Rain, rain and more rain

Rainy season is in full swing right now. In one sense we are so grateful for the break in the heat and humidity, but on the other we know the sense of destruction this season causes. When the storms hit the sound of the rain on the roof is deafening, with lighting flashes every few minutes and the steady sound of dripping as it leaks through the bathroom ceiling or through the back windows. But we are so blessed with the accommodation we have as the force of this rain tears down homes, rips off roofs and disrupts the lives of many right outside our doors.

Rachel and Rebecca enjoying the rain on the compound

Rainy season brings so many contrasts to life. We have green grass in abundance with pink, white and yellow flowers in the garden. Muddy puddles can be played in and enjoyed and the girls can wear welly boots and use umbrellas. There is moisture in the air and relatively cooler temperatures which provide a break from the heat. But with the good also comes the not so good... there are many mosquitoes which are few and far between for much of the rest of the year, but with that comes malaria which kills far to many. Many people suffer flooding with water pouring into their homes during a storm, and open sewages along the sides of the road flood and spread numerous diseases.

Sam's daily drive to the Hangar

The blessings of the rain also bring challenges for our work in trying to reach remote communities who get completely cut off during this season. Many airstrips that we regularly fly to become quite boggy as they become waterlogged with the rain. This can make landing and take off extremely difficult or impossible. For some of our partners, they have to completely leave their bases during this season as the communities they are working with cannot be reached by road or plane.

One thing that has really struck me these last few weeks though is just how dry land can become so alive in such a short space of time. Things you don't even want to grow manage to grow! Parched land becomes vibrant and colourful. Imagine how vibrant and colourful our walk with God would be if we flooded our time and fed our hearts with Gods word, resting in His love and presence and seeking His will. I so often feel spiritually dry, pulled down by life around us, but yet Jesus says...



The barren desert comes alive!

'Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.' (John 15:4 The Message Bible).

Or in the words of Billy Graham... 'Oh that we would hunger to be filled with the word of God; for there is no greater armour, no greater strength, no greater assurance that he is with us, and in us, when we go forth in battle equipped and nourished by his instruction and determined to stand firm on His promises'.

April 2016 newsletter

Clinging to Jesus this Easter time

There is one English speaking church community here that meets two Sunday's a month. So on the alternate Sunday's we do 'home church'. This has been a great time of bible stories, singing, drawing Goliath and David (Rachel's favourite story!) and praying together. Obviously this is very basic due to the age of our audience but it's great to see them both eager to know more about Jesus. 

 

Last summer we were kindly given two copies of the same children's bible (by different people). It's called the 'the Jesus Storybook Bible' and is a great bible for Rachel. It also comes with a DVD set of the stories animated and narrated. So for home church we usually watch one of the DVD stories. Last Sunday was the off week so we were home with the girls. Being palm Sunday we decided that this would be a great opportunity to talk to Rachel about the true Easter story. As we listened to the animated story 'the sun stops shining', I watched Rachel with big eyes sitting so still on Sams lap. As she took in the reality of what happened to Jesus, tears pricked the back of my eyes. 

Jesus came to rescue us...Jesus died on a cross for us...Jesus was beaten and cruelly killed so we may be free...Jesus rescued the whole world. She wasn't scared, she wasn't horrified, she was clearly moved and she had many questions. The bottom line was though that she in some part understood that Jesus died for her. Wow!

We then went on to watch the resurrection, 'Gods wonderful surprise' so Rachel could understand the full story. As we watched the change in the woman's emotions from such deep sadness, to confusion, to fear, to such unexpected gladness, a line in the story resonated so deeply within me...'all Mary wanted in that moment was to cling to Jesus and never let Him go'. 

Living in Chad has definitely taught me how much I want to and need to cling to Jesus everyday. I honestly can say I don't know how I would live life here if I wasn't clinging to Jesus. So many incidents and occasions come to mind where I can so clearly see that I had nothing but Jesus...the night we had a medical emergency and are desperately trying to find the mission hospital out into the dessert trying to identify random landmarks in the dark...we clung to Jesus who guided us there; the moment a motorcyclist crashed into the back of the car as we were turning and in seconds many people have surrounded the car...we clung to Jesus who provided the right person to give the right advise in their most basic French so I could understand; daily driving and living in a city where we are foreigners and much of the language around us is so unknown to us...we cling to Jesus to understand and be understood; when riots erupt and the sound of gunfire rings round while the smell of tear gas creeps in...we cling to Jesus for our security and protection; as daily life on the compound in such high heats with small children so easily becomes monotonous and purposeless...we cling to Jesus for our identity and purpose in it all. 

As each day comes with knows and unknowns, expectations and fears, joys and frustrations one thing I am certain of everyday is that as I cling to Jesus and never let Him go, He will hold me tight and never let me go...and that is how I can keep on living the life He has called us to.

A glimpse of the work MAF supports here in Chad

Every time we fly here in Chad we have a unique and special opportunity to share in life changing work that is happening all over the country. Through the testimonies and stories of many of our partners that we fly, we can really see God at work in the lives of the local Chadians.  Here is an example of some of the work we support.

Paving the way for Peace in Chad

Chad is a country rich in culture and beauty – but it is also threatened by instability and violence, often stemming from religious tensions. As followers of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) MAF loves supporting reconciliation and dialogue where there is conflict. That is one of the reasons why MAF provides regular flights to the pastors of the ENTENTE Eglise Mission Evangelique au Chad, which is the alliance of Christian evangelical churches in Chad. Its Department of Ethics, Peace & Justice (EPJ) has been organising workshops to bring Muslim, Catholic and Evangelical communities together to discuss differences and similarities in perspectives, strategies for nonviolent conflict management, and mediation techniques. These workshops are specifically designed to attract high level government and community authorities, religious leaders, women and youth.

On one of the recent flights, we flew Pastor Potifar, the head of the ENTENTE and Djidda Mahamat, one of the senior Imams from the Capital N’Djamena to one of these workshops held in Am Timan. Am Timan is a primarily Arabic-speaking city of an estimated 50,000 indigenous people in the east of Chad, and serves as the capital of the Salamat region which borders the Central African Republic. Since the onset of the Darfur crisis in Sudan in the mid-2000s, eastern Chad has become home to over 300,000 migrating refugees and internally displaced people. Years ago, Am Timan only had a small community of Christians, but thanks to the work of the ENTENTE, the Christian community has grown. A small but thriving church now exists in the economic centre. Am Timan has been through a tumultuous period, and religious identity has on some occasions been a source of conflict in the city.

Before the flight, Sam had a chance to catch up with Pastor Potifar and Mr Mahamat. Both were excited to join the flight together, aware of the significance of their presence as two senior religious leaders in Chad at this workshop. When asked about the workshops, Pastor Potifar explained: “We are building relationships and paving the way for the gospel.” Indeed, this seems to be the case. In discussions on the flight to Am Timan, MAF pilot Phil Henderson discovered that: “One of the highlights of the workshops is [when] the participants work through the Bible to search for Jesus’ teaching on peace and also the Quran to search for what Muhamad taught on peace.” Phil was amazed to hear of the Imams’ reaction after the session: “The Imams ask why they have never been exposed to any of the teachings of Jesus. Just a mere reference to the fact that he was a respected Prophet.”     

The ENTENTE has spent the last 18 months on interfaith conflict management, in partnership with the Mennonite Central Committee. They have been credited with promoting peace among the communities they are working with, which is a direct result of these workshops. There is now a growing demand to expand and carry out these workshops throughout the country. Mark Tymm, the ENTENTE Peace & Justice Assistant who helps run the workshops highlights the challenges for peace in Chad and explains that there are many misunderstandings and misrepresentations among the interfaith relationships. One of the aims of the workshops is to reveal some of the misconceptions both Muslims and Christians have of their fellow Chadians. He illustrates the change the workshops can bring about: “At the beginning of the week, participants will literally sit on opposite sides of the room from each other. However, by the end of the week, they are laughing, joking, eating together and sharing stories. The intensive final day of regional group work allows participants a concentrated time of strategic planning and brainstorming on how they can work together to live in more mutually beneficial and healthier communities.”

 

Mark continues to say, “The transformation of relationships after these workshops is perhaps one of the most remarkable things I have seen during my time in Chad. People who have been taught at a fundamental level to see each other as enemies are able to see past their differences and sit down to talk about peaceful living and community building.” He also highlights the role of MAF in this peace building work. Due to the rough terrain of Chad’s vast territories, travelling to the workshop can be a long, tiresome journey. Mark has experienced an exhausting 17 hour journey across the Sahel, crammed into the back of a mid-size pickup with three other adult men. He describes the support of MAF as an “incredible blessing” for their work, and feels “very fortunate” to swap a dangerous, time-consuming, tiring road trip with a quicker, safer MAF flight: “Whether we’re off to the south, the north or the far eastern regions of the country, traveling by air will always be faster, easier and by far the safest option.”

Although it might take time to change preconceptions and clear up misunderstandings between Muslims and Christians in Chad, MAF is proud to support these important workshops, which do not only help to bring about peace between the religions but also pave the way for a great understanding of the Gospel in Chad.

Please do continue to pray for peace and unity within Chad, especially at this time as we are approaching the elections.