Now that you have heard from both Art and Michael I thought you would like to hear a little bit about what we are all doing now that we have all settled in. Art as you know is busy fixing everything and anything that breaks. He will be wiring all the houses here on the living compound for the town electric. This will allow us to have lights etc. the couple nights a week that we have power to our end of town.

Michael is busy with school. He is in the 10th grade this year and is enjoying school, except for Math, which I am pretty sure he will never like. He does Biology and a writing class with Claire Harvey and they both are enjoy their big writing project of the year, a book. They are writing a historical novel that takes place in the medieval time period, and they are having fun coming up with a time line and names for the characters as well as the plot line. It will be fun to read their final project. Claire is a talented artist and is also doing the illustrations.

I have been able to stay busy now that the Harvey’s are back. I do school with Michael in the mornings then do writing with Isabelle then writing and Biology with Claire and Michael. The rest of my day is spent doing some communications for Joe as well as our own emails. While this might not seem like a big deal, emails are our life line here.

I still struggle with the language here and rely on Michael for most all my communications here at the house. I am able to do Marketing on my own but not a whole lot more than that still. It is very frustrating for me and I am trying to learn but speaking French is not my strong point. Olivia has started teaching the Wegner’s and I Lingala each Wednesday afternoon and I hope to learn that more quickly than I am learning French.

All in all I think we have really started to adjust to living here and the talk here has changed from I can’t wait to go home because I miss this or that. Now it is more I can’t wait to go visit everyone so we can bring back this or that. Most every conversation to do with wanting to bring back something revolves around food. Still, I am pretty sure that is what we think about missing the most.

Thank you all for your prayers and support, our survival here depends on them.

Here in Africa I have been blessed. I am able to have fun things most kids my age don’t get to do. Just recently I got to take a walk through the jungle. Our guide was someone familiar with the area, so he found things we might not have known were there. One thing he found was a vine that was at least 2 feet around. Another cool thing was a tree were you could walk under the roots.

I have also been blessed by having the Harvey’s back. Their only boy, Noah, hangs out with me a lot and we have lots of fun running around outside together. Their second oldest daughter, Claire, and I are writing a book together for a school project. I am having lots of fun here, but I will be happy to head home for a visit in June.

Merry Christmas! Joyuex Noel!

Merry Christmas!

We hope that this update finds you doing well and enjoying the Holidays with family and friends. You can enjoy lots of good food as well, but we don’t want to hear about it! Yesterday marks seven months since we got on the plane in New York and began the adventure of serving God here in Congo. In some ways, it feels impossible that we could have been here seven whole months. In others, it’s hard to believe it has only been seven months and not seven years. Enough time has passed to get very settled in, and we now feel like we have a pretty good grasp of how things work here. That doesn’t mean that we understand all of it; just that we have a good idea of what to expect.

In our previous updates, we haven’t said too much about the missionary team here, other than who is coming or going. The Lord has truly been behind the timing of all of the changes and talents represented in the team. Doctors Eckhart and Klaudia Wolff, along with another young doctor (Juan-Carlos Panchi), arrived here with us early in October for a 3-month stay. Eckhart is an orthopedic surgeon and Klaudia does anesthesia and patient counseling. Dr. Panchi is a general practitioner. Together, they have been a huge asset to the hospital and a powerful tool for God’s loving work here.

When the three of them arrived in Impfondo, Dr. Fuka was the only physician at the hospital. The Harvey family was still in the US for almost another month. Things were busy, and poor Dr. Fuka had been working hard carrying the load of all the patient cases. He was looking forward to a little break. Some people with serious debilitating hand and foot deformities had been scheduled ahead of time for surgeries during Dr. Wolff’s time here.  It looked as though it would be an easy time for the next 3 months. Then, out of nowhere, the conflict across the river started. Refugees began pouring into Impfondo and the surrounding area, and victims of the violence started coming to the hospital. We had machete wounds, bullet wounds, and serious infections that had plenty of time to take root on the slow journey to our hospital.

Most of the past couple of months have had an average of 2 or 3 surgeries each weekday, with emergency cases on top of that. We have treated at least a dozen victims, and now we are treating around that many wounded rebels that have been brought to us. That presents its own variety of difficulties, not the least of which is security.

Victims don’t really want to be bunked with the guys who killed their family members, but this is a hospital and not a hotel. We only have so much room and so many resources. There is also a possibility of escape once these guys begin to heal. The government is keeping an eye on them, but it’s not like they’re prisoners of war either. This is an international situation, and it’s really complicated.

Getting back to the three doctors, this was obviously the Lord at work in having them here. While Eckhart operated on the victims, Klaudia counseled them (they were all traumatized), and Dr. Panchi took care of most of the regular patients. Dr. Harvey was more than busy directing with all of the attention we were receiving from international organizations, governmental delegations, and the international press. In the midst of this time, the Wegner family arrived. Dr. Wegner is a pediatrician and emergency medicine specialist. His skills filled in the remaining gaps in the team as the hospital filled to capacity plus, and he has graciously given much of his personal time to helping out with any little thing that pops up (which happens a lot). In all, the Lord has abundantly blessed the work at Pioneer Christian Hospital in the last few months. It is a very busy but exciting time!

For the last five weeks, we had a surprise short-term missionary join us. Her name is Amy Riedy, and she’s from California. Her time was spent helping with all sorts of things, from helping Sarah change bandages on her leprosy patients to welding grates for drains to changing brake calipers on Joe’s truck and building crutches. She was a pleasure to work with, and we are hoping that God directs her back to us again at some point. We are also thankful that she was able to make it home to be with her family for Christmas.

So, I know you all want to know what the current status is on the fighting. Well, there’s not that much to say. We have heard gunfire a handful of times coming from somewhere on the other side of the river. We have heard reports (hearsay) that rebels are here or there and have attacked this place or that one. We hear that the military is chasing them and they’re running for their lives. The leader of the rebels has got some serious Satanic powers behind him, and no one seems to know where he is at the moment. We do know that the rebels are on the run, because the wounded ones have bullet wounds in their backs! We also know that the rebels are using machetes and the military use guns. If it wasn’t so hard to catch people in the jungle, I think it would already be over. Who knows? So, we aren’t very scared, but is a little unsettling to hear AK-47’s in the afternoon and shotgun blasts in the night.

After a deep probing of our financial condition, we made the decision to return to the States this coming June: June 20th, to be exact. Our tickets were purchased this week. We will be home for however long it takes to raise more support and get a bit more of the things that we now know we would like to have here with us. There is a possibility of a container being planned for next Summer, so we would be organizing that also, if it does happen. There are many things that we would like to put in the next container to ship here! It will be great to be back home for a bit, and we will begin setting up our calendar soon. Lord-willing, we will get the opportunity to visit many of you over the Summer months of 2010 and then return here for 3 or 4 years.

Please keep the hospital in your prayers. It is overflowing with patients right now, and it’s a great opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with so many people! We have seen changed hearts and second chances for lives, and it’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. Please pray for the fighting going on, that God will use this for His glory and bring us people that He wants to save. Pray for the victims of the fighting, families and villages that have been destroyed, for healing physically and spiritually. Pray for our time to be home in the US to be productive in raising support and continuing to support the work at PCH from overseas. Last of all, please pray for the medical team as our Ecuadorian doctors (Wolff’s and Panchi) return home to the HCJB hospital there (the Wolff’s are from Germany, serving there for over 20 years).

Thank you, as always, for all of your continued prayers on our behalf. Thank you for supporting our work here. Thank you for reading these long-winded newsletters and sharing the news with friends and family. May God bless you and all of yours this coming New Year!

Below is a copy of an email that was sent out by Dr. Joseph Harvey our medical director here. Please read carefully and respond as he as asked at the end. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Art, Danielle & Michael

Dear Team Members, Friends & Family,

Since October 28, 2009, we have been in a state of heightened security at PioneerChristianHospital here in Impfondo, Congo. That was the day that we received the first civilian casualties from fresh fighting in Dongo, a town in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since October over 77,000 refugees have flooded across the OubanguiRiver into the Likouala Region of Congo from the Equateur Province of DRC.

We received two more waves of war wounded in November, and hear that more are on the way. From collateral damage, streams of very sick refugees and residents have been flowing into PioneerChristianHospital for HELP. Currently more than 50% of our patients need nutritional support, have only the clothes on their backs, and no means to pay for the care we administer. At the same time, we are trying to stem the tide of a confirmed Swine Flu epidemic that has already taken the lives of 3 of the 10 contagious children.

We are glad to be here doing our best to stretch our limited resources and minister effectively to very real needs, but the stress of being so close to a war zone is starting to take its toll.

Things seem to be getting noticeably worse instead of better. God knows if things are about to turn around, or descend into complete chaos, but I believe He wants us to be prepared either way.

A lot has happened just this week:

- On Tuesday, Laurent Fuka (17 year-old son of our surgeon) arrived home after evacuating from Bwamanda, DRC, where he has been attending boarding school for the last year and a half. He and 7 classmates spent a week, fleeing from the rebels on foot, pirogue, UN motorboat, and truck. They had several close encounters on the way. Before leaving one of Laurent’s classmates went to the market to buy some food and was killed by the rebels.

- Tuesday evening we were called upon to treat two wounded rebels at the government hospital. One is a 14 year old boy with a bullet in his right humerus. The other is a 22 year old with a bullet in his buttocks.

- Tuesday night some people came to the government hospital looking for the wounded rebels, intent on rendering vigilante justice. The staff was able to hide the patients, but this significantly delayed them from getting the care they need.

- Wednesday morning during morning report at PioneerChristianHospital our maintenance staff heard gunshots coming from the river. This was around the same time a Central African Riverboat was released by the rebels after being held overnight. Occasional gunshots have been heard several other times this week too.

- On Thursday local public high school students went on a riotous rampage after the government teachers went on strike instead of administering final exams for the semester. The students trashed their school, then attacked several private schools in town, beating up other students and staff, destroying classrooms, and smashing computers. The gendarmes and police were called in and ended up arresting 11 students.

- Thursday night a river boat and barge hired by the United Nations to bring emergency food rations for the refugees came under repeated attacks from armed men in dugouts, and motorized longboats recently stolen from the UN refugee agency in DRC. The barge was flying the UN flag and the pusher was flying the Congo-Brazzaville flag. The attack was finally repelled with support from a Congolese military attack helicopter.

- Friday we were interviewed about this crisis by a correspondent from Bloomburg News Service. Maybe it will play on National Public Radio.

- Friday night a river boat barge loaded with fuel for Impfondo was also attacked. Congo-Brazzaville government soldiers traveling with the barge opened fire, reportedly killing a number of DRC rebels, whose bodies fell into the river. The boat arrived in Impfondo this morning with a helicopter escort.

- Saturday the regular Air Congo flight was postponed, and some people say it is because of the increased military activity downriver from Impfondo.

I think we have no choice but to raise our security alert level and review and implement emergency planning.

I didn’t want to write this message. As far as we know, we are not in immediate danger, but we do need your help. If you would be willing to join our intercession team to pray for our protection, wage spiritual warfare, and ask for peace on this part of the earth, please send a short message to Danielle Ralston and let her know what day(s)/time(s) you will be praying

Before I go any further, I would like to clarify the situation that I am sure you are hearing about in the news concerning Congo. Once again, this is the other Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), but this time it is rather close to us. There is a small rebel army about thirty miles north of us, on the other side of the river, that is causing a big stir. From what I can put together, this began with two tribes fighting over fishing rights on the river. It has grown from that, and now the leader of this rebel group is said to have magical powers and to be un-killable (is that a word?). Just last evening I heard that the national army came in and killed about 40 rebels and captured another 60 or so, theoretically squashing the problem. However, the leader “vanished into the mist” and was not caught. Maybe he is dead, maybe he really does have some satanic powers. It’s so hard to tell. Demonic powers really do come into play here, but so do tall tales and extraordinary gossip. The UN and humanitarian groups are now helping the refugees (about 5,000 at the moment), and we have treated 8 or 9 gunshot and machete wound victims. It’s good to be the ones receiving refugees, instead of the other way around. Evacuation plans are being formed, but it seems unlikely we will need them. There has been no violence on this side, and the whole thing seems to be drawing to a close.

Something to keep lifted up in prayer is the lack of proper medical attention in the region. The first two victims came to the Pioneer Christian Hospital a few days after the incident took place. They were cared for, and it wasn’t a huge deal. A few days later (one whole week after the incident), six more showed up. They had been at the local government hospital here in Impfondo, where their wounds were closed up and not inspected and properly treated. Infections set in, and by the time they got to us their lives were in danger. Two of them ended up being amputated (one arm and one leg below the knee). The one who lost the leg was an 11-year old girl. The point of this is that none of this would have been nearly as bad if they had reached us sooner, or if they had received decent care at the hands of the other doctors. Please keep this lack of care in prayers, and that God will change the hearts of the staff at the government hospital and even the nursing staff at our own hospital, that they will be more conscientious of the level of care they provide to patients. The government is investigating what happened with these refugees, but the hearts of the people need to be changed. It’s not something that firing a few bad doctors can remedy.

Yes, the Harveys are back! It’s strange having neighbors now. The house was empty practically since we got here. We are enjoying having them back, and now Michael has kids to play with and Danielle is getting handed many jobs to do. It’s a welcome change. Things are also busy at the moment, as we prepare for the arrival of the Wegners this Saturday. Their house is being made ready for them, and we hope it will actually be ready when they arrive. We have a short-term missionary coming for one month, who will also be arriving here with the Wegners. We didn’t know she was coming until about a week ago, so this is a bit of a surprise. There are plenty of things to be done around the hospital, so there won’t be any trouble keeping her busy.

I was so eagerly awaiting all of the new replacement parts for every broken machine at the hospital. For some reason, in my mind, I had it all figured out that everything would be together and running inside of a week. Boy, was I wrong! Not only have I not repaired all of the previously-broken stuff, but there is a growing list of newly-broken stuff. And I got a nasty cold this week, to top it off. We were hoping that I would have the time to do a few things to the Wegners’ house. Now, I’m not very sure what I can get to. Tomorrow was going to be my day for that, but the clutch went in one of the 4-wheel drive Toyotas yesterday. That’s a priority to get running again, so I need to get right on it. In my garage back home, it would be a day-or-so job. Here, it will take a good 3 days, plus waiting for any parts to come up from Brazzaville. Please keep the equipment at the hospital in your prayers, too. I am feeling very much attacked since the Harveys return. It feels like everything is going wrong, and I am powerless to fix it. I know that the battle has already been won, but I could use prayer in getting beyond the feeling that keeping the hospital running is on my shoulders. I need to give it to the Lord, and it’s easier said than done.

Thank you to all who sent us supplies that came with the Harvey family. I think we received all of it. Since they got here on October 31, it was like Christmas on Halloween for our family. Danielle has some new clothes to wear. Michael has some new books to read. We all got too much candy, and we are enjoying some of the cooking spices, the hard drive full of movies, and near-necessities that we were unaware of when we were packing to come here. A handful of things are not yet opened; mostly Christmas presents for Michael. If you were not involved in any of this, we also thank you for that! Trust me, we got plenty of stuff. Adjusting to living here means getting used to having less. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just simpler; more basic. Seeing two trunks full of various items was almost overwhelming. Michael very much enjoyed all of his birthday presents from everyone. Thank you so much for making his first birthday away from home fun!

A special thanks goes out to Pete (my step-father) for all of his time and effort in gathering the grocery list of replacement parts, and to Brenda Whaley for coordinating the assembly and delivery of everything (and clothes shopping for Danielle). As always, we thank you for your prayers. We thank you for your support, and we thank God that He is faithful in always providing for all of our needs, and even above and beyond our needs. We always look for e-mails from each of you, and we enjoy the chances we get to make some calls back home. I guess that’s all for now, so I’ll stop right here. We love you and miss you all. Have a happy Thanksgiving, and don’t forget to thank God for all that He has given you. He is good!