Helping the Church in Chad rescue orphans and widows,
train leaders, and share
the Gospel

September 2006

ESTES Bible College Continues To Grow With Your Support

faculty live a very meager existence in order to study and teach, their families deny themselves daily, and the faculty often works without enough salary to cover even their basic expenses, teaching and learning Greek and Hebrew, preaching and theology, with hungry stomachs, poor housing, and ill-clad bodies. Supplies are scarce, books rare, amenities non-existent.

Yet, under the competent and godly leadership of Mardochee Nadoumngar, Director, and Clement Koumnobeye, Academic Dean, the strategic work of the school is increasing in the midst of great adversity. They have even taken the rare step of creating a parallel women's program (32 students, 10 more than last year, with children all around!), led by its own staff, which teaches bible, theology, life skills (sometime including literacy), and sewing, since they will not only have to help lead their churches but also earn money for the family (many pastors in Chad are not paid). This small but growing number represents the top leadership training for a growing church of over three million! We long to see the school expand.

Last January, I had the honor of representing Mission: Chad at ESTES by teaching New Testament Interpretation for two weeks. This was my third visit and second time teaching there. So this time I knew more how we could help. By God's grace, your generosity made it possible not only for me to teach but also for us to provide an amazing amount of vital supplies for the school: 100 Greek New Testaments, 50 Hebrew Old Testaments, 50 Concordances, Grammars, Dictionaries, pens, paper, chalk, money for salaries, a motorbike for the school, three sewing machines, cloth for the families, and their first solar-powered computers (two new and two used).

This might not sound like an impressive list for us, but it is very important for ESTES. For a student to have his or her own book is a gift beyond what most think possible, and especially Greek and Hebrew texts, which are so expensive. Most trained pastors own only a handful of books. Few of the students had ever touched a computer before coming to ESTES.

"ESTES trains pastoral candidates from around the country, who have been sent by their churches at great sacrifice"

I wish you could have been there. In response to your generosity, the school called off classes, piled up the gifts outside the classroom, and held a service of prayer and thanksgiving! It was very moving. Pastor Bako even came out to take part in the service (no easy commute!), as did several other church leaders, including the founder of the school, who happened to be in town at the time. It was a humbling experience to be able to deliver the tangible expression of your faith in love for the future pastors of Chad. Indeed,

the needs are great and we are small, so God clearly gets the glory. 

So, Lord willing, we pray that our support for ESTES can continue. We hope to provide more computers, another motorbike, money for salaries and students ($250 a month supports a student and his family; $350 a month for a faculty member!), and as many precious books as possible.

Dare we think of building housing?

And here is a dream: an industrial ice machine that ESTES could run as a business in order to move them toward self-sufficiency ($50,000) – way too big for us to think about but not too big for God to provide.

We pray that your generous donations will help the students persevere in their courses so that they become the leaders that the church of Chad needs.

© 2009 Mission:Chad, Inc. All Rights Reserved.