Caravan, Craisins, and Cookies (in no particular order)

Why did I have to come all the way to Africa to discover how delicious Craisins are?? Definitely buying a bag when I get back to the States!

Cookies: Super 2's. Pumpkin chocolate chip. Bananookies. I have been nicknamed The Cookie Monster as I most definitely eat more cookies than I should, something hard to hide from my house mates.

These past two days I had a wonderful experience with the OSPAC gang--a medical caravan! Ok, double bonus: an overnight medical caravan. And let me tell you, this was hardcore jungle caravaning. Sliding around on a muddy road, attempting to show the Jesus Film, giving testimonies by flash light, bathing in a jungle creek...oh, and you could play connect-the-dots with the bafoodoo bites on my arms and legs.

We began the adventure bright and early Thursday morning. It was about a 4-hour drive to the village where we set up our first clinic. When we arrived there were about 30 people gathered under a tree outside of the little wooden church. After some prayer and presentation we set up the consultations and pharmacy on top of our big tupper-wear containers. It took about 2 or 3 hours to finish consulting all the people who had been waiting. From there we drove on for another hour to a house where we were to stay the night.



The rest of the day was spent jungle-bathing (seriously, went with the Mamas to a natural creek where they proceeded to bathe, I just kinda waded), eating yummy Gabonese food, then going back to the village where we had done consultations. By the light of flashlights we set up a projector to show the Jesus Film, but due to rain and bizarre "technical" (we are in Africa, remember) were not able to show it. So Jill (a visiting nurse) gave her testimony and Mama Jeanine made her and me sing a song. I apologized before we proceeded to sing through the Doxology as quickly as possible (neither of us are singers).

When we got back to the house, Jill and I proceeded to kill a huge spider in our bedroom. Then we went out to use the out-house, but apparently not informing Mama Jeanine that we were doing so was a mistake. There I was on the pot in the dark, rain pounding on the tin roof, when I hear this wailing, "OLIVIAAAA!!!!! OLIVIA!!!" Oh gosh, I thought, there's the search and rescue party. We had been gone all of four minutes...as Jill said, "I'm glad we can't be gone five minutes without someone noticing." Needless to say, in the middle of the jungle on a dark, stormy night everyone is safe with the Mama search and rescue party!



Today we spent the morning doing consultations at the house. A man from Nigeria came in who spoke more English than French...it was weird speaking English to him! Around noon we packed up the cars and proceeded on our long trip back...with a mixture of muddy roads, stops to buy plantane bananas, and a bad traffic jam we got back to Libreville around th dinner hour. And now, although I should be packing, Leanne and I are watching our movie--"Breakfast at Tiffany's"! Tomorrow and Sunday are packed full, so I am not anticipating getting on the computer until I am State-side again.

Although there will be many tears on Sunday night, I'm sure that this isn't the end of the journey. I have a wonderful family here, as well as a wonderful family in Colorado who I am excited to share my stories with. The Lord has shown again and again that He has plans for me in the USA...I'm waiting to see how the summer unfolds. Mostly just engaging in communion with Him, community with others, sharing and hearing stories...

Love love love to you all,
Olivia

So I started writing up a post in the middle of the week, fully intending to finish it up the next day, but it just never happened. Dern, the opening paragraph was so awesome, too.

First off, our new intern, Shannon, is here! She has now been here for one week and four days (and will be leaving in five weeks). We are rooming together on the first floor of the house (SUPER AWESOME element is that we have a bathroom in our room!!) and have had lots of fun getting to know each other! I don't know why, but sharing a room with a stranger in 100 degree weather, sweating like a pig, falling over exhausted at night...plus add in a few silly midnight convos (after chocolate dessert) makes rooming fun!

This past week we had a team from Fellowship Alliance Church come out for seven days. Let me tell you, spending a week with 12 oldish men (not old, but all married fathers) is a blast! Not only were these men willing to let God work on their hearts, but they were hard workers (even when it came to washing dishes), flexible with the schedule, embracing of the Gabonese, interested in getting to know the staff here, and humble enough to ask questions. It was awesome to see God change a group of people's hearts and minds in seven days.

So some of the guys on the team spent a lot of the week working (construction-wise) on the guest house (in process) at CFTAC (the CMA headquarters). A few of the men are medical professionals and spent most of their days doing consultations at the clinics (OSPAC and Snee). I loved experiencing all the things we did with the team, but one of the most enriching experiences for me personally was getting to sit in on the consultations. For one, what these men were doing is potentially what I could be doing someday in terms of healthcare in third-world countries. What made the experience even cooler is that both Brian (a physician's assistant) and Dr. Mike would explain cases, medicines, etc. etc. to me and others sitting in the consultation (oh yeah, have I mentioned there is not such thing as HIPPA here?).

Ok, crazy story. On one of the medical days...I think Tuesday, I was working in the morning at OSPAC with Brian and Tim (used to run Envision center, grew up in Gabon, speaks fluent French...aka translator). We were extremely backed up with patients by 1 in the afternoon (oh yeah, they announced at the two biggest CMA churches in LBV that there were American doctors in town and where you could find them during the week) so Dr. Mike came over from Snee to help us get all of the patient seen. But with Tim in translating for Brian, the only person Dr. Mike had for translation was Pastor Jacob (of Nzeng Ayong church). Pastor Jacob (the most amazing man in the world, btw!!) speaks a little English, but not enough to do full medical translations. So I was sent in to sit in on Dr. Mike's consultations and for the next two hours worked with Pastor Jacob to translate!! Let's just say that the experience was...insane. And draining. And awesome. I have never been so aware of how crappy my French is, how important it is to me to learn it, and how thankful I am that God had me take a semester of French before I came here. Yeah, I don't speak very well, but I was literally able to help translate a doctor's crazy medical talk to the patient and the patient's stories and questions to the doc. !!!

So yes, excitement, but it only happened once. After that afternoon I told Hannah that she should do the translation for the rest of the medical days, just because she speaks better than I do and the process would move along faster. On Thursday OSPAC had a mobile clinic to a village about an hour's drive east of Libreville. We saw about forty patients, mostly elderly, with all sorts of ailments ranging from cancer to malaria to eye problems. On Friday we spent a chunk of the day putting up concrete posts in the jungle (the region is called PK 27). The four corner posts mark out the property that the CMA church has purchased and, way into the future, will be a compound where pastors will live, the Hope House will move to, probably some medical stuff...all sorts of awesome things for the future of CMA Gabon. Yes, it was probably the hottest day of the week and a few of our guys probably verged on getting heat strokes, but it was so cool to lay down the beginnings of this huge project!

I wish I could tell ya'll about everything that happened, all the memories, but my wrists hurt and I realize that some of these memories are just going to have to be precious to me and the people I've shared them with.

I promise to write again this week, God is doing so much in Gabon and in my life and I just want the world to know how amazing He is!! Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. Even though I can't express it very well, I am truly, truly thankful.

Love in a glove,
Olivia

The fruit here is delicious!

You're a little wary... "Didn't we buy that pineapple off the side of the road?" There it was, sitting with a few other fruits on a rickety wooden table. Cars leave behind thick trails of exhaust as they drive by, dirt is kicked up by the hundreds of feet shuffling past, and when was the last time the vendor washed her hands? But once it is all cut up into chunks, dripping juice, right on the table in front of you...of course you have to try it. So pick up a little piece and throw it in your mouth...wow. Fresh fruit taken to a whole new level. Why is the fruit in Gabon yummier than in the States??


So there was a bit of a new development with French class and now we're only doing class on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. This is probably a big blessing since on Wednesday things are going to start to get busy! We get a new intern, Shannon, who will be my roomie for six weeks. Then on Saturday a team is coming in until April 9. Shortly after that we get a few other visitors, some of which will go with us to Bongolo when we move down the Lewans. So yeah...lots of changes, lots going on!

This past week has been fun. I wish I could remember all that happened...the days are starting to blur together! There were several clinic days, which are in and of themselves a French lesson! Because I write down the patient's information in a log book I am learning all of the neighborhoods here in Libreville (which are not easy to spell!). I got to watch a few injections and today a girl came in with a split-open leg to be cleaned and bandaged.

On Friday afternoon I went with Mama Jeanine and Mama Josephine to a woman's conference. The conference lasted for 3 days, hosting hundreds of women from all over Gabon. They did evangelism, prayer, praise, planning...I only got to go for a few hours but it was so fun to worship with hundreds of women passionate about the Kingdom of God!

The president of Turkey was here for a few days this week...magical cleaning and beautifying fairies worked their magic on certain areas of the city to prepare for his arrival.

Let me just say, remembering names and faces (especially of people I only bet briefly) is not my strong suit. Which can be a problem in a group-oriented society where everyone remembers you. Haha, sometimes people you never even actually met know who you are.

Oh, and just a quick college update! Unless God puts a major roadblock in the way, I think that in the fall I'll be a Nyack College student! In so many ways the Lord has provided for my freshman year of college and I feel quite at peace about the school choice. Funnily enough, this was something that was really stressing me out a few weeks ago...

If you ever think of it, could you pray that God would help me to have a humble heart? I need to remember that none of this is about me.

Until we meet again,
Olivia

bonjour mes amis :)

well, today was momentous (not entirely sure what the definition of this word is but I think I am using it in the correct context). Today for the first time since being here I wore pants! Last night I tossed and turned in bed, trying to fall asleep in the heat (although, to be honest, it wasn't the heat that kept me up...I had a delicious Magnum bar [chocolate + caramel + ice cream] a few hours before bed). Then this morning, early early, I heard loud thunder and pelting rain and pulled my sheet over my chilly legs! Today in French class I even had to rub my arms a few times to chase away the goose bumps. So it has been a chilly day and I love it. *heart*

We have started a new week of French. Last week there were no classes because Dan and Alicia were in Bongolo. But at the end of the week, our instructor (Pito) sent everyone an e-mail saying that he got another job in a different city and is leaving us--tomorrow! Thankfully he knows another man who has taught English with the Peace Corps like he (Pito) did, and Jean-Jacque took over today. He has a different teaching approach from Pito--he speaks entirely in French all throughout the class, where as Pito would explain things to us in English. Part of me is glad that he is pushing us and that this way we are even more exposed to hearing French, but part of my brain also screams, "Pleeeease, give me a break from French!" Still, I want to learn the language so I will embrace this challenge! Every day I pray, "God, please let me understand what You what me to know, say what You want me to say, and glorify You in every way!" But I do pray for all of us to have a new and fresh understanding of this language.


This is a picture of a woman, Christine, who came into the clinic last week. She has a large tumor on her neck that is even more extensive inside her body. She desperately needs to travel to Bongolo Hospital to have it removed but she does not have enough money to afford the trip. Please, please pray for a miracle and that God will provide for her.

I am very thankful for God's provision and that He continues to teach me things about Him and life in general. Oh if there was a word that expressed His goodness, it would be the most beautiful word.

love from Libreville,
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.