Wow, what a trip we had! Not only a long journey, but also a very successful and breathtaking journey! Hopefully the following pictures and report give a good impression of our experiences.
Last Monday morning at 3 o’clock we stood beside our bed and we left to Schiphol in the freezing cold: the icicles hanging from the Schiphol Tunnel! Together with the grandparents and Ester and Tirsa we checked in for our flight to Frankfurt. Around 5.30 the moment of parting was there as we went through customs.
The transition went very smooth, though we were 20 minutes late because the wings of the aircraft needed to be ‘de-iced’. Thanks to our tour operator SIAMA we had a large place in the plane and Simon even had a bed. The stewardess noticed that he was the only one in the whole plane stretched out to sleep.
At 17.00 we landed in Libreville, the capital of Gabon. Passing the customs yielded a precarious moment when Jan gave up “Pastor” as profession. There was consultation needed with the boss and just because the kids were there we were allowed into the country! Doctors are welcome, pastors a bit less 😉
After a day to refresh at Libreville we left on Wednesday morning at 5 am by car to Bongolo Hospital in Lebamba. The roads were of fairly good quality, only for the first few hours the roads were badly damaged. It was a trip to remember. The children were quiet throughout the journey and enjoyed themselves. And when the light began to shine it revealed that we were on a desolate road through the middle of the rainforest. Left and right trees and after every corner breathtaking views enfolded! And as icing on the cake; a break on the equator!
Halfway through we changed cars, in that way both drivers only drove half the distance. In the middle of the rainforest, full of strange smells and sounds we carried the suitcases over. After 10 hours of driving we arrived; tired but not overly tired. We were warmly received by the CAMA team and Maria immediately started playing when she came into our home. We were welcomed to eat at one of the team members, so at about 9 am we fell asleep: tired but satisfied!
We hope to write something soon about how we live here. Tabitha begins work on Monday, so after a week or so we can also give an update on that. Again a big thank you to everyone who sympathizes with us, who prays for us and support us. We’re not alone, and this makes us grateful!
