Chad Archives - TEAM Christian Missions Blog

Building a Bridge of Hope

River running through Am Timan in Africa.

God has uniquely positioned TEAM Chad to help build a literal bridge of hope over troubled waters.

Nov 17 2022

Life in the sub-Saharan country of Chad is not easy. In this landlocked African nation twice the size of Texas, there is only one major airport and few paved roads. With problems such as water-borne illness and poor sanitation, Chad has one of the lowest life expectancies of any nation in the world. And yet Chad is a harvest field that is desperate for the Light. For TEAM global workers Scott and Eric, as well as their wives and families, Chad is home. Here among nomadic Muslim people groups in southeastern Chad, God uses TEAM’s holistic approach to ministry to…

A missionary talks with a woman from an unreached people group in Chad.

Unreached people groups are found in rural villages, high-tech cities and everywhere in between — but all have the same need for the Gospel.

Aug 01 2021

What pops into your mind when you read the words “unreached people groups”? Simple, tribal living or high-tech, city life? Intense religiosity or no religion at all? Commitment to community or extreme individualism? Hard-to-reach or just a plane ride away? Actually, any of those answers could be correct. Ask TEAM missionary Eric Kroner about the unreached people group (UPG) he serves in Chad, and he’ll share about farmers who live without electricity or running water. “They are very much aware that their livelihood is dependent upon rains, at the whim of disease, and with the very rhythms of day and…

For Harriet, following Christ means struggling to feed her family and facing threats — but she wouldn’t trade Him for anything.

Apr 15 2021

What does a new Christian do when she has to choose between following Jesus and earning a living? Harriet made her living as a religious teacher and healer in the town of Goz Beïda, Chad. Her beliefs were a blend of Islam and traditional folk religion. Three or four evil spirits would regularly come to Harriet, providing undisclosed details: This person has this illness. This person’s brother has cursed them. This person needs this specific treatment. Harriet would then provide a traditional herbal remedy or potion to solve her clients’ problems. And because she was well-versed in the Quran, she…

Annie Wilson smiling despite missionary challenges she faced

Annie took the missionary assignment of a lifetime in Chad. Then everything went sideways.

Jan 21 2021

I don’t want to be a missionary anymore, Annie Wilson thought. She’d followed God’s leading and left her P.E. teaching and coaching job to serve Him overseas. So why did it feel like a dead end? Exploring Missions Annie began exploring missions in 2014 when she was asked a question: “What would you be willing to give up for God?” As Annie wrestled with her answer, she discovered TEAM and saw opportunities for sports ministry. TEAM connected her with a missions coach, Tasha Eckenhoff, who worked with her to find a role that would be a good fit. One option…

TEAM missionary Tillie Tiller has worked with the people in the Dar Sila region for three years now. She's seen the need for the Gospel — and how much work there is left to do. Will you join her?

Jan 18 2018

One of the most unreached people groups in the world — and eight others — has suddenly been made reachable. And you’ve probably never heard of the place these people call home. The Setting Traditionally closed-off and isolated, Dar Sila, Chad, was forced to open its doors when civil war broke out in neighboring Sudan. Suddenly, the region was flooded with a mass of Sudanese refugees trying to escape the atrocities of war, as well as well-meaning aid workers. But most aid organizations only helped the refugees, while the host population watched their already-sparse supply of natural resources dwindle. The…

This month, pray that unreached people in Dar Sila, Chad, will hear the Gospel for the first time! Photo by TEAM

Jan 04 2018

The people of Dar Sila, Chad, lack doctors, schools and basic infrastructure. So, when their region was hit by wave of Sudanese refugees, they didn’t have much to offer. Over a decade later, short-term aid workers are coming to help refugees, but few offer relief to the local people — who are also struggling to get by. On top that, this region is 99 percent Muslim, which means they have no one to hear their prayers. But right now, Dar Sila is experiencing peace for the first time in many years, which is creating openness to the Good News and…

Missionaries Mark and Diane Vanderkooi have labored for over 25 years to bring Bible translation to the Kwong people of Chad. But the work is far from over. Photo by TEAM

Jul 20 2017

“Come, follow Me, and I will make you killers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) No, that isn’t an excerpt from a new zombie-themed version of the Bible. But it was — ever so briefly — part of a (unpublished) Kwong translation of the Book of Matthew. “They don’t have a particular word for ‘fishing’ in [Kwong], so they just say, ‘I’m going to go kill fish,’” explains Mark Vanderkooi, a TEAM missionary to the Kwong people of Chad. In over 25 years of translation work, Mark and his wife, Diane, have repeatedly learned that creating a literal Bible translation is much…

In rural Chad, people struggle to find water — especially clean water. Waterborne diseases run rampant. But a water well can change everything.

Apr 17 2017

How many hours would you walk for a drink of water? One? Two? More? For people in the desert lands of Chad, this often isn’t really a question. They will walk for their water. They have no other choice. In the rural parts of Chad, people often don’t have ready sources of water. They gather surface water during the rainy season. And when it dries up, they walk for hours until they can find another source. No matter where they go, the water is dirty — contaminated, in part, by people and animals alike who use the water to bathe. Children…

Students in a region of Chad are coming alive as they read their language for the first time. But in order to sustain a literacy movement they need books.

Dec 05 2016

Why would you learn to read in your own language when you could learn French or Arabic instead? For generations in Chad, the answer has been that you wouldn’t. Schools push their students toward success by teaching all classes in Arabic or French. Local languages are used for conversations in the village. But when a neighbor girl asked Rivers Camp for help with her homework, the TEAM missionary quickly saw that the plan for success was failing. When Rivers asked the girl to read a French sentence she’d written in her notebook, “she read beautifully,” Rivers says. “The problem was,…

Tag - Chad

Building a Bridge of Hope

How to Pray for Unreached People Groups

Facing Persecution, But She Has Peace

Missionary Challenges: From Ready to Quit, to No Regrets

When an Unreached People Lets Down Its Walls

A Lost People — and a Tremendous Opportunity [January Prayer Focus]

60 Years Without the Bible

Wells of Hope for Muslims in Chad [VIDEO]

Why Would You Read in Your Own Language?