Cool Weather Behind Us

Cool Weather Behind Us - February 7, 2012

Bonne annee! Happy New Year! The new year came and went, not much celebration. The nights were cool in December and January and we unpacked a sleeping bag to use as a duvet cover almost every night. However, the days warm up very quickly, so that by 9:30 am one is usually drinking lots of water to hydrate. By 3 pm the days have reached the hottest temps and it is hard to work under those conditions. Kel has resorted to wetting his shirt to return to the jobsite after lunch.

We have had several “harmitons” (high-level dust/sand in the air) which makes the days a bit cooler due to less radiation from the sun, but the solar panels do not produce the normal amount of electricity on such days.

Since we last wrote, our team is conducting several weekly Bible studies in the area. We two are in charge of one location to the west of Bere. There is a core group of 6 or 7 adults, but up to 40 children, so on Sabbath afternoons we tell a Bible story that is translated into Nangjere by our local translator. On Tuesday afternoons, Kel has a Bible study based on some questions the adults have raised, with the same local translator. God is blessing and it may become a place to erect another one-day church.

Last Sunday we treated ourselves to a picnic at the big river near Lai, 18 km east of our village. The gals contributed picnic lunch items and we borrowed a vehicle from the hospital. We were all amazed to see the size of the river, at least the width. This river, as well as the one near Bere, flows north toward Lake Chad. Kel estimates the concrete bridge was at least a kilometer long across the river. Several trucks rolled up and crews loaded building sand – free for the taking under the bridge. We swam in the river and we two walked downstream along the riverbank to a grassy peninsula where we noticed several deep hippo footprints in the mud. Looked like a couple of hippos walked side by side. We ate lunch under a shade tree - veggie burgers and coleslaw. We returned for an afternoon swim, then drove back to Bere.

Bird life in Chad is abundant. We saw maribou storks, black storks, African jacana, cattle egrets, snowy egrets, herons, sandpipers, pied crows, pied kingfishers, and several raptors. Last Sabbath, instead of walking to church, we two took a moto rode several kms into the bush to watch birds. We saw the European roller, and a pair Chad's equivalent of the crimson-breasted shrike, and white-headed barbets, and we think we saw a pair of hoepoe, but they were too far away to identify properly. There were Namaqua doves and crowned plovers running around on the ground.

It seems that our malaria-prevention meds are working hard and we are mostly well this time around. We are so thankful for the prevention and are still careful to be inside during dawn and dusk and the dark hours and we always sleep under the mosquito net.

We had a very large 8-legged visitor who was not welcome inside the hut show itself on Sunday morning. Josie attempted to move it out of the hut when it crawled toward her hands. Needless to say she screamed, dropped the item, and the spider (Kel named Samson) ran for its life under the bed. Well, for a couple of nights we tucked the mosquito net a bit tighter around the mattress. This morning Josie reached for an item in a basket and there the spider was, so she carried the basket out the door and unceremoniously dumped it on the porch. The 8-legged creature ran and Josie jumped in the air – fortunately Kel was inside and nabbed it with the broom, but it crawled under the screen door to the outside. Ah hah! One strike with a trusty flipflop and spider curled up. Then the compound dog promptly ate it!

Thanks so much for praying for us and we appreciate so much your love and support.

You can always drop us an e-mail at kelvin.burgoyne@gmail.com

Lots of love & hugs,

Josie & Kel

Back in Chad – Blog, Dec 24

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.

Kel's sister Des arrived at 10 and we said our goodbyes to Dad – it's always hard to say goodbye, every time.

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

From the Deep South . . . Nov 23

We left Chattanooga on Tuesday, Nov 8, heading for Atlanta and our flight to Johannesburg via Frankfurt, Germany. Mom, Brett & Roger took us to the shuttle depot. Once again, goodbyes are hard - we look forward to seeing our family and friends again soon – may the time fly!

The flight from Atlanta went smoothly – it's the first time we've flown Lufthansa.

We landed at Frankfurt airport at around 9 a.m. On Wednesday. Our connecting flight was scheduled to be on an aircraft which neither of us has seen before - the Airbus A380-800 – which can only be described as colossal. It has two full-length decks – upper and lower. There are 4 engines on this aircraft – the clear distance inside the engine intake is 116” (9'-8”) – just huge!

We spent a day in Frankfurt waiting for our connecting flight to Johannesburg. The weather was foggy and cold. We saw 3 of these monster-planes pull up outside our exit gate during the 13-hour wait. The third was our flight to Johannesburg, which left at 10 p.m.

We were seated clear at the back of the plane on the lower deck. There were a lot of empty seats in our section of the plane, so Josie and Kel grabbed a row of 4 seats each and had reasonably good sleep during the night. Of course, being so far back, we were almost the last off the plane after it landed in Johannesburg on Thursday morning, but Passport Control and Customs went smoothly, and soon we saw Kel's sister Des, who had arrived to meet us.

The weather in the Southern Hemisphere is lovely – days are hot, and we've had soe good rains thus far. Everything is green – summer is in full swing. There's a sizeable veggie garden on Kel's dad's 50-acre farm where we are staying, so we are dining well.

Time is flying and there is much to keep one busy during the day – veggie gardening, water reticulation, seeing to 20 sheep, 2 cattle, 3 dogs, 5 cats and a host of poultry. All these mouths need to be fed and the sheep, cattle and fowls must be locked up each night, to keep them safe from predators. Speaking of fowls, last Sabbath, Nov 19, we returned from church to find a hen had hatched out all 11 of her chicks in the garden where she had her nest, so we caught mother and babies and transferred them to a safe environment.

Also, we have made several trips to town (a half-hour's drive) to buy

provisions and pay a visit to the Internet cafe, where we receive and send our e-mails. We miss just turning on the computer and accessing I-net.

Josie has been working on her sewing projects, and Kel has worked on more of the steel design for the airplane hangar in Chad, so our days have been full.

Today is Wed, Nov 23, and we are headed 3 hours north to pick up dad, who has spent several days visiting an old friend on his large farm in the Winterberg area. We will be driving Kel's sister's Fiat Palio, a sub-compact, as many of the vehicles here inSouth Africa are. During Dad's absence, his Yorkshire terrier has attached herself to Kel like a shadow – we wondered how she would do in Dad's absence, since she is very attached to him.

Well, we trust this report finds you in good health. We miss all of you and look forward to the day when we can be together with Jesus for eternity. Let's plan to be there!

Due to limited Internet access here in South Africa, and in Chad in the months ahead, we won't be able to read your comments on the blog, but you can always drop us an e-mail at

kelvin.burgoyne@gmail.com

Lots of love & hugs,

Josie & Kel

November - and time to flee the winter

We missed the winter of 2010, so haven't experienced the cold for a long time. November came in like a walking icicle - I told Josie, "We need to beat the birds outa here, and migrate to sunny Africa." It's not good to see the thick frost on the lawns - however, the autumn leaves look beautiful.
We leave for Africa on Tuesday, Nov 8. It will be different to go thru Germany this time. We are flying Lufthansa and will spend 10 hours in Frankfurt before boarding the connecting flight to Johannesburg, where we'll visit with Kel's family.
We've seen the evil one's hand trying to stop us (several times in the past few weeks) from continuing with our mission work in Chad, but each time our gracious God has intervened and pushed the enemy out of the way. Several miracles have occurred in the past few days - God is so good! We press forward with new courage.
We moved off White Oak Mountain this past Tuesday afternoon, to live with Mom for the next week. Many thanks to two special people (ex-missionaries themselves) who gave us accomodation in their lovely home on the mountain. We take with us some special memories. Thanks to Mom, also, for opening her house to us so graciously (again). God bless you!
The packing has begun - there are many last-minute things to do, as those of you who've traveled well know.
We leave behind some AWESOME friends - thank you for your support and prayers. Goodbyes are always difficult - but the anticipated hellos, when we return, make the parting easier.
The next blog message will be posted from the Deep South - and thereafter it will be African news for several months.
We pray God's blessing on you, the reader, and thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Keep the Son in your eyes.
With love,
Kel & Josie

October News . . . 10-06-2011

Well, October took off with several events - we visited Lula Lake on Saturday afternoon. The river with its two water falls are up on Lookout Mountain. There's a nice trail to the falls, which we walked on after our picnic lunch.
Josie sang for a wedding last Sunday. Kel & the guys accompanied her on guitars & bass guitar. Then she sang on Monday night and Tuesday night for the Net 2011 "Prophecy Decoded" seminar in Nashville. We stayed in a motel both nights. Josie made her vocal CD available at the meetings and sold several (see www.josieburgoyne.com).
On Wednesday morning we made a kwik pass thru the City of Nashville on our way home. We have always driven past the city, on our way along I-65, I-24 or I-40, but never actually driven through the city. There are some cool steel bridges (old and modern) that cross the Cumberland River on the edge of City Center. We walked some on the Greenway along the river. Music City it definitely is, with many music hang-outs along the streets. There's a merging of the old and the new - old brick buildings and stone churches that date back 100 or more years, and new steel and glass skyscrapers. One doesn't get the feel of a concrete jungle, though. We were surprised at the "open" feeling of the city.
We have been swimming on Thursday nights. We missed a swimming pool when we were in Chad.
Hope this post finds you well - God is good!
Till later - Kel & Josie

Summer is Ending

Well, here we are in September already! Time flies - we've not been updating our blog like we should have been doing. Sorry for the delay. However, we've been quite busy - Josie has had several singing appointments (one of which took us to West Virginia and another to Virginia in June. We met up with the Hospital Director from Bere at a Camp Meeting in Virginia. He and his wife were back Stateside visiting family, and their new baby was also born during the home visit. The two of them have become friends and associates of ours). Josie has also made CD sales as we've travelled. We have also been to several churches of other denominations, where Josie has been invited to sing - God has beautiful people in the different churches, and it has been a blessing to also share with all the believers some news of our mission trip and show some photographs at the same time. We have received awesome support and prayers.
Kel has been busy this summer with design and drawings of the finishes to the airplane hangar, as well as making a construction drawing of a proposed new duplex residence for GMI staff. We need accomodation for the volunteers that come to help us on the mission.
Before we left Chad in May, the Hospital director approached Kel and asked him if he would assist with the design and drawing of a 20-year Master Plan for the Hospital. This he was glad to do, and has spent a chunk of time this summer, assisted by Brett, who is a proficient AutoCAD Technician, making drawings of the Hospital Site Plan, the new Private Ward, new Surgery Building, new Maternity Ward and a new Residence for additional doctor. It's been an awesome journey, as well as a fulfilled dream for Kel to use his design talents for the Lord's work on earth.
A new project in Malawi has also been crying out for attention, and Kel has offered to assess the structural integrity of the existing buildings on this campus.
Josie has also spent many hours this summer on her hobby: sewing & dressmaking. She has sewed some incredible dresses for her friends, as well as for the needy children of Chad. She hopes to publish some of the dressmaking miracles in a future blog.
Plans are to return to Chad in the next couple of months and complete the projects started, as well as start some new ones. Keep all the missionaries in your prayers.
We hope this finds you encouraged in the Lord Jesus, and confident of His help and presence in your lives. Keep courage! God is good.
Love,
Kel & Josie

Back Stateside - but wheels still turning

June 7, 2011
After a 3-day journey from Bere, we arrived in Atlanta, to be met by our sons Brett & Roger. They had driven from Collegedale to meet us. Our journey started at the bus stop in Bere. The bus ride to N'Djamena, the capital, takes about 6 hours. We counted 78 camels, in different little groups, about an hour south of the capital. Arrangements had been made for "our" taxi driver (we at Bere share him) to pick us up and take us to the TEAM Mission, where we spent a night and portion of the next day. Our flight left at 14h20, headed for Addis Ababa. From there we changed planes and headed for Dulles, Washington, via Rome. It was a L-O-N-G night. Arrived at a wet Dulles airport, due to overnight rains. After a 5-hour wait we boarded a flight for Atlanta, and were pleased to experience the sunshine and fluffy clouds in Atlanta. Folks were complaining that it was hot, but to us it felt like a nice day.
We were shocked to see the destruction in the Ringgold/Apison area as a result of the tornadoes that passed thru there in late April. The people along this path are still rebuilding. Many homes and buildings were removed from their foundations.
It has been a reverse culture shock to be in busy traffic, walk thru the well-stocked aisles at Wal-Mart, attend church in an air conditioned building and step into an actual bank. We notice the absence of ox carts and motorcycles - feels strange.
At present we are house sitting for a couple on White Oak Mountain in Collegedale while they are on vacation, so we take care of 3 dogs, 2 cats and a huge flower garden that needs watering.
Kel is designing and making drawings this summer for the remaining portions of the steel structures the guys were working on in Chad before we left. There is still much to do. Josie is getting ready to sing at two Camp Meetings later this month. She also has several other venues booked to sing at in July/August. She has another batch of CD's ready to sell, so will be quite busy with music presentation & sales this summer.
We trust our blog finds you in good health, and that your courage is good.
God bless each of you in your corner of labor.
Till later,
Kel & Josie

Rain

RAIN!

Well, the rains have come – we’ve had three nice rain storms in the past two weeks. On the first one, several of us just stood in the rain and let it soak us to the skin. It had been so hot that the cool water falling out of the sky was very refreshing. In just a few minutes the parched ground was actually holding water. Everything is coming to life – we notice new green leaves on the guava trees in our compound and bright green blades of grass springing up everywhere. Also, the hollow spots on the “great northern road” are filled with water and the village pigs are having a ball in the mud!

So far we have experienced several dust storms and we have to quickly close the shutters to keep the sand out of our bed!

PROJECTS

Our team erected the first one-day church in Chad, two weeks ago when Kel had malaria, so he couldn’t go. Since then we have erected another, and Kel had malaria then, too, but he was able to ride the motorbike the short distance, climb a ladder, and drive a few screws. We set the foundation stub posts in concrete one day, then the next day we erect the structure. The tin roof is added later. The congregation is responsible for the walls, doors, and benches. This gives them a part in their church as well.

Work on the roof of Gary’s house has progressed to the point that we are about 90 percent complete. There is still work to do on the hangar.

PEOPLE

At this point, Josie wishes she could insert several photos – the people here are dressed so colorfully. The women work very hard, you can watch even older women walk down the sandy main road with a large bundle of wood on their heads. We have seen big clay pots on their heads. And the women who bring market produce to our gates put large metal bowls on their heads FULL of papayas, or trays of bananas, etc. It would be difficult to lift the heavy bowl, but these women lift the heavy bowl above their head and carry it ON their head. The children are so cute, always wanting to shake your hand and greet you with “Lapia” (say LAH-pee-ah). This time of year, the little hands that are extended are sticky with mango!

MANGOS

For the past two months, we have been swamped with mangos, and Josie recently helped each of the other two gals to make many quarts of mango sauce. One of the trees in our compound is still loaded with large mangos. During the night we can hear them drop, because they crash through the leaves and thud when they hit the ground. Free fruit from the sky! All the kids are eating mangos.

SCHOOL

Josie has had a slow month teaching in the elementary school in April due to the many holidays and other times such as teachers meetings, voting, or any excuse the faculty can find to close the school! Out of 13 days (Mon, Wed, Fri) she only taught 5 times. It is apparent that the education system (school attendance) needs better emphasis. Often Josie will get to the school on a Mon or a Fri, after walking from Bendele, about 1.8 miles to find the school locked, no children or teachers. And no one had given her prior notice. Oh well . . . nice walk and Josie is noticing that there are small groups of children along the road on the way home who are singing “Jesus Loves Me” in their native Nangjere that she taught them.

MALARIA

Well, Josie finally succumbed to the anopheles parasite. She spent a few days in bed last week, but is now over it. As soon as Josie got better, Kel came down with the third bout since January and is on his final dose of quinine. Quinine is an awful treatment. We read that Dr. David Livingstone used it in the 1800s while journeying in central Africa, so it’s been around a long time. Quinine has some bad side effects, including blurred vision, ringing in the ears, vomiting and sometimes hallucinations.

RETURN to US

Today, in just a week, we will be in the capital getting ready to board our plane from N’Djamena to Addis Ababa, change planes, then via Rome to Dulles/Washington and on to Atlanta. We are looking forward to escaping the intense heat (daytime temps have been around 120 deg F, with overnight temps dropping to a cool 95). It has been so hot some nights that we wet our shirts, wave them around to cool, and wear them wet to bed just to get to sleep.

We will probably freeze wherever there is air conditioning, so if you see us wearing ski jackets and woolen caps, with a blanket tucked under our arms, you will understand!

Thanks for your prayers and support. Courage to you! – as you journey along life’s road.

Kel & Josie.

Bits and Pieces

Cold drinking water

In a burning hot land like this, it’s nice to have cold drinking water – but how to get such, when the cold tap yields warm to hot water? I remember how they did in the old days – when I was a youth – and probably still do: one could buy a canvas water bag with an aluminum spout fitted with a cork. You filled the bag with water, corked the spout, and hung the bag somewhere on the vehicle. Then as you drove along, the air cooled the water. Well, we do it with one of my old (laundered) socks. We put the stainless steel water bottle in the sock, soak the sock until it drips, and hang the sock from a wire in the shade. After 15 or 20 minutes you have this nice cold water. Very refreshing in this boiling hot weather.

Overnite in the bush

Well, Kel’s opportunity to spend a night in the bush came sooner than he expected. And, you’ll never guess – Josie came along! This is how it happened: last weekend of March Jonathan and Melody invited us to go birdwatching in the bush at the river. They are keen birders, and we know the African birds quite well by now. The plan was to leave mid-afternoon Sabbath, do birding until sundown, then sleep at the river on Saturday night, then return the next morning. All went well – we loaded our gear onto the motos (we had our plastic mats rolled up and secured to the handlebars of the moto – we looked like a bunch of Harley bikers when we left the house). Birding was great! We saw several new species and it was a refreshing break from the mission compound.

Christmas comes early

We received 3 packages at once on Monday, March 28. It was like opening Christmas presents. Lots of food items – and some surprises! Then another volley: 2 packages on April 13 - Thanks to all of you who sent them. If you only knew - these are our survival kits.

Pressing on with the house

The roof framing on the house is about 85% complete. We hope to start sheeting the roof in 2 weeks time. That will beat the rains by a few weeks. We poured concrete for the main steel column (inside the house) as well as for the 6 roof overhang posts a week ago.

The Hangar

The steel framing for hangar is on hold for a while. We are working on some modifications and hope to be ready to start the last phase of this project shortly.

Trip to the Capital

On April 5 & 6 we flew to the capital to get several things taken care of, one of which was Kel’s passport renewal. It was quite interesting to visit the United States Embassy in N’Djamena. Also we visited the local big hardware store to get a list of the various structural steel items that are locally available.

A miracle

During our visit to the Capital, Josie and I witnessed a miracle. Last year, as we waited at the airport for our plane to Johannesburg, we got chatting to one of the airport guards. He was one of the few who spoke English. He asked if we could bring back an English Bible for him. This we agreed to do, and wrote down his cell phone number for future contact. We selected a nice Bible in South Africa and packed it in our luggage. Not being able to locate the man when we arrived back in Chad, we planned to get the Bible to him at a future date. The opportunity finally presented itself on our recent trip to N’Jamena. I sent the guy an SMS message as we left Bere, and he texted back, saying that he’d be working Wednesday. We were at the airport, about to depart for home, and still we had not been able to see the man and make the delivery. I prayed and left it in the Lord’s hands. About one minute before Gary arrived to escort us to the plane, the guy arrived and we were able to give the Bible to him in his hands. God’s timing is perfect! And the recipient was ever so grateful.

Communion at Dabgue

On Sabbath, April 9, we went to our “church in the bush” at Dabgue, as usual. But this time we were surprised. Noel, the native chaplain at the hospital showed up with an entire kit and we celebrated the Lord’s supper, complete with foot washing, just like Jesus did in the Upper Room with His disciples. A special time, it was.

Thanks for your prayers and support. Courage to you! – from the One who gives us hope and a future.

Kel & Josie.

Natalie's Frog Dress

About a week ago, as the airplane was doing touch-n-go training flights, I noticed a small girl in the group of kids who was wearing (literally) a rag for a dress. It was torn in so many places that she was a bit embarrassed trying to cover her little body. I asked Benjamin, one of the teenagers who speaks a tiny bit of English, in my broken French and English to have her come with us. I asked Benjamin to accompany her because she was so shy and

acted scared. We went to my hut where I pulled out a tape measure and decided to just measure the rag dress she was wearing. Benjamin took her home and I drew a simple dress pattern from the measurements. Learned her name is Natalie (they say nah-TAH-lee) and she is 7 years old. Found some fabric I brought – from Hobby Lobby – with bright rainbow-colored frogs all over the black background. The pattern I drew fit perfectly on that small piece of fabric. So two Wednesdays ago I sat at Danae Netteberg’s table, borrowing Danae’s sewing machine plugged into a transformer, and sewed the little dress (same pattern piece for front and back, simple).

Yesterday, I asked Benjamin to bring Natalie because I had the dress ready. He brought a very scared little girl to my hut, but I showed her the dress and she smiled for the first time. I asked her to help me (Benjamin helped, too) pick up the plastic bags that had blown into our part of the yard, and to rake some leaves, then she could have the dress. The principle here was to have her do a little work to “earn” the dress. We only worked for, maybe, 15 minutes, then I folded the dress and gave it to her. When we got to the gate of our compound, Natalie’s mother with a baby girl on her back, and Natalie’s little sister were waiting for her. They were all smiling and the mother spoke to me in French.

Today, (Monday) after teaching English to the 2^nd graders at the Adventist Elem, I walked home and was greeted by small groups of children coming to me and trying to sing the song I have been teaching them when I walk to and from the school, the chorus of “Jesus Loves Me,” in their home language of Nangjere. (A lot of children do not go to school.) There were 3 different groups of children today, and in the last group were Natalie wearing the froggy dress and a bright blue head scarf (adorable!), her mother and little sister! A surprise for me!

Something I really enjoy is telling children stories and teaching them songs. The Nangjere language is not difficult to pronounce (French is more difficult to wrap your tongue around in my opinion), and our local Chadian translator, Frederick, has been helping us with French and Nangjere words to choruses. I mentioned previously that I had the nature story at the branch Sabbath School in Dabgue two Sabbaths ago. Well, this past Sabbath I had the lesson – Abraham’s test in sacrificing Isaac. I prayed that everyone would understand the parallel beauty when comparing that story to Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Frederick translated English to Nangjere. Just in the telling of the story, it came alive again for me.

I have been praying for a way to reach the people because of our language barrier, but I saw today, in the simple chorus of “Jesus Loves Me,” that the children understand the words and want to learn it. Continue to pray that we will find small ways to reach them with the Gospel.

Jesus is coming soon and we don’t have much time left. Every day is a day closer!

Donating

If you want to help in the cause you can donate through this link. http://josieburgoyne.com/

March 24, 2011 TRUE GRIT

True Grit; Many years ago I watched a Western entitled “True Grit”. Josie and I were talking recently about the peanut butter that the locals make here. Our first batch was entitled “True grit” because the harvested crop is processed directly on the ground, and small stones and grit find their way into the product. The good news is that Josie has now located a lady who makes and sells No-Grit peanut butter. So goodbye grit!

New bird species; We have seen several new birds in the bush. One of those looks like a shrike of some kind, and goes about in a small group – 4 or 5 individuals. I also saw a pair of vultures circling above us on the jobsite a couple days ago. There are some awesome sugar bird species here. One small black one has a pair of long tail feathers. Two Friday nights ago I rode 3km into the bush on my moto and saw a pair of Hoopoos. The brick color on the body is lighter than that of the African Hoopoo. I think the bird book lists them as Abyssinian Hoopoos. We also saw a plover – may be a crowned plover. There are many blue waxbills in the bush – a very small seedeater. The latest species is a type of Barbett, with a very light-colored head, and black and white spots on the wings when the bird is in flight. Many of the birds we see here are those we know from South Africa – their range is great on the map.

Arab cattle herders; A couple weeks ago us guys had the opportunity to meet some real Arab herdmen. We were out on the jobsite when we saw about 150 head of long-horn cattle coming thru the bush, right past the project we were working on. The cattle were moving Westward toward the setting sun, and were being driven along at a walking pace by half a dozen herdmen. So we downed tools and went out to greet them. I have noticed, from day one in Chad, that most of the Arab herdmen carry bows – and I have wondered where are the arrows? These guys were friendly, and we greeted them with a handshake. I commented on a bow that one was holding, and asked about the arrows. The man didn’t speak English, but understood what I was asking. He proceeded to show me a closed-lid cylindrical quiver, that held about 15 arrows, strapped over his shoulder, but hidden at chest level under his outer garment. I asked if I could look at an arrow, and he withdrew one. The wood shaft was painted bright orange, obviously for visibility, after shooting. The point of the arrow was thus: a steel shaft, about 1/8” diameter and 5” long was attached to the wood shaft and had a sharpened, flat triangular-shaped head with barbs directly behind the business end. Deadly! I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of those. Only one of the 6 Arabs could speak English – he was at the tail end of the herd. He was a wild-looking man, and was shouting for the others to get a move on. When he reached us I asked him where they were headed. He answered, Cameroon. I asked how long they would take to get there, and he replied, 3 weeks. They live off the land and sell the herd in Cameroon, then return – again on foot – a type of nomadic existence. Still, it was all very interesting. One of our guys asked if he could take a few pics. They agreed (not usual with Arabs) and he got some pics with his I-phone.

Dust in the air; There has recently been quite a bit of dust in the air, a result of the strong winds blowing from the N/E off the Sahara Desert. Just a couple days ago I found myself on the outskirts of a dust twister. I could hear it coming thru the village before I saw it, and palm tree branches were swaying wildly. There’s a lot of power in these things. One of the guys here has seen a twister lifting crop stalks from the fields and other large bits, as they flew thru the air. When there’s a high concentration of dust particles in the air, the daytime temperatures are cooler due to the weaker sunlight.

Southern Cross; We have located the Southern Cross Constellation (Go, Aussies!) during the early hours of the morning, when we rise to visit the outhouse. This constellation travels on a very short arc on the horizon, in the extreme southern sky. It’s good to still be able to see Orion and the Big Dipper. We are about 8 degrees off the Equator.

Monkey; Three weeks ago, the team brought back a baby monkey from the Branch Sabbath School at Dabgue. The native children brought it to Gary there. The mother had been killed in a hunt, and the baby was an orphan. Gary has had monkey pets before, and so his family is raising this one, to return it to the wild someday.

Sleeping outdoors; Three of the guys on the team have taken to sleeping on straw beds on top of the large steel shipping containers that surround the hangar, about ¼ mile from us. They like the cool night air, and string up their mosquito nets each night. Kel wants to spend a night sleeping out in the bush soon. Josie probably won’t be along. There are several night birds to be seen, and probably a few snakes, centipedes and scorpions, too, to add to the spice of life.

Another visitor; We have had several “nightly visitors” in our hut. The latest being a desert mouse. This little gray mouse has a paddle tail like a chipmunk, and has large, beady eyes that help it see in the dark. Those who know the African Bush Baby will know what I’m talking about. The mouse reminds me of a very small bush baby. He visits us by coming down the wooden pole beams of our hut. We’ve seen him now on 2 occasions. Josie must have something in her kitchen area that he likes.

Motor Cycle Hassles; Well, the moto has given Kel some more worries and work to repair. The rear wheel drive system has had issues. The sprocket drive cluster had a broken lug (one of four, completely sheared off) and the rubber cushions on the 4 lugs have all collapsed - this after only 1,000 km on the bike. We thank the Chinese for their sub-standard engineering productions. Actually, the cluster on my moto is an upgrade of the previous model. We replaced Jonathan’s moto cluster cushions about 6 weeks ago, and personally I think the earlier model had a better system. What can we do, but go to the market and get a new part and do the work. So far, so good, 200 km later - “Genuine Chinese Junk”.

Humidity rolls in Yesterday; Wednesday, we experienced the first batch of humidity, as winds from the South blew all night and brought us a hot, humid night, with little rest. Last night we slept with wet shirts over us, for some relief - it helps. Also, during the day this week Kel and the guys have been wetting their T-shirts on the job to keep cool. Sometimes it takes 3 wettings to get thru the afternoon shift – the hot air dries shirts quickly.

School daze; Also yesterday, Wednesday, was the day the principal at the Ecole Adventiste (elementary school) selected for Josie to give the music exam. She had the questions all ready the Friday before, so she and Frederick (our Chadian French teacher/translator) went to the school on that Friday to show the principal what had been prepared. He suggested giving the exam to the older children, and we agreed. So Wednesday morning Josie and Frederick began in the 5th grade room by passing out a sheet of notebook paper to each child. Josie drew the music staffs on the blackboard, and Frederick translated the questions. Next we went to the 6th grade room, and Frederick was really getting into it. The 3rd and 4th grades were next, but the exam was oral, so the grade given was for each group. The 1st and 2nd graders were given marks based on their cooperation during class times. Josie needs to grade the papers and hopes to keep some of them for memories.

Keep courage – Maranatha! Jesus is coming.

Kel & Josie.