When we first arrived in the town of Mongo in Chad, we had a short-term living situation and it was suggested that we hire a guard. The person we hired was Mahamat, from the Bidiyo people group. Mahamat became a good friend of our family over our many years in Chad. Early on in our relationship, Art was invited to visit Mahamat and was surprised at what he saw.
Very often in Chad, people are divided by ethnic groups. This certainly happens in larger towns like Mongo. Because of the size of Mongo, people from over 25 different language groups live in different neighborhoods, and there are a couple of areas that are nearly 100 percent Dadjo.
Art was on the back of a motorcycle with Mahamat as he was going to visit Mahamat’s family. As they rode closer to where Mahamat lived, Art began asking questions about what people groups lived there. Mahamat started naming off numerous ethnic groups. Art found this rather strange, figuring that it would be mostly Bidiyo, since most ethnic groups kept to themselves.
They finally arrived in Monjino, just on the outskirts of Mongo. What Art came to realize after arriving at Mahamat’s house was that they were in a place where ethnic groups meant very little. It was a place where people were unified by something else altogether.
As Art descended from the back of the motorcycle, various people began to come and greet him. He noticed missing fingers and missing or deformed hands and feet. Monjino was a village for lepers.
These were people who were kept away from the rest of society because of a contagious disease that had eaten up parts of their bodies, making some blind. As Art shook hands and greeted them, he saw joy in their faces. Despite the effects of such a terrible disease, there was contentedness.
Mahamat explained that his own mother had contracted leprosy decades ago and was sent from another part of Chad to live in Monjino. Most of the people living there have been cured of the disease but still must deal with the devastating aftereffects.
The thing that stood out to Art while he was there visiting, was that Monjino was a little piece of heaven on earth. There were no divisions based on ethnic groups or language. There was love and unity. All the different ethnic groups became united because of one thing.
It is the same thing with Christians. We are all united by one thing. There are no distinctions based upon the color of our skin, the language we speak or where we come from. We are all equal in God’s eyes, and He loves each person in the world so much that He sent Jesus to die to take away the sins of those who put their faith in Him.. Because of faith in Jesus, there is a unity that extends beyond all other things.
The book of Revelation expresses it best when it says,
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10NASB
Art is forever grateful that he got to experience this little taste of heaven on earth. If you are interested in another interesting story about this leper colony, click the following link: http://www.tchad.org/research/women/hanana.html