DENOUDSTEN DIARIES

Feb 20^th

It is Monday in Mongo  and time to finish the last little project: changing out a light switch. What needed doing was changing the wires to a smaller size as the local switches are too flimsy to handle the wiring used in the office.  Return the 40 pound wooden ladder and some other tools. That evening we are invited to have dinner with the Aviles family: a delicious meal and afterwards we had fun teaching them dominoes (well at least our version of it!). During that time text messages were going back and forth to the capitol: although we had tickets for our flight we were not on the manifest…in the end it all worked out and we could rest easily that evening. So grateful to God that miracles continue to happen, be they small or big!! Getting on that flight was a big one!!!!

The wind has been howling during the night: it really seems a wonder that roofs aren’t been torn off! At four we could hear city water splashing into the ever present bucket: Emma spent the next two hours filling the bucket and emptying it out into one of the barrels. It was somewhat cooler during the night (29) which makes sleeping (resting)a bit  easier. After saying our goodbyes it was off to the airstrip. A delegation was forming there with the governor in attendance to receive one of the higher ups of the WFP programme. 

The flight itself was uneventful with a short stopover at Ati. 

 N'Djamena from the air February 21, 2012

Although we had the instructions of how to get to the SIL centre in case we would take a taxi, we were relieved to have Jeremy (a Chadian driver) pick us up.

(Now Feb.21st) Here in Ndjamena we are in the same apartment A2-  funny the things that you pick up on after four weeks countryside: running water coming out of the wall  that magically disappears down a pipe after leaving the sink. Glass louvers in the windows instead of pieces of tin roofing material and we actually have to flush the toilet…seems a crazy waste of water!

Internet should be better again while we are here, so we hope to be able to start including some pictures! This afternoon we’ll meet with Marianne who coordinates  our “to do list” while in Ndjamena.

From now on we would love to hear from YOU!!!!!!! You have been reading our blogs, and though for a month it was better we didn’t get too many emails just because  of the slow process of retrieving them, we are now in the big city!! You can write to us at

henkden@shaw.ca      (we used to be sunwave but it was bought by shaw.)

After we posted our cell number in one of our previous blogs, our friend Deanne Thiessen, delighted us with a Sunday afternoon call – thanks so much Deanne!!

(Ed. note:  Yes, we have some pictures!)