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between 2 and the rooster | An Update from Our Cameroon Mission Team

Hello all,
I’ve written another brief update this morning.  Soon we will go for breakfast and then to church.  Please pass on to many who are interested.
Our experiences in Ndop and with the people have left burning memories in our minds and hearts.  From the motorcycle taxis carrying up to four people, including infants…
to the two people whom we have met and talked with who have no money to buy food (not to mention the other multitudes that have approached Edwin at other times in recent days)…
to Jim’s best sleep the other night coming ‘between 2 and the rooster’…
to the pastors and elders of the church who humbly submit the direction of the church to God and to each other… (I commented that after being here I have to wonder if I have ever observed humility demonstrated as vividly as it is here).
These are a sampling of the surroundings that we are taking in.  Yesterday we attended the wedding of one of Edwin’s sons in the faith.  In lieu of describing every detail of the ~4 hour wedding celebration in the church, I will describe it this way:
Here, a celebration is with the whole body.  The people worship in abandoned voices accompanied by dancing in abandoned excitement, people embracing in abandoned elation, praying with abandoned hearts to a loving God, preaching with abandoned conviction that God is moving in the hearts of the people and bringing new lives into the kingdom.  
Edwin preached on living into the fullness of who God has called man and woman to be.  He asked those in attendance at one point, “Are you a runaway man? Are you a runaway woman?”  He followed it by saying, “You cannot hide things from God.  He knows and He is calling your name.”
I will close by describing one part of the wedding ceremony that we do not practice in the States.  As part of exchanging the rings the bride and the groom also gave each other new names.  This was deeply moving as naming someone is an intimate part of identifying them as part of you, as in parents naming a child.  For an example, the groom said to the bride, “I knew you as sister Sidone.  You are so special to me.  I now know you as my princess of love.  You are my lovely baby.”  He then gave her a ring.  She then said to him, “I knew you as brother Immanuel.  You are handsome.  I love you. You are super handsome.  From today I will call you my dad.”  She then gave him a ring.  (Note: her reference to him as ‘dad’ is like a deep recognition that he will care for her and protect her, as a physical representation of God’s care for her on this earth)
This wedding celebration experience was one for which a line from the Jesus Storybook Bible describes it best: “He fills my heart so full of happiness I can’t hold it all inside.”
And this describes our hearts as we experience so much of God’s goodness here.
Nathan

Vía the Tapestry Church www.tapestrychurch.com

Tapestry Mission to Cameroon UPDATE from the field – the Thread

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Hi all,  I’ve written a very brief update.  We are having beautiful interactions and God is uniting us all together as a group (Edwin, Jim, Michael, and me) and together with the Christians here.  Wow!
Please pass this update on to many others, as appropriate.  For example, I can’t immediately find Julie Suh’s email but I know that she is praying for us.
For Christ and His glory,
Nathan and the team
"Today we toured parts of Ndop and again noticed that every 100 yards people were calling out to Edwin.  They greeted him with large, joyful smiles and welcomed us with grace and sincerity.  We visited the office of MUSREC in the center of town.  From there we drove around the village (outskirts of town) and visited a few orphans, widows, and an elderly man in the community.  We were able to pray for the elderly man as his condition of life is ‘deplorable’ (Edwin’s word).  Ruth, the coordinator of the programs here, suggested that the last time this man had a meal may have been a week ago.  This was hard to hear; this is understatement to be certain.  We also visited Edwin’s house today.  This afternoon we had a time of rest and I napped in deep sleep.
We have had rich times of prayer and conversation and we can observe the fire of God burning in the hearts of many.  We most certainly have much to learn from them here, while so many of them credit Edwin and Janet for helping them grow and burn brighter.  The Christians here are certainly alive and they wear no masks when interacting with each other.  Their greetings are deeply genuine and the life of Christ is clear in them.  We are certain that these days here in Ndop will be rich and full of beautiful interactions with God’s people, and also with those who need to know of God’s great love."

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/tapestry-mission-to-cameroon-update.html

Cameroon Mission Team

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Please continue in prayer for the mission team while they are serving the orphans in Ndop, Cameroon. This team returns to the US on Aug. 20th.

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/cameroon-mission-team.html

Community Block Party

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On Sunday, Aug 18 at Sargent Shriver Elem. School (12518 Greenly St, Silver Spring) from 3-5pm. We need donations of school supplies and volunteers to help with this outreach. Please contact Jacob Schans at jake@tapestrychurch.org or Jessica Levandowski at Jessica@tapestrychurch.org if you can help in any way.

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/community-block-party.html

Newcomers’ Lunch

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This Sunday, Aug 11 at 1:45pm at China Gourmet (3739 Univ. Blvd W, Kensington). If you are new to our church or have never been to any of our newcomers' lunches, this is your chance to learn more about the Tapestry Church and meet other people – with lunch on us! For more details, contact David Huang at davidhuang@tapestrychurch.org

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/newcomers-lunch_8.html

Juvenile Detention Center

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Please come out on the 1st and 3rd Saturday (3:45-5:00) to share with the kids. We worship, share and pray. No experience necessary! For more info: adriennelayton@tapestrychurch.org

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/juvenile-detention-center.html

Small/Semester Groups Starting in September

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Our small group/semester groups kickoff in September. Stay tuned each Sunday as we highlight a different small group.

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/smallsemester-groups-starting-in.html

Tapestry Mission to Cambodia UPDATE from the field – the Thread

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Hi all,  I’ve written a very brief update.  We are having beautiful interactions and God is uniting us all together as a group (Edwin, Jim, Michael, and me) and together with the Christians here.  Wow!
Please pass this update on to many others, as appropriate.  For example, I can’t immediately find Julie Suh’s email but I know that she is praying for us.
For Christ and His glory,
Nathan and the team
"Today we toured parts of Ndop and again noticed that every 100 yards people were calling out to Edwin.  They greeted him with large, joyful smiles and welcomed us with grace and sincerity.  We visited the office of MUSREC in the center of town.  From there we drove around the village (outskirts of town) and visited a few orphans, widows, and an elderly man in the community.  We were able to pray for the elderly man as his condition of life is ‘deplorable’ (Edwin’s word).  Ruth, the coordinator of the programs here, suggested that the last time this man had a meal may have been a week ago.  This was hard to hear; this is understatement to be certain.  We also visited Edwin’s house today.  This afternoon we had a time of rest and I napped in deep sleep.
We have had rich times of prayer and conversation and we can observe the fire of God burning in the hearts of many.  We most certainly have much to learn from them here, while so many of them credit Edwin and Janet for helping them grow and burn brighter.  The Christians here are certainly alive and they wear no masks when interacting with each other.  Their greetings are deeply genuine and the life of Christ is clear in them.  We are certain that these days here in Ndop will be rich and full of beautiful interactions with God’s people, and also with those who need to know of God’s great love."

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/tapestry-mission-to-cambodia-update.html

Tapestry Missions Trip to Cameroon

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Please pray with us for the following while we are joining The Lord in Cameroon: 
1) God’s blessing and provision for the orphans and their caregivers through our ministry and beyond, that they would be drawn deeper into life in Christ
2) A meeting with local leaders to share of the love of God which motivates our trip and our activities in their community
3) That we would be drawn into unity in Christ with local believers
4) That we would have eyes to see where God is at work and sensitivity to follow as the Holy Spirit leads
5) That we would maintain a heart of loving God and loving others (Matthew 22: 37-40 and 1 Thessalonians 2:8) 
Please also ask God how you might be able to join in sending this team and participating in the ministry through giving.  As God leads you, please send your gift to the Tapestry with a note or memo indicating your gift is for the Cameroon Missions Trip.
For more information regarding how you can be praying for this trip or if you have any questions, please contact Nathan Baird (nathanbaird@yahoo.com)

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/tapestry-missions-trip-to-cameroon.html

Back-to-School Block Party

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August 18th at Sargent Shriver Elementary School in Silver Spring from 3-5pm. We need donations of school supplies and volunteers to help with this community outreach.
We are also going to need volunteers to canvass the Stoneybrook and Sergeant Shriver neighborhood with invitations to our back-to-school block party. We will be going out on various nights for a couple hours each night, going door-to-door and personally inviting parents and children to attend.
 
Please let Jake Schans or Jessica Levandowski know if you are available any week night next week to serve

Vía the Tapestry Church http://thetapestrychurch.blogspot.com/2013/08/back-to-school-block-party.html