Jungle Junkies!

After four days in the jungle I got a little too used to not having to inhale pollution-filled air every time I was outside. I tried to sit out on our deck today (we're back in Libreville) to have some Bible time but after five or so minutes my head was a little groggy. My lungs are definitely suffering here in the city.

So pretty much, I LOVE Bongolo. Not just the hospital itself, but the surrounding villages, jungles, river...just the atmosphere in general. In a small way it reminded me of Rainforest Cafe...that's really all I know to compare it to. The forest is so dense that you cannot see within a foot into it, and I found myself regarding the green mass as a whole new world of adventure and danger. I asked several people if hiking through the forest had ever been attempted, and I discovered that Gabonese people do forest farming of some sort. However, if someone ventures into the forest they must take a machete (for snakes and things...obviously). Maybe on our next trip to Bonogolo I can take a bit of a jungle hike (more on that to come).

Before I get started on the account of our little trip to the country, I will give a disclaimer that there is so much I want to tell. In order to break up the story some I am trying to upload pics, so if you see them in the post then it worked! So now I'll start from the beginning and we'll see where this story takes us!

I don't think that I fully realized that I am actually in Africa until we were driving down a bumpy dirt road that was lined with lush, green jungle. Living in an African city is quite a unique experience, to say the least, but the Africa I always dreamed of was, let's face it, the jungles and country. And when we were in the "thick" of it was when I was filled with the wonder of my location.

We arrived at the Bongolo Envision center late Thursday afternoon. Maryann and her husband, Dennis, have been living and working at the center for six months and are taking off back to the states in about a week. Mid-April Dan and Alicia move into the center to host teams and visitors (they'll be there for about a year). Anyways, Maryann is an amazing cook, as we discovered that evening at dinner time. It was so nice to have a few days of eating amazing food (especially the breakfasts with coffee!)...yes, I do love food enough to write several sentences about it.

From Gabon!!

Thursday morning I walked down the hill to the hospital to get a tour, which was given by Lisa. Lisa is one of the four American nurses at the hospital (the rest are Africans). The hospital is pretty much comprised of several buildings that are arranged in a circle-ish layout around a grassy area. There, for example, is a building with dentistry, a surgical building, maternity, eyes, pediatrics, and HIV/TB along with several other buildings with specific "roles".


After the tour, Lisa let me follow her around and observe her complete some of her tasks. I got to meet some patients, watch the nursing students do some *unpleasant* tasks (almost passed out),pray for Roger (a man who had had an eye surgery) and just got a feel for how things work at Bongolo. Two things that struck me as amazing/different from other hospitals: God is literally being glorified all the time by the staff and many of the patients, and I could take pictures of all sorts of things! (click on the pictures in this post to go to the album).

From Gabon!!

At the end of the morning I observed one of Lisa's classes with her 10 or so nursing students. As I walked into the classroom, pictoral comparisons between this room and classrooms I've been flooded into my mind. These students sit on wooden benches for their class, there is no air conditioning or fans, and the teacher has a single black board at her disposal. (FYI, the four American nurses split up the classes between themselves to teach). The session was for questions and answers, so it was only about half an hour long. At the end of the class Lisa introduced me to the students and they asked me some interesting questions. One was, "How do your parents feel about you going into this type of ministry?" Another asked how I could know at such a young age what I wanted to do with my life. I pointed upward and said "Dieu". I asked the students why they all felt called to nursing...discovered that this was a class full of tender-hearted, caring people. I would definitely go to Bongolo in case of medical emergency!

From Gabon!!

Later that afternoon, JR and I walked to the high school in the area, which happened to be one of the few C&MA high schools in Gabon. We met the principal and he talked to us a bit about the needs at the school as well as his job and the expectations of him to re-do, re-establish, and re-instate. The buildings are very old and run-down, so he must try to repair them. He is also trying to re-instill C&MA values at the school. Oh, and there are over 200 students preparing to take the national test next year. And they have 3 computers on which to study. A very, very different learning environment. Yet Pastor Clement (the principal) was able to say, "I will do God's work here." What an encouragement to meet people who have such burdens on their shoulders and have such peace in their hearts!

From Gabon!!

On Saturday afternoon about 10 of us went tubing down the Luetse River (which is the main water source for Bongolo). The ride took about 3 hours, and amazingly I was only mildly burned at the end of it! What an experience to be floating down a river through the African jungles! We never did get a clear answer from anyone as to whether crocidiles or hippos could be present in the river, but I do know there were bugs and snakes (although I didn't see a snake, whoo!).

From Gabon!!

We finished our stay by hosting a game night for the missionaries. A big group of us played Scum (so fun, remind me to teach you!). Before that little party, though, a group of guys from the high school came over. They taught us some French praise songs and we taught them some English ones. I admired these young men so much as I watched them sing about their love for God. How many high school boys do you know that would spend their Saturday night with complete strangers, singing praise songs and learning about someone else's culture?

From Gabon!!

So until mid-April when the Lewans move I must say goodbye to the beautiful jungle and hello again to the city...but we have lots of exciting weeks ahead, with beach days, a visiting team from Minnesota, and probably many more adventures! Stay tuned!

Craving a latte,
Olivia

In which Dan makes chocolate-chip cookies

So, as I might have said before, there are many things about my everyday life here in Gabon that I did not expect. For example, completely modern living arrangements, complete with running water (which would ocassionaly shut off at night but is now working properly) and a flat-screen television (which has not been used once the entire time I have been here, btw). We also have ipod docks, so we always have Michael Buble or Karen Carpenter serenading us as we cook our American food. Dinners have included spaghetti, grilled cheese, and meat loaf.

Something else I did not expect was to be living with a master bread baker (in our eyes at least). It just so happens that this master is Dan! He can make beautiful, delicious loaves of bread without even using a bread machine! My mind was officially blown with the first batch. I was extremely excited with the second batch, and now by the third I know that when Dan and Alicia move to Bongolo we will yes, be losing some awesome people, but also will no longer have our supply of heavenly home-made bread!

I think I was most content, though, a few nights ago when Dan came perkily to my bedroom door holding a bottle of milk in one hand and a tupperwear container in the other and cheerfully said, "Milk and chocolate-chip cookies!" And somehow these cookies, made from the recipe on the chip bag, were some of the best I have ever had. Every morning, afternoon, and evening along with our medicines and pills we had our cookies.

So no, as I walked into my new home in Africa I did not expect to see seasons of "The Office" on DVD laying by a television larger than mine at home. Within the first week of being in this new country I was lounging on a sunny beach, sipping Coca Cola and reading a book. This isn't the life of a missionary! I thought to myself. And for many, it is an extravagant life.

How do I find a balance? How do I learn while also finding time to rest? How do I give while I am also receiving so much? One day I sit in the middle of a one-room clinic, watching mice run along the walls. The next day I lounge on a couch watching "Discovery Channel". And yet...somehow I feel at peace with the entire situation. My ultimate purpose not only here in Africa but in my life is to bring glory to God's name. Can I do that by taking the blood pressure of a woman with malaria? Yes. How about my cooking dinner for my team-mates? Of course. Could I even bring glory to God as I sit here and watch "Amazing Grace" (with JR...interesting) and type this? I believe I am. Being a "missionary" isn't just about doing, it's about being. I am completely His, even if I lose sight of that sometimes. But I know that He has my days planned. Walking in the will of our God may not be easy, may not always be fun...possibly might not be safe. But it is a road of certainty--certainty that my works are not futile, my pain is not unnecessary, and that God is good. All the time.

In case you are actually interested in what is going on here in Gabon, here are the blogs of the Envision staff who are working here in Gabon.

Leanne's blog, our fearless leader and the Envision center coordinator

Dan and Alicia Lewan, moving to Bongolo in April to run the center there for teams

Hannah, co-leading teams with Leanne here in Libreville and making yummy food :)

Gabon!!

Some pictures of the trip so far--more to come!

xo, Olivia

One week...

(I tried to upload pictures but it just isn't going to happen. I will make an album on Picasa for them soon and post the link here).

Today marks my one week anniversary of arriving in Gabon! It feels like forever ago that I left...I feel like I have been here in Libreville longer than 6 days. Someone told me before I left that the first two weeks crawl by and the rest fly by...not sure if that is a good thing or not!

For the past few days I have been working in the mornings at the clinic, OSPAC. Both days JR left me to fend for myself language-wise, but I am totally cool with that because it lets me interact completely with the staff--I get to practice my French and they their English. Both days there were very few patients, but they were still amazing experiences. I am going to try to take pictures of the building when I go again because it is hard to describe the little place. Let's just suffice to say that it is definitely a third-world clinic yet I know that more meaningful care is given to people there than at many of the hospitals in America.

When a patient comes in, they go into the little screened area where the nurses consult him/her. We take their blood pressure and they explain their symptoms. Usually then the nurse prescribes them some medicine that they have at the clinic. Some patients are referred to Bongolo Hospital (a day's drive away) or to another CMA clinic. So far, most of the ailments I have seen are simply caused by lack of medicine.

In the other room of the 2-room building is an eye clinic...the waiting room over there is always full. Many of the people who come in merely need a pair of glasses, but here in Libreville those cost $600 a pair. So there is a man, Joseph, who sits in a room with a single table and makes eye glasses for people who need them. He has a pamphlet/book called something like "Glasses for Missions" and then he has a wooden block tool thing that he uses for bending and twirling wire and cutting the round disks of lenses. So these glasses are pretty much pieces of wire bent into a frame with lenses slid into place. Crudely made yet actually kinda chic! I told Joseph that if I ever need glasses I will come to Libreville to get some. Check out Leanne's post to see some pictures of these amazing things!

Yesterday (Friday) I went in the morning to the beach with Dan and Alicia. The part of the coast they go to is right by a little hotel so the trash is pretty cleaned up and there are some nice tropical trees shading parts of the beach. (Pictures, of course, but you'll have to wait for those). We were the only ones there except for a family who hauled in a huge fishing net. Even on the coast it was tres chaud (very hot) and by the time we got back to the Straws house I was baked! Next, Pito took us on a field trip to a market. Ok, when I say market, picture a HUGE outdoor mall! But not like a farmer's market, really. The huge let-down is that it's rude here to take pictures of things without asking so I couldn't take any. But we walked for at least an hour down alleys, through hot buildings, and around stands piled with anything you can imagine. Ginger roots, bananas, crabs, chicken feet, yams, beans, fish, bread, and then things like toothbrushes, mirrors, pirated DVD's, sunglasses (I bought a pair), fabric (I bought some of that), purses, clothing...anything you would need for survival!

The sad part of the day was when we got back to the Straws afterwards and JR discovered that someone stole his bag out of the car that holds everything important to him--passport, bank card, money, etc. I admired him so much, though, because he was able to say, "I will trust God. He can use this for good."

Tonight the Straws and the OSPAC staff are coming over for a party. My first African party! And at the perfect time, too, to celebrate my one-week anniversary (not really, haha)! I am starving, but we are going to pray for a while before we eat! That's another amazing thing, the prayer mentality these people have. Prayer is as much a part of their lives as eating. Being among these believers is showing me a whole new dimension to faith...to God. I pray that in some way I could be as much of a blessing to them as they are to me.

Bonjour from Libreville!

I am trying to figure out the temperature in Farenhite to tell ya'll...to put it into perspective, because it is really hot! Aha, it is 73 degrees, so not terribly so, but coming from 20 degrees...plus, of course, it is humid. Like I just remarked to Leanne, it smells like the reptile houses at zoos.
Today I went to church with some of the other team-workers here at the Envision center. There are only four of them right now, Leanne, Hannah, and Dan and Alicia (they are a couple). Leanne is sort of our leader, Hannah is...I guess she's just like a missionary who is primarily going to be hosting teams when they come. Dan and Alicia are here until mid April and then they are moving to Bongolo (a C&MA hospital a day's drive away) to host teams when they go down there. So Hannah, D&A, and I went to one of the many C&MA churches called...I think they were calling it En Zion, which would mean "In Zion". The church services here last for several hours, but we were late so we were only in the service for about half and hour. Of course it was all in French and I only understood a few words, but the song they sang afterwards I actually knew, so I could sorta sing along in English!
All of the team-workers have been here before together so they knew some of the people at the church. You know, in America it seems like something the churches make a big push for is that church members be more welcoming to newcomers. Just come to Africa and you'll get over you fear of approaching strangers! Many people even just came up to shake our hands and say, "Bonjour!" I can already sense the heart that these people have for God.
Everything here is, as you can imagine, just very different from America. The city of Libreville is fairly large and it is right on the coast so I think beach trips will not be scarce. The driving and road conditions here are very different! I will never forget to buckle my seat belt! The roads are pretty bumpy here in the city, I hear they are worse in the country, but I like bumpy roads...they make for a fun ride. The driving is very fast-paced. Let's just say if I started driving here I would be honked at every few seconds...and I'd probably get into an accident.
I wish I had pictures to post for ya'll but I got in last night and was so exhausted the only thing I could think about was how to converse and when I could go to bed. And today for some reason I just didn't want to start snapping pictures...I have 3 months, which is plenty of time to capture this new world in photos.
The flight over here was actually pretty awesome. God answered everyone's prayers for things to go smoothly. I found every gate and got onto every flight easily. And on the flight from Chicago to Frankfurt a huge group of fellow believers were flying over to go on a tour of Israel--so about half of the plane was filled with Christians! It was just so amazing to have family in Christ there. I sat in a row with a very fun, kind couple going on the trip. That flight seemed to "fly by" (haha). By the time I got on the plane from Fankfurt to Libreville, though, I was brain-dead. I tried to sleep on that flight but I only had off-and-on napping. Thankfully there was no one in the seat by me so I could curl up on two seats. Once we landed in Libreville I could just feel (even in the plane) the humidity. We got off and I stood in line for about half an hour to have my passport checked. Leanne and the team were coming to the airport to get me but the car broke down--that happens a lot here. So one of the missionaries, Steve, came to get me instead. Steve and his family live across town and work with the Envision team a lot but they are sort of independent missionaries. We watched Wipeout while waiting for Leanne because they get television channels from South Africa!
Three of us here at the center--Dan, Hannah, and I--are sick. Please pray that we all heal quickly and that no one else gets sick. It would also be really nice if we didn't have to deal with sickness at all for a while! I'm sure a fever would be extremely uncomfortable here.
Also, please pray that we would not have any more car troubles. Like I said, there is a lot of that here. The van broke down last night and like this morning we got up to go to church and the land rover had a flat tire. I think the broken-down van is really stressing out J.R. (a Gabonese man who lives in the center and "takes care" of us), so pray that he would be at peace about that.
I promise to take pictures soon! There are lots of lizards here, and there were two cockroaches in the house yesterday. Plus, we have banana and papaya trees in the yard! How awesome is that!

Jean 14:6 "Jésus répondit: Je suis le chemin, la vérité et la vie. Nul ne vient au Père que par moi."
John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me."

Mighty to Save

3 days to go

Last night was my first night when I literally could not fall asleep and just kept glancing at the clock. Ugh, three more nights of this! Tonight I'm playing music to keep me from thinking. :)

It's weird, I keep having these up and down moments. At one moment I want to cry just thinking about leaving home. But then again, it is only for 3 months! It's gonna fly by! At other moments, like when I'm packing (not the moments when I'm stressing over it though) I get really excited. I think about Leanne (the volunteer coordinator) and getting to meet her, the change of scenery...just being in a new place altoghether. And knowing that from Friday morning to Saturday evening it's going to be me and God travelling together.

Packing has been a bit of an ordeal for me. I am having a hard time keeping my case under 50 lbs. It doesn't help that the actualy suitcase weighs 6 pounds itself. I have had to take out all my books, some toiletries, and clothing. I'm seriously not sure what else to take out at this point...it would be great if I could find a light, large duffle bag to substitute for the case!