Mission Statement:
"e3 Partners exists to equip God's people to evangelize the lost and establish new churches."

My Previous e3 Mission Trips
I have been on three previous e3 Church Planting mission trips with Noel and Trisch Johnson; Kenya 2004 (with Pastor Dave Overland), Uganda 2005 (with Matthew Rogness), and Panama 2006. These three trips were well planned in partnership with experienced e3 in-country church leaders and involved as many as four local churches desiring to plant churches in a new area. The North American team typically came from all around the country from different denominations and backgrounds to go house-to-house with local church members. The house-to-house teams would consist of one or two North Americans, one or two nationals from the sponsoring church, and a translator. The teams go out house-to-house from 9am to around 3pm, giving a personal testimony with translation, presenting the gospel using the Evangecube (a moveable cube with images), and offering them the opportunity to accept Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life with Him. Many accept and pray the sinner's prayer to accept Christ. All are invited to attend a Bible class conducted by the nationals and are invited to attend the new national church starting the next Sunday in their neighborhood.

Well now, how about the CLB Cameroon Short Term Mission Trip 2008?
The plan was basic e3: 1) we had the Cameroon in-country leader/sponsor, President Goyek, 2) we had a church trained and committed to planting two new churches in Garoua, Cameroon, 3) we had our trained leaders Dr Noel and Trisch Johnson, 4) we had our team, 18 from the US and Canada. The team members were all from Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB) congregations; made up of Pastors, a seminarian, a veteran missionary, CLB staff, missionary kids and lay persons, many with close ties to our missionary presence in Chad and/or Cameroon (past and present).

Due to the CLB connections there appeared to be numerous side agendas. We were eager to meet or renew friendships with the missionaries in Ndjamena. In Garoua we spent many hours every day at the former mission center and in President Goyek's home and at the Aviation Church assembling our house-to-house teams (always short of translators). On occasion, these were perceived as frustrating delays. When we did eventually partner with our nationals ready to go out house-to-house to present the gospel, many told us that these neighborhoods were resistant and would not respond. However, they did respond in great numbers. This was a good step in starting the 2 new churches. Many of our team members began to ask, "Why am I here? God does not need me! He is touching hearts and calling new believers all around us! I am just a small speck of dust in the wind! God is doing all the work!"

My Personal View:
The mixed agendas, long road trips, delays and other distractions and obstacles all played together in a special way to create a great team - even a close family, openly sharing, helping each other, trusting/worshiping God together, wondering what God will do next. We have grown in the Lord. We have made new friends and encouraged them in reaching out into new territory. We may have even played a small role in a story of what God is going to do in the Cameroon Church and in the lives of those yet unreached in West Africa and the Sahel.

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