September Prayer Letter

 Dear Prayer Supporters,

            "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." (Prov. 16:9)  I had a list of items to accomplish over the past two months, but as it turned out, God had a different to-do list for me!  The last couple of months have looked different in some ways than I had envisioned them, but God's grace has also been very evident throughout.

 

Covid Update

            Since my last letter, the cases of the virus in Chad have gone up and down, but have mostly remained low.  So the government has gradually eased many of the restrictions.  Travel bans have been lifted, and churches and schools have reopened.  Please pray for churches who are struggling financially during this time. My coworkers, Les and Carol Carew, have been able to return from their unexpectedly long furlough, and they are now under self-quarantine in the capital.  They plan to head south to Sarh next week.  Please pray for them as they settle back into their ministries in Chad.

 

An Unexpected Trial… and an Opportunity

            On my "to-do" list for the past few months were a number of ministry tasks that required at least some level of internet: collaborating with coworkers, ordering books for the book ministry, and other tasks.  But suddenly in late July, just as coronavirus restrictions were lifting, an internet blackout was imposed over most of the country.  When our backup connection wouldn't work either, I found myself stuck without any internet.  Suddenly I couldn't do many of the things I'd planned to do.  Thankfully, I could still hold translation workshops, and in July, August, and September I had two workshops (with the Sara Madjingay and Sara Kaba Deme projects).  Both went well and made excellent progress.  Since I couldn't do many of the other tasks I had planned to do, I concluded that God had other plans for how He wanted me to spend my time. 

            Occasionally over the years, I have had requests to teach Hebrew to our Bible school students.  For the most part, I have turned down these requests, as I did not feel I would have time to adequately prepare course material.  But between the coronavirus and the internet blackout, I suddenly had time that I never thought I'd have!  So when a few students asked me to teach them the Hebrew alphabet during the coronavirus shutdown, this time I accepted.  As the crises dragged on, the Hebrew study began looking much less like something to keep our minds busy during a crisis, and much more like a Hebrew course.  I plan to develop this material further during my furlough, and when I return to Chad I hope to teach Hebrew again. 

            So one of the main results of the recent crises for us is that soon-to-be pastors are now discovering the blessing of reading the Old Testament in the original language, and I am discovering the blessing of teaching them!  Please pray for students Atobaye (ah-toe-by) and Bienvenu as they study Hebrew, and for me as I teach them.

            I am writing this letter from the capital, where I have internet access for a few days, after which I return to Sarh where I will again have phone access, but no internet.  I'm glad for how God has blessed this time without internet, but please pray that internet access would soon be restored.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell