Chuch in Congo

Uncle Dean's day crew Bob invited him to attend church with him. Mark drove a group of us to the church.  We were welcomed warmly and give the opportunity to speak.  We were also asked to lead the church in singing.  We sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Lord I Lift Your Name on High".

Mark speaking a word of encouragement to the congregation.

The church filled up quickly.  Children sat in the back, women in the middle and men on the left.  We were given seats of honor in the front of the room.

After the service the pastor and his wife hosted us with snacks and cold sodas.  The pastor shared with us his testimony and how the church was started.  We prayed for the church and then they presented us with gifts to show us that we were welcome (a Congolese tradition).  We were given pineapples, mangoes, plantains, and carrots.  In all it must have filled 8 or 9 bags.  We felt very welcomed!

The front of the church.

Simply Christmas...Academy Christmas Musical

Matthew has been playing hand chimes this year and he preformed during the pre-show segment of the Christmas musical.  We are so proud of Matthew!

Caleb chose to play recorders this last semester.  He struggled but persevered and did and excellent job playing Jingle Bells.  Way to go Caleb!

Caleb singing and dancing in the opening number.

Jacob played Joseph and did an amazing job memorizing a five minute monologue.  There is a video on my face book page if you would like to see his hard work.

Matthew in a song about the sheep's perspective on the birth of Jesus.

We are so proud of all our boys.  We have seen them grow so much this year. 

 It is such a joy to be their parents!

Let the Christmas Season Begin...Holiday Ballet

This year we had Christmas decorations (some of you might remember that last year our tree was made from toilet paper rolls).  My mom bought decorations during after Christmas sales last year and we put them on a container in July.  This year I broke my December first rule and I put up decorations before Thanksgiving. 

This is our living room/bedroom window.  The Story of Christmas is a family tradition.  Every Christmas morning it is the first thing that we read.  We didn't bring it with us and last year one of our supporters was able to send us a copy.  It has been such a blessing to be able to carry on important family traditions.

Christmas Cards! (Most from previous years because they don't seem to arrive before Christmas.)

Stockings made from Guinea fabric.

This year we put on a Holiday Ballet with dancing, poetry, and stories.  It was great fun and helped start the Holiday season!

Silent Night

Waltz of the Flowers

Sleigh Ride

Ms. Sarah reading scripture announcing the birth of Jesus.

Finale: Come and Worship

Baptisim

Friday, 15th November 2013 was a beautiful day to celebrate God's creation and glorify Him with the baptism of our oldest son Jacob.

Three weeks earlier Jacob came home from school and asked me if he could talk with me for a minute.  That doesn't happen very often, so I was ready to listen.  Jacob told me that during morning worship at school he felt that God told him it was time to be baptized and to let everyone know that he had committed his life to Jesus.  We had previously had many conversations about following Jesus and the need for a savior and several years ago Jacob prayed to be saved, but when we asked him about baptism he said he wasn't ready.  We had told him that he would know when he was ready and that God would speak to him.  It was such a blessing to hear my son say he heard from God and to hear from his mouth that he knew that God was speaking to him.  Over the next two weeks God provided opportunities for Mark and I to have one-on-one time with Jacob and we were able to talk more with him about salvation.  What a blessing it is to watch your children grow in the Lord!

At 9am on Friday morning three land rovers were filled with friends and we headed to a quiet spot on a beach about an hours drive from Pointe-Noire.  We had a sweet service and those in attendance read scripture over Jacob and we prayed together.

Mark and Jacob walked out into the water.

and Jacob was baptized as a visible sign of his transformation into a new man in Christ.

Mr. Nick led us in a time of worship.  We sang two of Jacobs favorite songs; Mighty to Save & I'll Fly Away.

Fun on the Other Side of Deck 7

I was able to accompany the 2nd grade Academy students on a field trip to deck 7 to visit with patients.  Several of the patients we visited are also my English students.  It was fun introducing them to the 2nd graders.  We are playing a game of letter sound bingo.  I was amazed how easily the Academy 2nd graders jumped in and interacted with the patients.

Matthew is playing war with his new friend.  I think they would have continued playing for hours!

So much fun!

I got to have my picture taken with several of my sweet students.  The highlight of my day is the hour I spend with these lovely young ladies.  I don't know how much English I am really teaching, but I do know that we laugh a lot!

When you are exhausted...God saves a life.

Mark's job is hard.  There is no other way to spin it.  Standing on your feet all day facing dental decay, just isn't easy.  Several times in the last few weeks Mark has come home spent, completely poured out.  These are times when Satin attacks, "Maybe I'm not the right person for this job."  "I am not enough."  "Someone else could do this better."  These thoughts plague us when we are exhausted.  They are lies straight from the pit of Hell and in these moments God reminds us...

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

"For, I am your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear.  I will help you."  Isaiah 41:13

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31

These scriptures are written on the wall in our cabin.  They remind us of the truth...that we are exactly where God wants us to be serving him and that he has our backs.

These last few weeks in the dental clinic have brought some interesting and challenging cases.  Cases that Mark could not do on his own.  Two weeks ago on a Thursday afternoon a man named Chris came into the dental clinic.  Chris was suffering from a very advanced dental infection.  He was struggling to breath because the infection had grown to a grapefruit sized puss filled swelling that raised his tongue three inches and was cutting off his airway.  The dental team rallied together, Dr. Annette (form Norway) and Mark, two Congolese translators, two dental assistance (Collen from the States and Britta from Germany) began to work.  The rest of the team continued their important work keeping the clinic operating and as one team member said, "We prayed." 

A team that had been working all day, a tired team of people working in Africa because God told them to, began to work to alleviate the swelling and remove the infected teeth.  By inserting an intra-oral drain they were able to drain much of the pus and Chris was able to begin breathing normally, Annette removed some infected teeth and Chris was sent home with antibiotic and instructions to return the following morning.

I know first hand how little Mark slept Thursday night and how often he prayed for Chris.  He was worried and he turned to God.  My sixth grade Bible class prayed for Chris and the  dental team and they were all excited to hear how well Chris was doing the next day.  The swelling staid down and the dental team was able to remove more teeth.  A week later, this past Friday Mark said he almost didn't recognize Chris when he came back to have his drains removed.  He looked like a different man. Completely healed, PRAISE GOD!

Since this case two more of these patients have come to the clinic...another story for another day...through it all God is faithful.  He provides strength when we think we have nothing left to give, He tells us how much he loves us when we think we are not enough, He is faithful.

Teaching English

This year I (Gretchen) added a new part time job to my week.  I really felt like God was asking me to spend time with patients on the ward.  

Truthfully, this made me a bit nervous.  I was so blessed by my experiences at Lazare's Orphanage in Guinea and I was worried that I would have difficulty showing the same love to the patients because I was worried that it would be difficult to look at them.  We serve a gracious and loving Father.  My first English student was Alphonse.  Before meeting him for the first time I prayed a heartfelt prayer that I would be able to see him with our Father's eyes and that he would see Christ in me.  This is Alphonse.

 

When I met him all I could do was smile.  We have a gracious and loving Father.  His face was wrapped in a bandage, his smile was beautiful, and his spirit was infectious.  I have been meeting with Alphonse and our time as been spent laughing and learning.  I can't remember what day his bandages came off because all I see is Alphonse, a beautiful son of God.  I am so blessed that God gave me time to see Alphonse with His eyes.  When I meet a new patient I am no longer worried.  I know God is with me and will help me see.

This is another of my sweet students.

I am teaching Alistera to read and write.  She is teaching me to giggle.  Every time I see her she has a new sticker on her bandage and her hugs are amazing.  She is beautiful!  

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with these amazing people.   

A Special Opportunity

I have been invited by another organization, Bridge 2 Aid (www.b2a.org), to visit their training program in Tanzania. They would like me to see how they train rural health care professionals how to remove infected teeth thereby expanding dental services to millions of rural tooth pain sufferers. I hope to make this a part of our program at mercy ships.

Even being close while serving in Congo, the cost will still be $1500-2000 for this trip, depending on flight cost. Mercy Ships is not in a position to cover this cost. I am hoping that God is able to provide for this opportunity so if you feel led to contribute, or you know someone who might, please follow the link in the upper right corner to make a tax-free donation.

Photo courtesy of B2A.org

Photo courtesy of B2A.org

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email me @ mbullock79@gmail.com

School Pictures

Living on a ship allows for some pretty cool school photos.  This is the entire Academy: nursery-12th grade and teachers.

4th grade--Jacob is growing up so fast!

2nd grade--I love Matthew's smile!

1st grade--Caleb is too CUTE! (Shhh! Don't tell him I said he was cute.)