Winter is here, but by California standards you would never know it. It still hasn’t gotten below 70 degrees in the morning yet as far as I know and every day is hot. Beth and I both have a case of the runs. Nothing serious, just annoying. Things are going well and I think that most of the folks here are somewhat surprised that we are making the necessary adjustments of living here with so few issues, so far anyway. It has been fairly easy for me so far and it will be interesting to see how it is this time next month. We have taken over most of our duties from the Hodges in this, their last week. I think Beth gets the worst of it, as there is a lot of detailed bookkeeping that she is learning in addition to running what amounts to a small motel. After next week, things should slow down for a couple of weeks and we can slow down the pace. I will be working on construction of a new office building, planning and such, as the new year comes in. I spent yesterday morning with a tape measure, getting dimensions for the folks who will do the preliminary design work. Keep in mind that these are fairly simple structures, one story with a minimum of conveniences. We also will be building a stand alone laundry room sometime in the next few months. But first, we will do roof inspections and repairs of the buildings, most of them are known to leak during the rainy season. There is also a huge problem with termites. Any wood is a target for them.

Yesterday was a Muslim holiday with lots of chanting over the loud speakers during the morning. All the stores and government offices were closed so the faithful could slaughter a sheep and cook it up to celebrate Abraham almost sacrificing his son. As you know, at the last minute God provided a sheep so Abraham’s son was spared. Christians read in the Bible (Gen. 12) that the son was Issac, the Muslims think it was Ishmael. A little test of faith and righteousness in any case.

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I was supposed to go over to a Muslim friends house to watch the slaughter of a sheep, but I had to work and didn’t even get a chance to go to the feast afterwards. Maybe next year.

Everyone eats out of a common dish using your hands, no silverware at all. At this guys house there are three mats where the meal is served. One for all the old guys, one for the young guys and a separate one for the women away from the men. The other day I had lunch with them, the tribal name is Guron, by the way. The Guron are one of the upper caste tribes in the north of Chad We had rice and gravy and afterwards one of the young boys picked up all the grains of rice that had fallen on the mat and threw them back in the pot. Not a single grain was wasted. No napkins, or towels, either. One person is in charge of a teapot with water to wash your hands before and after the meal. People share a common water bowl for drinking during the meal, usually a stainless steel mixing bowl. And, yes, I drank out of it. They all noticed, since I had brought my own water. It’s taking a chance, because of the bugs that might be in the water. I pray for protection. Another thing, no one talks during the meal and no compliments on the food. I am sure there is a reason for that, but I don’t know what it is yet.

We went to an African church Sunday. Very cool. We really liked it. It was a two and a half hour service, lots of music and a series of short talks honoring the folks we are replacing. The seating was benches that had seat backs and it was hot and crowded. And now we know where black gospel music comes from. At one point the pastor wanted to talk but the choir leader wouldn’t give up the microphone because he wanted everyone to keep singing. It was very spiritual event. One guy was on his hands and knees, Muslim style, praying away. We’re looking forward to going back.

Afterwards, there was a reception for the Hodges at the TEAM compound. By the time the day was finished, well over a hundred and fifty people had shown up for their goodbyes.

The first people to arrive was a group of 60 or so women from the church. They were all wearing the same clothes with matching hats and sang and danced to celebrate the Hodges departure. It was very impressive to see how highly regarded the Hodges are. After being here for 43 years, the Hodges will be missed. They have done a great deal to build strong relations between the mission community and the Chadian church.