Family visit and a new bicycle for Bero

On Sunday, we made a trip that we’re quickly becoming accustomed to—the way to the Beira airport. The badly pot-holed patches along the highway didn’t seem quite so bad this time around. Maybe there had been a few repairs. Maybe we’re getting used to it. Or maybe, we were just excited to see our family again. Steve (Dwight’s older brother), Karen and Kim arrived dog-tired and one suitcase short, but otherwise fine considering the 33 hour trip. It’s taken them a few days to get over jet lag and get sleeping at the right time, but I think they’ve been busy enough that they haven’t thought about it too much! We spent the first few days showing them around, seeing the different mission activities, all of which Steve captured on video. We ladies were busy chatting quite a bit, so I think he captured some of that too!

Karen sewing some much-needed white board covers.

Dwight describing the layout of the proposed training center. Steve, capturing it on video.

One of the week’s outings included a visit to some of the more recent orphans who were added to the orphan sponsorship program...aren’t they cute?

A quick visit to a nearby preschool the mission is refurbishing. (Steve, capturing it on video).

This week marks the last week of winter break for school kids here in Mozambique, and most of our older sponsored kids have come to do some volunteer work at the mission. Bero is one of those. He lives about 10 km down the highway from here and on his first day of volunteer work, he walked all the way! He was badly burned as a toddler and struggles with upper body contractures, so we decided that if he felt he could handle a bicycle, it would be a great help to him getting him back and forth. When we presented the idea to him, he smiled real big and said, “Oh yes! I can ride a bike AND I have a bicycle rider's license!” (These are required by law here as is registration for any bicycle.) So that very week, when the mission truck went into town, a shiny, new bike for Bero was on the list of items to pick up.

Giving it to him was a happy occasion which Steve and Karen got to be a part of. And yes, we captured that on video too J.

I'll sign off with shot of us on a rock outcrop--the highest point on the mission. It was a bit of a hike up there, but the view was spectacular...as it always is!