Tour in Western PA

Thanks for praying for my trip from Bongolo Hospital to the States from Feb. 22 to Feb. 25^th. Although we had a flat tire on the way to the Mouila airport, everything else went smoothly. I arrived in Pittsburgh, as did my suitcases. A lock was missing on one suitcase but I think that nothing was missing. Thanks again for praying.

I am already at my fifth church of this tour. I am traveling with Don Kramer, missionary to Taiwan. Although we are on opposite churches we are sometimes transported in the same car or taken out for dinner together. I had not met Don before. I will be on speaking tour through the evening of March 19^th. I’m scheduled for a total of twelve churches.

March 20^th I plan to fly to Omaha for three weeks of vacation. I have several plans for those three weeks including a medical exam, visits from friends and some relatives and shopping. My flight back to Gabon is for April 11-12^th and I am supposed to ride back down to the hospital with Becki Thompson who will have just arrived back in Gabon from a trip.

The Nursing students are nearing the end of their sixth week of a ten week trimester. Jacob has been having so many problems with grades that he likely will not be able to pull up his grades to be able to continue into the next trimester. Oscar is also having problems but may be able to pull his grades up. Pray for both of these students as well as the other ten.

I taught the first half of this trimester’s Theological Education by Extension (Bible) class to the student nurses and Karen Fitch is finishing out the class for me. During my last class time with them student Eveline’s water burst and she went off to the maternity to deliver a big baby Boy. The other students told her to name her baby after me because she had been in class at the beginning of “labor” so I have another namesake in Gabon. I guess that they spelled his name a little differently but in a manner easier for pronunciation in French. Good thing since she had a boy! Oh, Eveline and her family are are refugees from the Congo Braazaville and has lived in Gabon for about six years.

I updated the Bongolo website quite a bit in February and so far in March have not had time to do much. If you haven’t checked it out recently it is found at: www.bongolohospital.org.

I went from the warm equator to snow in Pennsylvania. It snowed every day for the first five or so days that I was here. Then we had a couple of nice days. Now it’s getting cold again. I was very glad that I had had my winter coat and boots sent to PA from Omaha! I’m looking forward to Spring, and I just got here!

Have a good day.