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Got to Pittsburgh last night around 9:30. My bag however did not make it from Boston... Should arrive at my house later today. Will post some more later.

Here We Go...

So, here's the scoop. Our second attempt last night was rejected, the flight was cancelled again because of strike issues. Back in the hotel again for the night. We are now scheduled to leave today at 2pm. Air Maroc is bringing in a jet from another company and sending its customers on that. I hope it's a nice one... Anyways, we'll get to Casablanca tonight, spend the night in a hotel there and then head to NY tomorrow morning. I'll arrive in Pittsburgh Sunday night via a connection flight in Boston. Don't ask me how that works, I don't know. Here's to hoping it all works out today and tomorrow. See you soon!

Stuck

So we're stuck in Gabon. The airline has gone on strike and cancelled our flight tonight. They put us up in a hotel. The strike is supposed to end tomorrow. Please pray for quick negotiations so that we can return to the US. Thanks.

Last Few Hours

Back at the house from our last medical caravan. I'm pretty much packed, just finishing our last meetings with Tim and Meredith. I can't believe we'll be on our plane in several hours... Time has flown, but the memories and relationships made here will last forever.

Today was bittersweet as we worked with the members of the medical caravan. It was awesome to remenisce with the people I have aided these last three months. We sat down to eat lunch and found ourselves talking about funny stories of each caravan. Like the time...Tim ran Joseph's truck into a huge mudhole OR the tire on Joseph's truck fell off three separate times OR when Natalie had a push-up competition with Joey in Ndjole. It was fun to talk about those times with the people I consider my family. Towards the end of the caravan, Mama Jeanine and Pastor Jacob surprised me with a couple of shirts and shorts made for me. You never expect gifts, but that's exactly what we got. Each one of the interns also got a elephant carved out of wood. Arican also gave me a small elephant, awesome. He's one of my good friends that I have gotten to know here. It's hard to leave, but I look at it as "See you later!" More to come on Saturday when I'm back in Pittsburgh.

P.S. - We saw a man filleting two sharks this morning. Crazy!

A picture from Santa Clara beach last Thursday.

Last Beach Day

Yesterday was our last beach day here, so we went out to Point Denis (accross the water from Libreville). An awesome day on all accounts with such nice weather. For me, it was a day to really relax and soak in the sun (something I haven't done in a while). On Monday, Tim, Christian, and I went back out to the church in Melen to finish, err actually start the drop plywood ceiling in the pastor's office and deacons' room. That was an interesting day because we started around 10am and finished at 2:45pm without a break. No biggie, because we were at the beach yesterday anyway. :-) Rough schedule for today and tomorrow, as we prepare to leave tomorrow night, is: shopping and Hope House today (I'm making dinner for us and Straw's tonight) + clinic and leaving tomorrow. There it is, our last two days in Gabon this summer.

Cool experience on Monday afternoon. I was walking back to the house from up the street and a group of Mamas called me over to where they were sitting. I guess I knew them from somewhere, but I could not think of it off the top of my head. We began to converse and they started to tell me about the baby that was with them. I learned that he was 4 months old and some other info. I also learned that they go to church and are believers in Christ. They then proceeded to tell me about another baby which is sick or had been. Let's back up first though, the mamas had me pray for the first baby, so I was placed in a plastic chair and prayed for the baby while I held him. Alright, they then presented me with the other baby and I held and prayed for her as well. This whole series of events spoke to me because I'm pretty sure the mamas don't know me that well. I'm sure they know that I'm staying with Tim and Meredith, but who is to say that I'm not a sketchy kind of person. They trusted in their prior knowledge enough to allow me to pray for their children. I am continually blessed here when God shows me this kind of trust and level of comfort with people.

On another note, the prayer request from my last post still stands. Please continue to keep the Heidengren family in your prayers. Thank you.

Unexpected

Hey all,

Urgent prayer request. I just found out that a guy I worked with last summer passed away yesterday. No need for details, but I ask that you keep his family in your prayers as it is a difficult time for them. It is the Heidengren family. Thanks.

Zach

Coming Down...

It's my last Sunday morning in Gabon today, we're going to Avieux Deux. I'm excited to go here because: (1) it's one of the biggest churches in Libreville and (2) it's the church we went to our first week here. It feels as though we've come full circle in our journey as interns. I've been checking my e-mails pretty regularly the last few days to get caught up with stuff back home, and I'm pretty much going to start my new ministries when I get back. The excitement of the next chapter in my life after Gabon is one that utilizes my passion for serving. God has continually opened up doors with which to help me develop and grow as a man of God. As I reflect on my days here, I also look towards the next couple of weeks and where I will be then.

Yesterday we sent two teams out: one to the mobile medical clinic and another to the church at Melen. I was at Melen where we tore down a drop ceiling and roofed a deacons' room and pastor's office. More to come on that later.

Above is a picture of the team from Allegheny Center, which is my church. Also with us is Martin, our translator in Ndjole. He's an awesome guy.

Beach

So went to the beach today with both teams. We went to Santa Clara, which is about a forty minute drive north of Libreville. The bumpy ride was worth it though. This beach was amazing. It has been a rather long stretch of events in the last week or so and this was worth it. It was especially fun to have friends here that I am familiar with. What a great time to hang out and goof off. I am, however, continually amazed by the creation God has blessed us with. The waves of the ocean today were horrendous. Horrendous as in powerful and torrential.

Tomorrow we head out for one of my last medical clinics at a church called Rogue (pronounced Roh-jay). We've come down to my last seven or so days here in Gabon. I'm savoring these days and praying that God continues to speak to me. I am excited for the journey home next week because new things pop in rather quickly at school and such, but it is bittersweet because this has been my home for the last three months. Please continue to pray for some team members who are sick. Thanks!

Quick Update

Hey everyone. We haven't had internet here for about a week and a half. Here's a quick update:

• 2 new teams arrived - Langley, WA and Pittsburgh, PA (yes, my church!)
• Langley helped lay a couple of cement floors at the Nyeng Zyong church
• Pittsburgh helped work on waterline stuff at the Ndjole church (3 hours south of Libreville)

Everything is great, but some people have been getting sick. Please pray for health of all team memebers. Thanks!

Post sometime later this week.