December 27, 2015

Most people here don't pay much attention to Christmas but we took the day off other than making hospital rounds. Thanks to all of you who sent Christmas notes to us. On Christmas Eve the expats got together and took turns reading the story in Matthew and Luke and sang Christmas carols. On Christmas morning we had "snow" (white paper cut outs on the front porch) and temperature down to "cold" 59F.  Dolores and I ate breakfast with Danae, Olen, Lyol, Zane, and Addison then watched the grandkids open their gifts. They get so excited. The afternoon all the expats had a potluck meal together then had a "white elephant" gift exchange. Each one brought one wrapped gift to put on the table then numbers were drawn for order of choosing as each one got to choose either one gift from the table or to "steal" one from someone who already had one. A gift could only be "stolen"no more than 3 times. 

Choir with new robes

 
Several surgeries were done the day before Christmas including two for ruptured uteri. 

Dolores spent the previous almost two weeks working most of night and day making about 25 choir robes for the church. She measured each person in the choir so the robe would be right for them. I made a closet 48 inches x 80 inches x 22 inches for the choir robes to be hung in. The wood boards are rough and crooked so require lots of trimming and planeing to get the boards to fit together to look decent. I sprayed some insecticide especially on the bottom hopefully to prevent termites eating it up quite so fast. They had a "concert" yesterday with their new robes and loud drums and steel guitar that you could probably hear for a kilometer with lots of joyous dancing in the church. I think they had religious words but I have not learned to appreciate their music style. 

The main holiday here is New Year which the "fet" lasts for several days. Often there is no internet or telephone about that time also.

May all have happy and prosperous new year. We are now one year closer to when Jesus will return to claim His children and take them home. Matt 24:14

Our emails are drbland@sbcglobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com.
Love, Rollin and Dolores
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile, Chad, Afrique