A friends 30th Birthday

The other week a New Tribes missionary friend of mine celebrated her 30th birthday. To help her celebrate we had a progressive dinner for the ladies.

We went to 3 different houses and enjoyed some really good Mexican food ending with a dessert buffet at the last house.

At each house she received 30 of something whether it was 30 m&m's or 30 recipes or 30 Scripture verses.

There was a good group of ladies who were able to participate. We laughed as we thought about the sight we must have been 20 ladies piling in and out of cars going into the houses and coming out a little later. It was a good time.

The anticipation of it all...

People have been asking me what I'm most looking forward to when I get to the states....I said I'm looking forward to going to a convenience store and getting a large cup of soda with ice! The other week when I was traveling it was so hot. I said where is the 7 Eleven so I can just stop and pick up a cold drink?!



But you know something I'm not looking forward to is having to pump my own gas when I fill up the gas tank. I admit it I've gotten spoiled here by just pulling up to the gas station and saying fill it up. They do it, I pay and I'm on my way.



Just a few things I've thought of as I look towards heading to the states in a month.



However today I am looking forward to receiving my guests who will be arriving from Florida!

Mozambican Wedding

On Saturday November 10th, I had the opportunity to attend my first wedding here in Mozambique. Victor, a Mozambican was marrying Cristina an American young lady. They met through Teen Missions program.

The day started at 10 am at the government office in Nampula. It was the official civil ceremony for the wedding and mainly involved the signing of the wedding document. Everyone arrived on foot or in the back of trucks or however they could.

From there we went to different locations in the city to make pictures of the bride and groom. It was a neat idea because everyone who wanted to could then have their picture made with the bride and groom as well.

It was a really hot day but I guess this is the really hot time of the year for Mozambique.

After the pictures we went to the church for a church wedding. To add a part of the American ceremony to the wedding there were bridesmaids and groomsmen which is not usual for a Mozambican wedding to have.

The church finished and we left for the reception around 4 pm. At the reception there was a lot of good food including goat, chicken, potatoes, rice, eggs, and lots of cake. It was really nice.

I'm sure Victor and Cristina would appreciate your prayers as they begin their life together in Mozambique. Victor runs as orphanage in Nampula and Cristina will be a big part of that ministry. In a way she has "inherited" 58 children in this marriage. Thankfully God knows all this and He wasn't surprised by any of it!

You watched ESPN?

I saw the most interesting tshirt when I was on one of my travels. I saw this little boy with a shirt on which says I watch ESPN with my daddy. I had to laugh because I know he doesn't know what ESPN is. Plus they didn't have electricity where I was at so I know he hasn't seen a TV. He was cute though with a cute shirt on!

Someone was praying...

Have you had a time when God has changed your attitude as a result of prayer? I had that experience last Sunday when I was out on a day trip to one of the churches who wanted the missionary to visit. I admit I didn’t have a good attitude towards the trip for different reasons.

I arrived at the church and we started the service. I was sitting at the front of the church where the guests sit and I admit that my attitude wasn’t the best as I was sitting there listening to the Makhuwa words and songs. Then all of a sudden I had a complete attitude change. I was sitting there and my bad attitude changed to one of a peace and enjoyment about being there. I looked at my cellphone to see the exact time because I knew at that moment that God had lead someone to pray for me. It was at 9:58 am Africa time on Sunday November 11 which 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time.

So if you were praying for me at that time I just want to say thank you. And I want to say thank you for the many times that you have prayed for me whether it was middle of the night or middle of the day. Your prayers do make a difference!

Carol and the kids

I was at a village the other week and I had a crowd of followers with me. It is fun to watch the children as they imitate what you do. For instance if you jump on one foot then they will do it too. Or if you skip down the road they will do it too. I guess that is a good lesson to be learned to do the things that you don't mind other people copying in your daily living.

A girls trip

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take a "girl's trip" to visit a New Tribes missionary friend. It was a fun time. There were 5 of us who traveled from Nampula to a small village about 8 hours away. It was so good to see our friend, Debi, using her newly acquired language skills to communicate in the heart language of the Lolo people. Above is a photo of the group. Debi is the one holding her 1 year old daughter, Melody.

The quiet little girl

As I've been cleaning out I have found many cards which people have sent to me during my time here in Mozambique. A continuing theme for the people who have known me since I was child is that I was a shy quiet little girl. One person said that I wouldn't look at her when she talked to me because I was so quiet. I said that just shows how much of a God thing all of this is. I found a picture from my first mission trip as I was a little girl. I'm the one with the curly hair in the red shirt.