the light fixtures.
Tuesday was the last day we worked. We started around 8:30 am and finished around 8 pm. Leah felt better and was back helping Kay with the kids. We finished all of the loose ends and installed all of the solar panel system. By 8 pm we were exhausted, but were able to complete the work.
Wednesday we were supposed to leave for the airport by 7 am, but it had started to rain by 9 pm the night before and was still raining by 8:30 am. So, we waited since the rain makes the roads going up and down the small mountains very dangerous because there are no guard rails. It was finally around 10 am when we felt like the rain had paused enough to give the roads a
bit of time for the water to settle. We left and the adventure back to Banso began. We slowly made our way out of Misaje and we drove for about 30 minutes and the rain began again. We slipped a little here and slid a little there, but we continued on slowly and made it to
Banso safely in under three and a half hours. We thought that maybe we could still fly out as the plane was waiting for us and we loaded all of our things, but then the rain started again. The main issue was that the air strip in Banso is at about 7,500 feet and the clouds hang too low when it rains to make safe takeoffs. So we realized we were going to be spending the night in Banso. We all made arrangements with a guest house that is a part of a Baptist hospital. We found that the guest house was right next to the Michael's who are missionaries that are temporarily in Banso before they move further north once their home is built. They kindly offered us all dinner and we enjoyed the evening chatting and sharing our new experiences from Misaje. Leah saw the large eatable termites that had found an opening into the house. Right
before it was dark we looked out and saw that the clouds were so low that they engulfed the hillside were we were located! The elevation, hillside, and the valley below caused the clouds to settle right on us! The rain continued until some point in the middle of the night and
when we awoke the clouds lifted enough!
We were fortunate to arrive at the air strip around 7 am and flew back to Yaounde safely! Once we returned we felt we really made a difference with the work we did: Leah helped Kay so that she could focus on work for a few days and we we were able to complete the electrical and network cabling in the translation center. Also, we got to know many of the people in the village teams working on translation and literacy projects!
Email us if you would like to see more pictures!
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
(Sorry this has been delayed for so long!)
We thought we would share some of what we did on our trip to Misaje. We asked if any of our skills could be used to serve in Cameroon during our summer break. We were asked to serve by helping at a village site; Mark would deal with cables since they are setting it up for
electrical for computers while the team translates and shares data and I would help Kay (one of the translators) by watching her two young kids so she could get some extra work done.
Since the roads are pretty bad and the time of our trip was limited, the three of us (Jim, Leah and I) flew up to Banso in the Northwest which is about as close as they could fly us. Due to all the weight of our supplies and equipment, we had to have our fourth team member (Derrick) take some of our supplies and ride up on a bus (17-hour trip). At the air strip in Banso we were picked up by Rich, a missionary that works on the cluster project that the new translation
center will serve. The ride to Misaje was bumpy, but the views were amazing as we weaved around small mountains, saw villages in valleys, and tea fields. After two hours we arrived in Misaje and were welcomed by Chris and Kay Smoes, the missionaries also working on the Misaje cluster project.
That afternoon we went with Chris to meet the 24 Cameroonians that make up the 6 translation teams. They were very excited to see us as they are glad to be moving into a new building this Fall. They had mistaken Jim for another missionary and gave a large welcome only to
realize when we were introduced that they had mistaken him for someone else. This was quiet funny to everyone. Old white men look alike. While we were meeting with them, the rain began to pour almost deafening loud on the tin roof. Once the rain slowed down, we went and visited the new translation center where Jim and I discussed some of our plans for the work for the building.
Friday morning we had the wake-up call of the rooster getting closer and closer to our window. We decided that he was saying “I know you are in there! Get up!” We began around 8 am running electrical cable to all the electrical outlets. That took all day Friday and on
Saturday morning we began to run the electric for all the light switches and light fixtures. Around noon on Saturday we went over to have lunch with Rich and his family at their home. They live right in the village, next to the Fon (village leader or chief). We had great conversations with great food as we heard about the work Rich and Katrina are doing on the Misaje cluster project. The passion that they have to help with Bible translation
into people’s mother tongue was great to learn more about and hear how the translation center will help. After a long lunch we headed back to run more electrical cable, but needed more supplies so Jim had sent Derrick on the 3-hour trip back to Banso to find electrical supplies and so he could visit family while we are. Saturday evening we played Uno with the Smoes and enjoyed another excellent meal by Kay.
We were staying in another missionary house near the Smoes. In Misaje they have “sneak spiders” as Mark would say; they were oddly flat and slightly large. Each night Mark battled
the spiders so he could sleep better at night. One especially taunted him one night by coming out from its hiding space only to run back as soon as Mark tried to smash it. He kept telling me that the spider was staring at him!
Sunday was our 2nd year anniversary. We slept in a bit and Kay had made us a special breakfast of eggs and sausage with some homemade bread. Then we went to church around 9 am. The service was in pidgin English, so we understood about the same as when the service is
in French! We sang and gave offerings. The people brought food to auction off for tithes, which is common in villages. After the 3-hour service we came back to the Smoes' house for lunch and rested during the afternoon. Later we enjoyed some movies with popcorn and smoothies.
Monday night Leah got sick all night (keeping Mark up) and had to rest the following morning. Derrick arrived back with electrical supplies and we finished the electrical wiring and ran network cable in the attic by noon. Jim and Chris worked on the solar panel system outside
and I worked on terminating the ends on the network cables. Derrick was also able to install the light fixtures.
Tuesday was the last day we worked. We started around 8:30 am and finished around 8 pm. Leah felt better and was back helping Kay with the kids. We finished all of the loose ends and installed all of the solar panel system. By 8 pm we were exhausted, but were able to complete the work.
Wednesday we were supposed to leave for the airport by 7 am, but it had started to rain by 9 pm the night before and was still raining by 8:30 am. So, we waited since the rain makes the roads going up and down the small mountains very dangerous because there are no guard rails. It was finally around 10 am when we felt like the rain had paused enough to give the roads a
bit of time for the water to settle. We left and the adventure back to Banso began. We slowly made our way out of Misaje and we drove for about 30 minutes and the rain began again. We slipped a little here and slid a little there, but we continued on slowly and made it to
Banso safely in under three and a half hours. We thought that maybe we could still fly out as the plane was waiting for us and we loaded all of our things, but then the rain started again. The main issue was that the air strip in Banso is at about 7,500 feet and the clouds hang too low when it rains to make safe takeoffs. So we realized we were going to be spending the night in Banso. We all made arrangements with a guest house that is a part of a Baptist hospital. We found that the guest house was right next to the Michael's who are missionaries that are temporarily in Banso before they move further north once their home is built. They kindly offered us all dinner and we enjoyed the evening chatting and sharing our new experiences from Misaje. Leah saw the large eatable termites that had found an opening into the house. Right
before it was dark we looked out and saw that the clouds were so low that they engulfed the hillside were we were located! The elevation, hillside, and the valley below caused the clouds to settle right on us! The rain continued until some point in the middle of the night and
when we awoke the clouds lifted enough!
We were fortunate to arrive at the air strip around 7 am and flew back to Yaounde safely! Once we returned we felt we really made a difference with the work we did: Leah helped Kay so that she could focus on work for a few days and we we were able to complete the electrical and network cabling in the translation center. Also, we got to know many of the people in the village teams working on translation and literacy projects!
Email us if you would like to see more pictures!
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Saturday, July 30, 2011
A Look into Our Trip to Misaje
Hello Everyone We have returned from our trip to Misaje. We were able to complete our work on the Translation Center in Misaje: wiring the building with electric, running network cable, and setting up a solar panel system. Below are a few videos and hope to post more pictures soon.
View from the Banso Air Strip (Where we flew in from Yaounde)
Hope You Get a Sense of the Roads We Drove On
A View of the Translation Center
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
View from the Banso Air Strip (Where we flew in from Yaounde)
Hope You Get a Sense of the Roads We Drove On
A View of the Translation Center
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Good Shepherd
I wrote this before we left for Misaje, but was unable to post this until after we came back. My skills are mostly centered around Technology and one of the major projects will be to run and terminate network cables inside a new training center for translators and literacy workers both western and Cameroonian. Lately as I was reading in my Bible, I read the story that Jesus tells his disciples that he is the Great Shepherd.
John 10:1-21
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
As I read John 10:1-21 I enjoy the language Jesus uses to explain this parable to his disciples. First, the way Jesus shares the parable that sheep will only follow the voice of their shepherd and no one else. I hope that I can more clearly hear and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Next Jesus says that the shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, but the hired hand will run. This is where I felt I needed to think about in my own life: Are we invested in those around us as Christ is fully invested in us? It is easy for me to say that I want to be, since Leah and I are here living in Cameroon and live in a neighborhood with many Cameroonians struggling to live day by day. I realize it doesn't take traveling to a village in Cameroon to feel like you are serving Cameroonians. My goal is to find tangible ways to help lift up certain Cameroonians that are willing to build and grow on ways Leah and I feel blessed to use to support them. Also, Leah and I have started to serve with three Cameroonians with their non-profit, helping those that are at a severe disadvantage in Cameroonian society, such as: orphans, elderly, and widows. We seek to serve them specifically because they are typically cast to the fringes of the culture here. We hope that, as we serve and help them, they will see that we serve them as Christ did 2,000 years ago. We serve them so that they will not be bitter about their circumstances in life, but they will learn that hope in Christ is more joyful and rewarding than having every material need met in life. Also, just as important is that I treat every Cameroonian I meet with the same level of respect as I would want. Many times as westerners come to serve in the developing world, we often give food or money but still may treat them as somehow below ourselves. But, no, Christ gave us the example that every person is worth the world to him and so I treat every Cameroonian the same as I treat anyone else. So, this is how I hope to grow and continue to invest in Cameroonians. I seek to give charity, hospitality, and most important is through that to share my story on what God has blessed me with a life that is full of joy, hope, and purpose.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
John 10:1-21
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
As I read John 10:1-21 I enjoy the language Jesus uses to explain this parable to his disciples. First, the way Jesus shares the parable that sheep will only follow the voice of their shepherd and no one else. I hope that I can more clearly hear and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Next Jesus says that the shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, but the hired hand will run. This is where I felt I needed to think about in my own life: Are we invested in those around us as Christ is fully invested in us? It is easy for me to say that I want to be, since Leah and I are here living in Cameroon and live in a neighborhood with many Cameroonians struggling to live day by day. I realize it doesn't take traveling to a village in Cameroon to feel like you are serving Cameroonians. My goal is to find tangible ways to help lift up certain Cameroonians that are willing to build and grow on ways Leah and I feel blessed to use to support them. Also, Leah and I have started to serve with three Cameroonians with their non-profit, helping those that are at a severe disadvantage in Cameroonian society, such as: orphans, elderly, and widows. We seek to serve them specifically because they are typically cast to the fringes of the culture here. We hope that, as we serve and help them, they will see that we serve them as Christ did 2,000 years ago. We serve them so that they will not be bitter about their circumstances in life, but they will learn that hope in Christ is more joyful and rewarding than having every material need met in life. Also, just as important is that I treat every Cameroonian I meet with the same level of respect as I would want. Many times as westerners come to serve in the developing world, we often give food or money but still may treat them as somehow below ourselves. But, no, Christ gave us the example that every person is worth the world to him and so I treat every Cameroonian the same as I treat anyone else. So, this is how I hope to grow and continue to invest in Cameroonians. I seek to give charity, hospitality, and most important is through that to share my story on what God has blessed me with a life that is full of joy, hope, and purpose.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Latest Newsletter
To All Family and Friends
Praise be to Him! I think every day to myself, "You,You are the one
who is in control, who is taking care of Your children." This
frequently comes to mind anytime I am in a car or near the road. It
feels as if Jesus has just been sending me love note. Due to my
frequent feeling of helplessness, I have been forced to stress and do
things on my own or turn to Him in such a different way. As school
has finished, I have struggled with sadness due to the loss of a few
staff that will be leaving along with students. Even though it is a
Christian school, a relationship with Jesus is not a prerequisite for
parents or students in order to attend RFIS. Some students are
Christian; however, their parents are not. As a few of the students
leave, I pray that they will truly see the light of Christ through the
community of students and teachers.
We will be meeting with Peggy about what she has been coordinating for
summer village teams. I think there are 3 options, so we are seeking
direction as to where we will spend a few weeks serving. It has been
really amazing hearing many different missionary parents share about
how they are reaching people with God’s Word here. There have been
different missionaries who use audio recordings of scriptures when
they are working with language groups who are from oral cultures along
with writing God’s Word in their own language. One of the parents of
our students shared how they had been working on translation and often
would read back what they had translated, and the language helper
would fall asleep. So one day he decided to read a translated passage
in cultural fashion, the way the people group actually tells true
stories. They were so excited to hear God’s Word in their own language
and storytelling form.
The plans for next year - we will no longer have our school counselor,
so Mark has been asked to join a group of staff and students to insure
that students will have someone to talk to. That being said, it is
crazy to think we have been here 4 months! That’s the longest I think
either of us has been away from The States, but time here has gone
quickly.
Just as we are finishing this newsletter, we have finalized plans for
moving into another missionary family's house while they are on
furlough until January 2012. We are very excited because we had begun
to look into housing options outside of our mission organization’s
housing. We began this for two reasons: the first was we heard we
could save money by moving into the local community, and the second
was to join the surrounding local community and to live by
Cameroonians. We found this opportunity with the Gaults as they are
missionaries that just left for 7 months to help their daughter that
just graduated from RFIS settle into college. As we mention below, we
hope that this can help extend our stay with the combination of a few
more monthly financial partnerships.
Fundraising update
We have approximately 85% of our full support for our original 2-year
assignment, but to stay the additional 4 months they have asked of us
we currently are only at 70%. Please pray and share with your family
and friends so that we would have enough support to stay until June
2013.
Praises
That staff and students have survived another school year!That transition in Cameroon feels completeFinding housing that allows us to save money
Prayer Requests
Decision on where to serve for a couple weeks during the summerSafe travel for staff that are flying home for the summer or leaving Cameroon for goodSmooth transition for all the staff and students that are not
returning to CameroonMoving into the neighborhood - for safety and to bless othersJoy and Peace in Christ,
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Praise be to Him! I think every day to myself, "You,You are the one
who is in control, who is taking care of Your children." This
frequently comes to mind anytime I am in a car or near the road. It
feels as if Jesus has just been sending me love note. Due to my
frequent feeling of helplessness, I have been forced to stress and do
things on my own or turn to Him in such a different way. As school
has finished, I have struggled with sadness due to the loss of a few
staff that will be leaving along with students. Even though it is a
Christian school, a relationship with Jesus is not a prerequisite for
parents or students in order to attend RFIS. Some students are
Christian; however, their parents are not. As a few of the students
leave, I pray that they will truly see the light of Christ through the
community of students and teachers.
We will be meeting with Peggy about what she has been coordinating for
summer village teams. I think there are 3 options, so we are seeking
direction as to where we will spend a few weeks serving. It has been
really amazing hearing many different missionary parents share about
how they are reaching people with God’s Word here. There have been
different missionaries who use audio recordings of scriptures when
they are working with language groups who are from oral cultures along
with writing God’s Word in their own language. One of the parents of
our students shared how they had been working on translation and often
would read back what they had translated, and the language helper
would fall asleep. So one day he decided to read a translated passage
in cultural fashion, the way the people group actually tells true
stories. They were so excited to hear God’s Word in their own language
and storytelling form.
The plans for next year - we will no longer have our school counselor,
so Mark has been asked to join a group of staff and students to insure
that students will have someone to talk to. That being said, it is
crazy to think we have been here 4 months! That’s the longest I think
either of us has been away from The States, but time here has gone
quickly.
Just as we are finishing this newsletter, we have finalized plans for
moving into another missionary family's house while they are on
furlough until January 2012. We are very excited because we had begun
to look into housing options outside of our mission organization’s
housing. We began this for two reasons: the first was we heard we
could save money by moving into the local community, and the second
was to join the surrounding local community and to live by
Cameroonians. We found this opportunity with the Gaults as they are
missionaries that just left for 7 months to help their daughter that
just graduated from RFIS settle into college. As we mention below, we
hope that this can help extend our stay with the combination of a few
more monthly financial partnerships.
Fundraising update
We have approximately 85% of our full support for our original 2-year
assignment, but to stay the additional 4 months they have asked of us
we currently are only at 70%. Please pray and share with your family
and friends so that we would have enough support to stay until June
2013.
Praises
That staff and students have survived another school year!That transition in Cameroon feels completeFinding housing that allows us to save money
Prayer Requests
Decision on where to serve for a couple weeks during the summerSafe travel for staff that are flying home for the summer or leaving Cameroon for goodSmooth transition for all the staff and students that are not
returning to CameroonMoving into the neighborhood - for safety and to bless othersJoy and Peace in Christ,
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Mark's Birthday
Hello Family and Friends
So, life has been busy since the middle of May I have had little time to blog: projects, end of year school events, planning for next year, creating summer project lists, meetings with our administration team, and my BIRTHDAY! I will say I have been blown away by my wife for my birthday this year. This year Leah decided to have a 26 day celebration for my 26th birthday! SO, since the middle of May Leah has been giving me a piece of paper every day giving me hints of what I may receive, happen, or do for the day. I may be gushing, but I am very blessed to have such an amazing wife. Also, thanks to everyone that sent Birthday geetings to me!
Another year older and I pray that I am another year wiser. The day of my birthday was most excellent! I did have to work, but I do enjoy working on my birthday as you are able to enjoy your birthday with co-workers and friends. After work around 3:30 there was a planned soccer match between staff and students. I am not sure how it happened to be scheduled on my birthday, but it was a lot of fun! After soccer I was exhausted! I have played soccer here in Cameroon, but this was the first time playing soccer on a full size field for a full 90 minutes. After soccer, I came home for a quick shower and then Leah and I headed out with our friends Samantha and Jeongho to dinner. Leah had picked out a restaurant, but it was unknown to me until we arrived. Well, we took a taxi and we ended up at La Plaza (French/European food) which was a new restaurant to me. Dinner was excellent! I had filet minion of pork with mushrooms and a side of potatoes with garlic. I was stuffed and still had leftovers, but I had to have dessert and ordered THE BEST chocolate mousse! The waiter only knowing a little English came out singing the first line of Happy Birthday to me! It was great as everyone else chimed in and we all shared my birthday mousse. We ended the evening after I was more than stuffed and thoroughly exhausted after a long, but awesome birthday!
Then, on the Saturday after my birthday Leah bought me and two of my Cameroonian friend’s tickets to the Cameroon vs Senegal soccer match! It was the first opportunity I have had to watch a soccer match in person. This match was very exciting as it was a qualifying match for the African Nations Cup, which is a month long tournament next January 2012. We made our way into a packed stadium to cheer on the Indomitable Lions as they are called, and was greeted with lots of crowd chants and drumming. Once the match started everyone was on the edge of their seat, jumping up every time Cameroon had an opportunity to shoot! Cameroon quickly controlled possession in the match and had a few good shots on goal, but Senegal’s defense was good. At halftime it was 0-0 and my friends were disappointed as Cameroon had the strong advantage in the match. The second half started as the first did with Cameroon controlling possession and having all the opportunities on goal, but was unable to score. As the second half went on you could feel the tension as the urgency of Cameroon needing to score. Five minutes before the end of the match a Cameroonian player was tackled in the Senegal penalty area and a penalty shot was given! Everyone was so excited and full of suspense as Cameroonian’s famous striker Samuel Eto stepped up to take the penalty shot. As Eto took the penalty his shot hit the top of the crossbar and came back into the field (he missed) and was cleared! Everyone was in shock! The match ended 0-0 and we came back home disappointed, but thoroughly enjoyed watching Cameroon play!
Mark Janowiak
ps below are some pictures, but I forgot my camera for both my birthday dinner and when we went to the football match! :-(
So, life has been busy since the middle of May I have had little time to blog: projects, end of year school events, planning for next year, creating summer project lists, meetings with our administration team, and my BIRTHDAY! I will say I have been blown away by my wife for my birthday this year. This year Leah decided to have a 26 day celebration for my 26th birthday! SO, since the middle of May Leah has been giving me a piece of paper every day giving me hints of what I may receive, happen, or do for the day. I may be gushing, but I am very blessed to have such an amazing wife. Also, thanks to everyone that sent Birthday geetings to me!
Another year older and I pray that I am another year wiser. The day of my birthday was most excellent! I did have to work, but I do enjoy working on my birthday as you are able to enjoy your birthday with co-workers and friends. After work around 3:30 there was a planned soccer match between staff and students. I am not sure how it happened to be scheduled on my birthday, but it was a lot of fun! After soccer I was exhausted! I have played soccer here in Cameroon, but this was the first time playing soccer on a full size field for a full 90 minutes. After soccer, I came home for a quick shower and then Leah and I headed out with our friends Samantha and Jeongho to dinner. Leah had picked out a restaurant, but it was unknown to me until we arrived. Well, we took a taxi and we ended up at La Plaza (French/European food) which was a new restaurant to me. Dinner was excellent! I had filet minion of pork with mushrooms and a side of potatoes with garlic. I was stuffed and still had leftovers, but I had to have dessert and ordered THE BEST chocolate mousse! The waiter only knowing a little English came out singing the first line of Happy Birthday to me! It was great as everyone else chimed in and we all shared my birthday mousse. We ended the evening after I was more than stuffed and thoroughly exhausted after a long, but awesome birthday!
Then, on the Saturday after my birthday Leah bought me and two of my Cameroonian friend’s tickets to the Cameroon vs Senegal soccer match! It was the first opportunity I have had to watch a soccer match in person. This match was very exciting as it was a qualifying match for the African Nations Cup, which is a month long tournament next January 2012. We made our way into a packed stadium to cheer on the Indomitable Lions as they are called, and was greeted with lots of crowd chants and drumming. Once the match started everyone was on the edge of their seat, jumping up every time Cameroon had an opportunity to shoot! Cameroon quickly controlled possession in the match and had a few good shots on goal, but Senegal’s defense was good. At halftime it was 0-0 and my friends were disappointed as Cameroon had the strong advantage in the match. The second half started as the first did with Cameroon controlling possession and having all the opportunities on goal, but was unable to score. As the second half went on you could feel the tension as the urgency of Cameroon needing to score. Five minutes before the end of the match a Cameroonian player was tackled in the Senegal penalty area and a penalty shot was given! Everyone was so excited and full of suspense as Cameroonian’s famous striker Samuel Eto stepped up to take the penalty shot. As Eto took the penalty his shot hit the top of the crossbar and came back into the field (he missed) and was cleared! Everyone was in shock! The match ended 0-0 and we came back home disappointed, but thoroughly enjoyed watching Cameroon play!
Mark Janowiak
ps below are some pictures, but I forgot my camera for both my birthday dinner and when we went to the football match! :-(
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
What Do We Desire From God
So yesterday’s devotional was a difficult one for me. It asked what my desires are for God. I don’t think I have ever been posed this question before. I could tell you want I want in life, what things I think I need, what I think about buying or doing. What my heart’s desire from Jesus? What am I desperately seeking from God, what is it that I desire above all things in my life from God? Now as I reflect on it I think isn’t this the very prayer Jesus wants from us, what at our core do we long for from Him. I know typed this could come off as cheesy; well I guess I am then. But honestly we it got down to it would be I WANT TO BE CLOSE. The most desperate thing in my heart is to be close, I just feel like in the time of peace and calm I need to examine my relationship with Him. How does he show up when there is no big crisis in our life? How do we draw close to Him when things are mundane? So my desire is to be close, for Him to show up in little ways. Part of me longs for the spectacular but I think Jesus wants me to learn how to be close in the mundane. Because he has been so faithful, he has been pursuing and constant, why is it that our hearts always need reminding?
Leah Janowiak
Leah Janowiak
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thoughts After Three Months
Leah and I are now past 3 months in Cameroon. It is interesting to think about where I imagined us after 3 months in Cameroon, the expectations that I had of how much French we would know or how we may be involved in the community outside our full time jobs. Also, looking ahead to the summer here, we will be working less at the school in the summer so we look forward to helping Wycliffe with tasks in the villages or at one of the three branch offices.
But before I speak about that, the most striking and wonderful feeling in the past 3 months has been the complete peace in my soul that we are where God wants us. I will say that for most my life at varied degrees I have expressed some desire to speed life up and skip to something that I am looking forward to: getting my driver’s license, graduating high school, a trip to Europe and Africa, my wedding day, etc. But the last few months have been very different; I am not asking questions about what I may be doing when our 2 years are done here. I am savoring, exploring, learning, growing, and living each day. I feel Alive with joy and peace. I do not hope that I am content with just being here, but hope to continue to grow my relationships with Cameroonians, become more involved in my community in a tangible way, learn more conversational French, etc. I am, though, enjoying that God has brought Leah and me here to Cameroon in his timing and not my own.
In my discussions with Leah before coming to Cameroon, we hoped to speak basic, understandable French and to have a conversation with a francophone Cameroonian or comprehend French conversations, after 3 months. What we did not expect was that all the staff at the school would speak English, both missionaries and Cameroonians that work there. Now, I must say I am very proud of Leah as she is now able to greet, get a taxi, buy items in the market, etc. We both have our work cut out to become conversational French speakers, but we feel comfortable to go where we need to. Another expectation was to become involved in Yaounde outside of our work with Wycliffe. About a month ago we meet a young man by the name of Hugue that goes to one of the local churches that we visited a few times. Anyways, we invited him over to dinner, and he shared with us his non-profit that he and two others began to help serve the elderly, orphans, and people in prison. We hope that, as we have settled in and both of us now can speak and understand some French, we will begin to help them serve the elderly and the orphans. Also, now after three months here we have found a church that is near to us to call home. This has been a long awaited answer to prayer as we have been searching since we first arrived here in February. We look forward to building relationships with Cameroonians there and hope to explore some ways to join the church community.
Since we work at the school here, our summers are a mix of some projects I will be working on with the Admin team at the school, but also time to work on other things. Not to look forward, but as we plan our summer Leah has expressed an interest for us to explore some of the villages here in Cameroon. I also have an interest in helping Wycliffe’s IT department that may need someone to travel to the villages to help translation teams with their IT needs. Also, after we arrived we spoke to some people that work out of the US from Wycliffe that need some help as they work on a project to bring satellite internet to some of the Cameroonian nationals doing translation work. I hope to hear more about this opportunity as we draw closer to the summer. In conjunction, both of us hope to continue French study throughout the summer.
We have been surprised by some things we have seen here. Cameroonians' main struggle here in Yaounde is housing, jobs, and having access to clean water. High unemployment is not exactly a surprise to us, but so many Cameroonians are entrepreneurial! Many people we know that are struggling for work will be househelp for a handful of people, set up a vegetable stand in a neighborhood, make great fruit juices and deliver to missionaries, or bake great bread products (bread, rolls, bagels, tortillas, and cinnamon rolls) and come around the compound to sell. Cameroonians for the most part are very determined to carve out a living for themselves and their families. Our friend Silas owns a small store down the road (he sells basic items like soap, chocolate, and powdered milk) and had an opportunity to travel to the States years ago. Now he makes some great Mexican food locals can order from him in advance and to be dropped off at our house! One major area that I did not list above was food. Many Cameroonians, if they have even a little money or because they have a garden, are able to have great access to a large variety of produce for very little. Cameroon is abounding with fertile land and consistent rain to grow excellent produce including rice that makes it much cheaper to buy nutritious food than really anything else. One difficulty here in Yaounde is that, since it is such a large city, when the city water goes out people have few areas to go for water, so cholera quickly can spread if the water is off for more than a day (which has only happened a few times).
Leah and I are grateful for the warm people of Cameroon, friends, good climate, and great food here in Cameroon. We are blessed that the first 3 months here have gone extraordinarily well and look forward to the rest of the time we have here in Cameroon. We may not have the same comforts we did in the States, but we are truly blessed to have more than enough.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
But before I speak about that, the most striking and wonderful feeling in the past 3 months has been the complete peace in my soul that we are where God wants us. I will say that for most my life at varied degrees I have expressed some desire to speed life up and skip to something that I am looking forward to: getting my driver’s license, graduating high school, a trip to Europe and Africa, my wedding day, etc. But the last few months have been very different; I am not asking questions about what I may be doing when our 2 years are done here. I am savoring, exploring, learning, growing, and living each day. I feel Alive with joy and peace. I do not hope that I am content with just being here, but hope to continue to grow my relationships with Cameroonians, become more involved in my community in a tangible way, learn more conversational French, etc. I am, though, enjoying that God has brought Leah and me here to Cameroon in his timing and not my own.
In my discussions with Leah before coming to Cameroon, we hoped to speak basic, understandable French and to have a conversation with a francophone Cameroonian or comprehend French conversations, after 3 months. What we did not expect was that all the staff at the school would speak English, both missionaries and Cameroonians that work there. Now, I must say I am very proud of Leah as she is now able to greet, get a taxi, buy items in the market, etc. We both have our work cut out to become conversational French speakers, but we feel comfortable to go where we need to. Another expectation was to become involved in Yaounde outside of our work with Wycliffe. About a month ago we meet a young man by the name of Hugue that goes to one of the local churches that we visited a few times. Anyways, we invited him over to dinner, and he shared with us his non-profit that he and two others began to help serve the elderly, orphans, and people in prison. We hope that, as we have settled in and both of us now can speak and understand some French, we will begin to help them serve the elderly and the orphans. Also, now after three months here we have found a church that is near to us to call home. This has been a long awaited answer to prayer as we have been searching since we first arrived here in February. We look forward to building relationships with Cameroonians there and hope to explore some ways to join the church community.
Since we work at the school here, our summers are a mix of some projects I will be working on with the Admin team at the school, but also time to work on other things. Not to look forward, but as we plan our summer Leah has expressed an interest for us to explore some of the villages here in Cameroon. I also have an interest in helping Wycliffe’s IT department that may need someone to travel to the villages to help translation teams with their IT needs. Also, after we arrived we spoke to some people that work out of the US from Wycliffe that need some help as they work on a project to bring satellite internet to some of the Cameroonian nationals doing translation work. I hope to hear more about this opportunity as we draw closer to the summer. In conjunction, both of us hope to continue French study throughout the summer.
We have been surprised by some things we have seen here. Cameroonians' main struggle here in Yaounde is housing, jobs, and having access to clean water. High unemployment is not exactly a surprise to us, but so many Cameroonians are entrepreneurial! Many people we know that are struggling for work will be househelp for a handful of people, set up a vegetable stand in a neighborhood, make great fruit juices and deliver to missionaries, or bake great bread products (bread, rolls, bagels, tortillas, and cinnamon rolls) and come around the compound to sell. Cameroonians for the most part are very determined to carve out a living for themselves and their families. Our friend Silas owns a small store down the road (he sells basic items like soap, chocolate, and powdered milk) and had an opportunity to travel to the States years ago. Now he makes some great Mexican food locals can order from him in advance and to be dropped off at our house! One major area that I did not list above was food. Many Cameroonians, if they have even a little money or because they have a garden, are able to have great access to a large variety of produce for very little. Cameroon is abounding with fertile land and consistent rain to grow excellent produce including rice that makes it much cheaper to buy nutritious food than really anything else. One difficulty here in Yaounde is that, since it is such a large city, when the city water goes out people have few areas to go for water, so cholera quickly can spread if the water is off for more than a day (which has only happened a few times).
Leah and I are grateful for the warm people of Cameroon, friends, good climate, and great food here in Cameroon. We are blessed that the first 3 months here have gone extraordinarily well and look forward to the rest of the time we have here in Cameroon. We may not have the same comforts we did in the States, but we are truly blessed to have more than enough.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Branch Spiritual Retreat
Last week we had a 3 day branch spiritual retreat and I wanted to take a moment to share some impressions of the retreat. The topic of the retreat was pain and change. Currently the branch is about to embark on a season of redesigning some of the structure and makeup of the organization here in Cameroon. Over the last few years as everywhere money has been tight and this was no exception here. So, fittingly before we started our annual branch business meetings we first discussed the topic of pain and change!
One of the areas that I was reflecting on these few days was the irony that we cannot avoid pain and change. The more we try to avoid both pain and change the more we are trying to control things that which are not ours to control. Now, I am not saying that certain things that we do to ourselves cannot spare us some pain in life, but generally speaking we cannot stop change from happening. The beauty is that as we let go of trying to avoid and control these things the more we give them to God and the more he is able to work through these times in our life and allow us to fully experience the highs and lows in life. I call this choosing joy, as happiness comes and goes, but joy is a way to live life when you give your life over to Christ.
Another area that I don’t think I considered enough is if I don’t change I am no longer relevant to unbelievers. This for me has been and will be a fine line to walk in my life. As change happens to a culture or to a country that you live in, you must realize what the changes are and adapt in ways that allow us to be in the world, but not of the world. When I lived in the States I liked to call myself counter-cultural as I am against many of the ways that are “popular” or “normal” in our mainstream culture, but I must never disconnect myself from my culture. Let me explain this more. I must learn how the people in my culture are searching for the something to try to make them whole. If I can see what and how they are searching I am better able to: build a real relationship with that person, understand their pain and brokenness, and share with them a different way of life that can bring healing and wholeness to their life. I cannot connect and engage the person in a real relationship if I am completely disconnected from how they have changed and adapted to life in their culture over time.
These were just a couple of insights I had while at our 3 day branch spiritual retreat. I feel refreshed and renewed as we came through this past week as the retreat finished on Good Friday and then celebrated Resurrection Sunday. Such perspective and appreciation to prepare for Easter and to more fully appreciate the sacrifice of Christ as he willingly chose to die for my sins even before I knew him.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
One of the areas that I was reflecting on these few days was the irony that we cannot avoid pain and change. The more we try to avoid both pain and change the more we are trying to control things that which are not ours to control. Now, I am not saying that certain things that we do to ourselves cannot spare us some pain in life, but generally speaking we cannot stop change from happening. The beauty is that as we let go of trying to avoid and control these things the more we give them to God and the more he is able to work through these times in our life and allow us to fully experience the highs and lows in life. I call this choosing joy, as happiness comes and goes, but joy is a way to live life when you give your life over to Christ.
Another area that I don’t think I considered enough is if I don’t change I am no longer relevant to unbelievers. This for me has been and will be a fine line to walk in my life. As change happens to a culture or to a country that you live in, you must realize what the changes are and adapt in ways that allow us to be in the world, but not of the world. When I lived in the States I liked to call myself counter-cultural as I am against many of the ways that are “popular” or “normal” in our mainstream culture, but I must never disconnect myself from my culture. Let me explain this more. I must learn how the people in my culture are searching for the something to try to make them whole. If I can see what and how they are searching I am better able to: build a real relationship with that person, understand their pain and brokenness, and share with them a different way of life that can bring healing and wholeness to their life. I cannot connect and engage the person in a real relationship if I am completely disconnected from how they have changed and adapted to life in their culture over time.
These were just a couple of insights I had while at our 3 day branch spiritual retreat. I feel refreshed and renewed as we came through this past week as the retreat finished on Good Friday and then celebrated Resurrection Sunday. Such perspective and appreciation to prepare for Easter and to more fully appreciate the sacrifice of Christ as he willingly chose to die for my sins even before I knew him.
Joy and Peace in Christ
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Various Pictures Around Yaounde
City Overlook
City Overlook with Leah
Group of Women That Help Braid Leah and Megan's Hair
Worship During Branch Spiritual Retreat
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Perspective of Being Both Far Away and Near
To this point it has been great overseas, but lately it has made certain events seem so distant. For example, big events like Japan seem far away or things that effect our friends, such as J and Katrina coming back to Jackson, the Youth Center happening at Westwinds, or a fellow missionary in MI losing his wife to cancer, are easy to slip from our mind, yet it opens my eyes that it can seem so easy for people to forget about us here in Yaounde. But yet through the spirit we are gifted to remember even if it is just for a moment to pray for those that are near to us as friends, our church families, and for those more far. What I am trying to say is thanks for all those taking a moment to reply to our newsletters. To share with us your lives and to help us pray and encourage those that are dear to us.
At the same time it really has been a blessing to watch Westwinds from Yaounde as we are now in a different community here, but to take a moment and worship the way that we most connect to God and to hear Dave or as this weekend hear Ben speak. It helps as Leah and I watch Westwinds online to feel connected to the lives of those at Westwinds and in Michigan. I am learning that I must be intentional to email and call friends and family. As we seem so far away it is so odd that through email, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype we can seem to connect as we did in the States with those that we did not always see in Jackson. I am not saying any of this out of being homesick just on the contrary. I feel that we have the unique gift of using technology for Leah and I to live in Cameroon, but yet stay connected and involved in the lives of our friends and family. For me I am beginning to realize this and choosing t make the required effort to “plug in” not at the expense of our involvement in life here in Yaounde, but to complement our new lives here. I am encouraged that through the spirit and by making the choice we are able to feel and become interdependent as the body of Christ, just as he wants us to be.
Joy and Peace in Christ
The Janowiaks
ps below are two more pictures
At the same time it really has been a blessing to watch Westwinds from Yaounde as we are now in a different community here, but to take a moment and worship the way that we most connect to God and to hear Dave or as this weekend hear Ben speak. It helps as Leah and I watch Westwinds online to feel connected to the lives of those at Westwinds and in Michigan. I am learning that I must be intentional to email and call friends and family. As we seem so far away it is so odd that through email, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype we can seem to connect as we did in the States with those that we did not always see in Jackson. I am not saying any of this out of being homesick just on the contrary. I feel that we have the unique gift of using technology for Leah and I to live in Cameroon, but yet stay connected and involved in the lives of our friends and family. For me I am beginning to realize this and choosing t make the required effort to “plug in” not at the expense of our involvement in life here in Yaounde, but to complement our new lives here. I am encouraged that through the spirit and by making the choice we are able to feel and become interdependent as the body of Christ, just as he wants us to be.
Joy and Peace in Christ
The Janowiaks
ps below are two more pictures
Monday, March 14, 2011
Hear With our Ears and See With our Eyes
This past Sunday was the first day that we went to a church service that was not translated and was mostly in French. Since we have been here when ever in town or off the compound I am surrounded by French. Sometimes it’s probably another tribal language, but mostly French. Maybe 2 weeks after we arrived here, I thought I can hear, but can’t understand what is going on right next to me. Mark knows more French than I do, however we still stumble around trying to comprehend what is being said around us. Sometimes reading scripture and understanding it is like that for me. I see and hear but don’t understand it fully. Through this experience I just have been pondering the verses
Acts 28:27
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
I pray that we can hear with our ears and see with our eyes to see God moving here.
We are blessed that we are currently on Spring Break from school. RFIS has just over a 2 week break so children are able to travel back to be with family for a bit. We will go into work for a few days in the next couple weeks, but will have a chance to rest and relax as well. We pray that over the next couple weeks that we are able to listen and act on what God has for us.
Thanks for your prayers and support
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Acts 28:27
For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
I pray that we can hear with our ears and see with our eyes to see God moving here.
We are blessed that we are currently on Spring Break from school. RFIS has just over a 2 week break so children are able to travel back to be with family for a bit. We will go into work for a few days in the next couple weeks, but will have a chance to rest and relax as well. We pray that over the next couple weeks that we are able to listen and act on what God has for us.
Thanks for your prayers and support
Mark and Leah Janowiak
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Pictures of Rain Forest International School in Cameroon
Here are a few pictures of Cameroon, but more specific of RFIS where we work. Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Learning Everyday Life in Cameroon
The last time I blogged I was listing our first impressions of Cameroon. I believe the next phase of moving into a new country is re-establishing a daily routine. So, let me take you on a day in my shoes here in Yaounde, Cameroon.
On any given weekday I wake up around 5:45 AM, just before the sun comes up. I shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Breakfast here is rather mixed, Leah and I have ate a lot of eggs and bread or in a rush just some bread with peanut butter and honey. The one surprising gift has been fresh whole wheat bread, a local Cameroonian lady bakes bread, tortillas, and bagels. Her father then comes around our housing compound in the late afternoon to drop off the fresh baked goods! Leah and I are out of our flat by around 6:45 AM to walk down our road to the main road (about 2 blocks) to catch our ride as we carpool with 3 others that work at RFIS. We usually arrive at RFIS just after 7 AM and I begin my daily routine to check the network, turn on the computer lab desktops and check the nightly backups. We have coffee break for 15 min just after 9 AM and let me tell you they bring in fresh coffee grown by a co-op of farmers in the Northwest part of the country in a town called Bamenda. SO GLAD to have locally grown coffee brewed daily! We break for lunch just after noon and can buy the Cameroonian meal of the day that a local lady prepares and sells for about $1. I will talk more about Cameroonian food later. We usually find a ride back to our compound that has about 20 flats, around 4:30 PM. We then either start to prepare dinner or a couple days a week will walk to a lady's produce stand to buy fresh produce, rice, and oil. We have been growing more comfortable with the type of meals we can prepare here in Cameroon. Through the help of my Cameroonian co-worker we are being introduced to making more traditional Cameroonian meals. Typically it is very affordable to buy produce and it is cheaper buy produce than it is to buy processed foods and that makes me very happy! After dinner we hang out with other missionaries or we relax for a bit before fitting in devotions and head to bed around 10 PM.
Obviously not everyday is the same, but this gives a snapshot of our daily routine that we are settling into here. Between the people, the food, and the environment we are falling in love with Cameroon!
Peace and Joy in Christ
Mark and Leah
On any given weekday I wake up around 5:45 AM, just before the sun comes up. I shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Breakfast here is rather mixed, Leah and I have ate a lot of eggs and bread or in a rush just some bread with peanut butter and honey. The one surprising gift has been fresh whole wheat bread, a local Cameroonian lady bakes bread, tortillas, and bagels. Her father then comes around our housing compound in the late afternoon to drop off the fresh baked goods! Leah and I are out of our flat by around 6:45 AM to walk down our road to the main road (about 2 blocks) to catch our ride as we carpool with 3 others that work at RFIS. We usually arrive at RFIS just after 7 AM and I begin my daily routine to check the network, turn on the computer lab desktops and check the nightly backups. We have coffee break for 15 min just after 9 AM and let me tell you they bring in fresh coffee grown by a co-op of farmers in the Northwest part of the country in a town called Bamenda. SO GLAD to have locally grown coffee brewed daily! We break for lunch just after noon and can buy the Cameroonian meal of the day that a local lady prepares and sells for about $1. I will talk more about Cameroonian food later. We usually find a ride back to our compound that has about 20 flats, around 4:30 PM. We then either start to prepare dinner or a couple days a week will walk to a lady's produce stand to buy fresh produce, rice, and oil. We have been growing more comfortable with the type of meals we can prepare here in Cameroon. Through the help of my Cameroonian co-worker we are being introduced to making more traditional Cameroonian meals. Typically it is very affordable to buy produce and it is cheaper buy produce than it is to buy processed foods and that makes me very happy! After dinner we hang out with other missionaries or we relax for a bit before fitting in devotions and head to bed around 10 PM.
Obviously not everyday is the same, but this gives a snapshot of our daily routine that we are settling into here. Between the people, the food, and the environment we are falling in love with Cameroon!
Peace and Joy in Christ
Mark and Leah
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
First Impressions of Cameroon
I thought that the first blog in Cameroon should be some first impressions since we have arrived in Cameroon.
I was trying to write this blog entry a few days ago, so I hope I can remember some of the items that may almost seem normal now.
First Impression #1
People drive like in a video game! Yup!!! No traffic police = no rules to driving. In Cameroon when it comes to driving only 1 rule applies: Never assume the car in front, on the side, or behind you to do what one might expect. We had a motorcycle pass us on the right side of our van and then immediately make a left turn in front of us (all on a normal 2 lane street). The taxi's dart in and out of traffic stopping to pick people up and drop people off. No stop signs, traffic lights, nothing. Some missionaries have commented that it is kind of fun to drive as anything goes, but you always have to watch out for the cars that at full speed come across oncoming traffic from a side street. We will see if I dare to get a Cameroonian driver's license (lots of missionaries do here).
First Impression #2
The Cameroonian food is excellant, but you can find most all Western food here. The Cameroonian food is blessed with so many vegetables and fruits! It is currently the towards the end of the long dry season and still we can buy almost any produce, most from Cameroon (ex. Apples from South Africa, but Cameroon doesn't grow apples any time of year). You can find Western foods (cereal, bread, pasta, canned goods, etc) but for the same or higher price as you would pay in the US.
First Impression #3
We live in a compound with about 10 flats that are divided into about 21 apartments. So missionaries drop by like when people would show up at our dorm in College.
First Impression #4
Bugs/ so far ants are our roommates. Ants (the little sugar ants) can quickly figure out you have food in your kitchen and march themselves from the front door all the way into the kitchen and up the counter.
That is a quick list of first impressions here in Cameroon. Leah and I are continuing to adapt to the nice warm climate, but still enjoy a cat nap on a daily basis. Also, we loved our first semi-real Cameroonian lunch that I made today: Plantain with Red Beans.
That's all for now, I could go on and on.
Mark J
I was trying to write this blog entry a few days ago, so I hope I can remember some of the items that may almost seem normal now.
First Impression #1
People drive like in a video game! Yup!!! No traffic police = no rules to driving. In Cameroon when it comes to driving only 1 rule applies: Never assume the car in front, on the side, or behind you to do what one might expect. We had a motorcycle pass us on the right side of our van and then immediately make a left turn in front of us (all on a normal 2 lane street). The taxi's dart in and out of traffic stopping to pick people up and drop people off. No stop signs, traffic lights, nothing. Some missionaries have commented that it is kind of fun to drive as anything goes, but you always have to watch out for the cars that at full speed come across oncoming traffic from a side street. We will see if I dare to get a Cameroonian driver's license (lots of missionaries do here).
First Impression #2
The Cameroonian food is excellant, but you can find most all Western food here. The Cameroonian food is blessed with so many vegetables and fruits! It is currently the towards the end of the long dry season and still we can buy almost any produce, most from Cameroon (ex. Apples from South Africa, but Cameroon doesn't grow apples any time of year). You can find Western foods (cereal, bread, pasta, canned goods, etc) but for the same or higher price as you would pay in the US.
First Impression #3
We live in a compound with about 10 flats that are divided into about 21 apartments. So missionaries drop by like when people would show up at our dorm in College.
First Impression #4
Bugs/ so far ants are our roommates. Ants (the little sugar ants) can quickly figure out you have food in your kitchen and march themselves from the front door all the way into the kitchen and up the counter.
That is a quick list of first impressions here in Cameroon. Leah and I are continuing to adapt to the nice warm climate, but still enjoy a cat nap on a daily basis. Also, we loved our first semi-real Cameroonian lunch that I made today: Plantain with Red Beans.
That's all for now, I could go on and on.
Mark J
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Please come and take our stuff
So I have this incresing pile of things building up in my living room.
So please tell me if you want it and will come pick it up.
Plastic round outdoor table (has a hole for umbrella, no umbrella) 3 chairs that go with it.
a Dead Mac Desktop (I can give more details if you are intrested, not sure how dead)
Printer/scanner/fax/copier that needs ink
Yarn, Ribbon, hemp
a book on how to make hemp bracelets
poncho jacket thingy
I nice set of knifes and the wooden thing you put them in
electroics (lots)IT stuff, not even sure what some of it is
Older Atlas
And like a million other little things
So please tell me if you want it and will come pick it up.
Plastic round outdoor table (has a hole for umbrella, no umbrella) 3 chairs that go with it.
a Dead Mac Desktop (I can give more details if you are intrested, not sure how dead)
Printer/scanner/fax/copier that needs ink
Yarn, Ribbon, hemp
a book on how to make hemp bracelets
poncho jacket thingy
I nice set of knifes and the wooden thing you put them in
electroics (lots)IT stuff, not even sure what some of it is
Older Atlas
And like a million other little things
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Email Newsletter January 2011
Happy New Year Friends and Family!
So much has happened in the last couple weeks. I wanted to start with a great thanks to all of you for your prayers this past year! God has blessed us, grown and stretched Leah and I over the last year. We have seen God taking us from calling us to Cameroon all the way to giving us the green light to depart for Cameroon. All the encouragement, all the blessings, and seeing God work in our lives week after week has been a truly amazing experience over the last year. We look forward to this next year as we depart for Cameroon and enter the mission field! We look forward to the ways in which God will blow our minds as we works in us and through us in Cameroon. Thanks for all your prayers and donations in this past year and into this year as together with Christ they encourage and make it possible for us to leave for Cameroon.
This newsletter is coming a few days late as Leah and I have both been struck with a strong flu the last few days. We feel blessed that we didn't have to go to the hospital, but we both wondered since we did not have health to take care of each other. We are very thankful we are feeling somewhat better. God gave us each strength at different times to take care of each other and had the kindness of a friend.
We wanted to quickly fill you in on the past couple weeks:
The week of Christmas Mark got his gift he was praying for. Plane tickets! Our fly out date is February 2nd from Detroit.
We filled out our visa application and mailed it in Monday after Christmas.
Figured out our housing with Wycliffe in Cameroon.
Set our move out date at the apartment, our last day in Jackson will be Jan 22nd.
Made plans to see family and friends.
Started packing up our apartment.
When we decided to take the plunge and set a date, buying tickets and sending in our visa had been a difficult, yet easy choice to make. We were not quite where we wanted to be with funding and it was scary not wanting to make the wrong choice. I kept reading all these crazy stories in the Bible, how God asked people to do these outrageous things so He could be glorified. I don't know if you ever read one of these sections and find yourself humored, but I kept shaking my head saying that's crazy who would do that. After deliberation, prayer, speaking with multiple people and looking at Scripture we jumped (set a date), I am happy to report our funding jumped to 85% a few days after we made our decision. We have nothing but peace and excitement (which can get out of control at times) plus a bit of stress of getting everything done.
We have added our story to our blog and will be adding our email newsletters to the blog so that as people get added on to our email listing they can stay in the loop. As always feel free to email mrjanowiak@gmail.com or gracebyfaith711@aim.com if you have questions or interested in more information.
We will be having a going away party during the weekend of January 15 or 16th. I will get more details nailed down here in the next few days for you and will send out a quick email about this. It will be held in Jackson or Ann Arbor.
Please continue to pray with us for 2011 and opportunities to share the Gospel.
--
Peace and Joy in Christ,
Mark and Leah Janowiak
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
So much has happened in the last couple weeks. I wanted to start with a great thanks to all of you for your prayers this past year! God has blessed us, grown and stretched Leah and I over the last year. We have seen God taking us from calling us to Cameroon all the way to giving us the green light to depart for Cameroon. All the encouragement, all the blessings, and seeing God work in our lives week after week has been a truly amazing experience over the last year. We look forward to this next year as we depart for Cameroon and enter the mission field! We look forward to the ways in which God will blow our minds as we works in us and through us in Cameroon. Thanks for all your prayers and donations in this past year and into this year as together with Christ they encourage and make it possible for us to leave for Cameroon.
This newsletter is coming a few days late as Leah and I have both been struck with a strong flu the last few days. We feel blessed that we didn't have to go to the hospital, but we both wondered since we did not have health to take care of each other. We are very thankful we are feeling somewhat better. God gave us each strength at different times to take care of each other and had the kindness of a friend.
We wanted to quickly fill you in on the past couple weeks:
The week of Christmas Mark got his gift he was praying for. Plane tickets! Our fly out date is February 2nd from Detroit.
We filled out our visa application and mailed it in Monday after Christmas.
Figured out our housing with Wycliffe in Cameroon.
Set our move out date at the apartment, our last day in Jackson will be Jan 22nd.
Made plans to see family and friends.
Started packing up our apartment.
When we decided to take the plunge and set a date, buying tickets and sending in our visa had been a difficult, yet easy choice to make. We were not quite where we wanted to be with funding and it was scary not wanting to make the wrong choice. I kept reading all these crazy stories in the Bible, how God asked people to do these outrageous things so He could be glorified. I don't know if you ever read one of these sections and find yourself humored, but I kept shaking my head saying that's crazy who would do that. After deliberation, prayer, speaking with multiple people and looking at Scripture we jumped (set a date), I am happy to report our funding jumped to 85% a few days after we made our decision. We have nothing but peace and excitement (which can get out of control at times) plus a bit of stress of getting everything done.
We have added our story to our blog and will be adding our email newsletters to the blog so that as people get added on to our email listing they can stay in the loop. As always feel free to email mrjanowiak@gmail.com or gracebyfaith711@aim.com if you have questions or interested in more information.
We will be having a going away party during the weekend of January 15 or 16th. I will get more details nailed down here in the next few days for you and will send out a quick email about this. It will be held in Jackson or Ann Arbor.
Please continue to pray with us for 2011 and opportunities to share the Gospel.
--
Peace and Joy in Christ,
Mark and Leah Janowiak
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Christmas Gift
I am the type of person who gets overly excited when I get someone a gift or if someone tells me they got me a gift. I have gotten better, but too many times I guess what my husband got me and he is learning to be trickier. I also tend to want to give it early, whither its birthdays or a holiday. So Christmas has been painful for me because my husband loves to wait to Christmas day to exchange gifts. We went to his parents for Christmas and normally we do our own Christmas gift exchange beforehand. He asked me to wait and we could do all gifts together.
Now let me just stop and bunny trail here for a minute to explain myself. My family is split 3 ways plus being married and friends Christmas is more like a 2 week celebration for me or Hanukkah.
This year I knew I got him an amazing gift, I got him a board game that he has been talking about for like a year. Well I bought it, like a good wife. Every time he asked me what game I wanted to play I wanted to hand him his gift. Christmas day comes and Mark is thrilled. As soon as possible we start trying to put the game together and read the instructions. Now we are minor game geeks, but I did not realize Mark had never played this game. We sat for at least 2 hours (not lying) trying to read the instructions. Now we are both literate and it was written in English. We could not figure the game out. To the point of frustration and we gave up.
Currently there are 340 Million people who do not have Gods word in their own language (www.wycliffe.org) I think Mark and I had a small taste of what it is like to read something and not understand. I was so excited to share this Gift and Mark was so thrilled to receive it; only to realize the complexity and feeling like we couldn’t understand the language. Now I have some training in Spanish and Russian. If you were to hand me the Gospel in either my understanding of God would be horrible limited and frustrating. So give thanks to God for former missionaries who translated your bible into English, and praise for the translation work going on now to give people a gift of His Holy Word. Pray for the continued work that people can hear and read God written word in their own language.
Now let me just stop and bunny trail here for a minute to explain myself. My family is split 3 ways plus being married and friends Christmas is more like a 2 week celebration for me or Hanukkah.
This year I knew I got him an amazing gift, I got him a board game that he has been talking about for like a year. Well I bought it, like a good wife. Every time he asked me what game I wanted to play I wanted to hand him his gift. Christmas day comes and Mark is thrilled. As soon as possible we start trying to put the game together and read the instructions. Now we are minor game geeks, but I did not realize Mark had never played this game. We sat for at least 2 hours (not lying) trying to read the instructions. Now we are both literate and it was written in English. We could not figure the game out. To the point of frustration and we gave up.
Currently there are 340 Million people who do not have Gods word in their own language (www.wycliffe.org) I think Mark and I had a small taste of what it is like to read something and not understand. I was so excited to share this Gift and Mark was so thrilled to receive it; only to realize the complexity and feeling like we couldn’t understand the language. Now I have some training in Spanish and Russian. If you were to hand me the Gospel in either my understanding of God would be horrible limited and frustrating. So give thanks to God for former missionaries who translated your bible into English, and praise for the translation work going on now to give people a gift of His Holy Word. Pray for the continued work that people can hear and read God written word in their own language.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)