Looking back

  “Where did last week go?  Where did last month go?  Where has the last four months gone?”  When I moved overseas, I figured that my life would be so much simpler and at a much slower pace.  I thought that I would have time to stop and smell the roses everyday with my cup of coffee in my hand.  But the longer I’m here, the more unrealistic this expectation becomes.

   While in some ways, life is simpler.  When I got to the grocery store, I only have to make the decision, “Do I want it or not.”  I don’t have to worry about brands because there is only one brand available.  Most evenings find us home enjoying supper around the table as a family.  Yet because life here is challenging and take so much more emotional, mental, and physical energy than living many places, by the time one gets to the end of the day we are just exhausted.  There is always more work to do than can be done.  So one must constantly choose which need you will help with at that moment.  Even after 5 ½ years of living here, cultural challenges are still a part of our lives.  Then there is the inability to plan because you can’t know for sure that you will have electric or water that day.  It also feels like we are saying good-bye to friends, which takes a lot of emotional energy.  In the last three months alone, we have said good-bye to 8 families, some will hopefully be returning and other are moving away.

Even in this challenging and uncertain place, God has been teaching me how to live in the moment.  So as I reflect back over the last four months the regrets of not doing enough, aren’t as strong.  As I reflect of the last four months, I can see how God has orchestrated my day.  As I reflect, I remember

·         The first day after many months of hearing the MAF planes back in the air as Conrad had been able to finally get the needed documents.

·         Many meals with friends and provided for friends as a way of blessing them.
·         I see God giving me strength to follow a dream (a blog to come)
·         I was able to finish on time every assignment for the on-line classes I was taking to keep my teaching degree current.  Even with the many power and internet outages, every assignment was able to be submitted in time.  That was completely a God thing.
·         I see God going before as we renewed our residence visas.  Allowing the process to go quicker than normal so we could still make our flight to South Africa for a time of rest and help with my back pain.

·         I see God orchestrating a very special time in South Africa for a period of rest and relaxing due to back issues for me.  I was able to find some ways to help with the back problems here in Mozambique on my own and have been in considerably less pain. Praise the Lord!
·         I see God providing visas for our newest team members with hours to spare.  Their Mozambique visas arrived on Thursday to coworkers going to Portugal for language training.  The visas for Portugal arrived on Friday and the coworkers left on Saturday.  Hand delivering the Mozambique visas on Sunday and our new coworkers flying out on Monday arriving here in Mozambique on Tuesday.   I have no doubt that God’s hand was orchestrating this.

·         I see God giving us strength to help lead the English Fellowship each week.
·         I see God giving us strength to say Good-bye even though it’s hard.
·         I see “Hellos” as we welcomed new coworkers to Mozambique for the first time.
·         I see God orchestrating everything so that everyone was able to make it to the MAF family conference.  There were a number of travel challenges but God worked in each case and we had a very special time together as the MAF teams from Lesotho and Mozambique.  Conrad and I were in charge of running the conference this year and God also gave us the strength to be able to enjoy the conference even with the added responsibility.
·         I see “Welcome backs” as our Program Manger family returned from furlough to take over the running of the program for us.
·         I see tears and laughter as we navigate this life here with friends and our family.
·         Most of all I see a God who is constantly walking with us, giving us the strength for each day, caring deeply about our lives, and speaking wisdom into our heart.  A God who has the strength to carry our cares and our concerns. 

Yes, the last four months have been very busy, but I see God going before and providing.  I’m so thankful that this journey is not on my own and when it doesn’t look like I thought it would look, I can still learn to live in the moment and rest in the strength of my God.  While there are no actually physical roses here to smell, I can still take my cup of coffee and reflect on the goodness of my God.  I can still stop and enjoy the many God ordained moments in my life. 

Flexibility is the name of the game.

   So my plans were set.  I knew what needed to get done for the day.   So I got my cup of coffee and settled down to start enjoying it and putting the final touch of details on my day.  It was going to be a full day as there was laundry to fold, photo shot to get ready for, calls to make, texts to send, school work the needed to be done, canning that needed to get finished and a ladies night out to finish it off.  Conrad was planning to take our oldest out for a date and the day was off.  Then I looked at our oldest, there was no doubt she was sick.  So off to bed for her.

  Then came the call.  The call that I wasn’t expecting for today, my day that was already full.   The call that said that a friend of a friend had butchered a pig and was wanting to sell the meat.   Having grown up on a hog farm, I miss having pork.  But finding good pork around here is a challenge and can be very pricy.  So when someone butchers, it’s time to drop everything and cut up meat.  So Conrad ran over to the friend’s house and got the meat and brought it home.

   Out came the knives and computer.  I goggled, “Where are the cuts of a pig?”  Normally I would just call my dad but since it’s would be around 3:00 in the morning, I don’t think he would appreciated a call.  So we checked out the chart online.  Then started the cutting.  It’s always an adventure to say the least.  But in a couple of hours or so, it was all done and in the freezer.  The best part is that we were able to have pork roast for dinner on Sunday and more in the freezer for later.  The skin with the extra fat will go to our house helper and night guard who always are so excited for this special treat.

The pig as it came to us.

So a number of things on the list, just didn’t get done.  But on Sunday as I sunk my teeth in to the yummy roast, I thanked the Lord for providing this special blessing.  I am thankful for the mental and emotional strength to be able to be flexible.  I’m thankful for the many ways that God not only continues to provide for our needs but also adds little blessings into our lives.

Stress, Struggle, and God's Guidance

As I reflect over the last three months, three words come to mind: stress, struggle, and God's guidance.

I love December and the Christmas season.  This year I was so excited because it also was going to be a long weekend due to how Christmas fell this year.  But instead our December was busy trying to put out fires with the MAF registration process.  The stress mounted as the 206 was heading out for a paint job that couldn’t be rescheduled by the end of the month.  But we needed it to be registered in Mozambique to keep the process of registration going.  Many calls, much waiting, more calls, more waiting, rescanning documents that had been sent many times before, more waiting and finally the decision to send the plane for the paint job and let the chips fall where they may.

January was a month like we have never had before.  In the first week, I suddenly realized that I needed to take college classes to keep my teaching certificate current.  So I started searching out my options.  Conrad and I had been chatting about what kind of course I wanted to take.  I said, “I would love something that had teaching and counseling together.”  Then I found my alma mater was now offering online classes.  In less than a week they had a class starting that was addressing how to deal with diversity in a biblical way through basic counseling tools.  I couldn’t believe it.  But the class was closed already and one of the books didn’t have a way to view online because it was out of print.  But I had to try as this was exactly what I had been hoping for.  The day the class started, I received word that the school had received permission to scan the textbook and send it to me.  I was able to join the class.

That was also the day, after a three day tropical storm with constant rains, that we learned that bridges to the south on the one road that bring much of our food, cooking gas, and other items had been washed out. The tracks that allow the train to bring fresh produce into town had been washed out.   We also learned that large high tension electric poles had fallen and we would be out of electric for a while.  The internet and phone service was also very sporadic, giving one a very isolated from the outside world feeling.  The “while” without electric was 29 days to be exact.  So for the next 29 days, we thanked God for our generator.  We watched prices soar and water becoming more limited because there was no electric to distribute it.  Yet, God provided and the electric returned.

Then in the end of January, one Thursday afternoon I received a text from Conrad saying “I am going to Maputo tomorrow morning, just so you know.”  With the situation in the north still not having electric, the timing didn’t seem ideal but we sensed God’s hand moving.  In less than 12 hours, he was on his way to Maputo, the capital, to chat with government officials about our operating certificate.  We have been waiting for 7 months for this paper, on that Thursday afternoon Conrad knew after weeks of being “promised tomorrow”, the time to make the trip had come.  God went before and answered many prayers and he returned with the much needed document.

Kids doing school work on the porch because the light was better there.

Conrad bringing more fuel for our generator.

After 29 days, the electric returned.  There was much rejoicing as we were able to enjoy hot water, use the microwave, iron, and other electric appliances again. (Our generator isn’t strong enough to run some items.)  I also was amazed at how God had given us internet and electric at just the right time so that I could meet all the requirements in my class on time. 

After the electric returned, we hoped things would calm down a little.  But then our plane getting a paint job in South Africa ran into some unexpected complications with the aviation government offices there.  Conrad also ran into some more unexpected challenges here in Mozambique as we continue to work on getting MAF on a more stable and solid footing in the country.  Also the guys got the call that they had been invited to take the test for their Mozambique pilot license validation only 4 days before the test.  A test that we have been hearing horror stories about the difficulty.  So the end of February found Conrad once again heading to Maputo to take the test, and he PASSED!!  Then Tropical Storm 15 hit northern Mozambique bring with it 5 days of straight rain.  Many mud huts are collapsing.  Sickness due to the cold (70 degrees F), malaria (lots of water sitting around so mosquitoes are many), and cholera (drinking water contaminated) has become rampant.

Yet through all the stress and struggles, God has been moving.  The plane in South Africa has now been released and has returned.  

The plane on the right is the one with the new paint job.

The generator broke but was able to be fixed and the electric stayed on during that time.  I was able to finish my first class.  We were able to find food during the tough times to help our workers with food for their families.  

Chima, a cornmeal flour, which everyone uses was in shortage due to electric being out and they couldn't grind the corn.  My house helper was able to find this bag for us at a very "nice" price and we split it up among our workers.

We have seen prices getting back to more normal in the city.  With every struggle, God has given us the grace to keep going.  God has also given us the ability to help others in greater need than us during this time.  God has given us the peace that even when we don’t understand and life is hard, He is still in control and working out the big picture to His Glory.

A rainbow, a reminder of God's promise, taken from our driveway

We thank the many of you have been holding us in your prayers over the last number of months.  It is only through God’s strength and peace that we have been able to come through these challenges.

Home School Presentation Night

   As we have embarked on the journey of homeschooling, I'm very thankful for other families here that also home school.  We have started a co-op.  From time to time, the moms get together for coffee and just to chat.  We also have started putting together special activities for our children.  Some things we have done so far have been field trips, messy art day, and presentation night.  This last Thursday night was a presentation night with the theme of Social Studies. 

    We, as a family, chose to speak on China.  We are enjoying our Social Studies Curriculum called “Children Around the World” from Winter Promise.  They have so many different activities and interesting stories about China and was a great jumping off point.  I was so thankful that our internet was working well during part of the study as we were able to stream different education video allowing the kids to “visit” China.  We even had fun trying out some yummy Chinese food (my first attempt at trying to cook Chinese food) and trying to eat with chopsticks.  But we all turned in our chopsticks for “real silverware” very quickly. J

    Yes, the unit was fun.  Putting the presentation together took work, but it was so much fun to see it all come together.  I was able to buy the material used for the display board as well as the girls’ costumes, when we were in South Africa.  The kids worked hard on the display and went over and over their presentations.   The night of the program came.  Less than an hour before we needed to leave, I finished Kayla's costume.  In a whirlwind, we got everyone ready and out the door.  When it was Alissa and Justin's turn to present, they got up and did a great job of sharing the information they had learned.  

Alissa presenting her part called "Challenges" dealing with population, endangered animals, the Great Wall, and the church in China.

Justin presenting his part called "Meet China".  He talked about the location, tigers, the Forbidden City, the New Years Celebration, and some inventions.

Kayla "helping" her daddy with the powerpoint.

Their table display

The three "Chinese" kiddos

   As I look back on the evening, it was so worth all the stress and time.   Seeing the kids developing in their speaking skills, seeing them take ownership in what they had learned, and having others encourage them in their studies is such a valuable part of their education.  So we will look forward to the next presentation night.

Capturing the Teachable Moment

   When I was in college studying to become a teacher, the phrase I hear over and over again was “Capture the Teachable Moments”.  The idea is that if you can get kids interested and invested in a topic, they will learn more.  When things happen that are outside the lesson plan but can be used to promote learning, then deviate from the plan and capture the moment.  We were taught to consciously look for those moments in our classroom.

   While it seems like it’s only yesterday that I was in college, the years have come and gone.  I’ve gotten married.  I’ve lived in and visited a number of continents and countries.  I now have three kids that call me, Mom.  Those days of looking for the teachable moments in the classroom are gone.  But God has been touching my heart and reminding me that I have three precious little ones to care for daily.  Those teachable moments are in my own home and can be used to point my children towards Him.  He has been reminding me to look for the teachable moments and capture them.

   Last week, my children and I were in South Africa staying at a guesthouse for missionaries while my husband flew to Lesotho to do an engine change on one of our planes.  This was the first time that I had ever been in South Africa by myself with all three kids.  To say that I was a little nervous, would be an understatement.  We have visited South Africa as a family many times, but it’s so different when you are family verse a single parent.  But I knew it was for the best and I was thankful we were at a safe place in South Africa, so I put a brave face on and started the week. 

Looking down the driveway to the place we stayed.  There are a number of houses and guest rooms among the trees.

   South Africa is the land of plenty compared to Mozambique.  There are a number of things one can buy here that you can’t buy in Mozambique.  Since there were things we needed to buy to take back, shopping was on my “to do” list.  The kids and I had been out shopping for a couple of hours that afternoon.  We had decided that for supper we would stop at McDonalds (a very special treat we only get in South Africa).  We had finished shopping for the day and were getting ready to go for supper, when I realized that I didn’t have my phone.  I also realized that if we were to have supper in town and then drive back, I would be driving in the dark, in an unfamiliar country, without a phone to call for help if I needed it.  There was nothing about that which made me comfortable.  So I realized, we needed head directly back to where we were staying and skip McDonalds.

   You can well imagine how that was perceived by the three little ones in the back.  I tried to explain but to them, well… it seems as though I wasn’t being fair.  It seems that I was lying because we had a change of plans.  I firmly told them that for our safety, we needed to go home but we would do our best to visit McDonalds the next day.  We arrived home safely and I started supper while the kids raced outside to play.

   It wasn’t 30 minutes after we got home that a huge thunderstorm hit, complete with thunder, lightning, and lots of rain.  I started thanking God that we were at home and not out somewhere driving.  Then in that still small voice I heard, “Help my little children see how I’ve protected them today.”  I knew instantly that this was a “capture the teachable moment”.  So as the children looked out the window and watched the rain, saw the lightning, and heard the thunder, I reminded them of the fact that we were only home safe because Mommy had forgotten my phone.  God had protected us through me forgetting my phone.  

    When my son looked at me and declared, “Wow, God protected us by having you forget your phone. God is so good.”  I knew that I had gotten through.  What seemed like a hardship, missing McDonalds, was really God’s protection.  Since that day, the kids have chatted a number time about how they didn’t know that God was protecting us by a forgotten phone, but He was.  They are also very diligent at making sure I have my phone every time we go out now. J

  It’s been a good reminder to me to remember to always to be looking for the “teachable moments” for my kids to help the see that God is part of our daily lives.  He cares about us deeply and is with us all the time.  He is a God who takes time out of His busy schedule to care for each of us personally.  How about you?  What teachable moments have God given you in your life?

One of the sunsets, we enjoyed while in South Africa.  Reminding me again of God's love and creativity.

A Generator and A Bag of Charcoal

   The last three months have been challenging.  I once had a friend tell me, “Living in Mozambique is hard enough without the add stress of not being able to do what you came to do.”  These last three months, I have found the statement to be so true as we wait on documents that will allow us to once again take to the sky and help people through aviation.  As time stretches on, our hearts get heavier and heavier.  As we hang on and try to trust that our Heaven Father knows best, we start growing weary.  Another dear friend commented that it must feel like we are making laps inside the “fiery furnace of the old testament”.  I keep wondering how long until we will be called out of the fiery furnace and the storm will stop.  How much longer?

    Another challenge we have been facing is that our electric has got to the point that it was becoming obvious that we needed a generator.   Especially since I am now homeschooling and having electricity is critical to getting schoolwork done.  We had looked for cheaper options in South Africa, but nothing was working out.  So Conrad and a coworker went shopping in town and found a generator exactly like we were looking for at an ok price for Nampula.  We talked and prayed overnight and the next day Conrad went back to get the generator.  We were so excited to learn that we had been given the wrong price the day before and it was $300 less than what we had been told.  We were so thankful to God for the discount and planned to take the rest out of our savings, although to be honest I struggled with taking that amount out.  I came to the conclusion that the money is God’s anyway.  So if He provided for this need through our savings, then I must trust Him.

   A couple days ago, I was really struggling with “Why God can't you answer now and fix this problem with the documents?”, when I read Mark 4 in my devotions. Mark talks about how the storm was raging on the sea and the disciples in the boat were scare and tired but Jesus is calm and sleeping.  He does calm the storm at just the right minute, but the disciples did have to go through the storm for a while.  He comments on their little faith.  It got me wondering, as our faith grows, do our storms also grow?  Do I need to see this storm and fiery furnace and a blessing because my faith is strong enough to handle it?  Can’t say I liked the idea but I was reminded that God promises that He will never give us more than we can handle.  So maybe I need to be thanking God because He is growing my faith. 

    But, I still want a right now sign that I wasn’t in this alone.  Suddenly the bag of charcoal, I needed to buy for the MAF BBQ the next day, came into my mind.  Here in the city, you will see bikes riding around with large bags of “charcoal” that they have made out in the country.  They bring them into the city to sell.  If you can find someone with the charcoal still on the bike, you can usually get a better deal as well as they will even deliver it to your house if you want.  The trick is finding someone on a bike.  So I stopped and prayed, “Lord, I’m struggling right now and would love to see your hand of care in a very visible way.  You know that I’m going to pick up some kids around 2:30 for a kid’s group at my house this afternoon.  Could you please put a bike with charcoal in my path?  Because I have 16 kids coming to my house this afternoon and I have to finish homes schooling, I don’t have time to drive around and see if I could find a bike.  I know you could do this, please Lord.” 

  That afternoon, I exited my gate and looked up and down the street, no bike.  But as I turned the corner, there was a bike with charcoal.  I was so excited that I got my Portuguese all messed up and ended up asking the vender if he wanted to buy the bag of charcoal and not if I could buy the bag. To which he promptly replied “No, I am wanting to sell it.”   After getting it all sorted out, I bought the bag, put it in the back of the car, and continued on my way Praising God for His faithfulness.  But God wasn’t done.  Two days later, I was received word that an unexpected gift of money was coming that was more than enough to cover the generator.  Instantly, I knew that God was once again showing me His love in a very visible way. 

   So even though the fiery furnace with documents continue and we are still making laps, I know that I'm not in the fire alone.  Yes, the storm is still raging but I am confident that my Lord and Master,  Jesus, is in this boat with me.  And at the right moment, He will calm the storm and remove the furnace.  So I pray for strength, endurance, and wisdom.  And I know in my heart I can keep going because He showed me His love for me this week in a very visible way through a generator and a bag of charcoal.

June Photo Challenge

I have always enjoyed taking pictures.  It's something that has been a joy for as long as I can remember.  If you look at many of my family's vacations, I'm missing.  Why?  Because I was the one behind the camera. In college, I loved taking pictures for the yearbook.  Now that things are digital, my computer is full of pictures. 

    So when I found out there were some people on Facebook that were going to do a photo challenge in June, I got very excited.  Someone made a list and each day we took a picture representing that word.  I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures with their words from this year's challenge.  I hope you enjoy a small glimpse into our life here because as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 Forced Perspective: Changing how things are perceived in a the photo by how items are placed

 Shopping:  This is a wood carver with a coaster holder with 6 coasters that I bought from him

Three of a Kind:  This is looking into our water filter

So then I made a photo journal of the process of cleaning our water filter and how it works, due to all the questions after the three of a kind picture

Glass/Windows

Black and White: This is taken at a small restaurant/camping area about 1 hour drive outside of town

Close Up: This picture was actually taken a number months before in South Africa. We were at a Game Park and came around the corner in our very little car and this is what we saw. We turned the car off and just waited until they had passed. 

Circles:  My youngest doing a favorite activity, twirling with a twirly dress

Womanhood:  Girls start very young here helping with their families.  They may walk a long way to get water which is probably what is being carried in the yellow container.

Hidden talents:  Got to love it when this talent shows itself at our house

Masculine:  My hubby heading off to work

Inspirational:  This is a picture of my neighbor through their "fence".  She is getting her "stove" ready to cook.  This picture inspires me to remember the many blessings I have and how I need to be thankful.  It also is a reminder that the love of Jesus is for everyone no matter how different their life and culture.

Negative Space:  This is a picture of our electric meter.  Here we have prepaid electric.  One goes into town to the electric shop and pays for a certain amount of electricity.  One is then given a receipt to take home and input the 16 digit code and you have electric.  When it gets low, you do the process all over again. Since we have been sick, ours was getting very low.

My Family