Africa Mission Trip

Germany

July 16, 2010

Sorry for the long delay since we left Gamboula. We have been traveling without a time and place to send an e-mail. We are now in Germany and have one flight to go to get home - we plan to arrive back tonight. Everyone here is still healthy, but please pray for Leanne who has a bad case of malaria and an infection to go with it.

Gamboula, RCA

July 13, 2010

People, our God is amazing!

It is Tuesday night and we are preparing to leave. I tell you the truth when I say it seems like we just got here. There are too many stories and emotions to try and tell in a blog entry. Everything about this trip has been more and bigger than I thought it would be.

I've not had a chance to read the others' blogs, but I will assume they've told you of the things we have worked on and done. If when we get back there's anything you want to know, please ask!

I continue to admire the Turk family greatly. During this trip, Luke introduced me to Moise (in English, Moses). Moise is the man who took over showing the Jesus Film when the Turks had to return a year early in 2002. Moise and I have a bit of a connection because of Alli, and I was surprised and honored to finally meet him.

With each person the Turks introduced us to, the world became a little smaller and I realized a little more how wise, good, kind, and strong God is. I have met many whom I would be honored to hold the door for in heaven, if that's to be.

It's been here we've had the best pineapple I've ever had. We've seen satellite dishes on mud huts. We've seen hippos. I thought I would be losing weight over here, but I'm pretty sure I've put on five pounds.

I'm sitting here with the Turk boys now, showing them the fingerprint reader we're planning on putting in registration at the hospital. And once again, I have learned more about life and appreciation of it from kids.

Pray for our brothers and sisters here in Gamboula. I know firsthand that they are praying for us. And I am humbled and amazed.

Love to you all and Glory to God,

Mike

Gamboula, RCA

July 11, 2010

From Katie:

This morning we all began at work again, the boys on the computers, Pat and her young laborers at the glasses and Alice and I working at the "Depot," unpacking boxes of random medical supplies, counting them and getting them prepared for Leanne to inventory. It is a big task - we began with the whole room full of boxes, and we are making progress! Later in the morning, we were all gathered to go to the hospital to perform the mime for the patients and their families in between two of the hospital buildings. Everyone did a good job, and Leanne was able to explain and narrate through the whole thing. Pray that the message of the mime will penetrate the hearts of the people that saw it!

After miming, a few of us went down to do some coloring with the children at the nutrition center. The nutrition center is a separate part of the hospital that focuses on malnourished children they feed them for a couple months back to health, and teach their mothers how to better nourish their families. The kids and families were so excited and everyone enjoyed coloring the pages from the coloring books. Alice and I returned for some more Depot, only to be interrupted by my husband, who had brought a present to show me - a dead spitting cobra on a machete! He very sweetly thought of me when he saw it, as I had been disappointed that I did not get to see the night adder the other day. Alice was less than thrilled, however, as snakes are some of her least favorite animals- a fact which did not go unnoticed by the Turk children...

Then it was time for lunch, and, Michael's birthday! Happy Birthday Michael! As Alice and I went to go get the presents from our house, Alice went to go to the bathroom, and... there was a snake in the toilet! A rubber snake! We had a good laugh when we told the boys, and Alice and I began planning her revenge...

So, Michael opened presents, we had crocodile and hippo kebabs, he knocked open the piñata that Pat and the boys had conspired to make and fill with candy, and then we had brownies! Quite a memorable birthday!

After lunch was the time to go see the hippos! We drove back down the bumpy road to the river, and got into a really big dugout canoe that fit 13 people. They poled and rowed us upriver a while, and while we waited we drank in the beauty of the river and the tropical surroundings. Then Luke spotted a hippo upriver, so, obviously, we went toward it! We saw two hippos surface several times, snorting mist out their nostrils, and glowering grumpily at the intruders. It was cool! Fortunately, they decided we weren't worth attacking, so we were able to escape unharmed.

Once we got back home, it was time for dinner with Simeon, who is the one who will be running the eye clinic once it is up and running, and his wife Vivianne. We had a lovely time eating homemade pizza and ice cream, and talking with them and learning about them. That brings us right up to date! A bientot!

Gamboula, RCA

July 9, 2010

Hi everyone, this is Roy.

I have enjoyed getting to see the Turk's life that I have heard so much about and now I get to see firsthand. I have enjoyed exploring their village. My favorite experience so far has been the walk we did to the homes of people who live near here yesterday, where we saw how people here really live. I thought it was cool when we showed the Jesus film, the impact it made and how many appeared to come forward to accept Christ. I am looking forward to seeing the hippos in the nearby river before we leave. I will always remember what happened yesterday when Benjamin got bit by a snake.

I am enjoying here and I am thankful for all of your prayers and support letters.

Gamboula, RCA

July 8, 2010

Pat MacGregor here. This is my blog for the team on July 8, 2010.

I am currently sitting in the Turk's office listening to Jay and Luke talk about cables and light bulbs for the Jesus Film project.

We went last night - it was a blessing to see the Lord's name proclaimed. It was a harrowing experience. A wild ride through the savanna and rainforest to a village called Mondele. It took us 2 1/2 hours to drive 40 km. Luke is an amazing driver. We crossed over a river on a ferry, drove on a road through grass that was taller than the car and squeezed under low hanging trees. I closed my eyes a lot. After arriving in the village with 14 people in the car - a Land Cruiser - built for here - we unfolded and were invited into a small picnic area covered with a bamboo leaf roof. It rained and poured - we remained dry. Once the rain stopped the pastor and his wife, along with their deacons and elders, served us a meal. We didn't know what we were eating but it was an honor to be served and we all ate. Luke and the evangelism team set up for the movie as darkness fell. It was amazing to see people coming to watch. I would guess over 400 people showed up. The team started with a mime - the jail. (The basic story of this mime is that Satan tempts us to sin, we do, and then he locks us up in our sin in a jail, Jesus came to die for us and to pay the penalty for our sin, he unlocks the jail, opening the door to free us from our sin, he calls to us and we come out and embrace him, some refuse to come.) We then sang a song in Sango for the people and the film began. After the film, Moses, an evangelist, called for those who did not know Jesus to come forward - over 70 came. After praying with them we packed up to go and then it started to rain - a deluge all the way back... Luke says that it happens that way a lot. Praise the Lord! No rain during the movie. We got back at 1:00am...exhausted but joyous.

Today was a normal day... we worked on our projects which are all coming along well and we are experiencing success! I will tell you only about my projects... I have the eye clinic and the sheets. So far we have read and processed 662 pairs. Roy and I have incorporated the Turk boys into the project. They have all been an amazing help to us and entertain us with stories while we work. The sheets are just getting off the ground. We are stamping them with CAM to try to prevent them from walking off.

Now for the snake story... if you don't like snakes then skip this paragraph... I had given the boys a break from the eye clinic work... They were just returning when I heard Benny call out that he had found a snake right outside our door to the eye clinic. I grabbed my camera and ran. It was in the grass and he was trying to catch it. He knew what kind it was - Night Adder - and was allowed to catch it. He, Benny, on the other hand, was not supposed to get bit. He did. He looked right at me and said, "It bit me!" He stood up and told us that it was not that poisonous but that he wanted to go tell his mom. I said, "Okaaaayyyy." At this point he was looking fine and acting normal. I told Roy to go with him in case he had some reaction on the way...which he did. I watched them go and suddenly Benny's legs started to sway and buckle and down he went. By the time I got there Roy had scooped him up and was running with him. Benny was out. I directed Roy towards the hospital. Benny woke up and screamed, "Noooo don't take me in there!" He passed out again and we rushed him in and laid him on a cot. By now he was completely white and sweating. Roy and I were by ourselves with Timote running home to get Leanne and Luke. Luke arrived first and pressed into the room. By now Benny was reviving and talking. Leanne arrived and saw that Benny was fine too. The whole team was there and we were all relieved to see Benny say that he was fine. He really did not want the anti-venom and, Praise the Lord, did not need it. So, within 10 minutes Benny had gone from announcing the snake, being bitten, passing out, recovering, and walking out on his own. He went right back to the eye clinic and started back to work... I on the other hand, along with many others.. was totally traumatized. So how is he? FINE and playing spoons in the other room! He does have a purple bite mark... but that.s it. Remember he went after that snake and none of us are! (Luke told me not to exaggerate so I didn't. He also thinks that Benny fainted from shock and not from venom.)

After lunch we went back to work and then took a walk through the village. Leanne and I made pancakes with pineapple, whip cream, and syrup for dinner.

So how am I doing? GREAT! It is so wonderful that I can't describe it. I am so thankful to have answered this call to come and that you have sent me here. I am having amazing conversations with Leanne, enjoying Luke's humor, really, and having fun with the boys. The team remains healthy and cheerful! I have had a few bouts of weepiness which Timote, Dr. Baboomba, was able to diagnose as exhaustion. (The night we got here, after we left for our houses, he fell apart crying... so had recent experience with this malady.) I am pleased to see how quickly we have all adjusted to the norms of Africa. It is rewarding, encouraging, humbling, and exhilarating to minister here with Roy. He and Benny are having a blast and doing amazing work here together...

That's it for now... I love you all and continue to keep you and your needs in my prayers.

Your sister,
Totally in His Grip,
Pat MacGregor

Gamboula, RCA

July 7, 2010

Hello family and friends:

Today is the halfway point of our trip and it will be a big day. We will spend the morning doing work projects: Dr Alice will be doing rounds and then helping with consultations, using Katie as a translator between her and the French speaking African nurse with them; Mike is writing the hospital administration software to automate registration and Michael is writing software that will be part of that, using a fingerprint reader to identify patients on registration; Pat and Roy are going through the 6,000 pair of donated glasses here, measuring and inventorying them, and I am being Chef - which roughly translated means boss. As a good manager, I do a little of everything and mostly goof off and waste time. In between my naps and massages, I have been working with Luke and Leanne and the hospital administrators to design the software that Mike is building.

That software will not be finished while we are here. We would like to create four modules: one for registration, one for billing, one for post-discharge data collection and public health statistics, and one for inventory. By the time we leave, I think we will have one finished and implemented and another well on the way to completion. We can take what we have learned about design and build the software at home, sending updated version to them. But, back to the big day today. After Lunch, we will all get into their car and leave the station for the first time since getting here. We will travel across the major river here via ferry (you will want to see the pictures of this) to a small village about 2 hours away. There we will set up the film projector (we are actually using an LCD projector and dvd) and wait for darkness to fall.

In my experience, this is the most authentic of the Africa experiences we will have. Not only will we be in a real village (not in our comfortable and western-style compound) experiencing life as the people who live here do, we will also see the spirituality of Africa and how God's power can impact people here. Having a film shown in a village is a once every 2 or 3 years event and it is a special time for the people who will walk all day to get there. God uses these events to move the hearts of many people who attend, with many coming to Christ at each showing. Some of these will think of themselves as Christians as I write this and have thought they were Christians for years, but not truly have Christ in their hearts. But, after seeing the film tonight, they will have a true dedication of themselves to Christ and will have a changed life. I can write this with some confidence not only because I have faith in God's power but also because this is what happens at every showing. While they have other films to show (mostly dealing with witchcraft), the primary film they show is The Jesus Film by the Jesus Project. It is the book of Luke set to film.

Remembering that this is God's actual word, not some drama with a script, is important in understanding why it is so very powerful and impactful here. Our church sent out the film with a mobile equipment set (projector, speakers, screen, generator, etc) in 2002. It has been shown hundreds of times, maybe close to a thousand times, since. We have sent additional equipment (such as the LCD player) and films in French and Sango (the local language here). This trip, we brought replacement speakers, a new carburetor for their generator, and 6 new films. This stream of supplies, coupled with funds from our church and church family that pays for the gas and other costs of showing the film(s), has been an enormous evangelism tool here.

It also takes a lot of Luke's time. Last night we unassembled the LCD projector, painstakingly removing the circuit boards, pin connectors, ribbon connectors, and other delicate electronics that were never intended for unassembly once it left the factory, to get to the system of lenses and mirrors and prisms that make the projector work. We then cleaned out the dead bugs that found their way into this tightly sealed compact unit that has its own mosquito net (Leanne sewed). Luke says he often removes a large handful of dead bungs from this small unit (the size of a hardback book). Helping him with this, I am taken by many things:

The role God has given us in supplying all of the hardware and supplies and films used for evangelism here, as well as tracts, a motorcycle for evangelism use, and funds to pay for the costs of doing this work. They have consumed these resources wisely and with great care and coaxed far more life out of the components than could have been imagined.

The challenges of doing evangelism in such a location.

The need for evangelism here. I am always dismayed at the power of witchcraft here. It is not just that people give it their faith and believe in it, but also that (I believe) Satan gives witchcraft actual "magical, if you like" power here. Having seen this, I cannot dismiss American fascination with the occult and things like Harry Potter as harmless. Witchcraft a major force here, even in the lives of Christians (we all have out idols; here they can be more literal). But all the other sins and failings are present, including adultery, polygamy, child/spouse abuse, alcoholism, stealing, laziness, and a host of other sins. As you can see the lives of people here, including the walk of Christians, you see all the same things you see in the sin-filled life of us in the west - it may look different at first glance, but it is the same heart flaw.

The power of God to build His kingdom here. The African people are more spiritual than we are (less humanist and far more ready to believe in a higher power). This is a place of hardship and want and sickness. People need the Lord. And our God is sovereign here.

And powerful. Luke told us at breakfast about a showing of the film that happened in a bubble of dry weather within a pounding rainstorm in all directions - that lasted for almost an hour (God kept parting the rain around a small spot of land about the size of a football fields, while it rained in all directions around it). God has also raised up warriors here. Last night, we had dinner with Moses EKDO, an elderly African who has largely partnered with Luke and Leanne to carry forth evangelism. He is a trainer of trainers here, creating discipleship and other programs. He has planted numerous churches and is the guy who shows the film (he and his team showed it while we were arriving here in another village - Luke does not need to be part of this process - and in fact, when they came back on furlough a few years ago, funding from our church allowed them to show the film over a hundred times in a villages throughout the region. When I have hope for this place, I think of people like Moses who work without ceasing and with great fruit, showing clearly how much favor God has with the work here.

So, after we get there and set up the gear, we will wait for darkness. During that time, we will interact with the villagers, who are as curious about us as we are with them. We will take a lot of photos and mill about and shake hands and say "Bala-Oh" and "Bala Mingi." During this time, we will sing a hymn we have learned in Sango (Luke and Leanne listened to our rehearsal and pronounced it as very good). This is the same song that our choir did a few years ago. We will do a mime or skit for them, showing how Satan tempts us and accuses us and then locks us into jail but then Jesus pays the price to let us free and calls us to him. We will play ultimate. We will have a dinner that they cook. Once it gets dark, we will watch the film and then get back late.

It is almost time to leave (Luke is reassembling the projector now, having cleaned it out) and there is still so much to tell, about the four team members who ate termites last night, the pet dog they have here who is nursing her puppies and defended them against a spitting cobra right before we came (Luke killed the cobra, but the dog is blind in one eye, and about the wonderful food the Turks keep serving us.

Instead I will close by saying that everyone is in good health and we are all working well as a team (it is so easy to lead a team when everyone is a friend). As noted earlier, some are having some minor stomach upset, but no one has gotten badly sick yet. Please keep praying about this and other prayer requests, but lift up a special prayer for God's presence and power tonight in the showing of the Jesus Film.

Jay

Gamboula, RCA

July 5, 2010

This is Michael. Well. I don't know how to write a blog post that gives a proper description of what our trip has been like so far, so I won't. Instead I will tell you some things that aren't really related to each other.

#1. I have wanted to use my computer skills for God for a long time and now I'm getting to do it! Today I showed some missionaries how to set up computer keyboards in Swedish, and taught them how to do a couple of administrative tasks. The Turks' computer can once again connect to the antenna on the roof to get a better internet connection. I've been able to translate French computer messages for people when Katie isn't available. I've gotten started on a program to let the hospital admit patients using a thumbprint scanner, so returning visitors can't skip out on bills by giving a new name. This is so cool for me.

#2. Pineapples. They are better here than anywhere. else. on the. Earth. I'm told they're better than Hawaiian pineapples. We are trying to figure out a way to bring them into the States without breaking the whole "don't bring them into the States" customs rule. Perhaps if we bake them into a cake so we're bringing a cake into the States instead (there are no cake-import rules that I know of) and then unbake them once we get home? Yes.

#3. Sango is the language here and I love it. I have played with kids some and talked a little with people and have managed to learn about 30 words. Bobby is an especially good teacher and explained how "senge" means both "nothing" as in, you have nothing in your suitcase, and "fine", as in, you have no problems. So there's a joke that goes like this:

Person 1: Mo ke senge? (You are fine? / You are without clothes?)
Person 2: Uh-uh, mbi ke njoni. Mbi yu bongo! (No, I am good. I am wearing clothes!)

I am waiting with bated breath for someone to ask me if mo ke senge, but no luck yet.

#4. In a 5-americans-and-1-african versus 3-africans game of soccer this afternoon, I helped us lose 30 to 13. I also learned the French word for "penalty", which is the word "penalty" but shouted really loud while laughing and waving your arms around.

#5. Jay mentioned an overturned truck on our trip here, but what he didn't mention was how awesome it was. The whole dirt-and-mud road was backed up with cars and everyone was out watching as they chained another truck to the overturned one in prep to drag it upright. Meanwhile someone enterprising macheted a path into the woods that exited just beyond the overturned truck, and cars started heading that way. Except some of them got stuck too until people could push them along, and the exit back onto the roadway was rather steep and tilty. Luke was all for this approach and we got back in our truck -- a very tall truck laden 3-high with heavy trunks on top -- and jounced our way into the woods. As we dove down the tilty exit path, with Pat sitting in the front seat with the window open, there was a sick feeling that maybe our truck would turn over too, and I got a glimpse from the back of the truck of nothing but dirt within arm's reach outside her window. We did in fact get stuck in the mud right about there, with dozens of people crowding around watching, but only long enough to get the 4 wheel drive engaged and to throw Jay and Mike into the back of the truck from where they had been wisely spectating outside. Luke, and his Land Cruiser, is awesome.

#6. Time has an interesting quality here that I can't quite define. It's a little like South American time where everything is laid back, and, at least at the Turks' house, you mix that with the idea that loving people is better than doing things. It's great to have a specific goal of prioritizing relationships over projects. This partly explains why this 10 minute blog project has taken three hours and it's way past my bedtime. Good night! Keep praying for us, and thank you so much for your prayers so far!

Gamboula, RCA

July 4, 2010

Hello everyone! Happy Independence Day The daily blog is being written by Alice today (I'm Doctor Alice here, which I still maintain is the name of a bad radio show...) It is Sunday afternoon and we are sitting around resting before lunch after church (Luke preached today and Jay thought it was very important to mention he had 3 points instead of 4, so he did not steal from Bob..!) My impressions of Africa are totally different than what I expected. It is rainy season here, which means it is overcast and in the 80's (sorry those of you who are ROASTING!) Second, while it is wild, even more it is BEAUTIFUL here. Beautiful plants, beautiful flowers and birds, beautiful costumes and beautiful people. Even beautiful bugs! I did not expect that.

From a doctoring perspective, the hospital is really overflowing with very sick people with a bad strain of malaria lately. I have been surprised at how well run and smart the nurses are here and find I need to study to keep up with them. The hospital, though full of flies and with goats and chickens running throughout it, is very professionally run. There is a lot of work to do! I am looking forward to tomorrow to see how I can help! Many of the locals recognize me already as "The doctor:" there is another one here, but I am the first female in a while, or ever! They introduced me in church today and everyone said 'ah' and Pat said I turned completely red. NO hiding for me, I suppose.

Church was interesting. Men sit on one side and women on the other and the pastor is very animated. They have a choir, a young people's choir and a women's choir. They were all excellent and make our songs seem kind of bland. Maybe I can persuade Norma to do an African song and get the congregation clapping. Everyone is very friendly and everyone wants to shake your hand, which is fun. Luke and Leanne are constantly busy; there are people coming to the door or the porch all the time to talk to them and they have to stop what they are doing to talk to them. It is a great lesson on focusing on PEOPLE instead of on tasks. I guess that is my biggest prayer for us all, as we really cannot talk to them much, so it is easy to fall back on tasks, of which there are an endless amount. We could work flat out without stopping and still not finish the tasks we have. But it is about God, and Him glorified that should be our focus.

Other requests would be that several of us have irritable bowels, which limits what we can do as we keep running to the bathroom: nothing bad, just inconvenient, especially as we are going out into a more distant village this week and they might have a hole in the ground, or just a 'designated spot of ground.' The computer guys are trying to focus on maybe one project instead of supplying electronic medical records for the whole hospital in 10 days. They are having a hard time narrowing down their focus; they are so excited and want to do everything. Pat is working so hard to be open to the Africans which seem to enjoy her and her picture taking. She loves taking pictures - pray that that that will somehow open doors. Roy, of course, is the most popular and all the African boys are playing with him and the Turks; pray for courage for him to display the love of God to these boys. He stands out already physically. Pray he will stand out spiritually as well and create a desire in the children to ask questions about God! "AWE!" (pronounced like Yahweh without the 'y', which means 'the end')

Gamboula, RCA

July 3, 2010

Hello family and friends:

We are sorry at the delay in writing from here, but there is so much to see and do and doing anything, even writing this post, takes longer than you would think.

We left Yaounde (the city we flew into) on Wednesday at 4:20 am. The last time I was here, the drive took 12 hours without counting the time for breakdowns. Luke and Leanne said the road was better and that there was a shortcut, but I was doubtful. In fact, the road was much better and it only took about 8 hours. The drive was uneventful, except where we came upon an overturned lumber truck blocking the road.

For those of you who have been before, the Turks have a new car which is much larger and holds much more weight. The entire team of 7, plus Luke and Benjamin, plus all of our personal luggage, plus over half of the things we brought for the people here made it on that trip (Luke will bring the remainder when he comes back from taking us to the airport at the end of our trip).

At the end of the trip, we did have one interesting event. We stopped in Kentzou, a largely Muslim village just across the border from Gamboula. Despite repeated warnings, one of us took a picture of the police station. The deputy chief of police came storming out, upset that we had taken this picture, and Luke had to intervene and fix it (and show them that we deleted the photo).

It was great to see Leanne and the boys when we arrived. We are situated in two houses near their house and everyone is well. Michael Gundlach was ill for a half day, but is back to 100% today. There have been no other medical issues among the team. We are eating great meals and sleeping in comfortable houses with indoor plumbing and electricity.

We have also started on the work we are doing. Thanks to training that Brian Atkinson gave to two of the team members, we have quickly overcome some barriers with the optometry project and we are now reading and organizing the eye glasses at a fast clip. This is happening in a brand new building that Luke has built over the last two years. There is also work being done in organizing the materials in the depot and getting the internet and other computer hardware improved.

Two big projects are focused on the hospital, so I will tell you some about that. The hospital here is a 150 bed hospital and it is quite foreign to our eyes, but the more we learn about it, the more we see how they have the same challenges as hospitals here. One of our team members (Alice Edwards) is a doctor and another (Katie Gundlach) can speak French. As a team, they did rounds yesterday with the hospital staff (the hospital staff all speak French, although few of the patients do, so the Swedish doctor asks the nurse in French, the nurse asks the patient in Sango, and then the nurse translates into French (which the translator team member then repeats in English to our doctor).

Right now, the hospital is overrun, with probably 200 or more patients, with patients staying in storage rooms, administrative areas, and elsewhere. Starting Monday, Dr Alice (Doktor Aleece) on the team will be treating patients with Katie (Khay-Tee). They are also using the supplies we brought (they were critically low or out of many things, including anesthesia that would last for an entire procedure and cardiac medications).

Another problem at the hospital is the lack of administrative controls. The hospital is constantly struggling due to fraud and abuse that they cannot track or identify with their paper-based system. Three of the team members are software developers (and one of those has been a consultant with hospitals) and they are trying to develop software in the short time here that can be used by the staff to address some of these problems.

Our general routine is to work in the day from 8 until 2 (the standard work day at this location) then have some down time and then a group activity before and/or after dinner. Last night we met with the other foreign missionaries here (an American couple and a Swedish couple) and played a card game called Scum while people tried to follow the world cup on a internet text feed. Tonight, we walked 2Km down to the power generator at the river and then had a movie night after dinner.

It is powerful and humbling to see God at work here. Each day at the hospital opens with a 30 minute chapel service attended by all of the staff. There are numerous programs based in the hospital to meet the spiritual and material needs of people, including full-time evangelists. Perhaps the most profound and humbling aspect of showing grace we have seen is demonstrated in the lives that the long term missionaries lead. Tonight at the river, Leanne related a story about one of nurses at the hospital whom she trained (almost all the nurses are male here). This nurse had been married for several months, but did not want to pay the dowry. The reason is that he wanted to make sure she would get pregnant and bear him children; if not, he was planning to leave her and marry another.

Leanne was able to show him that the bible spoke about marriage and gave specific instructions that were to be followed. This believer of many years had not considered that he should be bound by what the bible has to say about marriage. It is not that he was ignorant of the teaching, but this was a blind spot in his Christian walk. Only because she has moved here and lives here long term and has built relationships can Leanne play such an important role in so many lives at such a meaningful level.

In my view, for many here, their faith is a mile wide and an inch deep. In a fish pond just outside of Gamboula, a fetish is posted, where the black magic will protect the fish in the pond. I believe such things have power, especially here. People who are long time Christians will turn to a witch doctor when they get sick. The more I see, the more I see our western life displayed - same sins, different forms of idols. The need for sanctification here is huge - as it is at home.

We will write more about the ministry activities going on here in later e-mails. Tomorrow, we will attend the main church here; some fellow named Luke Turk is preaching. I suspect he will be elaborating on an outline a certain McAndrew failed to copyright...

There is so much to do here, so much opportunity. Luke and Leanne are so busy, yet they find the time to be wonderful hosts, tour guides, translators, and a million other things. I do not think Leanne has slept much at all in this last week, despite our efforts to get her to take it easy.

On the drive here, someone asked Luke how he had learned to fix so many things. He thought for a while and said, "because so many things keep breaking."

Spiritually and materially, that is a great way to sum up this place and is an evident reality everywhere we look. There is much to do and being here short term perhaps gives us the ability to contribute in a small way but more so shows us the size of the task and the faith and outworkings of those who serve here.

We will try to e-mail again tomorrow.

Our prayer requests:

Luke and Leanne as they try to maximize our time here and still do all the things they need to do

Continued health and good harmony with the team

The patients at the hospital who need the care (and the supplies) we have delivered.

The faith of those who believe but are still spiritually immature here and at home.

That our team can show Christ through our efforts and the way we interact with each other and the Africans here.

Gamboula

July 1, 2010

Arrived in Gamboula today. Will try to write more tomorrow.

Yaounde, Cameroun

June 30, 2010

Hello friend and family.

It is mid-afternoon on Wednesday here in Africa. The team is here and all is well. We expected to have trouble with all of our connections because of delays in Atlanta, but we made both connections (they held the last plane for us and one other small group) and when we got to Yaounde last night, Luke and Benjamin were waiting. Every one of the 23 checked items came through, with over a half-ton of materials and supplies for the hospital in CAR. These are huge answers to prayer and we are very grateful for you lifting us up. We had some hassles with the two security screening in Europe (they took away the Nutrella thinking it was a vegetable, for example) but no problems.

Having traveled for about 24 hours straight, we slept well last night (except for some snoring by Jay) and was able to do some tourist stuff today. We went to the rain forest today to see a primate preserve with gorilla, chimps, and other monkeys. We will be repacking the car today and will leave very early tomorrow to drive to Gamboula.

We are now at a facility operated by Wycliff, where people from all over the world come to translate the bible into unreached languages. It is a really interesting story and process that occurs here, but we are enjoying the use of their facility.

There are no health problems of any type. Please keep praying, but the only real issue is fatigue - a bunch of people are napping now.

One interesting thing to relate. On the drive to the airport, a team member had the idea that we should encourage each other to avoid complaining. We have all committed to lifting up each other and not complaining; if someone does, complain, they have to wear a small rubber band on their finger as a reminder, which they can give to someone who they catch complaining. It has been a great source of humor and team building.

Please keep praying for us as a team and individually. We have a long day in a single car with most of our supplies and a long road, but at the end of it is Leanne and the two boys and a place where we can serve for our time here.

Made it to the Africa Flight

June 29, 2010

Writing this from the airplane in Zurich. We thought we would miss both connections but the Lord prevailed and we made both of them. They also tried very hard to check our carryons in Frankfurt which would mean our supplies being stolen in Africa, but we tried very hard to take them on the plane and we found the space to stuff them into the cabin. Our supplies are safe with us, praise the Lord! Everybody is healthy and we're on schedule. We fly next into Douala Cameroon and then Yaounde.

Africa Teams Leaves Today

June 28, 2010

Dear Faith family:

Let me start with a huge thank you for your support, both in letters (we have a huge number - thanks so much) and financial support. We have exceeded our target and it has been put to good use as we tackle many last minute expenses.

Today, the seven of us leave for Africa. On Saturday, we had our "packing party" (no pizza, no music, but lots of fun) and we have prepared the 22 footlockers of supplies we are taking (mostly medical supplies, but also food, equipment, and ministry aids). We have all our shots, are taking our malaria meds (which have not been in love with our stomach lining), and are ready and eager to go.

Please pray for our safety and that God will use us as He deems best. We would especially appreciate prayer for the tight connection we have tomorrow morning in Germany and the checked luggage make it with us and un-pilfered. Pray for Luke and Leanne and the boys and the people we will be serving.

Communications in Africa are a sometimes thing. We will try to communicate when we can, but do not be alarmed if days pass without a message. Chris Irwin has our contact information.

May the Lord be with all of you, especially our families.