October UpdateFriends and family,
I am excited to share my experience in Gabon with you! I am thankful for all of the encouragement that I have heard from you all in preparation and upon return. If possible, I would enjoy talking about my trip with you over the phone to share my experience in more detail and to hear how you are doing personally. Throughout the trip as we witnessed the healing that came from quality medical care and sharing in the vision of the staff, we meditated on "the final restoration all things" (Acts 3:21 NLT). Thank you for joining me in serving Bongolo Hospital as we seek to "design a world of hope." Bongolo Hospital Project Trip We are happy to report that our project trip was a success! We had a great team and were able to accomplish our goals of assessing the water and wastewater systems of Bongolo Hospital and updating the master plan. After the delay of our visas, multiple COVID-19 tests, and three days of travel (2 days of flights and 1 day of driving), we arrived at the hospital. We spent the next week intensively working about 12 hours per day on our preliminary design. It was also encouraging to see the ministry in action; the hospital has several training programs including a nursing school and multiple residency programs, and we were impressed how the staff evangelized to the patients through a daily chapel message and prayer for individuals. It was an amazing experience to feel so appreciated by all of the healthcare workers as they seemed so desperate for a reliable potable water system. This encouragement was eye opening to me and humbling as I continue to work for a good engineering design to serve both the patients and staff. Bongolo Hospital Project Engineering Findings The civil team (one volunteer, one EMI staff, and myself) focused on analyzing the existing infrastructure and considering improvements. The campus is split into two main sections: the hospital and mission housing which are both served by the same water system. Currently, the water system is severely under-designed especially in terms of treatment and storage. We conducted water tests at several locations in the system and found presence of e-coli at each place. Another problem with the water system was that the access to the river intake was dangerous because of the steep slopes and because the intake itself was not accessible at all in the wet season. For this reason, we are recommending that a hydrogeological study is completed by a local well-drilling company. A drilled well would provide water which would provide significantly less treatment than surface water and would have safer access for operation and maintenance. We also found the storage to be roughly 20% of the required capacity for a two-day storage. Lastly, we found some problems with the wastewater system (septic tanks and pit latrines) which we plan to address in our reports. Overall, we are glad that Bongolo sought out the guidance of EMI so that they can thrive as a ministry for decades to come. Life UpdateWhile I was away, Katie enjoyed a visit from her parents and felt the loving support from many friends as well. I am grateful to be back in Colorado with Katie and was pleasantly surprised to return to autumn in full color! In my fellowship studies, I have finished my Old Testament class with ThirdMill Seminary and am now starting a hermeneutics class through City Vision University. This week, my office will be participating in Field Security Training so that we can be best prepared for situations that we may face in developing countries. Prayer Requests- Praise God for a successful project trip to Gabon
- Wisdom for quality engineering design for Bongolo Hospital which is due in January
Awaiting God to restore everything, | 
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