...but today, I want to be back in Chad. If it's rainy like it is in Vancouver today, and you have nothing to do...you can go back and read about my years in Chad. I kept the experiences pretty light on the blog, but the truth is that it was hard, really hard. It has been the hardest thing I've ever walked through thus far. I would by lying if I said that I wasn't relieved to be leaving Chad at the end of those two years. In days between then and now, I have missed the people that I met there, but have never had much of a desire to go back (as awful as that sounds), until now.
I got the news yesterday that a dear national friend passed away in a motorcycle accident. Madri is a strong believer in Christ, he was foundational in the spread of the good news, and he was the administrator of the clinic where I worked. If I had a problem, Madri was one of the first people I called. He has laughed with me, challenged my faith, served me in many ways, been patient with my Arabic, and has been my brother and friend.
The extra sting in this news is that I had "email Madri" on my to-do list for a while...and never got around to it. I'm a person who just puts things off, and I put this off too long. I have always been pretty bad at staying connected with people...especially if we're not in the same area. The awareness of needing to not put things off has been hard to swallow in the light of loosing Madri. Please forgive me if there has ever been a time where my lack of communication has caused you to doubt our relationship. It is a weakness that must be improved.
So today, I want to be back in Chad. I want to hug Madri's mom, and sit and cry with her. I want to be with all my friends at the clinic and working through this together. I want to play with Madri's nephew (named after him) and hopefully take his young mind off the tragedy for at least a few minutes. Mostly I want to be in Chad to tell people the joy that Madri is experiencing right now, and how they can know the hope Madri knew so well. He will be greatly missed. May God continue to be glorified through Madri's life and death.
I got the news yesterday that a dear national friend passed away in a motorcycle accident. Madri is a strong believer in Christ, he was foundational in the spread of the good news, and he was the administrator of the clinic where I worked. If I had a problem, Madri was one of the first people I called. He has laughed with me, challenged my faith, served me in many ways, been patient with my Arabic, and has been my brother and friend.
The extra sting in this news is that I had "email Madri" on my to-do list for a while...and never got around to it. I'm a person who just puts things off, and I put this off too long. I have always been pretty bad at staying connected with people...especially if we're not in the same area. The awareness of needing to not put things off has been hard to swallow in the light of loosing Madri. Please forgive me if there has ever been a time where my lack of communication has caused you to doubt our relationship. It is a weakness that must be improved.
So today, I want to be back in Chad. I want to hug Madri's mom, and sit and cry with her. I want to be with all my friends at the clinic and working through this together. I want to play with Madri's nephew (named after him) and hopefully take his young mind off the tragedy for at least a few minutes. Mostly I want to be in Chad to tell people the joy that Madri is experiencing right now, and how they can know the hope Madri knew so well. He will be greatly missed. May God continue to be glorified through Madri's life and death.
