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Sleeping in, Scrambled Eggs, and Coca-Cola

This morning we slept a little later. Although we were disappointed that weren’t able to leave last night we were able to rest up some from the long drive from Moundou and spend some more time with Pastor Bako.

Jackie, Joe, Craig and Harry walked around the corner from the compound to the local grocery store and bought eggs, butter, baguettes and mango juice and Jackie fixed us scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Later Pastor Bako came and took us the Lebanese restaurant for lunch and we had various meat dishes and pizza and Coca-Cola. At lunch Jackie told Pastor Bako about the church-wide study that Spanish River is doing on the Gospel in Life. Pastor Bako shared that his vision for the Village Altonodji is that it be a place where “the Gospel is lived out”. He spoke of some of the same things that we have been studying about: building relationships in the community in order to better share the Gospel message. They are doing this by providing fresh bread for the community (sold on the busy road outside the village), sewing clothing that is sold in the community, providing education for the children, providing healthcare at the clinic, and of course by providing care for the orphans living there.

Expansion of the Clinic- A Birthing Center

His next proposed project is to expand the clinic by building a birthing center where pregnant mothers can come to give birth. He explained that the infant mortality rate is still high in Chad and that there are many incidents of the mother or child having problems during child birth and having no place to go for care.

He said that the Village Altonodji is becoming well-known in the Moundou area along with the two new church plants. There was at least one reporter at each of the events this week: the pastor’s conference, the two church dedications and the dining hall / science building dedication. Dan was interviewed by a reporter from a radio station at the pastor’s conference and Pastor Bako heard mention of the school building dedication on the radio on Saturday.

Finally Coming Home!

After lunch we visited the marketplace in downtown N’djamena which was pretty busy for a Sunday. We relaxed the rest of the day and then went to the airport to catch our overnight flight to Paris. We’re finally on our way home!

This morning we awoke and again saw people lining up at the clinic building. Michel, the nurse at the Village Altonodji was there to see them and the climic was well stocked with the medicine that we had left from the week. The patients pay a small fee for the consultation but the medicine will be free for as long as it lasts.

No Water, No Showers

We also discovered when we awoke that there was no water in the water tank so we were unable to take showers. We believe that the problem was due to a valve on the pipe going up to the tank in being the wrong position. In any case it seemed to be filling by the time we packed up, said our good-byes and left for Ndjamena.

Special Thanks

The staff at the Village Altonodji has done a great job hosting us during the week, doing their best to make sure we had plenty of food and water. We are grateful to Samuel, Calvain, Pastor Pierre, Jeremie, Mrs. Bako, Lisa our Canadian translator, Michel, the Mama’s (widows) and all of the staff for their wonderful hospitality. Of course we will miss all the kids and being able to play with them and have them to practice their English on us.

After about three and a half hours on the road we stopped in Bongor which is a village about midway between Moundou and Ndjamena and had lunch at the house of Calvain’s sister who is also the head of the micro-finance program that was started by Mission:Chad. She has the same brilliant smile as her brother and fed us a delicious lunch of various kinds of fish, couscous and a vegetable salad.

We got back on the road for another three hours, seeing many cattle and large packs of camels along the way along with trucks, motor scooters and bicycles on the busy road to Ndjamena. We noticed as we approached Ndjamena that the dust and haze was growing thicker.

The Amazing Story of Pastor Bako and Village Altondji

We finally arrived at Pastor Bako’s office in Ndjamena where we were able to take “bucket” showers and change clothes. We then had a chance to relax and talk some more with Pastor Bako who accompanied us on our trip from Moundou. He related the story of how the village came to be. Altonodji is the name of his first born, a daughter, and it means ”orphans need love”. She was given this name as a reminder to Bako of his own experience as an orphan from the age of two and his promise to God to show love to other orphan children. His daughter tragically died of malaria at the age of six in 1989 during a time when malaria medication was hard to come by in Chad.

Pastor Bako later had a vision to build a village to house and educate orphan children and provide medical care for them. He related the story of how God has provided the funding at each step of the project. One donor gave a large sum of money for the first dormitory building and was never heard from again (Pastor Bako refers to him as the “angel sent from God”). Spanish River has been a partner in the project since the village was first built in 2007 housing 40 orphans, providing funding for the David Nicholas Chapel building in the center of the village.

Pastor Bako once again expressed his gratitude to Spanish River for the contributions to the village in the past five years to help make it grow to house almost 150 orphans. God has truly blessed the Village Altonodji!

All Flights Canceled

We left for the Ndjamena airport about three hours before our flight only to arrive and discover that all fights had been cancelled to the extreme dust and haze. We will spend the night tonight once again at the TEAM mission compound and try to get another flight to Paris tomorrow. The adventure continues…

Dedication Service at David Nicholas Chapel

This morning when we woke up we again saw that people were already lining up for the clinic. First on the agenda, however, was the dedication of the dining hall and the new high school building including the science lab. We first met in the David Nicholas Chapel where the school children had gathered and the choir was already singing praise songs.

Among the speakers at the ceremony were a representatives from the regional council and from the department of education. Both referred to the partnership of Mission:Chad and Spanish RIver that has been in place since the beginning of Village Altonodji and which made these two new buildings possible. They thanked both partners for the contributions that they have made toward the education of the people of Chad.

Enabling Students to Love God with Their Minds

Dan spoke about the partnership in building the Village and the desire that the children that attend the school would learn about Jesus. He spoke of the love that we have for the children attending the school and quoted Psalm 139 that they were “fearfully and wonderfully made” and that our hope is that they would grow up and share Jesus with others. Dan then read a message from Scott Hafeman of Mission:Chad who expressed the prayer that the school will “enable its students to love God with their minds and hearts and to serve the people of Chad in Christ’s name.”

After the dedication ceremony we went to the dining hall and science lab for the ribbon cuttings and to tour each building. The dining hall has a kitchen and tables where the children will eat their meals with an office for the staff. The science lab has several tile covered tables for doing laboratory experiments. The building has two additional classrooms for the grammar school. After the ceremony there was a reception for everyone in the library building.

Frustrations, Fixes, Laughter

We then started back at the clinic where Jackie, Katrina and Michel, the nurse at the VIllage, began seeing patients. Harry and Joe assisted them by taking vital signs and filling prescriptions from the pharmacy.

Earlier in the week we had noticed that the swings near the entrance to village were broken (this is where the well known picture of Pastor Bako and the orphans was taken) so Dan, Craig and Ken went into Moundou in search of chain and hardware to fix them. At the third building supply store we were finally able to find what we needed. After a somewhat frustrating week dealing with pump and generator problems (and a lack of parts and tools), Ken was able to get both swings working again and it wasn’t long before the kids were laughing and having fun on them.

After a lunch of rice, potatoes and goat meat along with some of Jackie’s special recipe black beans, the medical team went back to work in the clinic and were able to see more than one hundred patients. Jackie treated one woman who had infected wounds on both feet and was barely able to get to the clinic. Ken donated a pair of socks and his sandals to protect her bandages on her walk home.

Difficult Yet Rewarding

It has been a difficult week but at the end very rewarding in that we have seen first hand how God is using Pastor Bako and his ministry to impact so many lives throughout Chadh from the pastors to the orphans to the communities surrounding the new church plants. It has been a privilege to be a part of this team and to see God at work in Chad.

We are looking forward to starting the long journey home tomorrow morning.

Today we left early to go to Gouri which is about nine miles from the Village Altonodji. We drove up and saw the new brick church building which is under roof but is still not quite finished. Next to the church was another three room brick building which is the home of Pastor Sylvain (the church planter) and his family.

Over 100 Patients Served Before Lunch

On the other side of the church building there was a good sized thatch covered shelter area where we set up our mobile clinic. It was over 100 degrees as it has been every day this week. We again set up three nursing stations, with Jackie and Katrina and Michel (the nurse from the Village). Harry took the blood pressure and temperature measurements, Dan, Ken, Joe and Craig manned the pharmacy. We were able to see over 100 patients before we stopped at about 2pm to have lunch.

Our lunch consisted of a salad of beets, string beans, cabbage and carrots which was delicious, and some of us had boule, which is a native dish made from ground millet and water (tasted sort of like matzoh balls) served with fish and a sauce for dipping. I would have to say that boule is an acquired taste, as it was a little bit gritty. We also had fresh bread with the meal.

Over 150 Attend Church Dedication Service

After lunch was the dedication service which started off with a walk-through of the new church building, followed by a gathering of about 150 people under the thatched roof shelter with lots of children looking on from the sides. Just as in Bekonkjo, there were several speakers including elders from Pastor Bako’s church in Moundou and a representative from the Church Planting Committee and Pastor Sylvain and his family were introduced. The village chief was ill and in the hospital but sent a representative who expressed his gratitude for having the church building in the village and asked for prayer for the chief who is not a believer but, as Pastor Bako said later, “God is working on him”. There was even a deaf pastor who spoke and signed a message of appreciation for the new church. All the speakers spoke of their gratitude for the partnership of Spanish River and Pastor Bako’s church (simply known as Church Number 8 ) in planting the church at Gouri. Dan responded by thanking them for the opportunity to be a part of this outreach project and for their wonderful hospitality during our stay.

Paganism Driven Out With the Gospel

Pastor Bako explained later that the area around Gouri is mostly pagan (practicing animism) and that there is a big problem with alcoholism in the community. The people at the Gouri church are primarily new converts which was exciting to hear. God is at work in Chad bringing light into a dark land!

We made the short trip back to the Village Altonodji where we ate and went to bed early after a long day.

The Long Drive

This morning we left early and drove about seventy miles east to the village of Bekondjo where one of the new Spanish River church plants is located. The village is spread out along the main road with a lot of criss-crossing paths leading to many brick and thatched roof buildings that make up the village. We could see that there were many young families in the village as we were greeted by a great number of curious children who probably had not seen that many white people together before.

Thirty Patients Cared For

We walked past the new brick church building and set up the mobile clinic in a cluster of four large mango trees that provided enough shade from the hot sun for three nursing stations and a large waiting area. Jackie and Katrina were at two of the nursing stations with their interpreters and Michel the nurse from the Village Altonodji was seeing patients as well. Dan and Craig took patients temperature, Joe and Harry took blood pressure and Ken counted out pills in the pharmacy. We saw about thirty patients before we had to pack up the clinic before eating lunch.

Lunch consisted of a delicious meal of plantains, potatoes, chicken and fresh bread, one of the tastiest meals so far. The people of the village were very friendly and enjoyed having us there, especially the children, who loved having their pictures taken and then seeing themselves displayed on our digital cameras.

Two-Hundred Attend Worship

After lunch was the dedication of the new church building. There were over 200 people packed into the building with more watching through the windows. During the service there were a series of speakers including elders from Pastor Bako’s church in Moundou, representatives from a committee that Pastor Bako has set up to oversee church planting, leaders from the new Bekondjo church and even the local village chief. The speakers thanked Spanish River for their financial support in constructing the building and providing support for Pastor Benjamin to plant the church as well as for sending the mission team. Dan also spoke and thanked them for their hospitality and told how Spanish River was happy to play a part in sharing the bad news and good news of the gospel in Chad.

After the service we drove the two hour trip back to the Village Altonodji where we had a delicious dinner with the team and Lisa, one of the interpreters that worked with us. Although we had to eat again by flashlight, the power was back on for a few hours before we went to bed and we were able to recharge our various electronic devices.

Once again, there was a line of people waiting at the clinic when we got up this morning. Jackie and Katrina took their nursing stations with Joe as the clinic administrator and pharmacist and Harry taking blood pressure of patients as they came in. It was a variety of ailments with a few serious issues. The team took every opportunity to pray with the patients to ask God for healing in addition to providing medicine. Ken kept busy counting pills and filling baggies for prescriptions. The clinic ended by flashlight at about 7pm since today the backup generator stopped working.

Gospel Boot Camp

Dan continued the pastor’s conference with a representative of each of the twelve groups of pastors giving a short sermon based on their assigned passage. Dan critiqued the first few pastors but then had the other pastors and deacons join in to point out areas where the bad news and good news could have been explained better. By the end of the morning the pastors were really getting the message. Dan closed the conference with a talk on mentoring, encouraging each pastor to identify a number of leaders within their churches that they can disciple, including identifying a potential successor.

Capturing the Moments

Craig spent the morning taking video of the conference, the clinic and other scenes around the village such as the baker baking the fresh bread which we enjoy every day and the Mamas (widows) cooking for the children. In the afternoon Craig did some computer maintenance on the laptops in the offices and in the computer lab.

We ended the day sharing a meal by flashlight with Lisa, our Canadian interpreter (what a great help and blessing she has been) and Elvis, a young Chadian student friend of hers who aspires to study architecture in the US. It was great learning about life in Chad and the local customs from Lisa and Elvis.

Tomorrow we leave early to go to Bekondjo, one of our new church plants in Chad.

As soon as we got up this morning we saw people entering the village getting in line at the clinic. Immediately after breakfast, Jackie, Joe, Katrina and Harry went over to the clinic building and started seeing patients. They saw a steady stream of patients with various ailments, some aches and pains, some quite serious and one poor man who was close to dying. In some cases all that could be done was to give them some medicine to ease the pain but most importantly there were lots prayers and sharing of love of Jesus. At one point Jackie stood before the group of waiting patients and shared her testimony with translation help from Lisa, a young Canadian girl who is spending a year in Chad as the English teacher in the village. They were still seeing patients until about 7pm. In all they cared for almost 130 patients.

 200 Attend Gospel Boot Camp

Dan started off the morning in the David Nicholas Chapel where more than 200 pastors (twice the number expected) were gathered for the pastor’s conference. There were seven evangelical denominations represented, pastors and deacons with a variety of backgrounds including one man who was a missionary to a tribe in northern Chad. Dan shared with them David Nicholas’ Gospel Bootcamp material and impressed upon them the importance of including the Gospel message in every sermon they preached. Pastor Bako even got up to emphasize to the group that the “power is in the Gospel”. Ken gave his testimony before the group as another example of how the gospel of Jesus can change lives. At the end of the day the pastors and deacons split up into groups and were each given a passage of scripture on which they were to prepare a message. Tomorrow representatives from each group will be given a chance to preach with the others critiquing their bad news / good news Gospel message. It should be a great time.

Water Source Repairs

Ken and Craig spent part of the morning working on the water pump, doing some lubrication, changing the filters and other preventative maintenance but unfortunately missing one key part that would completely fix the leaking pump. We will have to send the part over for another time. Ken and Craig then did a survey of the site for a potential future solar power installation, to replace the troublesome generator that currently powers the village.

We finished the day eating together and sharing stories and testimonies with lots of laughter.

A Sweet Time of Worship

We rode into Moundou (about ten miles away) and attended the church service at Pastor Bako’s church. We listened to two choirs as they lead worship, one with traditional dress and native instruments who sang in the native tongue of the region, the other who sang more contemporary worship songs in French.

Dan gave the message (via interpreter) from the Gospel of John chapter 11 where Jesus raises Lazarus, ending of course with the bad news and good news of the gospel.

Following the sermon was more worship as they collected the tithes and offerings. There was much singing and dancing in the aisles as the people came forward with their gifts to the Lord. It was great to see the joy on their faces as they worshiped the Lord with their giving.

After the sermon we had lunch with the church elders where we had a chance to discuss and ask questions. They described their recent Moundou for Christ and Pala for Christ campaigns (Pala is another city about 160 miles from Moundou) in which they partnered with 63 other churches for an evangelistic crusade. They had many teams praying and fasting leading up to the event and then shared Christ with 6000 people and had 4000 make professions of faith. They were grateful to SRC for help in putting on this crusade.

They also spoke of the two Pastors that were sent out from this church to Bekondjo and Gouri, the two church plants supported by Spanish River.

Overcoming Difficulties

We asked them what difficulties they face and they described poverty and unemployment, marriage and family issues and bad influences on their children from modern culture. They have a campaign for prayer, visits and family in which they plan to help train parents in how to build better family relationships.

Jackie offered to send them some of the parenting material that she uses at SRC. They also told of the battle against spiritual darkness from witchcraft and the Muslim opposition.

They expressed their gratitude to the SRC team for coming so great a distance to visit and encourage them in addition to the financial support.

We traveled back to village and spent the rest of the day resting up for the busy week ahead.

(Blogger for today is Joe Adames)

We started the day with Dan leading our devotions in Ephesians 6. Shortly afterwards we were given a tour of the facilities while classes were in session. We were delighted by the enthusiastic greetings by staff and students as we went from classroom to classroom.

Having put on the armor of God the team set about Gods business as the clinic was opened to serve the needs of the resident orphans. As with any orphanage there are many challenges as we ministered the physical and spiritual needs of the children. So many hurt spirits who are in need of love more than anything else as Pastor Dan observed while taking individual pictures of the orphans.

We were privileged to be the guests of honor at the Altonodji staff luncheon where everyone shared a little bit about himself or herself. Having taken a short rest we once again continue to see the children at the clinic till late evening, stopping due to darkness.

As we were gathered recounting the day’s events the power went down as it does every day to preserve fuel, which powers the generator. A knock at the door came with an emergency request to assist one of the orphans who had gotten hurt in a childish altercation. Prayer, Tylenol and lots of love alleviated the situation. Good night.