Sakerettes In Action-2016

EXSSA USA Sakerettes, one body and spirit strive toward Love, Unity and Sisterhood as together we impact the lives of those in our various corners.
And this is how it went down in Houston, Texas…

Undoubtedly, EXSSA Houston chapter has lots of love to share. Our greatest commandment given by our SaviourYeshua the Messiah is to Love one another as He has loved us. (John 15:12). With this command in mind, the Houston Trendsetters fixed on a campaign to lend a loving hand to our surrogate sisters at the Fortbend Women’s Center in Richmond Texas. From basic feminine supplies, to beddings, clothings and sweet treats, on Saturday April 23rd 2016 at 3pm, these ladies marched on to the shelter to brighten the lives of these women. This entourage of women all spotted in red t-shirts, stormed into the shelter gates, flooding the lobby with lots of goodies. The day was well spent in fellowship with worship music and prayers to our God Almighty, uplifting the hearts of many and making an impact that cannot be measured by any means known to mankind. Such is that which we colloquially describe as, “only God knows!”.To close out the day, the congregation moved to the West Houston hospital to continue the fellowship with our “Cat” Mr. D,(husband to our very own Aunty Regine EfetiOjongtambia) who was hospitalized. In the sincerest of Love, as true ambassadors for our Messiah, we should always be reminded that we are in fact our sister’s keeper! And continually strive to make a positive impact in our world. Shalom!

 

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Left to right: Hortense Ngoe, Cynthia Ola Eneme, Faith Menyoli, Sophie Ngongi, Didi Ndando, Genevieve Ndando, Jackie Atang, Sylvie Ejedepang-Koge

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The gathering before the shelter visit

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EXSSA Houston Sakerettes blow cheers to All

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Back row, Left to right: Sophie Ngongi, Catherine Mukete, Bessem Oben, JachieAtang, Marie Njowo, Caleche Mbongo, Allison, Faith Menyoli, Hortense Ngoe, BihFointama, Yvonne Etta
Front row seating left to right: Nadu Bodylawson, Maggi Ngu, Mrs. Fointama

At the Shelter.

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At the Shelter

Front Row, Left to right: Caleche Bongo, AllisonFormunyoh , Faith Menyoli, Hortense Ngoe
Back left to right: Jackie Atang, Marie Njowo, Nadu Bodylawson

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At the West Hospital

Left to right: Faith Menyoli, Sophie Ngongi, Jackie Atang, Rachel Tita, EfetiOjongtambia, Marie Njowo, Hortense Ngoe, Didi Ndando, Bessem Oben.

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The President Herself! Catherine Manga

EXSSA Georgia Sakerettes Help Deliver Food to the Sick on EXSSA USA’s Annual Impact Day.

On April 9th, 2016 ExSSA Georgia Sakerettes answered ExSSA USA’s call to make a positive impact in their local community by donating their time to Open Hand, an organization that “helps people prevent or better manage chronic disease through Comprehensive Nutrition Care™, which combines home-delivered meals and nutrition education as a means to reinforce the connection between informed food choices and improved quality of life”.

It was a sunny morning, the kind of day that is considered a luxury at this time of the year, but the ladies of the Georgia chapter in their specially made green T shirts were ready to use the beautiful day in service to others under the leadership of the their President, Ms. Eisther Mbake and vice, Ms. Catherine Fomukong. These dynamic duo serving by example had the support of dedicated members including one of their former presidents, Ms. Belinda Enyong, Ms. Cecy Malange Mokake and the chapter’s financial secretary Ms. Pauline Ntuba who came to volunteer along with her children and husband. With prayerful support from their members who were unavoidably absent, this faithful band began their service that morning at 10. a.m. The plan was to deliver meals to 20 residents around the Decatur area, just outside Atlanta. To make the job easier and faster, the ladies split in two groups. Then each group got to work, getting the food package warm in warmer bags labelled with client’s name, address and the kind of food. It was then time to drive out and knock on the doors.

It was quite a moving experience as each recipient answered the door with a smile on his or her face as each one received the meal. It seems it was a knock on the door that was gratefully anticipated. Some of these patients cannot afford the proper nutrition they need while others are too sick to prepare their own meals. Open Hand organization is certainly filling a very valuable gap and they could not have found a more suitable partner in EXSSA Georgia! In two hours the ladies were done with their merciful mission and the Open Hands organization was impressed and grateful. The experience was inspirational for the ExSSA Georgia ladies who were reminded not to take their own lives for granted. The United States is known around the world as a land of plenty, so people like these who depend on donated meals are not visible in the narrative of America’s affluence.

After two hours of hard work it was time for a lunch break, but it was no ordinary lunch at Café Intermezzo in downtown Atlanta because the ExSSA ladies were joined by an august guest, the dynamic Vice President of ExSSA USA, Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang. Dr. J as she is fondly called in ExSSA USA circles, had been attending the annual conference of African Literature Association in Atlanta and was only too happy to take time off the conference panels to salute ExSSA Georgia for a job well done. Donning the specially made ExSSA Georgia green T Shirt, Dr. J congratulated the ladies for not waiting for all chapter members to be available to carry out this task. At the end of a highly energized laughter-filled lunch hour, it was clear that the Vice President’s visit was truly the icing on the cake. Dr. J even chatted with the children volunteers who were only too happy to share their experience on the food delivery trail. The president of ExSSA Georgia, Ms. Wasamba Mbake captured the sentiments of the group when she told Dr. J, “We cannot thank you enough for the way you changed our day. You made it more joyous in the way only you can”

It should be noted that five years ago Ex-Saker Students Association in the US decided that on every second Saturday of April members of each chapter would give back to their local community. The day was dubbed “Impact Day”. This collective charitable giving exercise was not only meant to underscore the Christian foundation of ExSSA USA but a way of showing that we also value our local communities and we do not only give back to our alma mater in Cameroon. For the past five years this has been an enriching exercise for members of USA and their local communities. The chapters have been involved in helping in food banks, cleaning the park, cleaning the cemetery, visiting the sick at home and in hospital, making blankets for the sick, making cards for children, stipends to those with chronic illnesses etc.

The dedication towards excellence and orientation towards service was planted during our days at Saker Baptist College Victoria, now Limbe. Saker Baptist college, our alma mater has remained a foundation for academic excellence framed with Christian values since that 29th of January in 1962 when 36 young girls were led to Saker hill and “their nervous trepidation became a joyful thrill”

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EXSA DC DIVAS IMPACT DAY

It was such a beautiful Saturday morning on April 9th when the DC Divas began to trickle into the home of Big Sister and Aunty Emma Manjo. By 11am, all hands were on deck, singing and Glorifying The Most High God while keeping busy and focused on the job at hand.

The Divas were on an all day mission to craft out beautiful blankets for the elderly in a Nursing home in Silver Spring Maryland. Time flew by so fast as the Divas plunged into work with jokes, tales and teasing, the atmosphere was relaxing and cheerful. The Divas were joined by Carats who also stepped in to help. The beautiful blankets were ready and folded for delivery by 3pm.

Divas arrived at the Nursing Home to a small group of residents who had been waiting patiently all day and among them was one of our own grand mothers who of course was so happy to see us. The Divas sang a few songs to entertain the residents before handing out the beautifully hand crafted blankets. We are happy to say that we made their day!!!!!!! The Smile on the faces of the residents said it all. Blankets were given to those residents who do not always get visitors or had no family members. It was indeed a labor of love. As the saying goes ” Little is much when God is in it” and it was done in love.

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EXSA MN Sakerettes Impact Day
A hungry stomach has no ears- Unknown Author

On April 9th the Sakerettes in the land of 10,000 lakes once again fulfilled their commitment to Exssa USA by volunteering in their local community in honor of national impact day. The members decided to volunteer for an organization which deals with the hungry especially children as we know ‘the children are our future”. Feed my Starving Children was the organization of choice. This organization is a Christian nonprofit which has been in existence since 1987 and feeds thousands of orphans and displaced children in 70 countries yearly. Visible on its wall by the organization’s logo are these words from Proverbs 22:9 “Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor” .On April 9th the food being parked was to be shipped to Haiti. Sakerettes arrived at the Feed My Starving Children location in Chanhassen at exactly 7:45 pm in their beautiful pink and white embroidery Exssa-USA t-shirts which immediately caught the attention of the other volunteers. The volunteer and staff wanted to know more about our association. The shift started at 8 pm and ended at 10 pm. By the end of the night this amount of food was packed; boxes: 105, meals: 22,680, kids feed for a year: 62 cost: $4,990.  The volunteers were all invited to the storage room in the back where they formed a circle and prayed over the food to be shipped to Haiti. A sample of the meal, rice, was offered; for the volunteers to have a taste of what 62 children in Haiti would feed on for a year. The chapter also contributed a cash donation $250 to the organizations.

On April 10th one of the chapter members Ms. LaBelle Nambangi who could not make to Feed My Starving Children did her own volunteering at the Presbyterian Church. After service LaBelle joined a few members from the congregation in making sandwiches for the homeless in St. Paul. At the end of the afternoon 450 sandwiches have been prepared and packed in zip locked bags ready for distribution.

The experience of feeding the hungry was an eye opener to us all. We realized just how blessed we are; we have never gone hungry and yet we take the blessing of food on our tables daily for granted. In all we are greatly for all that we have and are now more committed to giving of our time and resources to help those in need.

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The EXSSA-Dallas Impact day was two fold. First was a visit to  one of our Cameroonian brotherwho was in a car accident a few months ago. He was in a coma and was now in rehab. Secondly we visited our sister Ms. Justine Ayuk who is pregnant and paralyzed. We prayed with the sick and ask God’s miraculous hand on them as we continue to impact others in our community.

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