In August 2008 seven Irish Presbyterians visited the Oku Language Project in Cameroon. In three short weeks we tasted of what it means to bring the written word and the Word of God to a Bible-less people. Hear a once semi-literate lady testify to how God healed her and gave her the grace to be top of the class in reading her own heart language, Oku.
This trip was made possible by CABTAL, Wycliffe Northern Ireland, and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
(The speech was originally give in Oku and has been adapted.)
Video by Nathan Conkey
Music (with persmission) from Michael Card. "So Many Books"taken from the 1992 album "The Word: Recapturing the Imagination".
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Monday, 30 June 2008
Coping and Thriving When In an African Brownout, Blackout or Voltage Spike
Electric Africa
Africa has alot going for it but a dependable electrical infrastructure isn’t one of them. One day the whole continent will have cheap, dependable and ubiquitous 240V but not in my lifetime, probably.
Plug and Pray
Even in a more developed country such as Senegal and even in the capital, Dakar, the electricity can be “flamboyant”. Complete blackouts, brownouts, power spikes other voltage fluctuations can cause pretty unpredictable consequences. With some creative voltage levels applied I have seen a photocopier turned into a... smoke machine! It was a thing of beauty, like an upturned waterfall spilling out foamy white smoke. The repair bill was pretty ugly though.
Getting your House In Order
The first thing you want to do is, if possible, re-do the wiring in your dwelling. I’ve seen such things as
- unterminated live wires either exposed or hiding in the cement.
- unearthed houses, ubiquitous in the (11 month) dry season because the water table retreats from the earth rod.
- pick-and-mix electrical wiring where colour-coding gives way to guess work
So, when you’re packing you’re stuff, pack a voltmeter, that could come in handy.
You should also:
- Protect your sensitive pieces of equipment with voltage regulators:
- Unplug electrics during lightning storms
- Get to know a good fridge-compressor repair guy
Still in the Dark
Once you’ve done that, you’re still at the mercy of the vagaries of rolling blackouts and voltage fluctuations. What do you do when the lights, shine unusually brightly, dim and then go out. While you’re watching the lights and listening the fans speeding up and slowing down in unison the compressor on your fridge could have gone, never mind.
A Complete Solution
One could, of course, opt for a generator but they’re noisy, costly to run and it can be difficult to get a good one, but you really should.
One of the best strategies in the fight against fried electrics and darkness is to use a quality inverter-charger system.
They are noiseless, non-pollutant and have minimal running costs and, subject to your ability to negotiate with the customs guys at your local African airport can be taken into the country in a suitcase. Beware, though. The good ones are heavy and they look expensive, it might cost you substantially more money than you think to get it out of the airport... or not, as the case may be.
Here’s how the Charger-Inverter System works.
Mains Electricity ----> Battery charger ----> Electricity Stored in Batteries ----> Inverter turns battery power to appliance power!
Using this system you can power lights, fans and other small electrical items for hours, even days, depending on the size of your battery-pack and the wattage of your inverter. If the power remains off, hook a generator up to the battery charger to charge your batteries.
A Few Pointers
Get the most powerful battery-charger you can. Greater amperage means more batteries can be charged and that’s a good thing.
Get a battery charger that accepts a wide range of voltage because it will get a wide range of voltage. Mine works with 90 - 265V
Use a surge suppressor to avoid frying your beautiful battery charger!
Get the best and the most battery capacity you can get your hands on.
Get the highest wattage inverter you can and remember
Ground your charger and inverter, if possible.
Some Options
With a solar charge regulator and some photo-voltaic panels you can integrate solar battery-charging into the equation this may or may not be useful, depending on budget and location.
Wire your system like a UPS so that when mains power cuts, battery power turns on, instantly, great if you have a blackout at night.
Closing Remarks
For westerners electricity isn’t a convenience, it’s a necessity. It’s the number one technogical tool that God has given us to exercise dominion over the earth and it can be a real blessing, as well as a curse. Any missionary going out to the field ought to be aware of what the electrical situation is like in his assigned field and should budget accordingly. For trees to produce good fruit they need sunlight, for us to be productive of whatever kind of fruit electricity is our sunshine. Remember this when you’re supporting your local missionary AND when you’re supporting a national work. A short-term team that is able to source, buy and fit a robust inverter-charger system for a mission-station, translation team H.Q. or a missionary home would be a great blessing in the short and medium-term to any worthy missionary endeavour.
Africa has alot going for it but a dependable electrical infrastructure isn’t one of them. One day the whole continent will have cheap, dependable and ubiquitous 240V but not in my lifetime, probably.
Plug and Pray
Even in a more developed country such as Senegal and even in the capital, Dakar, the electricity can be “flamboyant”. Complete blackouts, brownouts, power spikes other voltage fluctuations can cause pretty unpredictable consequences. With some creative voltage levels applied I have seen a photocopier turned into a... smoke machine! It was a thing of beauty, like an upturned waterfall spilling out foamy white smoke. The repair bill was pretty ugly though.
Getting your House In Order
The first thing you want to do is, if possible, re-do the wiring in your dwelling. I’ve seen such things as
- unterminated live wires either exposed or hiding in the cement.
- unearthed houses, ubiquitous in the (11 month) dry season because the water table retreats from the earth rod.
- pick-and-mix electrical wiring where colour-coding gives way to guess work
So, when you’re packing you’re stuff, pack a voltmeter, that could come in handy.
You should also:
- Protect your sensitive pieces of equipment with voltage regulators:
- Unplug electrics during lightning storms
- Get to know a good fridge-compressor repair guy
Still in the Dark
Once you’ve done that, you’re still at the mercy of the vagaries of rolling blackouts and voltage fluctuations. What do you do when the lights, shine unusually brightly, dim and then go out. While you’re watching the lights and listening the fans speeding up and slowing down in unison the compressor on your fridge could have gone, never mind.
A Complete Solution
One could, of course, opt for a generator but they’re noisy, costly to run and it can be difficult to get a good one, but you really should.
One of the best strategies in the fight against fried electrics and darkness is to use a quality inverter-charger system.
They are noiseless, non-pollutant and have minimal running costs and, subject to your ability to negotiate with the customs guys at your local African airport can be taken into the country in a suitcase. Beware, though. The good ones are heavy and they look expensive, it might cost you substantially more money than you think to get it out of the airport... or not, as the case may be.
Here’s how the Charger-Inverter System works.
Mains Electricity ----> Battery charger ----> Electricity Stored in Batteries ----> Inverter turns battery power to appliance power!
Using this system you can power lights, fans and other small electrical items for hours, even days, depending on the size of your battery-pack and the wattage of your inverter. If the power remains off, hook a generator up to the battery charger to charge your batteries.
A Few Pointers
Get the most powerful battery-charger you can. Greater amperage means more batteries can be charged and that’s a good thing.
Get a battery charger that accepts a wide range of voltage because it will get a wide range of voltage. Mine works with 90 - 265V
Use a surge suppressor to avoid frying your beautiful battery charger!
Get the best and the most battery capacity you can get your hands on.
Get the highest wattage inverter you can and remember
Ground your charger and inverter, if possible.
Some Options
With a solar charge regulator and some photo-voltaic panels you can integrate solar battery-charging into the equation this may or may not be useful, depending on budget and location.
Wire your system like a UPS so that when mains power cuts, battery power turns on, instantly, great if you have a blackout at night.
Closing Remarks
For westerners electricity isn’t a convenience, it’s a necessity. It’s the number one technogical tool that God has given us to exercise dominion over the earth and it can be a real blessing, as well as a curse. Any missionary going out to the field ought to be aware of what the electrical situation is like in his assigned field and should budget accordingly. For trees to produce good fruit they need sunlight, for us to be productive of whatever kind of fruit electricity is our sunshine. Remember this when you’re supporting your local missionary AND when you’re supporting a national work. A short-term team that is able to source, buy and fit a robust inverter-charger system for a mission-station, translation team H.Q. or a missionary home would be a great blessing in the short and medium-term to any worthy missionary endeavour.
Inverter-Charger system I'm working on for a couple of friends that will soon be going to Tanzania. here
Saturday, 28 June 2008
What's in My Suitcase for Cameroon
Well, here’s some of the stuff I’m packing for our trip to Bamenda and Elak this coming Tuesday.
FlickR set Bags Packed for Cameroon
Nathan FC
FlickR set Bags Packed for Cameroon
Nathan FC
Monday, 2 June 2008
Malaria Prophylaxis
prophylaxis |ˌprōfəˈlaksəs|
noun
action taken to prevent disease, esp. by specified means or against a specified disease : the treatment and prophylaxis of angina pectoris.
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: modern Latin, from pro- 2 [before] + Greek phulaxis ‘act of guarding.’
Taking a prophylaxis is only one part of the deal when you’re in a malaria-zone. No malaria drugs can guarantee that you won’t suffer from Malaria, only God can do that. So, you have got to be prepared for the worst.
The good news is that there are effective courses of treatment for malaria. Be advised that self-treatment outside an hospital is only an option if you can’t get quick access to a clinic or other trustworthy medical facility. Here’s what i’ll be taking with me ...
This summer I’ll mostly be packing... Coartem a.k.a. Riamet. These are available most places outside the U.S. A 3-day course should be enough to deal a hammer-blow to your malarial nasties, let’s hope and pray that neither I, nor any of the group have to use it.
More about Malaria here.
I didn't take the photo', she did.
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
How I Chose My Malaria Meds
Malaria isn’t something I have an in-depth understanding of. As with many vital day-to-day matters I have working knowledge based on a few simple assumptions.
1. Malaria can kill you
2. Even if it doesn’t kill you it can make you feel as if you’re about to die.
3. Some malaria meds have side effects including wild hallucinations, e.g. my bed is perched on the gate of the abyss of hell and demons are reaching up to pull me in to everlasting perdition.
4. Neither 1. nor 2. appeal so I’ll take Malaria meds where necessary.
5. Some regions of malaria infestation are resistant to certain prophylaxis so, get advice suitable for the country you’re going to.
6. Number three isn’t too attractive either so I’ll take the malaria meds with the least in the way of side effects
7. Bearing in mind number 6 you can have no side effects from your malaria meds and still get sick, that would be a waste of time so I’m going to go for something with minimal side effects and maximum effectiveness in the country(ies) I’m travelling to.
So, I’ll be taking doxycycline at night time to minimise the side effect of increased sensitivity to sunshine, not that we’ll see much of that...
Nathan FC
1. Malaria can kill you
2. Even if it doesn’t kill you it can make you feel as if you’re about to die.
3. Some malaria meds have side effects including wild hallucinations, e.g. my bed is perched on the gate of the abyss of hell and demons are reaching up to pull me in to everlasting perdition.
4. Neither 1. nor 2. appeal so I’ll take Malaria meds where necessary.
5. Some regions of malaria infestation are resistant to certain prophylaxis so, get advice suitable for the country you’re going to.
6. Number three isn’t too attractive either so I’ll take the malaria meds with the least in the way of side effects
7. Bearing in mind number 6 you can have no side effects from your malaria meds and still get sick, that would be a waste of time so I’m going to go for something with minimal side effects and maximum effectiveness in the country(ies) I’m travelling to.
So, I’ll be taking doxycycline at night time to minimise the side effect of increased sensitivity to sunshine, not that we’ll see much of that...
Nathan FC
Saturday, 5 April 2008
If you want to get an idea of the number of languages in Cameroon, browse on over to Ethnologue.com. For us monolingual subjects of Her Majesty the idea of having almost three hundred languages in one country is mind-bending!
Languages in Cameroon courtesy of Ethnologue.com here
The photograph is available under a Creative Commons license
From here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvi/157802685/sizes/l/
“You know your problem,
you keep it all in”
The Beautiful South, “You Keep it all in”, 1989
The African continent causes many things to grow to spectacular proportions. Deserts, spiders, trees and scorpions all grow to outsized proportions. As with natural phenomena so with the human psyche, our heart and soul.
Seriously though, the pressures of heat, humidity and a clash of cultures can magnify any personal issues you might have. Journalling is a great way to get control over the pressure cooker of emotions that can explode or implode messily.
Here’s a bit of my journal from my time spent in the village:
Well, first big outing, went to the boutique and bought pens, pencils a cahier and some paper for sketching seem to have lost my Bible in Zig! Struggled a little for some light and blesing this afternoon. The answer is to fear God and keep His commandments, love, but let God give that love and define it.
Asked God to help me like the food - don’t know how that’ll go.
BTW - am very happy to have the hat.
It may not seem like much, but it sure helped me become the balanced individual that I am today.
I found this article useful. It talks about how journalling can help process information in a non-linear fashion. Interesting Article on journaling here.
Photograph is Creative Commons Licensed and was lifted from here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivewires/365288893/
Monday, 31 March 2008
The Bamenda Grassfields
Our Team of seven will be heading up North from Yaoundé to Bamenda before hauling ourselves to Elak Village, our home for two weeks. Here’s an article that describes the “Bamenda Grassfield region” where Elak and Bamenda are located.
Bamenda Grassfields courtesy of wikipedia.org. here.
Cameroonian Pidgin
Friday, 28 March 2008
The Missionary Life
“Lover of God, good food, and languages. Promoter of spiritual prosperity. American. Linguist. One who laughs and cries easily. Bold. Sincere. Believer that weaknesses are strengths and trials are blessings. Dog-lover.”No, not me, that’s my friend Jessica talking.
If you wanted to get a taste of what the missionary life for a single twenty-something laydee in Africa was like you could:
1. Ask the missionary seated nearest you "I say old girl, what is the missionary life like, what what?"
2. Become a missionary yourself, then ask yourself the same question.
3. If 1. or 2. don't appeal you could always swing by Jessica Lebold’s blog “Jessica’s Adventure in Language and Travel”. She’s full of beans and has only escaped polyandry by a very narrow margin. Spoil yourself with the chocolate fudge cake of Missionary blogs.
Cameroon Photos
If you’d like to get a flavour of Cameroon, here’s a few possible sources.
Melisuz's photos - here
My friend Robert Peterson the pilot’s photos - here
I like pictures, yes I do - they really can help in preparing yourself for the transition from “here” to “there”.
The photo above is taken at the dedication of the Mofu New Testament, this may represent the work of a lifetime for someone, what an impact this could have on the people!
Bamenda, the Belfast of Cameroon?
Having lived in Belfast I mean that in the most positive possible way.
Here’s a useful on what is a substantial city, the third city of Cameroon.
Bamenda, courtesy of Wikipedia.org, here.
Wycliffe's Vision 2025
“go and make disciples of all nations”
who, me?
- yes, you!
on my own?
- don’t be daft, are you the only Christian in the world?
The Lord Jesus has given the great commission to the Church. But He’s no taskmaster, He expects us to function as a body, helping each other to obey his command. The spirit of cooperation, team work and body-life pervades Wycliffe’s Vision 2025, here’s the text of the 1999 resolution:
“By 2025, together with partners worldwide, we aim to see a Bible translation programme begun in all the remaining languages that need one.”
who, me?
- considered a trip to the optometrist?
on my own?
- which part of “with partners worldwide” don’t you understand.
We, the seven-strong team that will be heading to Cameroon this July, D.V., will be part of the “partners worldwide” who will play our part in moving forward to the goal, “ to see a Bible translation programme begun in all the remaining languages that need one”.
Find out more about vision 2025 here and here.
Book Plug - African Friends and Money Matters
From the blub:
“African Friends and Money Matters grew out of frustrations that Westerners experience when they travel and work in Africa. Africans have just as many frustrations relating to the Westerners in their midst. Each uses and manages money and other resources in very different ways, and these differences create many misunderstandings and frictions.
The author deals with everyday life in Africa. He first introduces the very different goals of African and Western Economic systems and then presents ninety observations of African behaviors related to money matters?. Explanatory comments are given hat show how each one works out in real life. he illustrates his and others’ experience”s with anecdotes from across the continent. Drawings by two African artists add further clarity to the text as they capture Africans and Westerners in authentic situations. The result is that the reader is able to make sense of customs that at first seem incomprehensible.”
Life death and money are all very much in-your-face in this great continent. If you want to understand or help or befriend then this is a resource not to miss. The book is available from most online book retailers.
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
S.I.L.
Languages in Cameroon
If you want to get an idea of the number of languages in Cameroon, browse on over to Ethnologue.com. For us monolingual subjects of Her Majesty the idea of having almost three hundred languages in one country is mind-bending!
Languages in Cameroon courtesy of Ethnologue.com here
The photograph is available under a Creative Commons license
From here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alvi/157802685/sizes/l/
The OKU Language
The P.C.I. - Wycliffe team plan to be working with the OKU people during their time in Cameroon. Here’s some rather technical information about the language, just so you know that they exist.
Information of the OKU language, courtesy of Ethnologue.com here.
This photo was taken in the ring road around Mt. Oku by "Danny Boy" his FlickR photos can be found here.
Journalling: Medicine for the Mind
“You know your problem,
you keep it all in”
The Beautiful South, “You Keep it all in”, 1989
The African continent causes many things to grow to spectacular proportions. Deserts, spiders, trees and scorpions all grow to outsized proportions. As with natural phenomena so with the human psyche, our heart and soul.
Seriously though, the pressures of heat, humidity and a clash of cultures can magnify any personal issues you might have. Journalling is a great way to get control over the pressure cooker of emotions that can explode or implode messily.
Here’s a bit of my journal from my time spent in the village:
Well, first big outing, went to the boutique and bought pens, pencils a cahier and some paper for sketching seem to have lost my Bible in Zig! Struggled a little for some light and blesing this afternoon. The answer is to fear God and keep His commandments, love, but let God give that love and define it.
Asked God to help me like the food - don’t know how that’ll go.
BTW - am very happy to have the hat.
It may not seem like much, but it sure helped me become the balanced individual that I am today.
I found this article useful. It talks about how journalling can help process information in a non-linear fashion. Interesting Article on journaling here.
Photograph is Creative Commons Licensed and was lifted from here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivewires/365288893/
Journalling: Medicine for the Mind
“You know your problem,
you keep it all in”
The Beautiful South, “You Keep it all in”, 1989
The African continent causes many things to grow to spectacular proportions. Deserts, spiders, trees and scorpions all grow to outsized proportions. As with natural phenomena so with the human psyche, our heart and soul.
Seriously though, the pressures of heat, humidity and a clash of cultures can magnify any personal issues you might have. Journalling is a great way to get control over the pressure cooker of emotions that can explode or implode messily.
Here’s a bit of my journal from my time spent in the village:
Well, first big outing, went to the boutique and bought pens, pencils a cahier and some paper for sketching seem to have lost my Bible in Zig! Struggled a little for some light and blesing this afternoon. The answer is to fear God and keep His commandments, love, but let God give that love and define it.
Asked God to help me like the food - don’t know how that’ll go.
BTW - am very happy to have the hat.
It may not seem like much, but it sure helped me become the balanced individual that I am today.
I found this article useful. It talks about how journalling can help process information in a non-linear fashion. Interesting Article on journaling here.
you keep it all in”
The Beautiful South, “You Keep it all in”, 1989
The African continent causes many things to grow to spectacular proportions. Deserts, spiders, trees and scorpions all grow to outsized proportions. As with natural phenomena so with the human psyche, our heart and soul.
Seriously though, the pressures of heat, humidity and a clash of cultures can magnify any personal issues you might have. Journalling is a great way to get control over the pressure cooker of emotions that can explode or implode messily.
Here’s a bit of my journal from my time spent in the village:
Well, first big outing, went to the boutique and bought pens, pencils a cahier and some paper for sketching seem to have lost my Bible in Zig! Struggled a little for some light and blesing this afternoon. The answer is to fear God and keep His commandments, love, but let God give that love and define it.
Asked God to help me like the food - don’t know how that’ll go.
BTW - am very happy to have the hat.
It may not seem like much, but it sure helped me become the balanced individual that I am today.
I found this article useful. It talks about how journalling can help process information in a non-linear fashion. Interesting Article on journaling here.
General Facts About Cameroon
If you want to visit africa but are too lazy to do every single country then go to Cameroon, that’s one of the things I learnt when browsing through Wikipedia. There some excellent information about this blessed country here.
Cameroon, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia here.
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