-Little things can cause BIG problems-

First Week Continued -Little things can cause BIG problems-

I am really overdue for informing you all about my time once I arrived in Bere. There are so many stories to tell and I wouldn't be able to tell them all to you. Instead I will give you highlights of what has happened thus far and the work that I am doing here. The first week comprised of getting things ready for the next week of meetings for the project. Just in case you don't know I am here in Tchad working on a program called Project 21. What it entails thus far are lecturing health topics to people that are staying at the hospital, training people in 21 quartiers, and dental extraction. The people who we are training are community health workers and traditional birth attendants. Marci was the one that came up with the program and oversaw it last year. Zach and I are the ones that have been asked to continue the program. The first week we did a lot of planning for the future and meeting with delegates of the communities. When we went to go visit the delegates I was able to ride a motorcycle for the first time. I was slightly scared at first, especially since there were three of us on the bike. After I got used to riding on it I felt more at peace. Riding on the bike felt like I was flying, which was quite liberating. There were moments when I became fearful because we were dodging a goat, horse and rope, or people in the small path. The experience also made me excited to learn how to drive one. The only thing is that I am not excited to get my first Tchadian tattoo. The tattoo is what some people called their scare from getting burned by muffler or falling off of a bike. I will have to be extra careful so that I will not leave here with that mark on me. J

The other excitement that occurred that week was my visit to the police station. We all had to go to the police station to get registered otherwise we could get in trouble if they knew we were there undocumented. I was quite worried about what would happen there since I didn't have my original passport with me, only a copy. Marci already informed me that I might have to pay them a little money so that there wouldn't be any issues. When it came to my documents the chief police was annoyed and kept asking why I didn't have my papers. It was explained that they were on their way back down from N’Djamena. He said to Jamie “I could get her arrested for not having her proper documents stamped and with her.” He wouldn't be allowed to do that to me, he was saying that probably to try to act like he has all power. We told him we would be back with it in a few days. He let us go without arresting me and we only had to give him $1,000 Francs which is equivalent to $2. I was praying before we got there that God would work out everything and He surely did. The rest of the week I was hoping that no police would stop me to ask for my documents. I got the passport to him the next week, so there were no more problems. It was annoying and embarrassing that my little passport caused so many issues. It’s amazing how one little decision can make problems for a long time. Despite the fact that it caused a lot of little issues He still took care of everything. The small things in life He still cares about J.