Tuesday, January, 2002
NM Michael Lamson to Cameroon
Michael Lamson
Where
to start is difficult for me as I feel as if I have lived 3 or 4 lifetimes
already but let’s see where this will go. I guess I will start at the
beginning and try to make a very long story as short as possible. I was born
on May 15, 1956 in Greenville SC.Out of a family of 5 boys and two girls I am the 3 child (what they say about middle children is true). When I was 1 we moved to North Carolina where my dad became the little league coach, the Scout Master, the Wrestling coach and played many other roles in the community. He was very strict and ran a tight ship at home but he was all and all a great dad that invested himself always in his family.
My mom worked as a nurse many long hours while making sure that we all had balanced meals, clean clothes, got to bed on time and learned to carry out our duties around the house.
I met the Unification Church in 1974 and was invited to my first workshop by my oldest brother Art. After the workshop I joined (August 3 1974). That year was so full of many activities and I joined National MFT towards the end of the year. I stayed with MFT until late in 1983 when I joined my blessing partner and the love of my life (now) to start our family life. She was a student at UTS so I worked on the staff taking care of the grounds and managing the horses.
Our first child was born on May 2 in 1984 while my wife was in her last year at UTS. In 1985 we moved to Raleigh NC to do Home Church then in 1987 we moved to Washington DC where we worked with the DC church and took care of the Columbia Rd. property. I became the city leader for DC community, taught Sunday school, developed some programs for second generation, became a teacher at New Hope Academy (2nd grade) and attended classes at Howard University.
In 1996 Father asked families to join up for the National Messiah mission which we did and after the 40 day training in CP in Oct. and Nov. 1996 we went back to DC and started to make plans to move to our mission country Cameroon. In Jan. 1997 we moved to Cameroon and left all our friends and family behind as we embarked on our greatest leap of faith to date. At this time we are still in Cameroon and have plans to be there for many, many, more years.
The first year or two was very difficult as we adjusted to all the cultural differences and found our way in the new environment but we did it and the next few years were filled with many accomplishments, good friends and wonderful experiences. Three families came to join us, The Jones Family, The Hampton Family and the Thonett Family.
Many volunteers came as well such as Wade Hampton, Zachary Morrow, Stephan De La Pena, Elgen Strait, Paul Byrne and many others. IIFWP chose Cameroon to build a Peace Embassy we started getting funding from donors, we opened new offices and I was sure God loved Cameroon and had a plan for everyone as He was sending all the qualified people to help. It was not to be however as in 2003 I was robbed and attacked at which time I lost almost all the money that the country had. Money for projects, for staff, for our family all disappeared in an instant and my faith was tested harder than ever before. When we started to get things back on track I had to have emergency surgery in Cameroon and found myself down yet again.
A few months later I went to the US and spent many months in hospitals and doctors offices trying to repair damage from the Cameroon surgery which finally lead to another surgery in Korea on the 30 of November 2005. At this time I am still praying, still confident that God loves Cameroon and that He has a plan to rescue me from mountains of debt and to get back in the mission field. Many I know think I am crazy, and maybe, I am but I have been touched so deeply by those who we have helped in Cameroon that giving up is just not an option. There is no doubt that God wants our family to be in Africa and that He wants to work through us to help bring His love and His unconditional healing power and His truth to those who need him there. I will always wish I was more, that I had more to give and I am sure that I will never feel that I have given enough but our lives are our legacy and in the end if a book be written about our life it will be a good read.
Nelson Mandela in his Free from Fear Speech said it best:
Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates oAbout Me - Michael Lamson
Where to start is difficult for me as I feel as if I have lived 3 or 4 lifetimes already but lets see where this will go. I guess I will start at the beginning and try to make a very long story as short as possible.I was born on May 15, 1956 in Greenville SC.
Out of a family of 5 boys and two girls I am the 3 child (what they say about middle children is true). When I was 1 we moved to North Carolina where my dad became the little league coach, the Scout Master, the Wrestling coach and played many other roles in the community. He was very strict and ran a tight ship at home but he was all and all a great dad that invested himself always in his family.
My mom worked as a nurse many long hours while making sure that we all had balanced meals, clean clothes, got to bed on time and learned to carry out our duties around the house.
I met the Unification Church in 1974 and was invited to my first workshop by my oldest brother Art. After the workshop I joined (August 3 1974). That year was so full of many activities and I joined National MFT towards the end of the year. I stayed with MFT until late in 1983 when I joined my blessing partner and the love of my life (now) to start our family life. She was a student at UTS so I worked on the staff taking care of the grounds and managing the horses.
Our first child was born on May 2 in 1984 while my wife was in her last year at UTS. In 1985 we moved to Raleigh NC to do Home Church then in 1987 we moved to Washington DC where we worked with the DC church and took care of the Columbia Rd. property. I became the city leader for DC community, taught Sunday School, developed some programs for second generation, became a teacher at New Hope Academy (2nd grade) and attended classes at Howard University.
In 1996 Father asked families to join up for the National Messiah mission which we did and after the 40 day training in CP in Oct. and Nov. 1996 we went back to DC and started to make plans to move to our mission country Cameroon. In Jan. 1997 we moved to Cameroon and left all our friends and family behind as we embarked on our greatest leap of faith to date. At this time we are still in Cameroon and have plans to be there for many, many, more years.
The first year or two was very difficult as we adjusted to all the cultural differences and found our way in the new environment but we did it and the next few years were filled with many accomplishments, good friends and wonderful experiences. Three families came to join us, The Jones Family, The Hampton Family and the Thonett Family.
Many volunteers came as well such as Wade Hampton, Zachary Morrow, Stephan De La Pena, Elgen Strait,, Paul Byrne and many others. IIFWP chose Cameroon to build a Peace Embassy we started getting funding from donors, we opened new offices and I was sure God loved Cameroon and had a plan for everyone as He was sending all the qualified people to help.It was not to be however as in 2003 I was robbed and attacked at which time I lost almost all the money that the country had. Money for projects, for staff, for our family all disappeared in an instant and my faith was tested harder than ever before. When we started to get things back on track I had to have emergency surgery in Cameroon and found myself down yet again.
A few months later I went to the US and spent many months in hospitals and doctors offices trying to repair damage from the Cameroon surgery which finally lead to another surgery in Korea on the 30 of November 2005. At this time I am still praying, still confident that God loves Cameroon and that He has a plan to rescue me from mountains of debt and to get back in the mission field. Many I know think I am crazy, and maybe, I am but I have been touched so deeply by those who we have helped in Cameroon that giving up is just not an option. There is no doubt that God wants our family to be in Africa and that He wants to work through us to help bring His love and His unconditional healing power and His truth to those who need him there. I will always wish I was more, that I had more to give and I am sure that I will never feel that I have given enough but our lives are our legacy and in the end if a book be written about our life it will be a good read.
Nelson Mandela in his Free from Fear Speech said it best:
Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinkingso that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.