It is early rainy season in Chad: peanut-planting season. This year, as sometimes happens, the first rains were a bit sporadic. Just as the fresh green grass and new crops began to grow, no rain fell for a week or two. The young grass started looking sickly and the fresh shoots started to dry up. Each morning as I met with a group of Chadians to work on their translation of the Bible, we prayed for rain. A few days later, the rain fell in buckets, hammering so loudly on the tin roof that we could barely hear each other’s shouts and had to take an unscheduled coffee break. But no one was upset at the interruption! “God answered our prayers!” the translators rejoiced. Yes, He does answer our prayers, both big and small! Thank you all for your prayers for the ministry of the Word here in Chad!
Special visitors
Just down the road from my house in Balimba is a theological school run by the Chadian Baptist churches. While most of the classes are taught by Chadian pastors, occasionally visiting missionaries come from America to teach as well. One regular guest is Dr Larry Fogle, who often brings another professor with him to help with the teaching load.In early May, Dr Fogle came to teach a class on pastoral leadership, accompanied by Dwight and Cindy Strickland. Dwight had actually lived in Chad when he was a young child, so it was a particularly memorable trip for both him and his wife. Since he cannot speak French, we missionaries shared the work of interpreting for him in the class, as well as for Cindy who taught an ESL class to a group of church members. Interpreting for a teacher in a classroom setting was a new experience for me. I was nervous about it at first, but in the end I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed it!
Translation update
Although my coworker, Susan Hossack, is the primary consultant for the Sara Madjingay Bible, I am still helping with this project occasionally. So in the latter part of May, I met with the Sara Madjingay translators to check some of the Old Testament prophetic books. We checked the last six chapters of Jeremiah, then we moved on to check Lamentations, Zechariah, and Malachi.In mid June, I met with the Sara Kaba Deme translators. We checked Nehemiah, Esther, Song of Solomon, and then started checking the book of Proverbs. The younger translator, Azor Ngamal, whom I mentioned in my last letter, is making good progress in learning how to type. Please keep praying for him and for all of our translators.
Pray for peace and safety
While I was still busy with translation work in Balimba, we heard that away in the capital of the country, several suicide bombers from a terrorist group based in a neighboring country had set off their bombs, killing or injuring dozens of people. We were thankful to be far away from the action, since Chad’s capital is a good 12-hour drive away. There have been no further incidents since then, and I have not heard that any of our Chadian Christian brothers or sisters were directly affected by the event. However, it is a reminder that things in this part of the world can change quickly. Please pray for the continued peace and stability of Chad. Ultimately, our safety rests in the hands of God.In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
