MISSION REPORT 2008: Gretchen Harro and Nancy Haynes ~ Cameroon

Gretchen Harro (above) and Nancy Haynes are Wycliffe Bible Translators of the Yemba language in Yaoundé, Cameroon, W. Africa.

Dear Friends,

July 31 was a red letter day as the GNINTEDEM family returned to Cameroon after 4 years of advanced training in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Nancy and I drove the 4+ hours down to Douala with Father Christosthome, to be part of the reception for Jean-Claude, Sylvie, Mael and Chris as they were enthusiastically greeted by family and friends at the airport. (J-C's adult nephew jumped into his arms as soon as he saw him.) The next day we drove them and their baggage back up to the Western Province where they had a spiritual retreat as a family, as they had requested. We look forward to having them back in the project and living in Dschang, and sense that this will be the beginning of a special chapter in Yemba translation history. Pastor Herman, a potential translation team member, has now been assigned as a second pastor at the main church in Dschang and at last it seems possible for him to have time to become involved with the translation team. In addition, the head mainline Protestant pastor is Pastor Fabien, a Yemba pastor we have known since our first years here and of whom we have often thought as an ideal Pastor-President for the region - and now indeed he is! So here we have 3 dynamic people with a desire for Bible translation, all in Dschang! In terms of local human resources, this is the best it has ever looked for the Yemba project.

The process of getting the Gnintedem Family back to Cameroon was a faith-building experience for all of us. In April we had started contacting members of the Yemba community about contributing for the cost of the plane tickets (about $2000) but by mid-July were still lacking $500. What to do? We prayed and in faith went ahead and told Jean-Claude to make the reservations for the end of the month. The next week the Lord brought in the $500, mostly from people who had already been contacted but who had not yet responded - they were there in the wings but we didn't know it. It was exciting to the church leaders, too, to see how God wanted us to move ahead without seeing exactly how it would happen. To God be the glory!

Our AIDS friends (2 widows with children) in the village are enjoying the best health they have had in the 3+ years of taking anti-retro-virals, which really are free now. It is great to see them being able to raise their children and give them Christian values.

Saturday mornings, Nancy and I enjoy working in our ever expanding garden, chopping back the luxuriant semi-tropical growth of vines, bushes and trees: avocado, guava, hibiscus, lantana, passion fruit and jasmine. And planting arugula, basil and various lettuces.

Just lately we were able to host a couple in the village, here in Cameroon for the Presbyterian church who incidentally hail from San Francisco: Chris and Ann de Jong. They loved the feel of the mountain weather, very much like Frisco with its early morning fog, and cool mist with rain through-out our summer months. A welcome change from the warm forest climate of Yaounde.

So friends, together let us praise a powerful sovereign God who continues to do great things in Yemba-land, making people thirsty for his Word. And setting the stage for more use of Yemba scriptures in the local churches!

Thank you friends at Union Pres for your faithful prayer and financial support to the Yemba Bible translation project here in Cameroon.

All God's blessings,
Gretchen Harro

July 2008

Field Address: Gretchen Harro/ SIL/ BP 1299/ Yaounde, Cameroon, West Africa
Headquarters (for contributions): Wycliffe Bible Translators/PO Box 628200/ Orlando, FL 32962-8200