I'm in Chad!!! I could tell you were praying these last couple days - the trip went very smoothly, and all my luggage arrived with me too! My coworker, Joy, and I will head south toward Sarh/Balimba tomorrow morning; we will be doing the trip in two shorter days of driving instead of one very long day, so we should reach Balimba on Wednesday.
Now that I'm in Africa, my internet connection will usually be slower and/or less reliable than it was in the USA or France, but I will try to send you updates as I am able. Thanks for your continued prayers as I settle into life in Chad!
Almost ready to go
Life has been very busy since I last wrote on this blog! Some of the things I've done in the past couple weeks include:
If you'd like to know the detailed itinerary of my trip - by train, plane, and Landrover - please check out "My Itinerary".
- Moved out of my apartment (a big job)
- Wallpapered a room (not quite so hard as I'd feared)
- Cleaned my apartment thoroughly (hopefully it will make a good impression on the owner!)
- Enjoyed Christmas with friends (we had a great time!)
- Drove a stick-shift vehicle for the first time (sorta getting the hang of it)
- Packed my suitcases (several times!).
If you'd like to know the detailed itinerary of my trip - by train, plane, and Landrover - please check out "My Itinerary".
December Prayer Letter
Dear Prayer Supporters,
Greetings from France! This will be my last prayer letter from Bordeaux, because in just a few short weeks, I'll be boarding a plane to go to Chad; not for a short missions trip or survey visit, but to really live there! I'm thrilled to be almost on my way, but I know there will be so much to learn as I settle into life in Africa. Thank you for praying for me during this time of transition.
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
Greetings from France! This will be my last prayer letter from Bordeaux, because in just a few short weeks, I'll be boarding a plane to go to Chad; not for a short missions trip or survey visit, but to really live there! I'm thrilled to be almost on my way, but I know there will be so much to learn as I settle into life in Africa. Thank you for praying for me during this time of transition.
Language School - Finished!
Last Friday, I finished my formal French language studies here at the University of Bordeaux. There was no graduation ceremony or commencement address, but that didn't take away any of the joy in completing another important milestone, as I handed in my last exam and left the building for the last time. I've learned so much here - and not only about the French language! I've also learned a lot as I've interacted with my professors and classmates at the university. I'm thankful for the opportunities the Lord has given me to share a little about Him with my fellow students between classes. Pray that the Lord will work in their hearts and bring people into their lives who share the gospel with them.Moving to Chad
With my departure for Chad now less than two weeks away, the task of packing is now in full swing, and I am busy trying to fit everything into my suitcases! Praise the Lord that I received my visa in good order a few weeks ago, so all the paperwork is ready for me to fly out in a couple weeks. I'll be taking the train to Paris on the morning of December 30, then late in the evening, I will catch an overnight flight to N'Djamena (the capital of Chad) with a few hours' layover in Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia). A coworker will pick me up in N'Djamena on December 31 and we will travel together to my new home in Balimba, a village near the city of Sarh in the south of the country (a full day's drive from the capital). Please pray for good traveling weather and smooth connections throughout my journey. Please pray for me as I make the transition into life in Chad.New Ministries Ahead
Over the next year, I will be settling into life in Africa, becoming involved in the Bible translation work and other ministries, and continuing to improve my French skills. Also, one of my tasks for this first year in Chad will be to study one of the local languages with which we are currently working. The language I will be working with is called Sara Kaba Dem. The New Testament has already been translated into Sara Kaba Dem, and Bibles International is currently translating the Old Testament. There is still much work yet to be done before it is complete. Please pray for encouragement and strength for the translators, the missionaries and local Christians who assist them, and for me as I study their language and become better acquainted with the translation project and the translators. Pray that good progress would be made in the translation.In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
An Errand ... and an End
Getting ready for a trip to Africa usually requires making some special preparations, besides the typical airplane tickets and carefully packed luggage. One of those special preparations is to purchase antimalarial medication.
I'm sure that most of you know that malaria is a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes which is all too common in many tropical parts of the world. There is currently no vaccine for it, but it is treatable; also there are things you can do to help prevent it, including sleeping under a mosquito net, using insect repellent ... and taking antimalarials. The latter cannot be obtained without a prescription, so yesterday I headed downtown to a travel clinic (a clinic that specializes in giving vaccinations and medical advice to overseas travelers) to get the needed prescription.
Thankfully, it was easy to obtain what I needed. The doctor agreed with me that I should stay with the same type of antimalarials that I've used on previous trips, so I'm glad to know I can keep using what has worked for me in the past. Before long, I was on my way to the pharmacy, prescription in hand, to pick up the meds. A few hours later, I had all that I will need for a 12-month's supply of the medication. Praise the Lord for providing another important thing that I need for my upcoming move to Chad!
On another note, yesterday was also my last day of French classes. It's hard to believe that the hours of lectures and assignments have come to an end! All that remains now are the final exams. I will have seven of them, one or two each day from Monday to Friday. I am starting to feel like I will be ready for them, but we'll find out if I really will be! Thanks for praying!
I'm sure that most of you know that malaria is a tropical disease spread by mosquitoes which is all too common in many tropical parts of the world. There is currently no vaccine for it, but it is treatable; also there are things you can do to help prevent it, including sleeping under a mosquito net, using insect repellent ... and taking antimalarials. The latter cannot be obtained without a prescription, so yesterday I headed downtown to a travel clinic (a clinic that specializes in giving vaccinations and medical advice to overseas travelers) to get the needed prescription.
Thankfully, it was easy to obtain what I needed. The doctor agreed with me that I should stay with the same type of antimalarials that I've used on previous trips, so I'm glad to know I can keep using what has worked for me in the past. Before long, I was on my way to the pharmacy, prescription in hand, to pick up the meds. A few hours later, I had all that I will need for a 12-month's supply of the medication. Praise the Lord for providing another important thing that I need for my upcoming move to Chad!
On another note, yesterday was also my last day of French classes. It's hard to believe that the hours of lectures and assignments have come to an end! All that remains now are the final exams. I will have seven of them, one or two each day from Monday to Friday. I am starting to feel like I will be ready for them, but we'll find out if I really will be! Thanks for praying!
Mixed Emotions
One month from today, I'll be leaving France to begin a new life in
Chad, Africa. Yes, the long journey toward Africa is nearly over, and new adventures - new journeys - are about to begin. I've visited Africa four times, but this time is different: this time, I don't have a return ticket. I'll be really living there. Africa will now be my home, not just a place I've visited.
Most of the time, I'm thrilled! Soon I will be in Chad where I so long to be - seeing new and old friends, getting back into the Bible translation ministry, getting better acquainted with the people and languages that I just had time to be introduced to on my earlier trips. Besides, I've been waiting for 23 years to make this move - what could be more thrilling than seeing that nearly life-long dream soon to become a reality?
Often I am a bit nervous too. There will be so many things to get used to: cold showers, no super-high-speed internet access, brushing my teeth with filtered water, hot weather, limited electricity and running water, unpaved roads, mosquito nets. But far more than that, there will be new customs and a new culture to adjust to, new languages to learn ... and new difficulties to face. BI's ministry in Chad, while so very much needed, faces many challenges, and I will need to depend on the Lord's grace every day to help me through them.
Sometimes I am also a little sad. One year in France has been just enough time to gain sufficient skill in the language to communicate on a reasonable variety of topics and make some good friends. How thankful I am for my Christian French friends, who have been so gracious with all my stumbling attempts to communicate in French! And for my American missionary friends, who did so much to help me get settled in and to help me learn my way around! I can't imagine how I would have managed this year without the support of all of my friends here. And soon I must say goodbye to them - how can I do that?! I'm not sure when I will next be able to visit Bordeaux to see them all again. Yes, goodbyes are sad, even when the "hello" on the other end is very exciting!
Thrilled ... nervous ... sad ... excited ... sometimes by turns, and sometimes all at once! I suppose it is normal to have mixed emotions when looking forward to making such a big step. Wouldn't you feel the same? Still, mostly it is exciting! New adventures are ahead. The Lord will be with me in all of them. Please pray that I will continually seek to draw close to Him, whatever adventures He has in store for me in the months and years ahead!
Most of the time, I'm thrilled! Soon I will be in Chad where I so long to be - seeing new and old friends, getting back into the Bible translation ministry, getting better acquainted with the people and languages that I just had time to be introduced to on my earlier trips. Besides, I've been waiting for 23 years to make this move - what could be more thrilling than seeing that nearly life-long dream soon to become a reality?
Often I am a bit nervous too. There will be so many things to get used to: cold showers, no super-high-speed internet access, brushing my teeth with filtered water, hot weather, limited electricity and running water, unpaved roads, mosquito nets. But far more than that, there will be new customs and a new culture to adjust to, new languages to learn ... and new difficulties to face. BI's ministry in Chad, while so very much needed, faces many challenges, and I will need to depend on the Lord's grace every day to help me through them.
Sometimes I am also a little sad. One year in France has been just enough time to gain sufficient skill in the language to communicate on a reasonable variety of topics and make some good friends. How thankful I am for my Christian French friends, who have been so gracious with all my stumbling attempts to communicate in French! And for my American missionary friends, who did so much to help me get settled in and to help me learn my way around! I can't imagine how I would have managed this year without the support of all of my friends here. And soon I must say goodbye to them - how can I do that?! I'm not sure when I will next be able to visit Bordeaux to see them all again. Yes, goodbyes are sad, even when the "hello" on the other end is very exciting!
Thrilled ... nervous ... sad ... excited ... sometimes by turns, and sometimes all at once! I suppose it is normal to have mixed emotions when looking forward to making such a big step. Wouldn't you feel the same? Still, mostly it is exciting! New adventures are ahead. The Lord will be with me in all of them. Please pray that I will continually seek to draw close to Him, whatever adventures He has in store for me in the months and years ahead!
Update on the Rito New Testament
Translators Gilbert and Ndjoni, with consultant Susan Hossack, have been working hard at finishing the corrections for the Rito New Testament. In their last workshop, both Gilbert and Ndjoni were in poor health, but the Lord answered your prayers and gave them strength to continue each day. They checked the spelling of nearly 2000 words, and made corrections to the book introductions that will be placed at the beginning of each book. Praise the Lord that they were able to finish all the corrections!
Electricity is limited in Chad, so the translators are not able to have their own computers, but the translation center in Balimba has both computers and electricity, so most of the work is done by hand and then entered into the computer later by the translation office staff. Therefore the next task for the Rito project is to enter all the corrections into the computer; the finished text will then be sent to the BI headquarters in Grand Rapids for formatting.
Please pray:
Electricity is limited in Chad, so the translators are not able to have their own computers, but the translation center in Balimba has both computers and electricity, so most of the work is done by hand and then entered into the computer later by the translation office staff. Therefore the next task for the Rito project is to enter all the corrections into the computer; the finished text will then be sent to the BI headquarters in Grand Rapids for formatting.
Please pray:
- For Susan Hossack and office staff Mamra and Kimiri as they enter the corrections;
- For the staff in Grand Rapids as they format the text once it is received;
- For the remaining funds needed to cover the printing costs (about $6,000 still needed).
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| Chad Translation Center in Balimba |
Visa Update
Shortly after I sent in my visa application a few weeks ago to the Chadian embassy, I received a call that I needed to send in one more document. I suppose I should be used to this by now: as a friend said, when doing business in France you will always be missing one required document the first time around! In this case, I had sent everything in, but one document wasn't what they wanted. Eventually, I was able to get the right document and sent it in, but still wondered if even that was what they wanted. So today, I called to verify that they have it and are satisfied with all my paperwork.
Even after 10 months in France, I get all sorts of butterflies in my stomach about phone calls -- you can't read people's lips or gestures over the phone, and I find it much easier to get derailed if the person talks fast or has an accent that I'm not accustomed to. In this case, I spoke to two people, one of whom wasn't too hard to understand, the other I kept having to ask to repeat things. But in spite of that, we did manage to communicate, and praise the Lord, they are now satisfied with all my paperwork, and I should receive my visa next week! I'm very thankful to be nearly done with this process -- for the moment, anyway. Visas will be a part of my life as long as the Lord has me in this ministry -- maybe the next 35 years or more - so I'm trying to get used to it. Thankfully, the Lord is in control even of the decisions of embassies and consulates -- whether they know it or not!
Even after 10 months in France, I get all sorts of butterflies in my stomach about phone calls -- you can't read people's lips or gestures over the phone, and I find it much easier to get derailed if the person talks fast or has an accent that I'm not accustomed to. In this case, I spoke to two people, one of whom wasn't too hard to understand, the other I kept having to ask to repeat things. But in spite of that, we did manage to communicate, and praise the Lord, they are now satisfied with all my paperwork, and I should receive my visa next week! I'm very thankful to be nearly done with this process -- for the moment, anyway. Visas will be a part of my life as long as the Lord has me in this ministry -- maybe the next 35 years or more - so I'm trying to get used to it. Thankfully, the Lord is in control even of the decisions of embassies and consulates -- whether they know it or not!
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