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 I write this newsletter, I cannot help but think of a prayer I prayed several years ago, borrowing it from David Livingston’s diary:
“Send me anywhere, only go with me.
Lay any burden on me, only sustain me.
Sever any ties, but the ties that bind me to your service
and to your heart.”
I wonder if this is part of the answer to that prayer and if I should be less tearful in repeating that prayer. I never set out to do any of the things I have found myself doing the last forty plus years. It all started with a decision to surrender to Jesus at the age of 13.
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Lunch with Dr. Tim Carter- Associate Dean of the school of Education at Arkansas Tech University.
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BFL was launched 25 years ago. From the onset, I knew without a shadow of doubt that ‘God has called us to serve Him by serving the marginalized, poor, peripheral human communities that are hungry to know Him by making Jesus known to them.’
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I have always sensed God was calling us to build sustainably. To build in such a way that our work will become self-propagating, self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-theologizing — and in so doing position our people to also be at the giving end and not just on the receiving end as the case has been. That is going against the grain.
While church-planting will remain the fulcrum of Bread For Life, our sustainable agricultural bases among the Baka Pygmies, future bases in the SW Region, and in the predominantly Islamic and unreached Northern Cameroon, our special needs school in Douala and our literature and literacy ministries will serve as a legacy of our assignment.
Bread For Life’s sustainability efforts are not just words — we are committed to producing significant, measurable results in our efforts to make our world a place where Christ is known. This newsletter will focus on our part in developing a special needs and an all-inclusive model school in Douala. In June, we will focus on our work among Baka Pygmies and our sustainable demonstration farm and in subsequent publications, we will address literacy and literature ministries. Thank you for coming alongside us in this journey of ‘bridging the gaps, changing mindsets and transforming our culture—’
Doing our parts together,
Ernest
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 search of creative ways to help their three year old son undergoing learning challenges, the Ehabes decided, at the dawn of 2016, to paint a room at their home in Douala (Cameroon) where they could provide him specialized tutoring. For them it went beyond a simple renovation to a revolution. Each stroke of paint translated the desire of these affectionate parents to create a loving space where their son could blossom. It was not just about adorning the four walls of a room with a fresh coat of paint; it was about painting their world with colors of hope.
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The beautiful new abode that emerged soon became a ‘ray of hope’ for an entire community - providing solace to other special needs children and families. So goes the story of what is today a model inclusive primary education institution called ‘RAY OF HOPE ACADEMY’ (ROHA) with a day-care center, nursery and primary section in the heart of a place call Bonamousadi in Douala. The rest they say is history. It is a great honor and privilege for me to be part of the ROHA Team.
As we commemorate autism “awareness week”, you can show your solidarity to persons with autism spectrum disorder in particular, and special needs children and their families in general, by painting your world with colors of hope. I am not talking about getting a bucket of paint and paint brush or adding a new coat of paint somewhere. It is about showing our love, support, and commitment to the welfare and well-being of autistic and special needs children. It is about developing a culture of acceptance and affection towards them and making them feel safe, secured and welcomed. It is about the total rejection of stigmatization and superstition surrounding autism and special needs people in Africa. Above all, it is about creating a space in our hearts for our children, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, and others we come across who are going through the challenge of autism or other special needs issues.
Go ahead and PAINT YOUR WORLD WITH COLORS OF HOPE!
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 have been blessed beyond measures at Ray of Hope Academy. Although we are still lagging behind, financially, 2019 has been an unprecedented year in the history of our model special needs school in Douala. So much more was accomplished in the first three months of 2019 than in our three years of existence!
We are thankful for a team from our supporting church in Ironton, MO that literately transformed our school through several gifts and being there to renovate it. We are grateful to Rand and Colleen, two educators and special needs teachers who spent more than a week providing training to our teachers, and to Jane Holt, a retired teacher from Texas and a diagnostician who spent ten days with our students, teachers and parents!
The school now has five air-condition units in five classes. Four desktop computers. One new laptop and two used laptops and ten tablets. A van and a new facelift!
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 Our much needed new school bus van will keep the children from having to ride motorcycle taxi’s to school.
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2016 Ray of Hope Academy was established with 10 students meeting in the home of Ernest and Elizabeth Ehabe. Today, it has grown to 54 students with 19 full time staff. Ray of Hope Academy is one of the only special needs schools in Cameroon that focuses on autism. Seventeen of the current students are diagnosed with Autism or severe learning disabilities and other students are receiving a quality education in grades Pre-K-5. Almost half of the students are on full or partial scholarships.
Currently, we rent a five bedroom house, renovated to meet the need. It is already too small and crowded to adequately serve the needs of this group of children. Our fifth graders will be graduating to the 6th grade. Given our present space, there won’t be any room for them at the school next year. We are pondering on what to do. Here are our options:
- Get permission from our present house owner to put up a temporary structure in the premises.
- Rent another building
- Look for land and build suitably (this will be long term)
- Ask families of our graduating 5th graders to look for other schools (a very difficult decision as they came to our school because they couldn’t find any other place like ours.
 All of the above are possible solution. Each has its challenges. The first three will involve a large amount of money. The last one is emotionally painfully for us, parents as well as students. Many parents are already asking what to do with their children who were brought to our school because of needs. Would you be praying with us as we “look to the hills…” for solutions?
Douala is a city of over 3 million and a very expensive city. Finding a suitable place to rent is difficult. Finding land is almost impossible and when available, outrageously expensive.
The need is great. These children will go without adequate education if Ray of Hope Academy cannot meet their needs. Ray of Hope is a one of a kind project in a country desperately needing to be brought into the 21st century in education. Without your help, these children will not receive the assistance they need so desperately. It is imperative that Ray of Hope find a solution soon. Please let us know if you know of a foundation, a business or individuals who may be interested in helping.
We will be in the USA in July through August 15th. Our itinerary is wide open. As we prepare our calendar for July and August, we want to give you the opportunity to invite us to come and share in your community. We have so many amazing stories to tell of God’s grace and power as we labor and represent God’s Kingdom on the front line and as we “expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.”
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