From the early 1920s until 2016 there have been Assembly missionaries working in the Moissala and Doba areas of southern Chad. My late husband John and I were commended there from Australia in 1960 and I have been able to spend several months at Doba each year in recent times. John used to say that “a missionary's job is to do himself out of a job and leave behind the complete Bible in the local language with Godly men who are able to preach and teach it”. In the Lord's goodness, this is now the situation in the far south of Chad.

So as for missionaries in the far south – now there are none! But this has not meant that the Lord's work has slackened. It is now being done by local Chadian brethren -- in a slightly different but perhaps even better way! No matter how well we ex-pats have known the local language or understood the culture of the people – they know it better.

So may I commend to you our dear brother Eloi Mbaissanadje from Doba, his wife Jeannette and their family and those brethren who help him in the work. Shakespeare once wrote: “Cometh the hour, cometh the man” and how true this has proved to be in Chad.

In a quite remarkable way the Lord has prepared Eloi for the work he is now doing for the Kingdom of God. As a little boy he was taken into the family of a local Chief who liked him, and sent him to school where he had French teachers (this is not the case today). So he learned the French language well, together with the history and geography of France. After teacher training he eventually became Head of the Assembly School in Doba. At this point the Catholic church in Doba decided to build a school for young people who were deaf and dumb, and quite remarkably, they chose Eloi to be responsible for the construction of this building, and one of the Catholic priests taught him accountancy in the process!

All this has prepared him so well for the work the Lord has called him to do. Medical Missionary News purchased a vehicle for us when Eloi and I began assisting in the Assembly medical work in Chad. This enabled us to buy medicines in bulk and take them out to our bush Health Centres where the nurses would buy from us the supplies they needed. In this way the nurses no longer needed to close their Centres for a couple of days while they travelled to the nearest large town to purchase as many medicines they could carry home on their bicycle or motorbike. This work continued for over ten years until the government was in a position to set up and supply their own Health Centres. Eloi's accountancy knowledge and money handling came into its own during this time!

We have had two vehicles since then, and these days Eloi uses our present Toyota for all manner of ways to serve his people and the Church.

Recently there was a serious problem in a village not far from Doba where the people had issues with the Chef de Canton. Each village has a local Chief, and then overseeing several of these is a Chef de Canton who has the ultimate authority. Most of these posts are inherited, so what can begin with a good Chief, can finish up with his son or grandson who is of a very different character. (I think of Israel and Judah's Kings where there was a righteous father followed by a no-good son!)

In this case, when the trouble started the Chef de Canton hurried in to complain to the Mayor of Doba which resulted in “dozens of vehicles filled with soldiers” being sent to quieten the discontent. All will realize that under such circumstances, soldiers can be very brutal and many of the local Christians were caught up in this attack. Some were bundled off to prison, some were very badly injured even needing serious surgery as a result. Eloi has spent some time going out to this village and back to Doba, securing and delivering letters asking for forgiveness and reconciliation, so that the matter can be put to rest. Also, as the believers are eventually well enough, they have been released into Eloi's care by the authorities. He has cared for them and eventually taken them home to their village.

It has been such a wonderful testimony to both believers and unbelievers and the Chef de Canton in particular has expressed his grateful appreciation, so we praise the Lord for this. Financial help from MMN has enabled him to do all this. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt.5:9) May I say here that it was Eloi's compassion which first made me think: “I can work with this man”. I do believe that compassion is one of the most Christ-like of charactistics.

All gifts which are now sent to Chad, it is Eloi who faithfully distributes them and forwards back the receipts and acknowledgements – once more using the training given to him by the Catholic Priest so long ago.

Perhaps Eloi's greatest attribute is his love and knowledge of the Scriptures and the gift the Lord has given him in teaching it. Please pray for Eloi, and also his family and helpers, as they support him in his service and ministry to the people he loves.