Zam-Zam grew up as a member of a local religion. Her grandfather was a sheik of an important clan in central Chad. In those days very few in their religion allowed their children to attend school. But Zam-Zam was given that opportunity. Members of a Bible distribution organization called the Gideons came one day and gave New Testaments to Zam-Zam and her classmates. Most of them threw theirs away, but she kept hers. It was years, though, before she opened it.

Her religion gave her no help when a period of deep depression hit her in her teen years. She was then taking secretarial studies in Chad.

And then... In her own words: "One day, during the night, I had a dream... There was a man dressed in white and in a very brilliant light. He said to me, ‘I am Jesus, see my hands. It was for you that my hands were pierced. I have taken your suffering, your problems and your sicknesses. Get up and follow me.' In the morning when I got up, something made me go and look in my belongings. I found my New Testament; I opened it and was directed to the verse in Mark 10:27 which says what is impossible for man is possible for God. I rejoiced in this verse and continued to read. The Spirit opened my mind to understand the Word. I had just an inexpressible joy, and I didn't want to be separated from the Word..."

A week later, another dream - similar to the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. She found the pastor of a church that she had started attending, and he recounted to her the biblical counterpart. Then he said, "Zam-Zam, like the people of Israel, you have been delivered - Satan no longer has power over you. Keep reading and obeying the Bible and God will use you..."

Her family saw that Zam-Zam had changed, but for two years she didn't dare tell them why. She began working in a Christian reading library. It was a place where students often came. And it was there my son Jonathan met her. He had prayed for years that God would lead him to marry a Christian Chadian girl. God did.

Zam-Zam had another dream - with her eyes wide open! She wanted to do something for the many children in the village. She began praying.... Could she start a school for them? But they are generally wary of western-style education for their children, out of fear they might leave the faith.

An American Christian doctor had founded a hospital in a city in Cameroon years before. Its good reputation reached deep into Chad. The chief of a village near Jonathan and Zam-Zam invited the doctor to start a hospital like that in his village. Negotiations were made and construction soon started. But the chief wanted more - a good school for the children in the area. Could the doctor include that in the plan? And would he agree to have Zam-Zam direct it? The doctor did and Zam-Zam was approached. She laid down one condition: It must be run as a Christian school with Bible teaching included in its curriculum. The chief accepted!

In January 2009, classes began in one of the hospital buildings, with no furniture except blackboards. There were 200 students from three different tribes (tribes not always friendly toward each other), but only four teachers - it was challenging! Yes, Bible stories were taught. And within a few days parents started coming to Zam-Zam with remarks like this: "Zam-Zam, what you have done, we have never seen before. May God bless you! We are behind you. Teach our kids! We accept all that you want to teach them."

In December 2009, the school had a Christmas party for the 200 students and their parents, plus 120 friends the students had invited! It took four hours for the showing of the Jesus film and God's Story, then a pageant on Jesus' birth. Around 3:00 pm they shared a meal. Finally, the event concluded with Christian and Arab music. About 25 parents requested CD copies of the films and some even asked for Bibles in Arabic. God is at work in this place to which many have recently moved from the desert. Pray for them!

Don and his wife Orpha served as CLB missionaries in Africa for many years.