Six weeks in...a few refections

I was sitting here this morning trying to work out how to sum up 6 weeks in Chad. Do I tell you all about the flies, worms in feet and many mosquitoes or do I talk about poorly tummies and pricking Rebecca's finger for a rapid malaria test (which thankfully was negative!). 

Or should I tell you about the difficulty of helping a two year old settle in a new country when you take them away from all their wider family and friends, expect them to live in someone else's home without their toys and then you send them to a French speaking Chadian nursery! At times when out of no-where Rachel asks if this is our new home, or she remembers someone special from UK or Uganda my heart lurches as I wander whether a year in three different countries, multiple different homes and now having to learn French will have any lasting effect on her. Where is home, where are our roots? Is this the meaning of life for third culture kids? 

And then there is all the work we could tell you about which is so special and very important. And ultimately that is why we are here! Just this last week we have had two medevac flights for NGO/ missionary workers in remote locations who were in desperate need of medical care. MAF is able to respond quickly to provide that crucial step that could make the difference between people succumbing to their illnesses while working in remote locations or receiving the vital treatment they need. But it just makes me stop and think about the local people who get sick and don't have access to that extra care. 

And did I mention the flies? This has become Sam's favourite evening occupation - swatting flies! In the home we are staying in at the moment they have the big Texas fly swatter!! Just what you need to expend some energy at the end of the day. We just need to remember to collect the dead flies up now Rebecca is crawling!!! 

Or I could tell you all about shopping!! Forget the big supermarkets with everything under one roof, forget walking out of Asda tapping your back pocket with the extra change left over, forget your abundant fresh fruit and veg...yes its a little different here. N'djamena is the second most expensive city in the world for expats to live and yet one of the poorest countries in the world. http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140818-most-expensive-cities-for-expats  Try and work that one out!! Between about 5 little shops (about the size of your Tesco's metro) and the market you can just about find what you need but it is so expensive. Twice a week an elderly man called Nana brings a selection of things to our compound - bread, eggs, carrots, bananas, tomatoes. All dependant though on what he can find. Sometimes we get apples, today we didn't! To break the monotony of carrots, I found some frozen broccoli in one shop. A little soggy when cooked but hey...its not carrots! 

The roads, I should tell you about the roads. In the city they are great, paved, smooth, relatively congestion free (compared to Kampala they are empty)! 5 minutes out of the city centre they are a little less smooth! We attempted a compound trip out of town on Saturday. After two hours of thick, wet, slippery mud and one stuck in the mud incident, we decided to turn back and come back home. The children thought it was great, I didn't! 

What haven't I mentioned, oh yes, the ladies attire. Well, with this I am just quite confused. Do I cover my head or don't I, do I dare wear trousers or is it wrong?!?! Many missionaries here work with Muslim communities and so to be respectful it is good to cover your head, shoulders and legs and to always wear a skirt. This I respect and understand. But N'djamena is a city, which is evidently changing. On my first day here I saw a local Chadian lady riding a moped wearing a short denim skirt...I could see her knees! I was in shock! And then on many occasions I have seen ladies wearing trousers, and very many Chadian ladies do not cover their heads. So should we as Christians working here cover ourselves completely out of respect if the local Christians do not? I have probably worn skirts more days in the last six weeks than in the last 10 years, and this is fine. Actually with the heat it is more comfortable. I have covered my head just once when going to the market shops as this is a more Muslim area of the city. I do wander though where the line is between being respectful and being me. Can I witness in this culture without a headscarf? More to think about and reflect on!!

Leaving all the day to days aside for a moment though I think one way to sum up the last 6 weeks is through Gods love, faithfulness and grace. Yes we find the flies annoying and mosquito bites unpleasant, we are still not yet settled in our own home, starting school for Rachel has been really hard and leaving her crying each morning has been too much on some days, shopping is tiring, skirts are not really me and life is sometimes frustrating. 

But we praise God because we have come though the different small sicknesses and nothing has been too serious. The girls are happy and content and settled because home is where mummy and daddy are and as a family our roots are in God which gives us the strength and confidence for each day. We now have a great circle of friends round us who have helped us settle over the last 6 weeks. Rachel has today walked into school and greeted her teacher with 'Bonjour, Ca va?' and given her bag when asked for 'ton sac?'. We have been blessed with enough support to be able to afford some of the inflated prices and to own a car that can manage the thick mud. And through our work with MAF we are able to help the local people in their remote settings by flying people and resources in to provide the support they need. 

Lastly, the last 6 weeks have given me time to think, read, pray and reflect on all the above and so much more and finally after six weeks we are beginning to see the beauty of this place that we are slowly starting to call 'home'! 

Rachel's first day at pre-school

Now a month in it is amazing to see time flying and Chad feeling more like home! There is so much to take in, process and understand living here, and so much we would love to share. I am just not sure where the time goes! In due course we will share more about life and work here and all that we are up to. For now though I just wanted to share a quick post to ask for prayer for Rachel today and through this week. 

Today is her first day at pre-school. A local Chadian french speaking pre school! She was excited to be going and it is great that she is with two other MAF children who she has been playing with here on the MAF compound since we arrived. Esther is 4 years and has already been at this pre school for the past year, while Nathan, who is 3 years is also just starting today. Its a long morning for them as they start between 7:30 and 8am and finish at 12:30pm. 

There were a few tears as I left her there this morning so I am now home longing for 12:30 to arrive so I can go and see how she is!

Please do remember her this week and pray for her to feel peaceful about going each morning. Also pray for her as she has to begin learning a new language. Little brains are amazing but I'm sure the next few weeks will be tough for her as she copes emotionally with being away from mummy and daddy, mentally as she tries to understand french and physically as she copes with the long mornings. 

More on life here to follow very soon...