It's a Jungle Out There

The bus to Mouila only goes on Wednesday, so I had a spare day in between. Spent it mostly with Alace Straw and Pauline. We even made pizza…VERY special here since pepperoni is rare and prized, so that was quite the treat. We had a great time catching up and I got to hear lots about what God is doing in Gabon.

If you’ve ever watched the tv show Monk you know that it begins with a song that begins like “It’s a jungle out there…” - - - No joke. It IS a jungle out there. Gabon is, of course, a jungle in the classical sense of the word. But it is also a jungle of people, cultures, etc. which was quite visible during today's journey from LBV to Bongolo Hospital.

This morning Pauline (British missionary and coolest person on earth) and I woke up early and were picked up by Sangoye at 6:30am. We were then dropped off at the bus station. This really should not have surprised me, but the bust doesn’t leave at any particular time, but rather when it is full…30ish people. So for the next two hours, Pauline and I watched the catastrophe ensue. People arrived and were chaotically signed up to the bus roster. Then the luggage truck was packed. What an ordeal! Amused, I watched quite a few men endeavor to pack the luggage truck. Quite entertaining as it was certainly a community effort and naturally everyone had a say about it.

We finally got on the bus which proceeded to carry us for 8ish hours. Mind you, no air conditioning, so windows were open across dirt-filled, very BUMPY road. We stopped various times. Once in Lambarene for lunch, Pauline bought bean sandwiches. Don’t ask me where the beans were made or what all was in the sandwich. The important part is, it was delicious and I feel fine…so far. To make a long story short, we were getting close to our destination (Mouila) when the luggage truck broke down (of course!). This is not completely unexpected as it IS Africa. So, we got out of the bus and waited for it to be repaired. This only took 40ish minutes…actually rather swift. We were on our way again. We arrived in Mouila around 4:30pm. Philippe (who does all the driving for Bongolo Hospital) picked us up and on we went through Ndende and Lebamba onto Bongolo Hospital. That took about another two hours, but it was fun. There I sat, exhausted, driving through bumpy roads with the wind whipping against my face, watching the sun set and listening to an older Gabonese man (Philippe) sing softly. The SUV/jeep/I don’t know what to call it, eventually came to a halt and I was then dropped off at the Thelander’s (American surgeon, wife & two kids) house totally covered in dirt and dust. My skin was literally a shade darker, not because of the sun but because of the layers of dirt. I looked like quite a sight, not quite as put together as Indiana Jones. Here is a rather unflattering, but very realistic picture of what I looked like upon arrival. As I told Joanna, I was ten different kinds of disgusting…totally cached in dirt...I'll probably regret posting this.


That said, I LOVED the drive. I didn’t do anything but look at African scenery for eight hours and it was GREAT. Honestly. Gabon is a beautiful country. Some things are comical and quite funny…like the fact that we took a goat on the bus ( you know, completely normal)…Other things are just sad. As we were driving I saw a child (not more than 3 years old) going down to the river and filling a container with water and then hauling it back to the little clapboard/tin shed where she lived with her family. That breaks my heart….I won’t even touch the subject of the quality of the water…definitely NOT treated to say the least.

After completely scrubbing myself, I had dinner with the Thelanders. Had a great time catching up. When Keir got home from staff meeting, I got to hear some cool, but sad stories about stuff going on in the hospital and the constant spiritual battle that we face everyday…particularly visible in Gabon since there are medical cases that involve run-ins with cultural customs including the Nganga (witch doctor). Definitely be praying for the spiritual battle raging here in Gabon – particularly that the eyes of the Gabonese would be opened to the truth. The strongest weapon of Satan is to blind them from seeing the truth which affects the spiritual but also the physical. Needless to say, the witch doctor does not prescribe helpful treatments for diseases. Typically, it involves blaming someone or something and then that person must suffer the consequences of causing that disease.

This reminds me of the work that God is doing in Gabon and that I am so blessed to see and participate in. But, it also reminds me of the work that is left to do…All over the world, people need God – not only to know that he died for them, but that he came to set them free from the dark bondage of witchcraft and other influences. People also need basic healthcare and surgery. It is these two things that motivate me and cause me to remember why medical school is worth it.

On separate spiritual note, just finished up 1 Peter and loved it. Lots in there. Check it out & let God speak!

All in all, it has been a great trip so far…I love Libreville (mostly because of the Straw’s & EnVision people) but its good to be home in Bongolo. I had better get to bed, it is an early 7:30am day at the hospital for me tomorrow. The fact that I’m in Africa and serve and amazing God means ANYTHING is possible tomorrow and everyday :-)