The One Month Mark

I’ve been back in Chad just over a month now. Its been a full month and though its had its down moments, its been really good and mostly enjoyable. We had a team of 4 men from visiting us from Georgia for the last 4 weeks. They are each seeking God’s direction for their lives, and are asking if He might be leading them overseas, and even to Chad. They are an enthusiastic group of guys, with godly, servants’ hearts, and our whole team really enjoyed having them around. Its always good for us to see Chad from an “outsider’s perspective” again, and I appreciate the enthusiasm and optimism that these men brought. I got to do a lot of things with them, from camel rides, to shopping for daggers in the market (“souvenirs” they said :-)), to taking them to a local fellowship, to cooking for them, to teaching them some Arabic to playing games in the evening. They got out to a small town and got to interact with members of unreached people groups. They led English conversation classes and got a glimpse into the Chadian worldview. It was great to be able to be a part of their first experiences of Chad and to hear their responses and thoughts as they processed.

The guys (as Ben & Hannah affectionately called them) left today, and as the Carters and I sat around the dinner table, thankful for one another and the Redfords across town, there was no mistaking a sense of emptiness resulting from their absence. We also had a sense that while we invited the guys into our lives here, there is much that has been on hold while they were here and now it is time to get back to “real life” in Chad. That is exciting, and at the same time mundane. We are slowly moving forward, and yet the details of doing that are not always newsworthy. As Rachael and I talked about what lies ahead, we were impressed with the call to be faithful in the little things, to invest responsibly what is given us each day, so that the Lord can reap a great harvest.


The Guys


My house in Abeche



My living room