Some Observations

Luke and Keir practice basketball at least twice per week in the gym of the old school for missionary kids on the grounds of the mission station. We all joined in one night to watch the workout. Luke is loving basketball. Every Sunday at 3 PM Luke and Keir have a game against Nathan and some of his friends. The number of players is gradually growing it seems. So much fun to watch Keir and Luke in action together. Luke plays hard and enjoys every minute of it. He doesn't need to be reminded to shower after the workout - he is dripping wet!


Sarah is an avid reader. She enjoys "American Girl" books and biographies of missionaries. Each morning before breakfast and school she reads, most afternoons after school she reads - she loves it. Her vocabulary shows it!


On the mission station are trees of many varities including banana, plantain, lemon, orange, avocado, mango, breadfruit, atanga and star fruit. Lemon grass grows abundantly (many days Luke would clip fresh leaves to make tea for me in an attempt to keep bites from insects at a minimum). Hibiscus bloom almost year round. The bird of paradise in front of the Thelander home are beautiful right now. Orchids grow and bloom in many shapes and many shades of color.


The Thelander phones (4 lines) ring many times an hour. Many times a day there is a knock on Joanna and Keir's front door. Often the knock or call is a missionary looking for help with a computer or internet issue. Sometimes a resident wants to discuss something with Keir. Frequently folks on the mission station just drop in to say hello and pass the time of day. Sometimes Sarah's friends Azair and Geriella (sisters and daughters of the personnel director at the hospital) are free of chores at their home and ask Sarah to play with them. Many times the calls are for Keir from a resident asking a question about a specific surgery case. Joanna fields calls regarding visitors and housing. Sarah serves as the official "phone call girl" except for Joanna and Keir's cell phone which they answer themselves. The Thelander home is a busy place! And I didn't mention the over 100 email messages that come in daily!


During our visit to Bongolo the electricity went out numerous times, the water treatment system failed numerous times, the internet went down numerous times, the no-seeums bit numerous times, the rains poured numerous times and the phones were out numerous times. Nonetheless the Lord continues to bless the work at Bongolo and the work of the Thelanders of Gabon.


1,111 patients at Bongolo Hospital had trusted Jesus as their Saviour and invited Him into their heart by 11/11/11.

Adventures Indeed

Dave and Luke have completed many projects on their "to do" list and many jobs that weren't on the list. Thus far they have power washed not only the gym but the Thelanders' steps, sidewalk, front porch and garage and Davis' outer deck; they have repaired two screen doors, affixed a magnet to Sarah's side of the Jack & Jill bathroom; applied "closure sweeps to two doors"; and today Dave cleaned underneath and in back of the refrigerator.


There has been no school this week at all. We kinda of miss it actually. It was fun to be in class with Luke & Sarah with Joanna as teacher. But we have had a fun time nonetheless.


Tonight we had dinner with missionaries and the Thelander family. After supper we came to our place and Luke and Sarah are sleeping over with us in the Triplex tonight. We all played Blokus together and the kiddos turned in about 9 PM. We will have breakfast together, play Blokus and maybe Sarah and Diann will work on cutting out more Laura Ingalls Wilder paper dolls while Dave and Luke will be involved with one of Luke's new Legos.


Friday night before Christmas, we went carolling around the station with other missionaries and some of the residents and their families. We held candles, went from house to house and sang beautifully together... sometimes in 4 or 5 different languages. Meladee and I rode in the golf cart and carried as many as 7 little ones with us. It was great fun. After singing we went to Davises' home for cookies!


Christmas Eve we participated in the Bongolo CMA Church service right here on the mission station. There was singing, skits and speaking. We only stayed for an hour and a half and left to attend the gathering at Paul and Meladee's home. Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance and brought a gift for everyone. Somehow Santa was able to get wooden toys hand carved by Paul's dad. Each child and adult received a special gift. Many of the residents came with their family and some of the single residents came too. Folks from Madagascar, Congo, Guinea, Gabon and the US enjoyed singing and fellowshipping together but especially the children enjoyed being together and the language difference didn't seem to matter at all. We had more of Meladee's homemade cookies and treats.


On Thursday before Christmas, Dave & Joanna returned to Lebamba to pickup our new clothes from the tailor. Dave's new boubah looks great! The new matching "Bongolo Hospital" fabric shirt and dress will be fun to wear in the States. The shoppers also bought a few more pineapples, potatoes and a diesel fuel for the Toyota Land Cruiser.


Before Christmas we made peanut blossoms (Keir's favorite cookie of all time). Planned to make more cookies but several missionaries shared their Christmas cookies with us so we postponed that activity.


Christmas morning we were able to call Deborah and Aden in Lucca. They were just opening presents. It was great to see and hear them. Aden was especially thrilled with the Nintendo he received from Babbo Natale.


The Thelanders waited patiently for us to open their stockings and presents and have breakfast. Luke and Sarah were blessed to be remembered by several churches and families in the States. Opening presents was such fun. Nothing like being with children on Christmas Day. Sarah received new volumes of American Girl books and Luke was delighted with new Legos. We both received special notes written by Luke and Sarah and Grandma even got a book written by Sarah. Mocha (the family dog) got lots of new bones and chew toys much to her delight.


Christmas Day the missionaries on the station gathered at Dr. Dave and Becki Thompson's home for a bring-a-dish Christmas feast. Before the blessing, Dr. Dave ask each person to share something they appreciate about the person on their left. It was fun to listen in on what the missionaries had to say about each other. For our feast, we ate baked ham (from the US), garlic (local) mashed potatoes (Senegal), candied sweet potatoes (local), green bean casserole (from Libreville), corn pudding (from US), homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, pumpkin roll, crumbled apple (South Africa) pie along with super berry juice and coffee and tea. Some of the group watched "Ice Age" til the DVD "froze" (get it?) while others played Mexican Train and a card game which we had played before in the States (golf something). It was a great day. Came home tired but rejoicing for the Babe in the manger.


After returning back to Thelanders' home, we both called some family members to wish them a Merry Christmas.


The problems with the electricity continue. Keir and Paul spent half a day on Christmas Eve rectifying a problem in the lines. Paul and his crew did more work this week. The water filtration system is still failing. The water from the tap is not pure enough to drink and turns the laundry a dingy color. The internet is off and on many times a week as is the Vonage phone. The telephones on the station are intermittent. It is so disruptive and frustrating to us. However, the Thelanders take it all in stride and say "Welcome to the jungle!" when these things happen.


Dave was able to scrub in on two surgeries this week: a non-descended testicle on a six year old and a stomach muscle adjustment on a six week old boy. Of course, Keir told him the medical terms for these procedures but it is long gone from memory. Keir put in a shunt in a five week on baby with hydrocephalus this week. He has a case right now of a 12 year old boy that was hit by a taxi. The child has broken femurs, broken shoulder and major head injuries. A large number of patients who come to the hospital have tuberculosis and/or HIV/AIDS.


Last week at the hospital, Dr. Renee had a 20 year old male patient with a racing heart beat. It was over 200. Renee was able to use the recently donated but acquired-from-Intervol (Rochester) defibrillator and save the man's life. Without it the man would have died. God is in the business of healing people and saving lives and souls at Bongolo.


Last night there was a major (to us) thunder, lightning and rain storm. Luke tells us it was "nothing"! It just poured for a long time. The daytime temperatures remain in the 80s and in the lower 70s at night (Joanna wears a blanket after dinner!). The kids wear a jacket and won't go in the pool because it is "too cold".


We have had thus far many times of excitement and diversity while in this place at this time. Seeing how Luke and Sarah continue to grow and learn and enjoy each other has been such a blessing. Being with folks from other countries with different traditions and languages has made us appreciative and accepting.

Where Did the Time Go?

Where did the Time Go?

WOW! We have been in Bongolo for over a week now and it seems like we just arrived. Lots of memories made and remembered during our time with the Thelanders of Gabon.

What a thrill it has been to be the "new students" in Mrs. T's home schooling class. We have studied Bible (the 10 plagues), Science (learned how to "root" avocado seeds for planting in the plantation), Spelling, Greek (kinesis & phone), Music (Vivaldi's Winter - didn't remember the second movement is so short) and Reading (Luke and Grandpa, Sarah and Grandma- we read to each other). It was a challenge learning all the ins and outs of the classroom day :) Joanna does a great job of making each subject interesting and holding the attention of all four of us students. After our lunch together, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Luke and Sarah go with Aunt Rachel for art, Shakespeare, Aesop's Fables and baking of late. On Wednesday Luke shadows Uncle Paul, the director of maintenance from 1-5 for while Sarah is with Aunt Meladee for home economics. During the absence of Luke and Sarah, Joanna works on the scheduling and care of visiting resident professors (visiting doctors of different specialities from the States).

A joy has been to have dinner with some of the missionaries including Dr. Renee, pediatrician, internal medicine and AIDS/HIV clinic and Paul and Meladee. Renee graduated from Victor High School. We also attended Movie Night and liked seeing "Christmas with the Kranks" starring Tim Allen. This event is held nightly at Paul and Meladee's during December complete with popcorn and Meladee's homemade treats.

Dave and Luke on Saturday power-washed the gym floor. Dave says you can eat on it now. Luke & Keir practice basketball there 2 or 3 nights a week and have a game on Sunday at 3 PM.

The front sidewalk and the porch were also cleaned by the Dynamic Duo with the power-washer. The surfaces look so different and seem to sparkle.

Friday was shopping day in Lebamba. Joanna purchased fresh spinach (a rarity here), another fresh greens which we have to learn how to cook (I think it is similar to collard greens), 16 pineapple (This is the only time of the year they are in season. I helped peel, core and cut them up for freezing for smoothies.), sugar, butter and flour for baking, hot peppers, eggplant (another rarity), soy milk (extended life), passion fruit juice, white potatoes from Cameroon, and green tea. Lots of folks including many drunk men in the market because Saturday was election day and many people had return home to vote. We went to the tailor to have a dress and bobau made from fabric given to us by Pastor Serge (Bongolo Hospital administrator) and Jacquie (his wife). Ose, the owner of the tailor shop, is at home in Benin for six months but we did business with his staff.

Saturday was Christmas carolling with some missionaires and residents and their families on the station. We were a great sounding group. At one point, we had folks singing in 5 different languages. It weas wonderful. Meladee and I rode in the golf cart and had up to 8 kiddos in the back. Candles were provided as well as song books. More Christmas goodies were enjoyed at Paul and Meladee's home after the event.

God has provided much cooler temperatures (high 87 - low 72) than we expected or is usual this time of year. The sun has been hidden most days with the overcast skies. The down part of that is the bufoutu (no-seem-um) are out in force with no sunshine. Diann has a mass of bites on her arm that is the most painful but she has bites all over her body. Dave has about 6 total. Diann sprays every time before going outside; Dave rarely sprays. Small price nontheless...

Sunday morning we were in the sanctuary for about 30 minutes of singing before joining Joanna and Luke and Sarah in Sunday School. 53 boys and 53 girls... Joanna told the Nativity story using small stuffed props. The kids enjoyed holding the different characters and then taking them back up to the front of the room for the recap. Each "older" child got a small candy cane and the "younger" children received star candy at the end of the class.

Most nights we put Luke and Sarah to bed and read or listen to them read their devotional for the day. It is so special to be able to listen to them read and then pray. We are blessed. It is fun to see how much they have grown and matured.

When Luke and Sarah are asleep we visit with Joanna and Keir unti 10 or 10:30 (sometimes later !!) to catch up on each other's lives. Great times...

Keir has had a full schedule at the hospital and continues to get calls at night from the resident on call about emergencies that come in. He installed new shocks (which we brought with us) on their 5 year old Toyota Land Cruiser on Saturday; the difference is amazing as we ride over the bumpy unpaved roads both here on the station and enroute to Lebamba.

The physical plant of the hospital continues to grow and expand. New housing in preparation for new hospital staff who will join the team soon, new offices, new hospital facilities; the water filtration system is still a challenge (for some of the time we have had yucky dirty water coming from the faucet; praise the Lord for good water filers!). Lots of other changes going on at Bongolo Hospital with missionaries leaving and arriving; with business practices changes; and with changes in the CMA.

What a blessing to be in this place at this time:) Thank you, Lord.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Arose after a fairly good night of rest and had breakfast with the Thelanders minus Keir who had gone ahead to church early because he was preaching.

No-see-um bites count: Diann 10; Dave 5.

Arriving about 9:30 AM at Bongolo Church we recognized a familiar tune being sung by the congregation, "How Great Thou Art". Of course, we did not understand one word but it was beautiful nonetheless. On a regular Sunday morning, the singing starts around 8:30 AM; then about 10 AM there is about a half hour of announcements; then the sermon. This Sunday after the announcements, Keir was introduced as guest speaker. His sermon was about an hour long. He spoke in French and then his words were translated into Nzabe (the local tribal language)- thus one hour for a half hour sermon. Keir spoke on marriage and family relationships. The church was very quiet and that is an indicator that people were listening so say the locals.

By the way, the ushers tap the shoulder of anyone who dozes off during the service - young and old alike. If the usher cannot easily reach the dozer, they tap the bench nearby. You can bet we tried our best not to be tapped. With only a hand full of white people in the sanctuary and all but us as missionaries, we judged it would not be a good witness to doze off. Many of the missionaries attend other village churches; many preaching every Sunday.

Lunch at the Thelanders was cheese quesadillas made with cheeses recently purchased in Libreville. How fun it was to be having another meal with Luke, Sarah, Joanna and Keir.

Sunday afternoon we visited and caught up a bit and just enjoyed being together.

Sunday night, Eric (the bookkeeper), Dr. Wendy (the opthamologist here on the mission station) Hofman and their six month old daughter, Esther plus Rachel Thompson (missionary here who helps Joanna with home schooling and looks after Esther) joined us and the Thelanders for dinner. That night it was baked ziti and fresh garlic bread, bean salad, fresh pineapple and papaya and wonderful triple ginger cookies made by Rachel, Luke and Sarah.

After dinner the Hofmans who orginally came to Bongolo with Samaritan's Purse announced to us that they are staying until God calls them elsewhere. And they announced they are expecting Baby #2! Two bits of great news!

Spent some time after the guests left putting Luke and Sarah to bed. What a joy to hear them pray and to listen to them read their devotional.

Chatted with Keir and Joanna til Keir got called to the hospital for an emergency. We were asleep by 11 PM.

We are so impressed with the "Christmas Birds" which are beautiful white egrets. They seem to pay no attention to being around people as they sweep down in small flocks and land nearby.

Another fun nature observation: the thousands of bats. The flight over the Thelander home lasts at least one half hour every night. Bats are a welcome sight in Bongolo; they help keep the mosquito population to a managable level.

Arrivals and Departures

Thank God we made it "safe and sound" to Bongolo. God provided for us as we traveled. We are grateful to you for your prayers for us. Some details of our arrivals and departures.

Our friend, Don, arrived in his van at 12:30 PM to take us to Rochester International Airport. After loading our luggage and picking fresh holly for the Thelanders we were off!

Checked 10 pieces of luggage and carried on a personal item each and a carry-on each for a total of 14 pieces! The United manager waived the fee on two pieces for us thus we were blessed with lighter fees. Our luggage was checked all the way to Libreville.

Our plane to Washington DC departed and arrived on time. The international terminal at the DC airport is fairly close to where we de-planed. Our security check through Lufthansa went smoothly; our lay over was just 2-1/2 hours total. And we are off to Frankfurt albeit late because the plane taking us arrived in DC late; nonetheless we arrived in Frankfurt ahead a schedule due to a tail wind.

In Frankfurt, we had a 4-1/2 hour layover which passed quickly; after boarding the plane the captain announced that we'd be delayed because the co-captain's window would not close; we waited an hour before the mechanics were able to repair it. Had a good dinner on board and went to sleep (more or less) shortly thereafter; had breakfast and arrived in Libreville one hour late. Made it through all security checks; retrieved all 10 checked bags and made it to the Guest House before 8 PM in time for a swarma dinner complete with Pomplemousse (a grapefruit soda) with Alace, Steve, Dr. Dave, Becki, Hanna and LeaAnn. Off to bed; up at 5:15 AM to begin our 6AM trek to Bongolo with Steve at the wheel of his truck which was loaded high with our luggage that was covered with a huge tarp to keep out the rains.

This being the rainy season, the roads were somewhat muddy but still a bit dusty. Some pot holes covered the entire width of the two laned road and were a good 2-3 feet (yes, feet) deep. Made a stop at a gas station that had a bathroom with a toilet seat but water had to be poured into the bowl for it to flush (luxury stop with the real toilet seat). We have now been on the road for a little over three hours. The shop that made pain au chocolate had been raised to make way for widening of the road out of Libreville. As a result we had snack bars and little water for breakfast. PTL we had some bars leftover from our flight. Arrived at the designated rendevous spot in Lambarene.

Luke and Keir met us with big hugs and big smiles in Lambarene; the men transferred our 14 pieces of luggage plus some AIDS/HIV medicine that was coming down from Libreville to Bongolo. After 45 minutes of hauling and repositioning luggage into the Thelander Land Cruiser, we departed for Bongolo and took on the remaining 5 hours of the 10 hour drive. The quality of the roads is much improved on this part of the trip since our last visit.

Arrived at House #4 to see Joanna and Sarah running down the path to meet us. We were greeted with more hugs and smiles. Had homemade pizza and more pomplemousse for dinner; turned in at 11 PM local time.

Recap of the time: Departed Pittsford at 1:00 PM (EST) on Thursday and arrived at Thelanders of Gabon at 10:30 PM (EST) on Saturday. We are grateful to God for his mercies to us during our travel.

Soon . . .

In 48 hours or so we will be weighing our luggage for the last time (right now we have 4 trunks, 2 boxes, 1 suitcase packed and at least one other suitcase of goods on a guest bed waiting plus our own personal items yet to be packed). We are on the right track and we WILL make it!

God has blessed us with clear roads and driveways and no snow. Going from place to place filling last minute requests has not been hampered with typical winter weather conditions.

Dave is still seeing clients and having meetings plus going to the bank, Wegmans, picking up short-wave radios for the fire truck, etc.

Thank you for your prayers for traveling mercies as we go. And yes, I have my visa! :)

Less Than One Week to Departure

Time is going quickly! Less than one week to departure. We have learned that we will be riding in a van the 8-1/2 to 10 hours from Libreville to Bongolo. The missionary plane is in the US for repairs and the rental plane is unavailable. The local plane doesn't fly for 2 days down to Mouila. The ride will be rough and muddy but will be worth all the struggle to get to see the Thelanders of Gabon. Pastor Sangoye will drive us down to Lamberane where Luke & Keir will meet us.

Thank you for praying for traveling mercies for us particularly as we travel down to Bongolo from Libreville, the capitol city.

Packing is coming along albeit slowly. We have 4 trunks and one 45 pound box packed and ready to go. We have perhaps 4 suitcases and 2 carry-ons to pack yet. We will continue on with great energy :)

We are blessed with only snow flakes so far which is very unusual for this time of the year in these parts. It is hard to get my head around the fact that we will be in temperatures ranging from 92 to 102 degrees - with no airconditioning. But we will have overhead fans which make a world of difference and for which we are grateful.

Blessings.

Three weeks from today at just about this time we leave for Christmas in Bongolo with Joanna, Keir, Luke and Sarah. And we will be there for New Year's also. Dave and I are both very excited to be with the Thelanders of Gabon at Christmas. The last time we were together for Christmas was just before they left for language school in Albertville, France. Seems like yesterday in some ways but it has been 6 years!!

The UPS, FedEx and USPS have each made almost daily deliveries to our home recently. Dave knows the delivery men by name now :) Lots of sorting and packing to do in the next 20 days. All the goods have to be unpacked from their bubbles and peanuts before being put in our suitcases. We've got chains, medical batteries, toys, clothing, games, books, shoes, cables and things I can even remember right now to be packed. We do have time. Now to muster the energy!

The update on the fire truck is that is will probably ship next week. No, really. We have even talked with the transporter. What a blessing to have been involved in the Bongolo Fire Truck Project. But we both admit that we are ready to wrap up this project. Dave will surely miss his weekly "drive it around the block" outings.

More later.

Highlights

This post has been a long time coming and for no particular reason.


The "Cooking in Joanna's Kitchen" schedule included not only biscotti and breadfruit but also forming and baking and eating 16 batches of cookies. Yes, 16 batches! Joanna invited about 20 women over for the fun afternoon. The women included missionaries, residents wives and about 8 women from Benin who are local merchants in Lebamba. The cookies we baked were mostly the type that is formed into small balls in the palms of ones hands and then baked. They were peanut butter cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies (re-named Missionary Cookies), Cinnamon Crinkles and Graham Cracker Cookies. Joanna had prepared the dough ahead. The women sat around the dining room table and chatted with each other and with me. I always had to make sure their was someone around to translate for me since I was the only one-language speaking person there. Luke and Sarah entertained 8 children all younger than themselves. A good time was had by all.


Reading "Pinocchio" was such fun for me and for Luke and Sarah. That boy could sure get into some messes. There was always a lesson. Sadly we did not finish the book. Pinocchio was born in Lucca Italy which is where I picked up the book when visiting Deborah, Aden and Paolo there over Christmas.


Diche's is the new restaurant in town which features a printed menu, air conditioning, table cloths, stainless flatware, glass glasses and an attentive server. I feasted on Mongolian Chicken with Coucous both times we were there. I had Pomplemouse to drink. Pomplemouse is a grapefruit soda and it is yummy. Being in air conditioning was a treat!


Shopping in Lebamba is always an adventure. The last time we were there I picked up some souvenirs from some of Joanna's umbrella shopkeeper friends. It was fun buying a few items from each of them. The soft ice cream vendor was not open any of the times we were in the village and that was a big disappointment to Luke and Sarah and to me too frankly. I wondered how soft soft ice cream really is in 99 degree temperatures.


I passed on the line dancing classes this trip except for one. The first Monday I was exhausted from the trip and once Luke and Sarah and I stayed at home. Meladee does a great job as she ministers through music and dance to the women who attend.


The mission station changed its landscape greatly while I was there. Paul, maintenance supervisor and grounds superintendent, hired a crew to cut down about 10 dead trees - some being over 3 feet in diameter and over 200 feet tall. The man using the chain saw moonlights as a lumberjack but his day job is as the nurse who administers anesthesia at Bongolo Hospital. He was bare chested with no protective eye wear, no helmet and no gloves. God protected him and the entire crew with no major injuries. Most folks on the station sat in the 90 degree heat to watch the show from afar and cheer on the lumberjacks on two separate Saturday mornings. The huge clean-up was still underway when I left on the 26th.


More later.

Blessings Abound

Large ceiling fans in every room of the Thelander home to help combat the high temperatures and high humidity.

Hot and cold running water; electricity generated from the hydroelectric power plant just two miles away at the Bongolo Falls; gas dryer; gas stove; electric fridge and freezer; Sarah's bed to sleep in at night.

The pool here at Bongolo Missionary Station is just the thing to cool off; we use it least every other day for at least an hour.

Being able to see and hear the loud and hard rainfall and see the rain storm move in as the clouds gather over Bongolo.

Being greeted personally by all the residents and their wives upon my arrival; their children have grown and a couple more children are on their way. It was so good to see them when they came by to say hello.

Amazing sunset every day just about 5:30 until 6 when the sun is completely set. The sunrise is 6 AM every day; the sunset is 6 PM every day.

Oliver killed a yard long iguana with his machete. One less jungle creature to be concerned about. Oliver plans to grill it and take off the skin then cook the iguana in tea to dispel some of the "gamey" flavor.

Star Fruit galore. Joanna, Luke and Sarah are picking some as I type; Joanna will make Star Fruit Crisp for tonight's dessert. (Pickers just cam back with 23 prime Star Fruit.)

Local banana every day; often from the Thelander property but the ones this week are from the bush about an hour away.

Fresh lime in the seemingly gallons of water I drink every day in the Thelander's new Purdue insulated plastic see through glass.

The privilege of tucking Luke and Sarah in every night which includes reading, singing and praying with them.

Visiting time with Joanna every night. She has been able to be excused from the weekly staff meetings so we can be together.

Being able to talk with Dave every day and Deborah and Aden often. (Please pray for Aden to heal quickly from infection in both ears and bronchitis in both lungs.)

Realizing all over again how content Joanna is to be here in this place at this time. They are committed to two more years after July.

Having access to Internet (be it ever so slow!).

Spending time with the other missionaries on the station and having dinner in their home; a team of dedicated folks. I continue to be in awe of how isolated they all are and how remote this hospital and the mission station are but how content the missionaries are to be here.

Seeing the transformation of the physical plant that Paul has made since coming here a year ago December. Things are really shaping up.

Hot and Humid

February 11 - Thursday afternoon
The mission station pool is such a blessing on these hot and humid days! 92 degrees when we went into the water.

Our Louisiana Red Beans experiment was not ready to eat at supper time. The Lebamba red beans are clearly a different variety than what we have in the States. After twice the time cooking, they were still very crunchy. We changed the dinner menu and put the beans in the crock pot to finish cooking for dinner on Friday.

February 12 - Friday
Dr. John finally got pain meds through the Air Calvary plane and was able to lance what was believed to be an abscess on a missionary kid. Turns out Dr. John thinks the orange size enlargement is probably five bites, possibly spider. The young boy still has difficulty walking and sitting but is doing much better since the area has been packed.

Luke and Sarah and I spent almost two hours in the expansive air conditioned mission office reading Pinocchio, playing Memory and writing out Valentine's for folks on the mission station. It is a joy to watch these two curious grandchildren anticipate the upcoming events in the book. Pinocchio was born in Lucca, Italy where their cousin Aden lives which personalized the story for them.

Tonight was movie night. "Cars" for Luke, Sarah, Emma and Forrest; "27 Dresses" for Dr. Wendy, Amanda, Meladee, Carolyn, Dr. Renee, Joanna & me. The salted and buttered popcorn from the hot air popper was a treat. Plus we were offered chocolate of our choice. And Dr. Wendy brought fresh baked breadfruit cake. All in the jungle, mind you.

February 13 - Saturday
Today's adventures began with the spectator event for us of tree felling. Uncle Paul and 6 hired Gabonese "lumberjacks" felled 5 trees that were in danger of falling on electrical wired. How amazing to watch the helmet-less, protective eye glass-less, shirt-less nurse from Bongolo Hospital use his chain saw to get just the right angle to make the tree fall in the designated spot. Success on all 5 trees except one tree did take a large branch of the now prized breadfruit tree. The same crew moved the large trunks from the roadway and began cutting them into more manageable pieces. Most of the trees were rotten in the core and would surely have fallen soon during the horrific wind and rain weather of this season.

A quick lunch and we are off to a small stream of the Louetsi River for some "fishing". Luke and Sarah replenish their one gallon fish tanks from this stream. Drs. John & Renee & Aunt Meladee went along. Renee and I caught the two largest (5 inches) fish which were black and were similar to catfish. The Thelanders have access to a large two-person net and own several single person hand held nets. We returned home after about 2 hours with 12 fish. Sarah choose 5 for her tank which was completely empty; Luke decided he didn't need new fish. The rest were going to be dinner for Pokey and Johnny, two kittens in residence here on the station but the fish all died in the heat.

After a quick change into a skirt we are off for shopping Lebamba. Dr. Renee, Amanda and Meladee joined us in Joanna's taxi service. Joanna picked up Gouda and Edam cheeses & yogurt from France, some local brown eggs, yellow apples and a few other items. We weren't able to find baking powders this week. Dr. Renee had purchased some material and then visited Ose, the tailor to have some souvenirs made. She also bought a machete for her hubby in Lafayette. Picked up come coupe coupe which translates to "cut cut" barbequed chicken which was cooked on an open grill. It takes it name because the griller cooks a whole chicken and then will "cut cut" what you want.

More adventure to follow. I fear the Internet will go down again. Blessings to all. Thanks so much for your prayers. Plus it is "QT" in the jungle which translates to "Quiet Time". 88 degrees.

More Adventure than I Wanted!

February 4 - Thursday
Left Tobey Road about 10:30 am after stopping to say hi to our neighbor Gale who is battling lung cancer; as we travelled down Tobey Road, I checked to make sure I had my passport and not Dave's and I did have my own. Check into the airport at Delta with no problems. Left Rochester 45 minutes late; arrived Atlanta just 15 minutes late; met up with Drs. John and Renee from Lafayette, Indiana as scheduled; departed Atlanta on time; arrived and departed Paris on time; arrived Libreville about 5:30 pm on time. Followed John & Renee through immigration; arrived at the police stop to discover I did not have all my paperwork! After 4-1/2 hours and a series of tears and miracles, I was granted entrance into Gabon (by merit of the miracles not the tears even though several of the Gabonese police did say "Madame, do not cry."). God is good all the time. It is only that I see Him at work some of the time. I am grateful for His mercy and His grace in allowing all the pieces to fit together for me to continue on my journey to Bongolo.

Spent the night as planned in Libreville Guest House and had a wonderful night's sleep without hearing the roosters who crow through the night; enjoyed pain au chocolate for breakfast; flew with Drs. John & Renee and a Bongolo Hospital patient at 10 am on the new Cessna with Captain Steve from Libreville directly to Lebamba airport in 1 hour and 40 minutes as opposed to a 10 hour car ride on bumpy roads. It was wonderful to be greeted at the airport by Luke, Sarah, Joanna & Keir, Afoussa & Pastor Serge (my Hero!). Luke & Sarah had made a huge "Welcome Back Grandma" sign. Very Exciting! I was so happy to be here.

Thanks to Alace I was able to bring a few carrots, a few salad greens and a couple cucumbers from a Libreville market. During the rainy season these items are not available in Lebamba and often not even during the dry season.

Lunch at Thelanders with Dr. John & Renee; headed back to the airport to say goodbye to Keir, two of the residents and Dr. Renee from Victor and Dr. Deborah as they headed to Libreville (and Kenya and Nigeria). Incidentally their flight out of Libreville was cancelled, Keir's luggage lost so they headed back to the Guest House; Keir finally arrived in Nigeria with out luggage thus with only the change of clothing in his carry-on (no suit, etc for the meetings) and the others finally arrived in Kenya.


Back on the mission station, we went to the pool to cool off from the 93 degree heat. Dinner and off to bed; Sarah has given me her bed and she sleeps on an air mattress in Joanna's room. Slept till 10 am. Home church and Sunday school; another visit to the pool and a quiet day of rest. Began work on the new John Deere 500 piece puzzle with Luke, Sarah and Joanna.




Had a 1-1/2 hour "nap" before joining many others on the mission station for the Super Bowl; most of the crowd rooted for the Colts; I was quietly rooting for Drew Brees who played for Purdue! Go Boilers! Go Saints! Perhaps the only bonus for Keir's cancelled flight was that he was able to watch the Super Bowl. Got to bed at 4:35 am; it was 86 degrees which is the high when Dave & I come in July or August.




Luke and Sarah have changed so much since August; both are taller and more inquisitive; both are reading more difficult materials; they are enjoying spending more time playing and just being with their sibling; both are speaking more French. It is great to be with them for this period in their lives.

Monday - February 8
Late brunch of bacon and eggs; Luke & Sarah were on "vacation" from school. One highlight today was picking and cooking with breadfruit. Breadfruit grows on large trees here in the Rain Forest of Bongolo; it looks like a cross between papaya and mango with a green skin. Joanna invited Nurse Lisa, Dr. Wendy, Amanda and Meladee (Carolyn was here too preparing to teach a class at the nursing school) to join in the fun of making breadfruit cake (baked in loaves and tastes like banana bread), breadfruit pie (baked in 9X13 pan and looks and tastes like scalloped potatoes) and fried breadfruit (looks and tastes like french fries). Fun time when we got to sample the "fruits" of our labor. Afoussa and Evelyn plus Bebe Christine and Bebe Blanche stopped in for a visit and a taste test.

Barack Obama Cafe has a new cook who served chicken and fish on fancy rice. We enjoyed dinner with Drs. John & Renee there. Worked more on the John Deere puzzle.

Joanna & I stayed up waaaay late chatting.

Tuesday - February 8
Breakfast after sleeping in late was a choice of 3 cold cereals and fresh bananas from the freshly chopped regime from the Thelander jungle served with milk from France and a freshly baked blueberry muffin.

Mama Jacqui gave us a tour of her and Joanna's plantation which is right here near the Thelander home. They have planted banana & plantain trees which will produce in 11 months, spinach, a large type squash, corn, aubergine (bitter eggplant) and pineapple which will bear fruit in 9 months. The plantation is on a hilly slope and is about 1/2 acre. We also collected some orange wild inedible cucumbers which Joanna brought to her newly painted kitchen for decoration.

Tuesday afternoon was another "Cooking in Joanna's Kitchen" event with Nurse Lisa, Meladee, Joanna & me. This time we tackled my friend, Adina's Almond Biscotti which were delicious and a huge hit. Lisa called her Italian mother in the States to report on our progress.

Thelander household continues to be a bustling place with people coming and going a lot of the time.

Dr. Renee, an obgyn, is busy seeing lots of patients, teaching the residents and performing surgeries as well. Dr. John, a general surgeon, seems to have a full schedule of hernias, broken bones, etc. and they are both doing C-Sections when needed.

February 10 - Wednesday
38 years ago today I became a mother when Deborah Jean Conquest was born at New York Hospital in Manhattan. I could never have imagined all "the places we'd go" since she came into our world. It is a joy and a blessing to be her mother. We were able to chat with her on the phone just before she and Paolo went out for Indian food in Pisa while Aden stayed with his first Italian babysitter whom we hear specializes in Legos.

Luke & Sarah were back to the books! Joanna facilitated the Pledge, math, spelling, Bible, English and I helped out with reading, history and science which included a seed experiment. I did need some reminders of which went first and what page we were on. Reading included each student listening to each other read as well as a time of listening to me read. Fun!

The pool was refreshing for 3 hours under the shade of the Kelly house after 95 degrees in the early afternoon. Dr. John came for a short while and came home with us to dry his clothing in Joanna's gas dryer and have a grilled cheese sandwich (made with Congolese bread made by Evelyn and Gouda cheese) and Pringles. Imagine! Pringles in the jungle. They come in the food order from the States but once they are opened they must be eaten quickly because of the humidity and the ants.

My bifoutou (no seeum) bites are multiplying at a fast pace. Cortizone and anti-itching cream don't touch the itch. Small price ...

Every night I have been able to put both Luke and Sarah down for bed - including reading their book, reading their Bible, singing (sometimes I get requests) and praying. What a blessing!

February 11 - Thursday
Up late again; slept in till 8:30 when Sarah creeps in and whispers "Grandma, time to get up, Sleep Head". What a thrill. Luke & Sarah start school at 9 am.

Our popcorn seed experiment is going well. The seeds with the water are markedly larger than the seeds with no water.

We had another big rain here this afternoon which is common during the rainy season. No thunder or lightening today.

Luke & Sarah spend time on Thursday with Uncle Eric who this week is doing a magnet project with them in one of the two air conditioned rooms on the mission station - the office. The other room is one of the operating rooms. They are there now and scheduled to return soon just as I am completing my first blog entry.

It won't be long now...

It won't be long now! Today is Monday. Thursday departure is fast approaching. Just returned last night from attending my father's funeral in Kentucky. His ten children were there and most of his 31 grandchildren and 34 greatgrandchildren. Mother is doing well. He had been away from their home since September 9 in the hospital, in rehab or in the nursing home. The end of an era! Thanks for yours prayers and your support to me and our family.