Praise God--the town-wide strike here ended after 5 days. It was really tense for a while--3 of the soldiers sent to keep things under control were evacuated to the capital (Libreville) because of injuries inflicted by the strikers. The angry mob wouldn't allow them across the barricades to come to our hospital which would have been only minutes away.
Just in case, we had our evacuation bag packed, which wasn't so bad, because then we were ready for a trip to the beach, which was timed perfectly (by God) for the week after the strike. The mission & hospital were not targeted, and in the end the strike organizers gave the government three months to give in to their demands.
So now, for the time being, Lebamba & Bongolo are back to normal, and we are returning to work too. Please pray that God will bring justice to this situation. The strikers have legitimate concerns, but things can tend to get out of hand so quickly. Pray that the government will be able to keep its promises, and that even if there is no progress made by May 1st, there will not be any more violence or threats.
Please thank God with us for His protection, and a very refreshing, restoring time at the beach this past week.
Please pray as Joe & the Hospital Chaplain as they launch a new HIV/AIDS treatment/counseling program at Bongolo. We are using a strategy patterned after the program we saw in action at the Evangelical Hospital in Vanga, Democratic Congo. We have already seen some newly diagnosed patients come to Christ, and many more respond positively in other ways to the prayer and care offered. Now if we could just get some anti-viral medications...and more importantly, make a dent in this pandemic by prevention! Those at greatest risk are young women ages 14-24, and their offspring. Please pray with us against the strongholds of sexual immorality and alcoholism which are holding people in bondage and putting them at high risk for contracting this dreaded disease.
In Him,
Joe & Becky Harvey & girls
Serving with Global Outreach Mission in Bongolo, Gabon, AfricaTo see some recent pictures of Bongolo taken by a work team from California:
(You can select each button as soon as it appears).
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