A New Year With Old Friends

As the old year came to a close and a new year opened up, our older children were excited about the opportunity to spend part of their Christmas break with friends that they grew up with in Chad, Africa. It was also a special treat to have one of the couples from England who cared for all the children during Chad Retreats show up in Arizona too. With around 30 (now grown) children from roughly 6 different countries gathering in Arizona, it’s been a blast for them. These are all friends that our children last saw 5 and more years ago in Chad, thinking that they may never meet up with again. We can’t wait to hear how their time went and see how their friends have all grown.

We are also thankful for how well the last couple of weeks of Checking went for the book of Acts. We still miss not having Abdallah as the back translator for this work, but the new man that Izzo found turned out to be much better than other replacements we’ve used in the past. For that, we are very thankful. When the checking continues later this year, there will be different consultant working with us, so we pray that it goes as well then, as it has with Jackie as the consultant.

A Time of Transition

Checking for the book of Acts starts this coming Monday. It goes for two weeks leading right up to Christmas. We were really hoping that Abdallah would be able to be the back-translator for this time, but once again, he said that he would not be able to go. This is a big disappointment to us because he has been the best back-translator we’ve had for checking. He is fluent in Dadjo, he knows French, and he caught on really fast as to what the consultant needed from him. The replacements that we’ve had to use the last few times have not worked that well, making the time for checking last a lot longer, along with increased frustrations of the team trying to help the back-translator through the meaning of the verses.

All this to say, another man was found that will hopefully/prayerfully work as the newest back-translator. We are leery about another man filling in because of the struggles we’ve had with past back-translators, but maybe this is all in God’s plan. There are some negatives in that he is from further North where they may understand some of the terminology differently than in the Mongo area. Also, because he has not done this before, will he be good at it or not???? On a positive note, he speaks his Dadjo like Izzo, he knows French, and he’s educated. Another note that may prove to be a big plus is that he apparently has some kind of background with the Catholic church. This is a big surprise to us as we’ve never heard of another Dadjo with anything but an Islamic background.

So we can pray not only that the next two weeks of checking go well, but also that this new back-translator will be touched to the core in hearing the Word of God in his own language.

What's Happening in Chad Right Now?

During Art’s time in Chad, he was able to visit friends in the village. One of these men owns a little boutique in the market. Art was surprised how empty his shelves were compared to all of the other times that he visited him in the past. It all has to do with the gov’t employees not getting paid. It had a trickle down affect that has hit even the small business men who are trying to sell cookies, soda, water, soap etc. Now his shelves are almost bare. Some of the hospital personnel have been paid a month’s wage, but they are still behind 3 months, so it has not made much difference. The schools will likely stay closed the rest of the year at this point. Up till today, there still has been no change.

On another note, Izzo’s older son who went into Libya to stay with extended family was kidnapped in July. Libya is controlled by many different militia groups that war against each other. There are two that kind of work together to run eastern Libya with it’s capital there, but it’s control even there is tenuous. So it has become a very unstable country. They demanded a ransom for his release which the extended family helped to pay, so Izzo is greatly indebted to them and now needs to figure how to repay them.

Testing in Village

Art had a good day today testing several chapters of Galatians and Colossians. They finished relatively quickly for today, which was good considering the people like to hang out at the mosques on Friday afternoons. He said that the time went very well, especially with one man who seemed to know exactly the kind of help Art needed in order to find possible inaccuracies in the translation.

Art also mentioned, as he often does when doing village testing, that it turned out to be more like a Bible study. Throughout this past week as he reviewed Galatians and Colossians with the people, it was a very natural lead into sharing the gospel message several times. One man even pulled Art to the side afterward and asked him if it was true that Jesus really did rise from the dead! Please pray for the Dadjo that God is calling to himself, that their eyes would be opened to the truth and that when their time comes, they would be able to stand strong in the midst of the pressures that surround them.

Also keep praying for Art, that God would continue to use him. Also pray for continued safety and health. He had a bad day yesterday of feeling pretty sick, but today he’s been better.

He made it!

Art arrived in Mongo last Friday, no problems. He said several times that it was hot. Mongo tends to be a bit hotter than the capital, and then living right up against the “mountain” is worse as more heat reflects off of the mountain that his Mongo housing backs up against.

Then Art had a meeting for Scripture Use that several people were a part of including a few past and present Chadian missionaries to the Dadjo. The discussion went very well among all in attendance. Art is now starting the week going over Galations before testing it in nearby villages.

On a different note, the strikes that I mentioned about last week continue. It’s been four months that teachers and health workers have not been paid, so the strikes continue. There is a skeleton crew of health workers who have been put back on duty, but many of the hospitals have closed, and those that are open are way under staffed.

Not only is the lack of pay affecting teachers and healthcare workers, it is having a trickle down affect on much of the population. Because these people are not getting paid, they don’t have the money to buy in the markets, so the marketplace is fairly empty. And because there are not many buying in the market, the shop owners don’t have the money to feed their families AND keep their shelves full. It seems like some of them are on the brink of closing their doors. A friend that Art got to know pretty well used to have his shelves packed, but now the shelves are nearly empty.

Also, as far as the harvest of millet goes, apparently rainy season did not end very well. Several areas dried up too early in the Mongo region leaving much of the grain not ripe enough for harvesting. This is true for Izzo’s field and many around his. So it doesn’t sound like 2016 is ending up that well for many people in Chad. We can pray that they would find our heavenly Father to be the provider of all their needs.

Almost There

It looks like Art is finally on a plane to Chad. A few more hours and he should be there. A 24 hour delay is not very nice, but looking at the bright side, we heard from friends in Chad that they had a TWO WEEK delay in flights to get to Cameroon. It’ll be a rush to get everything done in order for Art to keep his plans to travel to Mongo tomorrow, but we are hopeful.

On another note, one of the translator’s sons has been sick. The family has been treating him for malaria. We have yet to hear any more news. For awhile recently, it was not a good time to be sick in Chad because the hospitals, as well as the schools, have been on strike. The employees have been working for a long time without getting paid by the gov’t. This of course leads to strikes which leads to many who are sick, getting sicker, and the children not being taught. Thankfully the health workers should be back as of yesterday. The teachers, we’re still not sure about.

Plane delays

Art left Chicago last night for his 24 hour trip to Chad, Africa. (At this point, though, it’ll be longer than 24 hours.) His connecting flight in Paris was delayed due to air conditioning problems on the plane. They finally left Paris only to return to Paris 2 hours later with more plane problems. At this point, Art has no idea what the airline’s plans are. We pray that they will find a reliable plane to carry the passengers to Chad soon, but of course our primary concern should be everyone’s safety.

"Please Fasten Your Seatbelts."

October 24th marks the date for Art to be back on a plane to Chad, Africa. Tickets have been purchased, we just received the Chadian Visa this morning, reservations for housing has been made, more work on Galatians and Colossians are being done for this trip, etc. There is still much to be done, including making sure that his vaccinations are up to date. He’ll also be missing our presidential election in November, so he’ll need to vote early:)

When Art arrives in Chad, it’ll be the end of rainy season. Even though the rains do a decent job of lowering the temperature for the rest of the year, the rains also leave behind a lot of humidity for the next couple of months. But the countryside is pretty in October with everything green, the low mountains, and the fields of millet ripening. The towns are a different story. Also, the roads around Mongo will be more easy to travel now that things are drying up.

Some good news we also received recently is that a door of two weeks opened up for more of the book of Acts to be consultant checked in December! We are so thankful for this slot of time. It is probably not enough time to finish Acts, but it will come close. And hopefully Abdallah will be available for the back translation. He is the best person for this, but has been unavailable for the last couple of checkings.

It's Almost That Time Again!

Art stands next to Bang Bang — The good old days, when people had to push our truck through the water. There’s a bridge there now.

With more progress on translation and with the year already half over, it’s time for Art to plan another trip to Chad! We were hoping to plan it for September, at the latest, October, so very soon we’ll have to change gears and put more focus on prepping for this. Normally, now would not be a good time for this kind of trip. With rainy season well under way, most village roads are not good to travel on, so we are thankful for the progress that has been made on the country’s infrastructure as well over recent years. I do admit, though, that I will miss needing our landcruiser pushed across the big wadi near Mongo after a good rain! Those were the good ol’ days.:)

Please pray that everything comes together for this trip in good time. Also pray that God would provide the finances for not only this trip, but also the monthly expenses we incur for us to continue this ministry. Our monthly support level has been very low for quite some time.

By the way, you can see more pictures of Chad Africa at chad.portfoliobox.net using the password “dadjo”!

Chad, Africa: What They Eat

Some Chadians transporting their goats in the most loving way possible.

Chad, Africa is a third world country. In fact, Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. For this reason, Chadians are forced to live a lifestyle quite different from your average suburban household. One example is in what they eat.

On the average day, Chadians mostly eat a pasty substance called ‘boule’. It consists of a grain called millet, which is their staple crop. Boule, served in a dome form, is eaten with the hands, and dipped in different sauces before it is consumed. Why boule? It’s cheap. That’s the best reason I can come up with, because, honestly, it doesn’t taste so good… at all. Chadians almost always eat as a group, from the same platter. It is part of their culture. Even though eating from the same plate is – we can’t deny – unsanitary, the average Chadians does it without exception.

Now, on special occasions, or if it’s affordable, Chadians often eat common dishes such as goat meat (which the Aviles kids love). The goat meat there is not what you’d find in the States or Europe either. That’s because it is always tough. The goats run around all they want. It isn’t like they are kept in some cage and taught to just eat all day. The same goes for chicken, which is not consumed as much as goat. Chadians like their meat spicy, so they often use different sauces, or a crushed red pepper mixed with salt. Another food is rice, but rice isn’t eaten even close to as much as millet is. Chadians get most of their other food, such as vegetables, from the outdoor market.