Thank You Note from Student: Allahndamadji Christian

Beloved ones in the Lord,

I send you brotherly greetings in the beautiful and precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am writing this note to you to share my thanks for the love that you have shown toward me. God has used you to bless me through each book that I have received through you. In truth, these are books which I really needed for my theological studies but I didn't have any way to get them. I was greatly blessed by your gifts.

May the Lord bless you in Jesus Christ.

My wife greets you also.

Allahndamadji Christian
ESTEB student, senior year

Testimony: Christian

 Christian is fourth-year student (in the USA he would be called a "senior") at the theological school of Balimba. He is a fine man who is doing very well in his classes and has a lot of potential to serve the Lord as a pastor/teacher.  The other day, we were talking about some of the things the Lord has used to grow and mature him while he's been at the school over the past several years.  He mentioned several specific things the Lord used, but he said that one of the first was a book he got from me (i.e. from The Shepherd's Bag ministry) early in his education at the school.  By the way, it was a French translation of Trusting God When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges (a book I highly recommend for everyone!).  This book helped him to gain a more biblical understanding of God's purpose in permitting trials in our lives, and helped to transform him spiritually.

How encouraging to know that these books can help future pastors to grow spiritually, better preparing them to serve the Lord in full-time ministry!

Allahndamadji Christian

Testimony: Pastor Ndolo

 A few weeks ago, I sat in church one Sunday listening to a young pastor named Ndolo preaching. Ndolo graduated just a few years ago from the Bible institute of Balimba.  Now he was preaching about sign gifts (miracles, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts unique to the apostolic era).  This topic is frequently misunderstood in Chad, and the scripture passages addressing it are often misused.  I prayed Pastor Ndolo would be able to explain the topic clearly.  I was delighted when he did!  He gave very clear teaching, explaining the original purposes of these gifts and why they are not part of the Church today.  Afterwards, I found the pastor and thanked him for teaching so clearly on this topic. He replied that it was one of the books that he had gotten from me (i.e. from The Shepherd's Bag ministry) that helped him to do a better job of preaching on this topic.

How encouraging to know that these books are helping pastors to do a better job of teaching God's Word clearly to their congregations!

Ndolo when he was still a student in Balimba

November 2021 Prayer Letter

 Dear Prayer Supporters,

Thank you for praying for me as I traveled back to Chad in September. If you haven't already heard, I arrived safely in Chad on September 23, and I quickly got settled back into life and ministry here. Since then, I've been so busy that it's hard to believe it's been only two months since I left the USA! 

 

Bible School: Housing and Hebrew

This year, the Bible school in Balimba has seen the largest freshman class that anyone can remember, nearly doubling the size of the student body.  This is exciting, but has causes some new challenges for the school, not the least of which is that they have now outgrown the available student housing.  But because of an exceptionally generous gift from a supporting church, this need has now been provided.  This week they plan to begin building the additional student housing that is so badly needed. Praise the Lord!

It's been my joy for years to invest in lives of these future pastors in various ways.  This year I have a new way to help the students: I've officially started teaching Hebrew at the theological school. It's different teaching in a classroom setting than it was to teach unofficially at my dining room table during Covid last year!  But I enjoy it very much! Most of the students are making steady progress in Hebrew, but a few are struggling. Please pray for them.

 

"Shepherd's Bag" Book Ministry

The ministry of making books available for pastors and Bible college students is more active than ever.  We even have a name for it now: The Shepherd's Bag (providing equipment for pastors – taken from 1 Samuel 17:40).  The increase in the student body at the Balimba theological school and institute has meant many new book requests from the new students.  Also, more pastors are hearing about the ministry and are also ordering books.  It's all I can do to keep up with them!  What a thirst they have for knowledge and for better-quality resources!

One box of books arrived with a special reminder of how God has His hand on this special ministry.  The cardboard box had somehow gotten wet along the way and was nearly ruined.  The box itself was nearly in tatters, and much of the inside had obviously gotten damp. In some spots, the packaging had even begun to get moldy.  But in spite of the serious damage to the packaging, the books inside were still in perfect condition! Praise God! And please keep praying for God to protect these books. 

 

Blessed by Guests

We have lately been blessed with many missionary guests: some to give extra training to pastors, others to help with various aspects of Bibles International's ministry in Chad.  At present, I am hosting two ladies from BI's literacy department.  Both of them have traveled widely in other parts of the world, but it is their first time in Chad.  It has been a blessing to have them!  Their work is vital to the Bible translation work here: what good is it to have a Bible in your language if you can't read it?!  Please pray for them as they wrap up their work here this week and head back to the USA.

 

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

Packages Coming!

 When I arrived in Balimba, there were around 100 books waiting for me, many of which were destined for Project Shepherd's Pouch, while some were for the bookstore.  It's been a big job getting them all organized!  But there are nearly as many books that I've ordered which haven't arrived yet.  A few of them may be lost, but most of them simply haven't had time to get here.  It usually takes at least a month for a package to arrive in Balimba, sometimes longer.  The post doesn't always deliver mail in chronological order!  Please pray for God's hand on these books, that they will arrive soon and undamaged.

First-Time Hebrew Teacher

Well, almost first-time. I did teach Hebrew unofficially in 2020, but yesterday I started teaching it officially for the first time at the Baptist theological school of Balimba (ESTEB).  I have nine students in beginning Hebrew and two in intermediate Hebrew. 

The beginning students have already begun learning the Hebrew alphabet, and the intermediate ones have encouraged me by proving they haven't completely forgotten their Hebrew in spite of not being able to study it much for the 10 months I was away on furlough.  It should be interesting to watch them all learning to read the Old Testament in the original language!

Please pray for me in this exciting new ministry!

Ministry of Providing Books for Pastors Has a New Name!

 For several years, I've been helping to make needed books and Bible study materials available to Bible college students and pastors.  This is technically different from the bookstore, as these books are not sold for a profit, and in fact are slightly subsidized.  Also, these are mostly books that have been specifically requested by individual people.

Since the beginning, I've had no more creative name for this ministry than "Anna Beth's Book Ministry", but I've been thinking that it's about time I had a better handle for it.  Well, the ministry now has a name - unless someone else comes up with a better one! I am open to suggestions.  For now, I'm calling the ministry La Gibecière du Berger, in English The Shepherd's Bag, taken from 1 Samuel 17:40.

"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.1 1 Sam. 17:40 KJV

September Prayer Letter

Dear Prayer Supporters,

One more week! With furlough officially completed, I’m ready to fly back to Chad in just one more week from the time of writing this letter. I’m thankful for all that the Lord has done this furlough, but I’m eager to get back to Chad.

End of Furlough

Over the past nine months, I have presented the ministry in Chad in 35 churches (and one Bible college), visited 16 states, and driven 13,456 miles (21,655 km) with no vehicle breakdowns or accidents. I have stayed in 11 different temporary homes (not counting places I stayed in for under a week), including relatives’ homes, in-law suites, prophet’s chambers, hotels, and guest houses. I’ve been in the USA through the winter, spring, and summer. It’s been a great furlough, and I’ve seen the Lord protect in my travels and provide all my needs (as He always does!). I’ve been blessed and humbled by people’s generosity, in spite of the economic problems that have come as a result of the pandemic restrictions. Thank you, everyone, for the part each of you had in making this furlough a blessed time!

Getting to Chad

I fly back to Chad on September 21. My first flight leaves very early in the morning out of Indianapolis, and I will have layovers in Chicago and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) before arriving in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, on the 22nd. I will be there for about a week before traveling south to Sarh by road at the end of the month. Please pray for safety in travels.

Currently, Covid regulations in Chad do not require a quarantine, but I will need to get tested for Covid once before flying, and twice after my arrival in Chad. Please pray that the results of these tests are returned promptly and that they will all be negative.

Coming Up

Once I get settled back into Chad, I will have plenty to do! I will have translation workshops with the Sara Madjingay and Sara Kaba Deme translators. I will be teaching Hebrew at the Bible college – officially this time – and I have been told to expect about ten students. I expect to have a lot to do to settle back into the book ministry, and I trust that, Lord willing, we can soon start building the permanent bookstore building in downtown Sarh. Also, a supporting church has given generously to help my replace the aging, rusty, leaky water tower at my house in Chad with one that should be cleaner, and with no rust or holes. Finally, with travel to Chad becoming more practical, we are expecting lots of guests over the next several months: some to teach seminary classes to pastors, and some to help with various aspects of Bibles International’s ministry in Chad. Please pray for safety and profitable trips for each of these guests.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell

Ten Things You (Maybe) Didn't Know about the Geography of Chad

(especially Sarh)

Many people don't even know the first thing about Chad's geography: where it's located (in north-central Africa).  Hopefully, if you follow my ministry, you do already know that much!  But here are some other details that you may not have known (because I didn't know most of these things until I researched them myself).

1. Chad is the third largest landlocked country in the world.

There are currently 44 landlocked countries and five partially recognized landlocked states in the world. The two largest are Kazakhstan and Mongolia, so that Chad is the largest landlocked country in Africa. However, it’s only by a small margin, as both Niger and Mali are only slightly smaller than Chad.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landlocked_country#List_of_landlocked_countries

2. Sarh is nearly 700 miles (1,124 kms) from the nearest ocean.

 

The nearest coast to Chad is in Cameroon, whose coast is on the Gulf of Guinea in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Chadian languages I work with do not even have a word for ocean, so in the Bible they use a phrase or compound word meaning “big salty river”. 

Source: maps.google.com

3. Sarh is geographically closer to Paris than to Cape Town.

Years ago, a church where I was speaking announced me in the bulletin as “missionary to Chad, S. Africa”. They were only a few miles off!!

Source: https://www.distancefromto.net/

4. In 2018, Chad was the 12th least visited country in the world.

14 of the 20 least visited countries listed are in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s not because these countries have nothing interesting to see. But travel and communication can be difficult; resources and facilities for tourists are limited, and some are ravaged by war. In Chad, most of the foreigners who do travel to the country come for business: missionaries, business people, and NGO’s (NGO’s are non-government organizations, such as charities and development projects).

Source: https://www.travelmag.com/articles/most-and-least-visited-countries-in-the-world/

5. The southern quarter of Chad contains 64% of the population; the northern half contains about 8%.

Southern Chad also has nine of the country’s ten largest cities: N’Djamena, Moundou, Sarh, Kelo, Koumra, Pala, Am Timan, Bongor, and Mongo. Abeche is the largest city in central Chad. The largest city in the north, Fada, is the twelfth largest in the country. 

Sources: https://knoema.com/atlas/Chad/Region-profiles; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Chad.

6. The distance between Sarh in southern Chad and Bardaï in northern Chad is greater than the distance between Jacksonville, Florida and Detroit, Michigan.

According to Google, it takes about fifteen and half hours to drive from Jacksonville to Detroit. But it would take far longer to travel this distance in Chad, since the roads are so bad (they are so bad now that you can’t even get to N’Djamena in 15 and a half hours, let alone to Bardai). I don’t even want to think about how long it would take to drive to Bardai, and apparently Google doesn’t want to either!

 Source: maps.google.com.

7. Chad has the lowest percentage of paved roads in the world.

Dangerousroads.org claims that less than 1% of Chad's roads are paved. This percentage is probably not rapidly improving, as Chad’s existing paved roads are usually poorly maintained. GlobalEconomy.com listed Chad’s roads as the worst quality roads of the 141 listed countries. Note that this is not all the countries in the world, but only those for which they had data.

 Sources: https://www.dangerousroads.org/around-the-world/statistics-and-facts/4941-countries-with-lowest-of-paved-roads.html; https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/roads_quality/.

8. Chad's largest region, Borkou in northern Chad, is nearly as large as Oregon.

But being in the desert, Borkou has a similar population density to that of Alaska, with a population of only around 100,000 people.

Source: fr.wikipedia.com.

9. The region of N'Djamena has about the same land area as Denver, Colorado.

The region of N’Djamena includes the capital city itself (about 720,000 people, slightly less than Denver) and the surrounding area, similar to Washington D.C. in the US or the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The entire region of N'Djamena has over 1.2 million people.

Source: https://knoema.com/atlas/Chad/Region-profiles.

10. Faya-Largeau in northern Chad only gets 0.4 inches (10 mms) of precipitation annually. Sarh gets 45 inches (1,140 mms).

Map of Chad's climate zones

 

45 inches is about the same annual precipitation as Maine. Two-thirds of Sarh’s annual rainfall comes between July and September, the peak months of rainy season.

Source: http://www.weatherbase.com/.