Dear family and friends,
Now that we've survived in Africa for a full three weeks, we figured it is time to send out an update! At various times, both of us have had the thought "are you crazy - do you really want to spend two years in the rainforest of Africa?" go through our heads. Well, to be honest, those thoughts still run through our heads at times, but being in Africa, seeing patients sing and dance when they can see for the first time after surgery, and knowing that God wants us to share the hope that He provides with those we encounter – these things help us to know that yes, we will in fact be in Africa for at least 2 more years (God willing).
In our last update, we left off in the middle of our French language learning in Switzerland. The fun thing about this life is that each day always ends with "To be continued...." The next day holds new adventures and experiences yet to be discovered, a thought that is especially important for those who are going through tough times. God's mercies are new every morning, and that's something we can count on.
The end of February marked the end of our official language learning. Our time in Switzerland was a huge blessing to us, and we now have a good foundation in Fre
nch (in addition to a number of new friends) as a result of it. To celebrate, we took our "final exam" - a 5 night vacation in Paris. It wasn't quite as much of an exam as we expected (many people spoke English), but it was a great time, nonetheless (as far as Eric was concerned, the English made it even better!). Our favorite part was seeing the Eiffel Tower - it truly is beautiful - but we also enjoyed going to museums (the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay) and touring some castles. One highlight was being able to share about Jesus with our castle tour guide. He is a seeker, and we gave him many things to think about - we pray that he will continue his quest for truth.
Then we went back to Neuchatel in Switzerland, said a few last goodbyes (which included eating a few last goodbye meals!), packed up our stuff, and started our journey to Africa. God provided well for us along the way, including providing a friend to take us to the train station at 5:00 am, allowing us to have an overweight bag on the airline for free, and allowing all of our bags to make it with us to Benin. Thank you so much for your prayers for us during that time.
We were on the ship off the coast of Benin only one night when Eric (deemed a "problem child" by the Mercy Ships logistics coordinators!) had to head back to the airport to make his trip to Dakar, Senegal to receive accounting training for his role in Gabon. Thankfully, we survived the week apart (due in part to being able to use a Vonage phone in Senegal to make nightly phone calls to the “Africa Mercy,” our ship).
We have now been together in Benin for two weeks, and things are going quite well. The first week or two of performing surgeries was somewhat difficult for Wendy, as it is always uncomfortable to step out into learning something new, and she was returning to medicine after having been away from it for 9 months. But Wendy is getting better at her surgical technique every day, has done 57 sight-restoring cataract operations (in addition to other kinds of eye surgeries), and she is already starting to train 4 Benin ophthalmologists in this same procedure, in French, twice a week. Eric is helping out with various roles, which have included: helping blind patients to get to and from the boat, helping to fix/improve spreadsheets and databases for the ship, and learning how to patiently wait when things seem to take FOREVER! (That's a skill we will need more and more as time goes on here in Africa.) Our hope is that through all these practical acts of love, the name of Jesus will be lifted up and more people will come to trust in him for salvation and daily joy.
Eric will be on the ship in Benin until April 28, when he will be heading to Gabon to get some additional training on budget work. Wendy will remain on the ship in Benin to finish up her cataract fellowship on Mercy Ships for one more month. She will be flying to Gabon on June 1. Then starts our long-awaited time in Gabon - our initial commitment is to work there for two years.
People here in Africa face many physical struggles - unemployment, scarcity of resources, illness, and lack of access to healthcare, to name a few. But during these economic times, people in the US are facing many struggles of their own. It's times like this in which it's especially important to remember that tangible things (such as money, health, and possessions) are only temporary, but things that are unseen (such as faith, hope, love) are eternal, and hence are much more worthy of our strivings.
We love you dearly and are so thankful to have you in our lives.
Eric and Wendy
Now that we've survived in Africa for a full three weeks, we figured it is time to send out an update! At various times, both of us have had the thought "are you crazy - do you really want to spend two years in the rainforest of Africa?" go through our heads. Well, to be honest, those thoughts still run through our heads at times, but being in Africa, seeing patients sing and dance when they can see for the first time after surgery, and knowing that God wants us to share the hope that He provides with those we encounter – these things help us to know that yes, we will in fact be in Africa for at least 2 more years (God willing).
In our last update, we left off in the middle of our French language learning in Switzerland. The fun thing about this life is that each day always ends with "To be continued...." The next day holds new adventures and experiences yet to be discovered, a thought that is especially important for those who are going through tough times. God's mercies are new every morning, and that's something we can count on.
The end of February marked the end of our official language learning. Our time in Switzerland was a huge blessing to us, and we now have a good foundation in Fre
nch (in addition to a number of new friends) as a result of it. To celebrate, we took our "final exam" - a 5 night vacation in Paris. It wasn't quite as much of an exam as we expected (many people spoke English), but it was a great time, nonetheless (as far as Eric was concerned, the English made it even better!). Our favorite part was seeing the Eiffel Tower - it truly is beautiful - but we also enjoyed going to museums (the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay) and touring some castles. One highlight was being able to share about Jesus with our castle tour guide. He is a seeker, and we gave him many things to think about - we pray that he will continue his quest for truth.Then we went back to Neuchatel in Switzerland, said a few last goodbyes (which included eating a few last goodbye meals!), packed up our stuff, and started our journey to Africa. God provided well for us along the way, including providing a friend to take us to the train station at 5:00 am, allowing us to have an overweight bag on the airline for free, and allowing all of our bags to make it with us to Benin. Thank you so much for your prayers for us during that time.
We were on the ship off the coast of Benin only one night when Eric (deemed a "problem child" by the Mercy Ships logistics coordinators!) had to head back to the airport to make his trip to Dakar, Senegal to receive accounting training for his role in Gabon. Thankfully, we survived the week apart (due in part to being able to use a Vonage phone in Senegal to make nightly phone calls to the “Africa Mercy,” our ship).
We have now been together in Benin for two weeks, and things are going quite well. The first week or two of performing surgeries was somewhat difficult for Wendy, as it is always uncomfortable to step out into learning something new, and she was returning to medicine after having been away from it for 9 months. But Wendy is getting better at her surgical technique every day, has done 57 sight-restoring cataract operations (in addition to other kinds of eye surgeries), and she is already starting to train 4 Benin ophthalmologists in this same procedure, in French, twice a week. Eric is helping out with various roles, which have included: helping blind patients to get to and from the boat, helping to fix/improve spreadsheets and databases for the ship, and learning how to patiently wait when things seem to take FOREVER! (That's a skill we will need more and more as time goes on here in Africa.) Our hope is that through all these practical acts of love, the name of Jesus will be lifted up and more people will come to trust in him for salvation and daily joy.
Eric will be on the ship in Benin until April 28, when he will be heading to Gabon to get some additional training on budget work. Wendy will remain on the ship in Benin to finish up her cataract fellowship on Mercy Ships for one more month. She will be flying to Gabon on June 1. Then starts our long-awaited time in Gabon - our initial commitment is to work there for two years.
People here in Africa face many physical struggles - unemployment, scarcity of resources, illness, and lack of access to healthcare, to name a few. But during these economic times, people in the US are facing many struggles of their own. It's times like this in which it's especially important to remember that tangible things (such as money, health, and possessions) are only temporary, but things that are unseen (such as faith, hope, love) are eternal, and hence are much more worthy of our strivings.
We love you dearly and are so thankful to have you in our lives.
Eric and Wendy
1 comment:
Eric & Wendy- thanks for the wonderful blog and recent prayer email! I am so thankful to God for your service to Him!
Steve
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