Jr. High Added to Bagirmi Mission School

In early October, a new chapter began for the Gethsemané de Meube school in Chad. The school held its first week of classes for the brand-new junior high class.

This milestone is significant. The addition of a junior high school, along with the lower grades, means that the children of the community can continue to learn in a quality educational system. Without this school, most would have to abandon their education. The addition of these grades also means that the children of the community that we have invested in for years will continue to learn, while being exposed to both the proclamation and the display of Christ’s love through this school.

LBIM missionary Nathanael Szobody, whose family is on home assignment, made the trip to Chad to participate in the opening ceremony of the school year. He and Matthias Szobody (our newest LBIM missionary in Chad and brother to Nathanael) made the arduous 200-mile trip cross-country from the capital, through rainy season mud and water, on public transport. Due to multiple vehicle breakdowns and getting stuck, this resulted in a 33-hour trip one way. That is an average of 6 miles per hour. However, both Nathanael and Matthias will say it was worth it.

34 kids are registered to date for the sixth grade. Many of these kids have been a part of the school since the first kindergarten class in 2017, when the school originally opened. Due to the government requirements for specialized teachers at the junior high level, four new teachers have been hired out of the Chadian Lutheran Brethren Church. They have moved their families to this remote location in central Chad to serve as teachers in this mission school. They join another seven Chadian families engaged with the school ministry. In the words of Nathanael, “They’re really pumped, and off to a great collaborative start.”