In August and September this year, the Bible Society in Cameroon lost two members of their team, who served as trainers for the biblical Alpha program in the Parkwa dialect in their native village in the distant northern parts of the country.
Jonas and Joseph were killed by members of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, whose raids resumed in the northern region of Cameroon after almost two years of calm. Their wives are left alone with young children to care for in a poor and dangerous place.
At the end of October this year, as the director of the Bible Society, Luke Gnoua decided to visit the village to personally meet the widows of the two deceased. He felt that this journey would also help him better understand the lives of the people in this region, which is under constant attack by Boko Haram. Pierre Aboulko, responsible for the region for the Bible Society, had already visited the village before.
After prayer and trust in God, Luke and Pierre first headed to one of the major cities in the northern part of Cameroon, called Maroua. From there, they traveled to the largest city near the village of Jonas and Joseph. They were accompanied by two members of the team working on the Bible translation project from the Parkwa language. The four men arrived at the village alone with two motorcycles, without an escort, and only trust in God at 3 pm. At that time, almost all the people there had already left their homes to head to the mountains where they spend their nights due to fear of attacks.
Luke didn’t manage to meet the wives of the deceased colleagues, as they had already gone to the tents in the mountains. However, he met Joseph’s cousin and a friend who had not yet left the village. Together, they went to Joseph’s grave, where they managed to pray briefly. The villagers were surprised and pleased that someone visited them, as almost no one dares to travel in the area.
According to Luke, the picture is devastating, as silence reigns around—abandoned health centers, houses, churches, and desolate fertile lands that cannot be cultivated. The villagers have no choice but to hide in the mountains, where they are at least slightly hidden from Boko Haram, but on the other hand, are threatened by insects, thirst, and hunger.
He himself couldn't sleep that night—reflecting on what he saw and realizing the risk he undertook.
In the morning, he received a call that just a few hours after they left the village, Boko Haram attacked the mountain tents and killed one person. The next in their list was one of the Bible translators, so the Society immediately relocated him to a nearby city with his family. In July, at the end of the school year, three of the Bible translators in the Parkwa dialect will be moved to the city of Maroua until the project's completion.
"After the murder of our two team members, who were responsible for preparing the community for the new translation of the Bible in Parkwa, our task becomes even more urgent. The Bible is what will bring hope and heal the wounds of the local people. The Parkwa translation is indeed being conducted under the most challenging conditions. You know, when God sends us on a mission, He does not tell us what conditions we will encounter when we set off. He only says, 'Go, I am sending you!' He sent us to these people, and we must complete our mission. We are convinced that through Him, we will succeed in fulfilling it to the end, despite the enemy's actions." (Luke Gnoua, Executive Director of the Bible Society in Cameroon)
Source: UBS (United Bible Society)
Photos: Luke Gnoua
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