Home

Today I officially have two more days until I leave Country. I cannot believe that the time for my departure has come. I get tears in my eyes thinking about leaving behind a family I have molded myself into. A family full of laughter, fun, and adventure-the Jackson Village. Every single person in the Jackson village brings something special into the family, whether you are Miamu who gets to experience this journey as a child, to Kathleen, an amazing (tall) woman of God who puts others in front of herself. We all bring something into the family, and I have to say, I am going to feel like a part of my heart has been ripped from me when I am back in America. I am going to miss everyone so much.

All of us here have gone through the pits and through the best of times together. It is crazy to look back to July at the person who I was. When I first came to Cameroon I was a very insecure little girl who did not know anything about Africa, Cameroon, or really any idea about living in an underdeveloped country. Today, I feel so much stronger and confident. Yes, I know that I do not fully understand the way how things are run in this country, but I overall feel like I have grown up a little bit.

I have known so many people, including my sister, who packed up all of their belongings and just moved to a different country. I always had that desire, but I would get a panic attack just thinking about moving away from comfort. Now, I can proudly say that I am one of those people, I have packed my things, and I just put all of my trust into the Lord with where we wanted me to go. Who would have thought that Sarah Newman would live in Cameroon? NOT ME!

Oh Cameroon, how I am going to miss thee. I will miss going to the market, I will miss listening to Nigerian music in the taxi cab, I will miss hiking up mountains and hills, I will miss rainy season, I will miss Jane, I will miss Katelyn, I will miss Carol, I will miss Chris, I will miss Lum, I will miss Fadi, I will miss Maimu, I will miss Darcie, I will miss Georgia, I will miss all of the peace corps people I have met, I will miss all of the Cameroonians I have met, and I will miss all the people in the market. I will miss this place.

I think one of the things I will miss most, is living with Kathleen. Originally, before coming to Cameroon, when I first heard that a woman named Kathleen Cross will be joining the Jackson village, and that I will be sharing a room with her, I just pictured some fifty year old woman who would be difficult to get along with….BOY WAS I WRONG! Kathleen Cross has easily become one of my best friends. We constantly make one another laugh, we dance, sing, and act like idiots together…Kathleen is an amazing person, and I am going to probably cry for the first month in the States because I will no longer have my friend with me 24/7. Kathleen, I have no idea if you have ever read my blog, but if you are reading this now, I just want to let you know, that you are the jelly to my peanut butter! (I know you do not like peanut butter, but deal with it!!!) I cannot wait to continue our friendship back in the States, and just know Kathleen….that our time together has NOT ended. I know that there are going to be so many more adventures to come (EUROPE TRIP SUMMER 2014 BABY!! SOUTH KOREA WHEN YOU ARE DONE WITH COLLEGE!) I love you Kathleen and I cannot wait to push your family out of the way at the airport to give you the first hug (haha)

Another person I am going to miss dearly is Katelyn. Oh Katelyn, how much we have in common. If there is a person I can say who I relate to the most is Katelyn. She is a girl who loves to laugh, who is adventurous, brave, and strong, and most important, she is the baby in the family…like me. Katelyn is going to go far in this world. She has so much talent, and she does not even fully realize the talent that she has. I am going to miss laughing with Katelyn, I am going to miss going to her when I have random bug bites so she can examine them, I am going to miss her music, I am going to miss shopping with her, I am going to miss horse riding with her, I am going to miss all of the serious talks, and funny talks that we have had, and I am going to miss sitting next to her at the dinner table. Katelyn, you are amazing, I love you with all the depths of my heart, and thank you so much for opening up to me, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your family. Because of our friendship, I am a better person. I cannot wait to continue our friendship, and I cannot wait to see where you go in your future, because you are going to do some amazing things.

Lum, Fadi, and Maimu: oh boy…these three are so special to me. I just wish I could shove the three of them into my suitcase. These three girls are all so different and special. I am going to miss talking with Lum about EVERYTHING, I am going to miss cooking with her in the kitchen, and I am going to miss her laugh. Lum is one of the most determined and motivated girls I have ever met in my life. She is going to be so successful, and I just feel so privileged to have lived with her, and to be her friend. I cannot wait to see you back Stateside Lum. I cannot wait to show you around America, and I am so excited to share more laughs, hugs, and stories!!! Fadi and Maimu….you two are sisters, and yet so different. I will miss Maimu coming into our room, and just hanging out with us, I am going to miss her laugh, I am going to miss buying her clothes, I am just going to miss everything about her. She is the coolest 12 year old I have ever met, and she just reminds me how much fun everything in life can be. Fadi is one heart breaker. She is so beautiful; sometimes I just stare at her because her beauty just shines off of her. She is so kind, funny, and caring. Fadi is going to also go far in this world. She works so hard in school, and she has so many dreams and goals for herself. I cannot wait to see where she goes, and what she does with her life. I am going to miss these three dearly.

Chris Jackson. I am going to miss Chris dearly. He is an amazing follower of God, and he is one to aspire to. I have so much enjoyed working with him, I have enjoyed talking and sharing with him, and I am going to miss so much his sense of humor. He is still five years old in spirit. He loves to laugh, make jokes, and dance….(yeah, dance hahaaha.) I am going to miss his easy going spirit, and his knowledge about everything. Every time I was crying or struggling, he would always come to make sure that I was okay; he would always encourage me, and lead to me back to Christ. Chris has provided me with a hot water heater for a warm shower, to internet, food, shelter, and safety. Chris welcomed me into his family, and he made me feel like I have been here all my life. Chris, thank you so much for everything. I thank you for being such a crutch for me during all of the culture shock, and for all of my mental break downs (sorry about all the crying haha) You have such strong faith, and I look so much up to you. You are a wonderful father, you were a wonderful husband to Karen, and you have taken in so many people as your children. I thank you for allowing me to be a part of the Jackson Village. Thank you for letting me team up with you and Karen and be a part of the work team. “Lessons from Luke” is going to make a big difference in Cameroon, and I thank you for letting me help out!

Karen. Karen Jackson changed my world. She pushed and challenged me in ways I never thought I would be pushed or challenged. Karen showed me what love looks like. Karen made love her mission. She took in anybody, and made sure they were taken care of. I will never, ever forget Karen Jackson. I will carry her with me for all my life. I cannot wait for the day when I get to see her again. It still feels like yesterday when I was with her in the hospital. I will carry those special memories I got to share with her for all of my life. Karen was an amazing disciple for Christ. I hope that I can be half of the woman that Karen Joy Jackson was. I will always remember her smile as she was working in the garden, I will never forget her laugh, and I will never forget her generous spirit. Karen you are amazing. I love, love, love you. I wish I was able to give you a great big hug right now.

Oh Cameroon. You have changed me. You have made me a better person. Thank you Cameroon, thank you for saving me. Before coming to Cameroon I was lost, lonely, and empty. Since coming to Cameroon I have been surrounded by love, companionship, and Christ. God literally ripped me out the empty, worldly life I was living, and showed me what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. I was thrown away from the comforts of America, I was taken away from my friends, and I was snatched away from my troubles. The Lord placed me here in Cameroon to grow spiritually, to grow emotionally, and mentally. I have had to face a lot being here, when we first got here we ran over a lady with our car, in the middle of my time here we celebrated a birth in Fadi’s village, and I have now ended my time here mourning over Karen. I was pushed, broken down, encouraged, and loved. Being here in Cameroon has been one of the hardest times in my life, but in the end, when I look back, it was a time filled with more laughter and joy than sadness. The Jackson’s are amazing people, and every single of them inspire and motivate me. This family is a wonderful family who live their lives as disciples.

I will always have Cameroon with me. I have been saved in my faith, I have learned new cultures, and I have done things I will never get to do in the States. Thank you Cameroon and thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus for taking me down this road, thank you for never giving up on me, thank you Lord for flipping my world upside down. You taught me Lord that beauty is not about appearances, it is about where your heart dwells. If we give YOU are heart, your beauty will shine out of us. You showed me how to love everyone, no matter their skin color, no matter what they wear, no matter if they hate us, we are to love them….just as you love us. You showed me Lord that we are to open up and share our struggles with fellow followers. We are to lean on one another when we are going through difficult times. I thank you Lord for giving me these people to lean on here in Cameroon. I thank you Lord, and I thank you for pushing me past my comforts. I thank the Lord and give him all the praise. I am so thankful that I am His child, and I am so thankful for this time in Cameroon that he gave me. I am a different person because of this journey, I will forever be grateful.

I just want to take this time to also thank everyone who has supported me financially and through prayer. I would have not been able to be here in Cameroon without any of you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you so much for your care and love. Because of your support, I have been able to finish…yes, that is right, FINISH Lessons From Luke. I have been able to complete my part of the project, and we are one MASSIVE step to getting these out into the world. Because of you, hundreds of kids from all over Cameroon are going to be hearing and learning about the life of Jesus. There will be children from Cameroon in heaven because of you. I want to thank you so much for allowing me to work on the material; again I would not be here if it was not for all of you. I cannot wait to see all of you back in America, and I cannot wait to give you all a big hug!

Just to let you know if you are wondering about what is next for me, I will be going back to Northern California for the summer, and then I plan to move to Mississippi with my best friend. I am not sure how long I will be there, but I do know that I will be preparing myself to go to grad school. I plan to continue writing on this blog…so if you are interested in reading about my future journey, hang out for a bit! Thank you again for this amazing journey, and I will see you all Stateside!

Love you all,

Sarah