Meet the Thorntons...

Over the last few weeks you may have heard a little about Rachel and Stephen Thornton and their mission to Cameroon. This week we caught up with them for a coffee and chat to find out a little more about who they are and their passion for the people of West Africa.

So tell us little about yourselves?

Rachel: Well I have been an coming to ashgrove since 1995, and used to be part of the Rainbow Beach Mission (now known as Rainbow Community Outreach). That was when God confirmed to me that He had long-term mission in store for me in the future.

Steve: I grew up in Tamworth.  Rach & I met at bible college the year we both turned 30.  I knew God had made us for each other but I kept Rachel guessing right 'til the last minute. Rachel:  By the way he talked I thought I'd be waiting for him until I was 40!  We were snow shoeing up Mr Kosciusko when he surprised me in the middle of a self-timed photo.

It is a great photo!  What will you do when you ge to Cameroon?

Steve: We are going to join an experienced church planting team based at a hospital. Our roles will include a bit of both training hospital staff (Me in nursing, Rach in physio) and reading the bible with people we have formed relationship with through the hospital. 

What are the people like?

Steve:There are twenty million Fulbe spread all around the bottom edge of the Sahara Desert. They are traditionally nomadic cattle herders and are one of the largest unreached people groups in the region.

Rachel: New believers are rejected by the community and their families and often cursed or harassed.  After 18 years of ministry there is now a small number of Fulbe believers meeting regularly together in secret.

What will your living conditions be like?

Steve: We will live in the village in a simple cement and tin house. Charlotte will have to attend a French school in a nearby city unless the missionary team can attract a teacher to home school all of our children together on the hospital site. 

We are at a French café... did you choose this so you can start practising your French?! Do you need to learn French before you can go?

Rachel: Yeah we will need to learn French. To help us we will actually first go to France for 1 year to learn the language, and then hopefully to Belgium for four months so Steve can go to Tropical Medical School. After we will spend the rest of our time in Cameroon learning the fulbe tribal language and working out what our roles will be. That will be three years all up, and then we come home for six months, before going back for the next three year term.

So how can ashgrove support you?

Rachel: Our biggest need is prayer. We would also love to have a huge number of people sign up for our newsletter and join with us on our journey. It would be great to have people write to us, send us photos, email us and just keep us in the loop. 

Steve: We recently hit 50% of our financial support target and are really looking forward to seeing how God will bring the rest in before we have to leave on the 7th of February!  Ashgrove as a church has committed to praying for us, encouraging us, and endorsing us as "Associate Missionaries" due to Rachel's long history here, and we've been so encouraged by individuals stepping forward to join our support team.

Anything else?...

We both wanted to do mission for two reasons.  Firstly to bring glory to God, but also because living on the edge of His kingdom means you HAVE to stick close to God, and that's where life is most abundant!