This post finds me at the end of my journey to Chad – I just completed a year of rotating back and forth and am ending with mixed feelings. One thing I will miss most is having face-to-face interactions with Kolpele. This last visit was one of the best since Kolpele was at the base most of the time that I was there. I was able to bring 2 more huge trunks of donated supplies in addition to the money generated by the barbeque in March. I have great news to report from Kolpele, the orphanage and the micro-enterprise projects because of the donations, the work done by PGI, and Kolpele’s efforts.
The goat farm, after almost a year of construction, is finally complete! The farm is located at a property a few blocks from the orphanage, and is solely devoted to raising goats – goats were originally kept within the orphanage compound. Because of the very generous support raised in March & April, Kolpele has also been able to purchase 104 goats in addition to feeding troughs, water dishes, millet & medicine. Three members of the church are being employed as shepherds & to provide security; without security, livestock is frequently stolen in N’Djamena. This has the added benefit of providing employment & training to the local community. Hopefully these goats will continue to grow and will be ready for market in a few months.
The next project completed was a water well drilled in the village of Fianga in Southern Chad. This well is located within the church Kolpele built (see earlier updates) and is the only clean water within many miles. As with the well drilled earlier this year in N’Djamena, it should reduce disease, eliminate long water hauling trips, & provide opportunities to reach out to the community. Because Kolpele continues to setup churches around the country, eventually we would like to have clean water wells in each of these communities.
Over the past few months it has been increasingly evident that Kolpele needs a reliable car for his ministries & the micro-enterprises. Kolpele frequently travels around the country, setting up churches, purchasing goats & supplies, and taking in orphans. I described his old car in previous posts which had some big problems but was still a luxury to have. Rather than spending the limited funding on a car, we appealed to Esso Exploration & Production Company Inc in Chad for one of the used vehicles being auctioned off. Esso very generously donated a Land Cruiser which was a major triumph! The Land Cruiser is large enough to hold several people in addition to supplies & is the ideal transportation for getting around the country, particularly during rainy season.
Even though I will not be returning to Chad, I have no plans to let this alter the great progress that we have seen. PGI has setup a Western Union transfer to wire money directly to Kolpele, cutting out the middle man. I will also be asking several coworkers who do travel to Chad to bring supplies over. With all the recent successes, I feel comfortable that I am leaving at the right time and that there is much opportunity in the future. Thank you again to all who donated & prayed for these projects. These successes would not be possible without you.
