The BWA Congress has continually afforded me an opportunity to meet Christians of various nations and cultures, to make new friends, to engage in thoughtul theological/biblical conversations and to find answers from unexpected resources. Tat is how it has been for the last 38 years. Te 2015 Congress may be my last, but it has been a glorious pilgrimage.

— Emmanuel McCall, Atlanta, Georgia, USA . . . a glorious pilgrimage!

Before an English-language Bible study at the Baptist World Congress in Hawaii in 2010, I said to my wife, Linda, “I hope we can meet someone from Cameroon.” Our church had recently helped a Baptist church in Bamunkumbit, Cameroon, with funds for a new building, and we were supporting its former pastor in his studies at the Cameroon Baptist Teological Seminary. Te Bible study leader asked where participants were from. A lady siting in the row behind us said, “Cameroon.” I whispered over my shoulder, “We’d like to talk with you aſter the session.” Tus was the beginning of our friendship with Mrs. Elizabeth Samandi, president of the Women’s Union of the Cameroon Baptist Convention. Sister Elizabeth has since visited and spoken in our church on several occasions. Currently our church is partnering with the CBC Women’s Union and Health Department to provide cancer screenings for women in underserved areas of Cameroon. Praise God for bringing us together at the Baptist World Congress! — Bruce Salmon, Pastor, Bowie, Maryland, USA

The Honolulu Hawaii Congress in 2010 broadened my scope in drawing up a conference program. Te Cameroon Baptist Convention Women’s Union, at its 54th year of existence, held its first national conference in March 2011. Te Honolulu program was my blueprint. More than 2,000 women participated. Ninety percent of the participants requested we have the conference yearly. We setled on having it once every four years. Imagine 2,000 women from all over Cameroon implementing what they saw and learned. God bless Baptist World Alliance.

— Elizabeth Samandi, Cameroon

Birmingham 2005

Hawaii 2010