Tag Archives: Chad

Posted on

From Financial Disaster to Financial Freedom

I believe that our Western Society has been set up for a long time against Financial Freedom. After working hard at school, it is not normal for fathers and mothers to pour out our adult lives, just working for the basics!

When a child has to let him or herself into their home after school, it's time to hope for better days.

In America, rare are the parents who are home from work in time to welcome their children home from school. In fact, most homes have two parents working overtime, just to make the mortgage payment.

What if you pursued a life where you have time to be with your kids, and do what you love? What would you call it?

I like to call it “Financial Freedom”

Financial Freedom is the ability to take care of yourself and your family without working long hours.

It is having time to spend with your family, and doing what you love.

When you have Financial Freedom, you have come to the place where you can work because you want to, not because you have to.

The Treasure Map to Financial Freedom

Image by WallpaperFlare.com
Start with a budget

The first step toward Financial Freedom is to prepare a budget of all your living expenses.

Your monthly expenses down on paper is like a treasure map to show you which direction you need to go to get your freedom.

Then, once you have your budget, there are four strategies which lead to Financial Freedom. Usually, the best way to get there involves a combination of these four steps:

  • Earning More Money (without having to work more hours)
  • Reducing monthly expenses (pay off that credit card, and own your car or truck)
  • Increasing your life skills (how to build a house, make bread, change the oil in your car, etc.)
  • Sharing responsibilities with other families (share your internet connection with your neighbor, rent a part of your home to a friend, etc.)
(more…)
Posted on

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. (more…)

Posted on

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! (more…)