Welcome to the mid-2004 edition of our photo gallery! Won't you join us for a ride through life in Congo?
Recognizing the missionaries' need for additional transportation around town, Jay decided to buy a small push cart and convert it into a trailer. Now the two mission trucks are more available for the other missionaries who need them. And the van Achterbergs get even MORE attention now when they pull into the market! |
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08/21/2004
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05/20/2004
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All 6 of our kids show off their new outfits as they sit with Marie-Rose, our friend and seamstress who made them. |
In Africa, people make do with what they can get.
In the USA, when people want to make lumber, they fell a tree, load it onto a truck, and then bring it to a lumber mill where it can be cut up. The Africans, however, have no way to transport a whole tree, much less setup a fancy lumber mill. So here, people make a simple guide for a chainsaw bar and saw, saw, saw, right where the tree falls. It's different, it's loud, it takes a lot of time, it's a pain to haul their equipment and fuel in and out of the jungle every day, and it really wears on their chainsaw. |
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01/24/2004
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05/13/2004
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But it does work!
Here is Alain, our primary wood supplier, with a stack of wood he just delivered to us. |
Our most recent aerial photo, taken by a pilot friend of Joe's. We have added labels to the photo to help you picture where everything is located on the hospital site. |
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08/26/2004
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04/24/2004
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One of our jobs every spring is to stock up on the sand that we expect to need for the year. As the dry season ends and the rainy season starts, the area's water table is at its lowest, and we can dig all the sand we want from an unowned field outside of town. |
Getting sand is a great family activity. The kids love to explore the pond next to the sand pit and play in the sand -- especially on the ride back home!
This year we got about 15 wagonloads of sand. That's equivalent to 700 wheelbarrow loads, the standard African unit of measure. (We don't know how many cubic yards or meters it is, we don't do that here!) Most of the sand will be used in the hospital's many masonry projects. |
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04/24/2004
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04/28/2004
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Here's a little guy you don't want to meet unexpectedly. It's a Gabon Viper, a very poisonous snake that is occasionally found in the area. This one was found (and killed) in a garden close to Impfondo. |
"Aw, why do we snakes always get such a bad rap? Just look how beautiful my scales are." |
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04/28/2004
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06/22/2004
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Among many other interesting creatures that pass our way (typically for sale by the locals who caught them), this eagle recently paid us a visit. For about 3 bucks, we could have been the proud owners of this little guy. We turned down the offer.
By the way, the price of nearly all animals here is based on how much meat you can eat off them. |
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