Cameroon, Africa April 24th, 2008 Final Report

Dearest Friends,

AN AMAZING TIME IN CAMEROON!

This was a very special trip! In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined some of the incredible things that we saw God do in Africa. We shared the love of Jesus with thousands and thousands of children and heard thousands praying in soft whispers or out loud. Many prayed quietly and told us afterwards that they prayed either verbally or by raising their hands.
This is a sweet sight to see! To be honest, I do not usually ask for this kind of response because I’m never sure if it’s culturally correct. Our Cameroon partner, Silas, did this and that is why we were blessed to know how many responded. The children were very shy and this response was a big step for them. Please pray for them to grow strong in their new faith! Their love for Jesus can change Cameroon! More, we found ourselves standing in places that sounded like some great old missionary adventure like the books I read as a child. We stood where witch doctors (jujus) stood and shared Jesus. Tribal chiefs (fons) invited us into their palaces. We saw children walk four miles to come to a puppet show. God opened doors for us to share in Muslim areas and He sent us huge crowds. More, they listened! Adults and children of all faiths trusted in Jesus. They told us!
Doors opened to private, public and Catholic schools. Children thanked us. Priests thanked us. Muslims thanked us. They all were grateful for the program. Chiefs gave us gifts. Not only were we thanked with encouraging words, we received a goat, two live roosters, and a bag of potatoes.
God blessed us with a wonderful new team. Silas, Mary and Humphrey will do a great job for the kingdom leading this new team. Please pray for others that the Lord will call to join with them in this very important work. Pray especially for transportation to and from shows!
Because you prayed, God touched the hearts of a dear couple that provided the funds to supply forty-six schools with children’s Bible storybooks. Now, the children in these Northwestern schools will grow up with our Father’s stories. Because of their generosity we were also able to provide a young pastor in the Northwest – not with the ten Bibles he requested – but with forty so he could teach three youth Bible studies. When we return there in two years, we hope to start a new puppet team choosing team members from this group.
We are forever changed by our time in Cameroon and so excited to see what God will do in Kazan, Russia. We leave on May 1st for another great adventure in following Jesus that requires your faithful prayers!

ONE INCREDIBLE BUNCH OF FRIENDS

This was an extremely rough trip for me physically, but God, the amazing puppet team (Sam, Silvana and Heather) and our Cameroon friends (Silas, Mary and Humphrey) took such precious care of me. They gave me their strength so that I could be strong for the children. I am so humbled by their gifts. On the way home, the Father blessed me through a Swiss Air employee. We always fly economy and arrive coming or going quite tired. When we arrived at the airport in Doula, they put me in business class. On very short flights, I have been upgraded but never on a long flight. I had so much leg room and my legs didn’t swell as they usually do. More, the food was perfect for a diabetic diet. And I slept great! The team said that I looked so well rested when I reached Zurich that they were shocked at the difference. Again, coming to Atlanta, I was blessed as no one sat beside me and I had two seats to stretch out and enjoy. I came home so rested! Thank you Father!

INTERESTING STORIES, BLESSINGS, AND FUNNY THINGS

1.) On the flight from Africa, I sat beside a man from Croatia who lives in the Hungarian speaking part of Slovakia but works on an oil rig off the coast of Africa. His English was broken, but I was able to share with him about Jesus. His response warmed my heart. He said, “I know I have never heard anyone speak like you. It is so wonderful. I must tell you I like it.” Please pray for him to come to faith. Ask God to send others to him to finish sharing Jesus with this hungry soul. I knew he was listening because at one point he told me that he collected airline silverware. He stole it! Then he laughed a nervous laugh and said, “Oh, I should not steal sitting by you. I will ask if I can steal it.” He did! The flight attendant brought it to him wrapped in a linen napkin. You can have anything you want in business class! (Hee hee) For over thirty-three years he has worked oil rigs all over the world, but he never remembers hearing the Gospel. Please, please !
pray for him.
2.) You may be wondering what happened to the chief’s roosters. On our last day in Cameroon, we ate them. Silas cooked them and they were delicious!
3.) What happened to the goat? Normally people give a male goat as a gift but it turned out that the chief gave us a much more valuable female goat to show us his true gratitude. A female goat is not to be eaten because it increases the wealth of the person who owns it because you can have offspring. The goat is happily living in the Northwest and Silas promises to cook some of its offspring for us on our next trip.
4.) People in Cameroon eat hippo, monkey, and rat. The rats are fourteen to fifteen pounds and we saw them hanging on sticks for sale on the side of the road. One of our friends described them this way: “The rats here are so big that they say, ‘Here, kitty, kitty.’” Snake is considered a real treat! And expensive!
5.) Clumps of grass in the road tell you to slow down; there is a problem ahead or an accident. They cut clumps of grass to warn drivers because they don’t have emergency markers.
6.) Everyone must always carry their identity papers or they risk going to jail. All of the passengers must also provide their documents, not just the driver.
7.) All of the chicken that we ate in the villages was very tough and sometimes raw in places. Only as we were leaving did we find out that this is the way they like it and they wanted to really bless us with “good” chicken.
8.) There are alot of bugs in Africa. I took showers with roaches that were 2 to 3 inches long. I confess that I love these trips and the incredible places that the Father allows us to share, but I found out that I do not like centipedes. At least, when you have to share your room with 24 of them. When I told one missionary who was from Central African Republic this embarassing truth, she told me about the monster centipedes that they have there. Sometimes, you just need perspective to appreciate the bugs you have.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Our plans are to leave May 1st for Kazan, Russia. I have very few days at home because of an opportunity that opened for us at this particular time. Please ask God to make Sam, Silvana and me well rested for this next trip. Please ask the Father to give us wisdom and clear minds as we have many details to sort before we leave.

In Jesus,

Linda for Sam, Silvana, Anna and Heather

Cameroon, Africa April 21st, 2008

Cameroon and Home.

Dearest Friends,

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday night, we leave for home. We will actually begin our journey early in the day as we have a four-hour drive to the airport with many checkpoints. As I write you these words, we have just finished our last show in Africa. Yesterday and today, we saw so many children trust in Jesus! Praise God!

More, we feel very good about our new team. The 3 main members, Silas, Humphrey, and Mary have traveled with us all over the country. Much training has happened as we traveled. Please pray for these dear friends. They hope to do their first show within the next month.

Please pray for Cameroon. A day to mourn the death of democracy was called for today. However, so far, no one has responded. People are concerned about riots. Please pray for peace, not just for today, but keep praying for all the brothers and sisters you have here. These dear children and friends need our continued prayer support.

Customs here can sometimes be difficult. Just pray as we go to the airport. Please cover the new team and us with your prayers! Rejoice in all the Father has done in Cameroon!!!

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine
Heather Kelley

Cameroon, Africa April 19th, 2008

Please disregard the last of our newsletters dated April 17 and 19 as it was sent in error. The latest news is given below. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks again for your support in prayer, which we really value!


April 18th 2008

Dearest Friends,

OUR LAST DAY

Our last day in the Northwest was an answer to prayer. We asked the Father to make it special because all of us are sad at the thought of leaving these wonderful children. He is so faithful! Our first program was in an all-Muslim area, but we had received special permission from the government to be in the public schools. Isn’t that awesome?

Children from 5 schools, public, Christian, and Muslim gathered in a big field. The teachers came too. Though we were not able to pray with the children, we did teach them how to pray and call on Jesus to save them. Many of the children walked a good distance, but no one seemed to mind.


WHAT WE SEE

The grandeur of God’s creation surrounds us. This is a beautiful place! There are no tourists in Cameroon because they lack a developed infrastructure. The things that travelers demand do not exist here, but the views are spectacular. We passed a tea plantation full of workers very early as we were going to the morning show. Eucalyptus trees grow everywhere.

The schools are scattered along winding dirt roads and usually have dirt floors. They have precious few supplies and not many books. We have been with thousands and thousands of children, but not a one has had glasses. It’s not that they don’t need them. They are not available.

Many children in rural areas walk up to 3 miles each way to school. Some walk even further. Many children that we see are wearing torn, dirty clothing. Others have birth defects that would have been treated in the West. Here, they endure.


MARY’S FATHER’S CHURCH

Mary’s father loved the Lord and planted two churches in the Muslim area that we worked in on our last day in the Northwest. A Muslim man even donated the land where the church is built. In this area, so many children, mostly Muslim, gathered in a field, sitting in tall grass. They listened to a story about the miracles of Jesus Christ and heard testimonies of changed lives. Then we made balloons for everyone. A large group of men patiently waited so that they could also have a flying mouse balloon. Everyone left very happy.


April 19th, 2008

DJOKO BORIS AND BRANDON

Djoko Boris and Brandon are 2 little boys, about 11 years old, and best friends. Today, they became brothers in Christ. At an outside puppet show, just before a storm, they asked Jesus to be their Savior. Then they came up to thank me.

THE FACE OF AIDS

In the North West, we met Mymona, a grandmother who is raising her grandchildren. Both of her daughters and their husbands are dead from AIDS. This is a common story as so many die daily here. This place is full of orphans.

BLESSINGS

Today, we smiled as we did a show on the steps of a large church. When the children heard that Jesus healed the blind man, they all clapped. It is a good thing to be like a small child!

Today, we received a texted thank you from the Catholic priest in Ndu. He was very grateful for the puppet show we did where hundreds attended. We told all the children how they could trust Jesus and prayed with them.

BACK IN YAOUNDE – PRAYER REQUESTS

We returned safely from the North West and we appreciate your prayers. While we were in the villages, the President of Cameroon declared himself President for life, changing the constitution. The government is renowned for its corruption and trouble was expected. To stop the potential for riots, more armed checkpoints were established. Consider that we passed through 36 stops on our way to Ndu and there were many more stops on our return to Yaounde. All were armed.

We are scheduled to leave Cameroon at 10 pm Tuesday night, but must travel 4 hours across the country to reach Douala. More, we must finish training our new team. Please pray for us. There is much to do. Also it is extremely hot here and we are all very tired. Because we are back in the city, there is a lot of pollution. Ask the Father to give us strength and wisdom for the days that remain.

In Jesus,
Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine - French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor, Humphrey Nformi – Cameroonian Directors

Cameroon, Africa April 17th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

A FIELD OF CHILDREN

Children from three schools gathered for an early morning program. As our friend Mary said, “Their number was uncountable.” They were so excited and full of joy as they delighted in every part of the program. When we finished, even the teachers were excited! As we left, they lined the sides of the road as they walked back to school. The children laughed, smiled, and waved. We are rich!


JONAH’S STORY

Sam told the children the story of Jonah at a place called Jirt. His story held them spellbound. They responded to the story with the same enthusiasm that they had greeted us with when we arrived. Two schools were waiting for us in a large church. A roar escaped the building as we arrived.

It was quite a trip to get to this place. All of the roads that we are traveling on are dug out by hand and rougher than you can imagine. We hugged the side of a mountain as we drove into a deep valley. Farms crawled up its sides. The view was spectacular, but the children’s smiles were the best part of the afternoon. Dozens and dozens of children trusted in Jesus. Praise God!

PURE JOY

At the second and fourth program we experienced pure joy. The children had waited fro us to come all day. They were so excited with every single ting we did. Best of all, they prayed by the hundreds. Each day is such a display of God’s Holy Spirit moving among the children. I can never express to you the joy and wonder that is ours. Please stay on your knees! Tomorrow, Friday is our 12 hour drive home. You would not believe the roads. Pray for “walka fine” which is pigeon English and it means safe journey.


MIKE

It’s been over 2 ½ years since Mike went home. Perhaps, you think it odd that I still miss him desperately, but I don’t. I loved him and prayed for him for over 34 years. His loss does not cripple me, but it has birthed in me a deep tenderness that I never though possible. Mike always had a greater compassion then I possessed. All this pain has been used by our Father to grow my heart. IN spite of everything and through everything, I am so grateful.

When I stand in front of the children and look into their eyes, I see such deep need and pain. I pray the Father lets Mike glimpse what I see. These children are worth whatever price we must pay, with our bodies and our finances, to tell them about Jesus who is their only hope. He is my only hope!

Sunday morning, I shared part of In Jesus, my story and encouraged wives to love their husbands and husbands to love their wives. I encourage you as you read these words to live lives marked by expressions of deep love. Our marriages must reflect the glory and wonder of our Father if we are to show this broken world His love

Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine - French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mare Nfor

Cameroon, Africa April 16th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

GOD’S PLEASURE

Yesterday morning, I told the story of Jonah. Two schools gathered and the crowed numbered hundreds. The Father gave me a sweet gift. Each year, Sam and I tell hundreds of stories, but sometimes we feel the Father’s pleasure. As I told this story, I felt His delight. He reminded me of the joy of obedience and the sweet wonder of being His daughter. I pray as you read these words, you will be encouraged and remember how amazing it is that as believers, we can call God our Father. How awesome that we are His sons and daughters!

JUJU’S

We went into Ndu to use an internet Café. Our return home was delayed by many juju’s and their followers running down the street. First, a group of barefoot young men in traditional African clothes ran down the road, carrying branches and screaming. Then, some different juju’s came running and shouting.

Finally, 2 juju’s came holding 2 ropes that were tied to a man all dressed in black with a huge mask that made his head 5 times the normal size. An educated young man standing near us said: “Step back, they can hurt people.”

This land is bound by fear and superstition. The reality of demonic activity is not stood by most people. The juju’s give themselves to a power they do not understand. They are evil men, but they need your prayers. How might this area change if the chief juju came to Jesus? Pray for great deliverance!

BLESSINGS AND ADVENTURES

1. We visited a local market. It was fascinating, so many things to see that are so different from home. The thing we noticed most was that there was absolutely nothing for sale that you could not work with, wear, or eat. This is a very poor place and people have so little.

2. At 2 puppet shows on Tuesday, we again praised God as hundreds of children prayed out loud.

3. We are all so blessed materially. Everyday we are reminded of this truth as we see so many children wearing torn, dirty clothes. Each of us feels a burden to better use for the kingdom what the Father has entrusted to us.

4. Outside of must churches, they have a bell to call people. Actually, it’s a wheel drum or part of an oxygen tank with a large stick.

5. A pastor said after a show: “The seed has been planted and we pray that it will not decay in Jesus name.”

6. One group of children left the show singing “Jesus loves the little children” to an African rhythm. It was wonderful!

7. Fufu is the staple food of this area. It’s ground corn that is cooked to a mush. When you eat it you roll it into a ball with other things on your plate. Silas sings: “Fufu in the morning, fufu in the evening, fufu all day long.” Sometimes this is true for us.

PRAY REQUESTS

Our time in the Northwest is almost finished. Please pray for these last shows and our 12 hour ride home on Friday. Also, begin to pray for the remaining days in Yaounde where we will finish training a team and give away the equipment.


In Jesus,
Linda Summer for
Sam Shaw - Assistant Director
Silvana S. Shaw
Anna McIlwaine - French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor
Humphrey Indiformi

Cameroon, Africa April 15th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

Note-Please know that i have not been able to check my personal email for 5 days and do not expect to be able to check it for another 3 days.


CHILDREN, THUNDER AND RAIN

After yesterday, I could not have imagined that today would be so special. We had seen God move in such an incredible way with the chiefs that I confess I did not have big enough expectations for today. The Father surprised us. Our favorite show of the day was at a rural school just outside Ndu town. We set up on a hill surrounded by the most incredible views of the mountains and the forest. The children came and sat or stood on the grass and we began the program.

In the middle of the Bible story, the sky suddenly grew very dark and it began to rain. However, the children made absolutely no effort to leave. It rained harder and harder but they continued to stay and listen to the Gospel. They were so hungry. None of us were willing to quit when we saw how determined they were to watch the program. Even the teachers, the head chaplain, and the headmaster stayed. Everyone wanted to see.

When we finished the show, we gave the children an opportunity to receive Christ. They responded by praying very loudly and with great enthusiasm. I told the children, “You will always remember today, the day you asked Jesus to be your Savior sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm surrounded by beautiful trees on the top of a mountain.” Through the years I’ve met so many Tpeople who aren’t sure when they asked Jesus to be their Savior. They can’t remember. These children will never have that problem.

BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS

God has given us an incredible opportunity and we need your help. Someone who is reading this e-mail needs to adopt this project and help us to meet a very special need. Since we have been in Cameroon, God has shown us great favor with all the government officials in the areas where we have worked. It is the same in this area. All of the public schools are open to us. Also, all of the private schools have welcomed us, no matter which denomination they are. Today we received a request. We can place Bible story books in each of the 43 schools run by the Cameroon Baptist Convention in this district. They have no supplies to teach the children Bible stories except for the Bible. Children do not even have individual copies of the Bible, but more, children need pictures. We want these children to grow up hearing all of the wonderful stories in God’s Word.

The area chaplain spoke to me today. He had a very simple request. He told me about growing up as a little boy in this area and hearing Bible stories, and how much they had meant to him. He said that none of these teachers even have a Bible story book to read to the children. When I heard him talking, God began to give me this idea. I want to place well illustrated Bible story books in each of these 43 schools. I would like to place at least 2 copies in each school so the staff can share them to teach the children.

This is an incredible opportunity to impact children in this area of Cameroon for the Gospel. This is a very small request. To be honest, the bigger part of this expense will be the shipping. Please pray. I believe that someone who is reading this e-mail today can respond to this very urgent need.

HARD LESSONS

I would love to tell you that I always know just the right thing to do at a program and always do it. However, that would not be true, and today was a good example. At our first show today we had a real problem with the children staying quiet. I allowed myself to become distracted by the noise in the room and did not do the best job I could have done telling the story. I also confess that I was frustrated with the teachers who were not helping us. Despite my lack of focus, God was kind to us. Many children prayed to receive Christ. Ironically, an Irish nun came up to me after the show. She told me she had never seen the children so well behaved. She was amazed at how well they listened. Again, the Father showed us great mercy.

I used my mistakes as an illustration to teach our new puppet team what not to do. At the second show, we had similar problems but my focus was completely on Jesus. That made all the difference. So today, I taught our new team what not to do and what to do. I marvel at God’s forgiveness. I am grateful for all the lessons that He continues to teach me.

PRAYER REQUESTS

We are still in the North West and request your prayers for these children. Our days are long but we are very happy. Last night, on our way home from the incredible Sunday that God had given us, we had a flat tire in the dark and in the rain. Then we accidentally stood in a nest of carpenter ants. This accident made our lives very interesting as some of them got in the car with us on the way home. Then the motorcycle of the youth pastor broke down in front of us. They had to push his bike up several hills before we could find someone who could help him. We were in the middle of nowhere. Our own ride home was also an adventure as the roads had become giant mud puddles. We slipped, bumped and slid our way to the house. So, please pray for us as we are traveling. Please pray for our driver Dennis who is doing a great job and loves the Lord. Please ask God to make us wise as we share with the children.

Love in Jesus,
Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Heather Kelley
Silas and Mary Nfor – Cameroonian Director
Humphrey

Cameroon, Africa April 14th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

THE CHIEF’S DREAM AND A GOAT

God gave us the most wonderful answer to your prayers! The chief gave us permission to share with his children, but more, to do a show inside the palace compound. He even came out and sat on his throne, watching the entire program. We saw hundreds of children praying out loud, calling on Jesus to save them. I met with one group of children and their pastor who had walked over 4 miles to come to the show. We were all humbled by their desire.

When we finished, the chief was so pleased that he posed for pictures with us. He declared, “I have joy for the words that I have heard.” Then he asked us to eat with him. Since we could not stay because we had a prior invitation to eat with the pastor of the local church, he gave us a stalk of bananas. This is not a single bunch, but an entire stem full of bananas.

While we were packing, he decided that he had not done enough. We were presented with a live goat. There was only one thing to do. This gift could not be refused. We tied the goat and the bananas to the roof and went to our next show. We are still traveling on very rough roads and the goat was not happy. We did not need a horn. His bleating told everyone that we were coming.

How did all of these incredible things happen? First, we saw God move so powerfully because so many people must have been praying. Then, in answer to so many prayers, God sent the chief a dream. We were invited into the palace for a private audience. That is how we found out about his dream. He received us because the night before we came he dreamed that a car load of people were coming to see him from Yaounde. When we arrived, he saw God’s hand. Isn’t this incredible? Our friends told us that they were so surprised by his openness. Normally, he would not have behaved this way.

More, during our private audience, Sam and I were both given the opportunity to share with him. Sam told him the story of the good Samaritan and how he could know Jesus. He also brought him greetings from the people of Ireland. That was funny.

I shared my own story of faith and included Mike’s testimony. I told him that the only hope for his children, for his people is Jesus Christ. He and the queen mother listened. Please pray for this man to come to faith in Christ. The jujus (witchdoctors) share his palace. He lives in the dark and desperately needs the light that only Jesus can give.

All of us are in awe of our Father! Who stands where witchdoctors stand and shares Christ? God is so good!

POTATOES AND TWO ROOSTERS

While the team set up, I was taken to meet the second chief by myself. We walked through 3 inner courtyards, following the chief’s torchbearer (his right hand man). Then one of the men with us coughed. It is not proper to call for a chief out loud. This chief is a believer.

The chief came, welcomed me and said, “I believe God will give you the strength to do the job He has given you.” Then he said he would pray for me to go everywhere with this work. He added some more words about how God would take care of me.

When I heard his words, I was stunned. All day long, I had been missing Mike and his leadership as our director. I had confessed to the Father how inadequate I felt and mostly, how much I miss my husband. Then God spoke to me through a man I have never met, who knew nothing of my circumstances. I was so encouraged and comforted.

The chief gave me gifts before we left. I received a 50 pound bag of potatoes and 2 roosters in baskets. We tied these on the roof with the goat. He bleated through the Bible story, but seemed happier once we tied the chickens on the roof. I think he was lonely.

Again the children responded powerfully to the Gospel and prayed loudly, calling on Jesus. Praise God!

SILAS’ VILLAGE

Sam was just beginning to tell his story when the rooster on top of the roof started to crow. It is entertaining traveling with livestock! We also had the opportunity to meet Silas's mother. Please hold her in your prayers as her husband just went home to be with the Lord in December.

The children were so very excited and Sam did a great job telling the story. In soft whispers, they trusted Jesus.

SUNDAY MORNING

We spent Sunday morning in a rural Baptist church where Silas’ father had preached. The singing was like what you would expect in heaven. They sang, “Today is the day of decision, tomorrow will be too late.” In a place where so many have AIDS and die, these words carry more weight.

They danced down the isles to give their offering. Last week more than 300 people attended and gave CFA 9,000 ($21.80). This is a huge offering for people who live in houses made of mud bricks that they made themselves. The roofs are thatch and the floor is dirt. They truly have nothing, but they give.

The church was in rough shape. You could hear the bats that filled the ceiling and their guano was on the benches. The smell was very, very strong. The walls were dirty and cracked. The front wall was decorated with scenes of Christ’s return and scriptures. Outside the windows, huge mountains rose against a blue sky. I remembered the scripture, “I will look unto the hills from whence comes my strength and my salvation.” No one cared about where they were sitting. Their focus seemed to be only on Jesus.

Sam preached a great sermon, and I gave a missionary report, but those stories will have to wait until tomorrow. We are all exhausted!

Please hold us in your prayers as we will be doing shows in schools and at a market on Tuesday.

In Jesus,
Linda for
Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Heather Kelley
Humphrey
Silas and Mary Nfor – Cameroonian Directors

Cameroon, Africa April 13th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

NKAMBE STREET SHOW
Can you imagine setting up to do a puppet show beside a mosque where they were praying, across from a bar full of loud patrons, in the middle of a funeral with dancing juju’s (witchdoctors), accompanied by a pickup truckload of men carrying rifles and shotguns, and beside us there was an empty army truck with a stack of AK-47's and one soldier behind us? This is how we spent Saturday afternoon. By God’s grace, we were blessed with this privilege.

Only a month ago, this whole country was torn a part by riots. People burned and looted houses, cars, and gas stations. Seventy people died and over 700 went to prison. But now, God has given us peace and calm. We have an opportunity.

The Father sent us 400 children, teenagers, and adults. They stood in the street, across the street and a big crowd even gathered behind us. Though we did not pray with them, we clearly explained the Gospel and how to ask Jesus to be your Savior. Praise God! The crowd was very large but amazingly well behaved; we had no problems. We prayed and the mayor gave us permission for this location. More, God sent two new friends who were able to share with six Muslim men as we did the program.
Please pray for all of the people who came to the show today to remember what they heard and trust in Jesus Christ.

TWO MORE SHOWS

At two other shows today we were blessed to see dozens and dozens of children trusting in Jesus! We also saw 4 funerals and 1 wedding. We met Natalie, a wonderful older lady who walked up and down the street in the rain to gather the children for a program. Mostly, the children are very quiet, staring at us in wide eyed wonder. One pastor said, “We have seen and heard things today that we could not imagine or even dream. We will think about these things the rest of our lives.”

PEACE

We are far away from all that is familiar and yet we are so at peace, even though we are stared at by children and even adults, we feel safe and loved. We take the attention as an opportunity for the Kingdom. Since we have been in the Northwest, we have only seen 4 other white people, 2 Irish nuns and 2 people doing ministry. It is no wonder that we are a curiosity.

3 H GIRLS

In Binka, we met a lovely group of girls today, the 3 H girls. They wore sky blue dresses and bright red hats. The H stands for head, hearts, and hands…all for Jesus. This program teaches young girls scripture, spiritual growth, and respect for their parents. They sing, “Christian girls for Jesus, Now that we believe, We will love and serve God in everything we do.” When our friend Mary was a little girl, she belonged to this group. There are badges to earn just like Girl Scouts. This is a wonderful ministry!

PRAYER REQUESTS

On Monday, we have programs at church schools, both Protestant and Catholic, please pray.

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Assistant Director
Silvana
Anna French Director
Heather

Cameroon, Africa April 12th, 2008

Dearest Friends,


THE PIED PIPER

There is an old fairy tale of a piper who charmed all of the children in a village with his music and they followed him. Today, God poured out His Spirit on Sam and Silas and they led several hundred children and adults to a church for a puppet show. Muslim children followed them, as well as church kids and children who never came to church.

Two of the children played drums; one was as big as the boy who carried it. They sang as they gathered the children and we heard them coming long before they arrived. I got some of the most incredible pictures! More than 50 children trusted Jesus! The Lord blessed us and blessed us. We love this work!


THE MOST WONDERFUL GIFT

We have been given the most wonderful gift. We are in the Northwest, traveling to villages in remote areas. The roads are all dirt, rocky, and very dusty. You cannot imagine how rough these roads are. We are all thrown about in the car. It’s a day long roller coaster ride.

Today, when we came home, my white hair looked light brown. We were all so dirty! Sam and Silas were especially dusty because they had ridden to some shows holding onto the back of the land rover. We all prayed that they would not fall off. Silas said it reminded him of his childhood growing up in the mountains. When he was 8, the back of the land rover was his spot. Sam was a farmer before he became a puppet director, so he counted it a lovely ride. I confess that I really wanted to try it, but I was wise enough to know this adventure was beyond me.

We know such great joy! Today, we traveled to even more remote places. We have met with children sitting in the dirt, on benches carried from churches, and many stand. They watch us from the moment we arrive until we pack the last box. They consider it all part of the program. These children are very dear. No one tries to crowd us or grab equipment like we have experienced in other countries.

At one show, high on a mountain, over looking other bigger mountains, over 140 children and adults walked to the show. Some of the children were very small and all were so dirty and so very poor. Honestly, I was not happy with the job I did telling story, but at this place dozens of children prayed loudly to receive Christ.

All of us were reminded that it is only God’s Holy Spirit that calls children, not anything we do. Though we always seek to do our best, it is only our Father who should ever receive any praise!

They gave us banana's to thank us. None of us wanted to eat anything. The children looked so hungry, but we did not want to disrespect their gift. We ate a banana and then broke all the rest in a half and shared them. I had told the children how Jesus multiplied the fish and the bread for the crowd. I was praying that He would bless the bananas too!


I WANT TO SEE

We arrived at our second show at 12:00 and found out that the children had been waiting since 8:00. There had been a miscommunication with the schedule and all of us were confused. I am so blessed by Sam, Silvana, Anna and Heather. They were hungry but when they found out how long the children had been waiting, they did the show and ate later. There were no complaints, only joy as we watched a precious few trust Jesus. There were more than 250 people gathered outside the church. Please ask the Father to call the people of Wanti to Himself. Please ask the Lord to bless these children with deep faith. They wanted to see so much that many walked great distances over very rough ground.

Prayer Request

Tomorrow is Sunday and Sam is preaching. Also we have an opportunity to do two shows in a tribal palace area. Please pray for these opportunities and ask God to make us very wise.

In Jesus, please keep praying.

Linda for

Sam Assistant Director
Silvana
Anna French Director
Heather

Cameroon, Africa April 11th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

Jesus Vous Aine!

Jesus a kong we

Jesus Loves You!

In French, in Libum (a tribal language) and in English we have been telling children how much Jesus cares for them. Now we are in the North West, 4 hours from any city, traveling to villages. Most of the children have never seen puppets, juggling clubs, a flute like Anna plays, or white people. Our whiteness instantly draws a crowd of curious onlookers. More important, too many do not know Jesus and they have no hope.

All of the comforts we hold onto in the West are missing from the lives of these village children. This area has many people with AIDS. These children are dirty and some come only with a shirt. I cleaned a little boy’s nose yesterday and he only stared at me with distant eyes. Many are sick. They respond best to smiles, a gentle touch, or music. They love to sing and surely their praises are some of the sweetest we have ever heard. This lack of things is their great blessing in one important way. They listen to stories about Jesus with hunger, usually responding in soft whispers. They are beautiful and each day we thank God that we are in Cameroon. Even the name of the country sounds like an adventure and by God's grace, we are having a great one!

Each day, we return very dirty and very tired, but so happy to have this sweet privilege. These children have a great need. They need to be someone’s priority. Please pray for the new team that we are seeking to establish in Cameroon. They will make these little ones their first priority. More, they will see them, really see them.

The Journey

The trip to the North West was a journey that lasted 12 hours. The countryside was spectacular, changing from savannah to hills and then to mountains with forests. The roads changed from paved to dirt with lots of holes and rocks. Some hugged the sides of the mountain and gave us views that made us want to shout praise to our Father for the wonder of His creation. Mist hung over the mountains and made several of us think of Taiwan and our dear friends there.

We passed many sights that caught our eyes. Most people walk and carry their burdens on top of their heads, unbelievably large piles of sticks, sacks of food, or big baskets. At one stop we were offered gold and silver rings, bread, sliced coconut and Chinese herbal remedies including “miraculous mosquito chalk.” All of these Vendors came to the window of our bush taxi. We passed a restaurant named Sweet Mother, a hotel named Melrose Place, The White House, and crossed the widest river in Cameroon, the Sanaga.

Men in long flat boats dove off the sides of the boat with a bucket. They scooped sand from the bottom and poled to the shore to dump their load.

Along the way, we shared Christ with a Muslim man that we bought hats from. When we told him that we were going to use the hats in a program to share Christ with children, we thought he would be upset. He surprised us all. As long as he had his money, he didn’t care. Still, we talked to him for a good time. Please pray for God to give him a love for truth, for Jesus.

Kenneth’s Story

The trip to the North West was very difficult for me physically and so I prayed constantly. That was wonderful because it enabled me to see a little boy named Kenneth that I would not have seen had I not been praying so much. He was selling sliced coconut on the side of the road like hundreds of other children. Why was I so drawn to him? The only answer is that God drew my eyes to him. I bought all of his remaining coconut and shared with him how I was doing this to teach him about Jesus who bought and paid for all of our sins on the cross. His eyes grew wide as I talked with him and he was so shocked when I told him to keep the coconut. I said it was a gift like the gift that Jesus gave us. Our friend Mary said he will never forget! Pray for Kenneth to hold onto Jesus!

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIllwaine
Heather Kelley
Silas & Mary Nfor


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Cameroon, Africa April 8th, 2008

Dearest Friends,

JACQUES-LOU, LAURENT-PAUL, PRECIOUS, SUZANNE AND HUMBLE

Imagine the incredible sound of 200 children singing praise to Jesus. This was the wonderful sound that greeted us as we climbed the steps to set up for our first show. They were accompanied by African drums and large gourds wrapped with a net of small brass bells. Everyone was clapping! One little boy even tried to clap to Anna’s flute music. That was funny.

In Cameroon, I am Mama Linda, Big Mother or Auntie Linda. Our team is Uncle Sam, Auntie Silvana, Auntie Anna and Auntie Heather. However, the children are having a lot of trouble pronouncing Heather’s name. She has even been called Auntie Hedgerow. I like that one!

Some of the children’s names are so different from the ones we normally hear, but they are beautiful. Today, we met Jacques-Lou and his twin brother Laurent-Paul. They were 2 of the more than 30 children who kept a promise to me at the end the program today. They promised to go and tell their teachers if they prayed with us to receive Jesus. So many did.

Silas and Mary’s little children, Suzanne, Precious and Humble, are also learning to use puppets. They are helping us at the puppet shows. Precious has such a sweet spirit.

THE MARKET

The Briquetterie is the market part of Yaounde. Each part of it specializes in a different kind of sales or service. All of the fruit and vegetable vendors are gathered together. They stack their apples in pyramids and arrange the mangoes in beautiful spirals. Other parts of the market are devoted to car parts and even computers. We visited the fabric section so that we could have proper African clothes for the villages. The colors are so fun and the patterns so different. Watch the e-mail for a link to photographs of us wearing our African clothes.

All through the market, you see many people walking around with things for sale stacked on their heads. One man walked past us carrying four large dead rats. He was selling rat poison. One man had a big shoe sitting on top of his head so you would know that he sells shoes. Another man was walking around with artificial flowers on his head and looked like a giant flower pot. Others have large flat baskets with different kinds of food arranged on top. Today I saw a man carrying a stool along with his basket. It appeared that you could sit down and eat while he held the tray for you. People here are very creative.

STREET SHOW

Our last show of the day on Tuesday was in front of a church, beside a busy street. The church brought out chairs and all of them filled with children and adults. They all listened very well and some prayed in soft whispers. However, the biggest blessing of the afternoon was all the people who stopped along the street and listened to the story of Peter walking on water. They heard the stories of Jesus and His miracles. This was wonderful. Afterwards, Anna and I went over and shook the hands of some of the men who had been watching at a distance. We wanted them to know that we were so glad they were there. Please ask God to call these people who listened on the street to faith in Him.

THREE SHOWS

On Monday we did three programs at different Catholic schools. They are even putting our photo in the Catholic newspaper. We all looked pretty dirty and tired.

At one school, the headmistress was especially excited. I had a wonderful time of talking with her for over 30 minutes after we finished. She thanked me so many times for the program. She said, “May God give you the strength to travel over the whole world and tell these stories.”

While we were alone, I had an opportunity to answer many questions that she had. More, I shared with her my own testimony, Mike’s story, and the faithfulness of God. Please pray that we will be able to schedule another puppet show with her children when we return from the North West. She has more than 900 children who did not hear the program.

At one school, the children stood for over an hour listening to the program. These children live very differently from most of your children. The main roads are paved, but the side roads are all dirt. You cannot do anything quickly as there is so much bureaucracy. Things that you take for granted are things that these children will never know. Most schools offer no music or art programs. Many children come to school hungry and will go home hungry. There are many beggars in the streets. Our hearts are often broken by how hard life is for the children here. We remain hopeful that if these children come to know Jesus Christ, their worlds will change.

STREET KIDS

Cameroon has an undetermined number of street children. Home is so bad that many go to the street to escape. What happens to these children? There are only a few ministries that target reaching them with the Gospel, but for most there is simply no help. More, there is no-one to see them. They sell drugs and become involved in prostitution in order to survive. They form groups of children with the younger ones doing whatever the older ones tell them to do. Children often go to the street as young as ten. God sees these children. Please pray that the Father would raise up a ministry in Cameroon that will target these children with the hope of Jesus.

THE GREAT STORYTELLER

The other night, while we were sitting around talking, the Lord gave us a really good idea. We want to be able to offer the children who pray with us a website where they can go to hear more stories and maybe watch a puppet show. We will call this site The Great Storyteller. We hope to have it up and running by August.

We want this site to be multi-lingual. This should be easy to accomplish by contacting our different directors around the world and asking them to send their own material to the site. There will be no links on this site to our respective websites as we want this to be a purely evangelistic tool, dedicated to the sole presentation of the Gospel with no “strings” to any given denomination or ministry. We want children to have a way to hear more stories about Jesus.

All of us were very excited by this idea and the Lord confirmed to us the very next day the need for The Great Storyteller. A woman came up to us after the program who was a teacher and begged for stories she could tell her children like the ones she had just heard during the show. She was at a Catholic school and very hungry to hear more about Jesus Christ. She said, “Please, I’ll buy them. Do you have anything?”

I told her about the website and she was so excited! Later, I found her with a group of children gathered around her. She was telling them all about the website and that it would just be a few months. A Catholic priest also told us that he would be waiting for us to get the Great Storyteller website running so that he could read the stories.
Please pray for this project. There is a real need to get this done!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we leave for the North West to do ministry in many small villages. We will drive for 11 to 12 hours to reach Bamenda. Please pray for travelling mercies as this will be an extremely long and tiring drive. More, please ask God to call many children to faith in this place. There is much ancestor worship in this region and many witchdoctors. We really need your prayers.

Love in Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Shaw – Assistant Director
Silvana Shaw
Heather Kelley
Anna McIlwaine – French Director
Silas and Mary Nfor – Cameroonian Directors

Cameroon, Africa, April 6th, 2008

The Motto of Cameroon is Paix Travail Patrie

Dearest Friends,

Friday April 4th

We are in Cameroon! I can hardly believe it. I sat in my bed tonight rejoicing and reading my Bible: “This is the message to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1: 1. Our hearts desire is to proclaim to the children of Cameroon His life, His Light and His hope. Please pray for us to be wise and kind. Ask the Lord to call many to Himself.

Already, we have felt his favor and His kindness. Imagine arriving in customs with 8 suitcases, four large plastic tubs and ten carry on’s. Consider that the biggest problem here is corruption and yet, we charged nothing and allowed to pass through customs with no problems. Praise God!

As we drove four hours from the airport, to reach Yaounde where we will begin our ministry on Saturday, we were stopped more than a dozen times by police. Every time our friend explained that we were missionaries and they let us pass. Usually, telling people that we are missionaries would get us in trouble. Last year, when we were in *************** we could have gone to jail, but here such knowledge kept us from a dozen searches.

Saturday, April 5th

Today we did two puppet shows, one outside on the street and the other in a church that was open on one side. The children are wonderful. Most have never seen many of the things that we brought with us. They are amazed and we are wonderfully blessed. A small little girl came up to me today and softly said, “You did very good on that story.” They laugh with Sam, loved Heather’s puppets, and smiled with Silvana. When the children heard how Jesus calmed the storm everyone clapped. We love Africa!

Sunday April 6th
Relationships are very important in the Church in Africa, We visited six different churches inviting them and their children to come to the puppet shows, that we will be doing on Monday and Tuesday. We visited a Catholic church where the Prime Minister of the country was in attendance. We told them that we would tell their children about Gods love and how they could know Jesus. What an amazing opportunity.

Blessings & Funny Things

1. Saturday evening, after the puppet shows, children workers from 7 churches gathered for training. Some of those attending had traveled 90 km. It was not an easy trip.
2. A Muslim man, was carrying cows feet and cows tails in a large basket, but he stopped to hear the Bible story. When would he come into a church!
3. Some of the teachers were amazed at the childrens response. No one had to tell them to be quiet, though traditionally children in Cameroon are very respectful.
4. We are doing programs in English and French. It is such a blessing to have Anna, our French director here to translate for us.
5. Our friends Silas and Mary Nfor are the biggest blessings. They take such wonderful care of us and love Jesus so much.
6. We have rented a van and hired a driver. Inside the van, near the top of the ceiling, he had painted all the rules. They were, “No smoking No Vomiting, No Discussion with the driver” It is always good to know the rules.
7. Someone asked Anna today if she wanted to get married and stay in Cameroon. Anna is young and pretty, but I am old and a white header. They also asked about me. This was really funny!

Please hold us in your prayers!

In Jesus,

Linda for

Sam Assistant Director
Silvana
Anna French Director
Heather

Cameroon, Africa April, 3rd, 2008

Dearest Friends,

We are traveling today to Cameroon, Africa! Please pour much prayer on this trip as this is a new country for us. We need wisdom. Also, we have been told that there are usually problems at customs. We have alot of equipment with us that we need you to pray safely to our dear friends in Cameroon.

Ask the Father to call many children to Himself and ask Him to raise up a strong new ministry there!

Please thank God for the wonderful opportunities that He gave me over the last month in the USA to meet with many people and share our vision for reaching the children of the world for Christ. More, I spent alot of time with my children and grandchildren. I am so happy! I finally got to hold precious Ian in my arms for the first time! Evangeline smiled at me and Luke knows my name. Paul sat with me in church at a wedding. I am also blessed to report that our oldest grandson George has put his trust in Jesus as his Savior! Praise God! Truly, the Father is very kind to me!

Thank you for praying!

In Jesus, Linda for
Sam Shaw-Asst.Director
Silvana Shaw
Anna McIlwaine-French Puppet Director
Heather Kelley