 egardless of our view about Covid-19, its impact around the globe is real and can be likened to an evil tidal wave that is prone to cause untold destruction. The situation in most third world countries is worse. In the midst of it all, we rejoice in knowing God has promised to be with us “always.”
As a ministry, we remain committed to reaching families and communities with practical assistance and with the good news of Jesus! We set many lofty goals for 2020 before the Pandemic. Although we have had a few setbacks we have still made tremendous progress to the glory of God!
As we celebrate 25 years of passing on the Bread, one of the questions I am often asked is, “What exactly is Bread For Life?”
Explaining Bread For Life (BFL) is akin to nailing Jell-o on a wall - not because it is so vast and large but because it is diverse. We didn’t have a master plan when we started 25 years ago. We didn’t need it. But we knew the One who did - and step-by-step, we felt the strong hand of God directing, opening doors, and providing the resources to do what He has called us to do.
If you look carefully at our logo, you’ll probably see inscribed on it these words: “Changing hearts • Changing lives.”
First and foremost, touching and changing people with the Good News has always been our anchor and driving motive. Our second prong of outreach is Economic and Community Development. And, the third aspect of Bread
For Life is addressing social issues – www.cadacameroon.org is a BFL subsidiary that focuses on social issues.
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“I have been spending a ton of time with my 8-year-old son who is struggling with autism. In 10 years’ he will be 18. The country has nothing to offer him or others with special needs. This has become our mission.”
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Although we did not have a “five-year plan” when we started, we have always been committed to the leadership of the Holy Spirit who has guided us when we have come to forks in the road. We are confident of what Jesus said: “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
In this, and subsequent newsletters, we will dedicate a page to showing you what BFL is and what we are actively doing. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our story, which in reality is His-story! We want to invite you to become one of the many partners who help make each of these ministries possible. Together, we can a make significant, positive and lasting difference as together we take Jesus’ message to a rapidly changing continent through words and practical demonstration of His love.
In Celebration of 25 years of serving Him with you,
Ernest Ehabe
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Wherever the gospel has impacted cultures, it inevitably has been through the local church. Through your partnership, every year BFL strategically plants churches in cities and among un-reached people groups along with providing a wide range of opportunities for discipleship.
This year, our focus has shifted to two unique churches: One in the city of Yaoundé in an area called Mendong and another in the village of Loussou among the marginalized Baka Pygmy tribe.
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was planted five years ago. We rented a piece of land and build a make shift building. Unfortunately, because of its location and the nature of the structure, the church has been vandalized several times and instruments and chairs stolen. The church has been praying for a permanent location and a more solid structure. We are believing God this year to provide $12,000 for us to pay off a small piece of land in the Mendong section of Yaoundé for the church to move into.
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has struggled since its inception, meeting outdoors and subjected to the elements. Although it’s been our desire to join them in building a permanent edifice, our collective resources haven’t been able to do so. Our prayers were answered recently with a gift of $2,500. This will cover the roofing which we have already purchased. The village has ceded five acres of land which we intend to use for the church, as well as a community school and community sustainable garden.
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A German proverb says, “begin to weave and God will give the thread.” This describes how we have operated in the last 25 years and our recent effort to send a relief container to help with the sufferings caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
We were surprised and encouraged by the response from numerous friends and supporters that God provided. We filled a 40 foot container with donated items. Included in the container is a Ford 150 Truck for our sustainable demonstration farm among the marginalized Baka Pygmy tribe in the East of Cameroon, along with tons of relief items for distribution. A gift of $10,000 was received from longtime supporters along with several large gifts from other supporters amounting to a little over $5,000.
The container was delayed in the Port of Savannah for additional inspection that resulted in a little over $3,000 in demurrages and related port charges. The container has arrived Cameroon and we are trusting God for additional funds to clear and pay duties. We are trusting God for $12,000 to complete this process.
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Our school in Douala continues to grow. We rented an additional building this year to accommodate the growth, but are still having to turn away students for lack of room, teachers and resources. Our 14 seater bus now carries 31 students with dozens more on the waiting list. Two major needs at the school are for a much bigger van and a permanent structure. In the city of Douala where available land is sold in square meters at costs that only a millionaire can afford more land would be a huge miracle.
Although the school began as a school for children with autism it is evolving into a model-all-inclusive school. It may take us another two to three years to get to a place of sustainability as we continue to develop our great curriculum, and attract paying students to offset the cost of providing education for families of students who come from homes that cannot afford to pay even $5 a month.
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Our desire to build a sustainable ministry base among Baka Pygmies in Cameroon is gradually becoming a reality. With a little more investment in land preparation and infrastructure, we could be sustainable within a year or two. We now have an average of 20 Baka Pygmy families that are able to take care of their families as a result of this development and we have more than 20 other families from across the country whose families benefit from this project. I will be giving detailed updates in subsequent newsletters.
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 N JULY 11, 2020, family members, friends and well-wishers converged at PaulAnn church in San Angelo to celebrate the life of John Rodgers, Sr. What an honor it was to be there and to have an opportunity to share about the remarkable life of John, a longtime supporter and friend.
I first met John in 2005 when Southern Oaks Baptist church sent a team of 18 to serve alongside us. John’s soul-winning gift with the effort of the team led to the planting of two churches that year. One in the capital city of Yaoundé and one in the NW village of Jottin. John visited Cameroon every few years with his son, John Jr and on each occasion, a church was either planted or ministries were strengthened. John has left an indelible mark on my team and me.
John’s goal in life was to share the love of Christ with those around him. It did not matter if John was behind the pulpit, in another country, doing construction or doing something in his community, he lived to share his faith in Jesus Christ and to show God’s love.
John spent more than 18 years serving as pastor in rural areas of Ok and Texas and in the town of Kerrville. He is survived by his wife, Melinda, three sons and their wives and nine grandchildren.
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In July and August, BFL was blessed with over $2,000 of gifts in Memory of John Rogers. These gifts were used for the development of a demonstration sustainable farm and our agricultural work among the marginalized Baka tribe in the East of Cameroon.
If so led by God, recipients of our newsletters are invited to send Memorial Gifts to our mission agency, CTEN. All additional gifts will go towards the construction of a small church for Baka Pygmies in the village of Loussou.
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Tax deductible gifts to Bread For Life may be sent to:
Commission to Every Nation:
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Bread for Life International:
4438 Pleasant Dr.
Rodgers, AR 72758
ernest@breadforlife.org
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