Village in exotic Chad, Africa seeks extremely pale American family for
full time residency. Interested
applicants must meet the minimum standards to qualify:
·
You LOVE LOVE LOVE oppressive heat
·
You are willing to dislike rain for several
months and finally wish it would come back soon
·
You have at least 6 recipes for beans and rice
·
You have an aptitude for speaking English slow and loud
·
You enjoy challenging your immune system with
mutant strains of virus, bacteria, parasites and worms
·
You feel like Mayberry was too large of a town
·
You are comfortable driving a moto in sand,
clay, or water past herds of large horned cattle
·
You think roads should be unmarked, unpaved, and
unsafe
·
You like the sound of drums in the night
·
You like the sound of sweeping at dawn
·
You think bugs SHOULD be super loud all night
long
·
You can swim faster than a hippo or your
swimming partner
·
You believe electricity makes you spoiled, so
less is more
·
You are poor at managing money so having no
income is a good alternative
That may be a bit of a stretch in some ways but its not too far from reality.
It is true that Chad is a nation with the highest maternal
mortality rate in the world and is burdened with poverty, unemployment,
illness, and malnutrition. However, given the amount of sun exposure,
they probably have terrific Vitamin D blood levels. You just have to look from the right angle to
see the balance between good and bad.
O.k. Despite the not so subtle differences between Chad
and the U.S., I found myself drawn to a small village in southwestern
Chad. In the midst of the pain and
suffering that is a daily reality, I found welcoming people with huge smiles, children
playing and parents doing their best to raise healthy families. I also felt an inexplicably strong urge to stay. Bere Adventist Hospital has a tremendous need
for willing and able volunteers to join a community of committed missionary
expats and locals. There are amazing
families already there who are doing rewarding across the region. They were the pilgrims and we get to jump in
long after the Mayflower crew got things up and running.
I used to wonder
how other families did it. How did they "quit" and finally
respond to the call? The first step was the hardest, as I convinced myself that
the job, house, and money can wait;
After that its just faith and planning. I do feel like moving to
Africa is a calling. The kind of call
that can't be blocked or ignored like a crazy old girlfriend. Honestly I'm still amazed that I didn’t have
to talk Kim into anything. It was the
exact opposite of my marriage proposal when she begged me and I finally caved in and
said yes… or something like that. The
details aren’t important. The point is,
I think I had already planned in my head that we were moving to Chad before I
returned home. After speaking with Kim and
Maddie and Emmie about my feelings, and praying, and consulting with people we
trust, the family actually agreed to make a change. Our house sold
within days of being on the market. Our
belongings are being easily sold too.
The entire process has been…easy.
I'm sure God has a plan for us there and we will face challenges
and hardships, I just hope that doesn’t include spiders or olives.
Without a doubt,
I am a Christian that sometimes struggles with faith and action. Despite a long, long list of shortcomings, I am focusing on the simplicity of what Jesus called us
to do: love God and love others. And so we are going in June 2014… to
Africa, to love and serve in a place where we are needed most.
Visit us in the
U.S., or starting next year in Chad, or online http://whyweshouldgo.blogspot.com
We will save some
beans and rice for you!
Love,
Mason, Kim,
Maddie, & Emmie McDowell
Psalm 139:9-10
9 If I rise on the
wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even
there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
