Ready for stuff

1. Sometimes, you’re ready for stuff.
2. Sometimes you’re not, but stuff seems ready for you.
3. In that case, take a deep breath.

After a wonderful week of anniversary celebrations with the people of Mercy Air S.A., U.S.A. and Switzerland,

Dwight shares our appreciation and a bit of our history with Mercy Air.

Everyone enjoyed good fellowship and food!

...and after a flight to Maputo with the Cessna for an inspection by Mozambican authorities, then some mad dashing around here and there to attend to and pick up last minute things, it was hugs all around and we were ready to head back home Friday morning.


Return trips can be a mix of us being both ready and not-quite-ready, usually due to an unforeseen last-minute-dash to do something. Our trips to South Africa are characteristically busy with things that need to be done for the various mission programs. Things need to be dropped off, repaired, looked for or picked up, people need to be seen, calls need to be made, etc. It’s a tight schedule. And then just about the time we think we’re done and we’re packing up to return, there may be that urgent call or email from home. Something needs to be picked up, if at all possible, before we leave. A critical machine burned out and needs replacement or parts, a rare (in Mozambique) fuse or pipe-fitting is desperately needed for a job to continue. The possibilities are endless and any of us who travel from Moz to the land of plenty (South Africa) face the same thing. It seems that no matter how much time you have on these trips, last minute issues follow you right up to the moment of take-off.


I love take-off because it’s that silent (except for the hum of the engine) invisible cut off point where there is no longer anything “to do” except watch clouds float by.


It's nice to leave but it's nice to come home, and I was quite ready to be back home again. Especially since we had just moved into our house 2 days before we left on this trip and furniture (sparse as it is) needed to be rearranged, books needed to be put away in shelves, and so on. Somehow though, I’d forgotten just how much finishing work remained to be done as well.

A moment back inside, especially a glance at the corner (below) stock piled with tools, paint and electrical/plumbing fittings, told me that our house was quite ready for us too! Ready and waiting for the work to continue.

Carey and Jeff (photo compliments of their facebook group page)

Short termers, Carey and Jeff, who are here for a few months had arrived just the day before us so we took the chance yesterday to meet with them and have them over for supper. They expressed their readiness to tackle the work they’ve come to do, so we decided there’s no time like the present ☺

Carey organizes a light on the veranda for us to dine (and attract bugs) by.

Jeff and Dwight get the hot water "donkey" hooked up to the house (and pose for the shot).

But I don’t think they (or we) were ready to face the likes of these critters:


We found this big scorpion nestled in our doorway last night. Guess he figured he’d just come in and check things out.

And as if that wasn't bad enough...


This morning Dwight found another one while he was looking for something in his drawer. “Aaaaagggghh!”

Take a deep breath, and hope that:

1. they were a couple (to me this seems better than 2 singles looking for 2 others)
2. there’s only ONE such couple
3. if there are more of them, that they decide to hang out somewhere else.

And on this exciting note, let me wrap up this post. On Monday we begin a week-long intensive seminar with pastors, so there’s a lot more getting ready to do!

TTYL