As I (Eric) write this, I am sitting in our screened in porch in Gabon (our new home for the next few years), watching the cutest little gecko climb the screen. I’ve been here for a few days now, and he’s the only creature I’ve seen in the house (except for some ants and a few small spiders, which I won’t dwell on for Wendy’s sake).
My trip to “Earth’s Last Eden” (Gabon) was fairly uneventful. I left the Africa Mercy on Tuesday, April 28th, with a nice group of friends standing at the gangway/dock to see me off. Wendy and Tim (a friend of ours) were able to accompany me on my trip to the airport. After a teary goodbye, everything at the airport went smoothly. I had 4 check-in bags along with a back pack, and I was a bit worried about whether there would be any hassle due to the excess baggage. But I had nothing to fear. They allowed all of the extra weight, and even gave me a discount on the extra bag charge since I worked with Mercy Ships!
The flight from Benin to Gabon was smooth, and we had a quick stopover in Cameroon (which was quite beautiful from the airplane). I spent the next few days in Libreville (the capital of Gabon), relaxing, filling out some paperwork, and enjoying the two missionary families that manage the guest house. They took me on an outing to one of the main grocery stores so I could see what was available in the main city (which is an 8-10 hour drive from the hospital we’re going to work at). Occasionally people from the hospital will drive to Libreville, and if we’re nice, we can ask them to bring a few things back for us. I’ve asked for over 40 lbs of frozen hamburger and frozen chicken breasts, along with some cheese – just a little light snack food. :)
Unlike our previous visit to Gabon, which involved a cancelled flight and a 10 hour drive over bumpy roads, my trip from Libreville to the hospital was uneventful. My flight from Libreville to the closest public airport to the hospital was basically on time, and then the 2 ½ hour car ride was actually fairly smooth – the roads have been much improved (although they’re still not paved). It was a little like a dream driving up to the hospital after so much time of preparation. I had visions of our previous trip here, and I was finding it hard to believe that we would be actually living here for the next two years.
And when I got here, I was welcomed by a number of the missionaries. They had decorated our house, and they had arranged for all of the stuff we had shipped to be waiting for us in the house. You wouldn’t believe the amount of food in our pantry from our food order!!! You would think I moved into a small grocery store! And speaking of food, I’ve been invited over for dinner every night since I’ve gotten here. I’ve been taken such good care of. This string of invites will end this coming weekend, when I will actually have to learn to feed myself for a change. Hopefully I’ll survive until Wendy comes in early June!!!
The past couple of days I have spent working on learning the books of the hospital (and trying to forget how much I miss my wife). It’ll be a challenge the first few months of bookkeeping, trying to keep everything straight, but I’m sure God (and my fellow missionaries) will help to see me through. And I’ve also gotten advice from a few folks on living here. Nathan, the 10 year old son of one of the local pastors, advised me to wear plenty of bug spray and to buy a machete (for the snakes)! Not the most comforting of advice!
Life here should be quite exciting, but the most exciting part of it is that we will be involved in sharing the love of Jesus with many who don’t know Him – definitely something worth fending off a few snakes and spiders. :)
My trip to “Earth’s Last Eden” (Gabon) was fairly uneventful. I left the Africa Mercy on Tuesday, April 28th, with a nice group of friends standing at the gangway/dock to see me off. Wendy and Tim (a friend of ours) were able to accompany me on my trip to the airport. After a teary goodbye, everything at the airport went smoothly. I had 4 check-in bags along with a back pack, and I was a bit worried about whether there would be any hassle due to the excess baggage. But I had nothing to fear. They allowed all of the extra weight, and even gave me a discount on the extra bag charge since I worked with Mercy Ships!
The flight from Benin to Gabon was smooth, and we had a quick stopover in Cameroon (which was quite beautiful from the airplane). I spent the next few days in Libreville (the capital of Gabon), relaxing, filling out some paperwork, and enjoying the two missionary families that manage the guest house. They took me on an outing to one of the main grocery stores so I could see what was available in the main city (which is an 8-10 hour drive from the hospital we’re going to work at). Occasionally people from the hospital will drive to Libreville, and if we’re nice, we can ask them to bring a few things back for us. I’ve asked for over 40 lbs of frozen hamburger and frozen chicken breasts, along with some cheese – just a little light snack food. :)
Unlike our previous visit to Gabon, which involved a cancelled flight and a 10 hour drive over bumpy roads, my trip from Libreville to the hospital was uneventful. My flight from Libreville to the closest public airport to the hospital was basically on time, and then the 2 ½ hour car ride was actually fairly smooth – the roads have been much improved (although they’re still not paved). It was a little like a dream driving up to the hospital after so much time of preparation. I had visions of our previous trip here, and I was finding it hard to believe that we would be actually living here for the next two years.
And when I got here, I was welcomed by a number of the missionaries. They had decorated our house, and they had arranged for all of the stuff we had shipped to be waiting for us in the house. You wouldn’t believe the amount of food in our pantry from our food order!!! You would think I moved into a small grocery store! And speaking of food, I’ve been invited over for dinner every night since I’ve gotten here. I’ve been taken such good care of. This string of invites will end this coming weekend, when I will actually have to learn to feed myself for a change. Hopefully I’ll survive until Wendy comes in early June!!!
The past couple of days I have spent working on learning the books of the hospital (and trying to forget how much I miss my wife). It’ll be a challenge the first few months of bookkeeping, trying to keep everything straight, but I’m sure God (and my fellow missionaries) will help to see me through. And I’ve also gotten advice from a few folks on living here. Nathan, the 10 year old son of one of the local pastors, advised me to wear plenty of bug spray and to buy a machete (for the snakes)! Not the most comforting of advice!
Life here should be quite exciting, but the most exciting part of it is that we will be involved in sharing the love of Jesus with many who don’t know Him – definitely something worth fending off a few snakes and spiders. :)
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