No further words are needed...Just enjoy a beautiful picture.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Malawi travels
At the end of July I traveled to Malawi for our annual meeting of the missionaries in Mozambique and Malawi. It is amazing the different terrain which is seen once you cross the border into Malawi. On our way to and from the meetings we were able to stay in the tea plantations outside of Blanytre, Malawi. This was a nice time of relaxation and enjoyment and taking time to enjoy God's creation.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Who is the driver?
The other week when I was out on my travels several of the people who I travel with wanted their picture made "driving" the car. It was fun to watch them have their serious look as they were trying not to laugh...
An orphanage visit
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And Jesus said let the little children come unto me....These were words that came to mind as I was driving to a place where Joseph has an orphanage. It was in town but the road to get there was not very good. It was a road where 3 km's on it seemed like a lot longer.
Joseph is a young man who feels a great desire to take care of children. At the present time there are 4 children who live with him at the orphanage location and he as another 10 or so that live elsewhere. I'm not sure where elsewhere was, I got confused on that. Of the 4 who live there 2 are his cousins.
They entertained me by singing lots of songs. They all go to school, Joseph showed me the latest homework which they had received grades on and it looked good. They read the Bible together and sing together.
But it was sad to see the living conditions and to see the things which they lacked. Yet they were so happy. As far as they know they have everything they need, they have each other and they have a worker plus Joseph who love them alot.
I was so touched when they gave me a gift for coming to visit them. Here they were giving me a gift when they didn't even have food for that night. I felt so unworthy. All I did was take my camera so I could take pictures of the children and the location.
As I was leaving it reminded me of when my sister came to visit and we went to see another orphanage. We had planned to go eat at a nice restaurant after the orphanage visit. Yet as we were leaving the orphanage we both decided that we couldn't go eat at a nice restaurant when there were children living in such poverty yet again being very happy with what they have.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
The first female
Recently I traveled to an area in the Nampula district but it was only 3 k's from the next district of Murrupula. We went about 35 k's on a nice paved road and then we turned off onto a dirt path. I had traveled on the dirt path road before up to a certain Baptist mission. We went to that Baptist Mission first. Then after quickly stopping there and picking up and dropping off people and things, we continued to our destination.
As we continued the path got smaller and smaller. We crossed two small bathing holes or creeks as Americans would probably call them. After crossing one of the creeks we got stuck. Thankfully a man came along and used his machette to chop down a tree which was in the path so that we could continue on our way. We all said Gracas a Deus (Thank you Lord) when we arrived at the church.
Upon arriving I was told that I was only the 3rd American to have visited that mission. Two other missionary guys were there before. Thus I was the first female to visit there! Quite a claim to fame to have. The people were very glad to see us.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Baptism
This past Sunday I was able to travel to a church outside the city and attend a baptism and also a church dedication service. There were 5 people who were baptized in the river.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Peanuts and more peanuts
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During my travels to visit Pedro's mom I was given peanuts as a thanks for visiting her and and others. When I got home I realized how many peanuts that I had. I couldn't resist taking a picture of all the peanuts which I had been given. I hope you can see how full the bag is of peanuts. Along with that I had received two large stalks of bananas. It is great to see how giving the people are even when they don't have many things in our eyes. Yet they always find peanuts, bananas, live chickens or something to share with me when I visit in their areas.
Visit with Pedro's mom
Pedro's mom is a Makhuwa lady who lives about 100 k's outside of Nampula. The other day I had seen her in the village when I was with someone else. There was something about her eyes and face that just grabbed my attention. At that time I wasn't able to visit with her. So God worked it out for me to have another time to go visit with her. This past Tuesday I had that opportunity.
As I turned off the main road I was back on the road where I had delivered the body of the deceased last week. We stopped at the deceased's house as we went by. The mother of the deceased came out to the truck and she grabbed my hand and kept saying thank you. She was so grateful for my delivering the body last week. She continued holding my hand and then she said anytime I am on that road I am to stop at their house because I always have a place at their house. I thought that was so sweet. She and her family were just grateful for what I had done last week. And to think this was the day I was more worried about making my appointment than I was about delivering the body. Thankfully God works in spite of me.
We continued down the road a little ways and arrived at Pedro's mom house. It was a good visit. She said that she was happy because I wanted to come and just visit with her. She prepared a simple lunch of rice and fish but it was good. True to African family tradition her sister and brother also came to visit with us and Pedro's brothers and sisters who live in that area.
After eating the pastor who had traveled with us asked me to take him to his house which was about 8 k's down the road. I said okay. I took him to his house. Then the photo shoot began, see separate entry for that info.
We then returned to Pedro's moms house and then began our way back to Nampula. We had another stop to make before we could leave the area though. We stopped to pick up another lady who wanted to return to Nampula. When we stopped they said Carol we have food for you, we want you to eat. I really wasn't hungry but I said okay. I got out of the truck and went to where two other ladies were and began eating...Well, I forgot one major thing. It is typical African tradition to have a bowl of water which you put your hands in to wash them before and also after you eat. I had just cleaned my hands with hand sanitizer so I forgot the part of washing my hands and I just put my hand directly in the food. As soon as I did it I realized what I had done and I just looked at the other ladies and laughed and quickly drew my hand back. Then washed my hands in the water bowl. They laughed with me. After eating we once again began our journey to Nampula.
It was a good day. While I was there I was able to set up times to return to show the Jesus film and also to do a literacy workshop in the coming weeks. I hope to have opportunity to visit again with Pedro's mom and to build a relationship with her and others who are in that area.
As I turned off the main road I was back on the road where I had delivered the body of the deceased last week. We stopped at the deceased's house as we went by. The mother of the deceased came out to the truck and she grabbed my hand and kept saying thank you. She was so grateful for my delivering the body last week. She continued holding my hand and then she said anytime I am on that road I am to stop at their house because I always have a place at their house. I thought that was so sweet. She and her family were just grateful for what I had done last week. And to think this was the day I was more worried about making my appointment than I was about delivering the body. Thankfully God works in spite of me.
We continued down the road a little ways and arrived at Pedro's mom house. It was a good visit. She said that she was happy because I wanted to come and just visit with her. She prepared a simple lunch of rice and fish but it was good. True to African family tradition her sister and brother also came to visit with us and Pedro's brothers and sisters who live in that area.
After eating the pastor who had traveled with us asked me to take him to his house which was about 8 k's down the road. I said okay. I took him to his house. Then the photo shoot began, see separate entry for that info.
We then returned to Pedro's moms house and then began our way back to Nampula. We had another stop to make before we could leave the area though. We stopped to pick up another lady who wanted to return to Nampula. When we stopped they said Carol we have food for you, we want you to eat. I really wasn't hungry but I said okay. I got out of the truck and went to where two other ladies were and began eating...Well, I forgot one major thing. It is typical African tradition to have a bowl of water which you put your hands in to wash them before and also after you eat. I had just cleaned my hands with hand sanitizer so I forgot the part of washing my hands and I just put my hand directly in the food. As soon as I did it I realized what I had done and I just looked at the other ladies and laughed and quickly drew my hand back. Then washed my hands in the water bowl. They laughed with me. After eating we once again began our journey to Nampula.
It was a good day. While I was there I was able to set up times to return to show the Jesus film and also to do a literacy workshop in the coming weeks. I hope to have opportunity to visit again with Pedro's mom and to build a relationship with her and others who are in that area.
Who had the camera?
On one of my travels the other day the nationals were all lining up for me to take their picture either with their spouse, children, or friends. Alot of times I refer to it as my church directory photo shoot because almost everyone wants their picture made. After a few minutes of taking their picutures I said okay its my turn. Then, I told the pastor I was with that it was his turn to take my picture so he did. I think he did a very good job.
Pedro's mom
This is a photo of Pedro's mom. She is the one who really touched my heart the other week as I looked at her worn face yet happy face. Pray that she would open her heart to God and His truth. Pray that based on God's timing I would have opportunities to share with her.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Sunday celebrations
This past Sunday Nampula Baptist Church celebrated their 25th anniversary. It was a day filled with many activities. In true African fashion the Sunday celebration service lasted for about 5 hours. It included singing, dancing, a message, introduction of special guests, history of the church and other things. Thankfully I was able to sit in the congregation and not have to be on stage as one of the "VIPs".
It is a great testimony for a church to be here and still established after 25 years so everyone was excited.
After the service there was a meal which include goat, beef, chicken, rice, beans and other good foods. There was even a really nice cake which tasted as good as it looked.
Those in attendance were like a "who's who" among the Baptists in this area. Quite a few of the out of town pastors and laypeople were in attendance for this celebration. They all wanted to talk to Carol after the service. But that was okay because their were some who I needed to talk to. As I was looking around the congregation I realized how many of the people I knew. I thought wow God is good as I look at how far He has brought me during these past two and a half years. Granted I still don't know everyone but I sure do know alot more than I did when I first started. Great is thy faithfulness O God my Father.
It is a great testimony for a church to be here and still established after 25 years so everyone was excited.
After the service there was a meal which include goat, beef, chicken, rice, beans and other good foods. There was even a really nice cake which tasted as good as it looked.
Those in attendance were like a "who's who" among the Baptists in this area. Quite a few of the out of town pastors and laypeople were in attendance for this celebration. They all wanted to talk to Carol after the service. But that was okay because their were some who I needed to talk to. As I was looking around the congregation I realized how many of the people I knew. I thought wow God is good as I look at how far He has brought me during these past two and a half years. Granted I still don't know everyone but I sure do know alot more than I did when I first started. Great is thy faithfulness O God my Father.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The urgency of it all
As I write this title I think of the dead body that I transported today. (See story of that in separate blog entry). I asked the question to another person was she a believer? The one I asked didn’t understand my question at first. Then I said is she in heaven? He said no she never accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior. She left behind 4 children and a husband. When I thought about it I thought how sad.
Now that I’m home I have tears in my eyes as I think about her and wonder how many others are out there who have never heard. Is there enough time to tell them all? I ask myself the hard question: have I been diligent to share with those around me? Have I shared with those who God puts in my path, I don’t want to miss opportunities which He has for me. I’m sure I’ve missed opportunities before and I don’t want to miss them again.The lady who died lived in the same area as the Makhuwa lady who I saw the other day who I will be visiting on Tuesday. It is in the town of Murrupalu about 2 hours away. I keep ending up on that same road there. I keep thinking what does God have planned for this area? What does He want me to do in this area? I know it has to be something because it is not just coincidence the number of times I have ended up there these past few days.
One thing which led me to the mission field was a mission trip which I took to Brazil. It was a trip of showing the Jesus film in villages along the Amazon River. While I was there I became so overwhelmed for the missionary who was left behind to disciple the new believers. I said this one person can’t do it by himself. I think the same thing with these people in Murrupula, if and when they make decisions for Christ are they getting the basic Christian teaching which they need? Are they getting the teachings? A hard concept for nationals here seems to be to understand that they can have a personal relationship with God and how He can be their friend. I think they see Him as someone above them, someone they might have a hard time relating to.
I know God has something planned for this area of the Nampula province I would ask that you would pray for the people in this area. Pray that they would have an open heart and mind. Pray that I would have wisdom and endurance to follow God’s plan for me for this area. I think there is something He wants me to do there and I want to be open to it.
Now that I’m home I have tears in my eyes as I think about her and wonder how many others are out there who have never heard. Is there enough time to tell them all? I ask myself the hard question: have I been diligent to share with those around me? Have I shared with those who God puts in my path, I don’t want to miss opportunities which He has for me. I’m sure I’ve missed opportunities before and I don’t want to miss them again.The lady who died lived in the same area as the Makhuwa lady who I saw the other day who I will be visiting on Tuesday. It is in the town of Murrupalu about 2 hours away. I keep ending up on that same road there. I keep thinking what does God have planned for this area? What does He want me to do in this area? I know it has to be something because it is not just coincidence the number of times I have ended up there these past few days.
One thing which led me to the mission field was a mission trip which I took to Brazil. It was a trip of showing the Jesus film in villages along the Amazon River. While I was there I became so overwhelmed for the missionary who was left behind to disciple the new believers. I said this one person can’t do it by himself. I think the same thing with these people in Murrupula, if and when they make decisions for Christ are they getting the basic Christian teaching which they need? Are they getting the teachings? A hard concept for nationals here seems to be to understand that they can have a personal relationship with God and how He can be their friend. I think they see Him as someone above them, someone they might have a hard time relating to.
I know God has something planned for this area of the Nampula province I would ask that you would pray for the people in this area. Pray that they would have an open heart and mind. Pray that I would have wisdom and endurance to follow God’s plan for me for this area. I think there is something He wants me to do there and I want to be open to it.
Next time ask more questions...
My phone rang at about 7:45 am. It was a pastor wanting to know if I could transport a dead body. His wife’s niece had died during the night and they needed the body transported to her house. I said I have something to do from 11 am until 3 pm. But, then I said lets go. I’ll be at your house at 8:30. I went to his house and then we went to the mortuary.
The body was brought out on a stretcher and put in the back of the truck. The corpse was covered in a white sheet from head to toe. Then we were on our way with a car full of people. I was making sure to drive carefully and slower than usual because I didn’t want the body to fall out the back since the tailgate wouldn’t close because of the body.
We got on the main road and about 35 kilometers outside of town I began to realize that we were going out a lot further than I thought we would. We kept going and going. I thought she had lived in town I didn’t realize until later that we are going to this pastor’s hometown area which is about 2 hours away. I thought I have an appointment and I’m going to miss it because I didn’t ask where we were going in enough detail. Of course then I also felt guilty because I was frustrated that I was missing something I wanted to do when this family was dealing with the death of a loved one.
We continued on our way. It was a challenge to go slow because this is a road I’m use to going kind of fast on because it is a good paved road. But I kept slowing down as I remembered the body in the back.
We turned off the main road and there were people there waiting for us. A common thing here is for the ladies to loudly wail as their form of crying. The ladies on the road began doing that while others followed us in the car. We arrived at the house and the body was taken inside the house.
We stayed for a little while and then we were on our way back to Nampula. Then after dropping off people I went to the mortuary and dropped off the stretcher and sheets.
I arrived a little late for my meeting. But next time I’ll remember to ask more questions with the main one being where will be taken the body??? And I was reminded of how God isn’t surprised by any events of a day, He knows what is going on and has things coordinated for me.
The body was brought out on a stretcher and put in the back of the truck. The corpse was covered in a white sheet from head to toe. Then we were on our way with a car full of people. I was making sure to drive carefully and slower than usual because I didn’t want the body to fall out the back since the tailgate wouldn’t close because of the body.
We got on the main road and about 35 kilometers outside of town I began to realize that we were going out a lot further than I thought we would. We kept going and going. I thought she had lived in town I didn’t realize until later that we are going to this pastor’s hometown area which is about 2 hours away. I thought I have an appointment and I’m going to miss it because I didn’t ask where we were going in enough detail. Of course then I also felt guilty because I was frustrated that I was missing something I wanted to do when this family was dealing with the death of a loved one.
We continued on our way. It was a challenge to go slow because this is a road I’m use to going kind of fast on because it is a good paved road. But I kept slowing down as I remembered the body in the back.
We turned off the main road and there were people there waiting for us. A common thing here is for the ladies to loudly wail as their form of crying. The ladies on the road began doing that while others followed us in the car. We arrived at the house and the body was taken inside the house.
We stayed for a little while and then we were on our way back to Nampula. Then after dropping off people I went to the mortuary and dropped off the stretcher and sheets.
I arrived a little late for my meeting. But next time I’ll remember to ask more questions with the main one being where will be taken the body??? And I was reminded of how God isn’t surprised by any events of a day, He knows what is going on and has things coordinated for me.
Transportation please
What have I done these past two days? I’ve transported people both living and dead. Let me explain…I’ll start with the living.
Yesterday I walked out of the house and I was stopped by a national asking where another missionary’s house was. I said come with me and I’ll take you there. Believe you me that was easier than my telling him how to get there. I took him and dropped him off at the missionary’s office.
After that I saw a German friend walking so I picked her up and dropped her off at her house. Then I continued on my way. Later in the day after attending a lunchtime prayer time I saw Gabriel, one of the street kids. Let me rephrase that he saw me and ran up to me. He said I haven’t seen you in Nampula in a while where have you been? We talked some and then he asked me to take him to his uncle’s house. I took him there and dropped him off.
The house where I dropped him off is close to one of the pastor’s who I work with a lot. The pastor’s wife was at the side of the road and she flagged me down. Its amazing how quickly and easily they can pick out the missionary’s car. She was on the way to the hospital to visit her niece. I took her to the hospital and dropped her off. Then I went to my next appointment.
Yesterday I walked out of the house and I was stopped by a national asking where another missionary’s house was. I said come with me and I’ll take you there. Believe you me that was easier than my telling him how to get there. I took him and dropped him off at the missionary’s office.
After that I saw a German friend walking so I picked her up and dropped her off at her house. Then I continued on my way. Later in the day after attending a lunchtime prayer time I saw Gabriel, one of the street kids. Let me rephrase that he saw me and ran up to me. He said I haven’t seen you in Nampula in a while where have you been? We talked some and then he asked me to take him to his uncle’s house. I took him there and dropped him off.
The house where I dropped him off is close to one of the pastor’s who I work with a lot. The pastor’s wife was at the side of the road and she flagged me down. Its amazing how quickly and easily they can pick out the missionary’s car. She was on the way to the hospital to visit her niece. I took her to the hospital and dropped her off. Then I went to my next appointment.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
McDonalds
Of course a trip to the United States wouldn't be the same without a trip to McDonalds. It was interesting because when I returned to Mozambique I was showing the picture of Ronald McDonald and myself on the beach. Well to us Americans it is just a known fact that Ronald McDonald is a statue in this picture. But the Mozambicans all asked if he was a real person sitting on the bench. Different ways of looking at things! Yes, McDonalds was as good as I remembered.
Vacation!
For a few weeks in May and June I was able to take a vacation to visit family and friends in the United States. It was truly a great time of fun and fellowship and enjoyment of things which I don't always get to enjoy in Mozambique. One of the highlights included a night of a Christian music concert followed by dessert at Chili's restaurant. The night still wasn't over then...After the dessert was the midnight trip to Wal Mart followed by a trip to the automatic car wash. It was a fun night.
Other highlights included Busch Gardens, St Augustine, Myrtle Beach, fried snickers, seafood buffets, BBQ, dolphin watching, Putt Putt, basketball, and many other fun activities. However one of the best things was just being with family and friends no matter what we were doing.
I thank God for His coordination and planning of the trip. It was truly a blessing from Him.
A birthday celebration
Today I had the privilege of attending a birthday celebration for a Mozambican family. It was a time to celebrate the birthday of their three children, a 9 year old, 5 year old and 3 year old. Birthdays are not always celebrated because a lot of times the Mozambican families do not have the money to celebrate. For this family the actual birthdays were in April and June. There were probably about 50 people at the celebration.
It was a really neat celebration starting at about 12:30 with a worship service. It was a time to honor God for the children which he has blessed this family with. The father commented that his children were God’s children and not his children that was a really neat comment to hear.
Actually for me the celebration preparation started this past Friday when I took the dad to his hometown to pick up goats and chickens which would be the food for the celebration. We left Nampula with an empty truck and about 7 people in the truck. Throughout the day we picked up and dropped off people so much so that I stopped counting. I just know that we arrived back in Nampula with people, 2 goats, chickens, peanuts, and oranges in the back of the truck.
During our travels I saw a Makhuwa speaking Mozambican lady who really touched my heart. We were sitting in the truck watching the slight rain waiting on some people we were picking up. As I looked at her smiling yet weathered faced I thought I wonder who has shared the Gospel with her. Has anyone? Does she know the truth? I must say I don’t know if any person has touched my heart like she did.
That day I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to her but I continued to see her face in my mind and I can still see it now. She was the mother of a Mozambican who I know but I never see. Well when I got to the party today the son, Pedro, was there. As I saw him I kept thinking about his mother. She so badly wanted to ride with us to Nampula so she could see her son but she wasn’t able to on that day. (I think that would have been her first time in a car.) When I saw her son today I knew that I had to set up a time to go visit with his mom. So we are going Tuesday so I can visit with his mom and of course he will get to visit with her as well.
Back to today’s celebration, after the worship service we had lunch and it was good. There was goat stew, chicken, and even pork along with beans and rice. They even had Cokes which is a special treat. We enjoyed the meal and then came the time for cupcakes. There weren’t enough cupcakes for everyone to have one, it was so hard to hand out the cupcakes and choose who would get one. Usually they are good about sharing but sometimes there just isn’t enough to share. There were probably about 50 or so people who were there for the party. Of course that doesn’t include the ones who showed up from the neighborhood.
The cupcakes were made by another missionary who also attended the celebration. It was funny because as we were waiting for the cupcake time the pastor and others who were sitting around our table, probably 12 or so of us were talking in Makhuwa. I could tell they were trying to figure out how they would get a cupcake if the cupcakes were just for the kids. At the end of the conversation the Pastor looked at the lady who made the cupcakes and in Portuguese said I was just telling them that the cupcakes are for the children. I spoke up and said No you didn’t. You should have seen them laugh and the Pastor knew he had been caught. It was funny to see their surprised look that I understand the Makhuwa and body languages enough to know that they were plotting how to get the cupcakes. One of them said little by little you are learning Makhuwa. I said yes very little by little.
It was a really enjoyable birthday celebration with the focus being on just celebrating God, family and friends. I would ask that you pray for me as I travel to meet with Pedro’s mom on Tuesday. I’ll keep you updated on how that trip and meeting goes.
It was a really neat celebration starting at about 12:30 with a worship service. It was a time to honor God for the children which he has blessed this family with. The father commented that his children were God’s children and not his children that was a really neat comment to hear.
Actually for me the celebration preparation started this past Friday when I took the dad to his hometown to pick up goats and chickens which would be the food for the celebration. We left Nampula with an empty truck and about 7 people in the truck. Throughout the day we picked up and dropped off people so much so that I stopped counting. I just know that we arrived back in Nampula with people, 2 goats, chickens, peanuts, and oranges in the back of the truck.
During our travels I saw a Makhuwa speaking Mozambican lady who really touched my heart. We were sitting in the truck watching the slight rain waiting on some people we were picking up. As I looked at her smiling yet weathered faced I thought I wonder who has shared the Gospel with her. Has anyone? Does she know the truth? I must say I don’t know if any person has touched my heart like she did.
That day I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to her but I continued to see her face in my mind and I can still see it now. She was the mother of a Mozambican who I know but I never see. Well when I got to the party today the son, Pedro, was there. As I saw him I kept thinking about his mother. She so badly wanted to ride with us to Nampula so she could see her son but she wasn’t able to on that day. (I think that would have been her first time in a car.) When I saw her son today I knew that I had to set up a time to go visit with his mom. So we are going Tuesday so I can visit with his mom and of course he will get to visit with her as well.
Back to today’s celebration, after the worship service we had lunch and it was good. There was goat stew, chicken, and even pork along with beans and rice. They even had Cokes which is a special treat. We enjoyed the meal and then came the time for cupcakes. There weren’t enough cupcakes for everyone to have one, it was so hard to hand out the cupcakes and choose who would get one. Usually they are good about sharing but sometimes there just isn’t enough to share. There were probably about 50 or so people who were there for the party. Of course that doesn’t include the ones who showed up from the neighborhood.
The cupcakes were made by another missionary who also attended the celebration. It was funny because as we were waiting for the cupcake time the pastor and others who were sitting around our table, probably 12 or so of us were talking in Makhuwa. I could tell they were trying to figure out how they would get a cupcake if the cupcakes were just for the kids. At the end of the conversation the Pastor looked at the lady who made the cupcakes and in Portuguese said I was just telling them that the cupcakes are for the children. I spoke up and said No you didn’t. You should have seen them laugh and the Pastor knew he had been caught. It was funny to see their surprised look that I understand the Makhuwa and body languages enough to know that they were plotting how to get the cupcakes. One of them said little by little you are learning Makhuwa. I said yes very little by little.
It was a really enjoyable birthday celebration with the focus being on just celebrating God, family and friends. I would ask that you pray for me as I travel to meet with Pedro’s mom on Tuesday. I’ll keep you updated on how that trip and meeting goes.
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