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

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

Pictures of Rain Forest International School in Cameroon

Here are a few pictures of Cameroon, but more specific of RFIS where we work. Enjoy!

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