We Made it to Bongolo!

Wednesday - July 22
Got an email about 10 am stating that our Royal Air Maroc flight had been cancelled due to strikes in Casablanca and we were re-booked on Air France through Paris arriving in Libreville 7 hours earlier. This was good news to us since we were a bit concerned about the RAM flight from the start.

After closing the lids on our 12 pieces of luggage (that includes our carry ons and our personal pieces) we were ready to begin our journey to Bongolo!

Dave & Coralie arrived at 1 PM as planned. Jeff and Aden packed the pick up truck. After tearful goodbyes and long hugs, we were off to the Rochester International Airport!

Left Rochester with no problem; arrived & departed JFK with no problem (filled out the H1N1 form soon after departure - no email yet about swine flu).

Thursday, July 23 - 7 AM
Arrived & departed Paris with no problem; arrived Libreville at 5:45 PM - 40 minutes late which was still MUCH earlier than our original schedule.

Had a delightful dinner with the Straw family at the Christian Missionary Alliance Guest House; slept well and late.

Knowing we could not bring all our luggage on the Gabonese Airline flight, we pursuaded Carl Hopkins and his Cornell team of fish researchers (who would have thought!) to bring two trunks down to Bongolo when the came on Friday. The rest stayed back till the next truck comes down with part of the food from the container that just came out of port.

Friday, July 24
Breakfast was croissant and pain de chocolat! Left Guest House at 11 am for our 1 pm flight from Libreville to Mouila. Arrived Mouila to the waves of Luke & Keir at 3:15 PM. Immediately left for the 1 hour and 45 minute drive to House One at Bongolo. The roads were graded this year and the travel albeit still very rough was much more bearable than before. Joanna & Sarah and many of the missionaries and residents greeting us after our long journey.

Lovely dinner and time to visit with the Thelanders of Gabon; slept well and late after putting our things into Triplex Apartment 1.

Saturday, July 25
Grandpa made waffles for breakfast.

Dave, Keir & Luke toured the recently organized and revamped Maintenance Shop with the new Maintenance Supervisor, Paul, from Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Sarah & Grandma played with paper dolls while Joanna prepared lunch and dinner. Grandpa and Luke cleaned some of L's tools that had rusted in the Bongolo humidity.

"Quiet Time" was a welcome period for us and we both took a short rest. The trip to Lebamba to buy bottled gas for the stove was cancelled because gas is not available. Speculation is that the folks in Libreville are hoarding the gas in anticipation of the upcoming election which may result in unrest and confusion.

Pastor Serge and Jacqui came for dinner at the Thelanders (Pastor Serge is the Bongolo Hospital administrator). It was fun to be with them again. They visited us in Rochester in November 2008. Pastor Serge has invited us to a village on Monday for a feast of bush meat and typical Gabonese dishes.

Must note here that our impressions of Gabon are still very similar to what they were when we first arrived in 2007. Beautiful people, beautiful landscape, amazing poverty and amazing wealth, devout Christians, friendly people, and Bongolo is very remote!

Sunday, July 26
Breakfast on your own (cold stale cereal, Welch's grape juice and toasted baguette or pumpkin bread). Attended Bongolo Church and witnessed the dedication of Petit Luc (the 3 month old son of Jean Claude and Christine - JC is a resident). Even though the singing, the speaking and the readings were in French and then translated into the local tribal language, we felt the presence of the Lord at the service. Note: We arrived after the service was one hour in progress and left after an hour; the service continued for yet another hour and 45 minutes.

Lunch with the Thelanders was Gouda Fondue with toasted baguette.

At 4 PM we celebrated with Jean Claude and Christine and Petit Luc and their friends and co-workers under a shelter at the Quadplex. Each of the residents spoke as did Keir and Dr. Dave, the 30 year surgeon here, and the pastors spoke as well. Great time of prayer and celebration including a power point presentation about the family. Great time of fellowship and refreshments including grapefruit soda.

After dinner L&S headed to bed after baths in their huge galvanized tub and the adults recapped the events of the day.

God has surely showed his mercy to us during our travels to Bongolo. Smooth flights, great connections, safety, and great Air France service for the longest leg of our flight.

We feel blessed to be here.