Trip to the United States of America: My Heartfelt Gratitude
JUNE 1 – July 10, 2023
On Friday, May 26, 2023, I rushed to my village, Nkanchi, to greet my dad and inform him and the rest of the family members that I would take a trip to the United States of America. This trip was to be for me a little summer vacation, and much more, an occasion to meet some, if not, most of the donors to the Kumbokids and Community projects and present updates of all that I have been doing to them. After informing my family about the trip, I came back to Saint Aloysius’ Minor Seminary, where I live and work, to prepare for departure. With the insecurity and lockdown still looming large in Anglophone Cameroon, I had to prepare to travel on a weekend to Douala, the airport city, to prepare for departure.
On June 1st, I left Douala by 7:00 PM through Yaounde and Brussels (Belgium) to Washington Dulles International Airport, USA. The plane touched the ground shortly before 2:00 PM, New York time. Fr. Ghenghan Bamenjo Mbinkar was there on time to pick me up. He brought me to Saint Mark’s Parish in Vienna, VA, where I spent one night. I want to sincerely thank Fr. Mbinkar for always being there, ready to assist me whenever he is available.
The next day, Saturday, June 3rd, Fr. Mbinkar gave me a ride to my US base in Catonsville, MD, and home, to meet my US parents, Jack Reybold and Mary Ann Sorra. I am wholeheartedly and eternally grateful to you, Jack and Mary Ann, for opening the doors of your house to me at all times, for making your home, my home, and for readily assisting me in everything that has to do with Kumbokids and Community Projects, and for being donors as well. One of my pleas for this trip was to have a sponsor for the acquisition of mattresses for SAMS. After sharing the idea with Jack and Mary Ann, they opted to give me $6,000.00 for 200 mattresses to be purchased in Cameroon. Thank you immensely for your continuous generosity. The idea is that students will rent the mattresses for about $9.00 per year, and the money will be used to repair or purchase new mattresses in case we run short of them. Students will not have to bring mattresses again.
On June 10, 2023, Jack and Mary Ann organized a Mass at their house and invited family members to celebrate with me. Mary Ann’s father brought a donation for Kumbokids and Community. Again, thank you Jack, and Mary Ann for expanding the mission of Kumbokids and Community. To ease my movements, Jack and Mary Ann always provide me with a car. Thank you so much for all that you do for this little boy of Nkanchi village.
I call the family of Dr. Joseph Toyang my Nkanchi family friends. Though they are from a different village, Kom, in Cameroon, they grew up in my village where their father was a tailor. We became members of one family. Dr. Joseph Toyang is very supportive of my projects and he and his family members are donors as well. I want to sincerely thank Dr. Joe and all members of his household for always being there as my host family also. May God continue to bless and reward you. Thank you for always taking charge of my events.
There are many individuals and families in Maryland that welcomed me wholeheartedly. My gratitude goes to Hygenius who invited me to his home and informed people about my mission. Some donated immediately to support the mission of Kumbokids and Community. I render immense thanks to the members of the Bishop Rogan College Allumini Group (Birocol ex-students Association). I render my gratitude to Wirlen Kenneth, Boh Herbert, Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Michael Bibum, Mr. Lambert Mbom, and all members of the Birocol family.
I want to thank Mr. Pius Ambe, Wirlen Kenneth, and the members of the Cameroon Catholic Communities in Virginia, Baltimore, and Burtonsville for their support. I thank the CWA, CWO, CMA, HTC, and members of all the groups of the three Cameroon Catholic Communities. Thank you, Itang Ngang and Margaret Ebude, Dr. Yonette, and Dr. Margo for their unflinching support of me and the projects. May God continue to bless and reward you.
Mr. Ambe Pius, the Chairperson of the Cameroon Catholic Community, Burtonsville, MD suggested the creation of a scholarship fund to help the neediest students of SAMS. I christened the fund, “The Cameroon Catholic Community Solidarity Fund for SAMS Students”. The modalities have already been laid down and we shall patiently wait for it to materialize. Thank you so much, Mr. Ambe Pius, for this great initiative. May God bless you and touch the hearts of all those who are going to donate to this fund.
Maria Luise Laue and her husband Jeurgen have always supported me. I thank Maria for all that she does to ship clothes and other items to me for the benefit of many needy people. She does what she does with love that stems from her spirit of generosity. My prayer is that God will continue to bless and reward her with good health of mind and body. In the same way, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Daschbach family for their financial support and continuous outreach to me with school supplies. I thank them for the time they devoted to attend my presentation. May God continue to guide and protect you in all you do. I continue to pray that your son, Patrick, may rest in peace.
On June 13, 2023, I traveled to Dayton, Ohio. In the first place, I render immense thanks to Fr. Angelo Anthony, the Pastor of Emmanuel Catholic Church for his amazing friendship, his willingness to grant permission to the various Church groups and individuals to raise funds to support the Mission of Kumbokids and Community. Friends in Ohio welcome me in these words: “Welcome home, though away from home.” Thank you, Fr. Angelo, Deacon Rusty and family, and all the parishioners of the Region 7 Churches.
Before traveling to Ohio, I talked with Dave Norckauer and Ann his wife. Dave, you are the architect, the protagonist, and the light to illumine the way toward greater achievement. The mission of Kumbokids and Community will succeed because you have undertaken it as a personal thing. You put in a lot of your resources to make sure that things function well with this organization. When I saw you with a flyer and printed envelopes for Kumbokids and Community, I was tongue-tied. Wherever you came from to be in union with me, only the Almighty God knows. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. The realization of these projects is thanks to you and all those who cooperate with you to make sure that Kumbokids and Community continue to survive. In this vein, I render immense thanks to the Knights of Columbus of the various councils in the Dayton area who have contributed and who are still to contribute to support the projects of Kumbokids and Community.
Dave told me about a healing Mass which was to take place on Thursday, June 15 at Emmanuel Catholic Church. I was happy to concelebrate at that beautiful Mass. It was my greatest pleasure to have been part of that Mass and to have assisted in the general Anointing of the Sick. That Mass strengthened me in ways that cannot adequately be explained with human vocabulary. Thank you so much, Dave, for always being current with the issues of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Through you, Dave, we were able to go through the presentation at Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Springboro.
On June 17, 2023, after the vigil Mass on Saturday, we did the PowerPoint Presentation of the projects of the Kumbokids and Community. This was so providential and looked as if it was planned for me to be there. Originally, Dave’s friend had requested him to do a presentation at Saint Mary of the Assumption Church in Springboro because she had attended the Spaghetti Dinner that Dave organized at Bainbridge Street, OH. Before the presentation, Dave gave an amazing introduction that captured the attention of the audience. Dave, once more, thank you. I take this opportunity to thank all those who came to listen to me. I thank the New Pastor of Saint Mary of the Assumption and all the parishioners for their continuous support of the projects of Kumbokids and Community. Thank you to the members of the Knights of Columbus of Council 144400 in Springboro, Oh.
I wish to also thank Dale Nieberding for his wonderful ideas, his zeal, and enthusiasm. I wish things could move as fast as he wishes. Thank you, Dale, also for your financial support. You sacrifice much to make things happen. May God continue to bless and reward you. To link Kumbokids and Community with the Dayton Foundation was the best thing that happened. I pray that all your dreams will one day come true for you and for Kumbokids.
Charles and Susan Gross have remained fervent in supporting the Mission of Kumbokids and Community. On June 20, 2023, they were hosts to another presentation at their home. Thank you so much for your time, the use of your resources, and for creating space at your home for this presentation. You provided the technology for this presentation and cooked the food to feed the participants. Thank you, and thank you for your continuous donations and enthusiasm to spread the mission of Kumbokids and Community.
I render sincere thanks to all those who came to your house at your invitation. Again, Dave and Ann were there. Thank you! Thank you, Ruth and Jack; thank you, Peggy Goetz; thank you, Susan and Daniel Sauer, for your continuous donations to support the Mission of Kumbokids and Community. Thank you, to all of you who were present at this dinner and stayed to listen to the presentation. Thank you to all those who have supported and will continue to support the growth of Kumbokids and the Community.
I equally extend my sincere gratitude to Lesley and her family in Tipp City for her continuous love, care, and support of the Kumbokids and Community Projects in many varied ways. For the two times that I have been back to the US, Lesley has bought some phones and given me to give to some of my teachers who were without phones. Thank you for the dinner and for bringing your friends to listen to the presentation. May God continue to bless and reward you for all you do. Your faith and generosity benefit people unknown to you. Thank you
To you Mary Donovan and family, I thank you. You connected me to your friend, Stephanie, who, without the proper knowledge of me, continues to donate to support the projects for Kumbokids and Community. You sacrificed your time and resources to make sure that things function as planned. May you receive abundant riches from the Lord.
I wish to sincerely thank all the priests of the Diocese of Kumbo who are serving in Portland, ME. My journey to Portland, ME (June 26 – June 29) was very enriching as I met my brothers’ priests from the diocese of Kumbo serving in the diocese of Portland, ME, USA. Dear brothers, you received me with utmost love. Msgr. Roland Berngeh, Fr. Anthony Lawir, Fr. Athanasius Sangnyuy, Fr. Joseph Lukong, Fr. Justin Sefembiy, Fr. Jude Lawsamba, and Fr. Divine Fossoh, I render immense gratitude to all of you for all that you do in the field of evangelization and the support you gave me during my visit.
On Monday, July 3rd through Wednesday, July 5th, I went to Houston, TX, where I met Fr. Gregory Cheo Ngwa who welcomed me so warmly. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Cameroon, serving in Houston, TX. Fr. I pray that your health may improve, and thank you for your support. Then, I went to spend a night with Fr. Eugen Nkardzedze (a priest of the Diocese of Kumbo) at 905 N 9th Street, Silsbee, TX 77656. Thank you for your warm welcome and for accompanying me to Tyler where we spent a night and you assisted me with the presentation. Thank you for your great assistance.
Thank you, Adam Barb, Amanda Barb, and family for bringing your friends to share a meal with me and listen to the presentation for Kumbokids and Community. These initiatives are helping to expand the mission of Kumbokids and Community. I sincerely thank you and pray that God will continue to bless and reward you for all you do.
With Psalm 95:1-5, I come before the presence of God with thanksgiving in my heart for you, and I shout with joy to God in songs and dance because of your generosity to me. “The Lord is the great God and the great King above all gods, and in his hands are the depths of the earth.” I pray with Saint Paul that the message of Christ should dwell “among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him,” (Co. 3:15-17) as I give thanks to you for supporting the projects of Kumbokids and Community.
In the course of this visit, I lost my beloved Father, Damian Lon (Pa Tulah Lon). On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, having returned from my trip to Portland, ME, I received the sad news at 12:30 a.m. that my dad had passed onto Glory some hours back, that is, at 10:00 PM US time and 3:00 a.m. Cameroon time. Since he died in Cameroon, we take it that he died on June 30th, 2023, at 3:00 a.m. Thank you for the consolatory messages you sent to me. Join me to pray for Mm Nestorine Boh who died on July 8, 2023, the day of the memorial Mass for my Father. May she rest in peace.
I take this opportunity to thank all those who organized a memorial Mass (July 8, 2023) for my dad. Jack and Mary Ann, Dr. Joe Toyang and the entire family, the family of Fr. Mbinkar (Therese Mbinkar, Ntani Alfred, Benedicta Ntani, the Budji family, the Dr. Bame family, Binfon and family etc) were all phenomenal. My father will be buried on Wednesday, August 9. May God continue to bless and reward every one of you.
Once more, thank you, Merci, Beri Ven, and Kiyone.
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Fale Lon