Almost Easter

March 29, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

It is hard to believe that Easter is just two weeks away. The lesson at Memba Chapel today was on Jesus raising Lazarus back to life and also an introduction to the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Over half of those at church today were early grade school age and did not seem to know about Lazarus. One 8 year old girl, Naomi, stood up indicating she wanted to believe in Christ. I was able to pray with her after the service. As people file out of church they shake the hands of the people who have left before them and then they get to the end of the line to shake the hands of the ones after them. Everyone shakes the hands of everyone else!

I asked you to pray about the Great Commission Fund, the Fund that supports me here on the mission field. Nearly two weeks ago we each received an email that because the GCF was having a shortfall, it had been decided that 30 missionaries around the world would be pulled home from the mission field. They would tell us in the next 5 days who that would be. Of course we all wondered if it was us or others at the hospital. After five days we heard that six missionaries in Africa will be removed from the International Ministries roster after June 30th. None of those six were in Gabon but then again, our field had already been stripped down to only seven missionaries for this new budget year. Please continue to give to the Great Commission Fund so that no more missionaries will need to be pulled from the fields. I do want to give a special thanks to people in my own church, Christ Community Church in Omaha, for their great support of the Great Commission Fund.

Speaking of BUDGET, I have been very busy going through the budget process for both the Mission and also the Hospital. I was so relieved to have those budget proposals done and await the decisions as to if they are accepted or not. At least the bulk of the work is over! YES!

All ten Nursing School students successfully finished all their classes for the trimester and after receiving their "Report Cards", we had a sandwich luncheon for them at Karen Fitch's new apartment (see photo). Lisa Nicky showed us all various slides and multimedia shows she had used while in the States and the students enjoyed seeing photos of themselves and others at the hospital. They are now on a ten day Spring Break which means that we their professors are also on break from teaching. YES! School restarts on April 2nd with my Obstetrical Pathology class. I will teach OB Path each Thursday during April and then give a final exam the first week in May.

On May 1st my replacement for bookkeeping responsibilities will arrive at the hospital so I have been busy getting the files for the two offices in some order so that I will have time to spend teaching him in May. Eric Hofman will replace me as the Assistant Mission bookkeeper and also the Hospital bookkeeper while I am in the States for the six months. Eric's wife Wendy will not arrive until about June 1st as she is doing an Opthomology Fellowship on the Mercy Ship. She is an eye surgeon who will be heading up our Eye Clinic. Eric and Dr. Wendy are coming to us through Samaritan's Purse. By the way, Eric grew up in Omaha and his family lives only a couple of blocks from where my Step Mom lives and from where I will live on Home Assignment! Its a Small World!

Jeff Miller, a visitor to Bongolo Hospital, contributed many hours and days of time to designed a new Bongolo Hosptial website. It is me however who is making all the entries into this new website and it is taking me hours, and days. I had hoped to have it completed by the end of March so that I could publish it using the same www.bongolohospital.org address but it will still be maybe a week or two before I can do that. In the meantime, the "old" website is still up and running but not being updated. I trust by my next update letter that I will be able to announce a totally new Hospital website!

My Home Assignment time is quickly approaching. I will fly from Libreville Saturday night May 23rd and fly directly to Louisville, Kentucky to the Alliance Council. After Council my flights to Omaha are for Sunday May 31st. I will be living with my StepMom so my housing is already confirmed. I do not yet have a vehicle to drive during my SIX months in the States so please pray with me about that. I also have not yet heard where I will be doing the fall "Speaking Tour".

I am leaving the planning of Easter Services at the Memba Chapel up to the Lebamba church, their parent church. I do not know what special plans if any they have for Memba. The Lebamba church sends one man to Memba each Sunday but perhaps others will participate to make Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday special.

Please do remember that CHRIST IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED!

In the name of our Risen Lord,

Carolyn