Village Visit

On Saturday we joined the family we stayed with in Ba-Illi for a day visit to another village not too far from N’Djamena. The Clermonts spent 9 months there when they first came to Chad, before being relocated south to Ba-Illi due to conflict in the region. They have kept in touch with the people there and the purpose of this visit was to say goodbye to old friends before they leave on furlough, while ensuring that the local community knows about their commitment to return in a year to lead a new team back in the village where their heart has remained.

The drive took a couple of hours as the early rains had already chopped up the surface of the dirt road. Unlike Ba-Illi in the south, this village is distinctly Arabic, with an almost completely M… population. Local culture dictates that men and women do things separately most of the time, so we split up and spent time chatting, eating and drinking with friends at several different concessions (the men also went to visit people at the local market - no cameras).

Warmly welcomed by everyone we saw, the friends we visited all asked us to sit and share food or a drink with them (a customary practice). John and Justin shared at least three main meals as well as being shouted drinks at market!

The Clermont kids and the kids they shared a concession with during their time in D...

The relationships the Clermonts still have with the people after a relatively short time living in the village followed by years living further south is testament to their heart and commitment to the people. Seeing the way the Lord works so richly through His people even in such a foreign environment was a real encouragement to us.

As we were leaving we also stopped in to quickly introduce ourselves to the new pastor at the local church.

Although very tired from the busy, long day, we really enjoyed the chance to experience more of the Chadian Arabic culture (very different to Ba-Illi in the south) and see first hand where our friends’ hope to make an eternal impact on the locals in the near future.

 

Justin and Krista just outside the village they will soon return to

Dinner at Marie's

Just before Uncle Dave and Aunty Elly went back to Australia, we all went to Marie (the Sharp’s Chadian cook) and her family’s house to share a meal. Marie has cooked for the Sharp’s since Aunty Elly taught her back when they lived in Marie’s home village out in the Guera. It was a chance for Uncle Dave and Aunty Elly to catch up with the rest of Marie’s family and a chance for us to meet them.

Marie, her husband and their three children

Marie's half sister and one of her nieces

Marie’s 13 year-old daughter Elizabeth (named after Aunty Elly) prepared the meal. We were very spoilt; starting with boule, crepes and a traditional meat sauce, continuing with fried fish and then bananas for dessert, before washing it all down with a selection of soft drinks! Aunty Elly said that if Elizabeth was living out in the village and cooking like that she already would have received numerous marriage proposals.

Marie’s youngest daughter overdosed on the soft drink and was having a great time literally bouncing around, flashing big smiles and climbing the verandah poles! Soft drinks are a rare treat and after attempting to calm her down, her father very honestly exclaimed, “She’s drunk!” Aunty Elly was quick to explain that it was just the way so much sugar affects a tiny body and there was nothing to worry about.

We had a really enjoyable and entertaining evening and we hope to visit again before we leave (when we have learnt more conversational French).

SIL Volleyball

Each Sunday afternoon, once it has cooled down a little, people from different missions and several of our Chadian colleagues gather for a social volleyball hit-out. Apparently it is tradition for SIL to build a volleyball court wherever they are based and they didn’t forget when they set up their main Chadian base in N’Djamena. Katie is always keen to point out that the definition of ‘social’ depends on how competitive a nature you have. As a result, each week there are many people (including Katie) who prefer to gather on the sidelines to have a good yak and cheer on those taking the hits (more so the former).

John plays most weeks as this is just about the only source of consistent sporting activity he gets. Numbers vary week to week as people come and go from N’Djamena, but the volleyball remains a fun way to burn off some energy and interact with people away from work.

Yeah Sharpy!

International Church

Every other Sunday we attend an International Church service held in the large training classroom at SIL. This service is usually held in English, with different missionaries and Christian NGO’s signing up on a roster to preach. As there is a hugely varied mix of nationalities at these services, occasionally we sing songs in other people’s native languages - French, Swiss German, and German are some that have featured.

Recently we said farewell to several families who served in Chad with SIL and other missions. Most had served in Chad for a long time and sadly some were leaving indefinitely. These photos are from the Sunday when we said goodbye to those who were moving on from Chad and had been a part of the International Church family.

Aimée Sharp's 21st

The night of Saturday the 21^st May Uncle Dave and Aunty Elly threw their daughter Aimée a party to celebrate her 21^st birthday, which was the following day. Aimée is actually back in Australia, but it was still a good reason to get together and have some fun. After sharing pizzas for dinner, we cut loose our creative abilities, making masquerade ball masks to the sounds of the Phantom of the Opera. Without Aimée there, we took plenty of photos so she could see what fun we had at her party! Aunty Elly had even put together a 21^st slideshow, so Aimée would be thrilled to know her cute chubby Chaddy bubby photos were subject to the usual ooohs, ahhhs and oo la la’s!

 

Some of us had also enjoyed watching The Green Hornet at a US Marine House movie night the night before Aimée's party and Uncle Dave confessed that his little green masterpiece (pre-drawn before any of us even arrived!) was inspired by the movie’s namesake. After John had come up with his creation, we thought surely there would be some super hero that fit his mask’s description. A quick google search revealed that once upon a time there was indeed an obscure, never really heard of, but surely ridiculously cool super hero called The Blue Flame – the battle had begun!

  

The Dog Run

What can you achieve in one 50-60hr week of manual labour and in 48 degree African heat? The construction of a dog enclosure of course. Take a look at John and one or two of his Chadian colleague's handy (and hard!) work.

As SIL's new pet policy no longer allows dogs to have the run of the entire centre (mainly for cultural reasons), the agreed solution was to build an enclosure. This enclosure needed to be large enough that the dogs could stretch their legs and stay sane, with sufficient shelter from the ridiculously hot sun - especially at this time of year - and then rain in later months.

To ensure the deadline for the job was met, the trench, postholes and brickwork were prepared with another week of hot and hard manual labour just before our Mongo trip. The fencing and landscaping were all achieved in the one huge week on our return... just in time for Jack’s latest visit that Friday.

Top: we decided to make the most of a shelter used for 'storage' as shelter for the dogs (first we had to sort out all the junk that had accumulated underneath!) - two rows of blocks were laid under the fence to stop the dogs digging out; Centre: two of the guys from the library construction project helped John with the digging and masonry as work on site had stalled for a time - the guy in white's name is Oseé which is basically pronounced Aussie and we think this is pretty cool, the guy in red is called Bahdi - pronounced buddy; Btm: the week after Mongo - tightening the tension wire with Moussa

Looking north at the finished product (fence posts and fittings have since been painted)

The shelter will still be partly used for storage, hence the larger northern gate 

Jack chillin' at has new pad

L: The happy workers - John and Moussa slogged away in the heat together the week we got back from Mongo;
R: And the happy occupant