Cameroon Visas

                              

We are still waiting for our long stay visa forms.  Usually this takes about 6 months and that is about how long our information has been in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.  We have been reassured that the visa forms are going to be ready soon, but that we are probably going to be delayed until the end of January before we can leave for Cameroon.  Please pray that we would get the forms soon so we can buy our plane tickets for the big move!  We are all anxious to get there and get started, but we are also thankful for the time we will have with our families and friends before we leave.  We appreciate all of your support.

Moving to Cameroon...

We have been accepted with World Medical Mission (a branch of Samaritan's Purse) to serve for 2 years in Cameroon, West Africa at Mbingo Baptist Hospital.  We will be working as physicians in internal medicine and pediatrics in the clinic, the hospital, and teaching African students and residents.  This is an amazing opportunity to experience a new culture, practice medicine internationally, and follow God's call for our lives.  We also get to move to Cameroon with not just our family, but our dear friends, JR and Lindsay Young (both pediatricians) and their new little girl, Cathen.

Cameroon is certainly underserved.  There are 19 million people in the country and 1/3 of the population makes less than 1 US dollar a day.  There is one physician for every 6000 people.  We will be moving to the less developed northwest region.  The hospital has 270 beds and has an extremely busy outpatient clinic.  There are currently surgery and medicine/pediatrics residency programs and a house officer training program.  The patients served include everyone from local people to people that travel long distances from surrounding countries.

We will be updating this blog frequently once we leave in mid-January.  We hope you will follow along.  It is easy to get email updates when a new blog is posted.  You can just put your email in the box on the side of the blog that says "Type in your email for updates".  Also, if you are unsure if we have your current email address, please send it to us at thebarrierfamily@gmail.com.

There are many ways that you can help us while we are gone and be a part of what is going on in Cameroon at Mbingo Baptist Hospital.  We will be posting prayer requests along the side of the blog.  Please keep us and the hospital in your prayers.  We also will need encouragement such as emails, letters, Skype calls, or even visits if you would like to come to Cameroon!  Finally, if you would like to help financially with some of our needs, but even more some of the hospital's needs, you will find that information on the side of the blog.

Thank you all for the support that you have already given us and will continue to give us while we are serving in Cameroon.  We appreciate all of you and look forward to sharing how God will use this time in our lives.  Stay tuned for more updates in the near future...

The Barrier Family

Prayer Card

We just finished our prayer cards.  They are being printed now and then we will send them out.  Here is a sneak peak at what they will look like.  We think the designer did a great job.