Venturing into the Jungle

Medical School

2011-08-15T20:52:00.005-04:00

I definitely don't have time for this post now, as I should be studying...but my brain is about to explode, so it is time for a break.

In brief, on July 31st my parents and I road-tripped down to Spartanburg, SC where I will be living as I attend medical school. On August 1st, we got the keys to my apartment. I'm living downtown...just a four minute drive to school! My school is called Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Carolinas Campus (www.vcom.vt.edu) and is known as VCOM-CC for short. The school is affiliated with Virginia Tech, so all my email and online school stuff is through the Virginia Tech website. Classes began on August 8th, so this week I am beginning my 2nd week of medical school.

How am I surviving some of you ask? I'm doing rather well. I love it down here. I absolutely love my school and I have really felt God confirm that this is where I am supposed to be. I am so blessed by the opportunity to be here and I am looking forward to all that God will do in the next 4 years. School is great, so far. This term is called a block and goes until mid-October. I am taking Cell Bio & Phys, Microbiology, Immunology, Histology, Pathology, Genetics and OMM. I have my first exams next Monday! Every professor covers 40-60 powerpoint slides in one hour. What I learned in undergrad in three weeks, I learn in one day at VCOM. The amount of information is incredible. I love my classes, but they certainly do keep me busy.

An average day in the life of Christina:
5:45am : Wake-up
6-6:15am : Quick run around downtown
6:15-7:15am : Shower, get ready & leave the apt!
7:20am : Arrive at school early to get a good seat
8-noon : Classes
noon-1pm : Lunch
1pm-3pm : Class (In two weeks that will change and I will have class everyday until 5pm)
3-4pm : Mental break
4-10pm : Study
10-11pm : Get ready for bed & quiet time with God

...I know that all too soon my bed time will be pushed back and I will be staying up later to study, but for now I am trying to get to bed at a reasonable time. I love school, but it certainly is overwhelming and it doesn't leave much time for anything else.

God has really blessed me with some great friends and I am enjoying getting to know the other 161 students in my class. I'm one of the few Northerners, so my excuse for everything has become, "I'm from New York" ...really, I should probably rename my blog "A Yankee Girl in Dixie." I am acutely aware of the fact that I speak without a Southern drawl and sometimes feel quite out of place. The South (although I love it), is vastly different from New York.

Well, that's all for now, because I really need to study.

VCOM-CC Class of 2015 Celebration Dinner:

Angela, myself & Cheree

Moving Forward

2011-07-11T22:47:00.009-04:00

Marina by my house:

Well, I've decided that I'm long overdue for a post...What have I been up to since Africa you may ask?

1) Shortly after my arrival home, my parents threw a welcome home/grad party for me. I got to see lots of friends that I hadn't seen since the end of school and had a great time...the party was a blast complete with a giant cake that had little chocolate monkeys on it (in honor of Africa).

2) After the celebrations came to a conclusion, I began to sort through all my clothes, school stuff and the paraphenalia that I have accumulated over the years...I'm moving to South Carolina for school and I'm unlikely to ever move back home, so this is the grand organization/cleaning out of everything from children's books to college textbooks.

3) My grandparents came up from Florida to visit! It was great to see them since I haven't seen them since January. We celebrated (belatedly) my grandpa's 80th birthday and my parents' anniversary, so it was a good family time.

4) Because not many (or any) places will hire you for 5ish weeks, I haven't been working...that has been a huge blessing because I've been able to spend the summer with my family and enjoy them before I move away to SC. It has also been great to hang out with friends and see them one last time...r...So, I guess I'm trying to really enjoy summer and my family and friends. I haven't had a summer like this in quite a while. Most summers I have spent working or studying or both, so it is a real blessing from God to just rest in between all the packing...I know that med school will be hard enough and so I'm trying to just enjoy my last moments in Rochester.

My friend Dawson & I after church on Tuesday nights:

Out with some school friends to Applebee's:

4th of July bonfire & fireworks with my friend Alicia:

Garbage plates are a DELICIOUS Rochester specialty composed of cheeseburger patties, mac salad and home fries:

5) Naturally, because I am moving away, I have had to do lots of apartment shopping...The spare bedroom at my house is filled with stuff for my apartment. It basically looks like I got married. Since there is no on-campus housing and I am setting up a whole apartment, I have the equivalent of a wedding shower...everything from dishes to sheets to pictures. Absolutely insane!

6) Lastly, I'm finishing up some stuff for Campus Crusade at St. John Fisher College (my undergrad school). I did the graphics/publicity and so I'm doing some last stuff and then I have to teach my replacements how to do some basic graphic design stuff.

That's the report on my summer...I still miss Gabon alot. I sit in church and I miss the joyous chorus of African voices singing praises to God in French. I miss the simplicity of life and simply throwing on a shirt and one of my African skirts every morning. Most of all, I miss my African and missionary friends...what I have learned is that when you are in one place for a prolonged amount of time, you build relationships and that's what makes it hard to leave a place. I've been making Skype phone calls and emailing when I get the chance. Honestly, I cannot wait to go back! My new apartment will be covered in pictures from Gabon. I am so glad I had the privilege to go back to Gabon this summer. God really confirmed my calling as a medical missionary while I was there and it reminds me that all these years and years of schooling are worth it!... If you are reading this and are across the ocean in Africa, know that you are missed and prayed for!!!

It's strange to think that I won't be going back to Fisher in the fall. I'm really excited to move to SC and make new friends and face the challenge of med school, but I know that it is going to be hard...The only way I'll survive is by holding onto Christ...

One thing that God really has impressed upon my heart is the concept of moving on. In Genesis 19, God calls Lot out of Sodom and Gomorrah. As Lot and his family leave, his wife stops and looks back and turns into a pillar of salt. So many times, I think this happens to us (in a sense). Sometimes, God calls us forward or into a new place, but we don't move on and get stuck in the past. I think it is so important to not just look forward, but move forward when God calls us into a new place...Lot's wife never saw what was beyond Sodom and Gomorrah because she was stuck in the past. If we don't look forward, we may miss out on what God has for us!

Reverse Culture Shock

2011-06-19T08:42:00.002-04:00

Well, I have been quite tardy in blogging. Something about not being in Bongolo gets me out of my blogging routine.

The trip back from Libreville was largely uneventful. Within ten minutes of stepping off the airplane, two different travelers came up to me and asked for directions to certain gates. I guess I look helpful?!...I had a 7.5 hour layover that made me feel a lot like Tom Hanks in the movie The Terminal. I set my backpack down on a bench and to sleep I went for about four hours. When I was finally up and functional, I walked around and took advantage of the German pastries available. I became very familiar with the Frankfurt airport during my layover. Eventually, I sat down on a bench and read for a while. Every once in a while, I’d peak over my book and observe all the people around me. I had lots of fun just observing all the people around.

As I was boarding the Frankfurt-Toronto flight, the German Lufthansa representative took the ID and info of the passenger in front of me. She quizzed the Iranian man on his address and Canadian resident information and he couldn’t remember. Needless to say, this made me slightly nervous. My nerve level increased 10x when he sat down in the seat in front of me and then a big, burly Middle Eastern man sat next to me. The man next to me had a watch with a timer that periodically went off about four times during the flight. The timer, the man’s refusal to look me in the eye, his constant need to get up and just stand in the aisle and his extremely nervous look, put me into panic mode multiple times. I was very happy when the flight landed in Toronto. I made it through U.S. customs in Toronto without any problems, except when the customs officer asked me where home was, I almost said Gabon…oops!

Side note…I have officially fallen in love with Lufthansa airlines. I’ve flown them before, but I forgot how wonderful they are. I have also made an official experiment of it and have discovered that if you speak German, the German flight attendants treat you better. Very interesting. I had the flight attendant completely fooled and she thought I only spoke German ;-)

After a 4.5 layover in Toronto, I boarded a small little plane with only 19 seats to Rochester, NY. There were only three other people on my flight and the plane was so small that there was no door for the cockpit.

It is a little bizarre being home. I feel a little bit like a stranger in my own house since it seems like I’ve been gone for ages (in one respect). It is just that life is so different in Bongolo, that it is hard imagine that Bongolo and Rochester exist in the same world. I am eating my fill of salad, vegetables and cheese since we don’t have much of that in Bongolo. I’ve decided my house here is too clean. There are no little granules of red jungle dirt, no ants, no geckos…its all a little strange. My mom sent me to the mall to use up a coupon...I didn't last more than 15 minutes and called my mom asking if she was ok with me not using the coupon and just coming home. I got to the store and was just too overwhelmed by the people, how different things are here and everything else…So, there is reverse culture shock for you, but I know that soon enough I’ll get back into the swing of things and life in the U.S.

On the health front, I am definitely feeling a lot better. My rash is gone and I’m feeling pretty good. Every once in a while, I have sweats/chills and I feel pretty tired…but MUCH better than last week!

Last night, Joanna Thelander's parents (who live in Rochester) came over and I was able to share my pictures and stories with them. It was an awesome time and I was so blessed to share pictures and stories with people who understand. It is a real blessing when people listen with interest to stories and things that God has shown you during trips like this one.

Thank you to all those who prayed for every part of this trip. Life in the jungle isn't always easy and I definitely relied on every single prayer. God really blessed my time in Gabon and I saw him move in so many ways. I had an awesome time getting to know the missionaries better and gleaning from their years of wisdom. I am so blessed to have also been able to build relationships with Gabonese people and other Africans…that is probably the hardest part. It is easy to come home if you just go in and out of a country and don’t build relationships. It is much harder when you leave a country and leave both new and old friends behind. It is so hard because I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I have to trust God that I’ll make it back to Africa sooner rather than later…already looking forward to my next trip!

I will keep blogging every once in a while even though I am not in Gabon, so stay tuned!

Back in the U.S.

2011-06-17T00:17:00.001-04:00

Thank you to all who prayed for a safe trip back to the U.S. It was a long trip, but I made it...I'll post sometime tomorrow with more details, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I made it back safely & I appreciate all the prayers & support.

Bon nuit!

Food for Thought

2011-06-15T04:06:00.002-04:00

"Faith looks back upon the past and remembers that God has never once failed any of his children. It recollects times of great peril when deliverance came, hours of awful need when strength was received, and cries, "Always before, the Lord has helped me, and He will help me now." -Charles Spurgeon

Lisa, a missionary nurse in Bongolo, shared this quote with me and I absolutely love it. Charles Spurgeon captures the essence of faith well. It relates oh so well to so many passages in the Bible including the story of Isaac's sacrifice in Genesis 22 and the following passage in Deuteronomy 7.

"You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out." -Deut. 7:17-19a

Journey to Libreville

2011-06-14T10:39:00.002-04:00

Sunday I ran around and said goodbye to my missionary friends, the residents and others in Bonoglo. In the evening, the THelanders invited me over for my last supper. Had an awesome time with them, as always! I’m so blessed to have been able to come to Bongolo this summer and I can’t wait to come back ASAP!

Last night with Joanna Thelander:

Yesterday morning, the Thelanders came over at 7am to say goodbye. Even the kids dragged themselves out of bed to say goodbye to me! I hate goodbyes and it was so hard to say goodbye to the Thelander fam mostly because I don’t know when I’ll see them again.

Philippe, the hospital driver, picked me up and drove me to the airport in Mouila (appx. 2 hour drive). As we bumped along the roads to Mouila, Philippe drove and I slept. If you know me well at all, you know that I can sleep just about anywhere. When I wasn’t sleeping, Philippe was in a very chatty mood, so my broken French kicked into gear and I tried to pay close attention to make sure I was responding correctly.

We arrived at the airport and unloaded my stuff… “Check-in” consists of giving your handwritten La National ticket to the unofficial looking person behind a white block. Other passengers stood in line with all the random odds and ends that they wanted to check as “luggage.” The most popular item was coolers full of fish. Or, in some cases, the fish was paced in a cardboard box with blood seeping out the corners. My suitcase was overweight, so Philippe told me it would cost extra. I asked how much. He said 7,000 FCFA (about $14 USD). So, I handed him the 10,000 FCFA and expected 3,000 FCFA in change (logical, right? haha). He gave me a receipt and 4,000 FCFA back. According to the receipt, I was charged only 5,000 FCFA, so I should have received 5,000 FCFA back in change...but Philippe gave me 4,000 FCFA....SO, I have no idea who ate the extra 1,000 FCFA, but whatever. I wasn't sure that it would be worth the hassle to figure out.

As I was sitting with the other passengers a tall Gabonese man in a striped polo shirt came and said “Passport!” in a loud voice and then motioned for me to follow him into a closed room. In an effort not to make much of the sketchy “customs” situation, I followed the man into his office. He then requested that I shut the door completely. Hesitant to obey under the bizarre circumstances, I left the door ajar. I handed him my passport and he was just getting the mini interrogation underway when in barged Philippe saying that Sangoye (pastor in LBV) was on the phone for me. After speaking with Sangoye, the interrogation continued…Who are you? What are you doing in Gabon? Are in the Peace Corps? What is your occupation? Are you a student? What are you doing in LBV? When do you leave for the U.S.? Etc.

Finally, that was over and I waited for the plane to arrive. Planes don’t have a precise schedule in Gabon. They arrive and leave whenever they’d like and the schedule is subject to change without notice. The plane arrived and I boarded along with the other passengers. The little plane is quite old and I imagine that Indiana Jones probably boarded a similar one in the older Indiana Jones movies. The FAA would not approve of the state of the aircraft on so many levels, but it does the job in Gabon. The plane stopped first in Tchibanga and then in LBV.

Papa Pierre was supposed to pick me up in LBV, but as things sometimes go in Gabon…he wasn’t there. Thank God for cell phones and big cities (like LBV) where cell phones actually work. After some phone calling, Papa Pierre was on his way and I eventually met up with him after warding off some creeper dude.

I arrived at the guest house around 1pm and had lunch with Hannah, Jess and Kayla. Hannah is one of the EnVision (short-term missions) directors in Libreville. Jess and Kayla are summer interns. We cooked quite the gourmet meal together and passed out pretty early because we were all tired. So, today I am chilling out at the guest house and will probably do the same thing for most of tomorrow. Late tomorrow evening (around 10pm), I fly out of Libreville.

Saying goodbye to Gabon is hard because I don’t know when I’ll be back :-(

Au revoir Bongolo!

2011-06-12T03:36:00.003-04:00

Where have I been in the last week? Most of you probably heard by now that I’ve been sick most of the week….very frustrating to be sick during your last week in Africa! Last night I broke out in a lovely polka-dot rash from head to toe, so I think the general consensus is that I have a form of Dengue Fever or something like that. Thank you to all who prayed for me!!! I am finally on the mend.

A few times, I thought I was better (wrong!), so I went down to the OR for a bit, but most of the time I was just sick. Yesterday was my first functional day! The Thelander kids and Rachael Thompson came over to help me bake cookies for petit Luc’s birthday party in the morning. After baking, the kids and I sorted shells that we collected in Panga. Luke Thelander packaged all my shells up professionally so that they don’t break on my trip home. After shell sorting, I cleaned and sorted boxes of orthopedic supplies and ran some errands. From 3-5pm was petit Luc and Christine’s birthday party at the Bataneni’s. The birthday party was done African style complete with a crowd of people, lots of food, an emcee and a powerpoint presentation on Luc and Christine!

After the party, I scurried home to finish cleaning some orthopedic supplies (I’m finally done!) and then headed off to the Thelander’s for dinner :-) After the Thelander’s, Rachael and I stopped by Lisa’s to say goodbye to Lisa and Renee since they are leaving for Panga today.

Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving Bongolo early and driving to Mouila. From Mouila, I will take a plane to Libreville and arrive sometime Monday afternoon/evening. Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent in Libreville. Wednesday evening, I leave for Frankfurt, Germany. Then Thursday morning, I fly from Frankfurt to Toronto and then Rochester.

Today is my last day in Bongolo : -( …I’ve already cried once today and the day is young, so I’m sure that more tears will follow…Going back to the U.S. is always a bummer.

Christine, petit Luc, Jean Claude & I:

Afoussa, Joanna & I:

Myomectomy:

The Three Musketeers (Rachel, Lisa & I):

Bongolo Bits

2011-06-07T15:54:00.006-04:00

Although we all had a great time in Panga, it is great to be back home!!! Bits of Bongolo news from today because my to-do list for this evening is too long....

Spent the morning with Dr. Keir & the surgical residents. This included devotions with the hospital staff, rounds and surgery (my FAVORITE)!!! Me and the chief resident (Jean Claude):

1st case...umbilical hernia:

2nd case...closing up after a mastectomy:

Buying bananas...went completely solo with my broken French:

Lisa & I and our newest creation...pineapple & banana smoothie:

Bon nuit!

Bongolo Welcome

2011-06-06T18:02:00.005-04:00

If you read my last post, you know a little bit about my trip to Panga...The Thelanders and I were given a true welcome home by the ants of Bongolo. All you insect lovers will enjoy this:

The Thelanders' light switches did not work because they were jammed with ants:

My little apartment was infested with ants...Ants invaded all three bedrooms, two bathrooms and hallway.

Ready to do some damage with my highly toxic spray (I actually have used a up a whole bottle and had to call my neighbors for more!!!):

This is just a glimpse of the ant carnage:

I walked into my little apartment tonight & as I was struggling with the lock a gecko jumped down from the wall and crawled down my back.

...A true jungle welcome from the Bongolo insect and creepy-crawler population.

Panga in a Nutshell

2011-06-06T16:47:00.005-04:00

Just got back from Panga a few hours ago!...What an adventure. Thank you to all who prayed for the Thelanders, Rachael & I. We had a great time and traveled safely to and from Panga.

A little background...Panga is a beach off the coast of Gabon where some of the missionaries go to retreat for a few days. When I was planning my trip, I had no idea the Thelanders would be bringing me along when they went to Panga. Joanna was quite persuasive and insisted that I go, so I did...

Thursday through Monday was packed with rough road adventures, days at the beach, rustic cabin cooking, catching bats, jungle animals (water buffalo), sandcastles, ants, rainwater showers, intense puzzling, sunburns & so much more!...In that list of activities, you probably noticed catching bats...YES, we did encounter bats. Most managed to stay outside of our cabin, but one ventured indoors. Keir & Luke valiantly and bravely dedicated themselves to getting rid of the bat (which they eventually did). The Thelanders are into puzzles, so I learned to puzzle and although it initially brought much frustration, it was lots of fun!

The Panga area is absolutely breathtaking, from the wild fields, to the red dirt cliffs, to the sandy beach and expansive ocean, it looks like something out of a movie. If you are into the TV show LOST, it definitely looks like LOST could have been filmed there.

All in all, I am so glad I went. Joanna and I are discovering more and more that we have very similar personalities and are basically twins separated by 18 years. Haha. It really is quite hilarious!...We had some great walks on the beach. Joanna and I talked about the importance of getting away and how it is not so important what you do as who you are. Although there is certainly value in what one does (whether it is being a mom, going to school, operating or teaching), it is important to just be...to listen to God's voice, to take advantage of the opportunities He presents to you and to just learn to be still, rest and drink in the beauty of God's creation and His presence. So often in life we are so concerned with our next activity or item on our checklist...we just work, work, work and are always on the go. We leave no room for margin and just breathing in the presence of God. Even if it means shutting all forms of technology off and getting completely away from your normal routine, it is vital to just pause, rest and let God speak...I had a great time with Keir, Joanna, the kids & Rachael. I got to see another part of Gabon and I learned alot in those few days. I think my favorite part was my road-trip and late night conversations with Keir and Joanna about missions, their experiences and Gabonese culture. I loved hearing about things they have learned in their missionary experience and I know I definitely gleaned bits of wisdom from all that they have been through and observed. I'm trying to stash up everything they said so I don't forget it!!! I am so grateful for the Thelanders and their ministry in Gabon. God is using them in an amazing way in the lives of so many people and I am truly privileged to know them.

At the beach:

Sandcastle extravaganza:

Panga beach:

Candlelight dinners (trying to conserve our solar power):

Late night puzzling:

Insect SWAT Team

2011-06-01T16:21:00.003-04:00

During Taco Tuesday, Rachael, Lisa and I were called by the frantic Joanna to rescue her and the kids from a rather large spider and wasp. Poor Keir was still operating even though it was 8pm…Rachael attacked the spider who got away and escaped into the rafters. Lisa and I attacked the wasp. I was responsible for squashing it.

Spider:

Insect SWAT team + dead wasp:

Today, Joanna asked that I acquire the appropriate materials to kill and preserve a rather large beetle (the size of an orange). So, at the hospital, Lisa and I appropriate gloves, needles, syringes and formaldehyde (or the equivalent of it). I was called upon to carry out the procedure. Armed with a pickle jar and KILL IT (insect spray), I transferred the beetle to the pickle jar, sprayed insecticide in for about three minutes and shut the lid…he was thus smothered. That procedure rendered him nearly catatonic, so I was able to continue the procedure. I loaded the syringe with formol and poked the needle in under the beetle’s exoskeleton. Voila! Joanna now has a preserved beetle.

Beetle procedure:

Details & Timing

2011-06-01T15:12:00.003-04:00

Wow! I can’t believe it is already June! Where did the time go? I wish I had 20,000 days left in Bongolo, but as Keir said, “No, you can’t stay here, you have to go home and go to medical school so you can be a surgeon” so I CAN come back as a surgeon!!!

I have three days to blog about! Goodness! Well, in a nutshell, these have been the events of the past few days:

On Monday morning, I went down to the hospital warehouse with Meladee. We sorted more medical supplies and spent a lot of time making deliveries to the eye clinic, surgery and apro (another storage facility that circulates the medical supplies). As far as jungle creatures go, the most interesting one I saw down at the warehouse was a rather large lizard…about a foot long with an orange and white striped tail! After dropping more donated books and supplies off in the OR, I met with Keir for my next task. Keir had me program in the different user accounts into the new x-ray machine computer. After creating all the different accounts, I ran to the surgical residents’ library to sort out some books and then I headed up the hill to type up the list.

Talked to Joanna about my laundry problem in the afternoon. My washer smells and my clothes have white fuzzies on them, so we got scared that I had a rat’s nest somewhere in my washing machine. I don’t know if its good news or bad news, but it turns out there is no rat’s nest in my machine. So the source of the fuzzies and stench remains a mystery.

Later in the afternoon, I had the Thelander kids for lessons. On Monday, we finished up all our art projects and made birthday cards for Meladee (another missionary on the station).

Birthday cards for Meladee:

At 5ish, Alexia came over for an English lesson. Alexia is a highschool student and has a beautiful voice. After talking a while, we sang some worship songs together. It was cool to get to know a younger Gabonese girl. She gave me a lot of insights into Gabonese culture and some of the spiritual struggles here. Hopefully I’ll get to see her again before I leave!

Monday night was Omlette Night for Lisa and I. We stuffed our omlettes with salami, tomato, mushrooms, cheese and every good thing we could find. Another success! Then we made my favorite jungle dessert: banana smoothies.

Banana smoothies with Lisa:

Tuesday morning started off with devotions with the hospital staff at 7:30am. Then, I went on rounds with the surgeons. Keir and Anatole did an incredible procedure on a poor little boy who had a dislocated elbow. The poor kid had the elbow dislocated for weeks or even months, so it was stuck out of place. Keir and Anatole proceeded to do a very frustrating and difficult surgery which involved clearing out the joints and trying to manipulate the elbow back into its proper position. It was very difficult and only time will tell how much better the boy’s arm is. I’m praying that he heals completely! The procedure was rather long (compared to most of the procedures at Bongolo) and lasted over five hours.

Elbow surgery:

I couldn’t stay in the OR any longer because I had to go into the village, Lebamba, to do a little grocery shopping. After we got back from town, Lisa, Rachael & I had “Taco Tuesday” at my place. Making tacos in the jungle, is quite a different experience. There is no nearby grocery store and readymade tortillas, so we made our own tortillas and cooked up some ground beef that I bought in town…low and behold, we managed to make jungle tacos!!! We handmade ice cream and made our own hot apple caramel sauce from scratch…delicious. Taco Tuesday was a pretty exhausting process, so we didn’t last that long and I went to bed pretty early.

Handmade tortillas with Lisa & Rachael:

Today was quite the adventure. I went down to the hospital at 8am to drop some boxes off by housing close to the hospital called the “Good Samaritan.” In Africa, we normally burn our garbage, but I know that the women at the Good Samaritan housing are very poor and like to use cardboard boxes for mattresses and other uses. So, Joanna and I piled up her car with boxes and I unloaded them at the Good Samaritan housing. Within five minutes, there were quite a few Mamas walking towards the boxes.
I spent from about 8am-11am organizing the “depot du bloc” (OR storeroom). Rachael joined me at 9:30am. We actually were able to find a home for everything that needed to be put away. Next week, we’d like to refine the organization a bit…organization is a HUGE problem in Gabon because the Gabonese (on the whole) do not keep up organization or understand the point of an organizational system. This makes it very hard for the hospital staff to find what they need or even know they have it.

I was supposed to meet Alexia at 11:30am for English and to sing a little together, but she never showed up…plans always change in Africa ;- )

At 1pm, the kids (Sarah & Luke) and I began our baking extravaganza. Meladee’s birthday is coming up this weekend and the Thelanders and I will be gone (read further for that), so we wanted to celebrate Meladee’s birthday with her. We also made some for Mama Dinah, Papa Jacques and Baby Samuel (he just came home from the hospital today!). We made MILLIONS (literally) of chocolate cupcakes and frosting. Sarah and Luke are great assistants…the three of us did quite a bit of test-tasting along the way, though ;-)

Baking Team:

After delivering our cupcakes, I came home, attacked the dishes (otherwise I will have an influx of ants). Tonight I am packing for Panga!!! Tomorrow through Monday the Thelanders, Rachael and I will be heading to Panga which is six hours further into the middle of nowhere…no internet access, so don’t expect another blog post until Monday night or Tuesday night.

On a more serious note, in an effort to read through the Bible chronologically, I started reading Genesis a few days ago. Yesterday, I read Genesis 7 and today I read Genesis 8. There is really something to be learned from Noah. Besides the fact that he was righteous in a time and era were others were not, Noah obeyed God without hesitation when God asked him to build the ark. Furthermore, Noah TRUSTED God to take care of the DETAILS like bringing two of every kind of animal to the ark. Noah didn't waste time asking God how everything was going to play out or how the animals would come, Noah got right to HIS task (building the ark) and left the details to God. So many times, we as human beings try and micromanage details that are beyond our control and concern. We have to learn to leave details to God and trust him completely...In Genesis 8, the Bible talks about Noah sending out a dove to see if water was still all over the earth or if there was dry land. He had to do this more than once and it shows that Noah learned to trust God's TIMING. He did not get out of the ark until God showed him it was time. So, not only should we trust God with details but we should also trust his perfect timing...In the context of missions Gabon, this is huge. I'm learning from just observing those around me and personal experiences that so many times on the mission field, we have no idea how or when things will pan out, so trust in God is essential. He knows best. He has taken care of the details and his timing is perfect.

To the Ends of the Earth

2011-05-29T17:47:00.008-04:00

I woke up this morning at 5:45am…bright and early :-) I packed some leftover muffins & apples and met Lisa and Karen around 6:45am for the drive to church. This Sunday we headed to Doussala which is about 1.5km from the border between Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville. On the 1.5 hour drive to Doussala, we picked up two itinerant evangelist guys. Church starts very casually at 9am or whenever people feel like showing up.

We had a pre-church session…as in some kids just sat in the church and a 9 year old (appx.) girl led worship songs until one of the evangelist guys decided that church should actually start. Kids leading worship before church:

Church started and there was more singing and then a time of prayer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the singing in Gabon…voices are absolutely beautiful!

During the singing, the little girl (maybe two years old) next to me just kept staring at me. I don’t think she has seen many white people because she kept running her hand over my arm and caressing my skin. Then she took her little pointer finger and touched every mole and bug bite on my arm in complete fascination. Then, she took my hand from my lap and slowly stretched out my fingers. One by one, she touched each finger and then stared at my finger nails and poked them. I stood up to sing and all of sudden, the little girl was at my feet on her hands and knees. Her little finger reached out and touched my big toe and then all my other toes. She ran her fingers over the nail polish on my toes. She then crawled under the bench to my other side and repeated the same procedure with the toes on my other foot. She would touch my fingers or toes and then hers, as if to compare them. It was absolutely adorable and I had fun watching her figure things out…For the rest of the service, she slipped her hand into mine and wouldn’t let me out of sight:

I later learned that my little friend is named Japrisa…After singing and praying, children were dismissed for Sunday School (l'école du dimanche) with Mama Lisa & Mama Christina…You are probably wondering why the title “Mama” in front of Lisa’s name and mine?...I promise you that neither of us magically had children. Mama is simply a title of respect.

I never knew one could hold the hands of six children at the same time, but today I learned that it IS possible. Each kid wants to hold your hand directly, so they grab a finger or any appendage and just hold on to you…so, Lisa and I each had a mob of children around each hand as we walked from the church to the Sunday School meeting place.

We used the same lesson from the Marembo Sunday School and did Genesis 22 with the kids. Once again, I was Isaac…this week, I was strapped to bamboo as the sacrifice. Lisa and I have become quite good at acting out this story’s skit (or, as they say in French “sketch”). The kids were kind of A.D.D. We sensed a general spirit of distraction amongst the kids and even adults…as if for some reason, they could retain only very little. Lisa had printed little handouts with a Bible verse and picture. The older kids received the handouts and colored the picture with crayons Lisa brought. The little guys got stickers that I brought from the U.S.…That was so sad for me, because I gave the kids a little sheet of stickers each and they didn’t know what to do with the stickers because they’d never seen them before. I spent quite a bit of time putting stickers on their arms and faces…soon, I had a whole line/crowd around me with a million little hands holding out their sticker sheets to me. I showed each one how to peel off the stickers and soon every little one was covered head to toe in Disney stickers.

Covered head to toe in stickers:

Little Japrisa and I:

(Note: It takes alot of work to get children or adults in Gabon to smile for pictures...just because they don't smile does not mean they are miserable..its just they way picture-taking goes here)

Lisa and I walked the kids back to church…they were just finishing. The adults leaving Doussala church:

Mama Karen, Mama Lisa, myself and the two evangelist guys along with some members of the congregation made some house visits after the service to pray for two widows and another very sick elderly lady…I could go on and on with stories and impression of Doussala, but that would take whole webpages.

We left Doussala around 1pm and got back to Bongolo around 2:30pm…On Saturday, Lisa and I decided that we need to take full advantage of our time together and so we made a dinner date for every single night of my remaining stay. Today, it was “Sauce Sunday” and we had leftover pasta and sauce with meat. Mhmm. Lisa said she can tell I’m Cuban because I am forcing her to eat more than she usually does. At 4pm, I met up with Rachael Thompson and headed down to the hospital to color with the kids in the pediatric ward. Those little faces stole my heart. The five kids that colored with us were all under the age of eight and were the most serious bunch of children I have ever encountered in my life. One little girl in particular just made me want burst into tears…I was talking with Rachael about this and she said that at their age, these kids don’t know yet that coloring can be fun. Their moms treat coloring as school since they haven’t gone to school yet and warn them to do well. So, these children color under pressure and in fear that they might mess up :- (

While we were coloring, I heard beautiful voices echoing through the little ward. There was a bunch of teenagers sitting together singing worship songs in French and I even some in English…its funny, here I am in Africa and all of a sudden, I hear “You are My All in All,” “Heart of Worship” and other familiar songs.

How far does the love of God go? Today reminded me that the love of God goes to the ends of the earth. The love of Christ penetrates every corner of this world. Whether it is a small village on the border of Gabon and Congo or a pediatric ward or the USA, there is not one place that the love of God cannot reach. There is not any situation to which the love of God cannot give hope. There is no individual which is unloved by the God who created them…because Jesus came to this world because he LOVES all.

Martha Stewart Meets the Jungle

2011-05-29T16:53:00.007-04:00

Where to begin with this blog? Everytime I think I’ve just had the best few days of my life, I have another day that tops the previous.

Saturday morning, I woke up to the sound of roosters and the boys playing soccer at the field below the station. I decided that I was going to have a special breakfast that did not involve the usual cereal and milk. I invited my roommate from a distance, Lisa, over and we made a gourmet breakfast of eggs and muffins. We had some awesome conversations about God over breakfast and things that He has helped us work through…talked a little bit about Genesis 22 and the personal application of that passage. Bottom line that God has taught me with the story of Abraham laying down Isaac is that God will sometimes call us to sacrifice things and usually these things are what are closest and most dear to us. Sometimes, we will receive those things back as Abraham received Isaac back, but that is not always the case…we have to be prepared to sacrifice for the long-term. In that, we show our obedience to God and our faith in him and his plan for our life. Because, when we do not obey God, we are simultaneously saying that we know better than God and have a better plan for our lives than God...Our breakfast conversation was a great way to start the day. I am so blessed to have Lisa (amongst many others) in my life!

After breakfast, “Operation Jungle Cookie Party” commenced. When I gave Christine Bataneni her first English lesson, we got talking about chocolate chip cookies and so I decided to invite her, the other surgical residents’ wives and my friend from Benin (Afoussa) over for a cookie party. Now, let me tell you, baking in the jungle can be quite an undertaking because recipes have to be adjusted because of the humidity. Needless to say, I was very nervous. In addition, my oven has a temperature regulation issue. Lighting the gas stove can also be a rather precarious situation. To top it off, I also ran out of gas as I tried to light my oven…Lisa helped me overcome these hurdles and I was finally able to commence baking the cookie dough...Lisa told Joanna, "Look at Christina! She's like Martha Stewart meets the jungle, but it works!"

In addition to making chocolate chip cookies, I also made shortbread (at Joanna’s suggestion). The reasoning behind baking shortbread is that the ingredients are easily attainable in Africa and any of the women could easily replicate the recipe. The ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, on the other hand, are NOT easily attainable. Brown sugar and chocolate chips (amongst other things) are not available in Lebamba.

Joanna & I with the first batch of oven-fresh cookies:

Cookies were already in the oven when the ladies came over at 3pm. It was quite the party (guest lists have a way of evolving in Africa :-)…I think there were at least twelve people over. They were all so cute and dressed up for the occasion.

Group photo (minus Joanna):

…Cookies were a total success. Desserts don’t really exist in Gabon and they certainly are not as sweet as American desserts, so the women really appreciated the less sugary shortbread. They enthusiastically wrote down both recipes and are going to attempt to make them by themselves…We all had a great time and I think it was a great break for all the women since some work at the hospital and others are busy taking care of their kids all day.

Christine Bataneni, petit Christine & me:

Maechat & I:

Afoussa, Me & Christine (they wanted to wrap my hair like Afoussa wears her hair normally):

Saturday was basically an eating-fest…Rachael Thompson invited Lisa and I over for some Cambodian food in the evening. There is no culinary task that woman does not succeed at! What a cooking genius. I told Rachael that I’ll be stealing her recipes…I finally made it home around 9pm and was able to do some skyping. I went to bed relatively early Saturday night because I knew Sunday would be an early morning…

Cultivating Patience

2011-05-27T17:33:00.005-04:00

Well, I’ve been reminded that I ought to stay on schedule with blogging…

Thursday started off with 7:30am devotions with the hospital staff. Dr. Keir, the surgical resident and I went on rounds which was made more interesting than usual by checking in on the man who had the big gastro surgery on Tuesday.

Thursday was basically my administrative duties day…After rounds, Keir and I collected records of all the deliveries within the past year from maternity. My job was to calculate the % c-sections/month based on the maternity records. I then cross-referenced their records with the surgical records. It was a somewhat nerve-wrecking task because the staff in maternity are not the most meticulous record-keepers…to put it mildly, but that is how you learn flexibility and patience. By the end, my mind was spinning…Finished up another spreadsheet Keir needed done for the PAACS program and visiting surgeons.

The PAACS residents just received a shipment of donated medical textbooks, so I unpacked those and sorted those into the very mini surgical library at Bongolo…It doesn’t sound like an intense day, but that all took quite a bit of time, especially calculating the % c-sections.

Finished off the day by passing out when I got back at like 4:30ish. Lame, I know…Later on, Lisa, Rachael, Alexia (a Gabonese girl) and I made papaya-chocolate shakes…That is the first bit of chocolate I’ve had since I left. SOOooooooo good…

It always fun to watch Lisa experiment in her kitchen. Talked to Alexia a little bit. She is in the Gabonese equivalent of highschool and has a big test (with English on it) coming up, so I may help her study this coming week.

This morning I helped Meladee with medical supplies down at Depot #5. It was a good day, we got a lot done and did not encounter any mice ;-) …I ran some errands at the hospital, grabbed lunch and my lesson stuff and then taught the Thelander kids from 1-4pm. Today was our last official lesson on cultures. We learned all about Cuba today including its history, famous people, etc.

Cuban geography:

Spanish matching game:

Luke & Sarah came over around 5:30pm so Joanna & Keir could have a “date” night. Love those kids! Rachael Thompson joined us for dinner. After dinner we watched Wall-E, made banana smoothies, ate popcorn and cookies…I’m stuffed!!! We finished off the evening with some coloring...another successful day in the jungle.

Friday night coloring with Sarah & Luke:

The plan for tomorrow is to scrub orthopedic supplies til around 1pm. Then, I have to start baking…Afoussa, Christine, Neni, Rachelle, Micheline, Lisa and Joanna are all coming over at 3pm to bake. The goal is to teach the African women how to bake the oh-so American treat: chocolate chip cookies. That’s right, I found chocolate chips in the jungle!!! Pretty much made my day!!! …We’ll see how baking in the jungle goes. The humidity here messes with baking, so we will just have to see how this goes!

…All of this is a great opportunity to learn patience (definitely not my strength) and flexibility. Whether it is sorting through records, waiting for slow internet, coming up with lesson plans or battling with ants in the kitchen, patience is being cultivated. I’m reminded of the fact that 1 Corinthians 13 (the “love passage”) starts out with, “Love is patient” …so true. We show our love to others and we reflect the love of Christ when we are patient. Being impatient serves no purpose except to aggravate and frustrate.

Jungle Adventures:
1.On our way back from lessons, we’re walking through the jungle and I tell Luke who is playing with a ball, “Be careful, you don’t want to lose your ball in the jungle”…Just how many can say that? Its not every day that you could lose your ball in the JUNGLE.

2.Just how many of you look up from your laptop to see this little guy crawling across the wall and eventually into an electrical socket (probably not the best idea for the gecko).

Samba! ...It's been a while

2011-05-25T19:12:00.008-04:00

Samba! (Ynzebi dialect greeting to someone you haven’t seen in a long time)

I know it has been a while since, I’ve written, but I’m carving out some time to blog right now or I’ll be forever behind and never catch up with what’s gone on the past few days.

Petit Luc's birthday was Sunday & I brought a Sesame Street bus from the U.S. for him:

Started off the week on Monday, by going down to Depot #4 with Meladee to help sort medical supplies. The hospital just got one of its shipments. 1-2 times a year the hospital receives a container. The container is sent out form Ohio and everything from medical supplies, donations, food for the missionaries, etc. goes out on it. So, this means the warehouses receive boxes of medical supplies including surgical gowns, sorely needed bandages, surgical compresses, vitamins, etc. We sorted some new stuff, but also a box of old surgical gowns and drapes donated from the States. When we were sorting, all of a sudden Meladee and I saw something move. All of a sudden, we saw two baby mice nestled between the layers of surgical gowns and drapes. Their mother had munched on quite a few gowns in an effort to make a nest for her children, so we translocated them to the outdoors. After sorting and organizing stuff for a couple hours, Meladee and I made deliveries to different departments at the hospital to replenish departmental supplies.

After working with Meladee, I stopped by Keir’s office so he could show me some computer work he needed done. I had to change some coding in the phone lines…as Keir said, “You now have the power to complete mess up our phone system, but you won’t.” Keir was right, I successfully completed my job without screwing anything up :-)

EnVision (the C&MA’s short term missions office) had 13 students from Central Michigan University (CMU) here serving. They were able to help me get a head start on one of my projects that would have taken me much longer to complete by myself. In fact, I’ve been so busy, I have not even gotten around to starting it yet. The CMU girls were a big help and helped me sort and clean off boxes of orthopedic equipment and casting materials. They brought the stuff up to my place so that either tomorrow or Saturday, I can spend some time scrubbing and cleaning off the braces and adjustable casts, etc.

Boxes of ortho supplies that the CMU girls & I cleaned up:

Once, the CMU girls and I were finished with that project, I took the Thelander kids swimming from 3-5pm – felt SOOOOOO good after working in the sunny outdoors and dusty warehouses!...Monday night I went over to the EnVision center to say goodbye to the CMU team…really had an awesome time talking to them and had some great conversations! I officially got the crap scared out of me when two Gabonese boys knocked on my door Monday night. Turns out that they just wanted to give me a papaya, but definitely still creepy at night.

Tuesday started off early with devotions down at the hospital at 7:30am. After devotions, I went on rounds with Dr. Keir and the surgical residents. After seeing patients, I was able to see a couple different procedures including a gastroendoscopy. After Dr. Keir and Anatole (1st year resident) pulled pins out of a little girl’s feet, Keir asked me to help Anatole clean her feet up and help with casting while he went on to the next case…so, there I went, casting materials in hand, but it was awesome!

Dr. Keir says the next case after that was probably the biggest case Bongolo Hospital has had in his 5 years here. The man had a CT scan that was done in Libreville. Keir had me look at the CT scan and said something like, “I know you don’t know anything about CT scans, but if you had to guess, what doesn’t look right/where is the problem?” Well, I guessed right!...The man had quite a large mass that had invaded his spleen, so on the CT it looked like he had an extra organ. This definitely qualified as most intense procedure ever at Bongolo. Over the course of about 4+ hours, the man lost lots of blood and had to receive multiple transfusions and Keir took the man’s spleen out along with the mass that had also invaded his pancreas (or at least that’s what I got out of what was going on). It was crazy. There were points were there was blood squirting everywhere. I’ve never seen so many surgical compresses used in one case…I think they used close to 23 or so. Not that I’m one to judge, but Keir and the residents did an awesome job!

Gastro surgery of a lifetime:

After the OR, I ran up to eat and change before heading to town with Joanna and some of the missionaries. In Lebamba, I did some grocery shopping. When in town, we ran into a lady who definitely had mental issues and kinda went after us. Afoussa insisted on following us around the market to keep us safe. Haha. Afoussa is the best!

Afoussa & little Maechat keeping me safe at the market:

Tuesday evening, I was so sleepy, I fell sound asleep on my bed and I had left the door unlocked. Oh boy! Fortunately, Lisa stopped by to get something, so I consequently discovered that my door was open. Lisa and I ended up cooking an impromptu meal. Since we’re both living alone and do not have much motivation to cook it was great to get together and cook and have a “real” meal: pasta, sauce, corn, papaya and yogurt = delish!!!

Yogurt & papaya with Lisa:

This morning, I headed down to the “bloc” (French for OR/operating room) storeroom. Rachael and I sorted the surgical supplies. Organization is so important, because if these places are not organized, the doctors do not know what we have and then they cannot use all these supplies. Unfortunately, the Gabonese do not maintain organizational systems very well, so Rachael and I are attempting to set a system in place that can easily be maintained – we’ll see.

After the OR storeroom, I did some computer work for Keir. Then, I grabbed my lesson stuff, grabbed Luke & Sarah, and had school with them until 4ish. School was Spain-themed today and we finished off the afternoon by making Spanish fans and boats like the explorers used. Later in the evening, I went back over to the Thelanders since they had invited Rachael and I over for dinner. Afoussa stopped by too, so that was great!

Well, I think those are the highlights. I probably left stuff out, but I am so sleepy, so anymore details will have to wait!

Really enjoyed Psalm 57, especially the last few verses (vs. 9-11):
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Marembo

2011-05-22T17:25:00.005-04:00

Karen, Lisa and I began the trek to Marembo at 7:30am. Church begins CASUALLY at 9am. I don't think we actually started until 9:30am. The Marembo village church is a young church that Karen and Lisa are trying to encourage and guide.

Marembo Village Church:

Lisa oversees the Sunday School and Karen helps in “big church.” Their “big church” is really more of an adult Sunday School. Lisa and Karen are going through the Bible chronologically with this little village congregation. Today, Genesis 22 and the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac was discussed.

After singing together with the adults in church, the children went off with Lisa to another house in the village for Sunday School. I helped Lisa with Sunday School, which was awesome. There were about 18-20 kids from age three to fifteen. Lisa first had them recite their Bible memory verse from last week. Once they memorize enough verses and earn enough stickers, they will receive a French Bible of their very own. After checking memory verses, Lisa and I acted out the story in Genesis 12. I played Isaac and carried the wood on my back and was strapped to a pretend altar. After the story, the kids colored a picture that they were given.

Coloring with the little girl (named Coconut) who followed me around and her brother Jamal:

Lisa helping kids color:

With all the Sunday School kids:

Sunday School finished with singing, an offering and prayer. I loved going to church in a small village…wish I could go every Sunday. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. There was a little girl who followed me around. Haha…The church made us and the main leader/pastor lunch, which was so sweet since I know they don’t have much. I love church in the little villages because it is simple and they focus on what’s most important: God. There is no effort to turn church into some complex, theatrical show or to please a particular group or style. I love and cherish the simplicity of it. I loved being with the kids and getting to know them a little bit.

We got home around 2pm…Did some laundry and ant extermination (naturally) and then it was time for an English lesson with Christine Bataneni. Today was also Christine’s son’s birthday, petit Luc. Petit Luc is HUGE, but he just turned two today!!! I spent a little over an hour doing conversational English with Christine and then I watched petit Luc at my place so that Christine could go down to the hospital and visit Mama Dinah and Baby Samuel. Baby Samuel is doing much better. He is off oxygen and jaundice lights and seems to be turning the corner. Praise the Lord!

The rest of the evening has been pretty low key minus one or the other insect invasion…Just so you all know, extermination has become a regular habit and I also sleep with a flashlight under my pillow. Why do I sleep with a flashlight under my pillow you ask? Well, you NEVER KNOW when you may feel some creepy, crawly critter and need to explore its identity and then carry out its execution.

Ahhh....and let it be known that I was officially COLD for the first time today. Although it was warm, it was overcast for most of the day and I actually shivered. THAT is a record.

That's really the nutshell version of the day and my impressions...Had a wonderful Sunday! Absolutely loved Marembo…I told the pastor that I’d like to fly out to Gabon every weekend for church at Marembo and he indicated that I was more than welcome to…my only concern is that it might get a little expensive ;-)

Weekends in the Jungle

2011-05-21T18:51:00.005-04:00

I spent Friday morning helping missionary Meladee at Depot #5 (Warehouse #5). The hospital receives lots of donations of medical supplies, but there is a huge need to organize everything that comes in. Without the organization that Meladee does, the surgeons and other doctors don’t know what we have and can’t use it. Meladee is so essential to the smooth functioning of the hospital and the use of supplies. Friday we sorted surgical gowns and drapes. These gowns and drapes are sorted and then repaired. Donated gowns and drapes often have quite a few holes, so Meladee spends time mending them so that they can be used. After the mending is completed the gowns and drapes are dropped off at “sterilization”…To put it mildly, sterilization at a jungle hospital is quite different than the U.S. ;-)

Working in Depot #5:

From 1-3:45pm on Friday afternoon I spent teaching Luke & Sarah Thelander about Italy….We went over facts, geography, language, history, famous people and missionaries. All of this involved quite a bit of writing and reading – Luke & Sarah are definitely troopers. We finished off our lesson with two crafts. We made leaning towers of Pisa and gelato cones :- )

My students Luke & Sarah hard at work on their leaning towers of Pisa:

After Luke & Sarah, I gave Neni (a surgical resident’s wife) an English from 4-5:20pm. Neni is a fantastic woman. She is a dentist and mother of two children. She and her husband (Tchoba Simplice) have a really cool story. They are both from different areas of Gabon which means they grew up speaking local mother tongue (tribal language) at home and French in school. Both chose to go to medical and dentistry school in Russia which meant learning medical and dental terms in Russian. Then, they came back to Gabon and were re-immersed into a French-speaking environment. Neni’s husband, Simplice, is a surgical resident and had to transition to learning English when he entered the PAACS surgical residency program at Bongolo Hospital.

Dan and Alicia (working for the EnVision branch of C&MA at Bongolo Hospital) are hosting a short-term team of 13 college students. They invited some of the Bongolo missionaries (including myself) over so the team could get to know the staff and residents at Bongolo.

Got home around 9pm and passed out at 9:30ish. I got to catch up on some sleep today. Naturally, the day could not pass without another insect invasion. I awoke to the sink area of my bathroom crawling with ants. After exterminating the critters, I was able to spend some extending time reading the Biblevwhich was awesome. Later in the afternoon, I went over to Lisa’s where we made the jungle version of American pizza and caramelized popcorn...such a treat out here! Dr. Renee joined us! …Lisa and I have learned that lot of jungle cooking turns into a science experiment!!! I had a great time catching up with Lisa. Lisa was a missionary nurse in Ethiopia before coming to Gabon and is such a COOL person. I met Lisa two years ago and we really clicked, so it was great to spend some time hearing what God has done in eachother's lives over the past two years.

Lisa & I working on our jungle science experiment (a.k.a. caramelized popcorn):

Tomorrow, I am off to church with missionary nurses Karen and Lisa. We’ll be leaving super early for the small village (Marembo) since it is a 1.5 hr. drive. Can’t wait!!!

So, that is how one can spend the weekend in the jungle!

Unplanned Events

2011-05-19T18:14:00.004-04:00

Crazy day that involved a series of unplanned events…Here is the super brief synopsis. Today was a series of adventures that involved restructuring the schedule multiple times. Last night was a crazy night for hospital staff (particularly the surgeons) with some cases last night. Also baby Samuel (born Monday) turned blue during the evening and is not doing well. Please pray for him!

One patient had a bowel obstruction, so I got to watch a really awesome surgery. Then there was an appendectomy. Went on a “jungle tromp” with Rachael Thompson (missionary kid who grew up here) and Adam...We had a goodbye dinner at the Thelanders for Dr. Tom, Jesse, Jeff, Carrie and Adam…the mass exodus begins tomorrow and all the visitors beside me leave.

Bowel obstruction surgery:

Dr. Tom Martin, Me & Loua (surgical resident):

Appendectomy:

Jungle tromp with Rachael & our machetes:

Goodbye dinner:

Mostly, I’m just praying hard for baby Samuel, his parents (Jacque & Dinah) and the staff treating him. Please join me in praying for him. Obviously, this was not planned or expected and is very sad for all of us. Pray for healing and the strength for Samuel to fight for his life.

Insect 101

2011-05-18T16:05:00.003-04:00

Two blog posts in one day? I promise you there is a reason.

Where to begin with this tale?

Once upon a time, I thought that I could avoid any major skirmishes with insects during this trip. However, I was greatly mistaken. My three housemates were gone at dinner and I was left home to endure this harrowing experience. Innocently, I walked into the kitchen to make dinner. As I was cooking, I noticed that every so often a bug or ant would make its way to my prepped food. This was extremely obnoxious. After eating, I decided that I could take it no more. I began by just wiping the ants away, but I soon realized that would not suffice. I followed the trail of ants to their source...spoiled fruit and coffee that my housemates had left on the counter.

I must digress for a moment...In Gabon, we warn everyone to store fruit and almost everything else in the fridge to prevent from ant invasion. My housemates had left their fruit on the counter for over a week, so at this point the fruit was moldy, rank and ant-infested.

I cleared the counter of the coffeemaker, toaster oven, etc. and proceeded to exterminate the ants by using highly toxic spray. When I removed the toaster oven, a lizard jumped out at me and I also discovered a plethora of spiders. The spiders and bugs had also infested our napkin basket. Counters were sprayed and washed with soap & water. Only then did the kitchen return to its normal state.

Thus ends the tale of Christina the Exterminator.

Now you know the dangers of food in Gabon. Should you ever travel here, please be careful in storing your food.

Helping Others Succeed

2011-05-18T12:53:00.006-04:00

I began by walking down to the hospital to the Sal de Reunion for devotions and staff-wide lecture at 7:30am. Dr. Tom Martin (visiting cardiothoracic surgeon) lectured to the general hospital staff about vascular health, more particularly the basic pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. I really enjoyed his talk and found that I was able to understand all of it because of my Biology education particularly the Immunology course I took in Fall 2010. The time closed out with methods of preventing atherosclerosis and a Q&A session. After, the staff prayed and sang together before beginning the day. There is something so special about gathering the hospital staff together to praise God. I love the sound of hymns in French – beautiful! So blessed by the devotional time!!!

I took off with Dr. Keir, Dr. Tom, the surgical residents and the visiting medical student. On some mornings, they have lectures – this morning Dr. Tom lectured about dissections in the heart. I was able to understand a fair amount, but naturally I was not exactly familiar with the physiology of the heart. Keir read a little lesson/quote for the day, that I really enjoyed. It said something like, “To lead is to help other succeed”…So important, especially when you are in a position of leadership. A leaders task is not to be the best or glorify himself but rather to help others succeed. If leaders are always looking out for themselves then they do not serve as good leaders because they are not thinking of others. I think true leaders help others succeed because they have the best interest of others (NOT themselves) at heart. All in all, leader or not, I think this is a model that every human being should adopt...we should all make an effort to help others succeed.

Rounds (after surgery) are my favorite thing, because I love seeing how people are doing and what change surgery has brought about. For the doctors, it is also an awesome opportunity to give an encouraging word and really speak into people’s lives. Today, I observed Dr. Keir tell a patient to not visit the witch doctor in hopes of trying to get better…This is not the first time I’ve witnessed such a conversation. It is a constant reminder of the spiritual battle that goes on alongside the physical. Witch doctors often prescribe remedies that aggravate the present medical condition (i.e., boiling water on necrotizing fasciitis).

You have to understand that the residents are a fun bunch. They are so welcoming. I feel like everyone’s little sister since they are all in their 30s. I love teasing them. I told one resident (Loua) today that he needs to smile more often because he always looks so sad. Then the other resident, Nzanzu, said he would take care of teasing Loua about smiling. Haha. They kill me!...Dr. Keir is funny because I pick up all this random surgical advice. I think I’m going to compile a book of them and name it “Keir’s Medical Maxims.” One a more serious note, I love talking to them and learning about where they are from and what they hope to do. All of these guys have the potential to serve as world-changers. After they finish the PAACS program they will be sent out as qualified Christian surgeons who can help people spiritually and physically. After rounds, I watched part of a laparoscopic procedure…

Me & Simplice Tchoba (2nd year PAACS surgical resident):

Laparoscopic procedure (showing the cystic duct on the screen):

I cut out a little early so I could grab lunch before teaching Luke and Sarah Thelander...Ran home to change out of scrubs and grab my teaching stuff. Luke, Sarah and I headed up to the school house. Joanna wants me to teach the kids about different countries, so today I planned a lesson about Germany. We had a little agenda of what to do…These kids are quite possibly more organized than I am and like to know what their agenda is for the day. So here it is:

Sarah took a picture of me teaching:

The kids learned about Germany, I briefly told them about the big castle, Neuschwannstein…since they learned about the castle, we had a castle building contest afterwards.
Castle building contest (it was timed…of course!):

Lisa, Adam, Meladee, Joanna, Sarah, Luke & I headed into town after. We did a little grocery shopping and some errands. A couple posts ago, I mentioned Afousa…we stopped by Afousa’s store to see her. I’ve seen her a few times now and this time she insisted on giving me a pair of earrings. She is too sweet! I know that none of these people have much, so it is a real honor. We are praying for her salvation…

I am so enjoying being here a second time and really getting to know people….whether it is the residents, Christine, Afousa or others, I love the opportunity I have to talk with them. I will be so sad to leave all my friends when these week are over!!! Between the hospital, teaching & town, it was a busy day!

Relationship Building

2011-05-17T13:27:00.004-04:00

Let it be known that I keep blogging by popular demand…I’m afraid of what will happen if I’m not faithful to blog. Today was a relatively busy day. The day started at 9am with nurse Lisa down at the hospital. Actually, I couldn’t find Lisa at first, so I used my broken French to figure out where she was. Lisa is really an incredible woman. She has a lot of energy and is very go-with-the-flow. As a teacher at the nursing school and also a nurse at the hospital, she is always running between buildings. I’ve termed Lisa the “gofer nurse” because she really runs all over the place. Lisa seems to keep some things (particularly the nursing students) in check…So we checked on a patient in the medicale (adult medicine ward), two in the pediatric ward, changed an IV and administered drugs to a patient in the surgery ward. There was a random patient who came back 10 days before his appointment, so we looked at his injury.

Later, Lisa and I took a trip over to the lab. In the two years since my last visit, the lab and pharmacy have been completely knocked down and rebuilt on another area of the hospital campus. We took a trip to the lab to get a patient’s lab results which turned out to be AMAZING because I got to see the brand new lab, which would be considered rudimentary in the U.S. I am always amazed at the vast difference between U.S. hospitals and Bongolo.

New Lab:

Me & the lab guys:

We went over to one of the warehouses to grab some meds for a patient and I stopped in to say hi to Imba. I met Imba on my last trip. He speaks Spanish and is actually from Guinea.

Lisa proudly showed me the new morgue. Ok, it’s a morgue, so it is not THAT exciting, but it is quite a step from the old morgue. The old x-ray room is currently the temporary morgue. Lisa and I went to another warehouse to evaluate medical supplies. Hopefully, within the next week, I can clean up stuff and organize it so that we actually know what we have. The warehouse is absolutely disgusting and thus not a good place for medical supplies.

Morgue:

All in all, I had an awesome morning with Lisa at the hospital…its just kinda hard to remember everything at the end of the day!

Went back up Cardiac Hill to grab lunch and do some laundry. Got a phone call from Joanna…she told me that boxes from the container that had been shipped months ago had just arrived. I was recruited to help out Joanna with some unpacking and organizing. Love helping out because I always get to learn more about people and Gabonese culture through neat conversations. I was at the Thelander’s til about 3:20ish and then ran home to prepare stuff for my English lesson with Christine at 4pm. I put together a small powerpoint of pictures, so we would have subject matter to talk about and she would be able to ask questions.

I met Christine & petit Luc at her home at 4pm. We went for a walk and then Christine & petit Luc came back to my place and we talked more and looked at pictures.

Petit Luc (a.k.a. most adorable child ever) walking:

It was a great day of relationship building. I love spending time with Lisa especially at the hospital. Can’t wait to tackle my medical supplies project over the next few days… Had a great time with Joanna and then Christine & Luc. English lessons are a great too! I get to help Christine practice her English, but I also get to know her as an individual. What I have learned is that serving is so much more than doing a task, but it is the privilege of getting to know other people on a deeper level and also live out your faith.

Miss Christina the Teacher

2011-05-16T16:19:00.005-04:00

Short blog tonight...

As you may understand by now, plans in Africa have a way of changing…So, I did not actually go organize stuff at the warehouse with Meladee (currently rescheduled to Friday). At 7am, I got a call from Joanna…turns out one of the surgical resident’s wives (Dinah…pronounced Dina) was in labor and since they have no family in town, Joanna promised to keep them company. At 7:45am, I walked over to the Thelander’s and was greeted by little Miss Sarah. Joanna went over the kids’ homeschool curriculum with me real quick before going down to the hospital. The homeschool day began at 8:15am sharp.

Sarah & Luke ready to attack the school day:

We did Bible, reading, math, geography, science, etc. At the appointed times, we had two short breaks. When school was done we began the enormous Lego construction & made lunch.

Break time:

Later, the kids had lessons with Rachael (another missionary on the station). Since Joanna was gone, I kept an eye on things at the Thelander kids & played with them some more after their lessons with Rachael. I was able to employ my broken French to communicate with various people throughout the day…I may just be improving! Around 5:30pm, I went down to the hospital to see Jacque and Dinah’s new baby: Samuel. The baby is absolutely ADORABLE.

Dinah & Samuel:

Baby Samuel:

My housemates and I had dinner with veteran missionary Carolyn this evening. She has been in Bongolo since 1977 (I think). It was great to hear how Bongolo has changed over all those years and also learn a little more about Gabonese culture.

Going to look over my lessons for the Thelander kids and then it is off to bed. The plan (as it currently stands) is hospital with missionary nurse Lisa in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, I’ll be giving conversational English lessons to Christine Bataneni.

View of the hospital through the jungle:

Gabon's Treasures

2011-05-15T16:43:00.005-04:00

Over the weekend, things are pretty relaxed on the mission station for short-term missionaries/visitors…so we short-termers got to see some of Gabon's treasures...this involved tubing on the Louetsi River as described yesterday.

Tubing team:

Today, I went to Bongolo Church (the church on the hospital complex grounds). Church is quite extensive. Normally, it goes from 8:30am-2pm. Joanna Thelander told me to arrive at 9:45am and leave by noon. Haha. Dr. Keir preached. Dr. Keir is a man of many talents and is not only husband, father, surgeon, IT tech around the station but does SO much more…AND once in a while he gives the sermon on Sundays.

Bongolo Church:

Keir gave the sermon in French, which was then translated to Nzebi (local dialect)...Side note Nzebi: French, the national language) is currently taught to all children in Gabonese schools; however there are local dialects in different regions of the country. Sermons are often translated into local dialects because the older generation of church-goers may not speak French.

Since Keir was preaching, he had to sit up front, so (with the encouragement of Joanna), I sat all by my onesy in a long row of Gabonese men and women and...LOVED IT! I thoroughly enjoyed all the singing. Everyone here seems to have such a passion and joy when it comes to their faith and praising God. After church, I ran into Joanna, Sarah, Luke and petit Luc who had all been in the children's Sunday School.

Me & petit Luc after church:

I think I understood about 75% of the sermon, even though it was in French. Keir talked about his call to Gabon and how God spoke to him. He then talked about Abraham and Abraham’s response to God’s call. After, Keir addresses the story of Jonah and how Jonah first ran from God’s call.
After church, I ate lunch super quick & changed into caving clothes…Geared up with long sleeves and long pants, a bunch of us were taken on a tour of the caves under Bongolo Hospital by Kali and some Gabonese friends: Boucka, Olrich & Prince.

Caving team:

Christina in the caves:

Yes, I am wearing a headlight...pretty legit. I learned that I am prone to falling all over the place when there is an excess of mud. I think my sneakers lost all their traction once they were cached in mud, so Dr. Tom, Boucka and multiple others developed the habit of watching out for me & catching me. Thanks to them, I don't have too many bruises ;-)

Tomorrow it is an early start to the day…the plan (right now) is to help Meladee (a missionary) sort stuff and organize medical supplies by working in the storage warehouses. There are multiple warehouses on the station and some are quite extensive. Later, around 3pm, I’ll be relieving Joanna by grabbing Luke & Sarah for a couple hours so she can get some work done…So far, that is the plan for tomorrow! Stay tuned for more :-)

Things that Pull at My Heart

2011-05-14T18:18:00.009-04:00

Saturdays at the hospital with the missionaries can sometimes involve a few adventures...today we went tubing on the Luetsi River (not sure how to spell that) which was pretty cool. Despite multiple layers of sunscreen and bugspray, I may now qualify as a coffee bean :-)

Later today I was reunited with Christine Bataneni! I met Christine on my last trip and it was great to see her again. We (me & my housemates) had dinner with Christine Bataneni & petit (little) Luc Bataneni. Christine Bataneni is a doctor and married to Jean Claude Bataneni, a surgical resident from Congo. Jean Claude is finishing his 5th and final year of the residency program. Currently, he is in Kenya on an orthopedic rotation (I believe). Around the end of September Jean Claude, Christine, Luc & their new baby (due in August) will be returning to the Congo to the town/village of Nebobongo. The hospital in Nebobongo has a huge need...from seeing a video about it and talking to Keir, the Nebobongo Hospital makes Bongolo Hospital look high tech...a little scary ;-). Keir was saying that their operations are currently done by a nurse. They are quite limited in what they can do because they don't have anesthesia machines!!! There is only one doctor for the whole hospital. They are not nearly as well staffed as Bongolo. There is such a HUGE need in Congo. I am so excited for the Bataneni's and how God will be able to use them to help people physically and spiritually in Nebobongo. As you can tell, there is such a great need for medical care in Nebobongo & the Bataneni's are currently raising support so they can actually go back and serve there. Pray for them, for strength & encouragement and that they would receive the needed financial support...Hearing about situations like the one in Nebobongo pulls at my heart SO much and makes me so anxious to hurry up and finish med school & residency so I can be useful!!! So frustrating that this whole surgery business takes so long!...Who knows? Maybe I'll end up in Congo after med school and residency?! Christine Bataneni told me that she prays that the Lord will lead me to serve in Congo with them...and I would like nothing better! :-)

Petit Luc & I:

Dinner:

Sarah, petit Luc & I eating dessert:

Afousa & I:

Christine Bataneni & I:

The actual occasion for the dinner was the birthday of Afousa (not sure how to spell that). During my last visit, I met Afousa. Afousa is from Benin and a friend of Joanna Thelander (missionary surgeon's wife). So, Christine Bataneni had us over for dinner and simultaneously celebrated Afousa's birthday.

It was so great to see Christine & Luc again. Two years ago, during my last visit, Luc was born..so we will be celebrating his birthday on May 22nd! He has grown into such a little man!!! I can't believe he is almost two. What a big kid!

Amongst Heroes

2011-05-13T18:11:00.010-04:00

Today I sort of had the morning off and was able to get some extended time in with God which was wonderful! But, I DID miss the hospital. Later in the morning, Sarah & Luke Thelander came to visit on their break from school. I love those two kiddos. And, OF COURSE, they were thrilled to show me the population of driver ants that developed outside my building. We spent a good chunk of time admiring them. Then, I went on a water-filtering mission for Joanna! …I walked down the hill to one of the storage buildings to try and find some stuff for Keir. That was kind of a failed mission because I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I took some pics to get some verification, so I’ll be going back ASAP to grab the correct item. But, it was a fun little mission…I love the walk to the hospital, even though I did get quite gross and sweaty.

Joanna, but particularly little Luke Thelander have me on a anti-dehydration program and are constantly shoving water into my system. So, everywhere I go, I pack my bag with a water bottle and flashlight (it gets very dark here at night and you never know what you might step on ;-). I also coat myself in bugspray, however that does not seem to do much as I am covered in Bifudou (Gabonese term for no-seem bugs) bites….they appear like little red specks. After my walk down, came back up and grabbed a few things before I picked up the Thelander kids. Sarah, Luke and I set off on another jungle adventure while their missionary parents had a meeting with other missionaries. Sarah & I playing Miss Mary Mack:

Then, we (Joanna, Sarah, Luke, Dr. Tom, Carrie & Jeff) all packed in the Thelander’s SUV to go into town, Lebamba. Bongolo falls on the way to town:

With Joanna’s help I was able to do some grocery shopping today in Lebamba. We also visited Gushar (the basket maker). Gushar is 25 years old, in school, and also has a wife and two kids (maybe more, not sure)…on the side, he makes baskets. If he passes the exam this year, he is hoping to go to university in Libreville. Gushar, the basket man:

Ose, the tailor, said he recognized me from two years ago…not sure if that’s true, but he DID take a picture of me in my Gabonese outfit back in the day!..Back to grocery shopping, food is generally pretty expensive and almost all stores carry the same things. Store/market in town and Gabonese kiddos:

Almost all the shops are run by non-Gabonese people. Most of the shop owners are Muslim and attend the small mosque in town. Joanna Thelander (missionary surgeon’s wife) and Deb (missionary pediatrician) told us that this is because it is virtually impossible for the Gabonese to save their money. This is because if a Gabonese man or woman does make money it is not solely theirs…if there is a need in the family (even extended family), that family has the right to demand money of the individual with more money. For this reason, there are a lot of half-built houses in Gabon. It is every Gabonese person’s dream to have a stone house, so when they amount any money they immediately start building, but more often than not, their source of money is depleted when relatives demand money…thus leaving a half built house.

After getting back to the mission station, my housemates and I were invited over to Dr. Deb’s for dinner. Pauline was also there. We had a lovely time. Pic of Pauline, Dr. Tom, Dr. Deb, Me & Carrie:

Honestly, it was an honor to sit amongst those that I consider heroes. I am coming to the realization…more and more everyday, that I am SO privileged to hang out and pick the brains of such amazing people. Everyone on this station and in Libreville, like Pauline, Deb, the Thelanders, Lisa, the Straws…are all SO fantastic. They are here to serve God by serving these people. I’ve been hearing and observing hospital stories all week and the dedication of these missionaries astounds me. They will stop at nothing to serve the Gabonese and every other patient so that each person at Bongolo Hospital sees the love of Christ. It is because of their love that people understand the love of God. Deb was saying that a mother and child came into today and the child was so malnourished, but the mother said that she didn’t have money for nutritious food, she didn’t have any family, etc….and Deb said told her that she was a young woman with talents who could find something to do and that she (Deb) would help her and do whatever it took to make sure that she received enough for food for her and her child...Long story short, I get to sit amongst and work alongside individuals that I consider heroes. Heroes because of their love, attitude and responsiveness to the call of God.

I told Deb it was good to be back "home" in Bongolo and she said that the first time you come you're a visitor and after that you come "home"...so she welcomed me back "home" ...So looking forward to spending some time with Dr. Deb in the peds ward! :-)

There was so many other things I wanted to write, but now I don’t remember!!!

Back in the Swing of Things

2011-05-13T12:39:00.007-04:00

Well, Blogger was down for the past bit, so I didn't get to post yesterday...don't freak, I'm alive. Here is yesterday's post.

A brief account of today’s (Thursday's) jungle adventures since I am rather tired…

Today was my first full day back at Bongolo. I love it more each day. Even though it is quite hot here, that will not change my love for this place. I was going to go on a vaccination clinic trip to a village, but plans changed and I went to the OR instead. Gotta to see some cool surgeries, go on rounds, see the changes that have been made to this hospital since May 2009 and I met some of the new surgical residents.

I just love everyone here! The patients at the hospital are great. In going on rounds, I noticed (I was discussing this with some people later) that the Gabonese have a huge resilience to pain. Days at the hospital start off with devotions and prayer at 7:30am. For the surgical dudes, this is followed by rounds in the surgical ward and then special cases in the pediatric ward, medicine ward and maternity ward. I saw a pediatric hernia and circumcision, vaginal hysterectomy, TURP and thoracotamy. I was able to help out here or there by grabbing one thing or the other.

I was down at the hospital til about 2:40ish and then swiftly walked up what is known as Cardiac Hill (a steep hill/road leading from the hospital to mission station) and stopped home to change out of scrubs and grab food. Then, I stopped by the Thelander’s to watch the missionary kids (Sarah & Luke) so Joanna could get some work done. Before taking off into the jungle with Sarah & Luke, I ran into missionaries Pauline & Lisa. Lisa is a nurse at Bongolo who I met last time & we became buds so it was great to see her again...and if you look at the picture below, we are both wearing the same exact shirt :-)

Sarah, Luke and I walked around the mission station, went on the swings and came back to the house for some good old Lego-building (with Luke) and beading (with Sarah). Sarah & I on the swings at Bongolo mission station:

I’m living in guest quarters on the station (fondly known as Triplex). There is a visiting cardiothoracic surgeon (Dr. Tom) and then a married couple (Carrie & Jeff). So, I went to dinner at a local "restaurant" with my housemates and a missionary couple, Dan & Alicia. When going to a Gabonese restaurant, you generally bring your own drinks and condiments. Food at the restaurant:

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE every minute spent in the OR at Bongolo. It is so amazing to see how God made the human body and the role he allows us to take in healing.

It's a Jungle Out There

2011-05-11T19:22:00.000-04:00

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 :-)

Oh the Places You’ll Go…and the People You’ll Meet

2011-05-09T13:10:00.001-04:00

My friend Sarah gave me a Dr. Seuss book before I left called Oh the Places You’ll Go …she couldn’t have been more accurate. Since Sunday, I’ve been from Rochester to Washington to Frankfurt to Libreville…three continents.

But, in addition to the places you’ll go, there are also people you will meet. Waiting for my flight in Dulles, I was surrounded by many Germans – I just love them! The best part is, everyone assumes I’m American and they think I cannot understand them, but little do they know I’m half German. On the way to Frankfurt I sat next to a painter from Oklahoma and had a lovely conversation with him. He was travelling to Venice, Innsbruck and Salzburg and had only ever visited Paris. Thanks to my parents and their insistence that we visit every museum on the face of the earth, I was able to give the painter a crash course on what to expect during his travels. It was a lovely flight.

You know when you’ve arrived in the Frankfurt airport when you hear a buzz of different languages, see confident Germans and observe lost Americans. Unfortunately, German organization does not penetrate their flight gate assignment system. I had to inquire at a counter what gate my flight would be departing from…but, before I could do that, I was thrust into an impromptu translator situation.. A German Lufthansa representative and an American were having issues communicating, so I stepped in. Immediately following that episode, the same Lufthansa representative was becoming very impatient with a confused South American gentleman who spoke Spanish and broken English. The poor man spoke to me in Spanish which I then translated to German to acquire the correct info from the Lufthansa representative. The frazzled gentleman was much relieved once I relayed the desired information to him. There is nothing like translating at 7:15am to wake you up…At this point, I had the flight representative so confused since I was speaking English, Spanish and German. It was hilarious. The reserved, matter-of-fact German lady informed that my flight was scheduled to leave from Gate B24 but that was subject to change up until 45 minutes before the flight’s departure…very out of character for the ever organized Germans. You can imagine just how many times I check the departure screens. This kept me on edge and prevented me from falling asleep and thus missing my flight. I don’t know whether I looked like some kind of guide or what, but a French-speaking woman travelling to LBV asked what gate our flight would be departing from and kindly expressed her frustrations with the Germans. I then informed her that I would do my best to find out ASAP. She looked much relieved once I gave her the correct information and explained the situation.

I was very tempted to stay in Germany…Fresh rolls and cake from the bakery practically shouted my name when I walked by the stores in the airport. My Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to LBV was delightful. Food was DELICIOUS. I’m fairly certain I could live on a Lufthansa flight. I completely fooled the steward and stewardess and pretended I was German ;-) …I’ve discovered that Germans are much friendlier when you speak German because it allows them to stay in their comfort zone. There is certainly no danger of dehydrating on a Lufthansa flight. I think every half hour I was asked if I’d like something to drink. The stewardess would not take no for an answer and INSISTED on giving me some water every single time. I was in line for the bathroom in-flight and the four men in front of me insisted that I jump to the front of the line. I was rather suspicious of their kindness...Naturally, when I was sitting down later, one gentleman (Hispanic) approached me and gave me his business card (I have no idea why) and indicated that we were both from the U.S. since I spoke to him in English.

You know you’ve arrived in Gabon when you feel the humidity envelope you as you step off the plane and about a minute later you can feel the sweat dripping down your forehead. But, I LOVE IT! I’ve never been happier to arrive anywhere. The customs officer didn’t like me much (I think) and asked over and over again what my occupation was. I think he thought the answer would change and was surprised at my consistency. Pastor Sangoye stepped in and saved the day. Sangoye and I met up with Pauline (a missionary returning from England) and headed to the Straw’s house.

So, I’m currently sitting in Libreville (capital city; aka LBV) at the Straw’s house. Wednesday morning, I’ll be leaving LBV with Pauline (another missionary) and taking a bus to Mouila (possible 10ish hours…who knows). Then, someone from the hospital will pick us up and we’ll drive another 2ish hours. Everything is subject to change & delays without notice ;-)

That’s it for now!

D-day!

2011-05-08T10:24:00.003-04:00

Well, yesterday was graduation - By the grace of God, I made it! I'm amazed to see how far he has brought me. It would have been impossible without him. Phase #1/3 of my medical education is complete. I officially have a B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Religious Studies with a minor in Chemistry. Yipee!!! :-)

The countdown is officially over and today I leave for Africa...! I probably won't have a chance to update until Monday night when I get into Libreville and am at the Straw's house. Remember, Gabon is 6hrs ahead of the U.S., so that'll be Monday afternoon your time!

Ready for this adventure!!!

4 days!

2011-05-04T22:16:00.000-04:00

Just 4 days until I leave for Gabon....Wow! It is getting close. I honestly can't believe I'm going back. I have always wanted to go back, but I never thought it would actually happen. God is so good :-)

Last week was finals. My last exam and presentation were last Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday, I rushed off to South Carolina with my parents to apartment hunt. God really blessed our search and on Friday morning I found an apartment that is just a four minute drive from my school and about a five minute walk from downtown Spartanburg, SC. My parents and I used the rest of the weekend to get to know the area and figure out how I'll set things up in my apartment. So excited to be living in warm, sunny weather!!! The four minute drive to school will be a welcome change from my current 30 minute commute.

Graduation is this Saturday, so I am running around between school and home trying to get my stuff together for Africa and attend school functions. I've got all my Crocs, skirts & jungle wear ready-to-go...Ok, its ALMOST ready-to-go.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." -Ecclesiastes 3:11

...LOVE, love, love that verse. It reminds me that I can't imagine all the amazing things God is going to do and all the amazing things he has planned :-)

32 days!

2011-04-06T20:51:00.005-04:00

21 days until my last final,
31 days until graduation &
32 days until I leave for Gabon!

Getting super psyched for Africa :-) I've got most of my Africa gear set aside & I'm all up to date on my vaccinations, now I just have to get through one paper, one project, two exams and two finals.

I can't wait for Gabon. I hope there are still remnants of the rainy season left by the time I get there, because I still miss falling asleep to rain hitting the tin/metal roof above me head.

P.S. - I got into medical school!!!

Semester Crunch

2011-03-18T03:10:00.003-04:00

Gearing up for the next two craziest weeks of my life. At Fisher, we're reaching crunch time, since we end classes right before Easter...In addition to school, exams, papers & presentations, I'll be travelling between Rochester, South Carolina, Maine and NYC for medical school interviews. I'm so blessed by these opportunities and I'm praying that God will make clear to me where he wants me...It will definitely be a whirlwind.

Praying that God will keep me strong, focused on him and the tasks he has placed before me.

In the meantime, I'm getting more excited about Africa everyday. I'm so excited to go back and serve and see everyone that I met two years ago...So, get ready for lots of Africa posts as I get closer to my departure date!!! :-)

Back to Africa

2011-03-03T17:27:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update...I'M GOING BACK TO AFRICA!!! (FINALLY!)....Booked my ticket to Gabon for May 8th-June 15th. 5.5 weeks of jungle life & serving at Bongolo Hospital; I'm psyched!

Change the world?!

2010-10-24T01:32:00.001-04:00

Two things God has really placed on my heart :-)

Part I
I miss Africa more than ever before. I’m hoping to go back this summer. – This past weekend, the Thelanders (missionary surgeon & family from Gabon) were in town and I got to see them twice. Honestly, it was a huge encouragement to me and reminded me why I’m doing what I’m doing. Hearing them talk about Bongolo Hospital, and Gabon made me want to go back all the more. Why?

Because I want to do something that matters. This may seem very idealistic, but I want to change the world. I want to help the sick. I want to tell people that there is a God who is crazy in love with them. I want to make my life count…

Here in the United States, I sit in a college classroom 5 days a week. Most of my classes are rather useless and don’t at all contribute to my career aspirations of being a medical missionary. I am the first one to get wrapped up in the technology and materialism that makes up our culture; frankly, I’m disgusted with it. In this culture, it is so hard to dig through everything and find God because our lives are forcibly refocused on the busyness that is American life…Constantly, we are running from one activity to the next. We, as Americans do not take life leisurely at all. Stressed, we go from one thing to the next. We don’t take time to savor life and enjoy those around us. Honestly, this lifestyle sucks the joy out of so many aspects of our lives. And here’s the thing…I don’t know if that can be remedied in a culture that is so ridiculously busy.

I don’t know…Call it discontentment, call it whatever, but that’s where I’m at :-)

Part II
Lately God has been challenging me with how to love people well. I’ve been carefully looking at 1 Corinthians 13 and the first few chapters of Hosea. What absolutely AMAZES me is the love that God has for us. He is CRAZY, insane in love with us, his creation. The book of Hosea describes God’s love for Israel and correlates it to the prophet Hosea’s love with Gomer. What overwhelmed me was the love of the Lord for Israel and the love of Hosea for his unfaithful wife, Gomer. Again and again Gomer (like the nation of Israel) abandons her husband. She forsakes him for lovers, for prostitution and according to Hosea 2:13, she even forgets him. Hosea exemplifies the perfect love that the apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13 by continually receiving Gomer again. Hosea buys her clothes, oil and wine and does not even take credit. Despite her repeated adultery and tarnished reputation, the Lord still loves Israel and calls her his people once again. The Lord encourages Hosea to love her (2:23, 3:1). Acting out of never-failing love, Hosea buys her even though she is not worthy of his love and forgiveness. There are SO many parts of Hosea that I just love, but what blows my mind the most is in chapter 2, verse 14…God talks about wooing Israel, romancing her and making her vulnerable to Him…He continues on in verse 17 to say that he will remove the names of the Baals from her lips, meaning that God will cleanse the lips of Israel. God continues on in verse 19 and 20 to say that he will betroth Israel to himself forever, with righteousness, justice, love, compassion and faithfulness. Despite Israel’s actions and unfaithfulness, God LOVES. He loves the 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love which is PERFECT. God does not remember the errors of Israel’s or our past…He forgives and welcomes Israel back with faithfulness meaning that he will be faithful even though Israel was not. He loves with righteousness by cleansing Israel…That kind of love is SO perfect.
I stand back amazed at the love that God shows humanity. Despite our continual unfaithfulness, he loves us. Imagine, if we as a society, could take captive this concept of love. Imagine what the world would be like if we as humanity learned to love well. Imagine if despite what people have done to us, despite their repeated unfaithfulness and despite their constant tendency to disappoint we loved. Imagine if we truly loved. What would the world be like? If humanity were as loving, forgiving and devoted to one another as Hosea to Gomer or God to Israel then we would not recognize the world.

This whole concept isn’t new, so much as I really want to rise to the challenge. I WANT to love well. Because, it is when we love well that God can use us to reflect His love and through that glorify God and change the world.

D-Day aka MCAT Day

2010-06-16T07:19:00.011-04:00

The day has come. Tomorrow I'll be taking the MCAT. I've been so nervous and fearful of this, but studying for it has been a learning experience (not just academically). God has taught me so much about trusting in him and truly relying on him. I have learned that my faith in him should be enough to lean on. Even when I am unsure of the outcome, I can be sure that it is the right one because I have a Heavenly Father who loves me more than I can imagine. I'm part of the greatest love story ever told. There is NO one who loves me more or cares for me more deeply. God is concerned about my fears and worries...even it is the stupid MCAT.

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

Like it says in Deuteronomy, God is faithful...so faithful. He will never fail me. I was lying in bed last night listening to the song "Never Let Me Go" (Hillsong United) on my iPod and I was faced with a startling realization...What have I to fear in taking the MCAT? The God who MADE this world has gone before me. He knows the exact questions I will be faced with and he has empowered me with the ability and the knowledge to answer them. Through Christ, we as believers have the same power that conquered the grave. This wasn't so much new to me as that I finally let it sink in...I'm so glad that I serve such a mighty, awesome, powerful, faithful & loving God.

Never Let Me Go
Hillsong United

In the shadows; My spirit weak
Love broke through the darkness and lifted me
And I know you'll never let me go

In the storm in the raging sea
Love conquered the fear and delivered me
And I know you'll never let me go

Oh love in the shadows
Be the light who leads me on
You're love I will follow
Be my guide, Your will be done
Oh Lord

In the arms of the One unseen
Love carried the cross that was meant for me
And I know you'll never let me go

Oh love in the shadows
Be the light who leads me on
You're love I will follow
Be my guide, Your will be done

Oh Lord I surrender, now forever I'll be loved
In the love of the Father, You are faithful You are strong
So hold me now, hold me now, hold me now

Nothing in this life has walked these streets
Love opened my eyes show me what You see
And I know I'll never let You go

"Never Let Me Go" is, without a doubt, my new favorite song. So, tomorrow morning I take the MCAT. I'm trying to rest in God's peace and the fact that he has this under control. Prayers are definitely appreciated! Pray that I would do well, but above all pray that God would be glorified.

Thank you to all those who have been encouraging me and praying for me along the way. It means the world to me. God Bless!

God put this amazing sunset in the sky. He can DEFINITELY take care of the MCAT :-)

Medical School Rant

2010-05-13T22:39:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately, I still haven't had the opportunity to write up a big long post as promised in my last blog entry. Romans is still one of the coolest books in the Bible and when I have a spare moment, I'll have to type up what I've learned...

The semester finished on Friday, April 30th. I got my grades a few days after and did pretty well. All I can say is that God is gracious and this would be impossible without him. I can't believe I'll be a senior in college in the fall...I took the first weekend off and began studying for the MCAT last Monday (May 3rd). I'm trying to spend time reviewing content and material these two weeks and review questions. I think I own every Kaplan MCAT product that they have ever published or sold. I seriously need to post a picture of these materials. I think I have about seven 300-400pg books and then a box of over 1,000 flashcards, a guide from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges)and a few practice tests. Thank God that I had scholarship money that I could use towards buying all these study materials because otherwise they are QUITE expensive.

My goal for the next four weeks is to take as many practice exams as humanly possible. I think that will be the most useful. I've already spent many hours and long days in the library studying and I have many more to go...Can't wait for this to be over. June 17th. That's what I keep telling myself. I'm praying that I do well enough that I don't have to retake it.

I've finally started my medical school application. I have to fill out one online application and that goes out to as many medical schools as I choose and then those schools will send me a secondary application...I can't believe I'm finally at this point. I feel like I've waited so many years to apply to med school and now the time has finally come. Scary.

So, for now, my life revolves around the MCAT. I try to study a good 6-9 hours a day, relax for a bit at night and then get to bed early so I can wake up early.

Tomorrow my brother leaves for a 3-month internship in Florida :-( ...so until early August, I will basically be an only child.

And so it comes to an end...

2010-04-26T12:34:00.003-04:00

This week is final exam week at Fisher. I have my Biochemistry final on Wednesday which I'm fairly nervous about since I'm struggling in that class :-( Then, there is physics on Friday and then I'm DONE!!! Those are two HUGE prayer requests.

When this week wraps up, I will have to catch up on my blogging. I've been reading some great stuff in Romans lately & I can't wait to share it.

Oh, and guess what? Almost exactly a year ago (on May 2nd), I left for Africa. I can't believe it has been a year since Gabon...Miss you all!

(Bongolo Hospital, Gabon, May 2009)

Taking a Stand

2010-04-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

The Stand
Hillsong United

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Just love this song...Listening to it makes writing my paper & studying physics SO much better :-) I've got lots to do within the next 24 hrs. I have no idea how it will all happen since I'm very tired and caffeine has no effect on me. Seriously. Coffee, tea, Mt. Dew & Red Bull are all completely useless.

Forever Faithful

2010-04-10T20:01:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a testimony of God's goodness...From last Thursday (April 1st) to this very moment, everything imaginable has gone wrong. When I write everything, I truly, whole-heartedly mean EVERYTHING. From big to small, everything has gone wrong. I could write and write and list everything that has gone wrong, but what I have realized is that's not important. Through it all, God has remained faithful and strong and I KNOW he will continue to be.

I just would like to acknowledge what an awesome God we serve and how faithful he is in everyway. Whether it is providing solutions to problems, bringing encouraging friends alongside me or whatever, God is always faithful. Sometimes it might be hard to see, but a thread of his faithfulness is always there.

Falling at HIS Feet

2010-04-03T16:35:00.000-04:00

Two posts in one day? I know, that's a little obnoxious. But, in conducting research for a theology paper of mine, I just found THE MOST FANTASTIC quote by C.S. Lewis in his defense of the divinity of Jesus.

Enjoy:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher; but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” This is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The Heart of God

2010-04-03T12:24:00.000-04:00

Hosanna
Hillsong United

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

Hosanna in the highest

I was talking with friends late last night/early this morning about reaching our generation and reaching the lost. We were talking about how to do that and what has called us to...Later on, we were listening to music and Hosanna was being played. I love this song, because it so embodies our call as believers. When our hearts break for what breaks the heart of God, then we truly begin to live for Christ. Because what other reason is there to live?

So what are we doing as members of this generation to take our place with selfess faith?
How are we responding to what breaks the heart of God?

(The sky in Salzburg, Austria, in early August 2009)

2010-03-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

More Scripture tid-bits from what God is teaching me...

Tid-bit #1:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." -John 14:27

God has been showing me that regardless of the situation, trial, rough school week or whatever, he is with me and extends his peace to me. I really have no reason to be down-trodden or freaking out because God has everything under control. This is a constant lesson for me, because SO often I freak out over an exam and get so nervous that I can barely function, but I need to be trusting and resting in God's peace. Yes, I still need to care and take responsibility, but God has everything under control...So, I encourage you to rest in his peace.

Tid-bit #2:

"Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" -John 11:40

When Jesus saud this, he was challenging Lazarus' sisters, particularly Martha. In the case of Martha & Jesus, when Martha trusted and believed (that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life), God was glorified and the stone to Lazarus' grave was rolled away...

When I read this, it was a challenge to me....Does this generation believe? Because if we do, we will see the glory of God...In Martha's case, her brother rose from the dead and that was just one person believing. What will we see if a GENERATION believes??? What will that look like? IMAGINE.

(African sunset in Gabon)

Living Water?!

2010-03-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)

Earlier in the book of John, Jesus explains to the Samaritan woman that he GIVES living water:

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will becomes in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life'." (John 4:13-14)

Here is what I think is radical: not only can we accept the living water (the Holy Spirit who brings salvation), but as the first quoted verse said (John 7:38), living water flows from those who believe in Christ. So, living water starts to flow from US when we truly believe in Christ, obey him and live a life that reflects his character.

2010-02-15T22:56:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I really don't like labeling these posts with title, because in my mind, I can't put a label on what God is doing in my life.

I love when the Bible comes alive...It makes me so excited to read it! ...let's face it, I'll be honest, sometimes I really struggle with cracking open my Bible, but lately I can't get enough of it.

I feel like I have written this a thousand times, but I can't stress it enough. God continues to teach me that he is faithful. Not only is he faithful, but he is present in our lives. In the book of Acts, in Paul's famous talk to the men of Athens, Paul teaches that God IS present in each one of our lives. So many times, we as humanity build up God to be some distant, far-fetched, powerful God, when he is SO much more than that...Acts 17: 24-28: " The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'"

...That blew me away and reminded me of how good my God is. "He is not far from each one of us"...Do you realize what this means? Not matter what the situation, trial or whatever, God knows. He knows what we are going through. He is SO awesome and SO worthy of our praise. No matter what the situation (we all have our rough days), he deserves our praise because he has a purpose in everything (Romans 8:28)

I hope that encourages you as it has encouraged me.

2010-02-10T20:53:00.000-05:00

"I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle." - 1 Samuel 3:11

"The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." - Acts 11:21

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." - John 15:19

"...the prince of this world now stands condemned." - John 16:11b

"I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in MY name." - John 12:23

"For if their purpose or activity is of human origin it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." - Acts 5:38b-39

"We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." - Acts 5:32

These are just some Scriptures that God has been speaking to my heart. Within the span of two weeks I have read and heard these Scriptures in my own devotional time, Bible study at school, sermons at church and quite a few other places.

Spring 2010 Semester

2010-02-07T00:37:00.001-05:00

Wow! Time has flown by. I am almost one month through the Spring 2010 semester. The semester began on Wednesday, January 14th. I am taking Biochemistry, Physics II + Lab, Historical Theology, The Church & Out of the Wild (an Honors course). So far I have enjoyed a lighter homework load. On Friday (2/12) I have my first physics exam and on Monday (2/15) I have my first biochemistry exam. Overall, the lighter load has afforded me more time to keep my sanity and get more involved with some clubs on campus.

God has been doing some amazing things in my life. I love looking back on portions of my life and seeing how he has orchestrated and directed different areas of it. It just leaves me in awe. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they CANNOT fathom what God has done from beginning to end"...I just love that verse because I feel that it totally embodies the character of God. We have to surrender our cares, concerns, plans, etc. to him because he is sovereign and we cannot BEGIN to imagine what he has planned. Ahhhh. That is just TOO cool.

One huge way that God has blessed me is with a campus Bible study/Christian fellowship (called Fisher Cru). I have really enjoyed getting to know these kids and hanging out with them. They have been a huge encouragement to me & I am looking forward to how God develops the club.

I just finished reading the book of John. I have really enjoyed it. I think I may just go back and read it again. John has such a unique style of writing and a different take on things. I have also been making an effort to memorize Scripture, so I am trying to remember bits and pieces of the book of John.

So, eh, my life is not extremely exciting, but I am really enjoying this season of it.

Snow!

2010-01-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

As you might be able to see, Rochester is covered in snow. The first picture shows the large pond that I live on completely frozen over and covered with snow...sometimes I feel like I live on a glacier. Today I left my house for the first time in a few days just to go to the dentist. The massive amounts of snow make perfect weather for studying, reading & family time :-)

Unfortunately, Christmas break is coming to a close and I go back to school on Wednesday, the 13th.

FREEDOM...Christmas Break!

2009-12-20T01:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas vacation...Delicious!...So, I survived finals week and am alive and well. Exam information from my Medical Ethnobotany class is still fresh in my mind and I have been spewing (I'm not sure I know how to spell this) information at my family for the last two days. So, they are learning all about poisonous plants, plants as health food & other fun topics...Here is one fact: Peanuts are not true nuts. "True" nuts would include hazelnuts, chestnuts and acorns. So there you go!

My break began with a small Christmas exchange with friends of my family and then a Christmas party with my old youth group later on Friday evening.

Today comprised of staying my pajamas and eating Christmas cookies all day until just before dinner when I decided to get dressed. In the afternoon, friend Sam came up from Chittenango, NY to visit me, so I am having fun catching up with her. Tonight we played games, watched a movie & visited my friend Danny who is home for Christmas from Oregon. YAY!

Tomorrow (technically, today) after church & lunch we plan to make a snowman!...I haven't made a snowman in years.

Anyways, I have FULLY enjoyed my first day of Christmas break, although I was a bit bored. I'm not sure I know how to function without homework. Typically, I ALWAYS have some work that needs to be done for SOME class, so this is weird. I don't quite know what to do with myself.

So, Merry Christmas to all!

Survival

2009-12-12T18:44:00.000-05:00

I survived! My presentation on Gabon went pretty well (or so I am told). God was gracious. One of the professors on the panel got a little out of control in her analysis of me and what I talked about, but God stepped in and sent other professors to my defense. So thank you to all who prayed for me!

Its kind of funny, because before I prayed and claimed one of my favorite verses in the Bible: "It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; It was your right hand, your arm and the light of your face, for you loved them" (Ps. 44:3)...So, in my case, just as in the verse, it was God who fought my battle for me and brought me to victory.

My mom & the Conquests came to my presentation, so that was pretty special. Also some of my favorite science professors and classmates came.

So, I am anxiously awaiting me presentation and course grade. We'll see.

Now comes the final onslaught also known as final week:

Monday:
- Cell Biology Final @ 8:30am
- Presentation on defining the role of rab-7 in C. elegans @ noon
Wednesday:
- Physics Final @ noon
Friday:
- Medical Ethnobotany Final @ noon

As always, God is faithful.

Drum-roll, please....

2009-12-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

This week, I have the nerve-wrecking task of giving a 30 minute presentation on my time in Gabon. Normally, I could EASILY talk about Gabon for 30 minutes, BUT this week I must talk about Gabon for 30 min. in front of a panel of Religious Studies professors, peers and professors of other disciplines.

If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely HATE presentations. I dislike them so much, that I will drop a class if I find out there is one on the syllabus. But, this is a case, where I had no choice. No escape route. No exit. No alternative.

So, on Thursday, December 10th @ 12:30-1:30pm in Basil Hall (room 207), I will be making a presentation on my time in Gabon. I have to speak for about 30 minutes. I'll be presenting on the published, 52-page reflection that I wrote about my time n Gabon. I have to pick three topics. These aren't just any three topics, though, I have to support them with Biblical and scholarly opinions.

After the presentation, the REST faculty get to pick my apart, comment or ask questions. Then, it is the audience's turn. Yipee!

Anyways, I am RIDICULOUSLY nervous (as only Christina can get), so pray that God grants me peace, strength, courage and boldness. Most of all, pray that he would be glorified.

Sleep Deprivation

2009-11-29T02:59:00.000-05:00

According to Wikipedia: Sleep deprivation, a sleep disorder characterized by having too little sleep, can be either chronic or acute. Long-term sleep deprivation causes death in lab animals. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight gain.Complete absence of sleep over long periods is impossible to achieve; brief microsleeps cannot be avoided.

Ha ha. From personal experience, I can agree with that definition.

Running free

2009-11-25T08:55:00.000-05:00

Whatever else Jesus came to do, one thing is clear - He came to set you free.
God has been so misrepresented.
He's been cast as the divine legalist, the eternal killjoy.
It's as if God spends His time in eternity designing straight jackets and molding shackles just for you.
No wonder so many people start running for their lives whenever the name of God is mentioned.
God is not a warden; He is a deliverer.
And so earnest is He about your freedom that he was willing to be taken captive and crucified on your behald just so you could run free.

-Erwin R. McManus from the book, Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul

God's love for us is so overwhelming.
If you step back and think about it, it is AMAZING. There aren't any words in the English language that can truly describe his love.
Jesus loves much.
Jesus loved us SO much that he died for us.
Every single one.
From murderers to lawyers, houswives to doctors, homeless to rich, old people to college kids...whatever. He died for us ALL.
There was someone out there (namely, Jesus) who was willing to have nails driven through his feet and hands, a crown of thorns crushed into his skull and so much more just because he loved us.
Think about it? Would you endure all that for someone you "love?" Maybe, but maybe not.
God's love is so big, so perfect, so strong and so pure.
Jesus took our sin upon him, so that through his death and resurrection we might "run free" from sin as McManus wrote.
AHHHH. It BLOWS my mind.

Fact

2009-11-20T17:27:00.000-05:00

So, I explored the PAACS website a bit more last night and came to the realization of one painful fact that I can't get out of my mind.

In Africa, there is one surgeon (of any specialty) for every 250,000-2.4million people.

That is just plain wrong.

PAACS

2009-11-19T19:03:00.000-05:00

So, really I should be writing a paper now, but I got side-tracked. My paper is due tomorrow morning and its 7:04pm. I'm still missing some sources for my bibliography...oh, the life of a college student.

Well, my paper is about PAACS (Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons). I had an opportunity to become familiar with the program during my one month in Gabon.This paper is for one of my Religious Studies classes. Anyways, so I was reading up on PAACS and its history (from www.paacs.net) and it just stirred up my desire to go back to Gabon and be a surgeon...preferably Gabon, but really anywhere in Africa, South America, Asia or wherever there is a need. I have such a hunger to glorify God by serving others through surgery. AHHHHHH...I want to go NOW. I wish I could fast forward appx. ten years when I will be done with all this blasted schooling and residency. I cannot wait for the day when I can go back to Bongolo as a surgeon (if they will have me). But, really, I will go anywhere. I just want to serve!!! Anticipation of this day is killing me. But, it keeps me focused and driven.As Paul says in Philippians 3:12, I "press on" toward the goal which Christ has set before me.

I love how God used this past summer to encourage me and grow his passion within me. Before, I used to waiver (especially when chemistry got rough) about whether I truly wanted to be a doctor, but now I KNOW that this is what God would have me do. He used my time in Bongolo to confirm that within in me. Then, he grew that desire within me. God caused my life to intersect with so many special individuals and experiences. So, like I said, God used my time in Gabon to grow his passion within me and to let me dream. I have huge dreams. HUGE, HUGE, HUGE dreams and I won't let them go, because I know God has placed them within me. I wish I had ten million lives to give, so that I could spend each life serving God a different way. So here is my wish list/ list of dreams:

- Maintain a good pre-med GPA
- Get a good score on the MCAT
- Get into and graduate medical school
- Become a board-certified general surgeon
- Work as a MISSIONARY surgeon - get out of the U.S.!
- Teach surgery wherever...who knows? Maybe I'll start the South American College of Christian Surgeons?!
- Begin a new hospital in some remote area in a third world country
- Begin a Christian medical school in some remote area in a third world country
- Begin a Christian orphanage in a third world country

The list goes on...But here is the punch line. These aren't just dreams. I treat them as realities, because my God is God of the impossible. He is the same God of Africa, Asia, South America and the rest of the world. He is God of the universe and nothing is TOO great for him to accomplish.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Praying & thinking of all of you in Libreville & Bongolo!

P.S. - My mock medical school interview went well...I had a great interviewer who gave me good feedback, so hopefully, when I get to real med school interviews I will do well!

And the semester winds down...

2009-11-16T16:48:00.001-05:00

It has been quite some time since I've posted.

Today I registered for classes for the Spring 2010 semester. This is what I'll be taking:
- Biochemistry (also known as Organic Chemistry on steroids)
- Physics II
- Physics II Lab
- Out of the Wild (don't ask - its an Honors course; I HAVE to take it)
- Independent Research (in the Biology dept.)
- Historical Theology
TOTAL: 16 credits

The semester is slowly winding down, but there is still much to be done before it is done. I cannot wait for Christmas break!!!

Tomorrow, the Biology Dept. is holding mock-interviews, so basically I will be participating in a fake medical school interview. I'm a little nervous, because I don't like answering questions about U.S. Healthcare, etc. but whatever...One way or another I WILL survive.

I HAVE NO EXAMS THIS WEEK! ...This is the first week since the 3rd week of September where I will have no exams. But, I can't slack off. I have to work on some projects, papers and presentations.

Last week I went to my first Fisher Cru meeting. Fisher Cru is a student-run group of Christians that meets every other Wednesday. We watched this awesome Louis Giglio video on "How Great is our God." It really puts life in perspective.

I finally finished the book Crazy Love by Fancis Chan...I thoroughly enjoyed it. What an awesome writer. Francis Chan has an awesome way of phrasing things and it really made me re-think life.

I miss Bongolo more than ever and I truly wish I could spend my WHOLE Christmas vacation in Gabon...I'm hoping to go back in Summer 2011 before medical school. That would be FANTASTIC!

Happy November!

2009-11-02T21:27:00.000-05:00

School has kept me dreadfully busy. I have had at least one exam every week since the 4th week of September. I feel like a complete bookworm.

An update on my life:

- I dropped my ethics class. There were MANY reasons. The foremost reason was that I cannot stand a teacher who does not represent two intelligent, scholarly viewpoints during the discussion of controversial subjects.

- Cell Bio. Lecture is going pretty well. I did ALOT better than I thought on the exams and quizzes we have had the past month or so.

- Cell Bio. Lab tries my patience more than Organic Chemsistry lab. Sometimes I just don't understand what the point/goal is in what we do. Lab is also LONG and BORING, but I LOVE Dr. Hurd - he is great! We have a big independent project and proposal to do, so we will see how that goes.

- Physics + Physics Lab = tolerable, but could be used as a sedative. This week (Friday) I have my second Physics exam.

- Junior Seminar (for Bio. majors) wraps up soon. I present this week (on Wednesday) on the topic of what I want to do with my life/career plans

- Religious Studies Independent Study is going pretty well. I am nearing the end of my thesis. I have somewhere close to 32-35pgs. I still have to write two more sections (4-5pgs. each), an intro., conclusion and then a compile my sources in a bibliography. So, I may be close to 45-50pgs. when I am done....Never thought I could write THAT much! I will be presenting a 30 min. presentation at the end of the semester based off an experience in Gabon.

So THAT is the update on my classes.

Other than that, I am babysitting a 1.5 year old boy Monday & Friday mornings for an hour, so that is fun and it also contributes to weekly gas & insurance costs. I still volunteer almost every week at the hospital for about 3-4hrs. I picked up a job tutoring Biology at school, too.

I am loving the fall season. I so enjoy the sun shining down on me as I walk around my college campus, it makes my day SO much brighter.

God is good. It amazes me how awesome and powerful he is. He is CREATOR of ALL and LORD of ALL. It amazes me how he anticipates our every need and proves his faithfulness time and time again.

For my Religious Studies thesis, I have been reading some cool books...here is a good quote:

"God formed us in His image and then breathed life into us.
His life in us is sustained by His character.
When we lose the character of God, we lose the life of God in us.
But to have His character, we must first die to ourselves, because to become like Him is what it really means to live."

- Erwin R. McManus, Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul

Life: A Controversy

2009-10-20T22:03:00.000-04:00

Last week in my Medical Ethics & Society class, I was forced to watch a graphic HBO film about abortion. We saw the second part to it this week. I grieved and shuddered through the experience and basically broke down during the class break. It reminded me of an encounter I had at Bongolo Hospital in Gabon this past summer:

Much of my time at the mission station at Bongolo Hospital was spent observing at the hospital and helping in small, unimportant ways. I was asked to help transport a young patient from the Adult Medicine ward to the doctor’s office, so the patient could receive and echocardiogram. During the echo, an American missionary nurse named Lisa translated for the visiting cardiologist and asked questions of the girl. The medical staff learned that the sixteen year old girl had used poisonous leaves to induce an abortion. The young girl inserted the poisonous, tropical leaves into her vagina. The toxic leaves caused the baby to die and be expelled. Nurse Lisa explained to me that often times these leaves prove poisonous for the mother as well. The medical staff treated the girl for poison with antibiotics and other medications to insure that she did not develop septicemia. As the episode unfolded before my eyes, I felt a deep sadness and tried to repress tears. I could not help grieve the loss of the unborn child who was once but lived no more.

I have been researching the pro-life position and the many objections to it as a response to my Medical Ethics & Society class and for my Religious Studies major thesis. Francis J. Beckwith, a professor, respected philosopher and distinguished author has written various scholarly articles and a book on the issue of abortion. Beckwith authored a series of articles entitled “Answering the Arguments for Abortion.” The four-part article addresses abortion and also deals with the relation of Christian theology and abortion.

The opinion that life begins at conception is debated by many. According to Beckwith, conception is the point at which the female ovum is fertilized by the male sperm, which results in a zygote. Beckwith staunchly claims, “There is no doubt that the zygote is biologically alive. It fulfills the four criteria needed to establish biological life: (1) metabolism, (2) growth, (3) reaction to stimuli, and (4) reproduction [at this stage, the zygote is capable of cell reproduction/twinning]” (Beckwith “Part III” 8). Since the zygote fulfills all of these criteria, it can be said that the zygote is indeed alive. It fulfills the criteria with which biologists define life. Biologists “prove” that plants like algae and animals are living with the same criteria. Beckwith argues that we can most assuredly claim that the zygote is not only alive, but human. Not only was it conceived by two humans, it is a unique human itself because it contains its own genetic code which selects for its unique features. “The ‘genotype’ – the inherited characteristics of a unique human being – is established and will remain in force for the entire life of this individual” (Beckwith 9). At the zygote state, the unborn human organism does not require any other necessities in addition to those that we as born human organism require. Both the born and unborn require food, water and oxygen. The being that is formed as a zygote is additionally like a human in that it continues to develop and grow just as children, teenagers and adults do. Beckwith continues to respond to objections that the zygote is indeed a being who is fully alive and fully human.

Many pro-choice and pro-abortion individuals will recognize that life begins at conception, but they claim that women have the right to control their own bodies. Beckwith responds to this objection with a credible argument:
The unborn entity within the pregnant woman’s body is not part of her body. The conceptus is a genetically distinct entity with its own unique and individual gender, blood type, bone-structure, and genetic code. Although the unborn entity is attached to its mother, it is not part of her. To say that the unborn entity is part of its mother is to claim that that the mother possesses four legs, two heads, two noses and – with the case of a male conceptus – a penis and two testicles (Beckwith “Part II” 31)
Beckwith continues by explaining that conception in a petri dish has been achieved. For example, a Caucasian petri-dish coneptus can be “planted” within the body of an African-American woman. This child, will, of course be born Caucasian. This further supports the idea that the unborn child is not part of a woman’s body, but rather attached to it merely because it dwells within. Thus, the idea that a woman is in control of the unborn child within her is incorrect. Yes, she may be in control of her own body, but the unborn is not part of her body, but rather dwells within in it.

Many suggest that abortion is morally wrong in all cases, except when a child is conceived as a result of rape or abuse. To say that a woman should be allowed to abort such a child is to condone the murder of an uninvolved third party. For example, if a criminal assaults and harms a postal worker, what right does the postal worker have to shoot a woman walking down the street? Thus, the unborn child is as much an innocent victim as its mother, or in the case of the example as the postal worker and woman. Beckwith also states, “To argue for abortion on demand from the hard cases of rape and incest is like trying to argue for the elimination of traffic laws from the fact that one might have to violate some of them in rare circumstances, such as when one’s spouse or child needs to be rushed to the hospital. Proving an exception does not establish a rule (Beckwith “Part II” 27). Additionally, Beckwith claims that a woman who has been the unfortunate victim of rape or incest has the option of immediate medical attention. This medical attention involves the cleaning/purging of sperm from the woman’s uterus. This medical procedure itself would not be considered an abortion, since fertilization/conception does not immediately follow sexual intercourse. However, neither is the time between intercourse an conception lengthy. Thus, such women should be provided with immediate medical attention. In conclusion, Beckwith claims, “If the unborn is fully human, then we must weigh the relieving of the woman’s mental suffering against the right-to-life of an innocent human being. And homicide of another is never justified to relieve one of emotional distress” (Beckwith “Part II” 27).

From the first two discussions, it can be concluded that human life begins at conception. Thus, if one aborts an unborn human life, one is committing murder. As discussed, a woman does not have control of the unborn as it is not part of her body. Thus, the action of abortion is not a woman’s to take. If such a course of action was taken, it would be no different that a woman murdering a child who lives within the same apartment complex as her (the relationship of attached, but not part). From the third discussion of abortion in cases of rape and incest, we can only conclude that although such situations are sorrowful, yet they are not resolved with abortion. Just as Individual A cannot justify the death of Individual B, because a thief robbed Individual A and caused Individual A to be hurt, so a woman cannot justify the death of an unborn child because she was raped. Thus, logically speaking (aside from all religion and theology) it is clear that since life scientifically begins at conception, any intentional act to end such a life is murder. No murder is justified by location of the victim (the dwelling of the unborn within the womb) or by another wrongful act (rape or incest).

Theologically speaking, Christianity does not permit murder and would not permit abortion in any of the discussed cases. Yes, the Bible does not directly mention that abortion is right or wrong. However, if we recognize that life begins at conception, then the abortion would be the killing of another human being, or murder. The Bible's postion on murder is extremely clear. The Bible states, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). The Christian scriptures clearly do not condone the intentional death of another. I do not know what the circumstances were that surrounded the abortion of the young Gabonese girl's unborn baby. However, there is hope. Hope remains because the Creator of this young Gabonese girl did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world as is stated in John 3:16-18. In that scripture passage, it is clear that God offers love to those who have sinned. No matter how large or small the act, God offers forgiveness.

Let God’s mercy reign over this generation.

Exams

2009-09-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

The Exam/Presentation Line-up for the next two weeks:

9/30 - Cell Biology Exam 1
10/2 - Medical Ethnobotany Exam 1
10/9 - Physics Exam 1
10/13 - Medical Ethics & Society Exam 1
10/19 - Cell Biology Exam 2
10/21 - Lecture on viruses and alternative botanical treatments
10/28 - Medical Ethnobotany Exam 2

Those are the major hurdles that I have to deal with over these next weeks. The difficult thing is that I have had so much homework and random little assignments that I have barely had time to sleep or study for exams.

But, on the other hand I have been revising some of my religious studies thesis (based on my Gabon trip) and have come across some really cool concepts...more next time!

BACK TO STUDYING!!!

School

2009-09-14T18:41:00.000-04:00

School started on Tuesday, September 8th! I have loved reuniting with my school friends!...It is good to be back and hang out with them. I really like all my classes. There are definitely some I am not so fond of, like Cell Biology. I am hoping that will get interesting. As I read my book & sit in Physics class, some concepts are coming back to me, so that is useful.

I love school, because I love to learn. But at this point, I am a bit overwhelmed. I am already getting nervous for presentations...Normally, I drop classes when I discover that there is a presentation. Well, I can't this time, because the presentations are all part of my core classes. I have a 30 minute presentation for my Religious Studies major thesis. This will be about my independent study and my one month in Gabon. In my Medical Ethnobotany class, I have a group presentation, where my group has to teach the class for about an hour. In my Cell Biology lab, I have to give a 10 minute presentation about an experiment that I designed and executed. In my Junior Seminar for Biology majors, I have to present for two minutes on what I plan to do with my life post-graduation.

With school sucking up my life, Wednesday night Bible studies have been put on hold. I am not sure when/if those will resume. Right now, I can't handle it.

mhmm...so what else is new? Well, school isn't the only place I am learning, God is also teaching me alot. He is really teaching me how to love. Loving others as Christ loves us is SO difficult. I am sure many of you have read the passage in 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul gives a description of love. A love as he describes is beautiful. So, I am continually reminding myself to really love. I am learning what it is like to really obey God. Sometimes it is harder than others, this time it is definitely harder.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is knd.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love NEVER fails.

Homesick...excuse me, Bongolo-sick

2009-09-01T09:45:00.000-04:00

Some things I miss...

...my little friends at the hospital

Quality kitchen time with Amanda, including my favorite kitchent task: chopping squash!

...The Thelander's

...all these lovely ladies & crazy trips to the tailor where we get our picture taken

....time in the OR

...messy, juicy surgeries

...Late-night chats & adventures (setting up mouse-traps) with Lisa & Jessica

... My OR buddies and of course all the invaluable wisdom of Dr. Thomspon & Dr. Keir

...My favorite place on this side of Heaven

...and so much MORE! Need it be said that I really miss life in the jungle?

'Til I See You

2009-08-31T00:06:00.000-04:00

Here is a song that has really meant alot to me over the past week. I love the melody...May it bless you as much as it has blessed me.

'Til I See You
by Hillsong United

The greatest love that anyone could ever know
That overcame the cross and grave to find my soul
And 'til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I'll trust in You

With all I am I'll live to see Your kingdom come
And in my heart I pray You'd let Your will be done
And 'til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I'll trust in You

I will live to love You
I will live to bring You praise
I will live a child in awe of You

You are the voice that calls the universe to be
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me
And 'til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I'll trust in you

You alone are God of all
You alone are worthy Lord
And with all I am my soul will bless Your name

Catch-up

2009-08-30T14:53:00.000-04:00

Dear Blog,
I haven't forgotten about you. Honest.

I was unable to post throughout the rest of my vacation because I couldn't get a good internet connection. To make up for it, here are some pictures from the trip:

We had a brief reunion with our German friends, the Grzybowski's. We met them when we lived in Kiel, Germany, for a year.We haven't seen them since June 2003!

Go-Kart racing with my uncle (the neurosurgeon) after work. I'm in the back to the right.

We made a one-week stop-over in Italy and visited my friend Julie & her relatives. We took a day trip to Limone (above).

Alex and I at the arena in Verona, Italy.In Verona, at the Ponte di Castelvecchio (the bridge of the old castle)

Berchtesgarten, also known as the "Eagle's Nest" - Hitler's mountain retreat

Me at Berchtesgarten

In Salzburg, Austria, eagerly eating the LARGEST pretzel known to mankind. I was starving and those of you who know me well, know that I NEED food.

Europe, as always, was a wonderful experience. Probably my favorite part was visiting the hospital in Hamburg, Germany where my uncle works. I shadowed him for two days and sat in on meetings, neurosurgeries in the OR, clinic and more! My uncle gave me a "kittel" (in English, a doctor's coat) so I would blend in (two patients thought I was a German doctor!!!). I was able to understand and learn alot because I speak German. Also, one of my uncle's colleagues is half Canadian, so when the German didn't work out, we could resort to English. It was interesting to draw cultural and medical comparisons/contrasts between Bongolo Hospital (Gabon), University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital (Roch., NY) and the Universitaet's Klinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (Hamburg, Germany). One thing I observered is that the Germans definitely have sterilization down. Sterilization is no joke in Germany; they take it quite seriously. OR scrubs are not allowed out of the OR complex. You have to strip and put regular clothes back on or different scrubs designed for other parts of the hospital (like the ICU). The hospital supplies OR rubber clogs for everyone. These also get left behind after used in the OR. If you want to go to the bathroom, you have to leave the OR complex and put on a new pair of scrubs before going back into the OR. It is serious business.

After returning home, I again faced the challenge of adjusting back to life in the U.S. for the second time this summer. Every time it is a challenge, but this time it was a little easier since Europe and the U.S. are not as different as Africa and the U.S.!

I have one more week of summer vacation left, and then it is back to school! Coming up...This semester, I'll be taking Physics I & lab, Cell Biology & lab, Medical Ethnobotany, Medical Ethics & Society, Junior Seminar (exclusively for Biology majors) and completing Independent Study with the Religious Studies Dept....YIKES! Will I need God's grace & strength or what? There will be no other way to survive this semester.

Pictures & Plans

2009-07-27T17:43:00.000-04:00

Gruess dich!....This might be my last day of internet for a while, so I thought I would post a few pictures!

***Above: Thursday, July 23rd - My cousin Jan is a cook (you have to go to school for this in Germany) at one of the local restaurants in Detmold and he prepared this DELICIOUS meal for me when we ate at his restaurant.

***Above: Friday, July 24th - Alex and I in "die Stadt" (the city). At the moment we were at the monument to those Jews who died during the Nazi persecution.

***Above: Friday, July 24th - Walking around little old Detmold with my mom & Aunt Cornelia (my dad's sister).

***Above: Sunday, July 26th - Me at the "Hermannsdenkmal" (literal translation: Herman's monument). This is a monument to the man (Hermann) and his wife (Tusnelda - how is that for a barbaric female name?) who led the Germans in defeating the invading Romans.

***Above: Monday, July 27th - Alex and I eating bratwurst, pommes (fries) & Sinalco (comprable to orange Fanta).

Tomorrow we are headed to Hamburg (further north) to stay with my uncle. My uncle is a neurosurgeon and I'll be shadowing him at the hospital on Wednesday & Thursday. When we arrive on Tuesday, we'll drive an hour farther to Kiel. When we lived in Germany for the 2002-2003 school year, we lived outside Kiel in a small town called Preetz. We'll be dropping by Preetz to visit friends that we made during that year.

On Friday morning, the plan is to leave Hamburg and pass through Gottingen (close to Berlin) to visit an old exchange student friend, then we'll drive further south to Munich and spend the night there.

Saturday morning, we make the drive through Germany, Switzerland and then to Northern Italy to Peschiera on Lago di Garda. Can't wait to see my friend Julie & her family there!!!

Bis bald!

Germany!

2009-07-25T07:17:00.000-04:00

Guten Tag!

I am in GERMANY!!!! My family and I arrived in Germany on Wednesday around lunch time. We drove immediately three hours to my Dad's hometown called Detmold. It has been a family anf food fest ever since we got here. We go form restaurant to restaurant. NO JOKE. Thursday, I ate at about 4 different restaurants. German restaurants are awesome. Cheap, good food. I am enjoying every bite!!!

It has been great connecting with family again. I love my German relatives; too bad I don't get to see them more often.

Although it is a totally different world and experience than Bongolo, it is VERY rainy here, even more than in Gabon. I am still squashing bugs, too!

Today is my grandma's 80th birthday party at another restaurant. That will probably go LATE into the night and INVOLVE lots of food....I AM LOVING Europe with all its old buildings and history...but now I am missing two places, Rochester & Bongolo. I am missing my walks to th hospital, jungle adventures , Bifudou bites, bonfires with friends, Mt. Dew Thursday, Wednesday night Bible study and everything else.

Bis bald,
Christina

Time for a Post?!

2009-07-10T15:01:00.000-04:00

A long overdue post...

Our Bible study around the bonfire continues and this past Wednesday we had our fifth meeting and finished the book of Philippians. I'm pondering and waiting on God to see what we will study next.

***Above: The view from my house where we have our Bible study.

The last two meetings we have had a time of corporate prayer, which I have really enjoyed. So, throughout the night, there is a time of worship (usually led by Jeff or Sean), Bible study, prayer and fellowship. I'm enjoying these nights, even though I usually don't feel up to it and am exhausted. However, whenever I begin reading the Word of God, everything else in my mind dissolves and I can drink His presence in. So, thanks all for coming; I'm looking forward to many more Bible studies!

Some of the group & others came over for the 4th of July @ 9pm to begin setting off fireworks.

***Above: Fireworks - set off by my dear brother & friends ;-)

***Above: Cait & I on the 4th of July enjoying the bonfire ...Adam in the background looking up at the fireworks.

In terms of work, I have been working as a hall monitor (for exams) at the medical school, babysitting, cleaning, gardening, house-sitting and dog-sitting. Each of these little tasks has challenged me in different ways (i.e., I don't typically like dogs, but I spent a whole weekend with a GIANT labradoodle and LOVED it), and God is working on my heart through all of this, which is awesome! I enjoy having a different schedule every week and I always have little adventures throughout...Today, I think I breathed in slightly too many bleach fumes while cleaning at the Conquests'. Oops!

In the meantime, I am working on reflecting on my experience in Gabon for my Religious Studies senior internship thesis. I am also writing a newsletter to re-cap on some cool stories and share with you (who are interested) what God has done in my life as a result of my month away from home....so stay tuned for the newsletter!

I'm also enjoying time with friends & family. My grandparents came to visit for a weekend in June, which was fun!

***Above: My grandpa & I during their visit to Rochester

***Above: Joy, Me & Alicia @ Mt. Dew Thursday @ Sean's (a weekly celebration, filled with much Mt. Dew consumption) ...this one is for Alec Roush and Keir Thelander, fellow Mt. Dew drinkers in Ohio & Gabon.

This coming week will be filled with preparing for my family's 3-week trip to Germany, newsletter writing, thesis writing, letter writing, sewing, working, Bible study planning and oh-so much more.

Am I still missing Gabon? A thousand times YES! Everyday that passes, I wish I could be back in Bongolo washing dishes in the Kelly's kitchen, listening to the whir of the AC in the OR or swatting bugs late at night, but as I am continually reminded, I am here and not there. So, now I am enjoying reminiscing, the rest of the summer and slowly looking towards the school year and letting my head spin with all the preparations to be made for applying to medical school.

Here is a song I am currently enjoying or rather obsessed with:

From the Inside Out
by Hillsong United

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

Blessings to all!

Words

2009-06-15T15:43:00.000-04:00

I have begun the LONG, monumental task of putting words to paper (technically Word document). Extra pressure is on: technically speaking, I have to bang out 20ish pages for my senior project for one of my majors.

Once I've got a more substantial amount down, I will publish a portion of it or something like that...

Until then, I am babysitting and doing random stuff. I am enjoying being home and with my family and friends. I'm drinking in the sunshine and breezes coming off the water...I'm slowly beginning to turn my thoughts back to school and preparing for the MCAT; yuck!

We've started a Wednesday night Bible study bonfire. The first one was last Wednesday and went rather well. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than watching other people my age worship our Creator. We had some great conversations, and I am excited for this week...Wednesday, June 17th @ 7:30pm @ my house.

I am really grateful to God for providing in every way.

I'm Back

2009-06-10T13:45:00.000-04:00

NO, I have not abandoned my blog. I have been taking the last 11 days since I got back to process my trip and what God has done in my life. It was absolutely amazing and I am so thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to go to Gabon. At this point I can say that I am even grateful that he sent me home. I would love to be back in Bongolo and I miss it like crazy, but I know why God needed me home (or at least one reason)...more on that later.

All that to say, as I have been home I have been learning alot and soaking in God's presence...I have yet to write a post with reflections about my trip. I don't know how to go about describing my trip because I saw God move and he is indescribable. So, how do I go about describing someone and something that is indescribable? Nothing I write or say will ever do justice to my experience in Gabon and coming home...So I'm working on finding the words to just give you a glimpse of my experience.

On Saturday, I had the joy of babysitting for Joanna & Dr. Keir's nephew which was oh so much fun! We played outside, did the grocery, made lunch, went to the park...It was LOTS of fun and Aden is just too cute. I love the 2 to 9 age so much!

***Above: Aden & I at the park :-)

Home

2009-05-30T19:34:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let you all know that I arrived home safely. I made all my connections, despite a few adventures along the way ;-) Thank you for all your prayers & support. I hope to post again within the next few days with some more thoughts about my trip.

Good-bye Libreville

2009-05-29T09:51:00.000-04:00

Right now I'm sitting at the Straw's (Libreville Guest House hosts) typing away as I wait for my flight...

Wednesday (5/27):

I sucked it up and made it through Tuesday night's and Wednesday morning's good-byes without tears. Amanda took all the lovely pictures below, so all thanks go to her!

***Above: Forrest (looking rather dejected) & I

***Above: Zach Kelly & I...As a 14-year old, Zach does not do hugs, so I got a most interesting forehead touch/slap/good-bye.

***Above: Amanda & I

***Above: Emma & I

***Above: Joanna & I

The car ride to Mouila on Tuesday was largely uneventful until we encountered traffic. Yes, traffic. Rare, but it happens. Turns out that the build up of cars was due to a broken bridge. Basically, if the bridge could not be repaired then we had to go back to Lebamba/Bongolo since there is only one road. Well, within 30 min. of our arrival (they had already been working on it) the bridge was fixed, so we continued on our way. We arrived in Mouila around 1pm, I think...We checked in and dropped out luggage off.l

Felipe (no clue how to spell his name) took Eric & I to a bakery (I didn't know what to do with myself)...Although I have been sick, I decided to go for it and I bought a chocolate filled croissant and Djino (grapefruit soda). I kept both down, so I was quite happy.

Eric and I spent alot of time talking in the airport, so I got to hear all about him and Wendy and how they got where they are today which was cool. We had all sorts of random conversations and made speculations about other travellers.

We arrived in Libreville around 4:30ish and headed to the Straw's for dinner. There, we met the other 4 STMO interns (they are interns staying in Libreville for 3 months). Alace and Meredith made a delicious dinner and dessert and we all ate together.

We attempted to leave the Straw's around 10pm, but discovered a flat tire, so that didn't quite work out. We (Tim & Meredith Brokopp, Leanne (1 yr. intern), the 4 interns and I) left around 11pm instead, so I got to talk to Alace a bit...

Libreville was a shock to me. I have been living in the jungle for the past 4 weeks and it was a rough transition to city life. It shocks me what is available in Libreville and how many people there are. I was immediately thrust into a crowd of people at the Straw's house on Wednesday night and truth be known, it took me a few minutes to adjust to all the chatter and people my age...I don't know how I'll transition home. So, if you don't hear from me I'm just getting used to dealing with people, vegetables and all the things I haven't seen in a while. Trouble is, I've LOVED the isolation of the jungle.

Thursday (5/28):

We left the Brokopp's around 8:30ish for a mobile medical clinic trip in a village 2 hrs. away. The trip was pretty cool and we got back around 5pm. Two nurses did all the diagnosing and consultaions. Another person registered, some of the interns (Torey, Lindsay & Hannah) operated the pharmacy and another one (Zach) measured weight and bp. There weren't a ridiculous amount of patients, but there were some. It was really awesome to see the Gabonese church involved in ministry in the village. One of the Gabonese men that came with us shared with the "patients" before they registered and were seen by the nurse.

We came back and I immediately showered, my white shirt turned brown (this isn't a complaint but rather a point of reference for you all back home) from the dust on the ride home. After shower, I packed and spent some time chatting and on the computer.

Meredith, Leanne, Lindsay, Hannah, Torey & I ate dinner without the boys since they went off on some long adventure back to the village. You can find the details on Zach's blog (www.jewgabon.blogspot.com).

Friday (5/29):

So, here I sit forcing myself to say good-bye to Bongolo and now Libreville and all the wonderful people I have met in both places.

Good-bye Bongolo

2009-05-26T18:35:00.000-04:00

I can't find words to say good-bye. I'm really horrible at good-byes especially when I don't know when I will see all my new Bongolo friends again. I'm trying to prevent the waterfalls of tears, so I'm trying not to think about this right now....

Tomorrow @ 9am I leave for the hospital to pick up some stuff and then Mouila. Eric, the station's book-keeper/opthamologist's husband will be traveling with me, which means I won't be all alone, so that is great.

This morning wasn't so great....I didn't feel very good, so I went back up to the Kelly's until about 10:30 when I ventured down to the hospital. I saw a really cool surgery on the mandible (I think, but I'm confusing things), a c-section, removal of an ovarian cyst and the removal of coin (which turned out to be a battery) from a little boy's esophagus.

Anyways, I must sleep and I really don't want to think about good-byes, so I am just going to abruptly end this post. I may not blog until I get back to the U.S., so don't freak out ;-)

Thank you for all your prayers. Please pray as I travel. I'm bringing some pathology samples, so pray that no one gives me grief for that.

Blessings to all!

2009-05-25T16:04:00.000-04:00

Breaking News: I'm FEELING BETTER!!!

So, I had an awesome afternoon with the Thelander kids. The time flew by. We kept busy with pipe-cleaners, glitter, glue, foam & string for three hours. Joanna came up to the school house to see the decorations we made! Sarah, Luke & I put on some fun VBS Fiesta music and danced. We had an AWESOME time.

***Above: Decorations for the classroom!!!

***Above: See what looks like a clothesline? We FILLED the entire thing with decorations.

***Above: Sarah, Luke & I

After that, I had dinner with the Kelly's...I actually participated in dinner today and had rice and chicken soup. Yummy!!! ....Tim & the kids drove us into Lebamba. Amanda & I did some quick shopping. I bought so much fabric; its ridiculous.

Upon our return home, I discovered that the Kelly's own some Adventures in Odyssey DVDs. I was so excited, so Amanda & Tim let Forrest and Emma stay up and watch it with me. SO AWESOME. I forgot how good those were.

Now I am back to packing, because really I didn't get any packing done earlier. My laundry is done, though :-)

Update

2009-05-25T05:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm in the process of doing laundry so I can pack...I begin my journey back home on Wednesday morning. I'll leave for a 2 hour drive to Mouila around 9am. I'll take an appx. 1 hour plane from Mouila to Libreville. I'll be in Libreville Wednesday and Thursday night. I fly out Friday night at about 9:50pm (not to be precise or anything). So I fly from Libreville to Paris to JFK to Rochester and arrive around 2:30ish on Saturday.

I haven't blogged because I've been savoring my last days in Bongolo :-( ...I don't want to leave, but I have to. I tried to extend my stay, but God clearly showed me that he wants me home...So, much as I would like to disobey, I will obey and go home...The idea of home is becoming more enticing everday since I have been sick with who knows what (seriously...no joke this time). Dr. Keir gave me some Cipro so hopefully this will all be better by the time I have to travel to Libreville and then internationally.

In a nutshell, this is what the past few days have included:

Thursday (5/21):

Trip to Nzenzela (spelled something like that) to help with a vaccination clinic. The Kelly's, Lisa & I went along with nurses. Long story short, we didn't actually help with the vaccination clinic, because this is Africa and things rarely go according to plan. But, we did meet pretty much the whole village, had great conversations with the pastor and other people. We also brought an injured man back to Bongolo.

I had another DELICIOUS dinner at the Thelander's on Thursday night!!! Mhmmm...

Friday (5/22):

I spent the whole day (7:30am-4:30pm) at the hospital....This included staff devotions, resident lecture, rounds (partially) and five procedures (endoscope, removal of lymphnodes and mellanoma, fixing a dislocated jaw, hirnea #1 and hirnea #2)....They were all very exciting especially the dislocated jaw. Man! God really gave Dr. Keir and Jean Claude wisdom. That was absolutely insane

Friday evening Deb & Karen came over for Mexican food and Mexican games...We all had lots of fun!!!

Dr. Jean Claude & Christine's baby boy was born Friday evening at 7pm and is known as petit Luc.

Saturday (5/23):

Saturday morning I went over to the Thelander's. Joanna & I talked a bit with Pastor Pascal & Mama Florence, then we went over to Jean Claude and Christine's apartment to meet baby Luc. So adorable!!!

***Above: Petit Luc

Helped Amanda unpack more container stuff in the afternoon, then we went to Lebamaba for some shopping and dinner at Barack Obama Cafe.

Sunday (5/24):

Sick in the morning. I think I officially grossed Amanda out. Wohoo! ...I was determined to go to church, so I went to Mangi (I can't spell these village names) with the Thelander's for church. I went to Sunday school with Becki, Joanna, Luke and Sarah....I had a really great time, I just don't have time to write lots of details now, so bear with me.

***Above: ...being clobbered by Sunday school children for crayons...

Went home to the Kelly's ...I am back on BRAT diet, so I'm eating French bread and drinking water for meals.

Napped in the afternoon, then babysat the Thelander kids during Bible study (4-6pm)

***Above: Sarah & Luke Thelander

***Above: Dancing to VBS music with Luke

...After, a bunch of us went to dinner at Barack Obama Cafe...I pretty much stuck to the rice and had a TINY bit of fish. After, we went to the Davis' for yummy desserts which I couldn't have, but the LOOKED delicious.

I spent the night trying not to itch all the Bifudou bites that I got over the course of the day despite wearing 100% DEET...As Lisa said, I'm an absolute mess.

Monday (5/25):

Today I went to the hospital to do rounds in peds. from 8:30-10am. I love seeing all the little kiddos. So cute! I just want to keep them.

Walked back up the hill and here I sit...

At around 1pm, I'll head over to the Thelander's to babysit the kids. Later tonight, Amanda & I are going to head to Lebamba to do some last minute shopping, then its laundry and packing the rest of the night....

Tomorrow I plan to go down to the OR and see some more surgeries if I am feeling well...I'm praying and crossing my fingers!!! I want to spend my last day in my favorite place: the OR.

Wednesday

2009-05-21T20:12:00.000-04:00

Wednesday (5/20):

I have realized that I need to blog or at least write things down because I forget things far too quickly. So, this is what I did Wednesday...

Since Tuesday was my sick day, I had to miss going to the hospital and going into surgery with Dr. Keir. You can't imagine how bummed I was Tuesday. Missing surgery (for me) is like not eating chocolate for a whole year. Its just painful to know that I had the opportunity, but that I could not be there because I was sick with some lame bacteria or virus or both.

Anyways, Wednesday I still had a sore throat & intestinal issues, but I was determined to make it to the hospital. The Roush's left Wednesday morning, so I also wanted to say good-bye to them. Dr. Roush gave a lecture on cardiomyopathy (I can't spell) and heart failure. It was very interesting. I just LOVE the way Dr. Roush talks. Hysterical. After lecture (7:30-8:30am), I said good-bye to Alec, Jean-Marie, Elisa & Dr. Roush. I will miss you guys!!!

***Above: Alec, Jean-Marie, Elisa, Me & Dr. Roush (cardiologist).

I followed Dr. Keir and the residents, so I got to hear Dr. Keir's lecture on hirneas. I love Dr. Keir's lectures, because usually they don't fly too far over my head. I will admit, that when they got into discussing certain ligaments, etc. I got lost, because I am not THAT familiar with the human body. Most of the lecture had to do with a diagram, so I can't very well replicate that. But, I did learn a few terms such as incarcerated. Dr. Keir is an excellent illustrator [ ;-) ] so my learning was greatly enhanced by drawings on a white-board.

After lecture, we went on rounds, which was fun....everything is fun for me. I wasn't really sure if my stomach was going to handle rounds because I was sick on Tuesday, but with God's grace I made it...There are some disgusting things to be seen on rounds. Lots of infections. Lots of puss...So we went through the surgery ward, peds., medicale and maternity.

After maternity, it was OR time!!! My favorite. Seriously. I love it!!! Unfortunately, I didnt write all the surgeries down after I got home like I usually do, so I am a little jumbled...If I recall correctly, I saw was an infertility case, so Jean-Claude and Dr. Keir went in laparoscopically (again, I can't spell). Simultaneously, Loua and Phila (two other residents) had opened the abdomen of another patient to remove a cyst which ended up being attached to the woman's tube...or at least I think that was the conclusion.

After those, I walked to the Kelly's for lunch and then I walked back down to the OR.

***Above: Me on my walk up for lunch (This is for you, Mom).

After lunch there was a TURP case, and then another case involving a sigmoid (or some other fancy term) colon. This was the same guy from last week...his colon keeps twisting, so he had to get a portion of it taken out. So that section was GIRNORMOUS...absolutely HUGE. So weird, but what else is new....Like I told Dr. Keir, it never ceases to amaze me what can come out of people's bodies.

***Above: Part of the Sterilization Unit. Yeah, I know what most of you are thinking.

After that case, I walked back up to the station with Jean-Claude so that I could meet his wife Christine, who is absolutely gorgeous (so, Jean-Claude, if you are reading this, pass that on to her)!!! She is due to have their baby any day now. I told her that she had to have the baby before I leave.

The Kelly' s had staff meeting in the evening, so I babysat the kids after dinner. Nothing eventful occured. Little Emma doesn't like the sound of rain which is only magnified by the metal roof, so that did prove to be an issue. We watched Star Trek and snuggled a bit, so that was fun.

And, I think I went to bed after that. Nope....actually I went to Lisa's and chatted a bit. THEN, I went to bed. And, as usual, I killed a few critters before bed.

Review of Monday & Tuesday

2009-05-19T17:17:00.000-04:00

Monday (5/18):

On Monday morning, I walked down to the hospital to be there at 8:30ish.

***Above: Part of my walk down to the hospital. This building smack in the middle of the picture is the surgery ward.

***Above: Part of my walk to the hospital; this time the shot is taken from the hospital. The house in the distance at the top is the Kelly's house where I am living.

I accompanied Dr. Deb on rounds in the pediatric ward. I especially enjoyed this, because I had been on rounds with her the week before so I was familiar with many of the cases on got a chance to see many of the kiddos doing better.

We stopped by the maternity ward on our rounds to check on the little ones. The sun and heat Monday morning were extreme which meant that the wards were even hotter than the outdoors, so I started feeling queasy in the maternity ward. I couldn't handle it any longer, so Deb let me go to her air-conditioned office where I encountered Dr. Roush and Lisa who promptly gave me a glass of cold water.

Dr. Roush, Elisa and I went to take pictures of a little boy with abnormal growths in his head and behind his left eye. No one knows what is wrong with him and he is declining rapidly :-(

***Above: Chris (the Kelly boys' friend) and my favorite little guy watching Ice Age. You may be able to notice that his head is unusually large and oddly shaped. His left eye is protruding greatly and appears swollen.

Later, I got a movie going for the kids in the peds ward. After, Elisa and I distributed stickers among all the little patients. Everyone enjoyed them! It was so exciting to see faces light up at such a small treat.

***Above: This kid LOVED the stickers, but at this point he was too busy staring at my camera. Too cute.

The rest of the morning was spent between the office, taking pictures and doing other random stuff around the hospital.

***Above: Lisa

***Above: The echo room.

I went up to the Kelly's for lunch. The Kelly's had one of the boys' friends over named Chris. Chris and his dad have been at the hospital for over 5 months because of an injury and infection that Chris had on the back of his ankle/heel.

After lunch, I don't really recall what occured, but at 3pm the Kelly's had French lessons, so the kids and I kept busy in the boys' room. A little before this, I started feeling nauseaous and a little out of it.

Emma and I goofed around after French and wrote the last post on my blog about me dying froms some strange bacterial disease. I will have you know that Emma is an excellent editor! ...We had a late dinner, after which I went over to Lisa's to chat a bit. After that I did some laundry and computer stuff, listened to music and then went to bed.

Tuesday (5/19):

Today was my sick day. I woke up feeling pretty fabulous, but on my walk down to the hospital, that changed and there went my breakfast. So, I walked back home, cleaned myself up and went to bed. I slept for four hours until about noon. I had a little bread and butter for lunch, then slept the rest of the afternoon. Basically, the day consisted of a sore throat, nausea, vomiting, fever and other fun symptoms. I had a little chicken, rice and mashed potatoes for dinner, showered, tucked the kids in (Kelly's were at a staff meeting) and then a series of adventures begun.

While tucking Emma in, I discovered a cockroach which Zach promptly killed. After that, I went back to my room and encountered a few more critters. I had Lisa pull a splinter out of my foot, because I failed miserably when I attempted to pluck it out. Upon returning to my room, I encountered a LARGE, hairy spider which ran away from me and my shoe, but I am happy to say that it came out of hiding about 5 minutes ago and I KILLED it!!!

The Roush's leave for Libreville and then Ohio tomorrow, so I am really hoping to make it to the hospital tomorrow AM, so I can say good-bye.

The Reason You Haven't Heard from Me

2009-05-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

The grapevine tells me that many of you have contacted my mom asking why you haven't heard from me. Well, this is why...

Unfortunately I have some sad news. Please be sure you have a tissue at your side. I have a rare bacterial disease contracted only by the Gabonese. However, individuals possessing a rare mutate form of white blood cells are also susceptible to this disease. This white blood cell is common in Gabonese and those few individuals who are both Cuban and German. Doctors and nurses at Bongolo Hospital have identified the bacteria as Gabanicus gercubicus. Because this bacteria is so rare and so invasive, doctors have told me that I have 3 days to live. All treatments have failed and I have already used up 2 days. Thus, today is my last day. I am typing my last words. If you have any last words messages me, please leave a comment within the next 4 hours (7pm EST). Au revoir mis amis.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhahahaha. Just kidding. I am doing just great. Really, I just haven't posted in a while because I've been busy doing stuff.

I edited my last post and added more info. and pictures, so please take a look at that.

Time for an Update

2009-05-15T18:41:00.001-04:00

Bonne Nuit Everyone! ...Its pretty late at night here, but I know that I have to write an update sometime soon. Ok. Since Sunday this is what I have been up to:

Monday (5/11):

Monday (from what I recall) was of no particular significance. We didn't really have anything going except for unpacking the Kelly's newly arrived container of things from America. So Monday included a mix of that, dishwashing, shopping for Amanda's birthday present and babysitting the kids during French lessons. I think that was basically it, I am sure there were a few more details, but I don't quite remember.

Tuesday (5/12):

On Tuesday, we travelled to Guevede which is approximately 30km NE of Bongolo. Elisa, Jean-Marie and Alec Rousch also came, so that was cool. The plan was to paint the disepensary in Guevede. However, it rained most of Tuesday morning, so we weren't quite sure if painting was still on the program. I think the ride there totalled close to 1.5 hrs. Because of all the rain, the roads (more like paths) were slick and muddy. We got stuck and slid around a bit. Once we got to the dispensary, we painted for about 4 hours until about 3pm or so. Many villagers came to watch us paint...I have quite a few pictures, but won't get to posting them until at least tomorrow.***Above: Jean-Marie, Elisa & Alec Rousch painting at the dispensary.

We came back from Guevede around 5ish and basically ate and did a few things until bed or at least that is how I recall the evening going.

Wednesday (5/13): AMANDA's BIRTHDAY!!!

The morning started with a DELICIOUS birthday breakfast cooked by Tim and the kids for Amanda. I was off to the hospital right after breakfast since I had to be there at 8:30am. I spent the morning with Dr. Deb, the pediatrician. If I counted correctly, the peds. ward has 22 beds divided over 11 rooms. I went on rounds with Dr. Deb in the morning, so she kindly summarized each case for me so I was aware of what was going on. There were quite a few sad cases...We took one little boy to the eye clinc, so the opthamologist could examine his protruding eye. While I was there, the opthamologist kindly asked if I would like to watch a cataract removal/lens insertion. It was very interesting, but eye surgery is definitely not for me!

After the hospital, I went back up to the Kelly's for lunch. After lunch, we (along with Lisa and the Rousch girls) headed off to the tailor to have our fabric made into ensembles, skirts, etc. Lisa did a FABULOUS job translating, so I am hopeful that I will get what I ordered. We'll see ;-)

Wednesday night was staff meeting at the Kelly's, so the kids and I watched Star Trek in the boy's room during the meeting. After the meeting we had cake, ice cream and presents in honor of Amanda's birthday.

Thursday (5/14):

Thursday and Friday, were BY FAR my most favorite days this week. What can I say? I love surgery. Dr. Keir & the residents kindly allowed me to observe multiple surgeries. I LOVED IT and drank in every single moment. I am trying to remember what I saw....

1) Laparoscopic proccedure...Lots of inflammatory cysts, NOT ovarian cysts. Result of PID.
2) Thyroidectomy
3) Removal of a MASSIVE (I truly mean massive; it was probably the size of a small child's head or a small soccer ball) mass.
[LUNCH BREAK]
4) Vaginal hysterectomy

After being in the OR, I came home, showered and the Jessica and I headed off to the Thelander's for dinner. Joanna made a DELICIOUS pizza and side salads/dishes. I will forever remember them! We had ice cream and star fruit crisp!!! It was all SO delicious. Words cannot describe. I absolutely sutffed myself....I think I consumed a total of 4 slices of pizza. We talked a bit and I played with Luke and Sarah who are absolutely adorable and were (at the time) super hyper.

I was so tired when I came home, I fell asleep on my bed without taking my contacts out or anything, so I woke up at 3am very confused. But, I fell back asleep and got up around 6:30am.

Friday (5/15): FORREST's BIRTHDAY!!!

Friday brought the excitement of another birthday in the Kelly family. I had to be at the hospital at 7:30am, so I barely saw anyone this morning.

The morning started with devotions in the chapel, then Dr. Keir let me sit in on his lecture to the residents about cleft lips and palates. Here are a few things I learned...I probably got a few things confused by now, but...

-Cleft lips and palates are a result of the malformation of muscles in three areas
-They are most commonly found in Asians and are least common amoung blacks.
-One should operate on children when they are 15-18 months old (I think I have dates mixed up) ...at this point you can operate on the soft palate and then re-operate on the hard palate later. The hard palate is operated on later, because the smaller the amount of incisions, the smaller the scarring, the better the result or something like that
-The soft palate is posterior, while the hard palate is anterior.
-If the surgery is adequate, but the cosmetic result is not good (or as desired), one cannot operate again before 2 yrs.
-If the surgery is inadequate (the structural/muscle result is not good) and thus the cosmetic result is not good, one can operate sooner...I think it was 3 months.

After lecture, the residents took a quiz, then rounds began. We went through the surgery ward, pediatric ward, medical (adult) ward and the maternity ward to check up on patients who had had surgery. After I went with one of the residents and Dr. Keir to the Sal d' Urgences (I don't know how to spell this, but its the ER basically). We visited a few patients there.

After that, I went to see one of the nurses (yes, nurses do this) perform two hirnea surgeries. In between I used my pathetic French to make friends with the cleaning chick/scrub and the others in the room.

After the hirneas, I went up to the Kelly's for a quick lunch. I hurried back down to see two more procedures. One of the residents drained an abscess from one woman. I saw more pus (typical of an infection) than I ever want to see again in my life.

***Above: Rosaline (cleaning chick) & I

After (are you noticing my constant use of the word "after" ???) that procedure, another resident conducted a debridement (yeah, look at that fancy medical term)...basically he removed the dead tissues from a man's leg.

Simultaneous to the above procedure, Dr. Keir began a laparoscopic procedure on an older man with a twisted colon. Obviously, a twisted colon is not a good thing because it prevents an individual from relieving one's bowels (please enjoy that phrase, I worked long and hard on correct terminology there). Many things went wrong during this because of a patient who wiggled and complained that he couldn't breathe (but really he was breathing better than most individuals). The suction didn't work and the power went out. Really, it was a grand time. Dr. Keir also extracted two worms from the man's colon. All in all it worked out well, but it was very frustrating.

All the surgeries were super interesting, and I am grateful to have been a part of it...I went hoem and showered, then we went to Barack Obama Cafe in town and had plantains, rice, french fries and chicken with Djino (grapefruit soda)...DELICIOUS!

After that we watched High School Musical since Elisa Rousch brought it from the U.S...Good times.

Saturday (5/16):

Saturday consisted of MULTIPLE trips to Lebamba. In conclusion Jessica & Jean-Marie got their hair braided. The maniac tailor finished all of our clothes (which totaled 5 ensembles, 4 skirts and 1 bag) in two days, so we picked those up. We did some random shopping and got gas, too.***Above: Some of our beautiful clothes from the tailor.

Later, we had dinner guests, so we hurriedly cooked dinner, ate it and then went to the Thelander's for Jessica's good-bye party. We all had so much fun and Joanna & Keir were pretty awesome and let all the young folks (the Rousch siblings, Jessica & I) stay till very late. The evening was full of delicious treats like brownies.

Sunday (5/17):

Sunday we travelled to Guevede. Church was fundamentally depressing. Singing was quiet and low-key in comparison with other Gabonese and African churches. People either slept of talked during the sermon.

***Above: The CMA church in Guevede.

Guevede is a village that once had quite a few CMA missionaries. There is even an old mission house. Now, there are few that are faithful and bother coming to church. I think there were 40 people there, but that is really only because foreigners (a.k.a., "the white people") came to church. The pastor told us that usually only 25 come to church. The church in Guevede used to be quite large. In fact, it was so large that they built a new church, which could easily seat 150 or more.

Anyways, it was a sad experience. We all decided that the pastor was discouraged and in great need of outside encouragement and support. The pastor and his wife invited us over for lunch. We ate porcupine, manioc, plantains and bananas with Djino. Did the porcupine taste like chicken? No, although it was DELICIOUS. The porcupine kind of tasted like pulled-pork.

Because Guevede is in the middle of the jungle and quite a distance from other larger villages, we took another pastor (also a sub-chief) and his wife back to Bongolo with us since he is experiencing hyper-tension (or so we understood).

The rest of Sunday was spent relaxing. I napped (typical), read, played Clue and read more. Later, I went over to Lisa and Jessica's. We chatted until I saw a mouse running around their kitchen-living room area. Lisa and Jessica attempted to set mouse traps. Lisa baited them with peanut butter. The disadvantage to this, is that although you may catch the mouse, you will be invaded by Gabonese ants, which we all know from an earlier post are FEROCIOUS.

***Above: Lisa attempts to set a mouse trap.

So after our trap-setting adventure I said good-bye to Jessica who left this (Mon.) AM. Then, I went to bed.

Bongolo Hospital - Day #3, Movie Night & Church

2009-05-10T15:47:00.000-04:00

In a nutshell, this is what has been going on...

Friday (5/8):

On Friday, I was at the hospital with Dr. Thompson on until about noon. We started rounds at 9:30am. I learned that he, Dr. Thelander and the surgery residents see alot of urology and mastectomy cases. There were quite a few cases that involved an infection, so the surgeons went in and opened the area up and set up drains, so the infections could drain. Then those small incisions where the drains were inserted heal up. The amount of poverty continues to amaze me...

But most of all, it is amazing what Dr. Thompson and the others can do with such basic equipment and the wisdom God gives them. Many patients come from other hospitals that could not treat them. I absolutely love being in an atmosphere that is focused on God. Before rounds, Dr. Thompson and the residents pray, before surgeries they pray...Life here truly revolves around God. I feel as though my soul is breathing in fresh air. I am breathing in the Spirit of God. I see him at work in so many ways. Its absolutely amazing; awe-inspiring.

After rounds, Dr. Thomspon and one of the residents did follow up surgery on Thursday's TURP case, since there was a complication. Again, the resident prayed over the patient and surgery before beginning. This serves not only as a witness to patients, but also gives God the glory for what the medical staff is able to do. It reminds us that God is sovereign and his will be done. Dr. Thompson and the surgical resident were able to patch up the guy, so I think he is now good to go.

After surgery, I walked back to the Kelly's for lunch and to help Amanda in the kitchen. We had quite a few dinner guests Friday night, so Amanda, Emma & I did alot of cooking which was lots of fun. The kids and I watched a movie when Amanda & Tim had their French lesson and then we headed back to the kitchen after. Guests (other missionaries and short-termers) came at 6:30ish...We all had a good time and talked until late.

When I went to bed, I discovered the ants, which I blogged about in my last post.

Saturday (5/9):

I helped a missionary who is going home on furlough in the morning. This involved food inventory, dishes and other odds and ends! It rained ALOT in the morning. Working in the attic (with a tin roof), I heard every drop...I sort of like the rain, so it was kind of cool.

I came home around 2ish (I think). We had lunch and then headed off to Lebamba with Lisa to run errands. I bought some more fabric. Yay!

Later, Amanda made DELICIOUS pizza and we had movie night! Lisa made carmel popcorn, which completed the evening.

Sunday (5/10):

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Today we woke up early and left the house at 6:30am to go to church in Dousala. The church is close to the Gabon-Congo border. It takes about 2.5-3 hrs. of extremely bumpy roads to get there.

Church was absolutely wonderful! It started around 9:15ish and went until noon. The Gabonese believers are overflowing with joy! I felt privileged to be among a congregation of believers that has such a passion for God...I can't even begin to describe the experience.

"Mama Karen" (Karen is a nurse at Bongolo hospital) spoke on Numbers 20...I was so happy that I understood since she spoke French. From what I understand, they are doing a walk through the Bible, hence the message on Numbers.

We headed home and arrived around 3ish, I think. Part of the Kelly's containers arrived, so we did a bit of unpacking and then had a delicious dinner!

And, here I am...I am still LOVING being in Gabon. I wish I could stay forever!

*Top: Dousala - Lisa teaches Children's Church. The kids had just finished their lesson

*Bottom: Dousala - Church; this is earlier in the service when the pastor hadn't yet dismissed the children.

I updated some past posts with pictures, so be sure to check old posts out.

SIEGE OF THE ANTS!!!

2009-05-08T19:17:00.000-04:00

Before you read, you must understand that ants are no new thing in Gabon. I have always had a small population of ants in my room. That is just the way it is.

I don't know how to best describe this frightening experience...After dinner guests left I walked into my room to check my email. As I sat at my desk, my feet began to feel attacked by small pin pricks. I assumed they were ants, so I just bent down to smack them off my feet. Having done this, I went back to my computer. At that moment, Emma came in to show me a dress of her's. She brought my attention to the ants that had formed a thick barrier on the threshold of my room. We looked up to find a thick line of them leading to my backpack with was completely covered in ants. They had found my stash of peanuts which had accidentally been left open!!! (My fault, I admit).

Amanda immediately rescued my from this precarious situation. We transferred my backpack to the porch and completely emptied it of everything. My room & backpack were sprayed with heavy, killer ant spray. I took a picture of the ant carcasses in my room.

Lessons learned:
1) Always seal food.
2) Ant bites (even from small ants) hurt tremendously
3) Gabonese ants are vicious and starving

I am SO grateful that I did not discover this by myself and that Amanda graciously rescued me. Now, at every tickle, itch and twitch I am paranoid that I am being eaten alive by ants.

This made for a wonderful 11:30pm adventure!

A few things:
- I'll write more about today's happenings tomorrow, when I have more time
- Don't pay attention to posting times, they are completely wrong

Bongolo Hospital - Day #2

2009-05-07T16:30:00.000-04:00

Hey!

Again, I am super tired. Its only 9:30pm here but between the sun & the early days, I am exhausted.

So, real quick....I just killed the hugest bug I have ever seen. It was a mix between a roach, spider and mosquito. If you can picture that. I don't want to know where it came from.

I was at the hospital at 7:30am fore staff devotions and praise time. I think that went until about 8ish. Lisa gave me, Eric Hoffman (the new bookeeper) and Dr. & Mrs. Fredrickson (visiting opthamologists - the wife is GERMAN!!! Ha ha ha.) an extensive tour of the hospital grounds. In short, Bongolo Hospital is quite extensive. Lisa finished our tour at about 9:30.

I popped into Dr. Thomspon's surgery. He was operating (with his residents) on a child's leg. After that case finished, I sat with Dr. Thompson and the residents in the "lounge" while he researched the next case. Dr. Thompson gave me surigical textbook to read on the subject (happy to say I understood!). The woman had a dislocated jaw....Long story short, Dr. Thompson and his residents (despite their valiant efforts) could not fix the woman's jaw without an invasive procedure, so they gave up on the case for today, to research how best to go about treating her. Next we set up a traction apparatus for the child who had been operated on earlier. The residents are awesome! They are all very nice and are from all over Africa. Hopefully, I'll be able to meet Dr. Jean-Claude's (a resident) wife whose name is also Christine!!! After that was done, I walked back to the Kelly's for lunch.

At 1:30pm, I met Dr. Thompson in the lounge. He and another resident prepped for a TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate). Basically, the older man could not pee, so Dr. Thompson and his resident used an endoscope with irrigation to remove tissues.

Ok....getting REALLY sleepy...So here is the quickie on the rest of the day. Walked back from hospital and was home by 3:45ish. Went swimming with Emma and Forrest till I don't know when. Washed dishes & set table with Emma. Dinner & more dishwashing till 8pm. Talked with Amanda & Emma. Read a book by Dr. Thompson. Squashed a massive bug.

I have LATE shift at the hospital tomorrow!!! Wohooooo...9:30am. Wake up earlier though for breakfast with the Kelly's....

I'm not gonna lie. Sort of afraid to go to bed with this big bug scare....Jesu me protege!

Oh, and its raining for the second time today. My foot is all healed up. I don't even think I'll have the tiniest scar. Bug bites are still bad. Hand sanitizer works as temporary relief. I itched during all the OR procedures. Bugs love me; what can I say?

Bugs & Injuries

2009-05-06T17:16:00.000-04:00

Two jungle occurrences:

1) Just crossed my room to talk to Amanda, stepped on something sharp, put a small cut on my foot which managed to bleed all over my pjs and my foot. So, I patched myself up with my first aid kit. Its really a minor cut. Probably 1cm long, however I am slightly concerned that whatever it was got in my foot. I squeezed the area which yielded no foreign object, so I'll just keep an eye out for this one. I have no idea if the sharp object was glass, a bug or something else. Meh. Whatever.

2) Zach rescued his babysitter (earlier in the evening) and killed a spider that was about 2.5 inches in diameter (if you view the spider as a circle).

Now, I will attempt, once more, to go to bed.

Bongolo Hospital - Day #1

2009-05-06T16:44:00.000-04:00

First, thank you for all your comments & encouraging notes.

Second, this will probably be pretty brief as I am exhausted and have to be at the hospital by 7:30am tomorrow to shadow/work with Dr. Thompson.

So today I was at the hospital at 7:30am and attended Dr. Keir's lecture to residents, nursing students and hospital staff on Code Rouge (Code Red). We have the same thing in the U.S., basically, its a code that outlines the chain of command if a disaster occurs.

Next, I went on rounds with Dr. Renee, an American medical doctor. She was actually sick (recovering). I felt so bad! We saw all 30 admitted patients. There are 15 rooms. Each patient has a roommate. Next, we went to the Sall d' Urgences (I think that is how you spell it)...Anyways, that is their equivalent of an ER. Throughout this I met Dr. Deb (Bongolo's pediatrician) and Lisa (nurse & nursing instructor). Dr. Rausch, the cardiologist who travelled with me from Paris CDG was also there. I helped Dr. Rausch, Lisa & Dr. Renee run ecos on various patients. So, I did alot of patient transport, observing and learning. It was wonderful. I love hospitals!...More details and impressions tomorrow. :-)

I came "home" to the Kelly's around 12:30/12:45 for lunch. Lisa and I walked from the hospital to the compund together. So I ate, went swimming with the kids & their Gabonese friend, then we played outside on the swing set. After that, we walked around the extensive compound and finally came back to play with Forrest's Star Wars action figures. Forrest was psyched to learn that I also love Star Wars and has dubbed me the only fun adult he knows. He also calls me his Jedi master. Needless to say, I was quite flattered.

The Kelly's had a leadership meeting, so I babysat the kids. Today's feature film, thanks to Alex, was Kung Fu Panda. The kids have dubbed Alex the coolest brother after and think he is pretty awesome. After the movie, I tucked Emma in and read to her while the boys got themselves ready.

The Kelly's just pulled into the driveway, so I think I can safely go to bed.

Ok. SLEEP now. My ankles are so swollen from the Bafudu (no-seem) bites and are killing me. Hopefully, I'll make it through tomorrow!

G'night!

Mhmm...

2009-05-05T17:38:00.001-04:00

Mhmm...what to write. This will be tough. I didn't really do alot today, but I am doing lots of learning and observing.

A summary of my day: I forced my eyes open @ 7am when my alarm clock went off. However, I was extremely exhausted since trouble sleeping because of the jet lag or something. Who knows. So, in essence, I dragged my lazy bum out of bed around 8am. I got ready, had breakfast with the Kelly's and then did random things until Emma was done with school.

Around 11am (I think), Emma and I went for a swim. After that, we had lunch. After lunch, the whole fam (all five Kelly's) and me headed into town (Lebamba). Amanda helped me pick out some fabric and I got a tour of the local shops where Amanda does her grocery. Food is so ridiculously expensive. Europe does not even compare. $3 for a can of peas. Ridiculous.

So, we came home....The afternoon is a bit a blur. At some point, I painted Emma's toe-nails while talking to Amanda alot. She told me their whole story and how they got involved with STMO in Gabon. I met Dr. Thompson, who I will be working with (ok, following around) at the the hospital this week. Forrest had one of his Gabonese friends over name Japhet (really, I have no idea how to spell this). They played drums (plastic oil cans). Little Luke Thelander, the surgeon's son, came over later. Luke is hysterical. I have never laughed so much in my entire life. Zach presented me with a piece of carved bamboo that says Gabon as a souvenir...very cool!

At some point, we had dinner and then the Kelly's were off to a leadership meeting, so I "watched" the kids which involved nothing more than watchin "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with them.

Something More: What strikes me again and again is that life here is so simple. I love getting back to the basics. I am sure this is difficult for many of you to imagine since I tend to be the OCD, Type A personality. But really, I LOVE it here. I wish I could stay the whole summer. Ok, actually I would just love to trash school and move here. I love that life is simple and that their lives are completely centered around God. Why do we have such trouble finding that happy medium in the U.S.? People in the U.S. (I am guilty of this, too) are so wrapped up in themselves, their busy lives and the drama that surrounds it, that we lose our focus on God or finding God. We make ourselves so busy that we forget about God, or push him to the back burner. That is not right. What is wrong with that picture? Here, people (Americans & Gabonese) have nothing, yet they do not complain and are 100% fixed on God.

In America, we oftern hear people say they have nothing, but here nothing means nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Children run around in underwear. Food is expensive, and thus little is to be had. Normal average families live in tin shacks that are ovens in the hot weather and leak in the ran....Not exactly the American dream. This isn't some new revelation, in my mind I knew this. But it has penetrated my heart and soul and somehow, it makes me....I don't know. I can't really put my thoughts into words yet, so you will just have to wait for that one.

So, tomorrow, I'm at the hospital. I have not idea for how long, but I have to be there around 7:30am. So Tim is going to walk me down in the AM. I'm thinking I should probably be up at 6am. That gives me exactly 7 hrs. to sleep....

Bonne nuit!

P.S. - Amanda kindly lent me her French notes. What retarded language. Beautiful, but complete nonsense. So, yeah, I'm trying hard to pick up French.

Bongolo

2009-05-04T16:32:00.000-04:00

So NEW plan for my life: drop out of college, pack up my stuff & live in Gabon.

I have finally arrived, three days after I began my journey!!!

I woke up this morning completely sweat drenched & the day had not even started. I got my first bug or spider bite while I was sleeping.

After getting ready, I went downstairs and ate breakfast with Meredith & Liann. Tim came to pick us up and we headed across town to pick up the Rausch's at the Solvig's house. The Gabonese drive much like Italians in Rome; that is all I have to say. Tim is a fabulous driver & hysterical.

The Rausch's traveled with me from CDG Paris. Dr. Rausch is actually a cardiologist. He brought his three older children (college age & older) named Jean-Marie, Elisa & Alec. So, since they were staying at the Solvig's (a family currently in transit as they are moving to the U.S. after 13 years of service at the STMO guest house in Libreville). From there, Pastor Songoy (I have no clue how to spell this), a local Gabonese pastor drove us to the LBV airport.

*Left Top: Jean-Marie & I
*Bottom: Elisa & I

We proceeded to pass through Gabonese security which in essence consists of "security" picking through your bags by hand. Then, we waited about 1.5hrs. at the gate.

And by gate, I mean there was one gate servicing ALL flights. This gate simultaneously services flights to Douala, Mouila, Paris and basically everywhere. Our flight arrived EARLY, which is completely unheard of in Gabon....To make a very LONG story short, our plane ride was enjoyable although turbulence now has a new definition. I would be surprised if the plane was newer than 1975. The stewardess loved us so much that she let Elisa sit with the pilot and copilot in the cockpit.

We arrived and were met by the hospital chauffer, Phelipe. We squished into a small, old, white Toyota jeep/van & drove over 2 hours to Lebamaba.

Right outside of Lebamaba is Bongolo, which refers to the hospital/mission compound. On our drive we encountered many vans of people on their way back after a visit to the hospital.

*Left: Gabonese bridges.

We arrived at Bongolo and Phelipe dropped off the Rausch's at the Thelander's house. Technically, they are staying at the triplex that typically houses medical STMOs. Phelipe then drove me across town (and by town I mean 200-300 yds. max) to the Kelly's. Emma had (according to Mrs. Kelly a.k.a. Amanda) been waiting for me for 3 hrs. so I was welcomed whole-heartedly by 8-year old Emma. Emma & Amanda showed me to my room, which is LOVELY. I have a ceiling fan, bed, dresser and my very own desk! I met Tim (Mr. Kelly), Zach, (13yrs.) and Forrest (11yrs.). They are all just so wonderful.

Amanda cooked a delicious dinner. We talked and then went for an evening swim (Emma was super excited). We played Marco-Polo. I caught Forrest, but he claims that he is world-champ. We have a few weeks to work on that one ;-)

Later in the evening I met Lisa (who lives in an adjacent apartment). She works at the hospital, I think. So I showered, which was largely uneventful except for this discovery of countless no-seem bites. I am basically polka-dotted. Mind you, I put LOTS of bug spray/creme on, so this is NOT my fault.

That is basically it. Of course I am leaving out lots of details, but that's it for now. Tomorrow we will probably go into town after the Kelly kids are done with their schooling and then on Wed., Thurs., and Friday I will be at the hospital (that is the plan at least)...

In case you were wondering, I don't think I'll be able to post pictures because there is not alot of bandwidth or something like that.

I'm gonna hit the sack, soon. Needless to say, I am loving every minute of this trip. I'm covered in bug bites head to toe, but I am loving life and thanking God for this awesome opportunity he has blessed me with and the people he has placed in my life.

P.S.- Its rainy season, so guess what? There is basically a monsoon going on now. NO JOKE.

GABON!

2009-05-03T16:28:00.000-04:00

I'm currently sitting in the CMA STMO (short term missions office) house with Tim & Meredith Brokopp (two of the COOLEST people ever) and a 1-yr. intern named Liann. VERY cool people! I'm so blessed to be here.

Trip Details:

JFK-Paris: The Lord blessed me with AMAZING fellow passengers. First I was bummed because it appeared that I was the only American on the flight & I got one of those middle seats, but GOD was absolutely amazing in that he placed me between an American elementary school teacher (currently teaching English in France) and an Indian doctor from John Hopkins attending a conference in Geneva about vaccines & public health! BTW, my Air France experience was stupendous!!! What a wonderful plane ride; I got to watch Valkyurie and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

PARIS Layover: My layover was pretty uneventful. I encountered some rather friendly Air France people who helped me get to where I needed. We arrived from JFK early @ 7am, so I sat in the CDG Paris airport for a few hours. I had a second sandwhich for breakfast & a rice krispy treat & anti-malarial drugs; yipee! I met a drunk Dutch band who travels Africa & plays at Dutch parties. That was interesting.

Paris-LBV: I fell asleep the instant I sat down. This nice Asian lady next to me saved my food because basically I was in acoma throughout the trip. I watched Slumdog Millionare or at least pretended to. My Sunday service consisted of lots of worship music from my iPod.

GABON: I survived a long, ardorous (sp?) process of customs & baggage claim. I was greeted by Tim & Steve who were also waiting for another family who ended up being up on my CDG-LBV flight! So I had dinner with all the missionaries; it was awesome! They are all wonderful & welcoming!

JFK

2009-05-02T14:44:00.000-04:00

I'm waiting for my flight in JFK and have safely decided that I will be the only American on this flight. End of story. I am completely surrounded by French....time to start learning French!!! Right now I'm waiting for my flight watching a 30 year old French man play with his GameBoy or DS. Either way, he obviously has not grown out of playing games.

I'm so excited for this trip!!! Can't wait to arrive in Africa...but before I get there I have to attack CDG Paris airport. That will be fun ;-)

Well, that's it for now. My stomach is growling and begging for food. I think I'll eat & people watch :-)

STILL NO GRADES from my professors!!!

D-day

2009-05-01T21:45:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends!

Guess what??? Tomorrow morning I'm going to AFRICA!!!! Wow. I am SO incredibly excited. I've been dreaming of this day since I was about nine years old and now it is actually happening! I can't wait to begin this adventure & see what God has in store for me in Gabon.

Tomorrow I begin Part 1 of this journey. First I fly to JFK, then Paris (overnight flight), then I fly to Libreville and arrive around 5pm-ish on Sunday (Gabon time). Then I spend the night with the Brokopp's on Sunday night. Monday I fly to Lebamba and will be staying with my wonderful hosts the Kelly's.

Please pray that I do not encounter and difficulties with delays, connecting flights and customs. I have alot of bizarre items I'm bringing, so I'm praying that Gabonese customs officials just pass me by entirely.

I will try to update as frequently as I can. Because I only arrive in Lebamba on Monday, do not expect an update until Tuesday. By then, I should have had time to set up my computer, etc.

P.S. - My organic chem. test on Wednesday went pretty well! I still haven't received any grades yet, so I am waiting in suspense :-)

One down, one more to go!

2009-04-27T19:20:00.000-04:00

So, this morning at 8:30am, I took my Microbiology final! Yay! Its done and out of the way. It was very fair and I think I did ok :-)

One more final to go....Organic Chemistry. I am studying like crazy for this and hoping to do well so I can survive with at least an A- in the course. That would be super and a HUGE improvement from last semester! ...Sometimes I wish that I wasn't planning on going to med school just so I didn't have to care so much about my grades!

My last 5 days in the U.S.:

Tuesday - Study organic chem ALL day long

Wednesday - Organic Chemistry Final Exam @ noon-2:30pm, computer/iPod stuff with Alex, Coffee/dinner with Bekah @ 5:30ish & dessert with Fisher girls in the evening.

Thursday - Packing. Working 10am-3pm-ish. Packing. Bonfire in the evening.

Friday - Packing & errands. Spending the day with Nessa & mom.

Saturday - LEAVE for GABON!!!!

...Ok. Back to studying...maybe I can even squeeze in watching House at 8pm!

Sometimes...

2009-04-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes life just sucks. To be more specific, sometimes school (i.e., chemistry) just sucks.

Only a few days until Gabon!

I am relying on God's grace, mercy and strength to make it through the next few days. I don't know how much of this I can handle; can't wait to get out of here & go to Africa.

In the midst of this, God is good.

Visa

2009-04-21T18:17:00.001-04:00

On a trivial note, I now have 3/6 exams done & out of the way. God has blessed me incredibly & given me great wisdom as I have taken my exams and thus I have managed to do very well...My next exam is tomorrow. I'll be taking the ACS (American Chemical Society) national exam for Organic Chemistry. It is 70 multiple choice questions long and I get 120 minutes. AHHHH!!!! I am going crazy...God has been faithful to supply me with strength that I do not normally possess. I am the kind of student who falls asleep at 9 or 10pm. Last night I just trucked through the night and managed to keep my eyes open till 4am studying chemistry!!!

About my visa...Its taking longer than expected. I hope & pray that I'll get it before I leave, because, unfortunately, the Gabonese embassy also has my passport!

11 days until Gabon!

Back to studying for the ACS...

Faithful

2009-04-19T01:27:00.000-04:00

Every single time, it never ceases to amaze me. God is so incredibly faithful. Everytime I observe an act of his faithfulness, I step back in awe of who He is. He is truly AMAZING!!! God has managed to show me once again how faithful He is, when I put 200% in. I thought I wouldn't survive this round of exams, but God is AMAZING, and I have managed to do well on my organic exam. THAT is a miracle. No one just does well on an organic test. It just does not happen without God.

I have four exams left, and the one exam that I took Friday should be graded by Monday or Wednesday.

14 days until Gabon! < This is SCARY!!! >

In preparation for Gabon & as a break from exams, mom & I went shopping to try and hunt down some skirts and shirts. Long skirts (extending past the knee) and t-shirst are the dress code for ladies in Gabon.

Because of the rainy season, I needed to buy shoes that could survive torrents of rain, so my parents generously bought me two pairs of Croc flip-flops. I have had great experience with these in the past. They are so light and incredibly comfortable, so they should do the trick!

I have to buy a bunch of food to take like snacks, juice mix, etc. since Gabon is very expensive when it comes to regular groceries. So, that still has to be done.

I am also waiting for my visa. THAT is a prayer request. Not only is the Gabonese embassy in possession of my international vaccination card, but they also have my passport, so basically, I can't go anywhere without it.

Alright, folks, I think that is it for now. You probably didn't even care to read those details, but it is what it is.

Consumed

2009-04-12T17:44:00.000-04:00

That's it. I am officially consumed by school. These last two weeks are driving me insane. I feel like I'm in the middle of a rector scale 5 tornado. This is psycho. I have WAY too many exams and not enough time to study.

So, really it comes down to this one thing: God.

I can't do this without God. Believe me, I KNOW that in my heart. But, sometimes my overactive mind and imagination go nuts and start doubting God's ability to help me through this period of insanity. The worries of school and academia may seem superfluous to some, but they are real. So much hinges on my ability to perform well on every paper, project and exam.

So, at this time, I cry out to God to give me strength and help me press forward, because, really, I just cannot handle this anymore.

20 days until Gabon!

P.S. - That is the other thing that is driving me nuts. I am juggling school, work, volunteering, job applications and preparations for this trip. I haven't had time to think about packing or anything. BUT, God will work it out!

So much to do, so little time

2009-04-07T09:29:00.001-04:00

There is literally so much to be done & so little time, so I would not expect any consistent posts.

The exam/project countdown begins:
Religious Studies Research Paper - April 8th
Microbiology Lab Bacterial Unknown Project - April 13th
Organic Chem. Exam 3 - April 15th
Religious Studies Project - April 15th
Microbiology Exam 3 - April 17th
Microbiology Lab Mini-Test 2 - April 20th
ACS (National Organic Chem. Exam) - April 22nd
Microbiology Final - April 27th
Organic Chem. Final - April 29th

25 days until Gabon!

Birthday Wishes

2009-04-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JENESSA EBEL!

Pray

2009-04-04T01:01:00.001-04:00

I have finally gotten over the side effects of the Yellow Fever vaccine. Wednesday evening & Thursday morning were pretty horrible, but thankfully God helped me make it through the day. I survived six hours of organic chemistry lab and actually felt increasingly better throughout the day.

The Lord impressed on me today the need for prayer in this world. This wasn't a new or novel thought, really. I KNOW prayer is important in my mind, but today that need travelled to my heart & soul. So often I hear of a hopeless situation or read of one, and God is teaching me to put my thoughts & emotions on hold and just pray. So many times, I can't do anything about the situation, and my only means of affecting change is to cry out to God for his love, mercy, grace and peace over the situation. This was impressed upon me once again this evening.

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." -Eph. 6:17-18

Prayer is not to be underestimated. Because it is a weapon, it demands battle. So we must stand, waving standards high with weapons ready and charge.

29 days until Gabon

Sick

2009-04-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

All I have to say is that what the doc said about the Yellow Fever vaccine is true. There are definitely some side effects.

Basically, the Yellow Fever vaccine is giving me a run for my money. I am sure that this is the first of many sicknesses that I will experience on this adventure to Gabon. Normally, this would not pose a problem, but that fact that I have classes and labs is proving to be difficult. All I have to do is survive volunteering, speaker panel discussion and organic lab tomorrow & Friday's classes.

31 days until Gabon

Gabon Preparations!

2009-03-31T12:43:00.001-04:00

Wow. I have exactly 6 minutes to write this blog, then it is off to work.

SO this morning I went to Passport Health @ Strong Memorial Hospital and got my anti-malarial drugs, Yellow Fever vaccine & Typhoid vaccine (my arm kills, actually it's throbbing). I also learned about a bunch of other parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc. that you can contract while you're there. Naturally, mom freaked out. Somehow (peace of God?) I'm not really that concerned.

This morning was hectic, but I managed to finally finish all the paperwork and was able to send my visa papers off since I have my yellow vacination card thanks to my doctor's visit. Yay!!!

I got my welcome info./packet and a bunch of other informaiton from CMA, so I am very excited....This is, of course, very distracting. I am having trouble focusing on school work, but whatever. It is super exciting and I absolutely cannot wait!!!

32 days until Gabon

Oh, and please remember that it is RED ENVELOPE DAY. So get those envelopes in the mail!!!

Red Envelope Day

2009-03-30T21:37:00.001-04:00

Hello Non-Existent Readers,

I know that no one probably has this link yet, but if there is someone out there reading this go to http://www.redenvelopeday.com/. It is such an awesome ministry. Send your red envelopes!

I read the "about," and I must say God really touched my heart and reminded me how powerful prayer truly is. We have a responsibility as the next generation to rise up and take prayer seriously. But, it doesn't stop there. Yes, prayer is powerful, but we are also called to take action. We have to be bold. We have to live God out and let Him penetrate our very existence. He has the power to transform. So let it begin with us. Let it begin with this generation. Let change, reform and revival start here and now. Don't settle for anything less.

"Bad ideas are always bad. Truth and time go hand in hand. Good ideas are always good, they often just need a new medium." - Christ Masse, Red Envelope Project

33 Days until Gabon!

You Have a Blog?

2009-03-27T23:58:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have officially created a blog. It's true. I have succumbed to peer pressure and felt the need to begin posting snapshots of my life on the internet.

The end.

But, seriously, I have created a blog for communication purposes. At the end of April, I will be going to Africa for a month. Rather than sending mass emails and obnoxiously filling up my friends' inboxes, I have decided to simply create a blog. So, here I am.