On Saturday we were supposed to help a church with some cleaning, but we found out late Friday night that the pastor was at General Assembly so we would not be doing that. So we woke up Saturday morning and we all had cabin fever because we had not left the seminary since Thursday morning to paint the church. So we all decided to walk to the Indian Ocean. We started out at 12 and arrived at the beach a little after 1. We walked around, did a little bit of shopping at the market, but mainly just enjoyed the fresh air! We decided that we needed to head back around 3 because we wanted to make it back before dark (the sun starts setting here around 5.) So we ended up at least walking around 12 miles but it was much needed and much enjoyed. The Lord definitely protected us and helped us find our way back safely.
Yesterday we went to Tomas' church. It was my favorite church. The people were all very welcoming, and some could even speak English which was refreshing. We went to Sunday school and it was nice because we did not feel like we were the center of attention but we just got to be apart of it. The we went to the Shangaan service and sang 2 songs and enjoyed the service (from the front of course.) I loved this church because I could definitely tell the Holy Spirit was alive and present with the people. The other churches have been great, and I definitely love how they worship, but this church seemed so genuine in the way they praised. After the service Tomas and his friend Clauvio took us to walk around town and then we treated them to lunch. It was nice to see more of the city. They took us to more of the "ritsy" side of town. Then after lunch they took us on a little boat and we rode on the Indian Ocean to a little beach called Catembe and it had a good view of the city. We walked around, took some pictures, and collected some pretty sea shells. After we were done Clauvio and his friend took us home, and that was interesting. The Lord is definitely looking after us. But it was a great day, and nice to get out a little more!
Today Adimi took us into town, and then when we returned we began preparing for the after-school program for the kids on campus. We began with songs, and then we played red rover, and then we helped them decorate popsicle sticks to make a picture frames, and then for the last part we gave them popcorn! They loved it! It was fun and also nice to be implementing some of our own creativy here.
Thank you all for being so faithful to read this and comment. That has been one of the biggest blessings from this experience is realizing how loved and blessed I am. I love you all!!
Kay
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Preparing for an exciting week!!
On the schedule for this week it says "Touring the City" we were all pretty excited about this because we thought it would be a good transition after the Restricks had left.Well all this to say we have only left the campus once.. to paint a church. Elvido met us yesterday morning to take us to the church. Well he told us that it would be a short walk, but it ended up being a two mile walk in really deep sand and on really busy streets. Not my definition of touring the city, but we will take what we can get. When we arrived we sanded the cement building with a group of other men, and then we began painting. When we were finished they of course had a meal prepared for us. This is one of the biggest worries of our ministry is what we are going to have to eat. They served us salad, bread, and tea. I am sure you thinking, "That's not too bad!" You're right, it wouldn't be bad if the lettuce wasn't contaminated from their water. We always get a little worried when they serve us anything that is raw, and of course they stare at you as you eat. The Restricks really encouraged us to try to avoid eating too much of their vegetables so we try to make it look like we are eating a lot, but it does get a bit tiring always being watched.
Besides that, this week we have really been preparing for the next two weeks. We are preparing a "after-school program" for the kids here on the seminary. Since we really cannot talk to them we are going to be doing music, games, crafts, and we will have a snack for them at the end of the day!! We are really looking forward to putting ourselves to work. We plan to do this for two weeks except on Wednesdays of both weeks. On these days we have different assignments on our schedules. On the very last day we plan to have a birthday party for all the kids! They do not get to celebrate their birthdays, and usually don't even know when theirs is, so it will be so great to experience this with them! These past couple of days we have also been sewing dresses and we hope to sew shorts for the boys to give to them on their "birthdays." The sewing machine is giving us problems so we are really hoping that it will be able to last for all of the outfits!
Today we sewed some clothes, and then we baked some cookies and invited the kids over to watch a movie in our living room! They absolutely loved this even though Chicken Run (the movie) was in English. We also pulled out some mattresses that were not being used for them to lay on. They loved it, and it was really a fun thing to do for them.
This week has seemed a little slow, but we are really looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I pray that God will use us to minister to these sweet children through our love for them. I cannot believe I have less than 4 weeks here. I definitely miss home, but I pray that I will enjoy every day while I am here.
Thank you all for your prayers!
Kaylee
Besides that, this week we have really been preparing for the next two weeks. We are preparing a "after-school program" for the kids here on the seminary. Since we really cannot talk to them we are going to be doing music, games, crafts, and we will have a snack for them at the end of the day!! We are really looking forward to putting ourselves to work. We plan to do this for two weeks except on Wednesdays of both weeks. On these days we have different assignments on our schedules. On the very last day we plan to have a birthday party for all the kids! They do not get to celebrate their birthdays, and usually don't even know when theirs is, so it will be so great to experience this with them! These past couple of days we have also been sewing dresses and we hope to sew shorts for the boys to give to them on their "birthdays." The sewing machine is giving us problems so we are really hoping that it will be able to last for all of the outfits!
Today we sewed some clothes, and then we baked some cookies and invited the kids over to watch a movie in our living room! They absolutely loved this even though Chicken Run (the movie) was in English. We also pulled out some mattresses that were not being used for them to lay on. They loved it, and it was really a fun thing to do for them.
This week has seemed a little slow, but we are really looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I pray that God will use us to minister to these sweet children through our love for them. I cannot believe I have less than 4 weeks here. I definitely miss home, but I pray that I will enjoy every day while I am here.
Thank you all for your prayers!
Kaylee
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Eventful weekend
I had a really good weekend and I can tell you were praying for me. Thank you so much for that. It is such a humbling thing to know that people back in the States still think and pray for me daily.
We began the weekend by attending a youth district choir “competition.” It was quite a drive to get out there, but thankfully Tomas volunteered to take us out there. It was nice to get outside of the city and see a little more greenery. It is really not a competition but just different Nazarene youth groups coming together and performing. It is a lot of fun to hear their beautiful voices. The pastor’s wife introduced us and then the pastor who was sitting in front of us saw Jerry’s guitar and said, “Aren’t you going to sing?” I told him that we would sing but we did not have to by any means. Before I finished my sentence he was up and walking to the front to tell his wife that we needed to perform. So we sang a couple songs for them and they always cheer and dance along with us as we do it. I love this because I know if we did these things in front of a church back in the States we would get the strangest looks, but instead these people have no shame and are doing it right along with us. It is refreshing to be with such carefree people.
While sitting listening to the choir the field director of the Seminary turns to me and says you need to go up to the front for offering.Then the pastor says that if his church beats the visitors then he will get to keep Jerry’s guitar. It is funny how offering is an open competition here. I was so confused but I did not argue and I just awkwardly walked up to the front. They handed me the “visitantes” (visitors) offering plate. They started playing music and people will come to the designated offering plate and put theirs in while dancing and worshiping. It was fun and definitely an adventure. Then we sat down as they were counting the money. Then the pastor’s wife announced the totals of offering and the visitors won so then they tell me to go back up to the front. They bring me out this huge cake and everyone is cheering and clapping. After this they put on music and everyone got in a big circle and were dancing and praising. It was so fun to see the elders of the church get in the middle of the circle and dance around.
Afterward we had the typical Mozambican feast that includes rice, goat meat, white corn mill, beans, coleslaw, and some ridiculously greasy potatoes (which are there version of French fries.) Then we headed back to the house after the meal. It was an eventful evening to say the least.
Sunday we attended a church that is not to far from the campus. It was also in a hut. Jerry spoke in the Portuguese while Dave interpreted and our group lead worship in matching capulanas (wraps.) They love to match here and Rhoda thought it would be wonderful if we all matched together. They loved it! Afterward we went to Sunday school. It is funny because they would always ask us to read the scripture just so they could here our accents. Then the lady named Isabel walked up to me and stuck her phone right in my face to take a picture. HAHA it was so awkward. Then she did the same thing to Kristin and Allyson. Then we went to the Shangaan service, which they celebrated Father’s day. After the service, Isabel grabbed my hand and took me outside and handed me a picture of herself with her number. I am not really sure what she is wanting but Rhoda tried to call her and she did not pick up. I guess she just wants an American friend, but it was kind of funny. Afterward they insisted that we had some “juice” which in Africa means a feast. So Dave just told us to have a small amount before we left.
After church we treated the Restricks to dinner and we went out to a yummy South African restaurant. It was very good and had some American food so that was nice to have especially on Father’s day! We took a man that is from Northern Mozambique to the airport before he left to General Assembly. He also joined us for dinner and he was a really nice man. We went home to use the restroom and then we got the blankets to take to the boys’ homeless shelter. It was such a great experience and the boys loved their new blankets that we worked on. We also brought them some rice for their dinner. We sang together, had a small sermon led by Dave, and took lots of pictures. The Lord really spoke to me this night. Here I had been so homesick, but here are these boys that don’t even have a place to call home. This broke my heart. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to miss home, and that I have a place to go home to where I am so loved. I am so thankful for this reminder. The Lord definitely works in creative ways. Yesterday we helped the Restricks get ready for their trip up North. It was sad to say our goodbyes, but we know the Lord will take care of us. They set off early this morning and will return on July 17th! We look forward to seeing and hearing from them again.
Thank you all for your encouragement especially when times get tough. The Lord has definitely used you. Thank you.
Have a great day!!
Love you all,
Kaylee
We began the weekend by attending a youth district choir “competition.” It was quite a drive to get out there, but thankfully Tomas volunteered to take us out there. It was nice to get outside of the city and see a little more greenery. It is really not a competition but just different Nazarene youth groups coming together and performing. It is a lot of fun to hear their beautiful voices. The pastor’s wife introduced us and then the pastor who was sitting in front of us saw Jerry’s guitar and said, “Aren’t you going to sing?” I told him that we would sing but we did not have to by any means. Before I finished my sentence he was up and walking to the front to tell his wife that we needed to perform. So we sang a couple songs for them and they always cheer and dance along with us as we do it. I love this because I know if we did these things in front of a church back in the States we would get the strangest looks, but instead these people have no shame and are doing it right along with us. It is refreshing to be with such carefree people.
While sitting listening to the choir the field director of the Seminary turns to me and says you need to go up to the front for offering.Then the pastor says that if his church beats the visitors then he will get to keep Jerry’s guitar. It is funny how offering is an open competition here. I was so confused but I did not argue and I just awkwardly walked up to the front. They handed me the “visitantes” (visitors) offering plate. They started playing music and people will come to the designated offering plate and put theirs in while dancing and worshiping. It was fun and definitely an adventure. Then we sat down as they were counting the money. Then the pastor’s wife announced the totals of offering and the visitors won so then they tell me to go back up to the front. They bring me out this huge cake and everyone is cheering and clapping. After this they put on music and everyone got in a big circle and were dancing and praising. It was so fun to see the elders of the church get in the middle of the circle and dance around.
Afterward we had the typical Mozambican feast that includes rice, goat meat, white corn mill, beans, coleslaw, and some ridiculously greasy potatoes (which are there version of French fries.) Then we headed back to the house after the meal. It was an eventful evening to say the least.
Sunday we attended a church that is not to far from the campus. It was also in a hut. Jerry spoke in the Portuguese while Dave interpreted and our group lead worship in matching capulanas (wraps.) They love to match here and Rhoda thought it would be wonderful if we all matched together. They loved it! Afterward we went to Sunday school. It is funny because they would always ask us to read the scripture just so they could here our accents. Then the lady named Isabel walked up to me and stuck her phone right in my face to take a picture. HAHA it was so awkward. Then she did the same thing to Kristin and Allyson. Then we went to the Shangaan service, which they celebrated Father’s day. After the service, Isabel grabbed my hand and took me outside and handed me a picture of herself with her number. I am not really sure what she is wanting but Rhoda tried to call her and she did not pick up. I guess she just wants an American friend, but it was kind of funny. Afterward they insisted that we had some “juice” which in Africa means a feast. So Dave just told us to have a small amount before we left.
After church we treated the Restricks to dinner and we went out to a yummy South African restaurant. It was very good and had some American food so that was nice to have especially on Father’s day! We took a man that is from Northern Mozambique to the airport before he left to General Assembly. He also joined us for dinner and he was a really nice man. We went home to use the restroom and then we got the blankets to take to the boys’ homeless shelter. It was such a great experience and the boys loved their new blankets that we worked on. We also brought them some rice for their dinner. We sang together, had a small sermon led by Dave, and took lots of pictures. The Lord really spoke to me this night. Here I had been so homesick, but here are these boys that don’t even have a place to call home. This broke my heart. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to miss home, and that I have a place to go home to where I am so loved. I am so thankful for this reminder. The Lord definitely works in creative ways. Yesterday we helped the Restricks get ready for their trip up North. It was sad to say our goodbyes, but we know the Lord will take care of us. They set off early this morning and will return on July 17th! We look forward to seeing and hearing from them again.
Thank you all for your encouragement especially when times get tough. The Lord has definitely used you. Thank you.
Have a great day!!
Love you all,
Kaylee
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Painting a church?
Ola amigos!!
Sorry that it has been a couple days since I have last written. We have had a good week and have a busy weekend ahead. Thursday we were supposed to paint for a church so we woke up early to get ready to leave. We had just got dressed and then we were informed that the church was not ready for us, and that we would go on Friday instead. This was a little bit frustrating, but almost expected! So instead we played with the kids on the campus, read some, sewed some more blankets for the homeless shelter, and started working on friendship bracelets with thread that I brought. We are planning on giving them all a bracelet in a few weeks. It will be so fun because they love pretty things but don't have anything. They always like to play with my bracelet, watch, or earrings so it will be fun to give them something of their own. On Friday we woke up and I got to talk to Seth on skype which was great. It also made me realize how much I miss friends and family. My homesickness really set in yesterday. We got prepared to go paint (meaning we did not shower and put on our work clothes) then we walked down to meet Tomas. Well we got to the chapel and Tomas was not there but there was a group of youth and the NYI director of the Maputo district waiting. We were really confused by this. Then Rhoda told us that they were taking us to show the Jesus film. This was a little different then painting a church. Haha So we went to change and headed out to the land to show the film. The drive was really bumpy and some of the girls started feeling nauseous. We pulled up to a house that someone from their church lived in. We walked around the area inviting people to come to the film. As we were walking there was a little handicap girl sitting in the middle of the road. It was so sad because even people from the church would not stop to talk or look at her. Kristin started talking to her so we all got around her and just let gave her some attention. I just happened to have a sucker in my purse so I unwrapped it and gave it to her as we were leaving. She was so excited about this! We had to continue on but when we returned she was sitting there waiting for us. She started yelling and it was so sweet. We let her touch our hands and she just sat there smiling. She used us for support and she stood up and was just yelling and trying to talk to us. It made me so sad because I know this child is so neglected. We eventually had to leave and we said our goodbyes and when we left she was crying and yelling. It was so sad. The Lord is definitely breaking my heart, while His heart breaks.
We returned back to the spot and they began setting up for the film. It is amazing how little the resources they have, but how resourceful they are and how they put everything together. They of course provided some salad, bread, and tea. Dave told us that they love to have an excuse to eat. It was also really interesting because the people they had invited were there and we were all eating in front of them. They kept telling us to eat more, but we weren't even that hungry. Finally after all the church people had been served they gave a little to the visitors. It is so interesting the differences in Christianity here.
After dinner they turned on some music and had a dance. Some of the visitors and children joined in. I had a little dance partner named Zito and he was so sweet. I had a lot of fun with this as most of you can imagine. Finally at about 7:3o we began the video (they told Dave this would be the time we would be done.) There were about 40 people that attended and most were children. At the end 5 ladies asked Christ in their heart!! This was really neat to see even though we couldn't understand much. When we were on our way back Dave told us that one of us received a letter in the mail, and that he was really shocked because the mail system here is never very reliable. We all thought that it was for Allyson, but when we got there he handed me a letter! It was from Seth and it was such a God thing that I would even receive the letter, and especially at the time when I was feeling most homesick. We got back and Rhoda had dinner waiting for us even though it was 10:00 at night. When we were at the dinner table the phone rang and it was my mom!! What another blessing! God is taking care of me, and I definitely see that first hand. My family is going on their vacation so this week will probably be a little more challenging for me, but I know God is present. I would definitely appreciate your prayers about this. Also I pray that God will use us in ways we may or may not see. Thank you so much for your consistent support. It definitely means so much to me.
Today we are off to a district choir competition (hopefully we are not going to be competing, but you never know.) This will most likely be an all day deal. Tomorrow we are visiting a different church and will most likely lead worship there. Then we are treating the Restricks to dinner before they set off on their 3 week escapade! After, we hope to take the blankets and cakes to the boys' homeless shelter. This should be a very neat experience.
Hope you all enjoy your weekend!!
In Christ,
Kaylee
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
to catch you up on my days!
Sorry I have not written in a couple days! I will try to catch you up on what I have been doing though.
A small overview:
Saturday we were asked to do leadership training. We were also asked to split up the group and travel to two different churchs. So Kristin and I went to a church in the Maputo district and we were pretty nervous because we had no clue what to expect and how we were supposed to train youth leaders. We rode with president of the Seminary, Margarita. On the way there she relieved our nervousness because she told us that she was leading it. It was definitely an adventure getting to the church because the rodes were very small and her truck was not the easiest to maneuver. We were 30 minutes late to the church (which is common in African time) but we were only late because we could not get down the streets easily because they were so small. It was definitely a memory. When we got there Kristin and I introduced ourselves to the group while Margarita interpreted and then we were done. Haha We sat and listened to leadership training for 3 hours. After we left we were relieved that we didn't have to take charge of that, but also at the same time we were wondering what the purpose of us being there was. I started praying about it and I read a devotional and it was talking about God's plans. It definitely hit the spot. It was talking about how His plans are infinitely bigger than our own and if we allow him to have control then he will work in us and through us. Even though I may not make a huge impact here, but I know that God is working in me if anything.
Sunday: We went to church in a hut! Before church began we went to Sunday school outside under a tree (the flies loved us.) The Sunday school was really interesting because they would read scriptures about people being persecuted and then they would ask, "How would the Christians in America react to this?" We would sit there as Dave translated and then would answer the question the best way possible. They would look at eachother as if it was not the correct answer and then question us more. It is hard for them to understand our answers because our cultures are so very different. It was a bit challenging because people sometimes think that Americans have all the answers, and that is definitely not the case. They really want to know about our culture and how we do things. After SS we went to the hut for church. It was this small hut that ended up holding about ninety people for three hours. It was definitely an experience. The whole service was in Shangaan (a native language here) so we didn't understand one word of the service, but it's so good to see people that are so different than us on the outside, worshiping the same God. Sunday was also "Mother's Day" at this church. Mother's day is just on whichever day each church feels like having it here... so it was yesterday! The Mom's all marched in with a dance they all do here... and did a drama as well. It was so fun and I was trying to imagine Moms in thes States doing the same thing. We were so hot and ready to leave by the 3rd hour, but it was good! We're still adjusting to the length of the services here in Mozambique! After church we went back to the Restrick's and ate a great meal of roast, gravy, mashed potatoes, cauliflower and cheese, mixed veggies, and popovers. It was so good, and reminded me a little of home! After this great meal, Dave took the four of us to the beach!! Which turned out to be only about 15 minutes away! It's amazing that it's only fifteen minutes from here, because it's more rich and touristy. The Indian Ocean was beautiful. It was a very strange feeling to think we had our feet off the tip of Mozambique, into the Indian Ocean.fter walking the beach, we went to this park-like area to get an icecream cone! It was such a nice treat. Also, we were not the minoritites there. It was nice to not be stared at for once.
Yesterday We are making blankets for an orphanage that a man recently started here (we visited it earlier). It's a place that 'street children' are allowed to come and live. They have many needs, but one need is simply bedding... so Rhoda has gotten out all her spare fabric and batting and we're going to sew away! We're hoping to take these blankets on Saturday and show the Jesus film for children that night as well! This project should keep us busy until Thursday.... then we begin to paint a church!
Today: We made cookies for some of the students here and it was really fun to see their faces when we gave them some. We are also still working on the blankets and books Rhoda left.
Anyways that is all for now. I am missing home but I am also enjoying my time here and the people.
Hope you all are having a great week!
Kaylee
There are many different things that we have experienced. One of these is the driving. There is no rules here in Maputo about driving and it is a bit scary. They also are the most bumpy roads, and there are no lines so it makes things interesting. Along the roads there are countless children with bare feet playing, almost every woman has a baby on her back and a huge container of some sort balancing on her head. Dirt covers everything and makes up the "roads" here. There are always goats along the roads and many dogs too. There are numerous pick up trucks, which have probably around 25 people loaded in the backs of them.. I am thankful we haven't had to take part in that yet! I pray so much when we are riding along but thankfully Dave is a very safe driver. There is a continuous smell of burning trash because the city sets there trash on fire at a huge dump. The smell is especially bad in the mornings. I do miss nature because we don't see it much at all. We have seen some green fields when we have travelled to the different churches but that is about it. We will see more of the bush when we go to Kruger and Swaziland next month (which I am super excited about.) People are all so free here and not ashamed of anything. For instance. when we went to see the Indian Ocean we saw a lady bathing. It was interesting to say the least. Nobody is ashamed of what they have, or what they don't, but they only want to share with you. That is really refreshing.
A small overview:
Saturday we were asked to do leadership training. We were also asked to split up the group and travel to two different churchs. So Kristin and I went to a church in the Maputo district and we were pretty nervous because we had no clue what to expect and how we were supposed to train youth leaders. We rode with president of the Seminary, Margarita. On the way there she relieved our nervousness because she told us that she was leading it. It was definitely an adventure getting to the church because the rodes were very small and her truck was not the easiest to maneuver. We were 30 minutes late to the church (which is common in African time) but we were only late because we could not get down the streets easily because they were so small. It was definitely a memory. When we got there Kristin and I introduced ourselves to the group while Margarita interpreted and then we were done. Haha We sat and listened to leadership training for 3 hours. After we left we were relieved that we didn't have to take charge of that, but also at the same time we were wondering what the purpose of us being there was. I started praying about it and I read a devotional and it was talking about God's plans. It definitely hit the spot. It was talking about how His plans are infinitely bigger than our own and if we allow him to have control then he will work in us and through us. Even though I may not make a huge impact here, but I know that God is working in me if anything.
Sunday: We went to church in a hut! Before church began we went to Sunday school outside under a tree (the flies loved us.) The Sunday school was really interesting because they would read scriptures about people being persecuted and then they would ask, "How would the Christians in America react to this?" We would sit there as Dave translated and then would answer the question the best way possible. They would look at eachother as if it was not the correct answer and then question us more. It is hard for them to understand our answers because our cultures are so very different. It was a bit challenging because people sometimes think that Americans have all the answers, and that is definitely not the case. They really want to know about our culture and how we do things. After SS we went to the hut for church. It was this small hut that ended up holding about ninety people for three hours. It was definitely an experience. The whole service was in Shangaan (a native language here) so we didn't understand one word of the service, but it's so good to see people that are so different than us on the outside, worshiping the same God. Sunday was also "Mother's Day" at this church. Mother's day is just on whichever day each church feels like having it here... so it was yesterday! The Mom's all marched in with a dance they all do here... and did a drama as well. It was so fun and I was trying to imagine Moms in thes States doing the same thing. We were so hot and ready to leave by the 3rd hour, but it was good! We're still adjusting to the length of the services here in Mozambique! After church we went back to the Restrick's and ate a great meal of roast, gravy, mashed potatoes, cauliflower and cheese, mixed veggies, and popovers. It was so good, and reminded me a little of home! After this great meal, Dave took the four of us to the beach!! Which turned out to be only about 15 minutes away! It's amazing that it's only fifteen minutes from here, because it's more rich and touristy. The Indian Ocean was beautiful. It was a very strange feeling to think we had our feet off the tip of Mozambique, into the Indian Ocean.fter walking the beach, we went to this park-like area to get an icecream cone! It was such a nice treat. Also, we were not the minoritites there. It was nice to not be stared at for once.
Yesterday We are making blankets for an orphanage that a man recently started here (we visited it earlier). It's a place that 'street children' are allowed to come and live. They have many needs, but one need is simply bedding... so Rhoda has gotten out all her spare fabric and batting and we're going to sew away! We're hoping to take these blankets on Saturday and show the Jesus film for children that night as well! This project should keep us busy until Thursday.... then we begin to paint a church!
Today: We made cookies for some of the students here and it was really fun to see their faces when we gave them some. We are also still working on the blankets and books Rhoda left.
Anyways that is all for now. I am missing home but I am also enjoying my time here and the people.
Hope you all are having a great week!
Kaylee
There are many different things that we have experienced. One of these is the driving. There is no rules here in Maputo about driving and it is a bit scary. They also are the most bumpy roads, and there are no lines so it makes things interesting. Along the roads there are countless children with bare feet playing, almost every woman has a baby on her back and a huge container of some sort balancing on her head. Dirt covers everything and makes up the "roads" here. There are always goats along the roads and many dogs too. There are numerous pick up trucks, which have probably around 25 people loaded in the backs of them.. I am thankful we haven't had to take part in that yet! I pray so much when we are riding along but thankfully Dave is a very safe driver. There is a continuous smell of burning trash because the city sets there trash on fire at a huge dump. The smell is especially bad in the mornings. I do miss nature because we don't see it much at all. We have seen some green fields when we have travelled to the different churches but that is about it. We will see more of the bush when we go to Kruger and Swaziland next month (which I am super excited about.) People are all so free here and not ashamed of anything. For instance. when we went to see the Indian Ocean we saw a lady bathing. It was interesting to say the least. Nobody is ashamed of what they have, or what they don't, but they only want to share with you. That is really refreshing.
Friday, June 12, 2009
God's Assurance
I am so amazed by God's timing and how He uses things and people to reassure. I have definitely been reassured so many times as the summer goes on. I am very thankful for this and it has definitely helped me while being here.
Today we had a really neat day. On the schedule for our team it said "Church cleaning at Manchauve Church." We had no clue what was in store and what exactly we would be doing. The drive was really pretty because it was on the outskirts of the city. This was the first time I have experienced this while being in the city. We we arrived at the "church" we pulled up to a bunch of trees and ladies welcoming us. This was there church. They had the service under a big tree and about 150-200 people attended every Sunday. This just really amazed me. These people are so dedicated and truly work to attend church. Our tasks was to rake a bunch of the leaves and dirt around the different trees so that it could be a fertilizer. It was a good thing that Dave thought to bring rakes! It amazed me how hard working they were. There was a lady that was probably in her 70's raking and a old man that was at least 80 "mowing" the weeds in suit pants and a sweater. I was burning up and he was working harder than me!! One lady had a baby on her back and was raking away without stopping. The ladies would sing while they worked and it was so great just to hear how joyful they were. After we were finished they treated us to crackers and soda. (They always drink soda because the water is too bad to drink from in most areas.) We sat a table that they brought for us with a table cloth and these nice chairs while they sat on these benches. This is something we have encountered a lot in this short period of time. They always set spoil us and set us above them, even though we didn't really do all that much. After we were done we sang some songs with them and these ladies would make these crazy African noises with their mouths. We would laugh and then mimic what they were doing and they loved it!! It is crazy how you can connect even with language barriers. Before we left, the pastor of the church expressed her gratitude and they also asked that we pray for them as they try to raise enough money to build their own church. (We hope to have extra site funds at the end to donate to their church.) We really enjoyed our time with them, and I really learned a lot.
Then last night at dinner Rhoda asked one of us to share our testimonies each night. So I shared mine with the group and we talked about our families. It was great to get to know each other on a different level. We have began to build really good relationships with both Dave and Rhoda and I am so glad.
Also on another note, our on-site coordinator that we have barely seen has now changed because his wife just had their baby. They actually had to do a c-section and they sent her home the day after which is really scary because the baby is only 4 pounds. Tomas is still going to be helping us but now we are mainly with a man named Adimi. He is really great! We are so thankful!! He kinda knows a little bit more about how to relate to us and to make sure we are feeling okay about everything. We met with him this morning and he told us that we are his responsibility and we do not need to worry about transportation while the Restricks are gone or anything because Tomas and him are going to take turns. He said that if we ever need anything he wants us to not hesitate to come tell him. This was such a comfort and such a huge reassurance that God's hand is in it all. Thank you Lord!!
If you would like to see some pictures of the trip here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010660&id=1438620082&l=b2aed80716
if you copy and paste it, it should take you to my facebook album. Hopefully it works!
Anyways thank you for praying about that! I miss you all and I appreciate you.
Today we had a really neat day. On the schedule for our team it said "Church cleaning at Manchauve Church." We had no clue what was in store and what exactly we would be doing. The drive was really pretty because it was on the outskirts of the city. This was the first time I have experienced this while being in the city. We we arrived at the "church" we pulled up to a bunch of trees and ladies welcoming us. This was there church. They had the service under a big tree and about 150-200 people attended every Sunday. This just really amazed me. These people are so dedicated and truly work to attend church. Our tasks was to rake a bunch of the leaves and dirt around the different trees so that it could be a fertilizer. It was a good thing that Dave thought to bring rakes! It amazed me how hard working they were. There was a lady that was probably in her 70's raking and a old man that was at least 80 "mowing" the weeds in suit pants and a sweater. I was burning up and he was working harder than me!! One lady had a baby on her back and was raking away without stopping. The ladies would sing while they worked and it was so great just to hear how joyful they were. After we were finished they treated us to crackers and soda. (They always drink soda because the water is too bad to drink from in most areas.) We sat a table that they brought for us with a table cloth and these nice chairs while they sat on these benches. This is something we have encountered a lot in this short period of time. They always set spoil us and set us above them, even though we didn't really do all that much. After we were done we sang some songs with them and these ladies would make these crazy African noises with their mouths. We would laugh and then mimic what they were doing and they loved it!! It is crazy how you can connect even with language barriers. Before we left, the pastor of the church expressed her gratitude and they also asked that we pray for them as they try to raise enough money to build their own church. (We hope to have extra site funds at the end to donate to their church.) We really enjoyed our time with them, and I really learned a lot.
Then last night at dinner Rhoda asked one of us to share our testimonies each night. So I shared mine with the group and we talked about our families. It was great to get to know each other on a different level. We have began to build really good relationships with both Dave and Rhoda and I am so glad.
Also on another note, our on-site coordinator that we have barely seen has now changed because his wife just had their baby. They actually had to do a c-section and they sent her home the day after which is really scary because the baby is only 4 pounds. Tomas is still going to be helping us but now we are mainly with a man named Adimi. He is really great! We are so thankful!! He kinda knows a little bit more about how to relate to us and to make sure we are feeling okay about everything. We met with him this morning and he told us that we are his responsibility and we do not need to worry about transportation while the Restricks are gone or anything because Tomas and him are going to take turns. He said that if we ever need anything he wants us to not hesitate to come tell him. This was such a comfort and such a huge reassurance that God's hand is in it all. Thank you Lord!!
If you would like to see some pictures of the trip here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010660&id=1438620082&l=b2aed80716
if you copy and paste it, it should take you to my facebook album. Hopefully it works!
Anyways thank you for praying about that! I miss you all and I appreciate you.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Well yesterday we woke up and went to Rhoda's English class while she was in South Africa for the day. We read some of the Zacheus passages in English and then in Portuguese. The
students would help us with our pronunciation and we would do the same for them. Then
we learned some basic words in Portuguese and we taught them in English. They are all
so nice and very helpful. Then when we were finished we went back to the Restrick's house
and did some tasks for Rhoda. We put some Tylenol stuff in individual packets and then we labeled them. She is going to take these with her when she goes up north.
Then we made some packets with these worm pills that smelled awful. I cannot believe that Rhoda does all this on her own. She also helps with the sponsorship program in Maputo, so we helped address letters and envelopes for the children. It was neat to actually help her with something since she has done so much for us. Then afterward we rested for a bit and then ate some stew that Rhoda left in the crock pot for us. We worked on some songs for church and then watched Santa Claus 2. haha. Today we were supposed to go with one of the pastors to see a new church plantation (we don't know exactly all that was supposed to be involved) but it rained last night and the pastor told Dave that he did not want Americans to see the church when it could be muddy. So that is kinda frustrating, but it is ok. This morning we went to a chapel service on campus. They had a farewell for one of the secretarys and also a baby dedication. They also introduced us and welcomed us to the campus.
We are going to run errands with Dave this afternoon. Tomorrow we're supposed to be cleaning a church, who knows what all this means. We never know. haha Thank you for your prayers. I definitely have appreciated all the encouragement and comments that I have been given. They have definitely been so helpful. Even though we might not know what our plans are, I am so thankful that I have the assurance that God knows exactly what He has in store for us. Thank you all for generous support for me. I am sooo thankful for you!! Have a great day, I will write soon!
students would help us with our pronunciation and we would do the same for them. Then
we learned some basic words in Portuguese and we taught them in English. They are all
so nice and very helpful. Then when we were finished we went back to the Restrick's house
and did some tasks for Rhoda. We put some Tylenol stuff in individual packets and then we labeled them. She is going to take these with her when she goes up north.
Then we made some packets with these worm pills that smelled awful. I cannot believe that Rhoda does all this on her own. She also helps with the sponsorship program in Maputo, so we helped address letters and envelopes for the children. It was neat to actually help her with something since she has done so much for us. Then afterward we rested for a bit and then ate some stew that Rhoda left in the crock pot for us. We worked on some songs for church and then watched Santa Claus 2. haha. Today we were supposed to go with one of the pastors to see a new church plantation (we don't know exactly all that was supposed to be involved) but it rained last night and the pastor told Dave that he did not want Americans to see the church when it could be muddy. So that is kinda frustrating, but it is ok. This morning we went to a chapel service on campus. They had a farewell for one of the secretarys and also a baby dedication. They also introduced us and welcomed us to the campus.
We are going to run errands with Dave this afternoon. Tomorrow we're supposed to be cleaning a church, who knows what all this means. We never know. haha Thank you for your prayers. I definitely have appreciated all the encouragement and comments that I have been given. They have definitely been so helpful. Even though we might not know what our plans are, I am so thankful that I have the assurance that God knows exactly what He has in store for us. Thank you all for generous support for me. I am sooo thankful for you!! Have a great day, I will write soon!
Monday, June 8, 2009
One week in Maputo!
Well to catch you up on some things lately... A lot has been going on. Well Saturday was definitely a challenging day for our team. I am not sure why exactly
but I feel like the unknown of the summer really hit us. We went to a district choir
contest. It was great to hear the kids sing and dance (especially our kids from the seminary.) I feel like they are my own children.
But after the first 2 hours (we were there a total of 5 hours) we were getting pretty tired and EXHAUSTED. and hot. on top of all that. Ha
Then after they served a BIG meal and we sat with the leaders of the church that could not speak English and they were
talking about our plans and what they wanted from us, and we could not communicate. Not to mention these people always want to make sure we eat and eat and eat. But anyways we don't know who is going to be transporting us to our destinations this summer since the Restricks are leaving in a week and a half, for 3 weeks. But when the Restricks finally
came to pick us up Rhoda spoke to them and they got some things figured out. Our team first of all feels like celebrities here. When we walk around the churches people tell us to stop to take our picture. It is weird. haha Today some kids pet my hair. Haha After we left the church we took a man home that owns a homeless shelter,It was Rhoda's idea. She really has such a heart. He gave us a tour of the house, and it seriously broke my heart. There were two rooms, and the house held 12 boys, and a couple of them had disabilities. In front of the house was a tent, where some of them slept. Dave gave them some money, but we're planning on sewing blankets for them and baking cakes and showing the Jesus video with the Restricks, which should be neat. When we came back, Rhoda insisted on relieving some of our stress when we, so we had tacos and watched The Gods Must Be Crazy, but I fell asleep.
Yesterday we visited Matola City Church of the Nazarene. This is outside of Maputo. The Restricks were kind enough to take us there. When we got there the NYI director of Matola met us and lead us into the church, and sat us at the front!!! We were sitting in like the thrones that the pastors sit in. Then they told Jerry that he was preaching. Jerry made up the sermon on the spot it was.... interesting. We also lead worship we taught them some songs that had motions, and they were a hit! We also learned one that was in Portuguese and Shangaan ( a local language) and they were all so impressed. After, I sang a duet with Jerry. In front of at least 200 people. I cannot believe I am saying that. We sang the song "House of God," and it went really well. Then we went to the kids sunday school and sang songs and they were jumping and singing, it was a lot of fun. Kristin is going to be a teacher and she is awesome with kids, so that is such a blessing. Then after the kids performed a skit and dance for the Youth (this is a very broad term in Africa) service. The kids all love to touch us and say hi to us, it is so funny. Then they led us back to the small sunday school room which held should hold 50 and held 120 kids. We sat there and they told us the Sunday school teacher had left to prepare something and we could not leave until she got back. After about 20 minutes in she walks with egg sandwhiches and cola. They were not bad, but we were all stuffed because Rhoda served us a huge breakfast to prepare us for the day. haha Then afterward Dave picked us up and took us back to their church because their service was still going. After it was over we danced (they love this) with the kids and left. Dave took us to see the city after the service, Maputo is probably one of the poorest cities I have ever seen. Then we came back to our safe little home and we moved into the nice guest homes. We are spoiled to live in these houses.
Today we woke up and met with Rhoda's English class who we are going to be helping tomorrow. They are going to be helping us with Portuguese and we're going to be helping with their English. After lunch we went to run errands with Dave. We got to exchange some currency and I also bought a capalana, which is a skirt/wrap! I am excited to wear them. Then we went to the store and bought some food for our team. After we ate dinner and helped Rhoda bake some cakes. Tomorrow we are going to the English class and then we are helping Rhoda with many of her to dos. We are helping her with her child sponsorship program, then we are putting medicines together for her clinic, and whatever else appears on her list. It is great to help her because she does so much yet she still has been so great with us.
Anyways that is all for now, I will try to update soon. Please pray that we will be able to figure some of the schedule complications out, and that our site-coordinator will be more present and available to us, since we have only seen him for about 30 minutes since we have been here. We really don't know what the expectations are for our time here. It is a quite interesting situation and a little stressful. But I know God has a plan, and that is very reassuring. Love you guys and thanks for your support.
but I feel like the unknown of the summer really hit us. We went to a district choir
contest. It was great to hear the kids sing and dance (especially our kids from the seminary.) I feel like they are my own children.
But after the first 2 hours (we were there a total of 5 hours) we were getting pretty tired and EXHAUSTED. and hot. on top of all that. Ha
Then after they served a BIG meal and we sat with the leaders of the church that could not speak English and they were
talking about our plans and what they wanted from us, and we could not communicate. Not to mention these people always want to make sure we eat and eat and eat. But anyways we don't know who is going to be transporting us to our destinations this summer since the Restricks are leaving in a week and a half, for 3 weeks. But when the Restricks finally
came to pick us up Rhoda spoke to them and they got some things figured out. Our team first of all feels like celebrities here. When we walk around the churches people tell us to stop to take our picture. It is weird. haha Today some kids pet my hair. Haha After we left the church we took a man home that owns a homeless shelter,It was Rhoda's idea. She really has such a heart. He gave us a tour of the house, and it seriously broke my heart. There were two rooms, and the house held 12 boys, and a couple of them had disabilities. In front of the house was a tent, where some of them slept. Dave gave them some money, but we're planning on sewing blankets for them and baking cakes and showing the Jesus video with the Restricks, which should be neat. When we came back, Rhoda insisted on relieving some of our stress when we, so we had tacos and watched The Gods Must Be Crazy, but I fell asleep.
Yesterday we visited Matola City Church of the Nazarene. This is outside of Maputo. The Restricks were kind enough to take us there. When we got there the NYI director of Matola met us and lead us into the church, and sat us at the front!!! We were sitting in like the thrones that the pastors sit in. Then they told Jerry that he was preaching. Jerry made up the sermon on the spot it was.... interesting. We also lead worship we taught them some songs that had motions, and they were a hit! We also learned one that was in Portuguese and Shangaan ( a local language) and they were all so impressed. After, I sang a duet with Jerry. In front of at least 200 people. I cannot believe I am saying that. We sang the song "House of God," and it went really well. Then we went to the kids sunday school and sang songs and they were jumping and singing, it was a lot of fun. Kristin is going to be a teacher and she is awesome with kids, so that is such a blessing. Then after the kids performed a skit and dance for the Youth (this is a very broad term in Africa) service. The kids all love to touch us and say hi to us, it is so funny. Then they led us back to the small sunday school room which held should hold 50 and held 120 kids. We sat there and they told us the Sunday school teacher had left to prepare something and we could not leave until she got back. After about 20 minutes in she walks with egg sandwhiches and cola. They were not bad, but we were all stuffed because Rhoda served us a huge breakfast to prepare us for the day. haha Then afterward Dave picked us up and took us back to their church because their service was still going. After it was over we danced (they love this) with the kids and left. Dave took us to see the city after the service, Maputo is probably one of the poorest cities I have ever seen. Then we came back to our safe little home and we moved into the nice guest homes. We are spoiled to live in these houses.
Today we woke up and met with Rhoda's English class who we are going to be helping tomorrow. They are going to be helping us with Portuguese and we're going to be helping with their English. After lunch we went to run errands with Dave. We got to exchange some currency and I also bought a capalana, which is a skirt/wrap! I am excited to wear them. Then we went to the store and bought some food for our team. After we ate dinner and helped Rhoda bake some cakes. Tomorrow we are going to the English class and then we are helping Rhoda with many of her to dos. We are helping her with her child sponsorship program, then we are putting medicines together for her clinic, and whatever else appears on her list. It is great to help her because she does so much yet she still has been so great with us.
Anyways that is all for now, I will try to update soon. Please pray that we will be able to figure some of the schedule complications out, and that our site-coordinator will be more present and available to us, since we have only seen him for about 30 minutes since we have been here. We really don't know what the expectations are for our time here. It is a quite interesting situation and a little stressful. But I know God has a plan, and that is very reassuring. Love you guys and thanks for your support.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Today we woke up had breakfast and then we watched the dentists (the work and witness team from Colorado) work on some patients here on the campus. Some of the people had never been to a dentist before so this was a totally new experience for most of them. Some of them who have the money visit the dentist in town, but they do now help fix the problems of their teeth, but instead just pull them out. So it was interesting to watch them get their teeth fixed. After we met with Tomas (our on-site coordinator) and he introduced us to the people we will be working with. It seems like we will be doing things with the local churches about 3 times a week. One of the churches is a huge Nazarene church and it has over 2000 people attend and at least 300 children. We are going to be helping the children, but there will be a facilitator in charge which is nice. I am not sure what all this entails but it is good to know that we have a plan. There were 3 men and a woman that were representing their church and they are excited to be around us because they want to learn English and we want to learn Portuguese. At about three today which is 8 your time the kids get out of the the "Escuelina" (the little school on campus) and we plan on playing with them till supper. They are the sweetest kids. They do not speak English but they love to sing with us and dance and show us the songs they have learned at church. We will most likely eat supper with the Restricks and the Work and Witness team and then head to bed soon after. It gets dark here around 5:30 or 6 and the mosquitos are out so we don't get to do too much at night. But tomorrow I think Tomas plans on showing us around the city with the other presidents from the churches. Their names are Osvaldo, Elvido, Narciso (he speaks the most English) and Olivia. They are so interested in America and how our church and schools work. I wish there wasn't such a language barrier because it is kinda hard to communicate sometimes.But it is neat to communicate even without words sometimes. Anyways that is all for now! Thanks for your love and support! I am blessed. Have a great Thursday.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
I am here after 43 hours of Traveling!!
Hi friends and family! I have made it here safely!! Thank you so much for your prayers. Well let me see if I can briefly catch you up on my life. We arrived into London and we got to see Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Bridge, Big Ben, and some other places that I cannot remember off the top of my head. We rode the subway into the central part of London and walked from there. It was a pretty day in London but we were all pretty exhausted. We got back to the airport around 3 and waited to board the plane at 8. We rode Virgin Atlantic to Johannesburg. The plane was very nice, but after 2 red eye flights back to back I think I had enough. We got into Joburg and we waited to get our flight to Maputo which left at 1. So we all laid around until then. Then we boarded the plane to head to Maputo! It was supposed to take an hour, but evidentally the South Africa Airways does not waste time because we arrived in 40 minutes! Haha Customs went smoothly and we got our luggage and then waited for our coordinator to pick us up. We were getting a little nervous sitting in an unknown city by ourselves but after 30 minutes Tomas had shown up. We were all pretty relieved to see him. He is very friendly but I do not know if he has much planned for us. But we will see. we smushed into his car with our huge bags and said our prayers as we went through crazy African streets. As we were driving I thought I was in a movie with some of the poorest people looking at us, and then little children running around barefoot playing games. It was definitely a culture shock. We finally arrived at the school and were greeted by Rhoda Restrick. It was very nice to see her and they are definitely taking care of us. After we moved our stuff into our temporary apartment we walked out and a group of children were out playing. We met them and they sang a bunch of songs to us in Portuguese. It was so great and definitely welcoming. For dinner we ate with the Work and witness team from Colorado. It was a good time. Then the Restricks let us take a warm shower at their house which felt great after 3 days of traveling. The we had tea and headed to our beds. We got great sleep which was definitely needed! Now we are just waiting to hear from Tomas and what he has planned for us. Thanks for your continual prayers. They are appreciated so much! Miss ya!
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