Chicken Mistakes Are Not Always Fatal

An annoying chicken pecked its way—again—into my wife’s garden in Cameroon. I had been chasing this one out all week. Now I decided to teach the culprit a little lesson. I pumped my BB gun, just once, to let it feel just the slightest sting on its back.

Unfortunately, with only one pump, BB guns have a notoriously bad aim. The low shot tore the poor chicken’s tender underbelly. The shocked foul fluttered outside.

Feeling awful, I asked around to find who the owner was. Nobody knew—or should I say, nobody told me. A week later, this same chicken limped helplessly into our compound. Weakened by the initial injury, it had been molested further by dogs. At my feet, this once vibrant lettuce destroyer just flopped over on its side panting its last breath, as if to say, “Look, this is all your fault.”

Riddled with guilt, I picked up the semiconscious victim of my bad aim and again asked the children in my compound who the owner was. Sheepishly they replied, “It’s Emmanuel’s.”

“Ah.” I was relieved. Good! Emmanuel would understand. He was our team’s second national translator—and a friend. He was traveling at the time of the incident. So, as a favor to him, I slaughtered my victim and put the meat in the freezer to keep for him. I waited for him to come home so I could make amends.

However, I had no idea what was being said behind my back. To make a long, long story short, the Mr-Bob-shot-Emmanuel’s-chicken-on-purpose story hit the oral tabloids. Before I had a chance to explain my version, the oral contortion of it had reached Emmanuel’s ears. He returned to Sorombeo convinced that I had a bone to pick with him.

That happened more than five years ago and to this day I’m not sure what he believes. It did become a divisive issue, along with some other personality clashes. Eventually, Emmanuel left the translation work and became a schoolteacher.

Emmanuel is an extremely gifted man and admired by many who have had him as a student. He had joined us in the hope of bringing his people out of an underdeveloped state and expected them to encourage him in return. During his short working relationship with us we were able to translate the standard order of worship with key Scripture verses and Karang melodies. We made a promotional video in which Emmanuel explained how to use the order of worship. After four decades of using a foreign language in church, it took only a year for churches to begin worshiping the Lord in Karang.

In the process, I noticed more than ever Emmanuel’s ability to communicate. He was a good orator, especially to the young. In retrospect, as I look at those old promotional videos, I now see why God allowed my chicken mistake, and so many other things, that eventually took Emmanuel out of the project.

Emmanuel is now a schoolteacher near the city of Garoua. A few years ago, a Christian radio station started broadcasting in that area. Emmanuel, whose heart never left the Karang work, along with a great group of young Karang people, decided to start a weekly broadcast in the Karang language. It started the summer of 2005 during our time in the U.S. Soon Emmanuel and I started communicating—by email! He requested all audio recordings of Scripture that I had on my computer, which I immediately sent to him on CD.

What a surprise to hear this testimony from him in another email message: “I went this morning to visit a friend from my village who is in prison in a city. He introduced me to the Mbum prisoners (those who understand Karang) who all say ‘Thank you’ for the radio transmissions and especially for God’s Word in Karang. I asked them to pray that you, Bob, return to Cameroon to continue this work. As for me, I am nothing, simply a broadcaster.”

Emmanuel and the prisoners are only a few who have been touched by the audio ministry. Many Karang are singing—for the first time—songs based on Scripture. They are listening to Galatians, the Epistles of John, and the Gospel of John on cassette. The potential for reaching those who have not yet heard, such as those in the prison at Garoua, is great.

It is sobering to see how God causes all things to work out—even my mistakes.

Update September 2006:

Emmanuel is hoping to be relocated to the village area as a school teacher. The work at the radio station is at a stand still since July 2006 because of lack of funding from the Karang community. Presently we are promoting the radio station among the Karang to help them understand the need to help finance the broadcasts which they so enjoy—a hard concept, but very crucial to the development of a self-sustaining work.

Pray that the community which has already benefited from the broadcasts would take charge. Some elites have already committed themselves to helping.