Ends of the Earth Ministries
Visit the Jarrett family on their web site
http://www.ends-of-the-earth-ministries.com
The Jarrett Family bringing Good News to
Alaska, Ukraine, Romania, Mongolia, Africa
Alaska USA
Ukraine, Romania, Mongolia
Cameroon, Africa
Yesterday, Today and Forever
Mission To Cameroon, Rev. Michael Jarrett
In July I was invited on a three week mission trip to Cameroon by the director of World Wide Missions. While there, I visited churches, preached and shared God’s Word. I held a conference for pastors and encouraged them in their work. I also met with denominational leader, helping them work through problems and difficulties they were facing. I experienced a lot of wonderful and interesting times in Cameroon: A poisonous snake interrupted our church service, I was blessed to have led people to Christ in evangelism meetings, ministered in different villages and met wonderful people everywhere I went. I could write about so many different things but would especially like to share my “trek up the mountain” to preach to the “Oku” people. I have entitled it “Yesterday, Today and Forever” and begin the story of my trek with a similar one that began in 1972
Yesterday
An 80 year old friend of mine, Rev Beryl Smalldridge, who many years ago served as a missionary in Cameroon, told me a story about a mountain area he had climbed in 1972 to share the Gospel with a group of people called the “Oku” in the country of Cameroon, Africa. He explained that there were no roads and only a faint trail marked the way. Small rivers and streams had to be crossed by walking over trees laid as bridges. Herders sat on the side of the hills watching their cattle. It was about a four hour climb and the missionary was in awe of the beauty and tranquility he found himself in. Tired but exhilarated he arrived at the village and found a 122 year old man sitting outside a mud brick, grass roofed hut, enjoying the beautiful day. After the missionary introduced himself, he turned the conversation to spiritual matters by saying, “That is a beautiful mountain”, pointing to a craggy mountain jutting up behind them. Do you know where it came from? Who made it, do you think?” he asked the old man. The old man stared at the mountain and pondered the question. Shaking his head, he answered “I don’t know…it was already there when I got here”. The missionary went on to share that it was God, creator of Heaven and Earth that had made not only the mountain but everything. Explaining the Gospel he led the man to Christ. The elderly man called his sons, and their sons together and shared with them the Gospel he himself had just received. Thus was born a church in the tiny village of Oku. To honor their guest who had brought the message of the Good and Gracious God, the One who loved people and would make them anew, they held a feast and presented him with a special gift: a gourd filled with a dark smokey honey taken from hives they watched over. The Gospel brought great changes. Sacrifices and offerings meant to keep back the curses of angry gods were no longer practiced. Fear and taboos were replaced by the peace that comes from being changed from the inside out. The Gospel transformed this little village. As my old friend told me this story he began to weep. “I am so humbled that God would allow me to lead this man to Christ... this man who had lived so long without the Lord.. and me.. I was the one who had the privilege to share Christ with him” I knew just what he meant. I too am overwhelmed by God’s grace and mercy when He uses me to bring His Gospel to people. I have cried the same tears as I thought about the many people I have had the privilege of bringing to Christ: Russians, Ukrainians, Romanians, the hearing, the deaf and on and on... Imagine nobodies like us, from nowhere, with nothing: made ambassadors of the Living God! What an incredible God we serve!
Today: My Trek
In July 2008, over thirty fives years later, I climbed the same mountain and visited the church that is now in this little village. There is still no road, but the trail is etched deep into the ground from years of travel. The houses are still made of mud bricks but not all are grass roofed anymore: some have metal roofs. Every item not made from the forest was carried up on someone’s head… the ancient method of transporting goods in Cameroon. I was greeted with shouts, hugs and handshakes by the local villagers. The homes are humble with mud floors, no electric, running water or sewage. The kitchen is another hut where wood fires burn on the floors and cook savory dishes with spices I couldn’t place. The pastor of the church opened his home and I stayed the night with his family. They prepared a meal and we feasted on rice, chicken, bananas, plantains, along with a stew. We sang and prayed and gave thanks to God for all His goodness. That night five us slept in the a little room. I slept on the bed along with two other men who traveled up the mountain with me and two others shared a mattress on the floor. I don’t know where the pastor and his family slept since we were in their beds. In the morning we went to the church building. The church like all of the buildings was made from mud bricks. The pews consisted of logs made slippery as glass from years of use. A black chalk board hung on the wall with a teaching from the previous week. One of the sentences scrawled on it was “When everybody forget you, and you be all alone.. (re)member God be with you all time”. The pastor had been teaching his congregation a lesson from his heart. He told me he often felt very alone and discouraged taking care of God’s people in this little village and worried that he was not adequate for the task. He told me that my visit had greatly encouraged him and kept shaking my hand again and again, thanking me for coming. Our service started at 8:00am but it wasn’t until 9:00am that the building began to fill with people. Over the next hour even more came in. For well over an hour everyone sang and danced in time with the songs. There were no instruments except homemade drums. One person would lead by singing out a sentence or two and then everyone else would follow. Cameroonian worship is loud, exciting and filled with emotion and passion. From prayers to offerings to the singing, everything is done with exuberance. Afer the singing I preached and shared the Word of God and then prayed for everyone in the room, one at a time. Praying for people in these services is something I really love and leaves me with a tired but satisfied feeling. I love the fact that no one cares how much time has passed and so can spend time with each person. The women had prepared a meal and after the service we ate it together in the church as we prepared for our trek back down the mountain. As I got ready to leave, the pastor presented me with a gift to thank me for coming to share God’s Word in his village. It was bottle of dark, smoky honey taken from the hives they watched over. (It was in a 2 liter soda bottle not a gourd!). As I we said goodbye, I looked at God’s people gathered around and was overwhelmed that I had a part in the life of this church. I didn’t plant this church or evangelize the people…the church was there when I got here. But I did get to play a part in it and see the grace of God at work in the lives of the Oku people.
Forever
When the Lord returns He will call His people to Himself and the little church in Oku will sing and dance in His presence. God reminds us that He has called us to be about His business…the work of the Kingdom. He calls us to share His Word, His Son, His love with all people, everywhere. He wants us to share His Gospel with the near and the far, the deaf and the hearing, the good and the bad, rich and the poor… with all, everywhere...even to the Ends of the Earth.
Remember! Our labor in His Kingdom: what we did yesterday, what we do today, what we will do tomorrow… has eternal consequence because it affects the eternity of those we minister to.
Ends of the Earth Ministries
http://www.ends-of-the-earth-ministries.com
