Lying in ditches, baking in a sauna?

Feb 29

A New Day


For the first time since we have been in Chad, it was nice and cool earlier on in the morning: 29 C – standing outside and enjoying that fresh-ish air was amazing.


I do laundry on a regular basis since it needs doing by hand.  Yesterday was  bed linens day – I pulled off the sheets and pillowcases and left the mosquito net since that had just been done. Between that morning time and evening time as the sheets were put back again we had some “invaders”. Henk woke up during the night because he knew he was bitten multiple times by mosquitos – the ones that do not make any noise….. He killed SIX mosquitos INSIDE our net….. We then made sure it was tucked in on ALL sides – and even after we got up this morning we made sure it continues to be tucked in.


All this is nothing in comparison to what is happening south of us, about a 10 hour drive from here where a translation project is headed up by a Wycliffe colleague. This is what she wrote:


"Our team is well, however nearly every day now there are deaths due to
meningitis. The dispensary director has been to D. for vaccinations for
the population, but was told they won't be available until June. People are praying for the Lord to intervene.  Pray with us asking the Lord for an early rain to get rid of the dust that carries the disease. Pray for health workers and for
pastors in the different villages as they console families that have lost loved ones."

Knowing about such a disaster, makes everything in life seem so insignificant.

Such as Henk working on the swamp coolers once again. This time a breaker had popped and when Henk went up to investigate it showed a connecting wire with a big rubbery blob – a worn out connection that he could replace.

 Right now he is lying in the ditch with Luc to repair another aged and disconnected water pipe.


It seems that every time you turn around, another challenge pops up that is more urgent than the previous one….


My job seems to be more domestic – trying to keep the dust and sand inside the apartment under control by regular sweeping and mopping;  making sure that Henk gets his coffee, tea and water – snacks at the right time, and the meals in between. We have enjoyed  having people over for a meal in the evening, and after that playing a game of Upwords or Quiddler.

10:30a.m.  is coffee time at the center – a good time slot considering that the work day starts at 7:30. There is always a great mix of Chadian workers and others. Most of the time French is spoken so the Chadians are included in the conversations. 




I am at long last planning to put some baking in the oven for coffee time on Friday. My first attempt at baking here.  Banana cake is usually a “no fail” one for me, but with a gas oven and different quality  of ingredients, it should be an interesting experiment. When the day cools off a bit, I have to get some flour from the little shop around the corner. The vegetable man who comes daily except Sundays will be pleased to be able to sell me lots of bananas and eggs today!!