Time is Short!!

Sorry my blogs seem to get shorter and shorter. I thought I was doing a lot of stuff in the beginning, but now I realize I was wrong. Ya, I did some stuff, however, it is nothing like what I am doing now. It just hit me that I only have one month left in Tchad. I have learned to love and/or accept both good and bad things that Bere (Tchad in general) has to offer. 

I have made close friends, which forces me to learn and use the language. We have many inside jokes. I have laughed and cried with these friends. From feasting together to comforting my friends at a loved one's funeral, we have gotten really close. I truly understand what Pastor Rich and everyone else meant when they said every SM goes through a cycle. I'm sure you can even recognize my stages based on blog posts alone.

It is sad to think about how short time truly is. Therefore, I am trying to do anything and everything with the time I have left. This means I have a lot to blog about, but very little time to do it in. (For example, I have a 5 year old Fulani son now. His name is Matidi. He is too cute and too fun to explain shortly. All you need to know for now is that everyone thinks he is Leonel's and my kid. Matidi favors both of us and is with us all the time). I don't even have a real day off anymore. Ya I get tired, but I am loving every minute of it.

I was able to find a wonderful translator for the new purse program. So every Sunday morning, for four hours,  we go out and walk around Bere finding people to talk to and possibly help. It has been a true blessing. I wish I could write individual stories about every person we have spoken with, and who we were able help. 

Also the crochet lessons are going really well. My plan is to teach them how to read crochet patterns so they can continue to learn and make new things after I have left. Therefore, I have been on the slow internet trying to download patterns and their corresponding pictures of various things. I am getting really stressed because I want them to learn and understand everything, but there is so little time. 

In regards to gymnastics we really want to get a show together before I leave. We haven't started working on a routine yet...so we have a month to get performance ready. It is exciting, but very rushed at the same time. The children really love gymnastics and it seems like there is someone new every time. (Not all of the children come consistently though, so most of the time it feels like the same amount of kids).

I know Danae wants to do a children's church and is hoping the SMs will help. That means it will be before we leave. There is so much for me, and everyone else, to do and so little time. I have started many blogs, but haven't finished any. I really want to post pictures and have a lot to say, but I guess you might have to wait until I get back to hear all of my stories. I will hopefully finish some more posts very slowly and post them. However, just know that I am doing great now. I am just trying to enjoy every second I have left here.

Something Fishy is Happening

Something fishy is going on in Bere. I have decided to label it demon possession. Whether it is truly demon possession or not this situation still needs your prayers. More girls have been leaving school, and even coming to the hospital, due to demon possession. Honestly, at first I thought that many people were putting on a show for attention or to get out of tests. People love putting on shows here. 

For example, there was a woman in labor who refused to push. It was her first child. She had been fully dilated for hours and the baby made no progress. Everyone kept saying the baby wasn't coming because there wasn't enough room for its head to fit. But Danae knew what was truly going on. The woman wasn't pushing although she could push. We had to basically drag the woman to the OR and use forceps. It took 9 people to get the baby out. 7 or the 9 people were holding the woman down. Instead of pushing the baby out during contractions she would push the nurses and I away. In the end Danae and Dr. Bland pulled the baby out themselves because the woman didn't want to listen or help the process go faster. She had a fourth degree localized rip because she refused to push the baby out!! Basically her vagina and anus because one big hole!! I have never come across a more difficult patient in the duration of my trip!!

Anyways, back on track, there are no mental health institutes (or even psychologists) here or anywhere in Tchad. So we don't really know if it is show, truly demon possession, or a bad mental disorder. However, I honestly think that Esther has a demon.

We know, or at least think, Esther's is legit because she has snapped out of her episodes in time to take her exams. She has been able to take all her test this week. Also, her father is threatening to disown her because she is refusing to go to the traditional healer.  I don't think she would give up her family and a livelihood just for a little attention. She has also had episodes of extreme strength... It could still be a mental disorder, but I don't think it is. 

I thought the first few other girls were seeing the attention Esther was getting and wanted some attention too. Or they saw it as a reason to get out of tests. But more and more girls were rushed to the hospital because of demon possessions. Even girls from nearby public schools were coming to the hospital due to what we think were episodes due to demonic possession. In total, we had 16 girls sent to the hospital for demon possession and many more were sent home. The Adventist school even canceled school because there were so many people getting sick.

This is really affecting everyone around us. Girls are afraid to touch each other because they don't want to get possessed. They think that even with a simple handshake you can get possessed. The men think that they can touch the girls and won't get possessed, which is good. However, I think they believe only girls can get possess. I don't know what their reasoning is behind this thought. Also, this situation gives men even more reason to push women even lower and lower in society. Some say it is because the girls don't pray, or were weak?? Ugh...I was honestly too frustrated to fully listen and understand the reasoning behind all of the things said. 

All I know is this is bigger than people trying to get out of tests or seeking attention. I feel that the devil is at play in this situation although it doesn't sound like the typical demon possessions I have heard stories about in the past. A few had extra strength, and none of their voices changed. A few had to be held down, but many were walk or carried into the hospital. However, all of them were prayed for.

I think the devil knows his time is getting shorter and shorter. Therefore, he is working even harder to win more souls. Demonic possession isn't as frequent (or easily overlooked) in America. However, it is a very real and very big problem in Tchad. Because of this, I truly don't know what to do or say other then to pray for the girls. I hope you will continue to keep Bere and all of Tchad in your prayers as well.

Pray for Esther!

There is a girl at the Adventist school, Esther, who struggles with satanic possession. She has tried many things and can't seem to get ride of her demonic squatters. Just today she had an episode at school. She took off her clothes and ran around campus in her bra and underwear. Some of the staff saw what was taking place and tried to stop her. First, they had to chase after her all around campus. Then they had to hold her tight as they tried to talk to and pray for her. She was trying to wrench her arms from their grip. Esther ended up falling on the floor from fighting their grip.

In the end she snapped out of it. She even asked why the teachers had her on the ground although she was the one who got on the ground. She didn't remember anything about her episode. After hearing what had happened she thanked the teachers for praying for her. 

Esther realizes that pray is the only thing that can help her. All she can turn to is God. However, her family thinks she is crazy for trusting in the power of prayer. They want her to go to a witch doctor. Although Esther continues to refuse visiting the witch doctor her parents won't give up. They put various "remedies" they received from the witch doctor into her meals and drinks. She has to be very careful now and her prayers have become more intense.

Just like Esther, I and the other missionaries believe in the power of prayer. All of the missionaries have signed up for a hour slot to pray for Esther. That doesn't mean we are praying for her for a full hour. It just means that every hour God is hearing a plea for Esther from somebody's lips. I am hoping that even more people will start praying for her as well. That is why I am posting this blog. Please remember Esther and keep her in your prayers. 

Pray for Esther!

There is a girl at the Adventist school, Esther, who struggles with satanic possession. She has tried many things and can't seem to get ride of her demonic squatters. Just today she had an episode at school. She took off her clothes and ran around campus in her bra and underwear. Some of the staff saw what was taking place and tried to stop her. First, they had to chase after her all around campus. Then they had to hold her tight as they tried to talk to and pray for her. She was trying to wrench her arms from their grip. Esther ended up falling on the floor from fighting their grip.

In the end she snapped out of it. She even asked why the teachers had her on the ground although she was the one who got on the ground. She didn't remember anything about her episode. After hearing what had happened she thanked the teachers for praying for her. 

Esther realizes that pray is the only thing that can help her. All she can turn to is God. However, her family thinks she is crazy for trusting in the power of prayer. They want her to go to a witch doctor. Although Esther continues to refuse visiting the witch doctor her parents won't give up. They put various "remedies" they received from the witch doctor into her meals and drinks. She has to be very careful now and her prayers have become more intense.

Just like Esther, I and the other missionaries believe in the power of prayer. All of the missionaries have signed up for a hour slot to pray for Esther. That doesn't mean we are praying for her for a full hour. It just means that every hour God is hearing a plea for Esther from somebody's lips. I am hoping that even more people will start praying for her as well. That is why I am posting this blog. Please remember Esther and keep her in your prayers. 

Pastor Rich's Visit

I was able to see Pastor Rich this week. (For those of you that don't know who Pastor Rich is, he is my school chaplain and is also in charge of the SMs). It was a very short, but very fun visit. Although his ticket said he would be in Tchad for four days (5 depending on how you count the days), only one of those days was spent in Bere. 

It was women's day during his day visit. Therefore, he was able to see and do more then a typical Sabbath day. A woman preached in church, which is really rare/never happens in Tchad, and Danae bought presents for all the women in the congregation. The sad thing about Bere, or at least near the hospital, many people aren't very appreciative. Most women just took the gift and left without saying thank you. It was an expensive gift (for Tchad) and you would expect them to be more thankful. 

Thankfully, there were many gifts left over, so we went to the bush to pass out the left overs. We drove 5 or 6 km and began handing out the presents. You could really see the difference between people near the hospital and people in the bush. Everyone in the bush was very grateful. All the women said thank you multiple times. Some even shrilled and danced with excitement. 

After that experience Pastor Rich and I were suppose to go to a traditional party. I wanted him to see and try the traditional dances. Although I asked many times (and was told) wheter the festivities would be after sundown they weren't. By the time we returned from passing out the presents (basically sundown), the party was ending. But to make things more interesting there was an emergency operation that Pastor Rich was able to scrub in for. It was a strangulated hernia, and the perfect surgery for him to be a surgeon's aid.

Hernias are typically short and easy to do. So there wasn't to much stress about messing up or things going wrong. Pastor Rich did a wonderful job. He looked like a pro surgeon....well he looked like a pro if you didn't watch what he was doing with his hands. He was holding the clamps and compresses with confidence though. Overall I think Pastor Rich really enjoyed himself. We both had a great time.