"Savior He HAS Moved the Mountains..."

We are here...Cotonou, Benin...West Africa...WOW is about all I can say...
We arrived on 7-29 after 30 hours of travel -5 airports - 4 countries (USA, Great Britain, France, Africa). The most chaotic part of the whole trip was when we had to pick up our baggage at the airport in Cotonou. Imagine this...a plane full of people...a very small room...one luggage belt...people standing 5 deep around the luggage belt...men with luggage carts trying to get business...4 jet lagged Jacobsens. Fortunately Deb was able to remember enough French to communicate very simply...what an experience...I dare say it is not one the kids want to repeat any time soon!

We were then royally welcomed by the people here on the ship and made to feel very at home. Everyone has been just wonderful. The kids have made friends quickly and got very involved with the end of the summer program. Mike is knee deep in learning about his job and Deb is making friends and making their cabin "home".

As I (Deb) reflect back on the last 3 months, I am in absolute awe at how God has moved in our lives. At the community meeting last night I was reminded once again, through the song God gave us at the very beginning of this journey, that He can move mountains. He has moved in some very BIG ways to get us here. Both Mike and I are humbled by the fact He has brought us here and are excited about what He is going to do over the next few years.

"To Dream the Impossible Dream..."

First of all, we need to wish our beloved daughter a very happy 14th birthday. It has been a rough way to celebrate a birthday, but while we were in Victoria, with Deb's parents, we made up for the lack of celebrating today. So, what then does a family of 4's luggage look like when travelling to Africa for 2 or more years? We each have 2 suitcases that have been packed-repacked-and repacked-weighed-reweighed-and reweighed to

be 50lbs or less. Gone are the days when you could take any weight of suitcase on a plane! It really makes you evaluate what is important and what is not! On another note...
What a wonderful God we serve. He has truly blessed us with "The Impossible Dream". 82 days ago we were hunkered down in our home on a golf course in Lynden, Washington. We were enjoying all our "stuff". Mike had his woodworking toys in the garage, Deb had her own house with her things, Alisia had a room full (and I do mean full) of teenage girl treasures, Josh had a room full of toys, more than he had time to play with, now, 82 days later, we are down to 8 - 50 pound duffel bags. Instead of waking up in the morning knowing what is going to happen, we are going to wake up to an unknown adventure.
As I look back over the last 3 months, I am in awe what God has done. There is absolutely no way we could have accomplished what we did, with no major and very few minor problems, without the Grace of God. He has brought wonderful people into our lives who have and will continue to have a lasting impact on us. He has provided a path for us to be a part of making life changing impacts on people who have lived lives void of hope. He is truly a God who takes joy in fulfilling the impossible dream.
He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give hope and a future." All we have to do is allow Him to work in our lives.

"A Time of Rest..."

On Thursday July 23 we left Mike's brother Tim's and headed to Deb's parents place in Victoria, B.C. Canada. Tim is running for the city council of Bainbridge Island and would be a wonderful asset to the council. We wish him the best. We will really miss Tim and Sharon while we are away-but fortunately we have a great phone system and email!We arrived at Deb's parents place on Vancouver Island late (after taking 3 different ferries-not normal!) on Thursday night. On Friday the guys played golf and the ladies celebrated Alisia's 14th birthday at the Empress Hotel with High Tea. Alisia felt like a princess.

We have had a time of rest and Deb is getting the dufflebags ready for Tuesday when we fly out to Benin. We are starting to get anxious (in a good way) and want to get on our way.

"On the Road Again...Part 2"

Bainbridge Island-2268 miles-This was the view that Mike and I woke up to this morning. We made it to Mike's brother Tim's place last night by 9pm. After a good night's rest we watched the sunrise from the bedroom window (5:30 am) while we were laying in bed. It's not that we normally wake at 5:30 am it's the time changes we are experiencing from Texas to Washington State. One thing that we both noticed is how quiet it is here-no noise from bugs-air conditioners-people etc.- we just laid in bed relaxing and enjoying looking out the window. Then Sharon (my sister-in-law), Alisia, and I went shopping for the last minute things today. The guys (Tim, Mike and Joshua) went to the beach for a walk. Tomorrow we plan to just hang out and relax some more. What a wonderful way to spend some time with family.

"On The Road Again..."

Since we left Lindale Texas, yesterday at noon, we have covered 1459 miles and 6 states. (Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana). Much to our surprise this morning when we got up it was 64F outside...40 degrees cooler than we have had the last 5 weeks and do we feel the cooler temperatures! Tomorrow night we will stay with Mike's brother Tim's for a few days and then onto Deb's parents place. We will then fly out on July 28 to Africa. The kids are on count down-with a combination of being scared and excited. Mike and Deb are just excited and in awe of how God has put everything together. Thank you everyone for your support and for your prayers-we would not have been able to do this without you!

"We Are the "Gates" Family...

The last 24 hours has been a time of challenge, laughter, sadness and "so longs".
To start with, yesterday we went to the Tyler Pool and finished off our Basic Safety Training Course. We had to practise putting on "gumby"suits (it looks just as it sounds) and make a human raft, getting in and out of a life raft with life jackets on and in a gumby suit. This was all in training for "just in case" something were to happen to the ship while it was in transit. The only casualty was Mike's baby toe-somehow he broke it getting into the life raft...oh the hazards of being a missionary. Although as we were leaving the ER we did tell them they needed to get a different style of shoe...not very fashionable! They just laughed as did we...

Then today, we had our final "so longs". I purposely did not use the word "good-bye" because many of our "Gates Family" (as Becca titled us) that we have been with for the last 4-5 weeks, we will be seeing aboard the ship over the next few months. Several of the younger women we have "adopted" into our family. (The door to our cabin will always be open for tea/hot chocolate and conversation!) I have always wanted a large family and we have added many already! Joshua made a wonderful friend from South Korea-Noah.

We have been very blessed to have been a part of a wonderful team during our Gateway Program. Each person has touched and enriched our lives and holds a special part of our hearts. We are looking forward to serving with them aboard the Africa Mercy!

"Burning Ring Of Fire..."

This week was Basic Safety Training Week. We have been learning about basic ship board safety, first aid, water safety and fire fighting.

Today we had to put on full "bunker" gear and got to fight fires. I have discovered my brother, who is a real fire fighter, has all the fire fighting genes! Even though parts of this day were really fun and exciting, I will not be joining the fire team aboard ship or becoming a recruit for the next fire department! We started the morning at 7 am, with thankfully a "coolish" breeze and ended at noon in the full Texas heat! We rotated around different stations putting out simulated fires, finding and moving the rescue "Buck" (Rescue Randy for Gregg) in an enclosed space, learning how to use the different types of fire extinguishers on different types of fires, and going into the cargo container (they made into a fire box) to put out a fire. Mike and I were the first team into the cargo container after they lit the fire. When we went into the container it was smokey, hot, (800 deg F) and zero visibility. Needless to say-my gut reaction was "get me out of here" but I stuck it out, fought the fire, and got out! Both of our helmets were so covered in soot we could not see when we got out of the container. (The one photo shows my helmet compared to the helmet of the last person in the container.) All in all we survived - it was a once in a life time experience and I am truly glad and thankful for that aspect being over and I have gained a new respect and admiration for our fire fighters! (YEAH GREGG!!)

"Through Him all things were created..."

What an incredible day we experienced. We had an early morning worship/communion service lead by a worship team made up of Gateway students and Mike did the preaching. Then we all piled into the cars a drove for 1 1/2 hours to Caddo Lake State Park. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texas. It was created from a mass of trees and flood debris known historically as the Great Raft of the Red River. Today we canoed in and out of the bayous that were full of ancient bald Cyprus trees. It took us about 4 hours of canoeing in 103F (37c). But the sights that we saw were just amazing. Alisia paddled with Barry and Cheryl. While Joshua was with Mike and myself. The size of these Lilly Pads were larger than the span of a man's hand. There were times we just sat in awe and wonder at God's creation and let the canoe drift. By the end of the 4 hours we were all very hot and tired, but we would not have traded the experience in for anything. We headed back to our home away from home, had pizza and salad for dinner, put Aloe Vera on our burns, and "vegged" out for the rest of the night. All I have to say is: "Where is my massage therapist when I need him?!"

"Oh the Yellow Rose Of Texas..."

I thought it would be interesting to post some unique sights that we have seen while we were in Texas. I have never seen "Texas Longhorn". I have to admit, I'm not sure who was doing more laughing-the people driving by watching me take the picture, Barry and Cheryl waiting in the car-watching me take the picture, or the Longhorn-having its picture taken (if it could laugh).

Does this mean: "Watch for the teeter-totter (see-saw) crossing?"Only in Texas are you given a warning sign about a Church!

Things are always bigger in Texas...including the bugs...(this is a Cicada and boy are they loud!) Okay-I got my hair cut-it to the hairdresser 20 mins to cut it and 40 mins to straighten it...much to everyones shock...it only lasted till I showered the next morning...back to curls.
(Although I did ask her NOT to give me big Texas hair! She did have fun though!)
Now onto something more serious.
We are down to our last week of school. Next week is Basic Safety Training Week. It should prove to be interesting. We were really challenged this last week with our views and thoughts towards working with the poor. It made for some very interesting discussions. We will leave Texas on July 18 and head to back to Washington State. Please keep this next week in prayer and our drive ahead of us.

"We Are Family..."

We had a very unique and fun celebration for the 4th of July. We started in the morning taking our friends Barry and Cheryl to "Cracker Barrel" for breakfast (Mike wanted a REAL breakfast...eggs, bacon, toast,etc.) and then to the mall for shopping. Later that night we went to one of the local ministries called "Fatherheart" (a ministry for unwed pregnant women) for an "American" 4th of July. As you can see they put on a wonderful fireworks display. It was fun bantering with our friends from other countries about our 4th of July. But it was great, sitting there, eating snow cones out of cups with a spoon, enjoying a beautiful day with new friends. Both kids had their faces painted with the appropriate red white and blue.
So today, after a full weekend of relaxing and fellowship, we were back in the classroom. Our discussions centered around cross cultural awareness. Many of us will be going into a culture that is completely different from anything we have ever experienced. Oh, how easy it could be to insult our hosts if we are unaware that there are differences in our world view.
Last night we were re-doing our schedule after we finish Gateway, realization dawned, less than two weeks here and in just over 3 weeks we will be on board Africa Mercy.

"Saviour, You Can Move the Mountains..."

First of all we have some amazing news...God has moved a huge mountain for us! After some discussions with some of our class members here in Texas, we called our travel agent, and after rearranging dates, and flights we were able to book our tickets to Benin for $3700 cheaper than we first had planned! We were thrilled! It means we will be leaving on July 28 instead of August 1 and stopping in Washington DC, and London, England before we get to Paris then on to meet the ship in Cotonou, Benin. This is a blessing because it will give Mike a few extra days of turnover with the current Financial Director before he leaves the ship.
Yesterday for Canada Day (July 1) we (the whole Gateway group) went out to celebrate one of our class member's birthday and then onto bowling. It was a very fun an relaxing night. We have been discussing Spiritual Warfare in class so it was nice to turn off our brains laugh and relax!
I also want to introduce some people that we have met. Katharina, Kelly and their daughter Miriam have been looking after Alisia and Joshua for the last 2 weeks. They have been a source of real joy and entertainment for the kids. Katharina and Kelly's second baby is due in about 3 weeks and we pray for a safe a speedy delivery and a healthy new baby for them. We have been very blessed to come to know them. The second couple is Barry and Cheryl from Bristol, England. They are in the Gateway program with us. We are the "mature" ones in the group. We have really grown to enjoy our camaraderie with them. We have taken many "sanity"rides into town to Wal-mart and Dairy Queen and even introduced them to the Texas Roadhouse Grill for a flavor of Texas dinning...peanut shells on the floor and all! One of the great blessings of Gateway has been the wonderful people we have in class. We come from six different countries, age ranges from 21 to 62, yet we have become a close knit group who enjoys being together. It is going to be a pleasure serving with them on board AFRICA MERCY.