Spring 2007 | Volume 65, No. 3

Seminary team celebrates salvations, chickens and a miracle in Cameroon Africa

by Melanie Lloyd

Jesus taught His followers to store up treasures in heaven, and moder-day missionaries reap heavenly rewards for eheir work among indigenous people groups around the world. But professors and students from Southwestern Seminary got some unusual earthly rewards on a recent short-term seminary mission trip to Cameroon, Africa: Their first Sunday in the West African country garnered not only 26 professions of faith, but also several live chickens and even a goat.

“We definitely ate well for the next couple of weeks,” said Keith Eitel, the group’s team leader.

From Dec. 27 to Jan. 14, a team of 23 Southwestern Seminary faculty members and students ministered among the Hausa and Gewe people of Garoua, the capital city of the North Province of Cameroon, and the surrounding villages. Connecting with International Mission Board missionaries Larry and Trish Davis, the team was tasked with not only sharing the gospel but also helping organize several house groups to lead Bible studies. The team accomplished both tasks.

“We saw a total of 52 professions of faith and two households each in the Hausa and Gewe areas that opened their homes for Bible study,” Eitel said. “One of the neatest things to me happened in the first Gewe family we saw come to faith. The father said, ‘Ever since you came, my heart has been changed.’ That phrase just stuck with me. Even though he didn’t yet understand all of the ramifications of what he had done, he knew something had changed.”

The man later invited several guests to his home to hear the gospel presentation, and they also made professions of faith.

“I really think that family will be a key household for Christ in that village,” Art Savage, associate director of the World Mission Center and team member, said.

Among the 20 Gewe people that made professions of faith, Eitel said IMB research shows that they are the first known believers of that people group.

“Revelation 5 says that people of every tribe, tongue and nation will be represented, so we had a part in seeing the first Gewe get their reserve seating around the Throne,” Eitel said.

The Gewe, as well as the Hausa, are considered folk Muslims. They generally mix Islamic beliefs with tribal beliefs and practices and even a lot of secularism and syncretism.

“Very few of the people could cite the Quran in Arabic,” Eitel said. “And even then, it was only rote memorization. Most of the people would admit they didn’t know what they were saying. One of the things we tried to communicate to the people was that the God of the Bible, who loves them very much, saw to it that His word was in their language, and the god of the Quran had not.”

Among the churches where the team members preached, Eitel said they are not generally composed of former Muslims. Those with Christian backgrounds, living and working in the area, have established the churches and are ministering to their own people.

One of the cultural events attended by the team gave them the opportunity to be silent witnesses to the most influential person in Garoua.

“We were invited to this big event with the Lamido — the Emir, or spiritual authority — for North Cameroon among Muslims,” Eitel said. “We were there when Muslims celebrate the Feast of the Ram. During this time, local tribal warriors take the opportunity to affirm their loyalty to the Lamido.”

Because they were special guests, the Southwestern team sat behind the Lamido at the event, a traditionally prominent place, and watched as horse-mounted warriors rode their horses up to the Lamido, stopped right in front of him and shook their swords at him.

“In return, the Lamido would take his sword and just motion back at them to show his affinity for what they were saying,” Eitel said.

After the event, the team was invited back to the palace to talk to the Lamido.

“To have that experience was quite an honor,” Savage said. “God just gave us the right time to be there. He gave us His blessing more or less to be there, talk to the people and understand the culture, which also included religion.”

One particular experience which left an intense impact on the team, involved a 5-year-old boy and a near-death experience. According to Eitel, missionary friends of the Davis’ were involved in a car accident in which a local boy ran out in front of their vehicle and was hit.

“From all visible signs, (the boy) looked dead. But the missionaries scooped him up and headed to the nearest hospital, which was about 30 minutes away,” he said. “When they called the missionary we were working with, he mentioned that there happened to be an American doctor and nurse in his team and they would meet the group at the hospital.”

Paul Stoltje, an MDiv student at Southwestern, could not have imagined how his training as a pediatric endocrinologist would come into play when he followed God’s leading to participate in this mission trip.

“I really debated with God for awhile about this trip, but I had a sense of needing to investigate it further,” Stoltje said. “So, I followed up with Dr. Eitel, I did a lot of praying, I talked with my wife (Susan) and a few days later decided to go. It was very sudden and unexpected.”

On the team’s first day in Garoua, Stoltje was called upon to do something God already knew he would have the training and ability to do. Along with Glenda Eitel, the wife of Keith Eitel and a registered nurse, Stoltje assessed the boy’s condition, which included a severe head injury.

“This boy was hit by a Land Rover going 65 mph,” Stoltje said. “For all intents and purposes, he should have been killed. Nobody would have, or even could have, done anything for him in his village, and most Cameroonians would have left him there to die.”

Stoltje and Mrs. Eitel oversaw not only the boy’s medical care but also made sure the right medicines were prescribed to reduce the swelling in the boy’s head.
“The hospital did not supply anything for the patients, so it was up to family members to provide everything, including medications,” Stoltje said. “So, we got him what he needed and instructed the hospital staff on how and when to administer the medications.”

God’s providence was demonstrated to the entire village when the boy miraculously recovered. In less than a week, he was well enough to be discharged from the medical clinic.

“Glenda, who used to work in an emergency room, thought that the boy probably wouldn’t survive,” Eitel said. “But she and Paul prayed for him; four days later the boy was sitting up and playing, and on the fifth day he was able to go home.”
“The neat thing is that on all of these types of trips, God assembles a team just how He needs it to be in place,” Savage said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better team.”

In 2008, Southwestern will be sending students back to West Africa as a part of the MDiv in International Church Planting program.

“We wanted to strategically plan trips like this one so that we could engage the regions where future deployments for the MDiv in International Church Planting program are going to be,” Eitel said. “Next January we are planning a trip to India. This will give students the opportunity to be exposed to the setting where deployments with the IMB of two or three years will take place.”

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Excerpts from the journals of
Southwesterners on mission in Cameroon:

“Lord, may we be known as Jesus people because of the way God uses us
to touch people’s lives and hearts.”

“I pulled out my EvangeCube to show him how to use it. The next thing I knew, the Muslim gentleman comes forward wanting to accept Christ. I was allowed the privilege of leading him to Christ. I am still excited over that opportunity.”

“This [trip] makes me realize we can’t abandon and give up on Muslims, resigning
them to damnation. We must fight for them even at the cost of our own self-preservation.”

“This afternoon we ate fried crickets. This was exciting
 for me. I wanted to try something like this. Thank you,
Lord, for the experience.”

“Lord, I pray that I will not forget this day and that I will not forget Cameroon. Allow them to forever be in my heart.”

“It is very scary to be here. I am in a foreign country, but God is in control and that is all that matters.”

“There was a bat in my bed and they were [also] in our hut. There were lizards all over the place. It was a good day!”

“Scripture says that God will prepare a table before you in the presence of enemies – the people are not enemies, but the religion is.”

“I am absolutely so excited that the Lord chose to use me in Cameroon. Now there is a part of Cameroon in my heart that will be there forever. I love those people because I know that my Father loves them.”

“A few weeks after school started, I heard Dr. Patterson talk about the mission trip to Cameroon in chapel. I felt something come over me and I knew I needed to go on that trip. I knew I had no money. I was scared to death, but I knew God would take care of everything. I am so glad I went on this trip. God has changed me in so many ways, and I will never be the same again. I am taking my journey of following Christ full steam because we have souls to save!”

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