Christian Aid received this update from a ministry leader in Chad:

"Last weekend, a group of Muslim radicals raided a village in southern Chad in an effort to forcefully convert all to Islam. They burned down four churches and 150 houses, and killed several people. This is a huge threat to the fledging Church in our country.

"The situation in our country is not getting better, and there are still no plans for peace. A few weeks ago, hundreds of military trucks made their way to the Chadian capital after raiding some villages on the border. This created much panic and sent thousands fleeing to the Cameroonian border. The Camp in Kousseri, where we are ministering, was moved about 186 miles into Cameroon. This is making the work more difficult.

"The work we are doing now is more expensive than ever before, but it is giving us an open door to witness. We hope to take our work beyond N’djamena, and are looking forward to ministering in a village 50 miles from here, where there is a temporary refugee camp.

"We thank God for protecting our disciples in the midst of all this. Isa is prepared to start cross-cultural training by the end of the year. We are trusting the Lord for some support for this. Ghali is still pursuing his training. We are fighting against time now in raising workers.

"Hamdoun is beginning to experience a strong sense of persecution, as he is being monitored closely by his Muslim family. We are looking forward to getting him to a safe place, and hope to send him to school as the Lord provides.

"With the level of calmness this rainy season, we hope to commence again with our Discipleship class with the few that will be available.

"We continue to give thanks to God for seeing us through this trying moment. We have every cause to thank God for the constant support that has helped the work to survive until now."

CHALLENGES

• The constant re-occurring panic due to fear of another attack tends to produce instability in our plans.
• Transportation is difficult for us, especially after our motorcycle was destroyed by rebels.
• The lack of enough resources for consistent aid work.

NEEDS

1. 100 bags of rice and 10 gallons of oil for a new targeted village ($3,700)
2. Medicine for a new targeted village ($1,000)
3. A small car for transportation of personnel ($5,000)
4. A projector for gospel films ($1,200)
5. Other costs to cover travels ($750)

Related stories

• Muslims attack villagers to force conversions (July 18, 2008)
• CHAD: "Christian Aid is the only help we received" (May 16, 2008)
• Facing Death in Chad (April 21, 2008)