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“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
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 hen I wrote our first newsletter of 2020, it never occurred to me that by the time I sat to write the next one, the world would have changed.
COVID-19 poses considerable challenges for everyone with human and economic costs likely to be larger for developing countries that generally have lower health care capacity, larger informal sectors, shallower financial markets, less fiscal space and poorer governance. The greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread rapidly in places where the six-foot rule doesn’t make much sense to people who have to be out daily to fend for the next meal.
On March 18th, in an unusual proactive and preemptive measure, the government of Cameroon closed all borders. Schools were closed indefinitely. Gatherings of more than 50 people were banned.
Some have wondered about the effectiveness of the ban. Although the government’s order has meant that most of our team and staff will have to shelter in the place where they live, love, and serve, this order does not address the needs of those who do not have the ‘luxury’ of staying at home and who do not have access to testing or treatment.
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This is a season of anxiety and unknowns. Many will be losing (or have already lost) their employment and lack a financial safety net. Without swift and proactive action, the impact of this crisis will be devastating. Last week, it was reported that there has been a 43% jump in the number of reported COVID-19 cases across Africa. This continent of 1.3 billion people is poised to potentially become the next epicenter of this virus. Let’s believe God for containment of this virus.
How shall we then live? I believe we have been presented with another opportunity to make a difference. I am encouraged by what I see and read. Around the world, generosity is on the rise. Even in its fallen nature, our world intuitively knows the right thing to do. Meeting the needs of others is part of the good about who we are as human beings and, as Christians, we are called to go the extra mile.
Included in this newsletter is an appeal letter for relief material to include in a container we are planning to ship out of Atlanta in May. Please contact us if you can be a part of mobilizing the relief items we need.
For such a time as this,
Ernest Ehabe
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 lmost 25 years ago, we partnered with an indigenous church in Yaoundé and embarked on a journey to reach the Baka tribe (commonly called “Pygmies’) of East Cameroon. This tribe is one of the most marginalized people group in West and Central Africa. They are hunters and gatherers and they live primitively in the jungle. Unfortunately, their natural habitation is being encroached upon by timber exploiters.
We were determined to help prepare them for the inevitable change while at the same time elevating their standard of living without bringing a false standard. We began by pointing them to the One who said, “I came that you may have life and have it to the fullest…”
John 10:10.
We began outside the village of Mbang in the East Region of Cameroon; a community was formed outside the town, a school was started, a church planted, and a clinic was added. The work has since become sustainable. Pastor Charles Sagay, who partnered with us from the inception of this work, now has the task of taking it to new levels. He has built another school in the village of Mbang and is working on establishing another clinic.
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• Top: School Children in Mbang
• Bottom Left: Board member Dr. Kathy Holland examines a child during our March outreach.
• Bottom Right: Waiting their turn at the medical outreach
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Six years ago, we expanded to another part of the region, outside the town of Dimako, to work with another group of Baka Pygmies. We have been blessed to come alongside two Baka natives, Joachim and Janet Simekok who have seen their lives changed by the gospel and our partnership. They are committed to reaching their people with the good news. With six children and no resources it has been a daunting but rewarding task for them.
BFL has come alongside them in small and tangible sustainable ways. We have given them the option to work at the 250-acre sustainable farm alongside more than 20 others in their community. Joachim almost died last year; the small stipend we give him was used to rush him to the hospital. They and their six children have lived in a small makeshift house, which leaks, making it miserable in the rainy season. By the grace of God their living situation has changed. We partnered with them recently to move them into a better house. They provided local building materials (lumber) and we provided roofing and paid for labor for a new four-bedroom house for them and their six children.
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• Top: Joachim and Janet in their new home we helped build them.
• Right: A traditional Baka Pygmy home.
• Left: the house that Joachim and Janet had that leaked.
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Flyer for advertising in in the Atlanta African community, designed by a Cameroonian.
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 hey say, one “man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and “necessity is the mother of invention.” We NEVER set out to do any of the ministries we have found ourselves doing today. We only set out to obey the Lord and the rest, is ‘His-story”
Over the years, we have been able to gather several items in the USA that have made a world of a difference in our part of the world. Churches have been furnished with libraries (books), foldable chairs, office desks, computers etc. Prisoners have been supplied with much needed hygiene kits. Tools have been donated to mechanics and others to start small businesses. Wheel chairs have been given to the needy and non-perishable food to the poor.
Shipping to Africa isn’t cheap. It typically cost $40 or more for a cubic ft. We tried it a few times and discovered it was cost prohibitive. Then we found out we could rent a 40 ft container. The cost varies between $5,000 to $7,000 and then there is an additional $14,000 to $20,000 to cover clearing and related charges that include custom duties in Cameroon! We needed to find more affordable ways to get our donated items to Africa.
To make utilizing the rental of the 40ft container sustainable a “cause driven” ministry was started. It has become a “love link” for missionaries and African’s in diaspora to send needed resources to Africa at less than half of what it would typically cost them. Their belongings fill part of the container. In the process of serving others, we are able to ship all our donated items from big cities where there are large populations of Africans for free or for a fraction of the cost! Over the years, relationships have been built both in the USA and Africa. Our next container will be in mid or late May. We will send a truck and other donated items we collect.
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We are thankful for a much needed truck for our sustainable farm. It will be shipped from Atlanta in May, together with other relief items. We are hoping to generate enough to pay for shipping, and perhaps the custom duty also. Because of COVID-19 the response has not been good!
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Support to help us defray the cost of sending our Farm truck and any relief should be sent to:
Bread For Life International
4438 Pleasant Dr
Rogers, AR 72758
Please send recurring donations to our mission agency:
Commission to Every Nation
PO Box 291307
Kerrville, TX 78029
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 n January, my engineer brother Paul and I visited Cameroon to help BFL’s Beulahlands farm start an irrigation system. There has been no way to get water to crops during the drought-like dry season and the farm has suffered as a result. Arriving at the farm on a Saturday we were startled by the progress since my last visit. It was little more than a gleam in Ernest’s eye at that time, now, there were several buildings and a wide assortment of animals, and many acres were under cultivation with more to come. Still, the pineapple plants looked parched since this was nearing the end of the 4-month dry season.
Sunday, after we worshipped in a nearby village among the Baka Pygmies, we decided what we would need to accomplish. First, we needed a much bigger well pump. We also needed a shed to keep the generator and irrigation supplies. Finally, we wanted to actually set up some initial irrigation.
We attempted to line up a plumber but found none so we had no choice but to try to do the work as best we could. Heading to Africa’s answer to Home Depot Monday morning we stopped briefly at a government office for Ernest to say hello to an acquaintance. There, at the receptionist’s desk was Mr. Ngu, a specialist in well installations. He had come from Yaoundé, about four hours away, to catch up with payment owed him by the office Ernest was visiting. We persuaded him to join our team, and he was willing to help us. That was a first-class miracle!
We picked out a new pump, purchased piping, and headed for the farm. Once installed, we learned that the new pump could deliver 20+ gallons/minute. This was three times what we were hoping for! An hour of testing showed that the well could keep up with that volume with little risk of going dry. This means that our well can provide water to a large portion of the entire farm!
The next day, Mr. Ngu helped us set up 11 sprinkler heads in a pineapple field. When we turned on the pump, nine of the heads were working fine. We danced for joy as the water doused both us and the happy plants! On Thursday, before we left, we saw that the metal shed we wanted was almost complete. Mission accomplished!
We intended to do what we could to encourage Beulahland’s staff with our visit, but I think the opposite happened. The happy and industrious staff left us feeling like the farm has a very bright future. More investment is needed, but we are approaching sustainability! We thank God for Ernest’s persistence in the face of much adversity, and for God’s provision to make the farm a reality!
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Thanking the Lord for His provision of Mr. Ngu and all the wonderful workers that helped us get this new irrigation set up for the thirsty pineapple plants. So many people depend on this crop
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Bread for Life International:
4438 Pleasant Dr.
Rodgers, AR 72758
• www.breadforlife.org
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For recurring monthly support:
Commission To Every Nation
Po Bx 291307
Kerrville TX 78307
• 893-896-8326
• www.cten.org/BreadforLife
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