Gabon Africa 2010

Today was Incredible, Amazing, and full of so many blessings! Couldn't have asked for a better day! We were up by 6am and off to Nzeng-Ayong by 7. When we arrived at the church there was only 4 of their members. So we went into the church to pray about the day, giving everything to God and praying that more help would show up. Within the next hour there was probably 40 people at least. Praise God! It felt like Deja Vu from last year as the cement process took place, the task of the day to pour the second story floor in their church. And the cement mixing by hand of course! The whole situation sorta made me think of an old fashioned barn raising! There is teamwork, the fellowship is unlike anything I have ever experienced in the U.S. they are always singing and dancing even while they work. The dancing is so much fun to watch! And everything is just so happy even when they are mixing cement. They have a source of Joy that I feel like is unseen in the states if that makes sense. My descriptions cannot do the situation justice. I just know that today I was sitting on the steps looking at everything around me and I couldn't have been more thankful to be there in that very moment, with my Gabonese brothers and sisters, its one of those feelings that makes me want to come back again and again. Like a little glimpse of heaven on earth. :) And it felt so much like last year, especially when all the kids I have kept in touch with over the last year showed up. So exciting!


I saw so many familiar faces and it wasn't until after lunch that I really started to visit with them. Half of our family left for back home but I stayed behind to spend more time with all of them. It was so terrific! I was able to visit and reconnect with many Gabonese. One of the girls Emanuelle braided my hair :) And another did Cait's. It was great to bond and catch up with them. Then I spent time talking with some of the guys they taught me some more french. It was just the most uplifting and fun afternoon. We took lots of pictures and struggled through frenglish conversations :) I really believe that one of the greatest things that God has showed me on this trip is that we have no greater opportunity on earth than fellowship and friendship with other people. I want to prioritize my life with God at the center and then to love people. To build meaningful, lasting relationships with people. As Papa Tim put it, "People are the only thing we will take to heaven with us." To stop and actually think about that statement, (which for some reason was new to me for the first time) it really makes you revaluate your priorities and actions. And spending time with my Gabonese sisters and brothers made this so much more real and applicable for me. I know that someday in heaven I will have many Gabonese sisters and brothers that I took the time to connect with in this short time on earth! How cool is that! 


So as I look ahead to each new day and into the future as a new chapter in my life unfolds, I want to make lasting relationships and to devote time and energy to spending time with God first and then people. I feel like its so easy to waste time with all the distractions of life but I also want to change and be affected by the things God is placing on my heart. God filled me with so much Joy today it was wonderful! All this to say today I didn't accomplish much work but I spent time with my brothers and sisters in Christ and focused on people over project, something that is encouraged here each day that we work with the Gabonese people. :)  


One of the mama's served us an extra meal of rice, manioc, bananas, gazelle, porcupine and manioc leaves. Being nervous, I stuck with rice and bananas but I did eat some of the gazelle! And it was pretty good. I was just glad that God gave me the strength to try something new. We left Nzeng-Ayong late afternoon and came home for street food and movies. :) And we had to say goodbye to the Straws because Megan and Joey are headed to Cameroon. It was hard but glad we were able to see them and give them hugs! God is so good! Thank you for your prayers. I hope you are having a great week full of God's blessings. Today was one of my favorite thus far. Please pray that I will continue to actively listen to God's voice each day. 


Love you all! 

Yay! Today we celebrated our sister Bethany's 20th Birthday! For breakfast they fixed chocolate chip pancakes and french toast with lots of fresh fruit! It was delicious. Last night Cait and I made many wonderful birthday signs to hang around the house. I had much energy last night and as a result a few pictures contained turkeys wearing baseball caps and sharks eating some minnows. I also drew about 10 little Bethany stick figures and hid them throughout the house sorta like wheres waldo situation. So today she was found in the fridge, riding a giraffe, and chilling on the ceiling fan and some other random places :) I thought it was a great idea... :) ... so then this morning we went to the Gabonese market and bought some lovely fabric I am super excited. The market is always an interesting situation. Pretty much the equivalent to their mall with much chaos. Tons of people crowd in the streets selling all sorts of things. Last year it was a huge culture shock for me. But knowing what to expect it was a bit less intense this time. There was a very "this is Africa" moment when we returned to find our parked cars with locks on the wheels. So we patiently waited and I went with Liz and Eric back to the market and Eric treated us to some soft serve ice cream, it was delicious in the hot sun! So Papa Tim came and rescued us, the 19 of us piled into the 14 passenger van, this put us at the unofficial "Gabonese Taxi" status we felt pretty cool. 

Good evening! It was another spectacular day here in the heart of Africa. I woke up around 9 and had a relaxing morning here at the Envision center, I decided to read Dr. David Thompson's book, "On Call." It is such a great book and testimony of the ways that God has worked in his heart and life. His testimony is quite astounding. While in college his parents missionaries, died at the hands of Northern Vietnamese soldiers. They were literally gunned down. Reading this caused me to stop and think about that. As Christians we are called to live as sacrifices for the Lord wherever that might take us even if it means being a martyr. The thought of that scares me so so much, mostly because I question how strong my faith would be in a situation like that. Its just one of those things that you cannot even fathom. But I pray I would live my life as a continual sacrifice to our Lord and King and stand strong in my faith through all circumstances. 


I continue to be blown away by the words I can hear, see, and feel God placing on my heart and life. To be honest I know that what I need most in my life at this moment is to be humble before our Lord. Reading Dr. Thompson's book he tells a story about the frusteration he had years ago when he ended up digging half of a grave for one of his patients because other people refused to help when he asked them too. He then closed that chapter by saying that God showed him that just because he was a doctor didn't mean he was too good to dig a grave. And how he believes that to be true of all of us. God doesn't define us by our career, gender or sex. He only sees us by whether we are willing or unwilling, humble or proud. No matter your place in this life if you are serving the Lord nothing should be too low or too degrading to take part in if it will bring glory to His name. 


We spent our afternoon at the Hope House spending time dancing, singing, and playing with the children. Many of them were playing soccer too. (using the goals Shelby built for his senior project last year.) These kids bring me such joy and I am pretty sure I would take them all back home with me if I could!  :) The team arrived tonight they seem great they are from the Mong church in Wisconsin. We had cheeseburger pie and french fries!! for dinner yummy...  :) then we met for debrief. 



I found myself in a very ironic situation tonight that I found interesting after being affected by the particular chapter of Dr. Thompson's book above. We were sitting down to worship as a family when one of our sisters asks if anyone will give her a foot massage. Some people chuckled or didn't hear her but I did and my response was to turn to her and ask, "Um, are your feet clean? If they are I will." She then said something profound once again that made me think about my choice of words and the way I was looking at the current situation. Dirty or clean the question should have been was I willing to serve. We will come across many unlovable people in this world and its up to us whether we will humble ourselves and serve the Lord. I then proceeded to go over to her and give her a foot massage for the next half an hour during worship. And I soon found myself in deep thought about what it would be like to sit at the feet of Jesus, worshipping Him and washing His feet. I mean, just imagine that! To me its incredible, and beautiful and I can't even imagine all the emotion I would be feeling sitting at the feet of the creator who formed me and has given me eternal life. Just think of the peace and joy that would be in your heart and soul. And yet, God gives us opportunities to serve Him each day, maybe not literally washing His or others feet but think of all the people you cross paths with in a day. As devoted followers of Christ we should strive to live like him, Jesus served the lowest of the low and loved the most unloveable people on earth and we ought to work to do the same. Dirty or clean, I had an opportunity to serve my sister. And as I worshipped and massaged her feet I felt the presence of God there. As silly as the situation sounds it really did make me think. To live as Christ is to live as a servant in any moment of everyday. Its not necessarily easy or comfortable but when you serve the least of these you serve Jesus. 


And the King will say, "I tell you the truth when you did it (feed, cloth, care for..etc) to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" Matthew 25:40


 It is my desire that my perspective would be broken and changed by this experience. The words of one of the songs tonight, "Honestly" by a Carl Cartee, are fitting and beautiful. They put me in that perfect place where I was able to meet with God. Its those moments in life that I never forget because I know I am sitting directly in the palm of my Creator and He feels more alive then ever before. Hard to explain but the greatest feeling in the world! These lyrics are the prayers that are written on my heart at this very moment. Thank you again for your prayers and for taking the time to read this. Enjoy and be blessed! 




Could I let go of all that you’ve given If it meant that it all would be yours.
Could I sit at your feet, and forget about me, and remember what I’m here for.

Honestly I need to be broken
Honestly I need to fall down
Go ahead and shake my foundation 
Cause Honestly I’m figuring out 
that of all that I have, all that I need is you
honestly.

P.S. Thank you for your encouraging comments! Pictures take a really long time to upload on here so instead they are on my facebook. If you have any questions you can email me... [email protected], its easier to answer that way. Thanks again! God Bless!

I love those moments in life where you are so disoriented you don't know what time of day it is. And then once you figure it out all you can do is laugh at yourself.


 Today when we got back from the village clinic I crashed in my bed for a nice long nap. I ended up sleeping for a couple of hours until one of my sisters Allyson kindly woke me up to tell me it was 6:30 and we were ready to eat soon. I was SO confused (I bet my face expression was priceless) I then asked her where we were going so early...thinking it was tomorrow morning... Lol...She then proceeded to fill me in on the actual time of day and I laughed inside my brain a lot! Still too tired to actually function.


Dinner was delicious! Spaghetti and garlic bread. My food intake here is horrible! Most days I eat bread with peanut butter for two out of three meals and in between I have been snacking on my chocolate and cookies from home! :) They are running in short supply which is probably a good thing. 


The village this morning was quite eye opening for me. I decided to take a different approach to share what God has placed on my heart. I hope you enjoy it.


Dear God,


I am in Africa, the place I have been dreaming of being for months and you have brought me here. I don't want to forget that I am in Africa. And I don't like that I feel numb to the living conditions of your people here. I find that we drive by these broken down shacks made of wood and tin and it seems normal after seeing thousands in a day. Living conditions we in the states can first of all not even imagine and second, would never even approve of as a shed or living for our own animals. Children sit in the dirt, carry water from wells, and play with whatever means they have. It breaks my heart to know I cannot help each of them. But then again they know no different. This morning father those two young girls eating their breakfast, a full bodied fish, picking away the edible parts. Here most don't eat for social means but instead for sustainability, they don't dress to match but just to be clothed. And furthermore, I am aware that these conditions are not close to the worst of the world. Those who live with no clean water and their only clothing on their backs. Its hard for me to even imagine living in one of those houses father. I am too scared to even use their bathrooms. So for a moment I will try to picture life from the perspective of a Gabonese. 


"My house has four walls and a metal tin roof. I live here with my four siblings and parents and grandparents. We are having leftovers for breakfast, fish that dad was able to get last night. There are lizards and spiders crawling all around me and the house smells of dirt and the other odors of life float through like burned trash and urine. I wake up and there is no faucet to shower under no sink to pour a glass of water from. I walk down the road a bit to the community well to get the water necessary for life today. There is no light switch to turn on and no cupboard full of foods. My head aches but there is nothing mom and dad can do about it until the medical clinic visits us again. For now I will rest my head and pray."


This may not be completely realistic father but I am sure for some Gabonese and people around the world its very close to experiences they have everyday or even better than what they experience. God I want my heart to be broken every time I see the living conditions of these poverty stricken people. God I do not want to be numb to their situations. I wish I could learn of their stories. And I hope and pray they have you Jesus and that they have hope. These are your people, your children, created in your image and I want to be changed by the things I have seen and experienced here. I want to make changes in the way that I live my life. Finding myself at your feet, to be used by you father. It would not be fair for me to return unchanged by what I have seen and felt. Lord you have brought me here for a reason, provided all necessary for me to be here. I can feel you here, alive, and challenging my heart. But Please Lord change me, break me, and use me. Humble me so that I may be fully consumed in your love. Lord it is so easy to look ahead at future things and to plan what I will be doing and where. But I see and feel you saying, "...be patient, be here, live right now, you may make plans for your future daughter, but I will choose your steps. Pick up your cross daily and follow me and you will have the adventure of a lifetime each day. Find your joy and peace in me. Pursue me and come to me with all things big or small. I love you child more than you will ever know and I will never leave you. Love me and love others and I will provide every breath you take along the way." 


Lord, I don't want to be ashamed, I want to return to the states and to live on fire for you. It breaks my heart that people in the U.S. and around the world hear about you and your offer of eternal life and deny you time and time again. I want to live a life of boldness for you whether I am here in Africa or back in the states, you will use us where we are at. I need you and I desire to know you more. I pray for each person that reads this Father that you would work in their hearts and that their perspectives might be changed too Father. It is no accident that I am here and no accident that they are taking the time to read this. Thank you for the continual blessings you pour out into my life I pray I would live a life that would glorify you Lord. Thank you! I love you Father. Speak into our lives and help us to be open and obedient to your will Lord. Lord there is no other place in the world that I would want to be right now, I am in your palm and you carry me. Father I know I will never understand all the hurt, brokeness, or complications of this temporary life but I pray that I would seek you and live to the fullest in each moment that you give me. You are indescribable. <3


Love Always,
Your Daughter...Natasha Anne Kamps

Hello! I am completely exhausted from today but it was well worth it. We headed out on the open road around 9am over some bumpy roads to the a forest that has been set aside. There was about four vans full of people! Everyone here at the Envision center, the Straws, Kellys, and another missionary family and Pastor Jacobs family. And we headed into the forest for a nature hike. It was very gorgeous seeing all the different trees and fun to bond with all the different people. :) After a bit we went back to our vans and back tracked a bit to a different bumpy road that led to the most stunning beach, Santa Clara! You may have seen some of our pictures from last year. Palm trees line the beach in both directions its honestly like paradise! After eating some Pringles I decided to join some of my brothers and sisters in the water. It was a combination of swimming, treading water, getting salt water in my nose and mouth, body surfing, and being swept back to shore by the powerful waves. For some reason I couldn't get the concept of plugging my nose down and as a result kept coughing as water attacked my face. I am not the greatest swimmer but I still enjoyed it very much, it was intense, the waves kept getting more powerful, almost violent as they tried to sweep us back to shore. It took a lot of strength to stay out in the water but it was great exercise. I was having a great conversation with my sister Vicky, (we decided we are kindred spirits, we both like to drink hot water and have found many other random things in common :) lol) .. anyways she was mid sentence when a huge wave came and knocked me pretty much to the shore so I decided that was the end of my water time and went back up on the beach. I layed down on a towel under the warm sun and drifted into thought. 


My sinuses were painfully clear and I could still taste my daily intake of sodium in my mouth reminding me of the mighty strength of the waves I was just in. I began to compare the different kind of waves to the experiences I have had in life and will someday have. I sat there just listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. So thunderous, mighty, powerful, and just a plain incredible force of nature that God created! These waves have incredible force on our bodies, they have the power to sweep us away, or just float by. And they are under the direction of God's hands. Much like our lives; we will have waves of turmoil, serenity, joy, and crazyness but no matter where the waves of life take us God is still the director of them. The feeling of not being able to control oneself when being swept away is much like realizing God will determine the steps of our lives no matter how confusing it may seem. I am at a crossroads in my life and there are many decisions ahead of me which at times seem overwhelming but God is showing me that He already has my steps planned out if I let him carry me. It was just a reassurance for me that my faith and trust in God will lead me to where He wants me. Which is a comfort as I look at all the uncertainties that lie ahead.  


"What do I know of you, who spoke me into motion, where have I even stood but the shores along your ocean. Are you fire? Are you fury? Are you sacred? Are you Beautiful?" - Addison Road Lyrics - What Do I Know of Holy


The rest of afternoon was peaceful and we headed back home at 4pm. Tonight we had a surprise birthday party for Missionary Alace Straw and her amazing daughter Megan here at the Envision center. We screamed surprise as they came in and took part in eating 25 pizzas with all the other missionary families. African pizza isn't quite Dominos or Little Ceasars but they do a pretty swell job. :) One African styled pizza is a breakfast pizza with ham and cheese. Its surprisingly good! After dinner there was a special presentation brought to us by Jon-Marc, Mariah and Vicky! It was an orignal birthday song, they sang it beautifully! Or in Alace's words, they really "broke it down." Lol it was a great time of fellowship and we had cake and cookies for dessert! The Straws are here in Libreville to fly the plane to and from Bongolo. They are such a great family! Megan will be a freshman in high school and this Sunday her and her brother Joey are headed to Cameroon where they will attend boarding school. So we had to celebrate early. It was a fantastic night!


 Tomorrow we head out to a village for the day to work in the mobile medical clinic so it should be great! And a team from Wisconsin gets in tomorrow night so things will be moving a bit quicker while they are here. Thank you for your continued prayer and support I want to end by sharing a few verses I read tonight that really caught my attention. It is my prayer that you and I would grow in our faiths, deepen our relationship with the Lord, and live as Jesus would. 


Growing in Faith:
"May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence....In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self control, and self control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone."
2 Peter 1: 2-3, 5-7


Live with Love. Love God, Love people. God Bless!


:) 

My day began with me stubbing my toe on a suitcase and then sorta slamming my finger in a door and later I managed to hit my hand on the dryer and hit my head on the cupboard while doing dishes! One of those days ya know? But still it was great! This morning was such a blessing. We had the opportunity to go to the Hope House around 9am. When we got there the children were running around. I recognized many of them but names were a challenge with so many faces. They live in a much larger and nicer house than last year which made me happy for them. There are about 27 children that are living there right now. Each one with their own story. The family that has been here for the last few days brought two huge duffle bags full of gifts and t-shirts from their friends in Colorado. It felt like Christmas in July as the kids dug through all their new toys. There was yoyo's, jump ropes, soccer balls, jacks, cards, markers and coloring books, drawing pads, and many other fun toys! They were so excited! So we were able to spend time playing with the kids. I went into one room where there were a bunch of desks and I ended up spending the next couple hours with about 5 of the kids. I would color a picture for them and they would color one for me. I would teach them English words and they taught me the French words. I learned to count to twenty in French! Haha I was pretty excited it was just such a great way to get to know them and to just spend time with them. We also took many many pictures! Josue, Chris, Chris, Elijah, Sabrina, Grace, and Masunda were the children coloring with me. I am pretty sure one of the drawings is me getting married to one of the boys HAHA! Made me laugh. They are so great, it is such a great place for those kids to be, where they are immersed in the love of Jesus and given love and support for their futures. I believe that the time I spent with the kids this morning was God's way of showing me that one way I can give more of myself to Him is giving Him more of my time. It was definitely one of the high lights of the trip so far! And I cannot wait till we go there again! The rest of the day was pretty relaxing, I took a nice long nap, and we watched some movies. Then we had a delicious dinner of chicken sandwiches and salad! Our dinner conversations were muffled by the rain hitting the tin roof above us. (One more almost accident as I almost fell down the outside stairs :) ) After dinner we played the game signs and had many good laughs and watched Slum Dog Millionaire... And now it is time for bed. It has been a wonderful day and I hope you are all well. I love and miss you all very much and I cannot believe how quickly time is going by here. Thank you for your prayers. God Bless!

That was the quote on the inside of my Dove milk chocolate wrapper. :) It was very fitting with the events of tonight! 


This morning we went to Nzeng-Ayong for church and it was so wonderful to see some familiar Gabonese faces! (Update for all my past team members... the church is a very slow work in progress which probably doesn't surprise you. They have added steps to one side and a few other small things like finished the front bottom room for storage. This weekend we will be helping pour the second floor so thats exciting! When someone asked Pastor Jacob when the church will be finished his answer was, "Before Jesus comes back." Haha isn't he funny. I also talked with Dasse and Josue they say hello! The service was much like last year full of much energy but not quite the same dance party during offering unfortunately :) ) The preaching was in English again because there is a man here with his family who has stayed in touch with Pastor Jacob for almost twenty years! And they both named a kid after each other! Its so cool to see how they have stayed connected. He had a very moving message. He spoke about how God asks us to give more of ourselves than we normally would and God promises us in His scripture that He will pour out blessings into our lives. He spoke about how God has challenged Him and the ways that He has stepped out into faith to allow God to use what He has. It felt like he was talking to me directly. 


Being a part of an experience like this makes you rethink the way you live your life. After last year and especially right now I feel God challenging me to look for more ways to give to him. To give to him more than I ever have before and to find ways to change the way that I have been living my life. There has been many instances this year where I have felt this burden on my heart. I was reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love and in it he tells of his families decision to sell their house and downsize giving the money to charity. He said many people told him he was crazy and ridiculous and not being fair to his family but Francis and his family have felt God pour out the blessings into their life since the down size and he has never looked back. I know thats a very large example and I don't own a house that I can sell but it causes an ache in my heart to want to do more with what resources I have been given. I know you have all heard the saying, "To whom much has been given much is expected." I have had many moments in life where I have asked myself the questions,"why I born into America?" ...where I have endless opportunities and more wealth than MUCH of the world and then theres all these other kids in Africa and around the world literally dying because of lack of clean water... they don't deserve that... and I don't deserve my circumstances any more than them. Its thoughts like these that make me desire more than anything to give more to God.  To take a risk and step out in faith! It makes me wonder how many other people in America could make small changes or big changes that would literally make a difference without causing any serious harm to their well being. It might mean sacrifice but if what we desire is to be like Christ then thats right on target. Christ was a perfect sacrifice for you and I so that we could share with Him in eternal life. And I know Jesus and I want others to know him too. And so I hope its not to much to ask each of you reading this to stop and think for a minute.... Maybe you haven't seen the needs of the orphans and widows face to face but there real and heart breaking... and maybe God isn't calling you overseas but maybe He has blessed you and maybe there is something in your life that you could give to Him. More than you ever thought comfortable...knowing that the God who created us, saved us, and rose from the dead and lives in us will bless us beyond anything we could ever imagine if we take the extra leap of faith. 

Change is possible.. and change happens one person at a time. I am not exactly sure what Christ is asking me to give to him. But I am praying that he would show me. And I am praying I would be willing to step out when I figure out what it is. Big or small I desire to change the way I live. And I know it won't necessarily be easy or comfortable.

One of my sisters said something in the car yesterday that really stuck out and it wasn't meant to be profound but I thought it was. We were talking about creating a slip n' slide theme park and how much fun they were and she was like, "I'm not okay with that. There's people dying from lack of water in the world and we are playing with ours." And I thought to myself ouch. Thats so true. I know that Whidbey or wherever you are reading this from is thousands of miles from African soil and children. But I also know that change requires action. What at Langley C&MA could we do as Christ followers to reach out more than we ever have before. I have always been encouraged by the willing hearts of all of you there are many lives being changed by the ministries already in place there but what more can we do? That will stretch our faith and give back to God to help those who don't live in as good of circumstances as you and I. Maybe this means giving more of your paycheck every week with the peace that God will provide or maybe there is a project somewhere that we could get involved with. Like building a well to provide clean water for a village or something else. All I am asking is that you would stop and think, really think and pray. And then see where the Lord leads. I am asking that God would reveal to me how I can give more to Him. The ache is real and its a burning desire in my heart. And I feel that the Lord has put it there for a reason so that I will be transformed by it. To humble myself before the Lord to be used by Him as a signpost of His love. Love is Christ's words in action. Please pray that God would show me how I can give more to Him. 

I am constantly feeling God's blessings poured out into my life, I know I have said this a lot but I am so thankful for each person that is here in Gabon. I know God has connected me to each one of them for a reason. :) Tonight we went to a get together at one of Pastor Jacob's extended family members house. We had a huge dance party as some of the Gabonese sang and played instruments it was a pretty fancy get together! They treat us so well! I was actually wiggling a bit out there...wasn't pretty but at least I tried! We ate a delicious meal and on the way home we had a family sing along to "Dancing Queen" and some other oldies. Such great bonding to belt out lyrics together :) I am looking forward to this week and trying to make the most of each moment. We are going to Hope House (the children's home), Nzeng-Ayong and Okolassi very familiar places from last year so I cannot wait to see how God has been working. I am so encouraged by the comments you leave and so grateful that you are reading these. If you have facebook I uploaded some pictures from the trip so far! I love and miss you all and I pray that God would challenge and speak to each one of you in this week. Thank you for your continued prayer and support! God Bless!


Luke 12:22-34  22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

 32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Well this morning around 6am we said goodbye to Bongolo and it was bittersweet. The time was amazing especially for building relationships with my brothers and sisters and it was great to see how the Lord is alive and at work at the hospital. But I would have loved to stay a bit longer to spend more time with the missionaries and people there at the hospital. The ride home felt like a mixture of a roller coaster, donkey kong barrel racing, and the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland it was ridiculous. :) Half the time we were on the other side of the road and the other half we were swerving to avoid bumps and pot holes. Sleeping was impossible but I was so delirious that things were much funnier and I found myself in tears many times today from laughter. The car engine smelled horrible and at one point they stopped and all we saw was smoke and water... didn't seem like a good thing...lol... another crazy moment was when we passed this table and sitting on it was a HUGE dead snake! I mean huge! Like probably 8-10 feet long... we backed up to get a better look. Its head was chopped off and all I could think to myself was how glad I was that I didn't meet it in the jungle... because that would be bad news... for me :) Anyways that was eventful we made it home safe around 5 (couldn't be happier to see the ground) and had a pretty relaxed night since we were all exhausted. I am super excited for tomorrow we are going to church at Nzeng-Ayong! So that means I will get to see a lot of the Gabonese that our team worked with last year and all of the kids I have kept in contact with :) 


I am very tired now and not exactly sure if my thoughts are making since but I just wanted to share some verses that I read tonight that encouraged me. Over the past year I have really felt the need to pursue God with all my heart and soul. That's exactly what He wants from us a willingness to bow at His feet and to cling to Him with our anything and everything. It has been a constant struggle for me to dig deep into scripture and more recently on this trip I have felt the desire to memorize more scripture and to really devour the words of the Lord. I think far too often I just read to read instead of letting the words of our Creator, Savior, and Father really sink in. These are His words and I want them to set a fire in my heart to live a life of love with a servants heart like Jesus did. And so as I read tonight I came across some verses that really sunk deep in my heart. Reminding me of the importance of God's words, how to pursue Him and why. I hope in some way that these words might also encourage you.


"People are like grass, their beauty is like a wild flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." - 1 Peter 1:24-25


"Come close to God and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts. Your loyalty is divided between God and the world." - James 4:8


"He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross, so that we can be  dead to sin and live for what is right. By HIS wounds YOU are healed. Once you were like sheep that wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:24-25



Love and miss you all and God Bless! I hope you have a wonderful night :)

So I realize this is my second blog for today but we had a pretty eventful evening that I want to share with you. I told you about the young girl in my earlier blog that was young and pregnant. Well, this afternoon when I went down with Allison and she talked with one of the nurses because we wanted to know when this young girl would be having the baby... the nurse then proceeds to check the girl and decides that it needs to be a c-section. So Allison and I get super excited and we go back to the house to get permission to go watch the surgery. We then head down with Liz to go get scrubs to watch. I was somewhat nervous because I get queezy fairly easily in general, but I didn't want to pass up this new opportunity. I was praying to God that the thrill of a new little baby in this world  would get me through the bloody part of it all. So we then dressed in our scrubs and waited outside the operation room as they rolled the girl in. This girl was terrified and in a lot of pain as she sobbed but I felt relief for her when they gave her the medicine to numb her pain and she calmed down. I can't even remember everything that was going through my mind I think I was just in shock that we were actually in a operation room watching a baby be born. It blows my mind how God has enabled us to bear our own children! I think its the most incredible miracle and its been happening for thousands of years, and with this I tried to focus on God as we stood there waiting. The surgeon came in and they prepared her lower stomach for the incision. The most inspiring thing was watching the Gabonese doctors and nurses pray before they began the surgery. Then as I took a deep breath it began. I am not going to lie I was rather disturbed by the whole cutting process but I kept telling myself, they are getting the baby out. And then before I knew it the small head popped out of the opening and they pulled out a healthy, beautiful baby boy! Praise God! I almost started crying when I saw his small fragile body emerge there is truly nothing like seeing a baby be pulled from its mothers protective womb! Ah I just wish I could put all the wonderful emotions into words for you! It wasn't until after the baby was wrapped up and brought away that I began to feel a little light headed. But after I recovered Cait and I went down to the maternity ward to see the new little one. He is beautiful! They cleaned him up and dressed him in clothes and gave him to the mother's aunt. She was so proud to hold the little guy and she allowed us to take some photos. He has such big brown eyes and full lips what a little cutie :) We were both so full of joy and excitment and wow it was just such an awesome experience! Allison was able to film the part when they pulled the baby out and if you can get past the ickyness its great! So it was truly an eventful day! We ended the night as a family by jumping in the pool in the dark and playing some volleyball it was cold, but lots of fun! Bongolo has been such a blessing and I am sad to be leaving. It has been such a great week though getting to know all these new people. So many new relationships to build on and to use to encourage one another in the Lord. I feel like I have known Cait and Liz forever and I am just thankful for each person that God brought here to be a part of this experience. I think homesickness really set in today I miss you all... more than you know. Please pray that God will settle my heart so that I can focus on what He has for me here in Gabon and that I will set aside all selfish thoughts to focus on Him. I love you all! Have a wonderful nig and God Bless! 

Today was another unexpected adventure but I wanted to begin by sharing about dinner last night. It was delicious but you see I was sitting across from the Thompsons (the field director missionaries here in Gabon) and growing up in Langley C&MA and especially more recently I have heard so much about these two people and their service to the Lord. They started this hospital and have been here for 30 years and to me thats stinking incredible! So I was sitting there eating my chicken and felt like a sponge trying to absorb everything that came from their mouths. I felt like I was eating with celebrities as funny as that sounds. They stayed awhile to chat. Dr. Dave is unlike anyone I have ever met in my life! He is so humble, inspiring and truly a servant of the Lord. As we sat and listened to him talk he kept saying the most incredible things and I just wanted to record all of his wisdom that he shared with us! I don't know if you have met those people where you feel like the words from their mouth are coming straight from God but that is how I felt it was so encouraging. Here is one quote I did manage to write down. We were talking about helping the world and he began to talk about how important it is for us to have compassion. "Compassion doesn't leave people in their misery. It doesn't leave them in hell either." He has so much wisdom to offer it was so amazing to get to listen to him talk. It has been easy to feel discouraged that God may not be calling me to the medical field but after hearing him talk about other parts of the world and what is happening there I felt a peace that God can use me in another way that is important too. So it was just a refreshing night and I enjoyed it very much!


Today we helped organize a depot full of supplies for a little while but it was mostly a relaxed morning. We walked around the hospital and we stopped by the maternity ward and there was a young girl, age sixteen and she is very pregnant. We visited with her mother and aunt for a bit she seemed to be quite nervous. The nurse Karen explained to us how often young girls are encouraged to get pregnant to show they are able to have babies and some other very different and even sad situations. This girl just looked so young to me and the doctors are unsure if she will be able to give birth naturally so pray that God will be with her and the baby, it is due at any time. Afterwards we headed back to the house for lunch. I had some delicious top ramen! And then we trekked out to the river to float. We went hiking in the African jungle it was so insane! I think I was more nervous about today than caving yesterday. All I could think about was snakes and animals and how bad of an idea this was. Eric once again led the way and we went through some beautiful woods full of enormous bamboo and other amazing nature. Then we finally made it to the riverbank. Caitlin let me use the tube she brought and I thank her very much for that because otherwise I may not have made it. Swimming is not exactly a strong point for me... I learned to swim when I was like 11 in a spa... so a tube was much needed in this African river especially when the current hit. First it was just enjoyable as we swam slowly through the forest it really didn't feel real it was the most incredible view all around us, trees reaching to the sky in every direction! We floated around a bend and thats when the current set in and we had to figure out where to get out at. Morgan my sister pretty much swam through the current pulling me I have no idea how she did that it was hard for some of the others to get across alone without pulling someone. I am very thankful to have brothers and sisters here who are so kind and care about my safety! So here we are like 8 americans in the middle of the African river and we decide to get out and climb the side of a hill to get back to the bunkhouse. It was much like rock climbing as we had to find good footing and branches that wouldn't fall. The whole thing just made me laugh it was another adventure for the books that I will never forget! My words cannot do it justice for how much of an


It seems weird that we have already been here for a week... I miss home very much. But I am trying to make the most of every moment I have here in Gabon. We head back to Libreville tomorrow please pray for safe travel home. I am sad to be leaving Bongolo it has been an unforgettable experience I love it here so much! So many adventures and memories and its super hard to post photos on here so we will try when we get back to Libreville but just be patient with our internet here :)