Waiting and washcloths

So I left at 2:30pm to stand and wait for Sandra outside of our gate, actually probably a few minutes early because I don't like to be late. I waited for probably 20 minutes before she arrived, then we walked down the street to catch a taxi which we took for maybe a mile. We got out of the taxi walked for a little while along the train tracks and through a market to a waiting area. We waited there till around 4pm. Finally a few other youth showed up and then we waited for her dad to come pick us up and take us to the church. Actually it wasn't the church I go to on Sundays but an annex way down some other road. We got there I'm guessing around 4:30pm... did I mention it started at 3:00pm, or at least it was supposed to. I really have no idea when the service started but by the time we got there they were already underway. The service finished up at 5:15pm and I am now back home at 6:00pm. Is there anyone else who thinks God is teaching me patience??? I shouldn't act like it's that bad... once you get used to the life here, waiting isn't such a big deal, just part of life. Kind of like the heat. While we were waiting to be picked up I looked down at my pants and saw what looked like water splashed below my knee. I wondered what it was until I reached down to touch it and pressed the pant against my leg, which caused the spots to get bigger! How can I be sweating on my knees? I don't normally sweat that much, but here it's just part of life. They usually carry around wash cloths to wipe themselves with... it looks like I'm going to have to start that too.

BUSY

Being Under Satan's Yoke
New acronym that I learned and liked. We started out this week with a prayer retreat to a beautiful beach! Just taking time to rest and pray. God has really been emphasizing that this week through a few different people. Not that God doesn't want us to work and serve Him, but He also just wants us to spend time with Him. Sometimes in our BUSY schedules and working hard we forget about Him and don't spend time with Him. How would you feel if your spouse/friend/etc. never had time to spend with you? I'm a quality time kind of person so it would really hurt my feelings.
We have been busier this week though... the new interns are here... I've linked a couple of their blog pages on the right... check 'em out. We have been working on the new addition that the guy teams will be staying in this summer - working on putting in the screens, putting in the new windows, general cleanup, etc. Thursday we went to another village and did a medical clinic. We made it back safely, but the truck with Mama Jeanine, Pastor Jacob, Pastor Joseph, and Mama Parienne had some wheel issues. Apparently the wheel came off (not the tire, the wheel!) something to do with the joint - anyway Tim and Zach took some mechanics out there to help. To read a full summary of the story see Zach's blog. They got back at like 2am and Pastor Joseph ended up spending the night in the truck!

New videos

Video of our dinner over at Mama Jeanine's for Jessica...

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

Stuck the camera on the window sill and pressed the button, this is what I got...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMo6v7dOGJk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uITd4Vwb6XQ

Stuck video

A short video of us stuck the other day on our way to a village clinic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGt8FYiRzzI

une autre aventure

So I went to my first youth event today... after Ellen (pronounced Alan) asked me last Sunday where I was last Saturday (the youth meets every saturday). It was a soccer match up the road at the Bible school. After the game Ellen asked me if I was going to the testimony time - she didn't say those words b/c if she had I wouldn't have understood her! Anyway, 15 people are getting baptised tomorrow so they gave their testimony at church tonight. So we starting walking from the Bible school over to the church. We - being my new friends Sandra (her dad's the pastor), Ellen, and Stella. We took a shortcut - quite neat and what an adventure! Then we came out at a recognizable high school where the pastor picked us up in his little toyota/nissan pickup truck. Before we got to the church we had picked up 10 people, but that's nothing to the 20 people we took home. Now please keep in mind the 20 people doesn't include the 3 in the cab and that it is not a large truck. We've actually seen one large truck (Silverado) everything else is toyotas or nissans - no american made here.

I had a great day today... my first adventure by myself and interacting on my own. Got to be a part of everyday life - reminds me of when I was in Honduras so many years ago (however old Lilli Greer is). I went to the barbershop with the guys... not like it was an exciting event or anything but it was just neat to see real life, interaction, etc. Same thing today - walking down the foot trails that they walk and remembering which branch to take.

One wheel off the ground isn't so bad

Try one wheel below ground level...

It took us about an hour and about 10 locals to help us push it out of the mud... and I thought it couldn't be done without a tractor!

Yesterday

We went to Moombwet (spelling are you kidding, I barely know how to say it!) yesterday. It is THE market place in Libreville. To quote Meredith - "If it isn't here, it isn't in Gabon". A dirt road with sidewalks on either side and shop after shop after shop... you get the picture. We don't take any purses and put all our money in our front pockets. We also don't take cameras or else I would have taken a picture. Although they are not supposed to have people selling their wares in the middle of the road they still do. Fruits, flip flops, fabrics... I bought some fabric to use for a skirt, a drying rack, and a coconut. We noticed that at the entrance of the fabric store there were fabrics hanging on either side with paper taped to them that said something along the lines of marriage, graduation, etc. We guessed it was their gift registry.

(me, Jessica, and Meredith at the beach)

Jessica is a college graduate who has been in Gabon since August of last year, most of that time has been down at Bongolo. She is leaving this Thursday night so she flew up Monday to catch her plane here in Libreville. Mama Jeanine had us over for a farewell dinner for her. It was fabulous as usual. On the way home we caught a turn too early and the bus got stuck (note that the back driver's side wheel is not on the ground!), but we pushed it from the front and were back on the road in a few minutes. Tim said that in all his time in Gabon (he grew up here) he's never been stuck - he thought it was funny that he got stuck in the city of Libreville as opposed to some remote village!

Random Thoughts

(picture of Solvigs {on the right} with Thelanders)

Solvigs left this past Wednesday! They will be sorely missed; Libreville has been their home for 13 years. Tough goodbyes!


Went to Bongolo for three days… a day’s drive… a very fast drive! Down dirt roads with lots of holes! Lisa gave me a tour of the hospital… they do a lot with a little!

(picture of lady at Bongolo cooking rice - I love her smile)

(picture of Bongolo Hospital)

How cool is it that when I’m trying to learn a language and teach a language a linguist turns up and teaches us the most effective ways of learning a language! We also talked about the different sounds in each language… did you know that most languages don’t distinguish between an “R” and an “L”? And then there are other languages with words that sound exactly the same but only the pitch makes the words different.

Spent some time one morning with Mama Collette at the library at the CMA Bible School just up the road. She is great at working with you to speak French she speaks slowly so you understand her and then helps you with words.

Meredith is definitely a cat person, they love her… she loves them.

(picture of Meredith with domino)

Do you think we can change her to be a dog lover? Well one of these puppies is going to try! We are getting a dog; a Rottweiler and Doberman mix! Should be big, but the parents were nice and the owner said they were good with her children. Here’s a picture of the cute puppies…

Just like NC

Gabon is just like southeastern NC...
it's hot and humid
there are fire ants
people are friendly and say hello/bonjour
Oleander and Crepe Myrtles
and there is a nightclub called the Gallion (ok so that's in Myrtle Beach - close enough)

okay so there are some differences...
no McDonalds or any American restaurants
no peanut butter (don't worry we get it in our food order and get teams to bring it too!)
more rain
more lizards - I'm slowly getting used to them Mary Marsha - it helps that they run from me!