Info on Cameroon

Here is some basic info that Wycliffe gave us on Cameroon:
SERVING IN CAMEROON
The Land and Its People
Cameroon is located in Western Africa along the Atlantic coast just above the equator. It covers an area slightly larger than California. The climate varies with terrain, from tropical along the coast to semiarid and hot in the north. Cameroon is often called "Africa in miniature" because of its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. The highest point is on Mt. Cameroon, a 13,435-foot, active volcano.More than half of Cameroon’s population of almost 19 million lives in urban areas. About 40 percent of the people are Christian. The rest follow other religions or indigenous beliefs.
Official languages are English and French, but there are 24 major African language groupsin Cameroon.Cameroon enjoys relatively high political and social stability. It also has a more prosperous economy than most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, exporting raw materials such as oil and timber, as well as abundant agricultural products including coffee, cotton and cocoa.

Bible Translation Needs
The stability in Cameroon makes it an ideal location to support and prepare translators and translation teams for work among the many language groups of West Africa. One example of that support is the Cameroon Rain Forest International School (RFIS), which was founded in 1991 to help meet the educational needs of missionary families. In the beginning, the school served 19 students. Now there are about 125 children attending, and the school building, which was to be a temporary facility, is bursting at the seams and needs some serious improvements.
Wycliffe Associates volunteers are constructing a new facility for the children of our translators. This new facility is desperately needed to ensure that the children receive a quality education in a safe environment while allowing parents to focus on their translation projects, which can take 10 to 20 years to complete. Are you interested in volunteer work overseas? If so, you can help make this happen!

THINGS TO CONSIDER
Considerations When Traveling to Cameroon
Things to Remember When Choosing Items to Bring
Cameroon has rainy and dry seasons, and both can be extreme. The weather may be unpredictable in some parts of the country. You should bring boots and an umbrella and/or rain gear, especially if visiting during the wet season. A rugged flashlight is also important. Bring good sunscreen and a cool hat with a brim for protection from the tropical sun. If you bring a digital camera, bring sufficient storage for your photos, and consider a method to back up your data in case something happens to the camera. Electrical current in Cameroon is 220-240 volt and 50Hz.

Some reading for the day

"But in fact, our images of God are rather different from reality. We are finite being, and God is infinitely greater than any thoughts we can contain about divine reality in our wondrous but tiny minds. We are sinful beings, and God is different from what we conceive in our selfishness and pride. Finite and self-centered as we are, we often forget God's warning through the prophet Isaiah; "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thought than your thoughts" (55:9) When we forget that, we unwittingly reduce God's ways to our ways and thoughts to our thoughts. Our hearts become factories of idols in which we fashion and refashion God to fit our needs and desires." -Free of Charge by Miroslav Volf pg 22.

Walls Between Us and Cameroon

Leah and I have been reading Joshua for our joint devotionals in the past week. If you recall towards the beginning of Joshua we have the story of God leading the people of Israel around the city of Jericho and the walls coming down on the 7th day. After the Lord brings Jericho to the Israelites he requests one thing: burn all the stuff that are idols and items other than gold and silver. Instead a couple Israelites bring back "other stuff" and soon after we see the People of Israel fail to overtake the city of Ai. What is God showing his people in this story. What I see God doing is asking a simple question of the heart: do you trust he can provide EVERYTHING that you need? God had for 40 years provided Manna and now he completely brought Jericho's walls around the city down. God desires us and asks that we love and follow him with our whole being.

Also, in this story is that when you are in God's plan and if you walk with God he will provide and help you through to till his plan is fulfilled. Over these 9 months God opened the door for us to go to Cameroon and even if currently there are walls around our goal for being in Cameroon we know that as we continue to follow God we will in his perfect timing take us to Cameroon. I have faith and trust as I read this story and others through out the Bible that I know God will provide for Leah and I. Since September I have felt God was going to really open the doors financially and has so we are able to go to Cameroon. We are currently just below 65% of our monthly support and we trust that God is working on people's hearts to partner with us in prayer and financial (as they are able) support. I have never before felt the presence of being prayed for as I have since September.

Peace and Joy in Christ
Mark

Failing daily?

(Older post that wasn't posted)
Have you ever asked for God's presense, not to speak, but to just be near to God. I'm talking about peace, hope and love of God. I am noticing how when it all comes down to it, I don't really long for answers in my life now, I just long for the peace and presense of Jesus. What I hungery and thrist for more than anything is for miricles or impossible (Which God does this) but just to be with Jesus. I just feel beat down most days it seems. Most of which stems for feeling of failure. God used the day I got immunizations to just bathe me in a reality check. MOST PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY ARE FAILING. So i have just been praying for Gods love to bathe me in His presense and love.

Here is your reminder: Most everyone feels like they are failing, got uses them and blesses them still!

Status on where we are

In hoping to be as transparent as possible through our fundraising process below you will find our current financial status.

Pre Trip Costs: $3,400 (depending on cost of plane tickets)
Pre Trip Projected Raised: $3,266 (Based on current monthly donations)
Pre Trip Still Needed: $134

Monthly Support Costs: $2,200
Monthly Support Pledged: $1,265.5
Monthly Support Needed: $934.50

As you see we are still looking for more people to begin support before we can purchase plane tickets and visas and all together still looking for 29 people to support us or pledge $30 a month and we will be fully supported. Our goal is still to be fully funded by October and leave for Cameroon in November. If you’re able to support with less than $30 per month that is perfectly fine, we have just been using $30 per month as measuring unit. As a reminder, Wycliffe needs to see a couple of months before we leave to near our support goal so we can purchase our flight tickets and visas. If you prefer to begin supporting us once we leave for Cameroon please reach out to mrjanowiak@gmail.com or gracebyfaith@aim.com so we know what is being pledged and how often you plan on pledging that amount as we are unable to leave until our support is pledged or monthly amounts are coming in.

Day 7 of Detox Day one of Couch to 5K

Wow does that title make us sound like heath freaks.

I have been wanted to do a detox for sometime now, I picked up the book at the Jackson Public Library- Teri Kerr's Ultimate Detox Diet. When I got it I thought I could get some ideas about general health, now here we are trying it. We will be doing it strict for 4 weeks. Its purpose is to detox the liver. I personal think its laid out easy and makes sense.
What I am learning now; discipline, self control and setting goals. Starting it I wasn't really thinking I would be learning these specific things. Inspired by the amount of energy I had and finding free ways to have short term goals. I have worked out on and off with no goal or push to keep at something. I don't think weight loss is a good goal for myself- a great side effect and reward. I think saying I will complete a detox diet, and the couch to 5k are goals I can focus on. A.) because there is an "end date" B.) I have something that works as a plan already laid out for me and tested.

Anyways updates and info people have been asking about it:
It's a plant based diet for 2 weeks, but very laid out for you to eat a balanced amount of food so you don't starve.

Breakfast Shake every morning: citrus fruit, lemon, ginger, flax seed oil, Cayenne pepper, juice (grape or cranberry or pomegranate)
Snack veg juice
lunch veggie, starch, legume
snack fruit and nuts
snack fruit and seeds
Dinner same a lunch

Very general idea for it that the 1st 2 weeks. I would never classify myself or Mark as a emotional eater, but I now notice things I would have eaten simply because...it was social eating, the food was there, evening snacks, and while watching movies.

So no we don't plan on doing it forever, but want to do it again in the fall.

Now on to the C25K

Today we did Day 1
Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. (www.coolrunning.com)

Let me tell you thank goodness for podcast for this. They have a music track for it that chimes when you need to stop and start jogging. www.c25k.com

I think I will be doing them Mon, Wen, Fri. But I just trying to figure that into my schedule. I think since its going to be hot it will become my morning thing, otherwise I would do them in the afternoon.

So yay for Short term Goals

Next Blog will be about Goals for Cameroon.

So close yet so far

prayer letters, let me say it again, prayer letters.
so close, but so far. Tomorrow should be the big day that we stuff and prepare to hand our heart over in a letter to family and friends.
i sent my passport out
it feels far and close to leaving.

with all that has gone on i have re-passioned my love for creating. mostly due to stress relief. it is such a blessing to create for work, it is something that has been my therapy in hard or stressful times.

i started spending my lunch breaks inspiring myself on the blackberry looking at different types of recycling art. Come home and spend my 10 minutes to build something in a fury that has been building all day. I have a few finished projects, several half projects.

yesterday God answers prayers in still small voices, i just felt overwhelmed all the time that my ability to sit and listen to God or really hear just melted away with 3 year old voices, a crazy schedule and just plain being married. look for inspiration and His word through out my day. Today was just so awesome to think about little ways i planned to sip tea with God. my heart thirst for Him, to sing, to create for him, to be still with Him.

my favorite song right now is Beautiful Things by Michael Gungor. it lifts me up to create for Him and to be in the Spirit with him.

He answered my pray, my desire to be in the spirit with Him more each day.