Back in the US

I thought I would give everyone a quick update on our lives since we have left Cameroon.  We arrived safely with only one minimal flight delay into Detroit, Michigan.  We then began our tour of seeing all our various family through the holidays.  We have had lots of adventures as we have been adjusting to the Michigan winter by trying to get outdoors to do some sledding and ice skating!  The prerequisite is to bundle up with lots of layers of clothes, gloves, and hats!  Slowly we are adjusting to the winter cold, but as some of you know that general transition can make you do strange things, ask Leah if you want specific stories as she is a much better story teller than I am!  Overall we are doing well on our road to transition, but it has been strange when people ask us were we are living... our answer has become Homeless, Michigan as we have no specific place to call home currently until I can find a job.  We thank many of our family and friends for your gracious hospitality to us as we have been travelling around Michigan.

On the job front I have been busy applying for job positions as I was before we left Cameroon.  I am in the waiting week this week before I have second interviews next week with a great chance that I may receive multiple offers.  This is a difficult process in seeking God for direction on which job may be the best for me to choose, if I do receive multiple job offers as each have their benefits and drawbacks.  Please pray for God’s direction to be clear and that we would be listening closely to follow and search for where God would place me.

Thanks for your prayers and your support!

Mark and Leah Janowiak

Pictures Around Yaounde

Hey Everyone

Sorry it has been so long since we last made a blog post.  We wanted to post some pictures of some places we have visited in the past few months.  We live in Yaounde the capital of Cameroon, and the city has around 1.5 million people.  Since the city is so big we have yet to see a lot of places throughout the city, but a couple months ago we went with a few people to explore some interesting sites around the city. 

Monument marking the 50th anniversary of Cameroon independence. 

A beautiful Cathedral mostly made of handcrafted wood segments. 

A beautiful stained glass window inside the Cathedral. 

 Unity Monument celebrating the reunification of the Northwest (Anglophone) joining Cameroon.

 Fairly big lake on the side of Yaounde.

Traditional music while we were at an artisan market.

These last few photos are our work helping Hope Social Action as we visited a widow and her children.

Mark and Leah Janowiak

Some Recent Pictures

Hello Everyone

Below are some photos from a Valentine's Dance that the senior class put on at RFIS.

Mark and Leah Janowiak

Serving with Friends

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

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

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

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!