Ten days 'til departure!

I'm trying something new, a blog!  I know plenty of you already do this all the time but I'm always a little behind the times when it comes to technology.  But I thought this might be a fun way for me to communicate with you as John, Ryan and I head to Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Africa.  We leave in 10 days so things are really getting busy around here.  I have to pack our suitcases and shop for some last minute requests from missionary friends.  The UPS and Fedex guys have been stopping by with items that the missionaries have ordered for us to bring along.  We are allowed 2 checked bags each, one carry-on each and a bonus bag each for medical supplies.  Do the math-that's a total of 12 pieces of luggage!

I also have to help Justin plan and pack for his trip to the Ukraine with the youth group at Blanchard Alliance Church in Wheaton, IL.  He helped out as a youth group advisor during the school year and was invited along on their missions trip.  He will be gone for 3 weeks total and is allowed only one checked bag and a carry-on.  And there's no laundromat!  That's a suitcase we will have to leave out on the patio for a while when he gets home!

We are traveling to Gabon with Tammy and Theresa, a physical therapist and an occupational therapist from Metro, who are going to help John evaluate the future rehabilitation needs of the hospital.  They will be our new best friends by the time we finish up our 2 week adventure.  I'm sure they are wondering right now what they signed up for!

Here's our general plan:

Sunday, July 10-Depart Cleveland, fly to Toronto, on to Frankfurt, Germany
Monday, July 11-Arrive Libreville, Gabon, spend the night at the Alliance guesthouse.
Tuesday, July 12-Ride 9-10 hours to Bongolo Hospital on a mini-bus (this is the biggest adventure we know of right now).  Settle in to our housing at the Triplex.  See the Thelanders!
Friday, July 22-Drive 2 hours to Mouila Airport, board small plane, fly to Libreville.
Saturday, July 23-Depart Libreville, fly to Frankfurt.
Sunday, July 24-Return to Cleveland via Frankfurt and Newark, NJ.

We will see how closely real life corresponds to the plans.  We appreciate your prayers now as we make final preparations and as we travel in 10 days.  By the way, Lebamba is the name of the closest town to Bongolo Hospital.  It is where we will shop for groceries at the Lebamba Walmart (not a real Walmart!).