I would like to thank you for your support and journeying with me thus far. As you recall, in December2016, I completed my training with Redcliffe College in conjunction with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Additionally, I undertook a course with Elim's Mission Academy in 2017. All this training has been to prepare me to work in Scripture Engagement. I arrived in Chad in April 2018.

My first eight months were spent mainly in N'Djamena where I was Housing co-ordinator. This worked out perfectly. Not only did it afford me the opportunity to gain an understanding of how the organisation functions but also, it enabled me to attend a couple of courses in Chadian Arabic - which took place on the SIL centre.

As I seek to become more focused on my role, I will be moving to the Guera (central Chad) where the next six months, approximately, will be spent language-learning and gaining an understanding of Chadian culture. I am also praying for some rich relationships.

My Journey

I come from a Christian home and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour in my mid-teens. It was sometime around the early years of my commitment to Jesus that I really read about Paul’s missionary journeys and mentioned to the Lord that I wouldn’t mind doing something like that! After beginning work, I spent several years being in touch with mission organisations but nothing connected with me. Life changed, I changed and this desire somehow became less focussed. Language-learning however, remained a passion. Sometimes I would chide myself for the resources I was spending trying to get to grips with French and Spanish without a vision of how I would use them.

Between 2005-2006, I took a year out and worked with four organisations in four different parts of the world, just doing different things. In 2007 I talked with my senior pastors about this year out. On the basis of our conversation, I decided to attended a Windows on Wycliffe week-long presentation. This I did in 2009. One of the displays invited readers to consider what God’s Word meant to them. I thought of the impact the Bible has had on my life. At the end of the week I told the Lord that I would apply to Wycliffe, in a number of years time, if I still felt the same way. I was accepted by Wycliffe in 2016.

My Vision

Exciting things! A couple has just completed the New Testament in Guerguiko, one of the languages spoken in the Guera. It has been accepted for printing and it is anticipated that its dedication will be held in 2019. Additionally, I hear of instances of people from all kinds of backgrounds wanting to know more about the work we do.

At a personal level, my prayer is that I will find 'my place' and that my work will add to the excellent work already done (and being done).

We thank God for the arrival of some new members to the team but we continue to pray that all current 'vacancies' will be filled, that we will have access to funds to boost capacity in a number of areas as well as to carry out essential work to the local SIL centre, in N'Djamena. As my work location changes, my personal aspirations remain to fit well into the existing team and work effectively to advance the excellent work that is already being done.

Ministry

It is difficult to be rigid on this point at present as there is much to learn. I know that I would like to be involved in an Oral Bible story project but there are other areas that I would like to consider as my skills, language fluency and understanding of the culture develop.