Libreville Rotary Visit

A very kind businessman who lives in the capital city of Libreville is from the village where the Bongolo Hospital is located.  This man, Benjamin, invited us to make a presentation at the Rotary club that he is a part of.

Benjamin to the left.

The president of this branch of the Rotary club is a very lively man who is the general director of an insurance company.  He asked that we meet the next day!  I was given time to present our program and answer some questions.  Then, I presented a soapstone carving and t-shirt to the club.

The Rotary club leadership responded by presenting our program with their banner- a Gabonese OKOUME tree- found in much of the worlds plywood.  Rob (middle) was able to join for the meeting, having freshly arrived in country.  It was a great evening of networking and getting the word out to business men and women.

Base Jumping!

YEP!  We're doing it!  BASE JUMPING!!!

 

Well... what I mean is this....

(moving our base of op's from Libreville to the Bongolo Hospital's airstrip)

 

Not this....

(setting every bit of intelligence aside and jumping from tall objects)

During the month of May, our new chief pilot/director of maintenance, Rob (on loan from SIL- Cameroon), has been getting settled, along with Binto (wife & doctor), at their new home on the mission at the Bongolo Hospital.  Additionally, we have slowly been shuttling down all of our equipment, tools, and inventory from our "base" in Libreville to our new base at the Bongolo Hospital airstrip hangar.  Here are some photos:

The Bongolo was originally constructed in 2001.  Today, it's one of about 13 public airports that are open in Gabon.  Our airport worker, John, just added a fresh coat of paint on our runway markers to gear up for an upcoming airport inspection.

The hangar is starting to show its' age. As we move in to the hangar full-time, it's clear that some major projects are needed to help it to be a proper home for N207FD.

Speaking of which... You may have noticed the aircraft parked outside of the hangar.  Here is the reason- the plank of wood supporting the hangar door track is completely rotted!  Project #1!

First- remove the track. It came off in two sections.  Rob's Suzuki made a nice platform to work from.  We were thankful for the mostly overcast day that quelled the heat... mostly.

After the track was removed, we pulled out the battery powered chain saw (comes in handy!) and cut down the plank in 3 sections.  Now... off to the mill to search for the new wood planks... 

A 20 minute drive from Bongolo is a nice sized wood mill.  We purchased about $130 in wood planks.  Here is the mill cutting into the large, hardwood we purchased called Okane.  Not sure if OSHA would sign off on this operation.  Notice Rob standing to the left, plugging his ears.

I guess you could say, we had our work cut out for us... (couldn't resist)

 

Things are slowly getting organized in the hangar, thanks to Rob's hard work.  Once the hangar doors are working again, we'll start to define the other projects which will include storage creation, office construction, sink/wash area, workshop shelves/cabinets, solar panel upgrades, and more. We'll need your help to make it all work, so we'll also communicate how you can join the effort.

Thanks for your continued prayers and generosity to help make a great new home for our aircraft.  "Base Jumping" to the Bongolo hangar opens up new possibilities to better serve the transport needs of the hospital.  Additionally, getting the aircraft away from the harmful sea-side air will assist the health of our airframe and equipment.

Stay in touch for updates on our new base!

School Year End Banquet

Alace went to Cameroon a couple weeks back so that she could spend time with the dorm house parents that we'll be replacing next school year.  Another highlight she did not want to miss is the annual banquet event at their school- Rain Forest International School.  Here are some pictures.

My crew!

Joe with some of the guys

Joe with his girlfriend, Jemima (an Aussi!)

I'm so blessed by my kids!

Sam (left) and his buddy Tim talked these two ladies into a double date to the banquet.  I love the Chuck Taylor sneakers!

These are all the students (minus the couple front right) that attended the banquet event who live in the dorm home with our kids.  A great looking bunch!

English Class Graduation!

Alace has been teaching intro-level English to a group of our friends.  Recently, we hosted a graduation party at our home.

Teaching the class has been one of Alace's high-points for the recent months.  The class is eager to learn and full of life!  They were thrilled to hear her announce he plans to teach the next level of this course when we return from our time in Cameroon and the US.

Last October, the President of Gabon, his excellency, President Ali BONGO ONDIMBA, announced that English will be the new, national language of Gabon so now there is a growing interest in affordable English learning programs.

With a growing needs, we are starting to think that we could really use additional teammates to join us in 2015when we return to Gabon.

What do you say?  Has your journey equipped you for a step in this direction?  The Gabonese men and women that we work with are looking for language education to help them overcome the barriers that keep them from better effectiveness in their work.

Additionally, did you know that pilots flying internationally must pass an English proficiency examination?  So, training in the English language will be key to our aviation education projects also.

Drop us an email to let us know what is on your mind about future possibilities for your journey to include time in Gabon!   Gabon.pilot@gmail.com

New Teammates!!!

We are thrilled to introduce you to Rob and Bintou Peterson- our new teammates!

Bintou and Rob Peterson (middle) along with Bintou's brother D'aquin.

Rob has been in aviation since birth- literally!  His father worked with JAARS in Indonesia.  He is on loan to our program for the next couple of years.  He and Bintou have been married about 6 months!  Bintou is a doctor from Cameroon (where they met), and will join the staff at Bongolo.

Rob's experience in mission aviation, especially running remote bases, is already blessing us!  More on this in future posts.  For now, Rob and Bintou are busy moving into their new home at the Bongolo mission and, today, we've got him at work, joining me to run a booth at the Bongolo High School career day!

Welcome to the team Rob and Bintou!!!

Video- Flights of Hope!

Have a Heart- Support a Heart!

On June 7th, we have another opportunity to transport a patient from Bongolo Hospital that needs specialized care for a heart condition.  You may remember our last opportunity to be involved with our friend, Fidele.


This time around it will be with a little boy, Alain- a patient of our colleague, Deb.  Deb has been identifying candidates, usually one per year, to take part in a program that she developed with friends at the Mayo Clinic (MN) that offers free care to a select few from the developing world.

Deb described this young boy as a bright and full of life!  It's really amazing because, about 2 years ago, he almost died at a hospital in Libreville.  Now, with the help of the team at Bongolo, they have stabilized his condition and his seizures have stopped enough that he can travel.

We'd like to invite you to assist this young boy on his journey.

Here is Deb's description of another case involving a young girl receiving care through the "Heart Send" program that she developed:


We left Libreville, Gabon together on July 9th to fly to Frankfurt, Germany. This was their first time on an international flight and they would need to take a total of 4 flights, the last three without me accompanying them, as I was heading to Atlanta for my 3-month home assignment. The Lord smoothed the way before them in answer to many prayers and they arrived in Minneapolis, MN very tired but happy.

When Grace arrived at the Mayo Clinic, she underwent a thorough evaluation. Her congenital heart anomaly was found not to be as complicated as feared. This made the surgery and recovery less difficult. She had her surgery on July 15th and came through with flying colors. Her mom, Prisque, was strong and trusting the Lord but refused to eat or drink anything that day until she knew that Grace was out of danger. 

Dr. Deborah Walker with Alain & his family

Grace’s recovery has gone very well and they had a wonderful time in Minnesota. A follow up visit with the cardiologist showed that the repair was a complete success and they flew back to Gabon on August 28th.
Thank you so much for praying for them and for giving to the Bongolo Heart Send Project approved special and partnering with us to make this miracle a reality!!! You have had a huge impact on this precious girl’s life.

We need your partnership to make these flights happen.  To continue offering these types of medical evacuations free of charge, please consider making a contribution to the Gabon Airplane fund.  CLICK HERE to get to the donation page.

You may enter "Gabon Airplane" to support the transport of such cases.  You may also enter "Bongolo Heart Send".

Thanks for your partnership in health and hope in this part of the world.

Steve 

Kid on my Wall

"Ismael: The Comeback Kid"

Yep... I've got a kid on my wall.  He's been there for a couple of years now.

Two years ago, when my Gabon colleagues and I were at our annual Forum gathering, one of them was giving her update regarding her very critical compassion work at Bongolo Hospital.  To make it hit home, she passed out pictures of people that represented some of those she had opportunity to connect with.

My picture was of Ismael.  Here's what she wrote on the back of the picture:

Ismael's pic on my wall, keeping my erasers company.

"Ismael.  2 Year old; HIV +; not yet on treatment.  His mother recently died, an his family members came to take his older siblings, leaving him with a neighbor.  The neighbor brought him for medical care, but upon learning of diagnosis, abandoned him."

So, I took Ismael home and put him on my wall.  Occasionally, I would look at Ismael and pray for him, wondering if he is being cared for.  Is someone going to ever look after him?  Is he still living?

I also take time to pray for my colleagues at Bongolo.  I honestly don't know how they do it.  The pain, the suffering, the death.  There are great stories too, but... I think it'd be so hard not to be overwhelmed by the sad ones.

Actually, I do know how they do it.  It's supernatural.  It honestly is.  The Bible says clearly that, when we serve the least of these, we are serving Him.  Could you imagine anyone more "least" thank Ismael?

In God's Word, it also says that we are a demonstration of Jesus to our world.  When we yield ourselves to a supernatural invasion of the Holy Spirit, we become more Christlike and can have resurrection power to take our "ordinary" and make it "extraordinary".  People notice.  They're drawn to it. 

Now... the story gets really cool...

Today, almost two years after putting Ismael on my wall, I get this email from my colleague, Renee:

"Steve, I’m not sure you’ll remember now, but 2 years ago at Field Forum, I gave you a picture of a little boy named Ismael who has HIV. His mother had died and his family didn’t want him. When the neighbor taking care of him learned his diagnosis, she left him with his dad, who she said was not capable and he never came back. I thought that he would probably be dead in a matter of months. He finally came back! He is doing relatively well and his dad seems committed to getting him treatment. He has started medicines, and I am very happy.  I think God heard and answered prayers for him.   Renee"

So very cool.  Lord thank you! Ismael is our comeback kid!  

Join the Comeback

What's on your wall?  Your fridge?  What are you praying for?  What are your God-size dreams and prayers for situations or people that you think are beyond hope?  

Our God is a comeback God.  When Jesus was on the cross, things looked bad.  When they buried Him, things looked a lot worse!  However... you know the end of that story.  The best comeback story of all time!

God has a comeback story that He's not finished with.  It's still being written and He's giving us a great honor and privilege to play a role.  Don't miss it.

"But God shows His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

Romans 5:8