It struck me as insane today that it is already the middle of March. Now the weeks are starting to move along quickly. Funny...I haven't done much these past few weeks. I was battling illness so I spent an entire week laying around, being lazy, sleeping...all that fun stuff. I'm feeling much better, so these past two days I went to the clinic for a few hours. I have a clinic story to post with a picture, so don't let me forget....
I'm not too sure what I was going to say in this post. I guess I wanted to write for the sake of writing...let ya'll know I am alive and well. We're at sort of a lulling moment before the end of March when a new intern arrives and in April we'll have an influx of visitors, plus a team...I'm not too sure who will be here, but I do know there will be people.
That's been one of the interesting things about being here, learning to live with people. I realize how easy it is to live with my family--they are the people who have known me my whole life. But when you live with people who don't know you, that have to get to know you...well, it's a learning period. And lots of fun, for sure! I'm not sure if I have figured out yet how to function to the fullest capacity in a house full of new friends. I probably never will, though...I just live each day as it comes.
It's so weird and awesome and scary being here and really having to live each day as it comes! How does one do it? Waking up having no clue what is going on that day; sitting in the car in front of some government building, waiting for JR and wondering how long I will sit there in my pool of sweat. Thinking about the fact that before I go home I have to decide which college to go to...but God is taking care of me. I'm not even sure how, but I don't think about it too hard. I'm simply living, and hopefully in some way glorifying God with my life.
Later to come this week--a clinic story or two, maybe some Hope House (the orphanage) news!
Amour,
Olivia
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
So please forgive me if this post seems disjointed or ramblish. I had a fever yesterday and I think it zapped my brain's energy. Yes, so a little frustrating to have spent two days laying around, doing nothing due to illness.
We were supposed to get a team in tonight but they had problems with their visas so they won't be flying in until Wednesday night at the earliest. Something really cool, though, is that Mike (the team leader) had a friend who accepted Jesus into their life last night. So if the team had gotten their visas, that probably wouldn't have happened! God uses bad things for His glory!
On Saturday we went to Hope House (an orphanage that Envision is connected with). There are about 30 kids there (more boys than girls) who are all very excited to have new people to play with. The ages of the kids range from little toddlers to 15-year-olds. They loved playing clapping games, taking pictures, having their pictures taken, kicking around a soccer ball, and showing off their acrobatic skills. Needless to say, I loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back!
So as for prayer requests, I would love to be restored to full health soon! And hopefully no one will catch this illness. Also, pray that the team would get their visas soon.
Oh, I would also like to share a bit about what is going on spiritually for me. This could be bizarre because I'm not really sure how to put it into words. I feel that God is stripping away my comfort layers, the things that padded my heart and kept it comfy. I will admit, I get lonely sometimes, I'm confused about college stuff, I miss my family, I don't have much contact from friends...I am truly having to totally depend on God. There hasn't been any miraculous transformation or some abundance of faith injected into me. I still pray continually for peace and faith and joy. But I do know that slowly, God is teaching me to depend on Him.
Hope you find something to laugh about today!
Love,
Olivia
feel free to contact me at freaky.tea.sipper@gmail.com!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Already Thursday
hey all!
I can't believe that another week is almost over. I was thinking about when I have to take another malaria pill and realized that tomorrow is the day! Interestingly enough, we don't have many mosquitoes here in Libreville...the only time I have applied bug spray was when we were at Bongolo.
So this past week has been fairly uneventful (or is that even possible in Africa?). I mean, unless you count being locked out of the house as eventful. Dan, Alicia, JR, and I came home after a long day and discovered the door was locked with no extra key hanging around as usual. Dan, creepily enough, was able to break in through a window screen in under 5 minutes...
Oh, and this morning one of the cats sprayed all over me while I was doing my Bible devotions/quiet time. Just when I was starting to warm up to the creatures...now my dislike is revamped (is that a word?).
I am truly beginning to discover that there is truth to the sermons and lectures you hear about how you cannot run away from "yourself" just by going to a totally new place. Even here, in Africa--my paradise, my dream, my own little promise land--I battle with the same emotions I did in my America home. I still get easily frustrated. Even in this place where "the waiting game" is part of everyday life, I get impatient. Some nights I go to bed with a restless heart. There are still questions tumbling about in my head and I have doubts about where I am going, what I should be pursuing, how to actually be living a worshipful life. I knew as I began this adventure that I had these questions, these doubts, these fears, but for some reason I expected to find the answers here. And maybe I will. But this is a learning period, a time when I may be changed but for that to happen I need to surrender. I am not exactly sure how to do that, but I am learning what it looks like to simply say, "Lord, I need You" and wait. These words keep running through my head tonight: "It's all about You, it's not about me, it's living by faith in You...abundantly." I pray for that abundant faith, and I pray that wherever you are, whatever your circumstance is, that you can find that faith as well. Because I have learned that you can't just go somewhere else to find it, not even across an ocean. God...He is where you are, and He is always giving us the opportunity to practice that faith, to surrender to Him completely.
Ok, I'm done preaching now. :) Love,
Olivia
I can't believe that another week is almost over. I was thinking about when I have to take another malaria pill and realized that tomorrow is the day! Interestingly enough, we don't have many mosquitoes here in Libreville...the only time I have applied bug spray was when we were at Bongolo.
So this past week has been fairly uneventful (or is that even possible in Africa?). I mean, unless you count being locked out of the house as eventful. Dan, Alicia, JR, and I came home after a long day and discovered the door was locked with no extra key hanging around as usual. Dan, creepily enough, was able to break in through a window screen in under 5 minutes...
Oh, and this morning one of the cats sprayed all over me while I was doing my Bible devotions/quiet time. Just when I was starting to warm up to the creatures...now my dislike is revamped (is that a word?).
I am truly beginning to discover that there is truth to the sermons and lectures you hear about how you cannot run away from "yourself" just by going to a totally new place. Even here, in Africa--my paradise, my dream, my own little promise land--I battle with the same emotions I did in my America home. I still get easily frustrated. Even in this place where "the waiting game" is part of everyday life, I get impatient. Some nights I go to bed with a restless heart. There are still questions tumbling about in my head and I have doubts about where I am going, what I should be pursuing, how to actually be living a worshipful life. I knew as I began this adventure that I had these questions, these doubts, these fears, but for some reason I expected to find the answers here. And maybe I will. But this is a learning period, a time when I may be changed but for that to happen I need to surrender. I am not exactly sure how to do that, but I am learning what it looks like to simply say, "Lord, I need You" and wait. These words keep running through my head tonight: "It's all about You, it's not about me, it's living by faith in You...abundantly." I pray for that abundant faith, and I pray that wherever you are, whatever your circumstance is, that you can find that faith as well. Because I have learned that you can't just go somewhere else to find it, not even across an ocean. God...He is where you are, and He is always giving us the opportunity to practice that faith, to surrender to Him completely.
Ok, I'm done preaching now. :) Love,
Olivia
Sunday, February 27, 2011
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.
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).
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!
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!
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!).
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?
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
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
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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.
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.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
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 :)
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 :)
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