Art and Music Night

     Thursday night was one of those times when I remember now thankful I am for the internet.  It has changed so much about our lives of living overseas.   It’s still amazing to me how due to the internet, I can call and chat on skype at a very reasonable rate.   I greatly appreciate that it allows us to better be able to stay connected with family and friends on a different continent.  I feel the distance especially on nights like last Thursday.

    Last Thursday was a day full of excitement.  It started with Ladies' tea at my house, where 12 ladies and 4 kids enjoyed the morning of good food, tea/coffee (French vanilla flavored thanks to a friend from the USA who sent me the coffee), and good fellowship.  Then after lunch the kids and I were off to Portuguese class and to set up for the special home school night. 

    The families who are home school in our town have started getting together for field trips.  The mom’s have also started meeting as a support for each other.  At one meeting, it was decided to have an Arts and Music Presentation Night to give our kids a chance to perform in front of others.  Thursday night was the big night.

     The evening arrived and my kids were so excited.  They had practiced and practiced their song and made their display board with some of the drawing lessons learned this year.  As we arrived, the nerves were running high.  After a short period when guests and fellow home schoolers could look at the display boards, it was time for the presentations.  We were the second family on the list.  My kids got up and did a great job in my option. 

   It’s times like these that you start to feel the distance between you and your family.  You can’t call Grandpa and Grandma and Uncles and Aunts to come and join in.  Although, we are thankful for the many substitute Uncles and Aunts here who showed up to support the kids.  But this is where the internet has changed things.  Because now I can take a video, post it, and Grandpa and Grandma can see and hear the kids.  While it will happen later, friends and family far away can still be a part of the night.  So I’m thankful that although life looks different than mine did when family lived just a few miles away, due to the internet, relationships and milestone can still be celebrated together.

Alissa and Justin with their display

Some of Alissa's Drawings

Some of Justin's drawings

The part of the display that gave step by step directions on how to draw two pictures

Now for my favorite part of the evening.  Hearing my kids do a great job on their song.  They sang "Make a Joyful Noise" from Bullfrogs and Butterflies

A Little Silliness

This week has been a rough one at the Hertzler household.  The children and I (Heidi) all had the flu at some point during the week along with colds.  Conrad though had it the worse as he came down with malaria.  While he is still weak, he is on the mend.  The kids and I are doing better too.  
     This month I have been in a photo challenge where each day you take a picture around a theme.  The one for today forced perspective.  According to Wikipedia it's "a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is."  Taking these photos gave us so some much needed silliness in a tough week.

   When we are feeling "bored" or "silly" in Mozambique, we...  

... kiss rhinos

...ride rhinos

... lean against the amazing shells found in the Indian Ocean and watch the world go by.

What do you do?

Children's Day

   June 1^st in Mozambique is Children’s Day. It’s a day where people give gifts, have parties, and celebrate the life of a child.

   Our kids have been asking for a while, when is our day.  We have Father’s Day and Mother’s Day, but what about having a Kid’s day.  So this year we decided to celebrate.  We decided to allow them to do fun things for the day that we normally limit.  So they spent the morning playing electronic games.  They ordered their favorite lunch, macaroni and cheese with hotdogs and Fanta (orange soda). Best of all, they didn’t have to have a nap/rest.  Then we headed off to English Fellowship.  There was a special surprise for my kids as there was Sunday School for them.  My kids were even kind enough to allow me to take a picture of them. J It was a fun day.

As I think about each of my children, I’m so thankful for who God has made them.  Alissa is growing up and learning to love the Lord and follow him.  Justin is quick to smile and loves playing jokes on people.  Kayla is full of personality and love to express her excitement about something with a jump and a cheer.  I’m so thankful that God has blessed us with these three precious children.