Thank you for your partnership in the ministry we are involved in with MAF in Chad. It is hard to believe we are beginning our third year since arriving in Chad. God has been faithfully upholding us and He promises to continue doing so – in that we are greatly encouraged. Variety is the masala of life – and when it’s sprinkled over a thing as normal as our flight schedule here in Chad, it makes the work so much more rewarding. I know some people thrive on routine but I would likely shrivel up and expire if I flew the same people on the same routes on the same days of the week. For that reason, the last few months have been a reminder of how blessed we are to be here in Chad, doing what God has for us right now. These are a few of the trips I’ve completed since returning to Chad.
Just after Christmas, His Excellency, the President of Chad needed to preside over an official event at a short airstrip in the south so David Pearce and I had the privilege to fly him down for the day and back again. It was memorable to see our humble Caravan with a grand red carpet rolled up to the back door. Idris Deby, the 25 year-long leader of Chad and former helicopter pilot was a nice enough guy but was somewhat preoccupied by the smallness of our avion. He was probably just used to his personal Boing 737. I didn’t mention that the Caravan is the largest aircraft I’ve flown! He also wasn’t much for chit chat, but we were able to present him with a signed copy of MAF founder Stuart King’s autobiography which in one chapter details the story of MAF’s work in Chad since 1966 and tells liberally of God’s miraculous interventions through those almost 50 years.
AIM doctor Ann Fursdon and her medical team once again teamed up with us to carry out a multi-stop, multiday medical tour around several villages in the south of Chad. It was the first chance I’d had to do one of these tours with Ann and the experience was excellent; seeing and helping as she and her team arrived, set up and began seeing a steady stream of people suffering with what are mostly treatable ailments. All the while they were ready to explain openly with each one about the hope they have in Christ. It was a busy week and one I won’t soon forget. Leslie and Carol Carew of Baptist Mid-Mission needed to move from southern Chad to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), to continue their teaching work amongst Sango speakers there. Because it would be a permanent move and they had over 400 kg of belongings and books to bring with them,
flying on a commercial airliner would have been practically impossible. When they called MAF, none of us had ever been to Bangui in the CAR and due to the recent brutal Muslim vs Christian violence we had some ducks to put in a row before flying into a dicey situation. Once all the permissions and authorizations were in place we carried out the flight. Les and Carol were extremely relieved to finally be in Bangui. The flight went off without a hitch and the experience was good for the whole MAF team. We hope to be able to offer more flights to Bangui to other missionaries and church workers during the course of this year. Since we arrived back in Chad after having Evelinne time has really flown…I guess we must be having fun! What a difference from our first year in Chad…for many reasons. One being our general health which has been good. Another is that we were coming back to a place which we knew, making for less transition, adjustment and learning. Thank-you for praying specifically for a smooth transition back. You can read more about our first year and what we learned in MAF Canada’s April magazine online: Kaitlyn is in 2nd grade at Wellspring Academy here in N'Djamena which is run by AIM. She is a reading machine and devours short chapter books like crazy! Kaitlyn is still joined at the hip with her friend Anna (who lives on the compound) and together they love dressing up, crafting and jumping on the trampoline. Lily just turned 6 in April and enjoys the routine of homeschool in the morning and free play the rest of the day! She's known for getting a stack of books, plopping down on the couch and saying "Mom, can you read to me?” She spends most of the afternoons playing different made-up games with her
friend Nathan (who also lives on the compound). Evelinne ("Evie") is 9 months old already! She recently began crawling and is into everything! Evie loves cheese and bananas. She has six chompers (teeth) now, and shows off her pearly whites with her infectious smiles! We love having a baby around again and are so thankful Evie is part of our family. I often get asked, "So, what do you do in Chad Merilee?"…and it is a question that is hard to answer in just one sentence. My days mainly consist of taking care of my family (keeping house, school runs, laundry, cooking, taking care of the kids, etc.) and I consider that my main ministry for now. However, peppered throughout my days are many opportunities (sometimes slightly overwhelming) to practically live out God's love to those around me…from a stranger to a friend, it is a privilege to be able to live, love and learn alongside these
as I do 'motherhood' in Chad. Please pray for daily wisdom to know who, how and when to come alongside those in need both spiritually and physically.
Praise for a great re-start in Chad for all of us Praise for good health MAF has flown 40% more to date than this time last year Pray for a new pilot to come to Chad to share the load Pray for a 3rd teacher next year for Wellspring Academy