First, the words He’s given me for this new year and this trip:
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
For the Lord holds them by the hand.”
(Ps. 37:23,24 NLT)
And some words which have made me smile for several years now:
“If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us.” (2 Cor. 5:13,14 NLT)
This “craziness” has led me to use every drop of vacation I have right now, and a significant sum of savings in order to go to Cameroon, Africa, to see the place my grandparents lived and worked for much of their lives. My desire is that this trip will - somehow - bring much glory to God.
People are asking me what I’m going to do while I’m there so I thought I’d share a few things that are planned:
- We will hire a driver to take us from N’Djamena, Chad (the city we fly into) to Bongor, Chad – about 130 miles.
- At Bongor we will cross the river into Cameroon by dugout canoe – the same way my grandparents traveled so many times!
- A driver will meet us on the other side of the river and will take us the remaining miles to Yagoua – my grandparents’ village – where we will stay at a Catholic mission, which is also where meals will be prepared for us when we aren’t out visiting.
- The first full day in Yagoua is Sunday, Jan. 30. We will go to church – perhaps even give a greeting, as we heard that our arrival was being announced. And then we are hosting a meal (no, I’m not cooking it) for about 50 people, which will give us a chance to meet and greet some brothers and sisters in Christ.
- A day trip will be from Yagoua to Kaele, where my Grandma is buried, and I will visit her grave site. Friends and family of Dieudonne Djoubairou will meet and visit with us in Kaele, too.
- The rest of the time we will be visiting my traveling companion’s friends, as she used to live in Yagoua, and I will be sure to visit the house my Dad grew up in, which I’ve seen pictures of my whole life.
Beyond this, I don’t know a lot about what the trip will hold. It’s definitely not a vacation with beaches or safaris or crowded tourist attractions. Yet there is much attraction there for this tourist. I can’t wait to simply experience being in the place where my grandparents lived and where my dad spent his first eight years. And I do plan to write and perhaps post a blog or two, if I can, while I’m there.
How awesome it is to know that my God delights in every detail of my life. And holds me by the hand…
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