Category Archives: Desert Journal: Life in Chad, Lessons Learned

My Desert Journal: Life in the Sahara, Lessons LearnedCome sit with me as we read through my Desert Journal.

For half of my life, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in Chad, Africa.

It was the most wonderful time of my life.  I have lots of memories… mostly good, some bad.

I learned a lot there!  Although Chadians may not tell you about the latest app or trending YouTube video, they are masters of face-to-face networking and friendship-building. Their mind is clear enough to see a solution when most would give up and move on.

And Chadians fear no one, except God.

So, make a cup of tea, heavy on the sugar. Join me, as we learn some of those lessons together.

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How to pray effectively for America and our world

As I write this, the polls are about to close on the 2020 US election. In these times, let’s pray for America.

It’s time to get back to the basics. It may not be as easy to get together to pray, to worship, to fellowship, to eat, sing and laugh together. Yet, though it may be difficult, let’s not forsake the assembling of ourselves together with our fellow believers.

My pastor, Pastor Burt Lowry, said it well:

“I’ve burned a lot of firewood in my time. One thing I’ve learned about starting a fire in a wood stove is that a log doesn’t burn well all alone. It takes at least one other log to start a blazing fire to last through the night.”

You may not be able to get together with fellow Christians at this time. Yet, God answers prayer! So, as long as you must miss out on church time, double down on the time you spend meeting with our Heavenly Father! Spend time with Him each day like your life depends on it! This is how you can stay on fire for God through the COVID19 crisis.

I would like to teach you a “game” I play that will add some fun to your prayer time It may seem strange, but it helps me to focus on others rather than on myself as I pray.

1. Find out what works for you

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Waiting patiently, but waiting in vain

“Wait patiently” doesn’t mean the same thing in Africa as it does in the United States.  In America, we might decide to come back later if the line has seven people waiting in it.  We might call back if the waiting time is longer than ten minutes.  Even 5 minutes microwave cooking time can seem like too long to wait!

Waiting in line to go to a concert in Germany

And yet, when we wait in line in America, we expect that our patience is rewarded in the end.  One of the features of life in the Third World, or where a disaster strikes, is that our patience isn’t always rewarded as we would hope.

How can we learn to make the most of the times we spend waiting for something, even if it ends up being waiting in vain?

Back in September 2010, our family needed to find a place to live in eastern Chad.  We had just arrived back in Chad and were living in the capital city of N’Djaména, 14+ hours west of Abéché.  A friend in the capital promised that we could rent his home in Abéché.

To start moving in, all I needed to do was to pick up the key from the Sultan, his brother.

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Chad’s Independence Day

meat grinder in the market. The Market is closed on Independence Day [Source: Mandolos on a Mission]Independence Day, Eastern Chad, December 1, 2010:  Yesterday I bought filet, then had it ground into ground beef. I also bought flour, sugar, and dishwashing liquid.  I went to the ATM today, but it did not accept our card.

A Pakistani man ahead of me was also trying to get money.  However, his card was not accepted. I helped him understand that when the machine is low on bills, it only allows bank members to make withdrawals. As I was there, what should have been obvious to me came to mind at last: today is Independence Day! With the limited number of stores open, I was sure glad that I had bought the essentials yesterday!

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