Back in Chad – Blog, Dec 24
Well the time in South Africa has come and gone. We did a program at the East Church on Sabbath, Dec 3, telling them of our mission experiences and showing photos. On Sunday, Dec 4, Kel had some family over and we celebrated his birthday. Some said it was a milestone. Sunday night was spent packing, then on Monday we did final packing and weighing of the suitcases. Ethiopian Airlines is strict about overweight baggage.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and checked our luggage thru. All cases are within the limit. After saying goodbye to Des (another hard one) we went thru security and passport control. Our flight left at 14h10, right on schedule. Kel was surprised to see the City of Pretoria 5 minutes after take-off. We flew directly over the city. Were hoping to see Mt Kiliminjaro later in the afternoon, but never did.
After landing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 20h30, we went thru security and secured our Hotel voucher (the airline put us up in the Riviera Hotel overnight) we boarded the shuttle. Had a late night supper the
went to bed. Our room faced the main road, so Kel heard the trucks all night.
Next morning (Tuesday, Dec 6) we were up and on our way after a good breakfast. We went thru security at the airport, then had 2 hours to wait before boarding the flight for N'Djamena. Christmas music was playing in the plane just before we landed. Gary had arranged for our faithful taxi driver to meet us, and he whisked us off to the TEAM (Evangelical) Mission compound to spend the afternoon and night.
We met several missionaries who come and go at this center. Gary & Darren came to meet us – they had flown to the capital the day before. It was soon evident that we had more business to attend to than time allotted. We ended up spending 3 days in the capital, shopping for supplies and going to various steelyards to get the steel we need to finish the hangar here on the mission station.
After a 2-hour flight we landed in Bere at 17h00. The day was done, and Wendy provided a delicious meal, which revived us. We are staying with Gary and Wendy until the accommodation in our mission compound is completed, then we can move back into our hut (now occupied by a couple, who will move to their place on the new GMI mission compound).
The mornings are cool, and the cold water in the shower is a shock to the body. We try to shower in the late afternoon, after a day's work. December & January are cooler months.
Today is Dec 24, the day before Christmas. Last night we participated in a Christmas music program at one of the volunteer's huts. There were solos, duets, trios and instrumentals. The hosts had a string of colored Christmas lights up – quite festive, for the bush! We even had ice-cold smoothies – quite a treat, thanks to their solar-powered refrigerator.
We miss you all – thanks for your prayers and support. God bless you in every way.
You can always drop us an e-mail at kelvin.burgoyne@gmail.com
Lots of love & hugs,
Josie & Kel
