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TOUR TO CAMEROON, AFRICA<br />December 12, 2005 - January 1, 2006<br /><br />Tour members: Don and Nancy Miller, Joe and Denny Nkemontoh, and their three children, Dan, Ruth and Paul<br />

Grandpa's Report

Denny Nkemontoh
2006-02-25 19:44:06

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to be an issue in the church today. On the other hand, several pastors told me that sexual immorality is widespread, both in and out of the church.

I also learned to be more “fatherly” on this trip by observing Philip, Joe’s brother. He is the head of the family. This means, among other things, that he is to keep the welfare of the whole family in mind, not just his own children, but all his brothers and sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews. For years he has been sponsoring various members of the family to make sure that they get a good education and that life goes well with them. I can’t quite describe it, but there was something about his nurturing spirit that impressed me and left me with a hunger to be more of that kind of father.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip for me was the time we spent in Awing, where Joe was born. When he was six years old, he was sent to an uncle, several hundred miles away, to be raised and given a future. His uncle is now dead, but we had opportunity to meet his surrogate mother (aunt), see the school where Joe attended and drive through the town where he sold kerosene to supplement the family’s income. Earlier we spent time in Limbe where Denny taught at the Saker School for Girls and where the two met and fell in love. As I pondered Joe’s humble beginnings and where he now is as strong committed Christian, loving father of three beautiful teenagers and civil engineer in a responsible position with the city of Portland, I thanked God that somebody gave him a chance. Yes, the African family system has its limitations, but it also has its strengths. It’s still true, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” May our tribe increase!

Last but not least, we spent two days at the beach in Kribi. It was very relaxing. We had the whole ocean to ourselves. Regrettably, however, we did not see the Pygmies in the nearby forest, as we had hoped, due to time restraints. All in all, it was a great trip - a dream of a lifetime come true!

Donald N. Miller
January 2006