ITEM Ministries

Chris’ Travel Diary: A PRAYER FOR CAMEROON

It was an interesting night to say the least. Beside my hotel is a huge bus station. In front of the hotel is a taxi stand along with several food vendors. Then there is a DJ who brings his van and parks in the bus lot and blasts music pretty much all night. Though to his credit, he is quite an animated DJ. It’s hard to describe the perfect storm of traffic and noise that converge at this hotel. Perhaps the most annoying thing is the unrelenting fury of horns blaring from vehicles because the entrances are blocked with taxis and boda-bodas.

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Chris’ Travel Diary: PREACH THE WORD AND DON’T PASS THE FUFU

It was an interesting night to say the least. Beside my hotel is a huge bus station. In front of the hotel is a taxi stand along with several food vendors. Then there is a DJ who brings his van and parks in the bus lot and blasts music pretty much all night. Though to his credit, he is quite an animated DJ. It’s hard to describe the perfect storm of traffic and noise that converge at this hotel. Perhaps the most annoying thing is the unrelenting fury of horns blaring from vehicles because the entrances are blocked with taxis and boda-bodas.

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Chris’ Travel Diary: THE ROAD TO BAFOUSSAM

I have a difficult time sleeping in a hot room. I mentioned in my previous post that the air conditioning wasn’t working, and the room was stifling hot when I arrived. Fortunately, it is the rainy season in Cameroon which means cooler temperatures. So, I slept with the windows open and got enough air circulation to sleep decently. Having awakened around 6:30am I endured a cold shower (or more like a rinse bath) and repacked my suitcases for our trip to Bafoussam. Then it was down to the hotel restaurant to meet my host Joseph Ngwani for breakfast. 

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Chris’ Travel Diary: A TEST OF ENDURANCE

Remember the days when air travel was glamorous? Those days are long gone. Air travel has become an endurance test. I departed from Richmond Sunday around 5:00pm enroute to Yaounde, Cameroon, an itinerary involving three flights and over twenty-four hours in planes and airports. In Cameroon, I will be meeting with our ITEM lead team as well as serving as the keynote speaker for the Cameroon National Baptist Minister’s Convention in Bafoussom.

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Travel Diary 11: PRAY!

Hi Everyone,

Before getting to the report about today and what I learned when meeting with the Liberian team, I have a serious prayer request so I am putting it on this side of the READ MORE link. Here is the situation. I am scheduled to leave Liberia at 6:40pm and fly to Ghana. I am scheduled to arrive in Ghana at 8:30pm and catch a flight my flight to Amsterdam at 10:10pm.

THE INBOUND FLIGHT INTO LIBERIA HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY LATE THE LAST FOUR TIMES INCLUDING MY FLIGHT MONDAY. IF IT IS THE SAME TOMORROW, THURSDAY, I WILL PROBABLY MISS MY FLIGHT TO AMSTERDAM. I SEEM TO BE AT THE MERCY OF KENYA AIRWAYS. PRAY THAT THEY WILL BE CLOSE TO ON TIME FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ABOUT JULY 16.

It was an informative time with the Liberian team today. As much as I’ve learned about African Traditional Religions in the past 24 years, I learned more today.

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Travel Diary 9 & 10: Third World Challenges

Hi Everyone,

This is a Monday-Tuesday report and I have to admit that it is hard right now to stay objective and unemotional. It has been a hard two days compared to the rest of this trip and most recent trips. There has been some positive and that needs to be the emphasis but it’s difficult to see through the good through the cloud of challenges.

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Travel Diary 8: Breaking New Ground

A short but encouraging report today. We have broken new ground. Our team in Bujumbura crossed the border into the DRC and conducted our first seminar in the far eastern city in the Dem Rep of the Congo. I am including the coordinators report in my report today. Plus I am adding maps to the photo album to give you a picture of where all of this is happening. Plus an additional map of Burundi that explains what is going on and where, there.

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Travel Diary 7: It’s All About Genesis 3

Dear Prayer Partners,

Saturday has been a slow day and it was planned that way. After four flights and two, two-hour car rides in five days, I put a slow weekend into my schedule before heading to Liberia on Monday. The only activity was a 2 mile walk to and from YaYa Center to get a healthy Center at Java House; a repeat of last weekend. But I used some of my free time to write up a worldview response to the questions I’ve heard regarding war and genocide.

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