tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73217912009-10-17T07:33:19.316-05:00The official blog of the Magruder family, United Methodist missionaries to CameroonWes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.comBlogger634125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-34836047259887377032009-01-05T18:59:00.003-06:002009-01-05T19:00:57.559-06:00

I'm now blogging in a new place, from a new home and a new job. Check out the new blog, "The Constant Missionary," at wesmagruder.wordpress.com.Hope to see you there!

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-63515465449989958782008-04-03T10:58:00.003-05:002008-04-03T11:03:28.100-05:00

I have neglected to mention a very important event coming up ... the Mission Initiatives Summit, which will feature up-close and specific information on the fifteen initiatives of GBGM, including Cameroon!The Summit will be held at St. Andrew UMC in Plano, Texas, from April 17-19. Mike Slaughter, pastor of Ginghamsburg UMC, will be speaking at the event, as well as UMCOR director, Dr. Sam Dixon.

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-24448465437192027772008-03-31T21:58:00.001-05:002008-03-31T22:00:37.438-05:00

I’ve been back in the States for a couple of weeks now, reunited with family, and praying about our future. In the meantime, I’ve received a bunch of questions about what’s going on from friends all over the country – in emails, phone calls, and through the grapevine. So let me use this post to answer those “frequently asked questions”: Q: What is the status of the United Methodist Mission in

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-89289430570776181622008-03-01T00:08:00.002-06:002008-03-01T00:18:22.180-06:00

After four days of tension, Friday was a better day in Yaounde. Everyone woke up with a weary eye to the streets, where only a few taxis were running at first. By midday, however, the streets were beginning to fill.In the afternoon, I even got in the Mission car and drove downtown, where I ran into the usual traffic jams caused by rude taxi drivers! People were walking the streets, shops and

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-66579131499412352372008-02-28T04:36:00.002-06:002008-02-28T04:43:55.015-06:00

Yaounde is extremely quiet this morning ... maybe too quiet. No shops, schools, or offices are open. The streets are completely empty of cars, taxis, motorbikes, trucks.The school located next door to our house is closed, though a few students showed up early this morning. They've all been sent home.I am happy to report that when I awoke, we had electricity and water. Rumors were circulating last

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-58066054800805958242008-02-27T14:37:00.001-06:002008-02-27T14:41:36.805-06:00

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks packing and preparing to move back to Dallas. But things have taken an odd turn here in Cameroon. On Monday, taxi drivers throughout the country staged a strike to protest a recent hike in fuel. But the strike has turned violent and deadly in several cities, especially Douala. Though the labor action was officially called off by labor unions and government

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-84902593500736942832008-02-12T14:15:00.001-06:002008-02-12T23:26:07.297-06:00

I look back at that last post and think to myself, “Dang, am I pitiful-sounding or what?!” I used the word “grief” in the post, and it occurs to me that our family is truly grieving. It means that we’re going through the same process that we’d go through if we’d lost a loved one, or faced some other disaster. That would explain my alternating feelings of anger, depression, guilt, and resistance.

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-24279631112598808052008-02-06T02:32:00.000-06:002008-02-09T00:38:47.415-06:00

Ash Wednesday is an appropriate day to announce that our time in Cameroon has come to an end (see January 10 post). It’s not our choice, nor our decision. We’re not happy about it, and we’re greatly heartbroken. Ashes represent, of course, repentance and fasting. But they can also signify loss, grief, the end. And that’s exactly where we find ourselves at the moment. We’re at the end of a

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-24329911288803093962008-01-10T08:00:00.000-06:002008-01-10T08:03:05.099-06:00

Yes, it’s been almost two months since I last posted. No, it’s not because I a) am lazy, b) am tired of blogging, or c) have mysteriously disappeared in the rainforest. Let’s just say that the last two months have contained a number of surprises for the Magruder family. The biggest surprise is that I am writing this post from Dallas, where we have been for the last several weeks. To make a

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-54415430725846949492007-11-13T03:21:00.000-06:002007-11-13T03:26:46.771-06:00

Hooray, Internet access is back! You can't believe how difficult life can be without email, Dallas Cowboy game results, and the Methoblog ...Anyhow, I have a lot of catching up to do. Here's the second week's worth of posts from John Thornburg concerning his work recording music with the Cameroon Hymnal editorial team: Subject: First day of recording Hi, friends. After the extraordinary day

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-57598647417305977242007-11-07T12:03:00.001-06:002007-11-07T12:03:15.728-06:00

Thanks to a fiber-optic cable problem 60 kilometers offshore of Douala, we have had no internet connection in Cameroon for the past week and are not expecting it to be repaired anytime soon. I am writing this short note from the office of a friend who works for the United Nations and has a satellite connection. I expect you won't hear much from us for the next two weeks or so, but I'll catch you

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-23476546348628183082007-10-31T00:54:00.000-05:002007-10-31T01:15:11.883-05:00

These days have been exciting and intense. Not only have we opened a new church in the last week, but we have been hosting another visit from Rev. John Thornburg. He’s been meeting with the Cameroon Hymnal editorial team at the Mission Office over the last week and a half. Every evening, he returns to the house and writes an email to supporters and donors, with some of each day’s highlights.

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-42823522929423543282007-10-30T00:46:00.000-05:002007-10-30T00:54:25.974-05:00

While we were home during the summer, a local reporter interviewed Leah and I for a story which is this month's cover article for The Allen Image, a magazine in my hometown in Texas. Peggy Helmick-Richardson did a great job of telling the story of our lives for the last three years. Read it here!

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-82389651157793302322007-10-29T14:34:00.000-05:002007-10-29T14:41:41.155-05:00

Simbok is a new neighborhood in Yaounde, which is one of the reasons why Simeon and I thought it’d be a great place to start a new congregation. You might even call it the leading edge of urban growth. New houses are being built in every direction from the church. But new housing developments also have their drawbacks. For one, nothing in Simbok is paved yet. Even when it’s dry, driving to

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-72237911597630779012007-10-29T01:34:00.000-05:002007-10-30T03:45:17.575-05:00

Yesterday was one of those dichotomous days that I WOULD have traded for the world. First, we had our opening day for Gateway UMC. It was wonderful, and we saw the potential for God's work to be done in the neighborhood of Simbok. It was lovely with lots of visitors and a wonderful meal to follow. It couldn't have gone better, except...During the middle of worship time, Wes left the room and had

Leah Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16075501765860309034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-42098390638847015712007-10-28T01:29:00.000-05:002007-10-28T01:30:28.337-05:00

Tonight, Jesus’ resurrection was a rainout at Gateway UMC …Simeon had the idea to show the film, “The Passion of the Christ,” on Saturday night before the Sunday morning opening worship. I must confess that I wasn’t real thrilled about this choice. For one, I question whether the gruesome film is appropriate to be seen by small children, who certainly would be in the audience. Secondly, I also

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-64082150692951863702007-10-27T05:28:00.000-05:002007-10-27T05:34:31.796-05:00

It rained all afternoon in Yaounde, forcing us to move our Friday evening program at Gateway UMC indoors. This was only a problem when we realized there was no power … Fortunately, there is a generator in the office, and we were able to get it going. Simeon had asked me to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on the subject, “Who are United Methodists?” In the end, thirteen brave souls showed up

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-32085602524490391092007-10-26T01:44:00.001-05:002007-10-26T01:46:33.277-05:00

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-86224406608320745182007-10-26T00:12:00.000-05:002007-10-26T00:38:11.715-05:00

Pastor Simeon has been bugging me for over a year to start a new church. Last September, when I asked him to move to Yaounde to attend seminary, I told him that we would be able to open a new congregation in the building where our new office is located. Simeon immediately was excited – he named it Gateway UMC, after a church we’d visited near Houston, Texas. He began making plans, assembling a

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-62591594605869754132007-10-24T07:59:00.000-05:002007-10-24T08:05:38.500-05:00

The second installment in my new series of taxi slogans is confusing, and requires a bit of exegesis. If you can't quite make it out, it reads: The Very Boy. Which raises the question, "How is 'Very' used in the phrase?"Does it mean the driver is extremely masculine ... as in, "he is very boy-ish" ... or is it a kind of precise identification ... as in, "this is the very one ..."?Interesting

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-52968619673570480982007-10-22T03:47:00.000-05:002007-10-22T03:51:29.781-05:00

I have recently wrestled with the age-old problem of ecclesial supply and demand: too many churches, not enough pastors. In the case of the Cameroon Mission, the problem is particularly acute because of poor transportation and communication networks, as well as a lack of adequately trained people. I was comforted by the fact that John Wesley had the same problem in 18th century England during

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-8684085965686828552007-10-17T15:15:00.000-05:002007-10-17T15:25:35.171-05:00

I recently paid a visit to Bova I UMC, which is located on the side of Mt. Cameroon in the South West Province. While there, I was able to pass on a couple of symbolic gifts from their partner church, Brewton UMC.Our family visited Brewton UMC and Rev. Ed Glaize while we were in Alabama this past summer. While we were fielding questions that evening, the pastor wanted to know what kind of gift we

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-1863968082728756342007-10-15T01:51:00.001-05:002007-10-15T01:58:09.351-05:00

Taxis are a common feature of life in Cameroon -- whether yellow cabs, motorcyles, or white passenger vans (called "bush taxis"). Often, these vehicles have slogans or phrases printed across the back bumper in French, English or pidgin. Sometimes they make sense, other times ... not so much. I've started collecting photos of these bits of taxi wisdom, and want to share them as a regular feature

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-56966464564634223432007-10-13T14:21:00.000-05:002007-10-13T14:47:02.399-05:00

Where Are the Other Nine?Lectionary Inspiration from CameroonLuke 17:11-19 I am preaching this Sunday at the International Fellowship in Yaounde, before a congregation of fellow missionaries. Over the past week, I have found myself reflecting on Jesus’ question, “Where are the other nine?” Good question. We reserve our praise and commendation for the one lone leper who returned to say, “

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321791.post-26540493383834084952007-10-13T01:58:00.000-05:002007-10-13T02:19:08.076-05:00

We moved the Mission Office across town a few months ago, as you know. Our offices are now housed by the Fobang Foundation, a non-profit public health organization run by our friend Dr. Wilfred Mbacham.One of the main activities at Fobang is the production of mosquito nets. Dr. Mbacham's original idea was to create a small business opportunity for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Thus, he made sure

Wes Magruderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12337757623704210566noreply@blogger.com0