From Jan Schill

I received an e-mail from Jan, Bob's wife!  She shared some great information, and she gave the go-ahead to pass it on to you as well.  Here it is:

Monday evening, August 8, 2011

I finally made contact with Bob on Saturday morning.  Matt, the architect who is with him, had SKYPE on.  We couldn't talk, but could Instant Message.  I found out they had arrived safely and were settled in at the Mbingo hospital.

Sunday morning Bob called me on SKYPE and we had a great connection for about 15 minutes.

He had attended the Mbingo Baptist Church that morning.  He estimated there were about 300 people there.  They preach in English and they give a summary in French. 

In the afternoon, they took a jeep ride around the hospital property.  He said it is a huge area.  On the site are mountains, dams, waterfalls, a landing strip.  They also have a helicopter.  The hospital treats about 80,000 people a year with about 10,000 of those staying at the hospital.

They have never had a comprehensive Master Plan done or done any preplanning before building..  There are about 1,500 buildings on the site.  I'm sure many are very small.  They are needing to expand so Bob will begin the plan while there and finish it by the end of December.  The hospital has received some grant money, so need to have a plan to show them.

Bob said there were quite a few American doctors around.  He thought they stayed about one month and during that time work with and train the Cameroon doctors.

Bob said they have mostly western type food.  It has rained almost everyday.  He thought they would be working in another building, but decided it would be easier to set up in their rooms.  He and Matt each have a fairly large room with 2 or 3 beds and a bathroom. 

Bob said he was feeling good and enjoying being there.

Jan


 
Thank you for praying!!!  Please keep it up!  :)

Bob and Matt at TECH working on a model of a church.

Bob and Matt working

I Got to Visit with Matt....

Hi, All!  Yesterday, Sunday, I talked with Matt on Skype for about an hour and a half.  It was really nice to catch up on everything... but of course I thought of more to say afterward, so it was great that he called me again today! 

He is doing well.  He seems very joyful, and he's doing a lot of hard work creating charts of the measurements and buildings' needs. (Soon he'll work on drawings.)  He's met some really neat people--- all of the doctors are Americans, it seems.  Indigenous people work at the hospital.  He said many of them speak "Pidgin English." He said it's pretty hard to understand them even though it is a form of English. 


He is staying in a motel-like building.  He has his own room, so he didn't know the answer when I asked if Bob was sleeping enough. (Bob is notorious for working late into the nights...)

He said the food is kind of like American food, and it's pretty good. Tonight he had home-made doughnuts at Dr. Sparks' house. He is the main doctor who organizes the volunteers, I gathered.  He said he DOES miss my cooking, but that those doughnuts would be pretty hard to beat.  :)

He said Bob is doing well and creating these amazing drawings.  Matt is in awe, I perceived.  I'm so thankful (as is Matt) that he has this great opportunity with Bob.  

Please keep praying for their health, safety, and productiveness for The Kingdom!  :)  THANK YOU!!!!

This is Mbingo Baptist Hospital where Matt is at work right now!

Matt's Haircut!

Just wanted to share a few pics with you!  Matt convinced me to cut his hair, since he is about to go to a part of the world that is very conservative.  So I have two motives for this post: 1. Show you his new hair. 2. Introduce you to some awesome guys he is grateful to know.

Matt with his full beard and growing hair on the left.  His hair got about 2 inches longer than this.  Next to him is Ron Peacock (our awesome friend and pastor at NorthWood Church) and Matt Freid (our friend from NW Church).

Matt with longer hair and less beard next to his very good friend Rob White.

HIS HAIR IS NOW CUT!  Taken Sunday, July 31, 2011. (He's next to me! Oh, and when he saw this picture, he asked me why there was lightning coming out of his ears... ahem... it's just some pretty lights we have up at church on the walls... not lightning.) :)