china trip

Hannah, Mark and Susie, Les Tower and Dwayne Smithgall

Hong Kong

We landed in Hong Kong early in the morning and we had about an 8 hour delay before our next flight. So we took a tour and learned a great deal about Hong Kong from a funny chinaman. For example, there about 7 million people who live there! The most skyscapers in the world are in Hong Kong, 8 thousand! People there love Jackie Chan! It is the busiest harbor in the world! There are some awesome bridges in Hong kong!

Hong Kong hollywood walk of fame!




this view is from 'the peak' way above Hong Kong, a good tourist spot! they even had a starbucks!


Chang Sha Hunan Province China


Dick and Edna Williams were our guides while we were in the interior of China. really good people who love the Lord! we stayed in motels while there and ate at restaurants. yes, we had to use chop sticks and we did pretty good, well most of the time!







Hannah and Susie trying to eat!

this is Reverand Chen, and amazing man who God is using to make things happen in China! He is the President of the Hunan Christian Council and the principal of the Hunan Bible Institute.

We visited the Hunan Bible Institute. We were able to share our testamonies and interview some teachers and students. The picture below is of Gloria Wu, she has been to the States and Ellensburg. She is a wonderful Christian woman who God is using in China! She and her husband teach at the Bible institute and she also does a lot of administration work for the Institute.

a Sunday school class that was tought by the students.

we even played a game of basketball and some ping pong!

Chenzhou Hunan Province China

we traveled to Chenzhou to visit churches, churches being constructed, and wonderful Chinese believers.

we were able to catch in a few sights and even eat a few interesting meals, well not all of us ate everything on the table! There a few times we left more that we ate!

Les is sucking marrow out of a pig bone! Yuk!

we were able to go to a market that was in a small village! how cool was that!

because we were farmers they took us to some farms in the country!

This is just a sampling of the trip, we would love to show you more pictures and tell you much more.

on our way home!

Staying in Libreville for a couple of days let us unwind and relax. Arnie and Cheryl Sloving are the best hosts. Good food! Good laughs! Great tour guides!

Arnie and Cheryl Solvig

Vicky and Carrie at the beach

We did a little shopping, relaxed at the beach, and took a tour of the CMA missions school.

We also enjoyed a great Sunday service at the 1st Libreville CMA Church. The first service was about 3 hours long the music was wonderful! We were singled out because the white people weren't dancing! So we danced, well at least we tried to! This is the largest church with about 3000 people attending 2 services.

next stop, Paris

After a night flight to Paris, we found our hotel and took a 1/2 hour nap and then adventured into Paris.
Trains and monorails are the way to get around Paris, that was an experience all it's own. Let's just say after a few wrong trains we did get to where we needed to go!

A whirlwind tour of a few sites where spectacular! I want to go back! We were impressed with all the history and the churches!

Sacre Coeur

Notre Dame Cathedral

Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

special thanks!

As I post this last time for this trip, I know that we all want to say a "thank you" to the missionaries at Bongolo. This picture was taken at a Valentine\Going away party for us.

Becky Thompson, Carolyn Thorson, Saskia DePoel, Lisa Nickey, Pastor Serge Batouboko, Karen Fitch, Henri and Joyce Samoutu, Joanna, Keir, Luke and Sarah Thelander. (Not pictured) Dave Thompson, Deborah Walker

We are thanking God for these servants of God who are now our friends! God uses all of us and we would like to encourage those of you who are reading this blog to step out of your comfort zones and share your lives and talents to help further the 'Good News". It will bless you more than you could ever imagine!

for you!

Lastly, we want to thank you, family, friends and many others who lifted us to our Father in prayer. Your prayers are being answered, we are home safe and our lives are forever changed!

Praise God!

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

Matthew 16:24-26

back to libreville

We made it back to the guest house. The road to Mouila was in much better condition and we made in 2.5 hours and no one was sick!

Cheryl Solvig made us a fantastic dinner. Roast beef, potatoes, carrots, green salad and pumpkin pie. It was so good! She is a great cook!

After dinner we sat around the table and listened to Arnie Solvig and David Thomson tell us some great fishing stories! Lots of fun and lots of laughs!

We stay in Libreville until our plane leaves Sunday night. We are going shopping tomorrow and maybe the beach!

Thanks for praying for us!

getting ready to say good bye to bongolo!

We have lots of mixed feelings about leaving this place. We have met so many wonderful servants of God and have been blessed by their genuine hearts of compassion and their desire to reach the Gabonise for Christ. Visiting the villages on Sunday's and worshipping God together makes this world seem not so big. Bongolo is a beautiful place and so are the people who live here.

On the other hand, Bongolo is far from home. We are missing home! Missing our families! Vicky is missing McDonalds french fries. Elvin would like a hamburger at Burger King! John wants a large glass of fresh milk. Gerald would like for Marilyn to make him breakfast! We all would like milkshakes and a pizza! All I want is to be cold enough to wear a sweater and socks!

the journey home

starts Friday morning, we will be leaving around 8am (that's 11 pm pacific time, Thursday). We will travel the rough road to Mouila and then fly back to Libreville.

a couple of prayer requests

1. That we wouldn't get sick on the road


2. Rusty is struggling with some back pain and that he would be able to make the trip pain free. This is a big one, since the road is so rough.
   
   

enjoy the pictures!

The guys cooling off before dinner.


Mark and John with several of the workers. Notice the hats!

This the african way to pour cement. We were impressed!

The quad-plex as we will leave it for the next crew.

Mandji Village CMA Church.

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the Glory,

because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

refreshing rains!

Almost every evening this week the storm clouds gathered up and put on a show of lightning and rain. We have a thermometer and we watch to see how cool it will go. 75 degrees is about as low as it goes. Saturday night we had a light show like we have never seen before. The lightning strikes were incredible. It went on for over an hour, and the strikes were very close, too close!

A sad note is that on the way to church some of us saw roofs off houses and downed power lines.

saturday afternoon

we piled in the van and went touring. The dam was the first stop. Nothing like a tour in the states! We just looked and went wherever we wanted. The second stop was shopping in LeBamba town, a pop. of about 5000. The guys were not impressed! Next was the TV and radio station, we all liked the AC.

(Vicky and Susie at the dam)

(inside the dam)

after church on Sunday,

we took naps, went swimming and waited in anticipation, our night out for dinner at a local restaurant in Dakar, a small village of 600 near Bongolo. We enjoyed, chicken, fish, smoked fish and spinach, fried plantains, fried sweat potatoes, cooked manioc leaves, and rice. It was a good time and we tasted some of the local food.

(Karen Fitch, Susie and Mark)

(the african lady is the cook and owner of the restaurant)

monday morning and we are back to work!

Our Vonage phone seemed to fall victim of an electrical storm. We called our local surgeon, Keir Thelander, who is also, computer, electrical, and internet savvy. He just stopped by and got our phone working again.

We have much to praise the Lord!

the crew

(eww....sweaty boys)

(Mark)

(John and Carrie)

(John Dyk)

(Rusty Gigstead)

(John Yoder)

Lebamba Town

The girls went to town Thursday, toured the bakery, tv and radio station. I'm sure we were on tv, as we were video taped from the moment we got out of the car until we got back in when we left. Joanna, Thelander was interviewed.

(Luke and Sarah Thelander)

Last night we had dinner with two missionary nurses, Lisa Nicky and Karen Fitch. Karen has been on the field for 28 years, 8 in Mali and 23 here at Bongolo. We had a nice meal and a good visit. Lisa Nicky just recently came, she was in Ethiopia for that last 2 years.

(Lisa and John walking a patient)

Today, Saturday, we are going to take a look at the hydro-electric dam that supplies all the electricity in the area, and then the guys will make a trip to town.

Have a good Sunday tomorrow worshiping our Lord.