Planes, canoes and automobiles...

Last night I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at a local churches VBS.  It has been several years since I have been involved in a VBS and I was very excited to be a small part of this one. The weekly theme is "Africa", so I was invited to briefly share of what life is like in Africa before these precious smiling faces boarded their"airplane" and headed for points unknown! As I was sharing, I realized again how difficult it is to travel within the country of Congo. After spending roughly 16 hrs on two airplanes, you arrive at a small airport that is crowded and stifling hot. Waiting in long lines through immigration while hearing a language you cannot understand and all the time hoping a praying all your luggage made the journey and that your ride is here to pick you up! After a nights rest, you head to the border crossing where a dug out canoe will ferry you across the river to a small outpost where once again you will have to go through immigration while waiting in the hot sun. Of course, since you look very different from the rest of the people milling about, you are virtually on display. You smile and wave at people and try not to look too nervous as the soldier with an automatic weapon walks by. The next part of the journey is a dusty 10-11 hr truck ride down country. It is not actually very far - about 150 miles, but the condition of the roads makes it impossible to travel more than 25 mph. The dirt roads are filled with potholes and in some places huge crevices oh and did I mention the bridges that are really just two planks across the road? And keep in mind you are sharing the roads with pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, animals and other vehicles. In many ways though, this is my favorite part of the journey, because you get to experience the countryside, the jungles, the people and the beautiful foliage along the way. However, by the time we reach our destination, I am more than ready to leave that Land Cruiser behind!
So why I am going on and on about all this? Two reasons: one - to help you realize how easy it is to travel here in the USA and two- so you will pray for us as our team travels on our journey.

As I looked out into those little smiling faces last night, I also wondered how many of these children would give their lives to serving our great God. How many would actually get to to travel to Africa or another hurting country to share the love of Christ and make lifelong friendships. I don't know the answer to those questions, but God does and if I had anything to do with influencing those young minds last night, it was all because of Him!

6 Weeks Away

In roughly six weeks, my team will be boarding an aircraft for the wilds of Congo. If you have ever gone on a mission trip, you understand all the preparations that need to be done before you leave. Passport, visas, airline tickets, fund raising, budgets, immunizations, ground contacts in Congo and gathering supplies you need to name a few. Though necessary, all of this can take time away from the initial purpose of going in the first place. Prayer and time with the Lord get shoved aside as the busy-ness of preparing to go along with your daily life struggles take over your precious time. I keep telling myself "focus", take the time you need to pray, dig into your devotions. I would ask that anyone who happens to read this - please pray for me and my team. Pray as we prepare, pray that we will keep focused on Him, pray for funds, pray for safety in travels (especially on the 11 hr  truck ride up and down country)  and pray we can assist and encourage our Congolese brothers and sisters and do it all with a servants heart. 

For we want to walk down the road less traveled to experience all that He has in store for us!

Future New Travels

Hello
Just a heads up that I will heading back to Congo DRC Africa in September. There will be 4 of us (all women mind you) traveling together. We are comprised of a nurse, a dentist, an AIDS Educator and Medical Technologist. I am so excited to be a part of another team ministering and teaching at Tandala Hospital.  Please keep us in your prayers as we plan all the details out. 
More to come......

Two Videos

                                        

senoir high choir

baptism

A Time for Goodbyes

                                                            9-29-2010

After two exhausting days in the clinic it is time to start the long return trip home. Packing up is bittersweet. I am ready to go home, but sad to leave knowing it will be my last trip to Hauna. Walking away from the clinic one last time , I glance back over my shoulder for one last teary eyed look. How many thousands of people have come through those doors since 1999? Hopefully every person has seen the love of Jesus in us.  Close to 1000 people came through the clinic doors this year. Many eye surgeries and general surgeries were done. I performed close to 300 lab tests which includes drawing the blood, processing and doing the tests.

As we loaded up the canoes with our gear, we said teary goodbyes with hugs and handshakes. We pulled away from the bank of the river with arms waving.

I forgot to mention earlier that one of Shirley’s former house workers named Danny died while in Lae receiving treatment for a lung ailment. They will be flying his body back to the village today on an  MAF airplane due to arrive shortly after we leave. The mourning family waited at the airstrip wailing and crying. Several men dressed in white shirts, red ties and black slacks were to serve as “pall bearers” for Danny’s body.

Flying over the jungle one last time, I took in the serene beauty. Had my father who served here in WWII seen the same jungle, had he appreciated the beauty and majesty of God’s handiwork as I had? Our descent into Wewak on the shores of the Bismarck Sea is a breathtaking sight. Swirls of green, turquoise and blue interrupted by breaking waves. We say goodbye to Gail Dooley RN (my Hauna roommate) as she will head back up to the Highlands to Kudjip Nazarene Hospital Station. She was a huge help to the team with triaging, OR and outpatient. Knowing Pidgin was a huge help as well.

Back at the SIL Guesthouse in Wewak and dinner again at the Wewak Boutique Restaurant. Louis invited Zech and Priscilla, Reggie and Susan and 2 couples from the SIL Guesthouse along.  After many hugs I said goodbye to Priscilla, she hopes her and Zech and the kids can come to the USA in the next few years. What a wonderous notion knowing I will see my New Guinea friends again - on the other side :)

Long day of flying tomorrow

Baptism on the River Sepik

                                                                                Sept 26

The past few days we have had some rain and the temps have been cooler due to the cloud cover. We still need more rain before we leave on Wednesday morning. Today is the Sabbath and we rest save for the docs making a check on post op patients and one sick little 3 week old baby. All were doing well. Doyce told me it is my turn to this year to deliver a baby. There was one woman that came here at term, but she delivered twins in the middle of the night via midwife, so I missed that chance. There is one more expectant mom waiting in the wings, perhaps I will have a shot at it after all.

I have had fun giving out gifts and candy to people. They have so little here that they are grateful for anything you give them. How much I wish everyone could see how the poorest of poor really live. Putting things into perspective they are happy, because really they don/t know any other life. It is just sad for me to see barefoot  kids dressed in dirty ragged clothes with swollen bellies knowing how ungrateful kids are in the USA.

Today was worship at the church complete with performances by the three youth choirs.  A Baptism of six young adults followed the service. Two by two they waded into the mighty Sepik  to publically show their commitment to Christ. I was told that in the village the unbelievers make fun of those proclaiming Christ through baptism, so for these six it was also an act of courage. Baptisms always bring tears to my eyes and a smile to my face no matter where I attend them. Christ’s love shining down on a tiny remote village on the other side of the world- Indeed our God is Omnipresnt.

Sunday means we are to eat a village meal at Balthazar’s house. Fish, pumpkin , sego, rice, greens and coconut milk. Sitting on the front porch of the hut watching the water ripple by as we partake with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Although physically it is a hard life, they do not have the daily stress we have.  Sunday evening we watched the movie “Saraha” while munching on popcorn.

Two more days working in the clinic , then starts the long trek home.

First Three Days in Paradise

                                                                9-24-2010

As expected the first day was chaos. I was so busy I didn’t really have time to catch my breath until it was time to head back at the end of the day. This is the first time since the very first year I am working in the lab by myself.  I was much younger then. Having to draw the blood, process, run the tests, result and then return the patient back to the doctor is exhausting.  It seems like every time I would finish a batch another round was waiting outside my door. I am thankful I can be here to help, these people have nothing and many have travelled a very long way to come here.

Second and third days were carbon copies of the first. It still has not rained. The river is so low that some people from other villages cannot get home.   Our water tanks are also low – we are conserving as best as we can. What we take for granted at home – just turn on the faucet and water comes out.

We are all getting a bit nervous about the river drying up and us not being able to get to the airstrip on Wednesday morning – it really needs to rain.