mobile medical clinic...

We just got back from spending the day in a nearby village doing a mobile medical clinic....but first, yesterday's pics....

Yesterday morning we walked down the street to a warehouse owned by the Alliance- used for medical supplies. Along the way we spied some neighborhood kids having a tea party....one of those universal things, I guess!

One of our jobs when we got there was to move these boxes of medical supplies out of the shipping container...

and into the warehouse

It looked overwhelming and like we'd be there all day, but many hands make work light and we were done alot sooner than expected, with time to relax before dinner!

We ended our day by meeting with the missionary doctor and nurse that we worked with today, and even learned "This is the day that the Lord has made" in French! It was alot of fun and a great introduction into the hearts of Pastor Jacob, Mama Janine, her husband.

We started the day at 7:15 this morning w/a quick breakfast, then headed out in 2 vans to a school in a village about 45 minutes away. It was the first time we'd seen Gabon in the daylight from a vehicle. The scenery was AWESOME! A true picture of the diversity in this country. We saw all kinds of homes, businesses and markets. Some pretty shabby and some quite lovely...all very interesting.

We all really enjoyed our day getting a glimpse of Libreville and the people who live here. The children at the school fell in love with our students. There was an impromptu soccer game that I believe our students LOST...badly! But, it was really so much fun! The highlight of the day was when Sydney gave her testimony followed by one of the Pastors sharing the gospel. Over 90 students came forward to accept Christ at an invitation and recited the sweetest prayer in French w/him. The local church will follow up with them in the coming weeks...What an awesome sight, and a great way to begin our week!

We're back at the house now, waiting for dinner and then a debrief time. Tomorrow's plan is to visit a market and then spend the afternoon at the Hope House orphanage...goodnight to all, and thank you for all the comments, the kids LOVE reading them!!!

Touchdown!

After a tear-filled goodbye on Saturday morning...

a time of prayer with the parents and family...

loading LOTS of luggage...

and many hours of waiting around two airports...

and waiting...

....and waiting....

(Syd's first Gabonese friend, Florence who travelled from Dulles to Paris to Gabon with us)

...we finally boarded our last plane in Paris, headed to Libreville, Gabon....

We've touched down on African soil and had our first good night of sleep in two days! From the time we left Lancaster on Saturday morning til the time we unpacked last night, we'd been on the move for almost 30 LONG hours!

The moment the plane made it's final landing, we were SO excited and ready to begin our time here with Tim and Meredith! We were met by Tim and two of the interns at the airport...good thing, because he knew just what to do to fend off all the young men who were fighting over the right to transport our luggage to the vans!!!

(Our luggage being transported w/bungee cords!)

We had a FAST ride (fairly SHORT too..but the operative word is FAST!) to the missionary house where we were greeted by Meredith and the rest of the interns who are working with them for the summer...had a short time of orientation (SHORT attention spans after missing a night of sleep!)...blew up 18 air mattresses...and finally SLEPT the night away! (or for some of us, attempted to!) Mom's, you'll be glad to know each room has FANS!

As may be the case throughout our stay, the internet was down when we got here, so parents, forgive our inability to contact you!!! We are ALL here...as is ALL our luggage...and we've ALL fared well through the hours of travel. Be proud of your kids!

(Emma, Jumpshot made it here, too!)

We're up now, having just finished a breakfast of freshbaked bread, cereal and fresh pineapple we're ready to face whatever lies on the outside of this walled compound! The plans for the day are to continue our orientation (which I believe includes preparing for some skits to be used tomorrow when we head out w/the medical clinic) and this afternoon we're heading out to begin cleaning and organizing a warehouse for the Bongolo Hospital supplies.

*************

The view outside our window this morning:

(the neighbor's outdoor "seating area")

(rooftops and banana trees!)

(in the Brokkop's yard)

(Missionary puppies!)

**I've been uploading pics as we've been going through orientation and having a time of worship. Tim has started our day off with a challenge: To listen for and hear the voice of the Lord as we are here. He challenged us to use all 5 senses to experience what God is doing around us while we are here, and throughout our lifetimes. Our time of singing together was lead by one of the interns, Lyndsay, and was a sweet time of regrouping our thoughts and connecting with the Lord this morning.

Thanks for your prayers throughout the last few days. Continue to remember us as we clean today (in the HUMIDITY) and tomorrow head out to do the mobile medical caravan, Hope House on Wednesday, and HEAD TO THE BUSH ON THURSDAY-MONDAY!!!!

Tomorrow's the day!!

SO...we had our last meeting last evening. Just one last chance to finalize details and just be together. We had a great time of hanging out and having some prayer time together before heading home to start some packing.

We're meeting at the church tomorrow morning at 10 to pack up several cars and head to Dulles Airport for a flight at 4pm-ish. As far as we can tell, we've done all the preparing we could possibly have done, and we are as ready as possible to get going! What lies ahead is unknown, but we are grateful to all of you who have told us you'll be praying us all the way through.

We found out last night that one of the things on our itinerary is a 4-day stay in the "Bush" of Libreville- clearing some land for a future church plant. I believe Tim called it "camping"...but I'm pretty sure he was using that word in the lightest way possible! Our church did some "camping" last weekend....but that included tents, air mattresses, and BATHROOMS (and a yummy all you can eat ice cream machine!)....I'm guessing it's possible this "camping" trip will include NONE of the above!!! I know for a fact that all of the girls are packing a SUPER pack of baby wipes for the possibility of squatting in the BUSHes and going shower-free for 4 days....we like to be prepared...not sure if that even comes close!

My plan is to update here as close to daily as possible. The internet can be unpredictable at the Brokkops, so that may not be possible (and, I'm guessing again that the BUSH does not have access to a computer, so for those 4 days we'll be absent here). If possible, I'll give the parents a heads-up when we find out which days we'll be setting up "camp"....which will be code for CALL EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO PRAY LIKE CRAZY- WE'RE CAMPING OUT IN AFRICA!!!!

I say all of that with somewhat of a chuckle...and somewhat not. We are in this for the experience and for the chance to serve the Lord in any way we're asked to...But, we'd totally accept whatever prayer covering you'd pour upon us as we go!

Thank you, parents for sending your awesome kids with us and entrusting them to our care. We promise to love on them as much as you do and bring them back in one piece with nothing broken, but perhaps a few hearts...we pray He'll break each of us in some way.

To my parents who are loving on Emma and Alex while we're gone...THANK YOU! Em...have fun with Bailey, and Alex...could you please clean up your room, I could hardly walk in the door this morning!!!

Stay tuned...tomorrow's the day and my camera is loaded and ready!

Don't miss today...

I was reminded in my quiet time this morning how important TODAY is. In the busyness of packing, trying to organize all the loose ends and focusing on the details of our trip to Gabon we can easily miss what the Lord has for us today. I was convicted not to waste a moment God's given me today...the need to look around me and see people. The need to listen to His whispering, His instructing. There's something He wants to show me today...here in the USA, in the County of Lancaster, in my little town of Strasburg.

On my own I can only think about THEN....but I may miss a glimpse of Him today if I avert my eyes and my attention away from Him. I'll miss Him again if I start looking for something BIG that He'll WOW me with...when all along He's whispering, waiting for me to be still and quiet long enough to hear Him.

So...I'm tuning in to today...being careful not to wish it away and miss being a part of whatever it is He's got in store in the here and now.

Gabon comes in two days...but those two days matter in the life of those around me...

OuCh!!!!!

Oh, my....my head hurts thinking about all of the details that must be covered in the next 3 days! On my own strength they will NOT get done!!!

...thankfully none of us must go through the next days in our strength...

"I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me. I am self-sufficient in CHRIST'S sufficiency."

Phil. 4:13

(Jared Feister's verse)

I think I speak for each one of my teammates when I say we are so blessed to be going on this trip. The details that have already come together are only because of God's hand of mercy was upon them. We are so incapable of pulling off a trip this big. He's up to something much bigger than us. We've walked through a few hurdles and had a few minor blips along the way, but as only HE can do, He's intertwined those things into a greater picture. And in the places that we've failed, He's covered over with His great faithfulness.

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are NEW EVERY MORNING, great is Your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

(Holly's verse)

We believe He is behind us and all the details that are still to come regarding this trip. We approach a nation that is in mourning over the recent death of their longtime President. There are unspoken risks...but we believe He is moving us forward to proceed, and our HOPE lies in Him..not in what remains unknown. He has gathered 18 of us, taken care of EACH and EVERY need, and we believe He has orchestrated a journey that we will individually discover along the way. He's up to something big IN us...He's uprooting us from what is comfortable and planting us in a foreign land that will require us to need Him more than we ever anticipated.

My prayer is that not one of us comes back the same way we left. What has been uprooted often struggles to go back to the same exact place that was once comfortable. That is my hope for each one of us. That what we offer in these 10 days is never again to be taken back. May we leave behind the part that fights for "ME"...and return with hearts that yearn for "THEM"...My prayer is that in giving and loving like we've never done before we will start a revival that flames into everyone we come in contact with. May it be so.

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and Holy sacrifice..."

(Nate Burchill and Bethany Holler's verse)

EiGhT dAyS!!!!!!

That's right...only 8! My mind is cluttered with all of the last minute details....

"The bags have to be 62"...measure height, width, length. But the second bag can only be 50 inches. Don't go over 50lbs. Leave room for the food and bedding we're packing."

HUH?! My mind cannot accept these details right now. It's already on overload...what with working, packing for the church camping trip, and trying to organize where my other two kids will be while I'm away for 10 days...it's too much!!!

So....I know I'm not the only one feeling the last-minute overload of details, would you pray for us as we fuss over the nitty-gritty of this coming week? The teens will have it a little easier in that once they're packed they're ready to go...but there are 5 adults who have houses to close up, children to pack for and settle, jobs to complete, yards to mow, and who knows what else that will pop up in the next few days!!

PLEASE PRAY

*That we will use our time wisely

*That our families will be supportive and helpful

*That each team member would have good quiet time w/the Lord, away from the overload of details

*That as we begin to take our Malaria pills this week they will settle well in all of us

*For Randy, Holly and Melissa as they wrap up the details between the Brokopps and us

*For settled minds and hearts as we approach departure day next Saturday...there's a feeling of excitement that is also mixed with anxiety

*Pray that the Lord will remind each of us this week that He cares about the details and that He's called us to this time and place of service.

*That the enemy would not be able to distract us and pull us away from staying focused on Christ

I, for one, THANK YOU for your prayer support this week...on our own, all of this IS too much. We're SO thankful that we've made it this far and our trip is so close in the future. We're blessed by each one of you who cares enough to remember us to the One who is ABLE to settle all of these details in our hearts.

Thank you!

On the home stretch...

Well...our graduation celebrations are officially over...and we're wrapping up lose ends as we look towards our departure date NEXT SATURDAY!!!!

Yesterday morning during the church service the team was commissioned with prayer by Pastor Carl and the whole congregation. We felt cared for and encouraged by the words that were spoken over us. And FINALLY...FINALLY we were able to hear the precious words we've been waiting to hear......."OUR FUNDRAISING IS DONE!!!!! WE'VE REACHED OUR GOAL OF $54,000!!!" We praise the LORD for His faithfulness to our team. $54,000!!! That's more than some of us make in a year!!! God is ever faithful.

The reality of the trip is sinking in quickly and we're each realizing how much there is still left to be done. I was thinking yesterday about how much preparation we are doing as a team. Randy, Holly and Melissa have been working diligently behind the scenes making phone calls, emailing, and making lists to keep the team on track and I feel completely prepared with what I need to be doing in the next two weeks...and I pray each one of us is taking that same amount of time personally to be preparing our hearts as efficiently as we are preparing our suitcases.

With the busyness of the summer, the layed back schedules and the routine of life that keeps us busy and sometimes distracted, are we putting as much effort into relationship with Christ as we are in our relationships to our friends? Have we committed to setting aside a period of time EVERY day in which to quietly listen and sit in God's presence? Are we giving Him time to speak to us? To convict us in ways He wants us to grow...to hear the encouragement He wants to whisper in our ears?

I know around my house it is VERY evident when one or many have chosen the busyness of the world over the solitude of sitting in God's presence. When we turn our attention away from Him it shows...it comes out in ugly attitudes and selfish motives. It comes out in complacency and hypocrisy. And the enemy has a feeding frenzy in our lives...

My challenge to my teammates...and the same challenge I give to myself...is to carve out time every day in which you will steal away with the Lord. He didn't get us this far in order for us to take this trip on our own strength. He stands by patiently waiting for us to individually invite Him along on our journey to Africa. I, for one, plan to make this a priority...I don't for one minute want the enemy to convince me I'm good to go, having already done all I need to do. The journey is just beginning for us...we've so much to learn, so much to give out, so much to expand in our own lives. Let's go out prepared and strong...having nothing between any of us that could cause us to be anything but a unified team. Each of us have made a commitment to this team...that we would do what it takes to build one another up and stand beside each other in LOVE.....let's continue on in that--but only after we've been equipped in the silence of extended time with the LORD. It is only at His feet that we will be prepared, that we will overflow with an abundance of LOVE for each other and those we will meet along the way.

Let's push forward...our time is almost come...

we're on the home stretch, but there's still work to be done.

The time approaches...

The moment I turned the calendar over to June it HIT me...we've made it...we're finally going to do it....the time has come....we board the plane to Gabon in exactly 23 days!!! Between now and then there is still much to do.

Our fundraising is getting closer every day...God has been so generous.

School is ending this week...graduations...parties...supply-shopping...packing...So so much to keep track of and remember. I forget how much is involved in our missions trips...none of us have the luxury of stopping the rest of our lives to focus only on this aspect.

Herein lies this week's prayer request:

Please pray for us not only as a team, but also as 18 individuals who have much to care for and accomplish before we step foot onto our Air France plane on June 27th. There are jobs to tend to, businesses to deal with, families to provide for and many loose ends to tie up. My own mind overloads with the details I must see to for those I'll be leaving at home and for the one I'll be taking with me. Only by God's grace will I accomplish them all with any sort of excellence. Would you pray God's abundant wisdom over each of our 18 team members and their families? Even after so many months of anticipating and preparing there is so much that COULD cause us to turn our eyes away from the One who has called us to this place. And the enemy delights in knocking us off center.

We thank you for covering us in prayer and remembering us to the Father who watches over each one. May we be worthy of the calling He's placed upon us...