I Hate Camels!

July 11th

Hello everyone! bonjour! If you are wondering about the subject line, it is what Tony uttered as we waited on the side of the road to Bebalem (still 5 hours away) next to our vehicle which was now under a very LARGE camel. We, as a family, were all fine (a little covered in glass) and driver was fine, but Pam Propst was on her way to a clinic with Andy in a red cross truck (sent from God?) so that she could get stitches where she had been cut on her scalp and ear. She is doing okay now -still in a lot of pain (please pray for her!) and we are back in N'djamena at the TEAM guest house. As you can imagine, it was a pretty incredible trip - it is very hard to avoid a large camel that comes suddenly onto a highway where you are driving 120 Km an hour. And it will take awhile before the boys are excited about seeing camels again. But we are SO grateful to God for His protection. It really is a miracle that Pam is not dead seeing what the camel did to the front of the car.

Yes, we have a new plan. We leave for Bebalem on Tuesday (today is Sunday), so we are enjoying the TEAM hospitality here in the capital for a few extra days. We have been very amazed at how well the missionary groups here all work together. In fact, there are 7 different mission agencies (including AIM) who specifically work with the EET (Eglise Evengelistique du Tchad) and they are not all American agencies. Chad is a secular state, so missionaries can say they are here as missionaries. But knowing that the makeup of the country does involve non-Christian groups, it is still important to be sensitive. As we read the handbook here, we found out that our prayer letters and emails from our time here should not be placed on church websites or blogs. Thank you for helping us with that! This morning we went to a church service done in English and attended by missionaries from the city and for those just passing through. It was a nice service and gave us a chance to meet others who are here doing ministry, including several other doctors serving in various locations of Chad. Right next door at the TEAM guest house is another family with 5 kids. They are TEAM missionaries in the East and are here for a short while. It has been a real blessing for us as their kids have been tons of fun for our boys (Andy has even picked one out as a future bride for Drew!) and they have been a wealth of knowledge (even though they claim to be new at this still since they are only in their 5th year!).

So, thank you for your prayers for our travels. God has watched over us and continues to teach us that original plans may not work, but God is still always in control. Very reassuring as we look to heading south again soon, this time in a Chadian bus.

Food has been fine...it is very hot here, but everyone is getting sleep...electricity is on and off, but mostly on...we got a gas powered fridge for our house in Bebalem...all are healthy.

It may be a few days before we get to email again, but know how much we appreciate all of you!
Au bientot,
Cari