Bling! Bling!

On Monday Nunu and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. I surprised him in the morning with breakfast and he surprised me at night by asking me to marry him (well I kinda thought he might ask once I realized we were going out). It was very cute. On our way to dinner, we stopped at the beach. We sat down to talk for a bit. We talked for a while, he told me how much I meant to him and ended by asking if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes.

We have an inside joke about George Washington, so last year when I left wrote him a message on a $1 bill. He pulled that bill out of his wallet. It was shaped kinda like a bunch of flowers... I thought he was going to give me the bill back. But then he pulled a ring out of the middle of it. I wasn't really expecting a ring... I guess maybe a bone or wood ring, but nothing like the one that he pulled out of the bill. It fit my finger perfectly. 

He insisted on carrying my purse that night... I thought he was up to something. So he reached over to my purse and pulled out a bottle of coke. He shook it up and it exploded while he opened it and we celebrated our engagement over a coke on the beach while listening to the waves. 

Incase you haven't heard, Nunu got his visa to come to the states with me this summer (March 23 - June 27). We are hoping to get married while we are in the states as it costs over $4000 to fly the 2 of us home. I'll keep you all posted... the next 3 months are going to be crazy!

They Call Me... Coon-ya

I’m now back in Maputo after a 35 hour bus ride this weekend. I’ve got a busy few days followed by my trip back to the states. There are so many things I want to write about but there are only so many hours in my day.

The best part about this trip, just as the last, was my time spent observing the kids. This trip was different in that we had more kids around… and they were always around. I think in part because the yard wasn’t torn up from septic work and we have more land now for the kids to run around.

Neighborhood kids at church with us.

The neighborhood kids were there most days… all day. They even sat in on our nightly family time. I know nothing of the home lives of these children and so it was neat to watch them sing and pray with our children.  

One night Pedro came to my door and told Nunu that the community kids were being disrespectful and misbehaving, he told them they couldn’t come to the Center the next day. The next day Pedro told Nunu that the children had apologized for what they had done and he was allowing them to come back in. This kid cracks me up!

Pedro can run but he can't hide... he was trying to avoid my camera!

Last year Pedro and I had problems because he got really jealous when I gave other boys attention… so he was constantly mad at me. This year I think he only got mad at me once, it made my time there so much easier. Last year on many occasions Pedro would get very upset at the other boys as well… someone was constantly provoking him. But the thing is they are a bunch of boys… brothers really… they all provoke each other. It’s been so awesome to see how much he has grown in this area, I don’t even know how to describe it other than to say that he just handles himself better.

Pedro overseeing the Neighborhood kids
who helped us clean up the yard. 

This year the neighborhood children noticed me a lot more. Some of them learned my name from our kids and would shout at me and wave when I was walking from the bus. While other kids would just shout “Coon-ya” which means white person in Macua. Even though Nigel is white, he is tan and I guess since there haven’t been many white people around… the kids just notice me more.

We have two toddlers on our street right now and their older brothers hang out at our Center, so many days these little toddlers wonder in. There is a little girl whose name is something like Alfie. The first time Alfie saw me in the Center she started to cry and turned around and left. She eventually warmed up to me, or at least to being in the same space as me. But there is a little boy who at the sight of me starts crying and turns to leave.

Alfie after she had warmed to me a bit. 

I'm such a sucker for these little ones!

One day the yard was pretty empty and I was just sitting on my step. The little boy was in the yard with 1 or 2 older kids. The older kids left and the little boy was fine… until he realized he as alone with me! I was 10 feet away from him but I could see the horror in his eyes as he started crying and trying to figure out what to do. I called Pedro over. Pedro picked him up and he stopped crying… I tired to explain to Pedro that he was afraid of me, so Pedro stepped closer to me and the boy started to cry again. Pedro laughed and stepped away and the little boy stopped.

It’s so crazy, but can you imagine living in a world where everyone has the same skin color as you? Imagine being a child, how would you react if a green person showed up next door. If you were little you would probably be scared and if you were a little older you would probably be curious and you would probably stare. I just wish I knew how to make these little kids not so afraid of me. I guess like all things… it just takes time.

Prayer Request:

- My eyes. I had pink eye in my right eye about 2 weeks ago and then I got it in my left eye (I caught it early, so it wasn't nearly as bad). Today I noticed that my right eye is a little more blood shot than normal. My eyes are really sensitive to the sun, so it's hard for me to go without sunglasses and in order to wear sun glasses I have to wear my contacts. When I get pink eye I throw the ones I'm wearing away, do my best to clean out my contact case and I don't wear contacts until my eye is normal. But I'm wondering now if it's the case that is causing my problems. Today is the last day I really need to wear contacts so I am. I have a little bit of my drops left. I'm praying that I don't get a really bad case of Pink Eye while on an airplane.

- I'm also about to go to a meeting with Pastor Filipe, the man who we are working with to coordinate a small building on our land in Ponta. Pray that we can come to agree on a building that is in our budget as we only have about $1,500 USD to work with and we only have today to get things figured out.

Sunday Soccer

Our boys love playing soccer. They usually play on either Saturday or Sunday at a school just down the road. It’s not only the boys from our home but also the neighborhood kids play as well.

The boys haven’t been able to play some games because they don’t have team jerseys. Someone was kind enough to donate 2 sets of jerseys so that our boys could play and I brought them over with me.

This Sunday was the first chance I’ve had to watch the boys play. Once we got everyone rounded up we walked about 15 minutes to SOS where the boys go to school.

It rained a lot last night. It poured. I laid in bed for at least an hour just listening to the rain because the sound was so loud on the tin roof that I couldn’t sleep. I mention this because as soon as we start walking to SOS the amount of rain became obvious. Just last night I had walked this same route and it was fairly smooth and level. Today is like a canyon just outside of our gate. As we walk this path I’m shocked at the difference one day and one rainstorm make. This isn’t the first time it’s rained since I’ve been here but it’s the first time our street has changed.

We arrive at SOS, it’s a huge dirt field with a metal goal at each end. One edge of the field joins it to the rest of the SOS property and the other 3 sides have fences and for stretches have barbed wire along the top edge. The goal at the far end has a big puddle of water in front of it… I wonder just how dirty the boys will get.

I lay out a towel and sit down with Helder. He is one of our younger boys. He is just getting over a cold, but I imagine he comes each week just to watch. As the boys change into their jerseys, they all entrust Helder with their shirts, necklaces, phones and whatever else they brought with them.

I watch from the towel for awhile. I hear happy screaming from the street… it’s our neighborhood boys, they make their way in and join Helder and I. A little later a few more of our kids show up and I feel better leaving Helder to go take pictures.

Most of the people on the field are playing bare foot. A handful with very simple tennis shoes and a couple people have on cleats (cringe). Bare foot and cleats… how can this be a good thing? Oh and some kids share their shoes, meaning they wear one and their friend wears the other… at least this is what I imagine but maybe one of their shoes broke so they just wear the one. A few kids also just have one sock on (no shoes)?

Notice the foot ware. That is Osvaldo in the green with the one sock on.

Soccer ball + barbed wire fence =
a flat soccer ball.

Another victim to the game. 

I don’t really know much about soccer. I can’t say I’ve ever watched a game. I’m surprised at how rough the game is… or maybe it’s just rough in Moz. I guess my homework when I go home is to watch some soccer.

Everybody appears fearless. Sure if someone is kicking right in front of them, they turn away… but they are so aggressive… and physical. I never thought of soccer as a contact sport, but I watch as kids check (hit) each other with shoulder and go running into each other and all sorts of crazy things.

Pedro kicking the ball, while Ernesto looks on.

I watch Osvaldo, he is the newest member of the house. He is crazy but so fun to watch. He runs around like a crazy person, but with purpose. In about 20 minutes he is on the ground 3 times and not because of stupid errors but because he is so aggressive (and he is defending the goal with the water). He is a lot of fun to watch.

I don’t really watch the game as a spectator but rather as a photographer, I want action shots but I feel like the action always happens at the other end of the field or it so close to me that I’m in fear of getting a ball to the head. So my camera is down and I’m making my way back into the long grass.

The best action shot I got... Nunu trying to score a goal. 

It’s also important that with a few exceptions everyone plays the entire game. Two 45 minute halves. They don’t just stand around either, I’m in awe about how fast some of these guys are even after an hour of playing with no breaks for water… they only sit when the ball needs to be pumped back up.

I’m tired from watching after an hour, so I go sit. I really don’t know how they play so hard for so long… at least it isn’t hot today.

When I sit, I see that there are a couple of kids up in the tree we are under. A few minutes later I watch this little boy climb the tree. It doesn’t have lots of good foot/hand hold but he shimmies his way up the tree. I’m taken back to the rope climb in high school… I didn’t have enough upper body strength to pull myself up so I just used my legs and that is exactly what this little guy did. I was impressed.

Nelson

But then he starts showing off and doing all these tricks… he hangs with one hand and he is swinging all around like a little gymnast. I think he is more comfortable up in this tree than he is on the ground. I take a few pictures but then I start getting worried so I stop giving him attention and he eventually comes down the tree.

Hanging with one hand like it's
nothing!

I start thinking about just how beautiful it is outside. I look at Heler and he has his arms inside of his short sleeve shirt and has goose bumps. I rearrange the towel, so he can cover up and rub his back trying to keep him warm. It's so crazy to me the difference in temperature threshold.

Helder trying to stay warm.

About 15 minutes later, I hear a branch snap. I turn and jump as I see a different kid falling from the tree. The only reason I’m not on my feet is because I have so much on my lap, my camera and other things fall to the ground and I run over. The kid was caught by the waist on the top of a bamboo fence. His upper body is on myside, and he is struggeling to get down but not fall to the other side. He is over my head and I don’t even know if I can pick him up but I reach up and pull him off the fence. I’m afraid of dropping him the entire time I’m getting him off the fence and because of the way he is hanging he would face plant into the ground if I drop him.

I get him down and I get him on his feet. His name is Pedi (Pet-ti) he speaks no English and no much Portuguese, so I pull up his shirt and he only has minor scratches. He also has a scratch right in between his eye browns running down onto his nose.

I think he is really shocked but other than that he is okay. From the branch he was on it was at least 15 feet to the ground. By the grace of God did he walk away from this. Had he fallen a little more to one side of the fence, he would have either landed on barbed wire or all the way to the ground. I’m also surprised that the fence didn’t puncture his skin. These bamboo fences are usually extremely jagged, like a row of spears standing on end. The section of the fence that Pedi landed on was the only section of the fence that was flat.

The middle of the picture is where Pedi fell on the fence.

What most fences look like in Moz.

Pedi hasn’t been around much since Sunday. I’m not sure if he got in trouble or if he is embarrassed or just what. But I’ve sent Pedro to check on him. Pedro says he is a little sore and just has small scratches.

I still can’t believe this kid is okay. I just keep shaking my head. Thanks to all of you who keep these little children in your prayers.

Prayer Requests:

- My stress level as I'm leaving early Saturday morning and have lots to do!

- I'm purchasing my bus ticket today, prayers that goes well.

- Next week Nunu and I are following up on the DIRE paperwork (this will allow Dream Project to support

What a Morning!

Last week started off with our night guard, Momade, showing up for his shift on Tuesday night with a bandage over his left eye and one of the back of his head. He proceeds to tell Nunu that he got jumped while walking home but I think he isn’t telling the truth because he was having some personal problems the week before.

I can’t believe he even showed up, and so I sent him home.

A few days later, on Wednesday, he calls Nunu and asks if I could re-bandage his wounds. While I’m not excited and I get more nervous the more serious the wounds are, I say yes. I’m thinking he means in a few hours but he shows up a little later. It’s not even 8am and I’m still in my pajamas.

I start pulling the gauze off the wounds and the one on the back of his head comes off easy. The cut is about an inch and he has 2 stitches. I try taking the gauze off the other wound but it’s stuck really bad. I get some water and try to soften things up so it comes off easier… it helps but not much. So as usual, I look away and try to pull slowly. He says this doesn't hurt, I look back to see how much more I need to pull and that is when I start getting sweaty. 

It's so early that I haven't pulled the fan from my room yet, but this is one of those I'm about to get sick sweats. I think because of how warm it is here when my body gets the sweats it's SO obvious to me... it's like as if every pore on my body said, "On the count of 3 sweat." 

I finally get the bandage off, he has 2 more stitches. I’ve never had stitches but these look more like my first ever sewing project than what I imagine stitches to look like. I would think the tail of the string would be cut closer to the wound... but there is like 1/4 of an inch on each side of the knot. 

By now Nunu has left but Antonio (our administrator) has shown up. I’m afraid that if I look at Momade’s cuts any longer I might throw up on him, but I feel really rude walking away. Momade doesn’t really speak any English, so I ask Antonio to tell him I just need to sit down for a minute before I go on. So I go grab my fan and I try to cool off by sitting right in front of it for a minute.

I've stopped sweating, back to work I go. I start putting Neosporin on the cuts and cover them with gauze, but again I have to walk away. This time I go lay down for about 15 minutes while poor Momade patiently waits for me. I really feel like I’m going to be sick but I’m not sure what is going on… is it the blood or did I eat/drink something bad again.

I’m finally able to put the finishing touches on his wounds. And I send Momade on his way with some Tylenol.

I'm ready to shower and just lay down, but Nunu comes back to my door. He tells me that another worker’s (Maria) daughter died the night before. He and Antonio are going to go visit and he wants to know if we can bring a bag of rice for the family. A bag of rice is about 500 MZN, it’s not exactly in our budget but this seems like the right thing to do. I think about it for a little and we talk through what is normal here in Mozambique. I ask if it would be rude for me to stay home... he thinks it's okay. 

I’m curious how death is handled here in Moz and I feel like I should go but I just don’t feel well, so Antonio and Nunu are going to go over. Nunu tells me that the funeral will probably be tomorrow, so I’m hoping I feel better by then. Before they leave the boys decide that they want to send part of their Jar Money to Tia Maria (Aunt Maria).

I don't even think it's 9am yet. 

A few hours later Nunu and Antonio return to the house. The funeral is going to be later that day at 3:00. They fill me in a bit more on what they found out. It turns out Maria’s daughter was in labor last night. She delivered her baby but didn’t survive. Apparently she was dehydrated and lost a lot of blood.

From what I’ve heard, Mozambique has one of the highest death rates during pregnancy. I figured those woman were dieing at home… not in the hospital.

Going to the funeral would probably mean a lot of walking, and I just don’t feel good today. So I decide to stay home again.

I talk to Julia a few days later to fill her in on what is happening. She asks me if Maria has asked for money for formula for the baby. She hasn't. While trying to get the whole story from Nunu, I found out that Maria has a house full of family. I think Maria is in her 60's. Before her daughter passed, she had 2 grown daughters living with her. One was pregnant and the other had a baby a few months ago. Three of Maria's grandchildren (at least 2 of whom are the children of these 2 women) live there and a friend of the family. 

Julia was asking about the formula because I guess it's common for babies to die if there is any problem with a milk supply. Since this babies mother passed, Julia was concerned with where it's milk would come from. Formula is expensive in the states but imagine how hard it would be to buy if you only made $100 a month. We figure that the other daughter is also feeding this new baby in addition to her 3 month old. 

Wednesday morning is the perfect example of what life is like here in Moz. You wake up in the morning with a plan but you never know who is going to show up at your door and you never know what issues you are going to have to deal with. As soon as you deal with one thing a whole new thing comes along. 

My time here in Moz has been much different than I had planned. Not just the amount of time I spent in Maputo but also my days in Pemba. I have all these ideas and things I want to do with the kids and ideas about how I want to communicate back home but my days have been filled with random yet important issues.

I will leave in a few days knowing that I’ve done all I can this time and excited to return at the end of June.

Pink Eye

This morning I woke with my eye crusted shut. I’ve never had Pink Eye before but I’m hoping that is the problem. I look at my eye and I’m not sure where it got it’s name, my eye is blood shot red… why isn’t it called Red Eye.

While it’s no big deal in the States, I have to admit that I’m scared. I hate the thought of going to the Doctor here. What if it’s something else? What if the facilities aren’t clean? Is it rude to bring my own rubber gloves for the doctor to use?

I tell Nunu that I need to go to the hospital. No one here ever says they need to go to the doctor, it’s always the hospital. He tells me there is also one Clinic in town and he would rather take me there. It costs more but the wait at the hospital is at least 3 hours, but 5 hours is the norm.

We take the schapa into town. I feel bad that I’m on public transportation, I don’t want to spread my germs, so I do my best to not touch anything. We get to the Clinic and go inside but they tell us they don’t have the medicine for my eye… they suggest the hospital.

While we walk, I try to understand just how the whole hospital thing works. Apparently you go pay 1 or 2 MZN to get a number. Then you wait in one area and then you are moved to another area depending on your issue. It all sounds confusing. When we walk up outside the hospital, Nunu see a Policeman that he knows. He asks his friend if he can do anything to help us. The guy pulls a few strings and walked us up a flight of stairs and down an open-air hallway that is lined with people on each side waiting to see a doctor.

I feel a little bad as they have probably been waiting for hours, but I follow. I figure my issue is pretty simple and I will be in and out. We sit outside a door that says “Ophthalmologist” in Portuguese while the Policeman goes in. Nunu asks me if I have 50 MZN to thank his friend. I wasn’t expecting this but I should have, unless you get a favor from your best friend, you usually show thanks by giving a few MZN.

A few minutes later he come back for us. We walk through a waiting room of 3 people, all of who are holding their ticket. And I sit in the office while the Doctor is finishing with the girl before me.

I move into the hot seat and Nunu explains my issues. The doctor picks up a red plastic dollar store flashlight and points it at my eye. He makes no effort to touch me or open my eye which is swollen about half way. So with my right hand I pull my eye lid up and my left I pull my eye lid down and I move my eye all around. He puts down his flashlight and writes me a prescription to be filled at the Pharmacy and talks some more to Nunu… instructions I’m guessing.

I’m in the hot seat for less than 2 minutes. The Policeman brings us out down a back hall and we thank him for his help. He goes to shake my hand but I point to my eye and he understands and laughs.

On our way to the Pharmacy Nunu runs into a guy he knows. He greets me in English and goes to shake my hand and I try telling him about my eye. Nunu explains the problem and the guys response is, “I don’t care, you American’s care to much about some things.” So we shake hands and have a good laugh. He also says something about how it is okay because I have glasses on. Mozambican’s definitely view germs differently than Americans do.

I try my best to stay in my room and not let the kids in, but I keep forgetting. I chase them all down after they leave and make them use my hand sanitizer. I have Santos tell the kids at family time that I’m sick and they should come to my house for one day.

I spend Thursday hold up in my room watching movies… I guess it takes pink eye to get a day off around here. Just kidding, it’s been hard to take time off when I’m here such a short amount of time. But I get it I need a day off too.

The hardest part of pink eye is that I can’t wear my contact, which means I have to wear my prescription glasses and can’t wear sunglasses. I have sensitive eyes and at times the sun actually makes me sneeze. Thankfully it’s a bit overcast. And I’m happy to say that the medication works really well and my eye looks normal by Sunday! Yeah for the sun and sunglasses!

Prayer Request:

- Praise! For my eye healing so fast!

- Preparation of travel home. Everything from tickets to packing =)

Would You Rather?

The missionary house that I’m staying in was built by locals, with no supervision from skilled American builders. As a result 90% of the building (Missionary kitchen, bedroom & bath; child’s dorm; and garage) was done fine, but unfortunately the 10% that has issues is the Missionary bathroom.

I don’t even know the extent of the problems… as I remember a few issues the last time I was here and they could be the same ones I’m experiencing. When I arrived I flushed the toilet fine the first time but the second time it didn’t flush. I asked Nigel if he know what the deal was and he told me that you have to shut the water off after each use, or else the water will run 24-7. Not a big deal, the water valve is conveniently located up next to the toilet.

On my second or third morning, I notice a foul stench. It’s slight and I’m to tired to care, so I pull out scented baby wipes and sleep with one on my face. I mention it to Nigel and he says, “Well you shouldn’t smell it unless it’s raining.” Septic… again, really!?

During my last visit we were attempting to put in a new area for the septic to drain. When I got home someone asked me where the drainage field was or how the cement box would drain out into a field. It was like someone smacked me upside the head… what a great question!

My 3^rd year at Judson in Design/Build (I studied Architecture) we had to design and build a functioning outhouse. When I was asked that question… my mind instantly went to the pictures I had of my groups drainage field and I remembered digging the trenches. I just hoped that since I didn’t see the project through to completion it would be installed.

One of the first thing Nigel mentions is that the septic here doesn’t have a drainage field, at the time we put in the last septic, we didn’t have room on our land for a drainage field. Anyways, so since the system is full the septic smell comes up through the pipes in the missionary bathroom. Lovely.

Nigel and I talk about it a little more. From what he can gather it’s one of 2 problems… or I guess it could be 2 of 2 problems. The vent might not be located correctly in the septic tank, which makes the plumbing to the missionary bathroom the vent. Or there is no trap on the bathtub/ a broken trap in the bathroom. Traps hold water in them creating a barrier so that the smell can’t go up pipes into your bathroom or kitchen.

Nigel said that that smell should only be bad when it rains but I think when all the boys shower in the morning I smell a little something… I think I have a sensitive nose.

A few days later I go into the bathroom to find a puddle of water on the floor, but I’m not sure at all where it came from. Did I track it out of the shower, did I leave the toilet running… no, there is just a random puddle of water right in front of the door. I notice it again later and finally realize that the sink has a really slow leak. I show Nigel and he says that any fix he can do would make the water drain into the wall. He doubts that anything was used at the connections of the pipes when they were installed. Meaning where 2 pipes join, they are just sitting one inside of the other… allowing for gaps and leaks. I stick my hand sanitizer in the sink and figure I will just brush my teeth in the Kitchen… no biggie.

Saturday after we eat it starts raining. I’m expecting it to smell bad it my room, but it really doesn’t. However, it does smell a little like it does when all the kids are showering in the morning.

That night I use at least 6 scented baby wipes. I wake up at 7:00 no longer able to handle the smell. For half an hour, I sit in the Kitchen in a chair… dazed because I am so tired after a long Christmas day. About 30 minutes later, I decide I should probably get dressed and brush my teeth. Since there is no water in the well and I don’t have any in my bucket, I’m not planning to shower… just a quick in and out to grab what I need. I open the door and before I can take my 5^th step, I’m gagging! The smell has gotten so far beyond worse, I go running out, thankful for the fresh air in the kitchen. I find some baby wipes and try again, but the smell is so strong the wipes do nothing and I turn around and run out.

It’s almost shocking how bad it smells. I sit in my chair thinking how I will attempt to explain this… are there even words. At 9:30, I have Pedro go get Nunu. I’m not even sure what it is I’m getting him for, but you know when you have a problem you just want to tell someone. Or you want someone to confirm that you aren’t imagining just how bad something is.

Pedro brings Nunu and I tell them both the problem. I ask Nunu if he would go get my toothbrush and grab me some clothes (I’m dressed I just don’t have enough on to go out of the house or to go to church). While he goes in I have Pedro stick his head in the door and Pedro makes a crazy face… so it’s not just me. But I think the smell is getting better. I tell Nunu I think I can handle going in but he brings my tooth brush and closes the bathroom door behind him.

We open the windows and hope for the best. I find myself though out the day having an internal debate. Which room is better? Nigel is moving and so the room I was in last time will be open again. It’s the most realistic “Would you rather” (a game my Campus Life High Schoolers used to play) ever. Would you rather deal with sleepless nights because of the mice or deal with the smell of a septic system on rainy days? I kinda wish the debate was longer in my head, but the mice last year were WAY worse than this… For 2 nights last year, I slept in a chair in the middle of my room with the lights on. I shouldn’t even say slept… I think I got an hour or 2 of sleep. It was way worse than being woken by the septic smell after a rainy day... maybe I would feel different if it were rainy season. I feel like I'm making things sound horrible, but they aren't. Things here aren't always as comfortable as home... but what do I expect, I'm in a 3rd world country!

I had all these plans of moving all my clothes to the kitchen and buying a mattress that I could easily move into the Kitchen should it rain again, but I’m happy to say that I since that Sunday morning I have gotten the slightest hint of septic smell in my room.

I’m not trying to complain about my living situation. The rooms and amenities here have far surpassed my expectations, I guess I share about all the plumbing issues more to show just how important it is that we have volunteers from the states who know how to properly plumb a house. And know how important everything is from the tap the water runs out of to the way we dispose of what goes down teh drain. The new building we are working on already has the plumbing done but what a HUGE blessing it was that we had a professional builder come oversee the first phase of our new building.

If you have any interest in coming over to help us continue building our missionary housing or helping fix some of our existing plumbing issues, please send me an email. Or if you have any ideas or suggestions about building here… I’d love to hear or chat with you about it. amanda@thedream-project.org

Prayer Request:

- That the bathroom issues are fixable and that the finances would come in to cover the cost.

- That I don’t smell the septic system.

- That the funds would come in to finish the new building.

I love Goosebumps!

I spend so much time writing blogs that some days I say to myself that I’m done writing about each day… but then everyday brings such new or amazing experiences… I HAVE to share.

Church today was really cool. Cifa, Juma’s mom, came. She came by yesterday but it was so crazy I kissed her on the cheek and was back to whatever I was working on. I was really happy to see her again.

Church at the Center is very organic. As a planner, if I think about it to much it’s a little scary, but in the moment it’s amazing. We sing for almost an hour and then they open it up for testimonies. Cifa steps up. She talks about how last year when I was here I brought her a mattress. A quick recap, Julia had mentioned Cifa in a Newsletter and a supporter was touched and felt led to bless Cifa with a bed and some other things. Cifa said she was so blessed by this and she was so happy to see me back again. She has been so blessed this last year by the gifts that she received last year that she felt God urging her to give. Cifa is about as poor as they come. She has 4 children living at home and she supports them alone. She brought biscuits.

It was so amazing to me that a few days after we shared with the boys the story of the widow in Mark 12 that Cifa would come and give from the little she had. I was touched beyond belief.

Next Maria got up. She began sharing about a night a couple years ago when she asked the kids to pray for one week about something they want. She remembered what many of the kids prayed for. One for a TV, another a DVD player and a few other things. What really touched me was that Pedro prayed for a water bottle, Izack for an ipod and another child for a watch. Once again it’s so cool to see how God uses people. I don’t know why but those 3 things I just really felt like I was supposed to bring them back with me. I was touched beyond belief when she started sharing about the water bottle… I got goose bumps.

Goosebumps in Mozambique are amazing… because they never have anything to do with being cold. They are always a physical reaction to something amazing being said or seen. I love goosebumps… I’m happy to say I get them every few days for one reason or another.

While we are in the middle of testimonies, I notice Joao leave. This is odd because he is in charge of music and the microphones. A few minutes later I notice a commotion by the house. Someone comes and tells me that there is an electrical fire. I don’t see smoke, so I stay put but Nigel and Nunu head over to check things out.

When Joao came back he said he just felt like he was supposed to go to his room and when he opened the door he was met by smoke. His sheet, pillow and part of his mattress were on fire. The burn marks were the size of a plate. The kids are very resourceful and they had created a charger for a battery out of a cord. They didn’t take into account how hot the battery would get and it caught fire.

There isn’t much damage.  Things could have been so much worse and everyone gets to learn a lesson at a small cost. We outlaw these chargers and ask the kids to turn in some of there electronics so that leaders can charge them in the office.

Yesterday after Cifa had left, Juma P was telling me of a big cut on her leg. So I wanted to see what he was talking about… sure enough she had a burn on her leg. I made sure to get pictures this time… I can’t explain enough how much I hate being the local doctor, but I put my gloves on and try to channel my inner Bess (a friend who used to work in a burn unit).

The burn.

I clean the cut and peel the clumped up skin, but try leaving the skin that is attached. I don’t even know how to explain this other than to say there was some skin that would have come up if I had pulled but I figure here in Mozambique having this skin over the wound is better than nothing. Sure I’m going to bandage it and send her home with supplies but who knows if this will ever been cleaned or covered again.

The look on my face says it all.

I keep asking people if what I’m doing is hurting Cifa and I pick and rub… she sits there calmly smiling and answers, “No.” This is definitely hurting me more than her. Sometime I scrub but don’t even look as I just can’t imagine how much this would hurt me.

The doctor brings a crowd. 

I explain via 2 translaters (English – Portuguese – Macuwa), to try and convey the importance of keeping the wound clean. I give her gloves and tell her to use them. I give her anti-bacterial wipes and say if she really wants to use her bare hands, then she needs to use these and get the dirt out from under her nails. I also cut the fingers off of a rubber glove and put some Neosporin in it, hoping that will help it to heal faster.

Prayer Requests:
- Planning my return home.
- Safety and health for my remainder in Mozambique.
- Healing and provision for Cifa and so many widows like her.

Merry Christmas!

Today is Christmas! I love this day, but in some ways it’s very hard for me. It’s hard because we have 12 boys living in our home and we work with another 25 kids in the community and 4 workers who live in the house. It’s hard to bring things for all of them and it’s difficult to decide where to draw the line for presents. That is why I packed so much stuff. At first I was going to figure out gifts for the kids while I was in the states, but in the end I just brought as much stuff as I could and figured the leaders here would know better how to handle things.

I decide it’s best to wake up with our kids in the morning and we invite a few of the community kids who are here almost daily. Then after our meal this afternoon, I will give all the kids a cup with candy and in the cup the community kids will get a small gift.

I wake up a 6:00am, brush my teeth and head out the door. I wake the sleeping leaders and go see where all the kids are. I can’t figure out why people are frantically showering and getting water… I just keep thinking, “What part of wake up, brush your teeth and open presents don’t they get?” But I’m not sure if we communicated this to the kids or not. I notice the kids are pulling buckets of water from the well rather than using the tap, so I go look. The well is almost empty! They are all rushing to take showers before the water is gone.

By 7:00 everyone is sitting on the porch. Nunu and I have talked through all that needs to be said about the presents. Everything from how careful the kids need to be with electronics, to how many people felt touched by God to give, and (with one child in mind) we explain that if anyone tries to sell any part of these gifts they might not receive one next time.

We hand out the gifts. All the kids get candy, water bottles, all in one utensil (spoon/fork/knife combo), stickers , and 2 pairs of underwear. The older kids get mp3 players (I found them on sale for $10 - $12 each). The younger kids get watches (they loved mine the last time I was here), crayons and CD’s.

Juma P showing his water bottle some love!

Amido

Latino & I

Osvaldo

Pedro checking the time on his watch.

The kids rip into their gifts and they are so happy. I know that they will like the electronics but it’s fun to see how much they love the water bottle, utensil and the underwear. I try to let them celebrate, but there is more!

There are also a bunch of gifts for the Center. They get 3 remote controlled cars, 2 remote controlled helicopters, a portable DVD player, DVD’s, Twister game, Shoots & Ladders game and hair clippers. I’m not even sure if they notice anything besides the remote controlled cars and helicopters. The place is instant smiles!

Juma has been telling Nunu all year
that he loves helicopters.

I spend most of Christmas day recharging batteries and uploading music on mp3 players. You should see the kids eyes when I tell them I am putting 500 songs on their players! It’s also really cute they all call them their “ipods!” Little do they know the cost difference =)

Before we eat Nunu shares the Christmas story, we sing and Maria even puts on a skit. We feast on chicken, fries, potato salad and wash it all down with a special bottle of pop. As we are finishing up the meal Ernesto, Santos, Sumate, Nunu and I go into the kitchen and put on the soccer jerseys that were donated and we walk out to see if the kids notice.

Chicken dinner for 30!

Nunu sharing the Christmas story.

Izack notices Nunu’s shirt right away and we show them the bag full of jerseys and give them 3 soccer balls and a basketball. These jerseys are significant, as they will allow the kids to play in competitive games that they haven’t been allowed in before. As the kids finish eating and we start handing out shirts to get a group picture.

It was about to rain so the picture is a little crazy,
but you get the idea... this is the crew!

All in all the day is awesome! It’s been such a long day and I’m so exhausted. But I love looking out my door at all the smiling faces. Some are dancing around listening to their “ipods” while others are pushing all the buttons on their watches because they love to hear the beep. One by one all the kids with watches come to my door to ask if the watches can get wet… I’m glad they are taking these things serious… it really means a lot to me. I also laugh to myself as I see that Juma P has his underwear on backwards. I wonder how many pairs of underwear he has had before in his life.

I’ve always loved giving gifts, but these kids bring the joy of giving to a whole new level. I’m so honored and blessed by how so many of you gave to help provide such an amazing day for these kids. Thanks for letting me be the one to deliver the gifts… I’m not sure I could ever explain with words or pictures just how amazing a day like today is. 

Needs vs. Wants

Part of my idea for the money jar came from how generous children were in giving to help provide this year for our Christmas at the Center. Some gave money for soccer balls and dolls, while others sorted through their Matchbox cars sending me with a ziplock bag full of them.

Before leaving on my trip, a 13 year old asked him mom to send the money that he had been saving to Africa for children in need. He told his mom that all of his friends had everything they need, so this is what he wanted to do with the money he had earned. I was given a wad of cash in a plastic bag, I was blown away when I got home and counted $63! Talk about giving from what you have.

Our children have what they need. Sure there are things they want, but I’ve been thinking long and hard with how to honor the request of a 13 year old boy. After looking around the Center the only need I could see is that some of the kids are without bug nets. Since mosquito’s carry Malaria nets are a need and so I spent about $30 to buy missing nets and we take the nets with holes so they can be fixed.

Amido's new bug net.

At family time we tell the kids of this gift and I tell them the whole story and even share a picture of the 13 year old. They are thankful and excited, some of them even thank the 13 year old by name. This is also a time for a good lesson of learning the differences between needs and wants. We also tell the kids that if they get holes in their net they need to let us know so they can be fixed. Sometimes I think it’s really hard for our boys to ask for things… maybe they don’t see the net as a need.

Amido & Nunu working on Njuale &
Helder's bug nets

Juma happy as a bug in a rug,
ready for a good nights sleep!

So the rest of the money, we put in the money jar and continue to encourage the kids as they are thinking of needs of the children in our community. It's a good lesson for us all from a 13 year old... sure there are lots of things we all want, but there are so many people in the world who don't have their needs met each day. 

Prayer Requests:

- That the children would come up with amazing ways to bless those in need in their community and that they would give cheerfully.

- Continued health for myself and the kids at the Center.

The Money Jar

I met with some of the workers to let them know my intentions for the weeks I will be in town. Mainly that we are doing Christmas and also that I’d like the kids to brainstorm and come up with ways we can serve our community.

Even though my porch is actually only 2 steps,
there is always room for coloring!

Sunday is church. A new church building has been put on the property. The other big change is that they play American worship music in addition to Portuguese & Macua. Church consists of about an hour of signing, prayer, testimonies, a short message and more signing and prayer. I like it… probably because of all the singing =)

Monday and Tuesday feel like a bit of a waste. I spent most of them trying to set up my MiFi (wifi that is supposed to run off a cell phone SIM card). I’ve tried 2 different cell phone stores. MCel is the main company in town. It was an interesting experience. You wait in line outside of the store, only to be let in by a security guard and given a number. Your number depends on your issue and they go from A01 – G99. I’m given a G#. It’s frustrating because people who walk in after me get to go before me. After an hour of waiting we finally get a turn and they basically say they can’t help us unless I bring in my laptop. Luckly we had the car this day as we were planning to buy pop for Christmas, so we tell them that we will be back in 20-30 minutes and ask the security guard if we can come right back in. He says yes.

25 minutes later, we are back but the guard doesn’t let us in for about 10 minutes. When we finally get in we get to head to a back room for a computer tech to look at my laptop. After a phone call for help, the man says he can’t help because I have a Mac, but he sends us to another place. We go there and the tech says this won’t work with MCel. Ahhh, life in Mozambique. I remember my favorite restaurant from last year had a Wi-Fi sign, so we will try there another day.

So many things here take so much time, I should have expected this. I was really hoping the MiFi would make it easier to communicate back home,  but I just don’t have time to figure it out right now.

I told the kids about my book tonight (see “Book: Dreaming of Moz” above). I was nervous. I didn’t want them to think I was using them to become rich. It was hard, but mainly because facial expressions here are so different than in the states. I thought 2 kids were mad while I was talking, but afterwards I realized that they weren’t.

Izack looking over the book.

I haven’t made much on the books, but I bought swim trunks for the kids in the house with part of it, put a little toward my trip and started a money jar for the house. My hope is the money jar will be used to help people in the community. I want the kids to be in charge of how we spend the money. I’m hoping this challenges them in new ways and some of them realize how fun giving can be. We told them about the money during family time and shared the verse about the widow giving what she had (Mark 12:41-44). I’m excited to see how this turns out =)

After family time the kids came into the kitchen to get swim trunks and see the book. It’s so funny how such little things make them so happy.

Latino and his new swim trunks!

Yesterday I asked Juma P if he wanted a hug, he became shy. Tonight he came to my door grinning from ear to ear saying, “Thank you Mana Amanda” I asked if he wanted a hug and he shook his head yes. The smile grew and grew. I got thank you after thank you and one smile and hug after the next. When you get the chance to give to kids like these, you really understand that it is better to give than to receive. 

I'm pretty sure this hug makes me happier than Juma P =)