Description

So I've been hesitant to describe Libreville and Gabon, mostly because I don' t understand it and I don't want to judge them or think that the way they do things is bad/good or wrong/right. I'm also afraid to point out just the "negative" things about the culture.

In Libreville people throw their trash on the sides of the roads. The trash collection systems do not have the capacity to handle the amount of trash that the city produces.

There was a "self-employed" man filling in a pot hole in the road the other day. When we stopped at the corner he asked us for a "toll", we gave him some change to encourage the repair of the roads.

When you go to someone's house they serve you on their best - no paper plates for guests.

When you go to a church for the first time you have to stand up and introduce yourself... Tim introduced me to the church I would be working (called pronounced "rowjay" not like the "J" in jay bird, but like the sound of a "J" - "juh") with and they applauded - made me feel welcomed and excited to be there.

Every substantial house has a wall around it, just like Honduras.

Guys pee in the streets and I've even seen a guy squatting over the ditch. I'm not sure if Libreville has a sewage system, actually I think most of the concrete ditches on the side of the streets run into the ocean. When I made face about swimming in that same ocean, Alace said to consider it "building up your immune system".

Roads are horrible here... here's a video of a road in Coco Beach, but it is actually better than the road to the church in Libreville that I will be attending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLZS4JmnTLM

People

Wanted to show you a few pictures of the people we hang with...


There are two other missionary families here in Libreville with us: the Straws and the Solvigs. The Straws work with both Air Calvary and the CMA, and are in the midst of getting a plane to be able to fly between Bongolo Hospital and Libreville (check out his blog at strawfamily.blogspot.com). The Solvigs have been running the guesthouse here in Libreville for the past 13 years and they are getting ready to be posted somewhere else in West Africa. Even though I've known them only a short time I will miss them bunches!

This is Alace Straw, she's cool, a great parent, and can devour books! She loves poetry!

This is Sam Straw, Alace's youngest - he's funny - reminds me of Caleb Watson. He's terror on a pet of any kind - hide your cat! And this is the normal pose he gives for the camera, but not the normal smile that is on his face most of the time :)

Stephanie is the middle child of the three Solvig girls, she's fun and she is going to name her first child after me - right Stephanie!?!

From left to right: Katie Solvig, me, Megan Straw, and Nicole Solvig. We had a fun time doing each other's makeup, this was our group glamour shot! Katie is cute and spunky, Megan is cool and has good taste (reminds me of Kate Hinson, but she likes smaller handbags like me), and Nicole is outgoing and makes you feel loved!

This is Joe Straw, the oldest of the Straws. He's cool, calm, but sometimes crazy; a great encourager and good with kids!

What am I doing?

I still ask myself that question... haven't figured it out yet though :) I'm still slightly amazed that I'm living in Africa.

Anyway, things are going well here… at times it seems slow, but then I’m reminded of all that I need to be learning and then I think of how far behind I am! I am currently taking French two times a week, but he teaches mostly structure and grammar so I am left to learn vocabulary on my own. I bought Voltaire (written in French) and have started writing on index cards words I don’t know and looking them up. I also need to learn about teaching conversational English and getting a curriculum together for that. I’m also helping Tim with short term team planning by designing a spreadsheet to plan out the summer teams. I just love excel! (The sad thing is that I really do!) But more than that - I love being able to help – to use my gifts to make something better!

All this requires some time management because we're fairly active, doing day to day stuff and special projects. This week's special projects are finishing up the building of the addition and buying stuff for the people down in Bongolo. We're leaving Wednesday to drive down for a Field Leadership Team meeting. We'll be there till either Saturday or Sunday.

Oh yeah and then Tim has also assigned me a few books to read on cross-cultural ministry... really good stuff that gets you thinking about things you don't ever realize. Ex:

TIME... some cultures are time oriented (like America) when church starts at 9am it starts at 9:00 or 9:05; they tend to get aggravated if they wait for more than 15min or 30min

Some cultures are event oriented (South America, Gabon) when church starts a 9am that means church will start when everyone gets there, which could be 9:00, could be 9:30, could be 10am... it's just when everyone gets there; they tend to get aggravated after having to wait 1 or 2 hours

Just some neat stuff that if you learn and understand it really helps to cut back on frustration. For example when I first got here I thought I'll start my TESL classes at 7pm and I will teach to whoever is there. Since then I have learned we tell people we start at 7pm plan on teaching from 7:30-8:30 and then don't plan on leaving till 9pm.

Life is different here, but good!

Santa Clara

So they dragged me to the beach… again! Ok, so please keep in mind that there is actually either one or two weeks in between these visits, I'm just a little behind in the publishing dept. This time was a little farther out though and we had to drive 45 minutes down a pretty rough road after it had rained the previous night. We only had to do four wheel drive a couple of times, but definitely had a lot of slipping and sliding! We stayed for most of the day because it is such a grueling drive out there!

Here's a picture down the beach... beautiful!!! Sam is standing on one of the numerous logs that line the beach. At high tide they start floating and the guys have to heave them out of the way. We went at low tide to avoid that and also to see the reef.

It is an awesome beach with a few neat characteristics: a river that flows into the sea at one end and a reef on the other end. Also when you step into the ocean sometimes you are on sand and sometimes you step on rock.

Meredith and a neighbor girl are poking around on the reef.



Here's a quaint little alcove we found near the reef.


The ladies walking back from the reef.

So while the girls were down at the reef, the guys were focussed building a bridge across the river. It was entertaining to watch them work so seriously and industriously on the bridge.

Sam and Geoffrey hard at work on the bridge the guys built.

The guys were attempting to move this huge log, but ended up deciding it was good right where it was.

The guys are building a dam to divert the water around one side.

The side of the hill was cut away which exposed the many layers of soil... quite cool looking.

A tough day at the beach

Ok so entertainment around here is pretty slim (except for the Jazz club I keep trying to get them to go to!), so our usual entertainment is going to the beach!
Here are some pics from Sunset Beach... beautiful!

Went in the water… it was nice, definitely not cold, but not hot either – perfect! Went for a walk and played a little soccer.

!

2x6 Pews

Excerpt from a book I'm reading:

Culture is the anthropologist’s label for the sum of the distinctive characteristics of a people’s way of life. All human behavior occurs within particular cultures, within socially defined contexts. For example, in America, worship occurs in a specific context with distinctive characteristics. A church building, chairs or pews, music, readings from the Bible, a sermon, an offering, and prayers are all part of that context. The social organization of worship includes pastors, musicians, ushers, a seating arrangement by families, and a schedule of activities. If one were to go to Saudi Arabia, the context of worship would differ dramatically. The mosque would have no chairs, musicians, Bible, or sermon. Removing one’s shoes, kneeling, prostration, and prayer would be the primary elements of worship. The sexes are carefully separated, and leaders and learning have only minimal significance. A Moslem entering an American church would not understand what happens there as worship. He may even deny that worship is possible in such a context.
(Ministering Cross-Culturally by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, 18)

Could you worship in a cinderblock building, where you are packed like a sardine, sitting on a wooden bench, in the heat with no fan, for four hours? Would you be as excited as everyone else is to come to worship their creator and savior? Would you clap? Would you dance? Would you be humbled by their enthusiasm - while you’re wondering when it will be over and what you’re going to have for lunch? I finally figured out that comfort is not in their context of worship. What if I am not comfortable in church, does that change my purpose for being there? What if I can’t understand the music or preaching, does that mean I can’t worship or learn? When will I learn to sacrifice “my context” and worship?

Our world

Two excerpts from a book I just finished… thought it appropriate

This book started as a blog that I wrote from my hut in Sudan. It was my attempt to communicate with my family and friends, to help bring them closer to my hot, hot days. It was also a chance to tell the story of Abyei, Sudan, a torn, tiny place straddling a contested border in a difficult country. Mostly, though, it was where I told a story about humans: the people from Abyei who suffered hardships because it was their home, and those of us who left ours with tools to make it easier for them to endure. It is a story that could be told about many places.

“it’s not about trying to reconcile two different worlds, it’s about understanding that there’s only one. “

Six Months in Sudan by James Maskalyk


The bold is mine to highlight the parts of his experience that were the same as mine. There is so much to tell, but I haven't figured out how to tell it yet.

I'm a what?

So I thought I was just coming to help the missionaries. Tim corrected me quickly, saying...
NO you are a missionary!

At this point we are still praying about the ministries I will be involved in, but these are some of his suggestions…

Teaching English as Second Language (possibly to two groups – pastors and businessmen/women)
Getting involved with a local church (2 miles down the road) [this is something he definitely wants me to do and build relationships]
Working with the children/youth of the local church

Please pray that the Holy Spirit would lead me into His ministries He wants me to help in.

My Roomies

Tim and Meredith (T&M) are with the Short Term Missions Office of the CMA. Their primary responsibility is to host teams and individuals (such as me) that come to Gabon, and plug them in to the church and its ministries. T&M is the couple I will be living above/with for the next year (along with others that come and go).


So philosophically I’ve analyzed T&M and come to the following conclusion: there are two options, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive.


Option A: T&M really are wierdos and that’s why they get along with me so well


Option B: T&M are faking getting along with me


If option A is true, I don’t have the heart to tell them. And they seem to get along with everyone else as well, so there is no need to upset the papaya cart.


If option B is true, then they are doing a fantastic job and they truly should consider acting – the pay is much better! And you know what, I’m okay with this option – ignorance really is bliss.


T&M are comfortable people to be around; they are cool, funny, and easy to get along with. And they actually do put up with me well so far (talking to myself, burping, etc.). Please continue to pray for them as they are living with me for the next year – and some of you know what an experience that can be!


Here are T&M getting a quick nap after a day and a half of clinic.

Home sweet home

So for you in the US, here are some photos of my new home for a year...

Here's a photo of the house... I have the whole second floor - so there is no reason for you to not visit me! Plenty of room! Ok so I do have to share it with the teams that come in, but we can work around that!















Here's a photo of the banana tree that's in our yard; we also have an avocado tree and a guava tree.




















And here's a picture of my room...

Food!

So, what's the food like?
I spent my first weekend at Coco Beach where Mama Jeanette cooked some great meals for us! There were some familiar things we ate: rice, white sweet potatoes, bananas(plantains), and fried fish.

Then there was the manioc, let me describe... it is a root that they grind up and wrap in the leaves of the plant and then let ferment. It did taste a little sour, but otherwise it didn't have much taste.


While we were stopped for lunch, along the road, someone chopped down this palm nut for us.


They used the palm nut to make an orange sauce that they put on the chicken in this photo, and it was really good! Thankfully I didn't spill any on me because it stains!



We've had some Lebanese swarmas(sp?) in Libreville - which are wraps with meat, sauce, onions, and parsley that were really good. We've also had pizza which tasted a little different than in the US, but every pizza comes with olives - so I'm good with that!

THANK YOU!

The truth is I'm not good at thank you's... I rarely send out thank you cards, and now I'm overwhelmed, there are so many people I want to thank!!! If you're reading this, you are probably one of those people. Thank you!
I am moved by the love, encouragement, and support I have received. The neat thing is that it has been such a range of gifts and support...

Prayer - I can't begin to count how many people are praying for me: from the girls and boys who pray for giant ants not to bite me to Ms. Joyce and the ladies who faithfully pray every Tuesday. Please continue to pray for me!

Financial - Ok so I never expected people to support me financially in this endeavor, but it has been a huge blessing: from my friend who is saving change for me to those who have given generously (hey that rhymed!)

Gifts - Water bottles, gifts for the children here, an ipod, books, and more! I'm all about practical and these gifts have helped others and me: physically, spiritually, and mentally.

Support and encouragement - Notes to open on the plane, emails, facebook posts, etc. These really mean a lot to me... they help me keep in touch with the people I miss and remind me that I am loved!!

THANK YOU for everything you have done and given me!!!
I love you!
Leanne