Last week was Jude Boeyeo’s birthday. Jude attends a university in Yaoundé, Cameroon. I met Jude in 2005 when Kathy and I visited missionary friends, Ben and Becca Sinclair. Jude lived just down the hill from Ben and helped keep Ben’s yard. Grass mowing is important in Cameroon in order to keep poisonous snakes away from the house. Jude and his mother wanted to give us a gift, so they brought us a live chicken. We thanked them and asked Jude if he would butcher it for us. Becca asked if Jude and his mother would like to keep the organs and entrails. They were pleased and did. They brought us the dressed chicken. Kathy made two chicken casseroles and we took one down to Jude’s house. He and his mother lived in a one room mud hut with a tin roof and a dirt floor. They cooked on an open campfire that was in the middle of the hut. Their front door was a ragged cloth curtain. When they went to town or church, they had to lock all of their possessions in a wooden chest because they had no door. How thoughtful and giving they were to us. They had so little, but shared it with us, who had so much. Through their gift, we were blessed. Happy Birthday, Jude!
