Notes from Tchad #2 - Native Drums Under a Starry Sky

October 3, 2005

Going to sleep under the stars with the sounds of African drums at night; can it be more surreal than this? Yes, this is Africa, at its best. Micky says the drums and singing went on until 4 am. I would not know this, as I had gone right to sleep. Micky’s tiny mosquito net pup-tent is on the same porch as mine. He says the bats like to dive into the tents.

The repair work on the hospital has begun, the scraping, pressure washing and cleaning. Graham has done wonders with a skill saw. He created a table saw and a template to make the pieces for the ceiling. Painting begins tomorrow.

Solomon, James and Sara’s cook, makes the best whole wheat bread. I have documented it in hope that we can reproduce it at home. Although, I don't think it could ever be quite the same.Church was interesting. Jim Appel preached in English. James translated to French. The local pastor translated to the local language. After church everybody filed out and shook the pastor’s hand, then joined in at the end of the line so everyone shook everyone else's hand then formed a circle and sang a song.

On Saturday night a young man came to the hospital with a big gash/stab wound on his leg. The doctors (James and Ken) and student missionary went over to have a look. The patient was sitting on one of the porches. They had the family go over to the water spigot and get water in a bucket to wash the wound. They were going to stitch it up right there but decided to move the patient to a bed that was on the porch. Under flash light and lantern light they sewed him up. Afterwards, the family was responsible for cleaning up.Stephanie’s VBS is about to start, so I'll close for now.

DJ and the Béré Bunch