We are back home in our town and excited to continue in language learning so we can deepen relationships here as well as make new friends. I was visiting with one friend yesterday who has been severely wronged, but who has also made sinful choices and is seeing some immediate consequences of those choices. It is painful to walk alongside someone who has no frame of reference for the kind of forgiveness that God in Christ offers us or for the kind of forgiveness He expects us to have for others. How do I talk to someone about Jesus teaching to forgive 70×7 when they have yet to accept God’s forgiveness for their own sins? I have a renewed sense of sadness for my friends here who are living in hopeless situations apart from God. How do they even want to continue? I am burdened even more to pray that the truths that we share would take root in the hearts of our friends here and transform their lives, families, and communities. Will you pray with me in this new year that we would be purposeful to speak of truth, hope, and forgiveness to our friends here and that many would believe and turn from their sins?
Category: Chad Page 7 of 11
Christmastime is a time where we tend to practice hospitality maybe more than other times of the year, so I have been thinking about this a little more the past few days. Josh and I recognize this as one of the gifts God has given us that we both share, and it is fun for us to have the opportunity to practice this gift together. Especially in Chad, we have many opportunities to host people in our home and show hospitality – both to Chadians and fellow workers from the West.
I was remembering with thanksgiving the ways that God has allowed us to use our home to show hospitality to others this past year. Abeche is a town many people travel through, but there are not many places for people to stop for the night if needed.
Before we ever moved into our home, a Chadian believer was occasionally sleeping in our compound on his way to and from other towns. Then, the week before we moved, we hosted a volunteer team from America who slept at our house (we were still living at the Orphanage guest housing in our town).
Since living in our home, we have hosted a Chadian family overnight for several days; fed lunch to countless men who worked to make our house a home; hosted a western NGO worker for a water drilling organization several different times overnight; hosted a man who lived here for 10 years working on Bible translation but who currently works from the States; hosted another Bible translator and church planter who lives a few hours from us; turned a spare room on our compound into a “studio apartment” for our nanny and teammate, Danielle; hosted the Blackfords who came on a vision trip and then decided to join our team; hosted two men, Ben and Matt, from our home church; and this coming week while we are still in N’Djamena, a new team in country will be staying at our house for several days while they make plans to move to Abeche in the near future.
In addition to providing a roof, a mattress, and at least a meal or two to all of these people, we were also able to use our spare room as a language learning space for another worker in our town.
I am excited that we are able to use the home God provided us to bless many other people as they go about the His work in our area. I pray this continues, and I am certain it will. We already have two or three groups from America scheduled to come out next year – all these will be for the purpose of mobilizing the church in America to missions in Chad.
Do you have the gift of hospitality? Do you find you can use it more during a certain season of the year? How do you hope to show hospitality this coming year in a way that furthers God’s kingdom? I’d love to hear how you practice hospitality in your own home!
The moto is such an integral part of life in Chad, it’s hard to imagine what the streets would look like without them buzzing around. This photo series is our tribute to the moto. For the first photo…
2 dudes and 3 sheep out for a cruise
I have been consistently amazed at the way God has provided for us over this past year. Many things we prayed earnestly for. Some things we didn’t know we needed. A few things we didn’t even have the faith to ask for…
- An organization in the States that specifically helps missionaries to ship containers overseas. We didn’t know this existed, and hadn’t plan to ship anything other than what we brought on the plane, but we found out about it while in France and were able to ship our solar power system from the U.S. We didn’t realize what a blessing this was until we got here.
- Upon our arrival, there wasn’t anyone from our organization in the capital for a couple of weeks. A family we met in language school picked us up, took us to their house for lunch, let the kids play at their mission compound, and delivered us to our guesthouse. They introduced us to the director of their mission in Chad and his wife, who connected with a lady to help with the housework and cooking at our guesthouse. This was a life-saver in those crazy first few weeks.
- The guest house we had reserved in the capital didn’t have much space for the kids to play, which we didn’t realize until we arrived. God provided two other compounds in the capital with lots of space, kids, and even a trampoline for the kids to burn some energy.
- We arrived in Chad without having long-term visas lined up. We came on tourist visas, planning to arrange long-term visas through a contact Josh made through another worker with our organization. This worked out very well, and in addition to getting our long-term visas we have begun a relationship with a Chadian church that we think will provide many opportunities for ministry in the future.
- When Josh went back to the capital to purchase a vehicle, he didn’t think about the difficulty of making the return trip alone. But God provided an English-speaking Chadian MBB who also needed a ride to Abeche to make the trip with Josh. Oh, and he also happened to be a mechanic.
- The kids, especially Isaac, had a very difficult transition. He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming in his sleep with night terrors. After several nights of this we fell weeping to our knees, wondering what we’d done to our kids by bringing them here. We prayed, and Isaac calmed down almost immediately. From there on out his sleep patterns were much improved.
- After a difficult month in the capital, we moved to Abeche and were blessed to have a comfortable house on a large mission compound. This provided some much needed rest and quiet space after the chaos of N’Djamena.
- A Chadian friend who needed work and is experienced doing household maintenance and light construction. He has helped us since arriving in Abeche to make our house feel like home.
- DANIELLE! We were struggling to figure out life in Chad while taking care of our family and learning the 2nd language in as many years when God intervened with a huge blessing. Through a series of circumstances Danielle, who was planning to join another team in Chad, joined us for a year to help with the kids while learning some Arabic herself. We honestly didn’t have the faith to even pray for someone like her to help, but God knew the need and provided for us.
We could list dozens more ways God has faithfully provided throughout this first year. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness!
I met with my midwife last weekend and she gave me lots of advice on what to pack for giving birth in a Chadian hospital…I thought some of you might be interested to see the updated list:
- mosquito net
- coffee
- flashlight
- hand fans
- toilet paper
- a Chadian mat to put on the ground in case Josh or I need a place on the floor to rest.
Does anything on this list surprise you?!
Our family moved to the capital a week and a half ago. We settled in quickly – the boys have lots of American friends to play with on the SIL (Bible Translators) compound where we are staying. They are currently digging for frogs, but they also enjoy climbing on the playground equipment, jumping on the trampoline, and borrowing books from the campus library – all right outside our doorstep!
While the boys are busy playing, we’ve been visiting the doctor and midwife and getting blood work done. We’ve also been packing for our time at the hospital. Most things are similar to what I would pack to deliver a baby in America, but here, the hospital provides very little. So far, this is what is in my hospital bag or on my list to pack:
- Bottled (filtered) water and Gatorade in our cooler
- Snacks for me and Josh (for during and after labor – there are no restaurants around)
- Bedsheets and pillow
- All comfort items to help during labor
- All postpartum supplies (none provided by hospital)
- Diapers, swaddle blanket, baby hat, onesie, coming home outfit (also not provided)
As you can see, there is nothing too crazy on the list, but I am definitely having to think of everything, because the hospitals here just don’t provide things other than the actual medical care items.
Allah has willed it
How many times have I heard this statement in our first 10 months in Chad. It’s spoken of everything that happens. The four year old boy who was hit by a car while wondering along the side of a busy road. The man who dies on the operating table in our local hospital, from a relatively routine operation necessitated by an entirely preventable disease. The guy on the motorcycle who hit me today as he was trying to pass (on the left) as I was turning left, skidding across the pavement and fortunately (for him and for me) coming away with just a good scrape. “It happens, God willed it.” In this case God also apparently willed that I give him some money, but that’s another story.
It’s one of the characteristics of this society that has struck me the most – the complete acquiescence to the events of life, without any real hope that there is a divine plan and that it is good. It provides for me a picture of what happens when you have such a strong belief in the sovereignty of God, as Islam does, without knowing anything of the great love of God. I was talking to a friend several weeks ago who made a very profound (in my view) observation: Muslims certainly believe God is great, but they don’t really believe he’s good. Not on a personal, relational level. They wouldn’t say that, but it seems to be a valid observation. Their god is arbitrary and capricious. He demands robotic obedience to a long list of do’s and don’ts, but doesn’t give any assurance of salvation at the end of it all. Mohammad himself didn’t even have assurance.
I have a great burden for those all around me every day living and dying in hopelessness. We have so much to offer! Our God is sovereign AND GOOD! Life is full of difficulty and heartbreak, the curse of sin, but we have the cure! Jesus took the curse so that we don’t have too. And for those in Christ, there is a great, overarching purpose in all events of our life. We’re being conformed to the image of Christ, the ultimate end of God’s promise to “work all things together for good.” (Romans 8:28-29)
Pray for our friends and neighbors, some of whom are very proud of their many religious activities, others who have been beaten down by life and feel as if there’s no hope. Both types need to see their fatalism turned to faith.
Remember the woman who months ago gave birth to a premie baby? He is now a healthy 6 month old baby! Remember me sharing that this baby was born out of an adulterous relationship? The prospects were dim. Fear that her other children would be taken away was real. Shame was evident. Insecurity of her future was looming. Hope was nowhere in her sight. Hunger was a daily source of concern (I was providing her meals for weeks along with another worker because her family shunned her). Well, I want to share with you today that God did not give up on this woman or her family. He has continued to show himself faithful to her. Not only is she regularly employed as a language helper for two adults in town (me being one), which has provided for her daily needs of feeding her children, but her husband finally returned. I had the opportunity to confront her about her sin and the need for her to take responsibility, act humbly, and ask for forgiveness. When all the respected family elders around her were encouraging her to say nothing, she chose to ask her husband’s forgiveness after three days of me talking to her. I shared the story of the woman caught in adultery, assured her that she can be forgiven of her sins, but that Jesus commands us to sin no more. God provided an opportunity for a local believer from her people group to pray with her and then challenge her when passing her on the road after my conversation with her. In the end, her husband forgave her and chose to keep her as his wife. Is the story over? No. Is everything easy now? No. But we are seeing small steps towards reconciliation – not just in the earthly marriage relationship of this couple but also in my friend’s spiritual life. Continue to pray for her to be humble, for God to open her eyes to all that He is, and for her husband to have an opportunity to hear the gospel and choose to follow Jesus. Praise God with me for the ways He has made himself evident in a situation that at one time appeared to be completely hopeless!
My house helper comes to our house 6 days a week to cook, run to the market, clean dishes, basically be of help however is necessary that morning. She called me at 5:45am last week to tell me that her former husband, the father of her 5 children, and also the man who she was considering remarrying, had died suddenly. M. was in the hospital awaiting surgery to amputate some toes because of his diabetes. He passed away when the put him under, before they ever performed the operation. Life can feel so cheap here. He was likely in no physical condition to undergo the operation, yet it was still a shock that he died.
This death has had numerous implications for our family. Josh got to visit the man at the hospital days before he passed away. I am thankful he was able to share his care and concern for the family in this way. His death means that I have been without a house helper which is a big deal here with so many tasks to complete in a day, but it has been a week of God showing me his grace and provision as well as breaking my heart for the hopelessness of the people here.
First, counting my blessings:
- We just welcomed our new teammate who came to help with our children. Josh is in Thailand for a conference and I could not have invested the time necessary showing love and concern to my house helper if it wasn’t for God’s perfect timing in sending Danielle here. The kids love her, I trust her, she has a heart to serve, and I have been free to go and weep with my house helper, visit with her other friends and family, and peel loads of garlic to add to sauces that feed all the visitors.
- My second helper who comes a few days a week just to wash laundry has stepped right in without missing a beat to take over some of the household responsibilities while I have to be away and my original house helper is unavailable. What a blessing to have someone who had the time and willingness to help me out in a time of need!
- I have had many added responsibilities, but God is sustaining my health and helping me to accomplish each task throughout the day with (mostly!) joy and thankfulness.
Now a reflection on what the actual funeral and mourning process has helped me to be aware of: the amount of people in and out of my house helper’s compound this past week has been astonishing! The vast majority come to stay just a few minutes, offer condolences (“May God give you patience.”) and say some prayers on behalf of the deceased, hoping this may tip the scale in his favor so Allah will allow him into paradise. The problem is, it seems so fabricated. The majority of the people who come seem to be doing it out of necessity. Their words are not filled with any sense of emotion or even a sense that they believe what they are saying to the grieving. Even the prayers they offer up in to bless the deceased man seem hopeless and emotionless, like they know what they are doing is futile but they do it because it’s what is required and expected. Because they want people to do it for them when they die. Maybe it will be enough to get them to Paradise.
Pray for these people who have yet to hear that there is a better Way. There is a sure Way to peace with God both in the present and for all eternity. Pray for many hearts to be sensitive during this time of mourning, longing for something much more fulfilling and life changing than Islam can ever offer them. Pray for God to prepare the soil of my house helper and her family to receive the Word with gladness, that it would take root in their lives and produce much fruit. They are a very religious family but have been around believers and Westerners a lot so they are aware of at least the basics of the gospel and Christianity.
What Bible stories or verses come to mind when an Arab nomad friend shares with you that just outside of town, his family has had a feud with not-so distant relatives that involved knives and guns and resulted in 4 deaths, including one child? Many women were injured, some cousins are in the hospital recovering from operations. Reconciliation attempts were made by offering camels in return for the lives of men, but even those attempts towards reconciliation are viewed as a statement that they are enemies and no longer family. What words of hope and peace do you offer someone who has only been taught retaliation? What will it take to change the hearts, not just of individuals, but of entire clans who at their core are proud, judgmental, and many times unforgiving because their god is the same way? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself today.