BCO is Starting 2019 in Hopes of Spiritual and Physical Growth

Another year has passed and Brightland Christian Orphanage is still a beacon on the hill in Wotutu, Cameroon. Respected by so many, BCO continues to provide top notch care to orphans who have no explanation as to why they are orphans. These children, some of which have been with us now for four years, have grown in so many ways. I cannot begin to express the joy and thankfulness I have in my heart, to God first of all, for the continued providence and longsuffering He has shown to BCO over the last four years. He continues to give us time to identify children who are truly in need of love and care. I am also reminded of the wonderful people in Wotutu who, in the name our Lord, serve each and every day to give our children the life they never knew they would have. Some of them would not have had a chance at life today had it not been for God's providence and BCO.

As we look forward to 2019, we have many things to look forward to. Our children are growing so fast physically, they are getting harder to recognize when I see them after being away. I have to really study the pictures sometimes to make sure of who it is I'm looking at. Their health and physical well-being couldn't be better. Aside from normal colds and malaria flare-ups, our children are so much better off then they would be otherwise. Two of our children, Scola and Diland, were able to get eyeglasses to help with their vision. It was determined that their poor eyesight was probably the cause of persistent headaches in them both. Here is Scola below with her glasses on.

The new van has been such a blessing. Now our children can move around more freely when they need to go somewhere, or Magdalene can get children to the doctor without complication when the preaching students are away on evangelism. We are currently looking for an individual who has the proper license to drive the van to be on call when needed.

The climate in the Southwest Region is still somewhat destabilized, but it is better than it was. Continued prayers on behalf of the people who live in this region are coveted. Brother David Ballard was able to go over in December to the preaching school graduation. He was able to move around and never felt in danger, but things are still unsettled. The Kumba area is the worst area right now with a lot of fighting. The Buea area is also a hotbed. The last population estimation there was that approximately 10,000 of the 200,000 people who normally live there were still there. He said it is very much like a ghost town still. The two sides still have not sat down with one another to talk. The Amba people want independence from Cameroon but that is really a smaller percentage of people. Many people in English Cameroon want the two sides to work things out and end the crisis. Please continue to pray for the leaders of both sides and that a compromise can be reached. If you want to keep up with the happenings over there, you can visit these websites:

www.cameroononline.org

www.journalducameroun.com/en/

www.africanews.com

www.allafrica.com/cameroon/

Happy New Year and God Bless!

Jonathan