I'm starting to like the taste of powdered milk.
Antelope kinda tastes like Limburger cheese.
I ate manioc the other day and didn't mind it.
Always, I mean always, wear sunscreen.
Don't let the mosquito net touch your skin at night. They can bite through.

Interesting...

This week went so fast. We went to the clinic where they are planning on having a rehab center one day. We cleaned that out. We went another day to CFTAC and almost finished digging a huge hole for a septic tank. There was also a mobile clinic or two this week. Other than that I dont remember much of this week haha.

Yesterday we needed a day to rest and spent it on the sweetest beach Ive ever been on, called Santa Clara.Today we spent the first few hours at Nzeng Ayong, an alliance church. It was nice, yet all in french and two and a half hours long.

A friend of mine from last summer, Lionel, stopped in for a while this afternoon. Its funny how just a few day we spent with him last summer made an impact on him. He showed me a video he made from pics of that trip. You can tell that he really loved when we were here last.

Recently I noticed that I have gotten comfortable here. My desire to do my devotions isnt what it should be. I feel like I have been attacked in small ways such as that. I had a cold last week, a possible ear infection this week, and now have moved to being comfortable with not meeting intimately with God everyday. Its interesting how Satan works.

The very first night of this trip, it was like God handed me Psalm 33. Then during training our speaker, Jason Ostander, spoke on finding out orientation in God alone, and used Psalm 33. So far this has been the scripture I have had to run to time and time again throughout this trip, and will continue to need it. Read it for yourself. Its good.

Tomorrow night we're invited to someones house for 'porkypig,' which is porky pine. This will be interesting...

First of all...Dad: Happy Fathers Day. Thanks for all that you do/ have done for me. Thanks for all of the time that you invested in me. I cant even begin to list all of the time and money that you must have spent just so that we could do things together. You are by far one of the biggest influences in my life and the reason for the man that I have become. Love you.



This week went well. I am feeling better after feeling sick in the stomach and a head cold....thanks for the prayers.

We did a Medical clinic yesterday in a village about 20 minutes away. Before every clinic someone gives a testimony, this time it was my turn. After, there is always the plan of salvation explained. I saw maybe 10 of the 30 or so people who showed up pray for salvation, which is pretty amazing. Things like this are the reason why I came here. As Ive said before, the Gabonese are very receptive to the gospel, much more than people in the states.

But it made me wonder later how many of them actually understood what they were praying for, and if they knew what they were repeating, how many of them actually believed it? I Know that God can save anyone, but it still is in the back of my mind. Maybe thoughts like this are actually doubting of Gods power?

Today I sat through a 4 1/2 hour church service. I think it was all of the Alliance churches of Libreville together in one stadium. There were like 800- 1,000 people there. The Hope house kids were there and some of them sat with us, which gave us something to do. I almost forgot...we all got pulled up to front to dance. 15 dancing white people in an African service is a scary sight.

We have have Tim and some of our interns leaving for Bongolo for a week and a half. This means that we will be here alone because Meredith is in the states for 3 weeks. This will be interesting.

mmmm thats it. Thanks for praying.

let me clean up the spilled milk...

I love African children.

We went to the Hope house on monday and just decided to hang out with the kids for a while before we start to get into scheduled things with them. As soon as I walked up to the house a little boy named Moussoumba, who is about 6 years old, came up and wanted me to carry him in because he was "Fatigue," (french for tired). I carried him in and a 10 year old Nigerian boy named Christofer came and gave me a hug. We watched and helped as the kids were drawing on paper whatever they wanted. Most of them could draw better than I have ever been able to.

After a few hours I started to wonder how their parents do it. There are 25 or so of these kids in the house. After a few hours of crying, fights and puking, I was ready to go....But they were so much fun. They always find things to do and occupy their time with. I saw a 3 years old trying to make a meal of manioc in the back yard with a butter knife and a piece of wood as her chopping block haha. They just need love and attention, which is something im glad to give them.

Tuesday I went to the medical clinic. I get to help fill out prescriptions, which is something I would have to go to school for forever at home. The people come in, see a doctor and then come and get medication that we give them in the Pharmacy. I enjoyed that a lot and hope to be there a lot this summer. This is also on the same property that I hope to help get a rehab center working.

I dont think I ever mentioned that I along with another girl are in charge of meals. On Saturday Meredith leaves, Tuesday the girl that is also in charge of meals leaves, so I will be in charge of meals for 12 people for a while. I hope they dont mind cereal.

So. What has God been showing me? That I need to be seeking Him and running after Him more than ever. I need His direction leading me to the next steps more than I have ever needed. Also that I have been not doing the best job in loving people. Pray for me in those areas.

Also pray for my health and safety. I haven't been feeling good the past 2 days.

Ill try to update again soon and more often. The internet is slow with so many people in the house.

Dad: Sorry I couldn't make it to the convention this year. Love you.

Oh man. I dont think I can make another trip to Bongolo. 1. We were about 2 hours into the trip when our battery caught a box on fire in the back of the van. 2. one more hour left on the trip and a front tire blew out. 3. we were driving back from dinner and our van got stuck going up the driveway, taking an hour to get unstuck. But... we got there.

The reason that we were at the Hospital was for a prayer retreat, and to seek which ministry God is leading us to this summer. I feel like I want to do so much. Ill be doing the Hope House, the medical clinic and also would like to help start a physical rehab center. I'm really hoping to see that get running.

While at the Hospital we got to get a tour. We saw things that broke my heart for the people. An HIV positive mother and son, a mother watching her baby slowly die of kidney failure, a big line of people needing optical care etc. Yet it was awesome to see christian doctors and nurses treating those needing Christ. While we were there we got to watch a surgery on a gangrene leg. The man had an infected foot, went to the witch doctor who put it in boiling water which made it get more infected. they were trying to save the leg and were planning on doing a skin graft the next day.

We got to go caving while we were there. It was pretty sweet. I thought for a while we were going to be lost. A few times we had to crawl on our hands and knees in mud.

The ride home was a killer. We left at 630 and got home at 530. The roads are so messed up.

Anyway. Tomorrow I'm going to the Hope House. It'll fun to hang out with the kids again.

These past few days have been tiring yet really good. We did the traveling medical clinic one day, were at the hope house twice, saw a baptism, and help clear the land for a church that is being built.


The kids at the hope house are so fun. If you dont know what it is, it's a house that holds about 20 kids which have been abandoned. They range from a couple months old, up to 18 years old. We went there to do some concrete work for a new building, yet ended up playing with the kids for the most part. We got go there twice thus week.

We went and did the traveling medical clinic in a local village for half of the day. Its where they go to a village, people pay about 10 bucks for a consultation and meds. There are nurses to talk to, as well as a portion that deal just with optical. I got to help work in the Pharmacy part of it, which is something that I would never be allowed to do at home. I really enjoyed seeing the people coming in who really needed medical help and being able to watch them get it. We really take for granted the ability to go to the doctor and get simple medicine at home.

We went to a baptism at the beach on Saturday night. Here in Africa the baptism of a new believer is a extremely joyous occasion with singing and dancing. Its not only is a symbol of being united with Christ, but is joyous for the fact that they are no longer under the oppression of the devil and are free of the darkness. It was so cool to see the pastors and the people being totally not serious and just celebrating.

yesterday we went to the church that we helped cleat land for, yet met down the road under a mango tree. It wouldnt be an african church service with loud singing and dancing...would it? by the end everyone was in a big circle worshiping and dancing haha.

Tommorow we are leaving at 6 in the morning (1 am tuesday morning) for Bongolo Hospital, which is a 12 hour drive, mostly on dirt road. Bongolo is on the other end of the country, and not very far from Congo. We will be shown around the hospital because we will be working there later this summer, but this will mostly be a prayer retreat. We will get to be with some of the missionaries that work at the hospital also. Its going to be a really good trip. I hope to be able to get to work there in the medical part of the Hospital later this summer. I cant wait.
The trip will be until saturday night. I wont have internet until that time. So keep us in your prayer with safety for travel and health. There will also be plenty of bugs where we will be.....
Dont worry though. This is where God brought me.

(Terri I tried to upload pics of the hope house the other day but there is too slow of a connection. hopefully I can do it sometime this summer!)

Ah I love it here. All of the interns and I have been able to bond alot over the past week and a half. I feel like we hit the ground running though. We went to the Hope house yesterday so that we could pour footers for a building. Tomorrow were going back to finish. This morning we went up to a plot of land that a church is being built on, and cleared the land with machetes. My arms are raw from chopping the brush haha.

We went and played soccer at the bible college and CMA center, with a group of kids and adults. Tomorrow we are going to do the traveling medical clinic, which I am really excited for.

One thing that God is showing me is that I need to learn to pay attention more to the people that are right in front of me, then love them. I so often start working at a job, then nothing else matters.

Alright. Im so tired. Im looking forward to going to the bongolo hospital next week for training there. Ill try to update soon.

Oh yeah..alot of times I cant get on the internet. So thats why I cant get on

were all settled and getting used to everything here. This is crazy. Sorry for not updating as much as i should be. Sometimes the internet doesnt work.

the trip went well, except for the fact that I was told at five in the morning that my flight was canceled. I called and woke up a few people and within 45 minutes I was running to the gate. I was fully expecting to not make it on the flight and need to fly by myself on the next.

Im so excited to get connected in the different ministries this summer. Today Tim took all of us interns and showed us the many differn't ministries, such as the mobile medical clinics home base, and the CMA headquarters for Gabon, which is right down the street from their house. We saw a few other medical facilities as well. We get to go to the hope house tommorow, which is a home that houses about 20-25 children. Next week we get to go to the Bongolo Hospital, which is a 12 hour drive on crazy roads. Its an orientation to show us what we will be able to do there the rest of the summer.

Im so tired. Ill try and update again soon.