Hello to all of you!

It’s almost October, and we can hardly believe how the time has passed. We sit here, in the perpetual summer weather, missing the beautiful fall weather that some of you are enjoying back home in western NY. On one hand, it doesn’t seem possible that it’s already fall. On the other hand… what fall? It would be wonderful to see the changing leaves and feel the mild, crisp fall air. Endless summer has its own set of benefits, too. We’ll be okay, but it does make us a little sad to think about it.

School is back in full-swing again for Michael (and Danielle). We have found that he is not quite ready to handle 10th grade math, so we are reviewing 9th grade math this year. It’s not  like he doesn’t have a little room for taking a break. Without the daily struggle in math, everything else seems to be going very well. Unfortunately, because of my work situation at the hospital, I haven’t been able to have Michael spend the time with me that I thought I would. I already have 4 guys looking to my lead, so I don’t have the extra time to spend with him, or the extra space (with the others already looking over my shoulders). Also, because Michael is a self-learner, Danielle is not tied to his schedule; she has a bit of free time right now.

The boat finally came into Impfondo on September 7th. That meant that Danielle’s oven was finally here from Brazzaville. It only took about 6 weeks longer than expected. In that time, we heard a million stories about when the boat would arrive. Every day was a different tale of where the boat is today. I think they were almost all incorrect. We purchased 2 ovens from Volunteers of America that were sent on the last container, that came from TN. It arrived in Congo last August, and then its contents were shipped by truck (like pick-up, not tractor-trailer) to Brazzaville, where they sat in storage at “Hotel Bravo”, Global Outreach Mission’s base of operations there. We pawed through everything that was still there when we arrived in May, and set aside what needed to come on the next boat to Impfondo. In the time that lapsed (the extra 6 weeks), we ran out of gas for the stove, and the town power station was out of gas to generate electricity. The stores were getting a little more bare than usual, as well.

We made it through the waiting period (it was rough), and now Danielle has a nice, shiny, American oven! After swapping ovens at 4 houses, the new ones were all hooked up. Our stove top works great, but the oven was broken. It’s gas, but it’s pilot-less ignition. There’s no knob for the oven, but you use electronic buttons to control it (the heat is still gas). Inside the oven, it has 2 burners; one under to bake, and one above to broil. The broiler worked fine, but not the baking burner. If you know Danielle, you know that is a big problem. In addition to the burner failure, our battery wouldn’t put out enough juice to get the thing going anyway.

The first step was to buy a new battery for the solar system. We kept the old one (still good) and tied the new one to it, to double the amp output. This morning, I swapped out the igniter (built-in thermocouple) from the broiler. Now it works like a charm. I am hoping to get something nice as a reward for my labor, like a cake!

My work at the hospital has been a mixed bag of rewards and frustration. In the last month, I have really begun to feel settled-in as far as my job. I have repaired a few tools, machines, and bicycles. That is rewarding, to feel that I am making a difference there. I’ve also had the joy of being able to identify the problems  with the x-ray machine, large generator (with a little help from another missionary, via e-mail), and 2 tractors. I know that all machines basically operate the same way, but it is a relief to know that I am capable of repairing an x-ray machine! That one had me worried. Then, there’s the down-side: even though I know how to fix all this stuff, now I need to get the parts to do it. Just as an example, the John Deere tractor has been out of commission since the middle of June. It has a bad o-ring in the hydraulic pump. Oil was shooting out like a garden hose. It took all of 15 minutes to find and remove the old part. I am still waiting for the replacement to come from the states. I think that the Harveys will be bringing the solutions to many problems with them when they arrive at the end of next month. I sure hope so, anyway. Please pray that the Lord will make it possible for all of the necessary parts to make it back with them.

I hate to run on and make these updates so long, but there is so much stuff to tell you! The boat also carried many of the tools that I had sent ahead on the container. While the hospital has some tools, there really weren’t that many, and nothing beats using the tools you are used to. Seeing my favorite tools (sorry ladies, it’s a guy thing) come off the boat went a long way toward my settling it at work. It gave me the motivation to get going on some of the bigger projects that I was hesitating to get into. This week, I hope to get the Land Rover up and running, or at least get the problem figured out and call for parts.

As a family, we are feeling settled here in Congo. There are many things that we miss about home every day, but this is where we are. God is using us here, and so it’s all good. I think anywhere can begin to feel like home, if you let it. We’ll never be Congolese, but living here is okay. We would really like to come back to the US next summer if we can, but it’s not because we need a break. If we are going to be here long-term, there are still a lot more things that we would like to bring back with us. And, of course, we would love the opportunity to eat a little pizza and ice cream!

Thank you all so much for your prayers. Thank you for your support, your e-mails, calls, and even pictures on Facebook. We’ve been trying to call many of you, but some people are just never home! Maybe now that fall is here, we will be able to nab a few more of you on a Saturday morning. In the mean time, thanks for being part of this with us. We love and miss all of you.