See You Later, Cameroon!
The last few weeks in Cameroon were filled with sorting, packing and preparing to transition back to the United States for furlough. During this busy time we enjoyed some special moments with friends including games, dinners, movies, runs, swimming and gatherings. There were lots of hugs, smiles, laughter, and special handshakes. Our days and lives in Cameroon have been full of sweet friendships that are full of God's love. We have many amazing memories and stories to take with us. As we leave Cameroon, we are different people than when we arrived. God has worked in our lives teaching us many valuable lessons. We have grown in our love for God and our love for others. We look at the world a little differently now, and we try to embrace each day that the Lord has given us.
"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will
hold me fast." - Psalm 139: 9-10
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A Special Bible Dedication
Over the past few years, Matthew had the opportunity to work with a project that was (as far as we know) a first in Cameroon. A Bible that was previously published in Latin script (a, b, c, etc.) was accepted by many non-native speakers using the language, but not by many native speakers of the language. A team has been working to faithfully transliterate (convert) the Latin script version to Ajamiya, which is a modified version of the Arabic alphabet used for writing other languages. By using Arabic script, already taught and used by the people, most of the literacy work has been done for us, and readers can now dive right into life-changing Bible study. A reader can pick up this Bible and start reading out loud, amazed that they actually understand each and every word of what is being read.
 We were invited to attend the dedication of this new Bible last month. We saw the joy of people receiving and reading the scripture for the first time. We heard hymns and speeches in the language from recent converts, as they celebrated the Bible in writing that is specially adapted for the core people-group. This is the same Bible text that was previously published, but changing the script makes all the difference!
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Ready for the future!
From Teresa
 It was such a privilege to teach these five bright students. My four kindergartners and one preschooler have changed and grown so much over this past school year. They have formed friendships and enjoy working together to learn and play. They have grown in their academic knowledge and seek to learn more. I will miss their high-fives and hugs. I will miss their laughter and questions. I will miss their creativity. I am grateful for all that God has done in their lives as well as mine this past year.
As I wrapped up the school year, I also prepared the kindergarten classroom for next year. I tried to leave it clean and organized with many resources available for the next teacher. There will only be one kindergarten student next year and she will be working with her mom in the mornings in the kindergarten classroom and will join in with the 1st/2nd grade class for the rest of the day. We can also praise God that there are two ladies who are willing to teach 3rd/4th grade!
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Leaving Things in Capable Hands
From Matthew
I probably took on more responsibility than I should have these last couple of years. Therefore, in our last months in Cameroon, I asked to be relieved of some of my extra responsibilities so that I could finish well with my team in Language Technology. With new arrivals and changing situations, there were several people that were qualified and willing to take on those roles.
Technology Coordinator, a supervisory role, was transferred to one of our programmers, Brian Yee. He picked it up very quickly, and was soon working through issues that had been stagnant on my plate for months. He and Joe Armfield were able to update and troubleshoot several servers that needed attention. I’m excited to see how things will go in the four departments he now supervises.
The Point Person for Archiving and Publishing, a coordinating role, went to Nathanael Gregoriev. As a Vernacular Media Consultant, I’ve rarely met someone so enthusiastic about copyright. In my time in this role, I had planned several new initiatives to ensure that we protect and archive everything that we do, respect others’ intellectual property, and advocate for the same in partner organizations. In the last months, he has already coordinated several small workshops toward these ends and done more than I had accomplished over the last year.
 Cameroon’s Language Technology department, my main focus, is in good hands for my time away. John Roettele and Louis Pascal Ngono are finishing up one of this year’s big initiatives, moving the translation projects from Paratext 7 to Paratext 8. Praise the Lord that access to one of the key translation resources, the TOB (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), has been negotiated after more than a year of waiting. I will try to support Louis Pascal and John as much as possible while I am away.
The last role, Language Technology Domain Team Leader for Francophone Africa, is one that I will keep while I’m back in the USA. We still need to finalize career growth plans and try out some new methods of collaborating across borders. There are also some important international meetings coming up in October and January.
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Woohoo! Language Technology Consultant!
Being named a Consultant in our organization is a great honor. Consultants are expected to demonstrate wisdom and build up others. Language Technology is a fairly new domain of work, and it has taken some time to define and solidify the requirements internationally. In February, at the annual Outilingua conference for Language Technology staff, I was certified by my mentors as a Level 2 Language Technology Consultant. This photo was taken during a time of recognition back in Cameroon.
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What is Next
We have arrived back in Virginia and will be here until the beginning of January! Within Virginia we will be traveling between Harrisonburg, South Boston and Louisa. We look forward to seeing family and friends and speaking at many churches.
We have a few events already on our calendar but would love to have more opportunities to share about our Wycliffe Ministry in Cameroon and about Bible Translation. If you have any ideas of churches, schools, small groups, or individuals that we could share with, please let us know.
During our time in the states, Teresa is also looking for opportunities to visit and observe in kindergarten classrooms. If you have any connections to Christian schools that she may be able to visit, please let her know. Teresa is also looking for opportunities to share with teachers or college graduates about teaching overseas. If you have any connections to teacher fairs or job fairs at the university level, please let Teresa know.
In January of 2019 we will be heading to Dallas, Texas, for Matthew to continue classes for his master's degree.
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Contact Us: We would love to hear from you!
You can contact us by phone or email.
Matthew Phone: 434-471-2317 / Matthew_Lee@wycliffe.org
Teresa Phone: 434-471-2728 / Teresa_Lee@wycliffe.org
Skype Username: Erros84
We are also on Facebook and Twitter. You can also check out our blog. See the links below.
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Praises and Prayers
- Praises for finishing well in Cameroon.
- Prayers for us as we miss friends who have become like family.
- Praises for joyful reunions with family and friends.
- Prayers as we re-enter back into the US. Pray that we can reconnect with friends, churches, and family well.
- Praises that we have been able to make connections with churches.
- Prayers for more opportunities to share about our ministry in Cameroon.
- Praises that the Lord shows us his love each day.
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Greetings from nearby,
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