Here’s part two
of my Q&A blog entries. Thanks again
to those who asked questions and I hope the answers help to give you a bit more
insight into life and work here.
What could any of us in UK actually ‘do’
for you…..in addition to prayer and parcels and emails! Would you find a visit
positive or would all the arrangements etc. be too much?
Receiving
emails and parcels is always a highlight for me! Prayers are always needed too. Visitors are always welcome! There are very few people willing and/or able
to come and visit Chad so I’d never turn an offer of a visit down. Yes, there’s a lot of work on both sides to
arrange a visit but it’s so encouraging to me to see people from home (plus
they bring lots of treats!!). Also, if
people actually come, it gives them a much better insight into my life
here. There’s only so much I can portray
in words and photos. It was great to
have a team of six, from two churches in South Wales, here for a week at the
end of October. In February 2018, two
people from my home church in Torquay, along with my parents, are visiting for
a week, which I’m really looking forward to.
I
know that a few people are visiting you in Chad early next year - what would
you REALLY LOVE us to give them to bring out to you? Obviously nothing
too heavy!!
This
is going to sound really bad, but from experience, it’s always a bit dangerous
answering a question like this! Not in a
bad way, I’m obviously really grateful for treats and gifts from home :) I’ve
learned to give a range of things rather than just one, else I end up with 20
packets of cheese sauce mix!!! Not that
that’s a bad thing. It’s just that it
takes me a while to get through it all and I’ve a limited repertoire of recipes
calling for cheese sauce mix! (Feel free to send me some simple ones by
email). For the record, I’ve enough
cheese sauce mix and fajita mix to last a while! Hmmm, ideas of things to send:
·
those really small concentrated fruit squash
bottles (Robinson’s squash’d is one brand) as when you’re drinking many litres
of water, it’s nice to have something to flavour it with
·
a packet of jammie dodgers
·
some face wipes
·
a pot of chilli powder
·
handwritten letters or cards
·
a magazine
·
cheddar cheese (strong)
·
any Cadbury’s chocolate (Cadbury’s is my
favourite!)
·
bacon
·
car air fresheners
·
DVDs of recently released films (I’m mainly into
mindless chick flicks as a form of escapism!)
Thank
you :)
Do they celebrate Christmas in Chad and if so what
does a typical Christmas dinner look like?
Yes,
Christmas is celebrated here. December
25th is a public holiday (but 26th isn’t, so it’s back to
work!). In Chad, both Christian and
Muslim holidays are celebrated through the year and they’re all public
holidays. On the Muslim holidays, the
Christians just have a day off at home and rest (some may visit their Muslim
neighbours). On the Christian holidays,
the Muslims just have a day off at home and rest (some may visit their
Christian neighbours). Christmas is
extremely low-key here. No commercialism
means you can really focus on what’s being celebrated. I’m typing this at the start of December and
there is one supermarket intermittently playing Christmas songs, there are no decorations up and
in the shops there’s very little for sale that’s Christmas-related. Christmas will arrive and go the next day and
life will carry on as normal. It never
‘feels’ like Christmas here to me. It’s
hot for a start which is bizarre. But as
I say, it does mean you can focus on the ‘reason for the season (day)’. For a Chadian, Christmas dinner will depend
on how much money the family has. Those
who can afford it will get a sheep or a goat and kill that to eat with the
wider family and neighbours. Others will
just eat standard Chadian food. For us
missionaries we try and do something a bit different than the rest of the
year. Last year we had cheese fondue on
Christmas Eve for example!
 |
| The selection of Christmas merchandise in one of the bigger supermarkets in N'Djamena |
How do you keep your spiritual side fresh?
To be honest, often with difficulty. I attend a Bible study in English most weeks and international (English speaking) church every-other week. I go to a local Chadian church the other Sundays. I'm glad to have now found a good, sound, solely French-speaking Chadian church to attend. A lot of Chadian church services can be a mix of French and a local tribal language, so I've no hope of understanding anything in those services. As English is my 'heart language' I feel I can engage with God better when the worship and teaching is in English as opposed to French. A lot of the time in French services I'm too busy concentrating on understanding what's being said for it to properly permeate, if that makes sense? I have sermons in English downloaded that I can listen to on my computer. I have good Christian friends here who I can chat to if needed, and thanks to the wonders of technology, I can chat via WhatsApp with friends and family back in the UK too.
What specific things can we pray for you at the moment?
This leads me nicely to let you know that I recently published a prayer letter! If you've not seen it, click here to find it on my page on the BMS website. You can sign up to receive my future prayer letters by email, by clicking this link and filling in the form.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and new year!
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