Monday, hospital tour and work!

Well, we had a great day today! I didn't take a picture but most of us looked like we went for a swim, much like the picture from last year when we were all wet. Humidity was high.

This morning when we started we finished setting up the scaffolding to put up siding on the back of the building. Then Carolyn Thorson took us on a tour of the hospital. It was a little different from last year as she gave us few more details of the history and why somethings are the way they are. She has been here around 33 years.

Then back to work. We got the siding going and finished the back wall. It was hot but somebody had to do it. Tim and Kay welded the decking on the bar joist so they can pour concrete when they have a chance. Everybody else kept the siding and insulation moving so we would keep putting the siding on.

We had to give our names to the airport in Mouila today so that the right size of airplane would be sent up to get us. I guess they don't keep records of when and how many people are fling or have already paid for a ticket.
Well we have one more day to work then we will be flying to Libreville.
Were hoping to get the siding all on.




This picture was taken on cardio hill which we walk everyday, You can see the steel structure.

This is the view this morning before we started siding.

This is at the end of the day. It is around 30 feet from eave to the ground.

Tim is welding the decking on. They will pour concrete on the deck.

Jonathan and Bernard (one eyed)

On the hospital tour.

When you have a family member in the hospital you have to care for them, which includes cooking their food. This is one of the cooking areas.

Praises from the work crew!

Mark writes...

one thing that we haven't had are a lot of no-seeums bites.
Just every now and then. We have three working days left here.
Monday we will take the tour of the hospital. The Crane is done after we put up some roofing in the morning and we do have one beam left to place.

notes from Dave.........

Tonight, all of the short term workers here were invited to one of the missionaries houses for desert. Carolyn Thorson is my age and has been here for 33 years! There must have been 25 people at the desert. In addition to the 12 of us who are working on the building, there are two nurses who are serving here for 3 months and getting college credit for it. There is one doctor who is serving for three months as part of her internship in "rural medicine!" Believe me, this qualifies as rural!

We see all kinds of injuries coming through the hospital every day. I mean everything from broken legs to head injuries to quite a few HIV-Aids patients. I did learn from the missionary who is the head nurse that many of the people who come to the hospital have been to the witch doctor prior to coming. When they do not get better, they come to the hospital. Sometimes it is too late as their condition has become terminal. I also learned that in 2008 there were over 1700 people who made first time commitments to Christ during their stay in the hospital.

By the way, it really is jungle here. They hire locals to fight back the jungle with machetes every day. They work with a long stick in one hand to probe the bush for snakes and the machete in the other hand to cut the vegetation - or the snake if one happens to be there

Thanks for all your prayers!

We had just carried an 800 lb beam to a spot where the crane was to hook onto it and lift it up. Yes, we had more than the six of us do this! The five of us loaded it and unloaded it, but when it came to carrying it we got another 5 or 6 guys to join us! We needed to set it up on edge so that some pieces could be bolted onto it and then we were going to lay it down. I saw that the welder cables were in the way, so I said, "Wait a minute, let me get these cables moved."
I picked up the cables and then someone yelled, "Look out!" I felt something tug at my pant leg, and then I could not move my foot. They had rolled the beam and the corner of it had hit the back of my pant leg and tore the jeans and then pinned the back of my tennis shoe to the ground. People were pretty sure my foot had been crushed, but all that happened was my pants being torn and the shoe being pinned. At lunch, I took off my shoes and socks to let my feet cool down and I discovered that not only had my pants been torn, but a hole had been torn in my sock as well. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NOT EVEN A LITTLE SCRATCH ON MY LEG OR FOOT! I was praising God, and I am sure you see why I say I am grateful for your prayers for our safety.



it's begining to look like a steel building!



Jonathon bolting post in place.

Mark holding ladder for Mel, as he is trying to unhook the crane. That post is coming up from the x-ray room. It went in fairly easy, had a few challenges bolting the beams to the post but we get-r-done.

Mark writes:

It is 7:25 here in the jungle, and we are all tired.Today we put up a lot of steel. I have never picked up and hauled so much steel by hand. God has protected us from injury, these beams and post are flat heavy. But we are getting it done and pretty fast. We have taken more of the x-ray building down than planned because of the type of crane we are using. You who have been here before understand that you don't just have access to tools and material like we have in the states or even other countries like Thailand and Costa Rica.

Today was hot again so we were wet most of the day, drank a lot of water, tighten bolts and carried or hoisted purlins and girts into place. Jonathon put up the x bracing in the roof on the part we have finished. As a team we are getting along well and getting to know each other. It has been good to work along side Jason Kalb and the men that came with him. He has a purpose and a schedule he wants to keep so we are working longer hours than we did last year but the result is that we are getting a lot more done.

One thing that is very different from last year is that we are working down at the hospital. Seeing these sick folks and injuries all of the time. They watch us most of the day.
The hospital is fuller than I remember it last year and most of all the buildings have patients in them.

From Dave Greene:

It was party cloudy and very hot here today - probably our hottest day yet. However, we did get a lot of work done in spite of the heat. At one point, no one was helping with the setting of the purlings (steel joists in the upper roof) so I climbed up there and pulled one end up with the help of one guy and a rope. Little did I know that they would expect me to walk the main rafter beam, pushing these purlings along in front of me. The beam is 5 inches wide and I was about 30 feet off of the ground! I'm not sure if the sweat that was pouring off of me was from the heat or the height! The best part is, I survived!
We have the steel frame work about half done - just a hair under half way. There are nine major columns (that support the roof of the building) and we have 6 of those set. There are nine other columns that are about half as tall that are for the floor of the second level and we have six of those done as well. Then we have steel beams that run between each of the nine major columns - there are 10 of those. We have six of those 10 done. We have one have of the roof joists (purlings) in place and have started some of the cross bracing.

The sun was so hot today, that sitting on the beams was almost too much. If you did not have gloves on, you would not have been able to hold your hand on them, especially the galvanized steel which is quite shinny. We worked later than normal and the sun was setting as I walked to the pool. Yes there is a pool. Not great by California standards, but it feels so amazing after a hot day! I just have to get in the pool each night to cool down and relax a little before dinner.

I have been getting to know a couple of the Malians that work with us. (Malians, as in from Mali) Anyway, today I was teaching Abrahim how to count to 10 in English and he was helping me review my French counting. (Thanks Charlotte) We are also teaching each other short phrases, like greetings and the names of tools that we are using. These guys are all Muslim and are hard workers. The Gabonese do not seem to do much in the way of work. Not sure why or how they live. The wives seem to work very hard. Maybe they are the main bread winners!

Back to work!

From Mark:

I am tired tonight! After a restful day yesterday we worked fairly well today. The day started out with Dave and I helping get steel for Tim Erdman and Kay Callahan to work over a trailer that we need to haul the steel roofing and siding to the ex-ray building. Then I worked at unloading a truck that is here with a knuckle crane to place the steel.
It came from Libreville loaded with supplies that is needed here at Bongolo. Also did some demolishing of the building we are working on to get the crane in place to lift the steel that will support the building.
This is a Butler building that was purchased in the states and shipped over to Libreville by Jason Kalb. Today while we were working it rained, it has never rained during the day since i have come to Bongolo. This was a welcome thing as it really cooled the place down. After the rain was over the rest of the day was nice to work in.
While it was raining we had a chance to sort stuff that was in front of the steel roofing and get ready to haul it to the ex-ray building.
Tomorrow we will be hauling and placing the steel structure so good working weather will be needed as the crane is here for only a few days.
Three other men came in this evening so our group has grown to 12.They are staying here in the tri-plex with us. We have a full house. You who came last year know how hard it is to get a comfortable chair to sit in.
I could use some prayer for my back as the heavy lifting.

Didn't know this preacher could get dirty!

and this one, swinging a sledge hammer!

Dave and Kay figuring things out!

going to church

Mark, Dave and Jon worshiped Sunday at Moussambou, about a 20 minute drive from the hospital.

Tim and Kay joined Karen Fitch at the village church next to the hospital. Karen translates by writng down the major points, song verses, and what is going on during the service. It makes it so much easier to be a part of the service if you don't know french!



it rained a bunch saturday night and had a lightning show!

job site pictures

Mark

Kay is leveling the piers for the steel posts.

Tim

Dave

Bongolo at last!

They made it! The flight from Libreville to Mouila was uneventful (that is a good thing!)
Carolyn Thorson, a nurse at Bongolo Hospital, met them at the airport and treated them with a coke and a donut on the way out of town. A small delay, when they had to return to the airport for a forgotten passport. Praise the Lord, a person was found to let them back in the locked up airport and the passport retreived!

The road was in good shape and they made back to Bongolo by 6:30. On the way, there was one scary moment, a boy came on to the road out of the weeds and they came close to hitting him! That is a huge concern when driving there, everyone shares the road and the roads are lined with tall grasses.

Karen Fitch, a nurse, had dinner for them, really good homemade icecream that Becky Thompson made and brownies made by Deborah Walker.

After a good nights rest, the team is ready to start working!