Deforestation

While in Malawi, we learned a few things. First, Malawi is considered to be one of the poorest nations in the world. Apparently, it has made some of the top 10 lists. What is funny is that Malawi is more developed than Mozambique. I suspect that the problem lies in the population density. There are many, many more people per square mile in Malawi than in Mozambique, where there are large tracts of sparsely-populated land.

In Malawi, there is a great deal more industry. Locally-made products are sold in all the stores, while in Mozambique only a small percentage of products are local. It seems, also, that there is a more fertile environment for growing crops. We saw corn planted on every spare square inch of land. However, there have been droughts over the past 15 years and to the subsistence farmer this is devastating. We see the same thing over here - in a year of good crops, people get by just fine. In a bad year, you see malnutrition, sickness and starvation.

One of the problems that Malawi faces is deforestation. We took this picture while we were driving up on Zomba mountain. Long-term missionaries tell us that not long ago, it was like driving up into a rain forest up there. It was dense with trees. As we drove up the winding road, we saw bicycle after bicycle loaded down with cut and stacked wood. We even saw one man carrying a huge load on his back. And up on the mountain, we saw entire slopes like this one, with every tree cut down. When all those stumps rot out, I imagine the mudslides will begin. I am not an expert on this stuff, but it seems a grim future for Zomba mountain. There is a forest service up there, and I hope that they are caring for it responsibly.


Why are they cutting down the trees? For cooking. Many, many people are still living in homes with no electricity, or do not have the money to purchase or use an electric hot plate. A very high percentage of people (and in Moz especially) are still cooking outdoors over fires. To use bottled gas is very expensive (especially to get it set up, with a cooker and with buying the gas), and solar ovens are complicated. When we lived in Namibia, I constructed and used a solar oven, but after about a month I gave up on it. It was very difficult to cook with, even in a constantly sunny place like Namibia. Of course, there are better-quality ones and better systems, but often it requires a commitment to longer cooking times, and different cooking methods that poor, uneducated women aren't willing, or are unable, to make. There are no easy solutions, and there are quite a few people who are working to try to create options for the poor, and to work on education so that deforestation will not continue to be the devastating force for land destruction that it currently is in many third-world countries. - Cami

Oh, I Forgot

We had a "funny" moment yesterday. When we arrived home several days ago, we found that our well had collapsed, a pipe had broken under the house, mold was growing on some of the walls and some of the roof is leaking again, after a major repair job a few months ago. Kevin came into the kitchen and said, in frustration, "Why does everything have to go wrong when we go away on vacation?". I said to him (I hope with some compassion), "Kevin, you've just forgotten. Things are always like this." He looked at me intensely for a moment, then burst into laughter. And it is true. There is always something that needs fixing, and usually it is something difficult.

Of course, these things don't happen just to US. Back at home, things happen too. It's just that here, often it is difficult to get these things taken care of. Instead of a call to a professional, you are faced with sorting it out yourself. Or, you have to speak to 10 different people to figure out what you ought to do about the problem (like the collapsed well). You have to find the tools to do it with, and the materials. Kevin has been outside all morning digging up pipes, and the poor man looks like he's taken a shower in his clothes. Very humid today. The pipe that is broken will have to be cut and capped, and a new one run. This is because when the house was built, all the pipes were buried in cement and there are no access points.

Kevin is a champ. He's working on it and I am so thankful that I married a handy guy! Otherwise, I'd be out there with a shovel instead of typing this blog entry. Thank you, Kevin. :-)

Christmas in Malawi

I updated our blog up to our stay in Zomba, which was a beautifully cool spot where we stayed in a small house reminiscent of a lake cottage. With flagstone floors, Readers Digest Condensed books on the shelves, bunk beds in the corner of the living room and chintz curtains, it felt like a cottage in New England. We enjoyed visiting with our hosts and neighbors, the Theissens, and our kids played with their kids quite a bit. Two trips up nearby Zomba mountain were like a little taste of heaven, with green forests, ferns and walking trails. Kevin and Toby went on a nice long hike and Ben and I hung around near the trail beginning looking at all the ferns, throwing leaves in the bubbling creek, and investigating various bug homes. You just cannot imagine what a breath of fresh air this was for us. After living in the northeast USA, we really miss being able to hike and spend time in the cool, green outdoors. Here in Moz, it is not even possible to go for a walk. There are just people everywhere here near town, and further outside of town there is just not a lot to see. And it is HOT. So, we drank in the beauty.

On our way from Zomba up to our new digs on Lake Malawi, we stopped at a game park. A Christmas gift from a family member allowed us to go on a little safari trip. The park was too wet to navigate in our truck (bridges had collapsed) and so we paid for an hour's boat trip up the river to see hippos and animals on the shore, then for another hour in a safari jeep where we saw warthogs, Waterbuck, Impala, Bushbuck, Baboons, and monkeys. We had hoped for elephants, but this time of year they move further into the park where we couldn't follow. The kids really enjoyed seeing the animals, though Ben got bored pretty quickly and fell asleep lying face-down across my lap. I think he is much more of a homebody than Toby, who is always up for adventure. Ben seemed to tire so easily on the trip, and it makes me believe that he is less of an adventurer even though he is much more personally adventurous (in the form of pursuing danger!).

At Lake Malawi, we had a big house all to ourselves. It was only about $15 per night for the four of us, and we had a gentlemen to cook our food and wash the dishes, and he graciously cooked with the simple things we had brought. We had our own little beach on the very still lake, and a little cabana with comfortable beach chairs. What a treat! Despite a torrential rainstorm with thunder and lightening that kept us up until 1 am, Santa did indeed arrive. Our small people informed us of this at 5:30 am. Needless to say, we had a nap later! That night, we drove down to a nearby resort to eat their buffet. It was a small, family resort that was very cozy, and we enjoyed the feast of pork, chicken and goat on the menu while we watched the Queen's speech on the "telly" in the small dining room.

We headed home on December 26th after quickly packing up all the presents and bidding farewell to the gardener and cook. They were busy getting ready for the next instalment of visitors. We drove south and then east, crossing the border without problems. We drove on beautiful tar roads to the border, and then were pointed down a small dirt road after we crossed. "That is the road to Cuamba", we were told. Good grief. 2 1/2 hours of bumping later, we arrived at the Piper's house, Australian missionaries with SIM who gave us a warm welcome. We enjoyed talking with them and hearing about their ministries there in the "frontier" town of Cuamba. Our trip home the next day to Nampula took only 6 1/2 hours, much less than the 8-11 hours anticipated. We found that our heavy LandCruiser handles these bumpy dirt roads fabulously, holding the road and handling the punishment while not punishing the passengers. We were very thankful for our strong truck. It handled great. When we love it, we love it, but when we hate it (paying for diesel, paying for repairs) we hate it.

At home in Nampula, we found some wonderful Christmas packages waiting for us, and had our second Christmas with much rejoicing. We found that our well had collapsed, and that a pipe under the house had broken. More on that in a later post. The pets were all still alive, including the chickens, and the summer planting has begun. A month's worth of african dust has settled over everything, and I spent quite a bit of time unearthing all of our electronics and valuable documents that I had hidden all over the house. Almost everything has been found. :-) Our faithful workers were happy to see us and we have been busily unpacking and cleaning.

We are so thankful for a good vacation. It only lasted a week, the vacationing part, but it was great and we enjoyed it a great deal. We were all grumpy (except Ben) after returning, wishing we were still in Malawi, but glad for the time we had and thankful for the safe and "easy" return.

Thanks for your prayers!
Cami

Times are Tough All Over

I know we have mentioned from time to time that things are rough for us financially, for various reasons including rise in prices here, and being under-supported. However, times have been even tougher for our non-American colleagues. We had word this last month that the Brazilian Real was devalued in Mozambique by 40 percent. Months ago, the South African Rand lost 33% here in Moz, and the Euro has decreased in value as well.

Can you imagine losing 40% of your already-small missionary salary, simply to a bad exchange rate? We wonder sometimes how our colleagues are getting by. It puts into perspective our own difficult situation. We are very thankful, because our US dollars continue to have the same value here. This is because the Mozambican Metical is tied to the dollar, for reasons we don't understand.

Above, you can see how we were “rich” for the day. This is Malawian Kwacha, and when we took US$100 out of the ATM, we received almost 15,000 Kwacha! In 500 denomination notes, that is 30 notes. It seemed like a lot to us, because in Mozambique a 500 note is worth about US$20. However, in Malawi 500 Kwacha will only buy you about 20 eggs. It is confusing dealing with different currencies, as you always have to calculate things out in your head to think if you are getting a good deal. Calculate Kwacha to dollars, then calculate how much that would be in Mozambican Meticais to compare. Phew!

Fun and Freaking Out in Malawi

Well, our trip to Malawi went well. We left Chimoio at 4 am in a driving rain (the rainy season chose to start 18 hours before we left) and had a wonderful road - for 45 miles. Then, the diversions, deep mud and potholes started. That went on for an hour or so, then we found the road turned back into cement along with the requisite deep craters that go by the cute name of "potholes". Really, they weren't too bad and you could dodge them if you saw them soon enough. After enough dirty looks from me, Kevin slowed down and worked on his "truck slalom" moves more. We arrived at the beautiful new border post into Malawi about noon and spent 2 hours trying to get someone to take care of us. Well, Kevin did. I stayed out by the car and tried to keep the boys entertained while I fended off all the men and boys who wanted to "help" me. Most just wanted to sell me something, but some just enjoyed harrassing me or seeing how close they could get to our possessions in the truck. Sheesh. Kevin meanwhile was inside the beautiful customs building where no one was manning the desk and the supervisor was asleep in his office. He finally emerged, quite frustrated and exhausted, to find that Ben had just pooped in his pants and that several beggar boys wanted him to provide them with lunch. Poor guy. When we tried to exit the border post, no one would come to open the security gate. We sat for awhile, and finally Kevin went out in the pouring rain to ask for assistance. Apparently he was supposed to check out there in the little tent by the gate. No one ever bothered to inform him of this. The guys there hemmed and hawed for awhile and finally took his information. He returned to the truck and we waited there some more. Finally someone poked his head out of the tent and looked at me (at the wheel) in confusion. Obviously, I was not Kevin. There must be a mistake. He returned to the tent. Pokes head out again. Finally he ambles out, while Kevin is gesticulating wildly "See, I am in the car!!! I am Kevin Zwart!!" and slowly opens the gate. We entered Malawi in a less than thankful mood, with poopy Ben stinking up the place.

A few miles outside of Blantyre, our destination, Kevin pulled over because the radiator was steaming. The pinprick that he had repaired from time to time with epoxy had widened into a crack, and the car was overheating. He was also very concerned because the car really lacked power going up hills at high speed (40 mph +). He filled the radiator again, and we came into town to buy a phone card to call our accommodations.

Meanwhile, we stopped at the "Game" Store. That is the name of the store, which is a South African chain which resembles an upscale Kmart. It is a place where you can buy all kinds of good quality things which are simply not obtainable in Nampula, and Toby had been much anticipating its toy aisle, in order to spend Christmas money sent by Kevin's folks. He was beside himself with joy, but his spirits lessened somewhat when he saw the prices of the toys. We had tried to prepare him, but even we were shocked. One Hot Wheels car - $10. One Hulk action figure, 9" tall, $30. One plastic bucket of Mega Blocks - $50. It took our breath away. We soon realized that anything that is a "brand" item was astronomical. But the things that were not were more affordable. In the end, Toby very happily exited the store with some new guns and a robot, and Ben had a robot as well. We wandered up and down the aisles, wide-eyed at all the beautiful merchandise for sale. Look at that - a rice cooker! Good-quality knives! Curtain Rods! Luckily we have all we need already and didn't need to purchase anything, but it was funny to feel like the country mice coming in to the city.

We got quite a few looks as we parked at the store, in our big Land Cruiser with the roof rack and yellow metal jerry cans (filled with extra diesel) on top. It was completely covered with mud from our trip and we looked like we had just come off of safari.

We settled into our guest accommodations (provided very cheaply by missionaries serving missionaries there in Blantyre) and the next day found Kevin spending all morning investigating how to fix the car. He about had a Freak Out in the toyota dealership. We have a plastic radiator which cannot be soldered, and we thought we ought to replace it. He inquired at Toyota and they quoted him a price of $1,800 and told him it would take a month to get the part in. He almost had a heart attack right there and then. He started praying for God to help him, because we couldn't get back to Moz with the radiator the way it was. God provided help in the form of a local Christian mechanic from South Africa, who spent a great deal of time the next day repairing the radiator in a way that we feel will hold for a long time. They also solved the problem of the low power by simply replacing the fuel filter. What a relief.

Kevin was able to have his annual ECG done on his heart, and the doctor noted with satisfaction that nothing has changed since last year (he has some mild problems that we need to keep an eye on) and commented that he could start doing the test less frequently now. Kevin has been jogging 3 miles 4 times a week since September and is feeling great. I had my knee checkup, which I commented on in a previous post. We pulled out of Blantyre at 6 pm on the 19th to drive an hour north to our cottage to begin our vacation, very much relieved on several fronts. And God continues to provide the finances we need along the way!

We are currently ensconced in a lovely small home on a mission compound 12 km south of the town of Zomba, where the Zomba mountain is. We drove up there yesterday, and up to the top of the mountain, which is covered in forest and ferns. It is so beautiful, green and cool. After the dusty, hot dryness of Moz, it is a balm to the eyes. We are enjoying wearing socks and light jackets, and resting a lot. As I sit on the couch and write this, I can hear the birds and see green leafy trees out of the window. It is nice to be away from the stresses of Nampula for a bit. Our vacation is cut short by the car troubles, but we are thankful that we didn't have to cancel it. Tomorrow Kevin and toby plan a hike around on the mountain and on Tuesday we'll head to a nearby game park for some game viewing by boat. Then we'll continue up to the lake for a much-anticipated Christmas celebration. Usually we have a birthday cake for Jesus, but this year I'll have to figure something else out. Maybe cookies. . . or ice cream, which is a big treat for us.

Meanwhile, we wish a very Merry Christmas to all.
Love, Cami

17 days in Chimoio

Since we have internet access for a few days here in Malawi, I thought I'd update with how our trip has gone so far.

We arrived in Chimoio and stayed at Maforga mission with friends who are working there in medical work and mobilizing people to spread the Gospel. We enjoyed seeing the different kinds of work going on there. As we approached the driveway, we pulled over to bid farewell to our colleages, Inge and Angelika, who had kindly caravaned with us for the day. We had heard of an armed robbery on that road and didn't want to travel alone. After we said goodbye, Kevin noticed a huge amount of liquid on the ground under our car and realized that it was Automatic Transmission Fluid. Not good. We bid farewell to our friends the next day, and after topping up the ATF, drove into town to the mechanic. We left the car with him and then drove out to our AIM Mozambique conference with colleagues.

We had such a nice week with all of our colleagues. I think there were about 30 adults and 17 children. We stayed in a Catholic retreat center, and had two rooms for us and our kids, which was great. Last year we were all in one tiny room (I was in charge of housing, so that was my fault!). We all slept well, and enjoyed the many times of fellowship and teaching and catching up with the colleagues whom we only see once a year. There were some new colleagues on the field this year and it was fun getting to know them a bit. Best of all were the 3 children's workers who had come out from the USA and Canada to do ministry to the kids. It wasn't just babysitting, it was ministry! They brought two huge suitcases full of toys, treats (chips ahoy!!) and teaching materials. The kids were in bliss, and we came away with a huge bag of wonderful things for the kids. They were so kind and had such servant hearts. I was able to attend all of the meetings htis year knowing that my kids were happy and safe. Thank you Carol Ann, Cindy and Barbara!!!

Unfortunately, on the 3rd day of the conference I slipped on a wet floor after doing some laundry by hand, and twisted my knee badly. I didn't rip out the ligament that was repaired in April in South Africa (from my motorcycle accident last year), which I am thankful for. However, 2 1/2 weeks after the fall I continue to have pain and swelling. The doctor in Blantyre, Malawi, that I saw last week couldn't tell if I had torn the miniscus or not and we have to wait and see if I continue with this situation for another couple months. If so, I'll have to fly back to SA for another, more minor, surgery. I did rip the miniscus last year and it healed on its own, but there is only a 10% chance of that. We'll see! Please pray.

After the conference was over, our mechanic informed us that the seals on our Torque converter needed to replaced, and needed to be flown in from South Africa. So we ordered them, and started waiting. We started our wait in the home of dear friends from Nampula who have moved to Chimoio, Jacob and Jaynie Michaels. Here is their website: http://www.goodnewsforafrica.org/gnfamichael/
They made us feel so welcome and comfortable, even though they had finished painting parts of their "new" rental house only the day before! We had such a nice time with them, getting caught up on various things and going out to see the farm outside of town that they hope to buy to start ministry in Chimoio. On the 12th, we moved down the street to the empty home of AIM colleagues since the Michaels had other guests coming in to stay and we felt we had imposed on them long enough! The house was so ideally situated, because we could continue to visit with J & J, as well as our new AIM colleagues, the Allens. It was fun getting to know them and spending time with them, and our boys especially enjoyed playing with their girls. Toby and Rebecca (age 5) had a fantastic time.

There was delay after delay in getting the part in and our car fixed, and we had to keep calling our housing in Malawi to let them know we would be delaying a couple more days, a couple more days. It was so frustrating. In the end, the car was fixed well by our great mechanic, and the price was one we were able to pay! God provides.

Originally, we were to stay in Chimoio until the 11th, but didn't leave until the 16th. We were sad to see days of our Malawi vacation slipping away. . . but grateful that we were in such a good spot, with good friends, to spend that time. And, as we commented at the end, it was really restful and peaceful. When we left, the dark circles under our eyes were gone and we were all feeling much healthier. -C

Getting Ready to Go

As we are leaving on Saturday for a month away, you might find this space static for awhile. Hopefully we won't have any grand tales of adventure that we feel we must share with you all. Just 7 hours of driving on Saturday over mostly cement roads (part of that with enormous potholes) to stay with other missionaries. Then taking the ferry over the Zambezi river next morning, and another 5 hours or so to our friends at Maforga mission near Chimoio. Next week is AIM's national conference in Chimoio, where we'll go on Monday. Then a couple days with friends after that, then the long drive north through Tete to Blantyre, Malawi. We'll be in Malawi for about 2 weeks doing medical appointments, shopping and some vacation. We are much looking forward to it.

We are experiencing the usual stuff here at the moment. Our water has been on and off for the last few days. The person who brought the water bill explained that when it rained, more water came into the dam and they had to turn off all the water pipes to clean that new water with bleach. I don't know. . . I think it sounds like he doesn't know what the heck he is talking about! We did have water for 30 minutes on Tuesday morning, and then 30 minutes Wednesday morning. As soon as it came back on, I ran to the washing machine to fill it up and wash, but discovered that the power meanwhile had gone off. Sigh. See, I thought I was being really clever and brought white towels with me to Mozambique. And all of these needed a good wash before we left. Nothing stays clean here. The water isn't even clean! I have a nice big bathtub to soak in, but once I filled the tub in anticipation and couldn't bring myself to climb into that brownish water for a luxury bath. :-) With a shower, you don't notice.

Later, the power came back on, along with the water, so I could turn on the water heater and carry buckets of hot water from the bathroom to the washer outside. About 8 buckets each load, two loads. Then the towels were hung outside in the sun to dry (as is all our laundry) along with the other 4 loads of laundry, including cloth diapers. Meanwhile, our house worker was peeling and slicing a mountain of sweet potatoes for the dish I am making for our Thanksgiving dinner tonight. We'll have about 30 people meeting together to enjoy fire-roasted chicken and the various side dishes we have brought. Happy Thanksgiving!

When Kevin went to pick up Toby at school yesterday, he found him sitting and watching the children playing, which is extremely unusual. He found Toby pale and ill, and immediately took him for a malaria test, which was positive. We started him on the medication immediately and he seems to be improving. He'll be tired for about a week, probably, and we are glad that we will have 2 days drive in the car to keep him still. He has the kind that is resistant, and we'll dose him again in a month to kill the parasite but good. Poor kid really was feeling ill last night but seems to be on the mend. Please keep him in your prayers.

Kevin meanwhile has been going over the car, preparing everything for the many miles we will drive, on some bad roads. Much bouncing ahead! We leave behind all of our pets and an empty house. Please pray for the safety of all! All of our chicken eggs will go to a local orphanage while we are gone, so we pray that they produce well.

Christmas will find us at Lake Malawi, in a cottage at Monkey Bay. It will be a bit lonely, to be honest, so please pray that we are able to find others to celebrate the holiday with. But we are very thankful for the restful time that we will be able to have. It is the "hungry time" here in Mozambique, the time before gardens are planted and harvested, and we find the many requests for help very tiring. Our resources are small and we are just not able to help many. And there is always the dilemma of who to help and how much, many questions there.

Tomorrow afternoon we will pack the car, with full toolkit and a trunk of Christmas gifts sent out by loved ones for the boys. Off we go!
-Cami

Earthquake in Nampula

Wow, pretty exciting! An earthquake in Nampula! However, thankfully I don't have tales of desparation or horror to share. No collapsed homes, no mudslides. Instead, I have only this to relate: When the shaking started, I woke up, shook Kevin's arm gently and said sleepily "We're having an earthquake". He stirred, said "Yes, it's an earthquake" and went back to sleep. And then I did too. I think we ought to lose our parenting license - oh wait, we never did get that. We SHOULD have raced to take the kids from their beds and safe into the yard. Thankfully, the earthquake was not a "big one", just enough to shake our house a bit. Anyway, that's all the news! - Cami

Lying to the Believers

This morning I visited a nearby church with my neighbor. I had promised to go with her one day because I wanted to encourage her to be part of a church (she had fallen away for some time) and today was the day. It was very pleasant to be with her and I know she was pleased that I took the time (3 1/2 hour service in 98 degree heat!) but being there at the church was very uncomfortable.

When we walked in, the service had already started and the members were praying. In many churches here, that means that everybody is praying. All at once. Out loud. In this particular flavor of church, it means that you feel like you are surrounded by crazy people, because people are pacing about, throwing their arms into the air, twirling around, or jumping up and down. All the while, literally shouting up at the sky. Shouting the same thing over and over again, weeping desperately, beating their breasts. I wish I was exaggerating, but sadly I am not. It makes you want to turn around and run out again! There are many believers here who think that the louder your prayer, the more likely it is to be answered. In some of the churches we visit, the windows are all covered and doors closed before the pandemonium begins. This is because they believe that where the Bible says you are to "go into your closet" is to be taken literally.

Anyway, most of the service was great. Nice singing, a bit of dancing, great drumming and some church elections done in an orderly fashion. Then it was time for the preaching. The regular pastor was away, so a higher-up from the district had come to preach.

I am sorry to say that the Health and Wealth Gospel is alive and well here in Mozambique. There are various denominations, including the one I visited today, that follow this teaching. The preacher started out well, reading verses from Matthew and Romans that talk about not worrying about eating or drinking, but seeking first the kingdom of God. He went on to talk about how the Kingdom of God is Peace, the continued into how the Kingdom of God is in our homes if we live peacefully. Not really scriptural, but ok. Unfortunately, then he veered into the all-too-familiar teaching that the Kingdom of God is here on earth among us and that if we pray hard enough and seek it hard enough, we will all have riches here on earth. He actually said: "Is the kingdom of God in the sky? NO! It is here!!". After emphasizing that the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (based on the scriptures), he went on to say, for 20 minutes, that the Kingdom of God is money. Houses, cars, a good mattress to sleep on. Of course, everyone loved it. He kept saying "Do you want the Kingdom of God? Do you want glass windows in your house?" To which everyone replied, shouting: "YES!" They were thrilled.

It is particularly hard to listen to this in view of the lack of Bible teaching that people have. Most know almost nothing about the Bible, beyond the verses that explain they will prosper. These very poor people continue to poor their money into the church, most of which is sent on to the leaders, who are indeed becoming rich! And the poor continue on hoping for the riches which they feel God will soon be sending their way. When it is not forthcoming, the people are blamed for lack of faith, not enough "seed money" given, or not enough time spent praying.

All of this is just another example of why we are here. Denominations like this one will continue on and likely we will not have much impact on them. Usually, folks from this church are not allowed at our classes. However, teaching believers from the other churches what the Bible says, and how to read the Bible, will bear fruit for generations to come. When people understand what they believe, and how to understand what the Bible says, they are less likely to be taken in by these wolves in sheep's clothing. - Cami

Driving Around Nampula

Well, I haven't posted in awhile. Seems like life suddenly speeded up. However, my mom sent me a link to a short video on YouTube of a guy driving around Nampula and I thought some of you would find it interesting. I think it was done within the last 5 years as not much has changed.

He starts off driving up a street that we drive on quite frequently, from Toby's school to our house. If you continue on that first street straight (he turns right) you'll soon turn left onto another street, then right onto our street.

He drives on the two main streets on Nampula in this video, where all the shops and nice buildings are. Not all of Nampula looks like this, not by a long shot, but it gives you an idea of what the shops look like and the college, and the biggest hotel. The minibuses you see driving around are the taxis that everyone uses. 15-20 people per taxi. And this is what the terrain looks like, a lot of scrubland, palm trees, and dirt!!

I apologize that the quality is absolutely awful. But for those of you who are interested, you will see some of the sights we see every day.

What's for Dinner?

Last week, I learned how it is to be a Mozambican woman in one way - cooking the meals. Our propane stove literally ran out of gas, and there was none to be found in town, so I was cooking on a little charcoal stove, outside, for four days.

Now, last year we lived with a lovely family in the bairro (slum area) for a week, and daily I watched the lady of the house do the cooking over a one-burner charcoal stove. It took hours, but I kind of chalked it up to the fact that she didn't have a lot to do and so could kind of dawdle over the preparations. However, I have a two-burner "grill" here at my house and I still found that cooking anything took a great deal of time. Just getting that stupid fire started was such a hassle. The you have to stand and fan it, and finally put your pot of water or whatever on top of it and wait for it to heat. It takes a long time. Thankful for my microwave, I just cooked once a day and we ate leftovers the rest of the time.

And boy was it it hot! The furnace blasting in my face was especially unpleasant in this 95 degree weather. Didn't like the smoke much either.

But back to the point. What I really found was that to cook anything takes a great deal of time. I didn't even want to fry an egg because in order to do that you have to light the fire 30 minutes ahead of time. You have to monitor the food closely because you can't regulate the temperature. For each meal of the day, you must light the fire and hover nearby. Everything is cooked from scratch, and to make the daily staple, shima, takes quite a bit of time. And that is if you are cooking that and not the cheaper option, mandioca, which must be pounded with a giant mortar and pestle, then boiled, then kneaded, then some other things I can't remember. And this is just for basic, daily living.

I was talking to some colleagues about having ladies' meetings, and they cautioned me that the women really only have two 2-hour blocks of time in a day, in the morning after breakfast and then after lunch. That is because they need to return home to cook lunch, then again to cook dinner, and they must be home after dark since it is dangerous to be out past that time in our city.

People talk about African women having it hard. I must confess that I didn't expect this level of work for city women, but for the majority of ladies in our city, this is reality. Which doesn't include of course, washing all the laundry by hand (including cloth diapers), nursing constantly, shopping daily for bits of food to put in the pot, etcetera. They do have a pretty good system with having the children and young people help with carrying water and cleaning the house, though. Absolutely necessary.

This week, I am very thankful for my propane stove. -Cami

Not Halloween

Ok, so we don't celebrate Halloween over here but everyone else is sending around cute photos of their kids in costume, so I'll post this one of the boys as pirates. Those teeth on Ben just crack me up every time I look at them!

There was a little girl at Toby's school who told he had yellow teeth. Apparently he hadn't been brushing his teeth very well. So, we got him cleaned up and sent him to school with the yellow pirate teeth. He grinned at her with those awful teeth and asked "Are my teeth still yellow?" It was hillarious. Anyway, enjoy the photo of the pirates with their foam swords.

By the way, we don't celebrate Halloween here because people don't find the idea of pirates, ghosts, vampires, or witches funny. And they aren't, when you look at the circumstances here. People here still are quite fearful of witchcraft, and people do put curses on one another. It is not uncommon. Bandits and thieves beat people up and rob them regularly, and the spooky creatures of the night are not a joke. So, the skull and crossbones will not be flying on our house because people would believe we were advertising for performing evil magic!
-Cami

Obama the President

Well, as we shared the news of our new president this morning with various Mozambicans, there wasn't much interest. However, when we told them that the new American president was a black man, it was amazing to watch their faces. A slow grin crept over them, ending in a beaming smile. "Wow!" many of them said.

You see, it never would have occured to most of the people here that a black man could be president of a country like America. The USA is revered as the "land of milk and honey" and widely considered the most powerful country in the world (whether that is true or not). And for Americans to CHOOSE a black man as their president. Well, that is amazing.

Here in Mozambique, many black people consider themselves inferior to whites. There are many reasons behind this, related to the tortured history of this place, to the poor quality of education that many receive, and also due to the whites that they see coming through here in their big trucks and seemingly loaded down with money. Whites are powerful, educated people. So for a country of whites (their perception of America) to choose a black man is truly surprising to them. They think to themselves "Wow, a black man can be president in a country like that!" I love watching that realization dawn on them. It is a real self-esteem booster for them and makes me feel so good.

It also makes me proud to be an American. From over here, we see and hear terrible stories of racism from all over the world. There are many places where a black man (or anyone of a minority race) would never have a chance to hold the most powerful office in the nation. But in America, it is possible. Putting politics aside, forgetting about all the issues and about all the people who agree or disagree with our president-elect, I am proud that we are a nation who can look beyond race. And happy for my Mozambican friends to know that THEY are capable of great things, that their color does not mean that they are less. It's a beautiful thing.

-Cami

Our New Addition

Who doesn't love a puppy? They are so sweet and cute and fluffy and they smell so nice. Here is a photo of our little 6 -week old girl. We are still deciding on a name for her. She is quite a contrast to our hulking dog Spotty (pictured in a previous entry) and will be lots of fun for all of us. Of course, she arrives in the very week that Benjamin appears to be potty-trained . . . so now it is back to square one for training someone else - the dog. Hopefully she'll learn quickly and we are thankful for the tile floors.

Here she is with her bowl. . . ain't she cute? She came from other "missionary dogs", the dogs of our AIM colleagues the Slaytons. They are currently on home assignment, but our other colleague, Sueli, and the folks who are living in the Slaytons' house have been caring for the puppies and getting them ready to go out. Dogs like this are a HOT commodity around here - everyone wants a good guard dog because of the crime situation. You have to be careful that your puppy doesn't get stolen, though! We are thankful to have a yard enclosed by a high wall, which is already occupied by our 12 year old Chow dog, who will protect the newcomer. She is actually afraid of the puppy (as are our cats) but doesn't seem to be acting aggressive.

We are so thankful for this dog, who will be a great guard dog (just because she is scary-looking) and also a wonderful family dog if we raise her right. - Cami

Which Came First?

Pictured here you'll see two sizes of eggs. The "huge" ones are actually normal sized ones, like you'd find in your grocery store. Those are the eggs from our chickens. The teeny white ones were given to us on Kevin's trip out to Lilini (see his blog), as a gift. They usually don't feed their chickens - they scratch around for bugs and scraps. These were very nice, yellow-yoked eggs and we enjoyed them very much, though feeling rather guilty about it. The giver didn't have any eggs this week, and here we have so many. People outside of town always give a little gift to Kevin when he visits (in this case, we also received a huge stalk of bananas which are currently ripening on our veranda, suspended from the ceiling!!) and are so generous. Once, he received a chicken but managed to pass it off to someone else before he got too far down the road (on his motorcycle). - Cami

Car Parts across the World

Here is a photo of Kevin holding up two of the new springs for our LandCruiser. Some of you people out there who know about cars will be impressed by how huge these things are. For those of you who aren't, I'll just tell you that these are massive springs!! We broke two of our springs last year on two separate trips by hitting deep potholes, and they were welded back together. We've been getting along just fine since then but fearful that any day we were going to hit a big one and feel the thump of a broken spring. Those springs were old when we bought the car, and really needed to be replaced in the beginning. But finally, four months ago we heard about a good price to replace a car suspension that another missionary had gotten in Johannesburg, South Africa. So, we emailed them and ordered the parts, paying by credit card. They were delivered to our regional headquarters there in Joburg and spent a couple of months in our boss's garage before another mozambique missionary picked them up and dropped them four hours south in Nelspruit. There, they were picked up by another mozambique missionary and taken across the border into Maputo, Mozambique and left with a missionary there. Then, we hired a taxi to pick them up and take them to the truck depot of a Christian business where they were put on the truck coming north. They bounced along for 3 days, probably, and arrived out at the business outside of town where a Nampula missionary picked them up for us and brought them to his home. Kevin picked them up there on Sunday night. WOW! We are so thankful that these much-needed parts arrived safe and secure, and will be installed on Saturday. We are making a big car trip at the end of November and feel so much better with a new suspension system. There are 4 new springs, and 4 new shocks. Hooray!! - Cami

Visiting the Refugee Camp

Last week, Kevin went to visit the Maratane refugee 'camp' 20 kilometers outside of town. You can see it pretty much looks like a village, with the exception being that there is not much growing. The soil out there is pretty bad, which is probably why the camp is there, although it is said originally it was a leper village. Many of the refugees come from DR Congo and other war-torn central african countries and have no hope of ever going anywhere else, let alone home. They are allowed to leave the camp and look for work (walk 20 km to town!), but even the locals can't find work here. Most don't speak Portuguese at all, and that makes moving to a different area impossible. They do receive a stipend from the government, which allows them to survive although this is being cut and next year they will receive nothing. How they will survive, they do not know. They live on next to nothing now and will soon have less. If you can imagine, no form of income, dependant on outside charity for all--all your food, shelter, materials to build your 'house' (plastic/bamboo/maybe tiun roof). You live in a three room house most likelysmaller than your one car garage. You have two chairs (made out of sticks), sleep on the dirt floor on a bamboo mat---with the five other members of your family. Kevin was moved not by the poverty as he sees it often on his village visits, but by the strength adn faith of these people.

There are groups of Christians within the camp, and Kevin hopes to train one of the young men who speaks Portugues, Swahili and French to teach the TEE classes there. There are many small churches as well, and Gods work is being done.

It was sad, though, to see these people who are "stuck". They can't go back and they can't go forward. What will life be like for their children? We can only hope that somehow they will be able to integrate eventually, or that the situation in their home country improves enough so they can return. But return to what? Therein lies the reality of being a refugee.



BTW, If you ever thought the United Nations High Commision for Refugees and groups like CARE, Compassion and other NGO's are useless and unneeded...pray for them all, they are still overwelmed with needs and providing nessecary helpto those in need.

Momade

Last week, up north where our colleagues are working in a mostly Mu$lim area, the wife of one of the church leaders committed suicide. Apparently she believed that he was cheating on her somehow. Our long-time colleagues here in Nampula explained to us that, if she believed that someone had cursed her, causing this misfortune, and she couldn't find out who made the curse, the only escape was to kill herself. Whether or not this was the case, I don't know, but it seems likely.

Please keep Momade (Moh-mah-dee), the church leader and husband of this woman, in your prayers. He has two young children and his wife's family believes that he caused this misfortune. They have vengeance on their minds, and the police kept him in jail for 48 hours for his own protection. His children have lost their mother, and they probably cannot move back into their house for some time, as that is where the suicide took place. Momade is a recovering alcoholic, and we all fervently hope that he does not relapse.

This also leads us to the question of what will happen there in that town with ministry. He was living at the new community center that had been constructed by our missionaries. It was an open, non-denominational place that was attracting a great many people, both Christians and enquirers. Now that someone has died there, we wonder what will happen. What will its reputation be now? Beyond the personal tragedy, we don't know what will happen to the ministry. Please keep this situation in your prayers.

Carol

I would just like to say a few words about Carol Nauta.

Passionate. Committed. Do-er.

I didn't know Carol very well, but those were the things that I really noticed about her. She contacted me via email a few months back to let me know she would be the liason between one of our supporting churches and us. She was bright, energetic, and through her emails I sensed a great sense of humor.

But what really made me sit up and take notice of Carol was the newsletter she sent out to us. In it, she explained how she felt that missionaries and churches needed to be connected, so she had started an organization to do just that. She was raising support so she could do it full-time/part-time. She also had led missions trips to Uganda, and written the photo of one of her group members holding a child, she had the caption "Anyone can do this. You can make a difference!" She believed passionately that everyone could contribute to missions. A verse in her newsletter caught my eye:

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. I Peter 2:11

Amen, sister. She believed it. She lived it. I firmly believe that when she arrived in heaven earlier this week after a car accident that took her life, God said to her "Well done, good and faithful servant." We will miss her, although I'm sure those who were close to her and loved her will miss her a million times more. But we wanted to give tribute to this wonderful lady who believed in the Good News. Thank you, Carol, for believing in missions and for helping others to believe in it too.

Goodbye to Spotty

We acquired a Great Dane last year from other missionaries, named Spotty. A 3 year old male, his massive stature is quite impressive to all of our neighbors and visitors!! If anyone wanted to find our house, they just had to ask a passerby where the giant dog lived. In an area where crime is common, I always have felt secure at home, even when alone at night, because Spotty was in the yard. I knew that if I were ever attacked, he would defend me with his life, no question.

However, today Spotty went to a new home because he bit our little Benjamin last week. It was a terrible event, brought on by Ben hurting the dog. Spotty retaliated with a "nip", but that nip left Ben with 13 stitches on his head. I won't post a photo because Ben's grandparents don't want to see how terribly his head was injured. I don't blame them - it makes me wince when I change the bandages. Ben is fine, and his hair will cover most of the 3 scars. But we never want to have a repeat of this awful experience (awful for all of us!!).

But I will post a photo of Spotty, whose massive hulk was an entertaining and reassuring presence in our yard. He was a great source of conversation when visitors arrived. I will miss him and his goofy antics. However, I won't miss the work I had every morning in changing the bandages on the leg wound that never healed because he chewed it all the time. And I won't miss having to put him away whenever children came over or a neighbor arrived to visit. We hope we can get another dog soon, to keep the place more secure. Meanwhile, good luck to Spotty in his new home.

Cami

Toby Goes to School

Toby started first grade this week. We are all rather relieved, because he sure was bored during his vacation. Portuguese preschool (actually kindergarten) ended in July, and he ran out of things to do long ago. One of his favorite pasttimes lately has been
pestering his younger brother, who alternately screams with delight and with anger at the loving attention.

But the main reason we are glad is that we know he will really enjoy it. His time at the Portuguese school was good, and he accomplished our goal of speaking Portuguese pretty well. But the frustration of not being able to understand everything that was said to him, the uncomfortable feeling of being different (the only white kid), the inability to communicate what was in his heart, those things often added up to a dread of entering those doors. He persevered and now he heads off to a new, easier adventure.

And he is ready for it! I managed to snap this photo as he ran away from the car without a backwards glance. You'll notice that he has no shoes on - many of the missionary kids go without shoes all day, except for gym class. The teachers, who are moms or volunteers from the USA, are like aunties (but strict ones) and parents come and go all day, helping with various things or teaching extra classes like art and PE (Kevin is teaching this with a Dutch missionary!). There is a mix of nationalities, with American, Dutch, German, Zimbabwean and Swazi/Mozambican represented. We are so thankful for this beautiful little school and for the people who have worked so hard to provide it. It is making this little missionary kid very happy. Enjoy learning to read, Toby!

Cami

Birthday in Mozambique

I celebrated my birthday last week (no, I'm not telling how many!) and wanted to show you my birthday gift from Kevin. This was a wonderful gift for me, since I love Diet Coke and since it is twice the price of regular coke here, it is a rare treat. This clay vase was handmade and it is hard to find ones that are not garishly painted with shiny purple varnish. I'll fill it with dirt and put a plant in it. This floor mat is unusual - the normal ones are just plain browns. Kevin astonished me with a surprise party and these wonderful gifts. He had been planning it for two weeks and he, along with one of my best girlfriends, told me lots of lies and managed to keep me in the dark completely. Even Toby got in on the action, and kept the secret.

It makes me think a bit of heaven, y'know? Ones who are loved by you waiting for you, gifts beyond imagining, being "home" and dearly loved. Now, I am not comparing Diet Coke to the feast we will enjoy there, but still!!! - Cami

Going to the Funeral

I attended the funeral of our neighbor's baby on Wednesday, and I thought many of you might be interested in hearing about how funerals are done here. Generally, funerals are done quickly, because there is no way to keep a body cold, and embalming is not done. Out in the bush, they are usually done next day. Here in town where we have a mortuary, it might be a bit longer to give relatives time to arrive. A proper funeral at a church is generally not done for a baby, though there were about 20 people at the burial service. Inside the tiny house, the mother and grandmother (the only family members besides the father) lay in a separate room on a straw mat with their bodies and heads covered with a cloth. Meanwhile, in the main room the pastor and an elder from the church preached a sermon in Portuguese, with translation into Makua. I only heard part of it, and it had to do with death being the enemy, along with some wierd ideas about how the child had gone to the enemy. The baby's body lay on a mat in the center of the room, and people could come in and uncover him to see him and say their farewells. I was invited in to sit beside the mother, and I sat there for a few minutes, then moved to a space on the floor beside the wall so that someone else could sit beside the mother. Several songs were sung, and then it was time to go. The fire which had been burning outside the house door (which was always kept open) was extinguished. The baby's body was placed in the arms of a member of the church and a cloth was tied around his neck, which then covered the baby completely. He walked to the open truck, following someone holding up a large wooden cross, followed by the mother and grandmother, who were draped in cloths and supported by a female friend or relative. The father followed. The baby's body was placed on the floor of the truck, and those who climbed in the truck sat around the body. The rest of us climbed into an open panel truck and we drove slowly in procession to the cemetery. People sitting beside the street stood up as we passed and children hid behind lamposts, covering their eyes. Children are not allowed to attend funerals until they reach the age of maturity (circumcision for boys, a ritual for girls) because of some fears about the ancestors.

At the cemetery, a prayer was said, songs were sung, a few words said, and two men stood in the grave while the body was passed to them under a sheet that covered them and the grave completely. A few small items belonging to the baby were passed in to be placed with him, and he was covered with a straw mat. Then each of the mourners threw in a handful of dirt, and the body was covered with dirt. Two candles were placed on either side of the cross which had been inserted in the dirt, and the mother and father each lit one. At the house, each of us paused to wash our hands before entering the yard (there are some traditional beliefs about this) and the mother and grandmother were escorted to the outside bathroom to take a bath and change their clothes (more traditional beliefs). Meanwhile, the food which had been prepared while we were gone was dished out. This is a poor family, so it was just beans and rice. After the meal, the guests were free to leave.

This morning, on the third day, about 8 of us went to the flower ceremony in my car. First we met at 5 am at the neighbors house for prayer, then drove to the cemetery where flowers from my yard were inserted in the dirt all over the grave. The candles were lit again. After a brief prayer, we returned home. At the house, the church elder preached briefly about David and his response when his baby died. I'm still trying to sort out exactly what he meant concerning that. Then each of us was invited to say something and I was asked to pray. Then we left. Now, anyone who was staying with the family during the official time of mourning could leave, and neighbors need no longer visit daily to sit with the bereaved.

Such is a Christian Mozambican funeral. I was pleased that the church elder echoed my words after I spoke, reiterating that the baby is safe with God and that we are sad because he is not with us. He also emphasized that he hopes the family will turn to God for encouragement. Sometimes we hear very strange ideas taken from obscure passages in the Bible and it was good to hear some solid ideas. Please continue to pray with us that this family will return to the church and not become bitter.

Cami

The AIDS Epidemic Hits Home

I am sorry to say that my neighbor's baby, Euclides, died yesterday morning. This little guy, who was about 7 months old, probably had AIDS. He was tiny from birth, constantly ill with cough or fever, and though he ate well just never seemed to grow. His mother is also quite thin and tends to be ill, so it is likely that she has it and passed it to him.

The funeral was this morning. I was told I needed to drive the family with the baby's body in my car, but at the last minute a change was made, so I hopped in the back of the open truck with the other mourners and we drove the 3 miles to the broken-down little cemetery in the middle of the slums. As the little body, wrapped in a cloth, was placed in the grave and the dirt poured on top, I couldn't help but think of how we watched the dirt poured on top of Tabitha's casket, 4 years ago. It is something you never want to experience, and my heart breaks for my neighbor, who was crying so hard she could hardly stand up.

My prayer is that, in the weeks to come, I would be able to be a support to her and encourage her. That she would go to church instead of fleeing from it. She visited a local church a couple of months ago and they prayed for her and her baby. Her health improved, but the baby did not. I pray that she is able to turn to them for comfort and that God will meet her.

The HIV infection rate here is, it is estimated, somewhere between 20 and 35%. Can you imagine if one fifth of Americans were infected with HIV? Can you imagine the response of the public? Here, it is not talked about very much. People don't get tested, many believe that it is caused by a curse from an unhappy neighbor or relative, and there is so much sexual promiscuity that it is running rampant. Medicines are sporadically available, which is almost worse than not having them available at all. We do hear "success stories" of people living with HIV who are healthy and responsible, but these are rare. We hope that, as the years go by, the success stories will become more and the sad stories less. It is too late for little Euclides, and I will miss seeing his bright little brown eyes looking at me from his mother's arms. Those arms are empty now.

Cami

Dancing with the Stars

Here's a little video of Toby dancing at his Portuguese school. He seemed to enjoy it, though the little girl in the front really seemed to know how to do it! Here in Moz, you can see the Portuguese heritage here and there, and there are influences in the music. Enjoy.



Cami

Update on the Babies

I have mentioned to some of you that there are two babies we are concerned about. The first is the son of our across-the-street-neighbor, Palmyra. She had come to visit me soon after her son was born, and he was very tiny but I didn't think much of it. As the months have gone by, however, he has remained tiny and constantly been ill. I began to be suspicious that both of them have AIDS, since the mother is also conspicuously thin and tends to be sick. I had asked for prayer that the baby have a blood test to determine his status, so that he can begin ARVs if they are available (sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't). However, I was not able to say "I think he has AIDS, you should have him tested" without seriously jeopardizing my relationship with the neighbor. It would be almost as if I had cursed him. So, I hinted to the next-door neighbors that perhaps he could use some tests to discover why he is continuing to be ill, and they seemed to agree with me. Meanwhile, this week he has gone into the Catholic hospital outside of town and is very, very sick. I have doubts that he will survive, and hope to visit there this week to find out his condition. Please continue to pray for Euclides.

The second baby I've asked prayer for is Clemilde, 6 month old daughter of my language helper. A few months ago, it was noticed that her muscle tone is very poor and the shape of her head rather large. After tests for hypothyroidism were negative, a local pediatrician determined that she is, in fact, a "little person" (a dwarf). I was astounded. Apparently this does happen here as the mother didn't seem too surprised, and there is a history of some extremely short people in the family. I was pleased that the mother had a positive attitude and it seems that Clemilde is likely to live a normal life here in her community. She will need surgery on her legs, however, to correct some deformities. Please pray that this can be arranged in a way that provides her with the best care possible. I have already been for 4 visits to the hospital and clinic with mother and baby and suspect that many more will be needed.

Cami

Our New Blog

Dear Friends and Family: for some time now I have been using the MSN Groups format to post updates about us, but the situation over there has been deteriorating and at this point I can't even put in paragraph separations. So, I have decided to move to a blog format, which will also allow you to go back and see previous posts.

We are linking this blog with our new webpage (which will be put up gradually) as well as with some photo albums I am going to post at Flickr. Since our site is hosted by someone in America, this will allow me to easily edit photos and our update without going through that person. I am hoping that this format works well and is easy for all involved. Any feedback would be appreciated.

This blog is "owned" by Kevin, but I am usually the one to update here on this page. We decided it would be easier to keep his blog and this one linked, so his profile comes up instead of a family profile. Love, Cami