Old, Tired Furniture

Yes, this furniture has certainly seen better days! It belonged first to Dwight’s folks and served them well in Transkei (part of South Africa). Then when we moved to Mozambique, we brought it with us. This furniture has traveled every step of our +/- 3000 km adventure with us. It has bounced and bumped along the potholed roads and can attest to the fact that they’re a killer to travel on! They’ve been teethed on, jumped on by kids, slept on by pets (who weren’t supposed to be up there), and sat on by many. They’ve been squeezed through more doorways than most, and have provided a place to sit in many odd places.

During this last move our friends said, “It’s time to chuck that old stuff out!” We agreed with them, but there are a few hurdles between them and the junk heap.

Mozambique has precious little replacement furniture to offer…tired furniture is better than no furniture.
If you flip the cushions over, it doesn’t look as bad…maybe we could just recover it?
It’s difficult to part with stuff that so many memories are attached to. It’s just plain difficult.

Two lazy boy chairs currently stand in our yard because there is simply no place to put them in our small living quarters. They’ve been sitting there for over 3 months, and I think they’ll be there a few months more. By the time rainy season rolls around we’ll need to have a decision one way or the other. I have a hunch they’ll end up on our back veranda, and in time, they’ll once again be squeezed through doorways where they’ll carry on with their purpose in life. Truth is, they’re not much to look at but they still work (sort of). That + 1 + 2 + 3 (above) = 0 new furniture in the near future. (Lynn’s furniture replacement assessing formula). I think I better google “Reviving Old Furniture”. I don’t think this furniture’s adventure is over yet!

Some Things That Bug Me

Now that the Prairie team is gone it's safe to post these photos! I was going to post these for Royden (my neice's husband) last month but then I thought, "Why scare the girls with these photos just before they come?!" So I saved them until now. Heh. Pictured above is a Stick Bug (very official name). And below is one of the many beetles we find here. I loved the polka dots.

This tarantula was in our old pool's filter. No water had run through the filter basket in a long time and this guy must have figured it was a GREAT place to live. Like a ready-made web. Real strong too! Dwight was provoking him with the end of a coat hanger here, so that gives you an idea of his size. As you can tell, he was quite ready for a fight!

Here's lookin' at you too Mr. Praying Mantis. We get lots of these visiting us inside every summer.

Another thing that bugged me a few days ago was the poisonous Twig snake I nearly stepped on (what was he doing on the ground anyway?!). I was merrily walking down a path, minding my own business when a "stick" in front of me moved. He headed up a tree about as quickly as I stepped back. Raimundo tried to kill him (since he was very close to the house) while Mushu went berserk at the prospect of a great hunt that I was holding him from! Some prey are best left alone Mushu.

Tomorrow we plan to leave on a 2+ week trip to South Africa. There is quite a bit of business to tend to, but we're hoping to squeeze in some R&R too! TTYL

Team Work

We have now reached the 2nd and final week of Prairie’s visit with us, and although it was busy and tiresome for everyone at times, it has been a great week! The team of 18 was divied up into 3 teams of 6 which rotated through 3 different work sites for about 3 days each. Yes, it was a bit like juggling, but things have gone very well and I think I can safely say that despite the expected bumps here and there, good experiences have been had by ALL and many lives have been touched. We leave on Sunday morning to take them through a game park then on to Beira where they will catch their flights back to Canada on Tuesday morning. We will certainly miss this gang! Here are a few more moments of this week:

Assessing a 12 year old with pneumonia (the mat is her bed).

BP check…judging by the smiles I’d say it was okay!

Treating a leg wound.

Cheering during “Day of the Child” celebrations.
And this…is mischief, pure and simple. Team rivalry between two Canadian teams who were here at the same time surely created a huge amount of suspense. Here Nat’s bed and items from his kitchen got duct taped into a tree and clothesline. I have a new respect for duct tape!

I'll sign off for now. Our door got duct-taped the other day so I think I better keep an eye on our bed! And a certain couple team members had better be watching their backs... TTYL.

Canadian Prairie comes to Mozambican Bush

The team of nursing students (mentioned in my previous blog) from Prairie made it safe and sound and have survived the first week of bush camping! That says a lot. But they’ve done much more than just survive. They’ve hiked for hours, killed bugs, tolerated temperature extremes (from 7 to 30 Celsius in 24 hours), ate new food, walked some more, cuddled babies, played with children, dressed wounds, held hands, got VERY dirty, taught lessons, cared for many, walked more yet again, and I could go on. They’re still smiling though and they have been lots of fun. Here are a few pictures of their first few days here.

Sunday with a difference...

A long walk to church

And a little love!

Next week will surely be as busy as the first, so I'll be back with more photos as soon as I can.

Visiting...both near and far

A few weeks ago, Salena and I made the monthly visits to deliver food support for orphan homes in our immediate area. And since our cold weather arrived early this year, we decided to throw in a few extra clothes and sweaters as well. Here are a few shots of our visits to homes of those who receive help from the mission. The grass mat we're sitting on is customarily rolled out when guests arrive. It is always an interesting time together as we first exchange pleasantries, then get down to the chatting. Here's one of the girls trying on a fun item from the bag!

This granny who struggled for many years with leprosy receives help because it has become increasingly difficult for her to work her land and therefore feed herself. She lives alone but her grandchildren come to visit often. She is a very special lady!

When we pulled this blue sweater out of the bag for her, she said, "Oh, I was just about to mention that I have no warm clothes for this cold weather!" Of course we didn't know this beforehand, but God knew. And sometimes there are a few other surprises in store...

A few days ago Nat Zook, one of the members on our missionary team, returned from a brief furlough with a team of visitors (Jortosh Ministries) from Canada. Everyone here is happy when visitors arrive! And tomorrow Dwight and Domingo, the mission's driver, will go to Beira to pick up the visiting team from Prairie. We've been gearing up for this for quite some time and things have fallen in to place quite nicely. The recently purchased van arrived just a few days ago (sorry, no photo yet), we found a trailer to borrow from some very kind neighbours, the camp is set up and ready...and last but not least, the schedule of visits is in place. The teams will visit schools, clinics, homes, churches, etc. We know many interesting times will be had by all in the next few weeks!

As you can imagine, we're going to be pretty busy for a few weeks. If time doesn't allow and this blog spot seems to have been forgotten by its author, you will know it's just temporarily being set on the back burner. But as soon as I can, I'll be posting pictures and more stories of how things are going here in the African bush!

The Days Are Just Packed

…or unpacked again as it would seem! This is not another picture of our new yard just after the move, although it does resemble it. One of our tasks this past week was to repack our shipping container so we could fit more stuff inside! Yes, the stuff from our month-ago move sitting in our yard. We decided that since the container needed to be emptied, we would also move it to a better location not too far away. We did it bush-style with lots of improvisation. The main thing is, it got to where we wanted it to be!

This presented me with the opportunity to rifle through boxes of goods I’d packed away over 2 years ago. There were important items in that container that I really needed to find, like extra cutlery, kitchen utensils and bedding to kit out the campsite for the short term team from Prairie Bible College in Alberta that’s due to arrive. Pretty much all our earthly possessions were in that container, and one look at some of them made me wonder why we’d kept them for so long! Some items, on the other hand, were precious for the memories they held. Items like well used toys, old birthday cards, music tapes and of course, photographs. The photos drew the most attention from the guys working on the container. They wanted to know who was who in my photos, what they do for a living, and by the way, could they also have a copy so they can show their kids at home?

With the container now nestled into its new place I hope to finish repacking it by the weekend. Busy times indeed!

News update:

The pregnant woman bitten by a crocodile gave birth last week to a baby boy. Baby seems to be fine and mother is doing better.

In about a week’s time we will welcome a group of nursing students from Prairie Bible College. They are coming to visit the mission for just over 2 weeks and will be participating in health teaching in grade schools and ladies classes, participating in home visits in the communities, conducting a variety of check-up services at the health post, etc. But mostly they’ll be involved in the best part, an intercultural exchange with some of the world’s most wonderful people. We know this trip with broaden their perspectives and touch their hearts. If you come, you cannot leave here unchanged. And that’s a good thing. So to them right now, I wish “Happy Packing” and good travels.’

Well, it’s well past missionary midnight, 9p.m., so I better “pack” it in for now. The one good thing about activity-packed days is that night sleeps usually are better.

These two agree that the end of the day is the best part!

It's About Time

We’ve had this clock for a long time. I think my mom bought it for us when she and dad were in South Africa to visit us many years ago. That would make this clock at least 10 years old. My kids (and sometimes even my husband) have always complained about how difficult it is to tell time on though.

“Mom, what time is it?”
“Well, you tell me what time it is. The clock is right there on the wall.”
“I can’t tell with that clock. Why does it have flowers instead of numbers anyway?”
“Because it’s a pretty clock. Are you telling me you can’t figure out where the numbers would be?”
“Well, yeah, but it takes a lot of time to figure out, and then I’m not quite sure. I wouldn’t want to be late for school…” (smile)
“It’s simple. You know where the 12, 3, 6 and 9 would be right? So, then there are only 2 numbers between those to fill the spaces with. I think it’s pretty obvious!” (Now that I think about it, maybe it is a bit confusing.)
“Yeah, well, it’s a pain to have to figure out every time.”
(Mom sighs.) “Well, if I MUST read the time for you it’s 8:30 (or whatever).”
“Oh.”

Last week we had several workers in our house doing some finishing work on the walls. There was quite a bit of discussion going on and as I entered the room it suddenly got quiet. They all sort of glanced at each other, then at me, then at each other again. Finally one of them piped up, “Senhora…is that a clock?”
“Yes, it’s a clock. Why?”
“Well, what time is it?”
(!)
Apparently it’s time to get a new clock! By the way, in the picture the time is 07:42.

And speaking of time, I remember once when Amanda's friend (learning English still) was waiting patiently while Amanda tied her shoelaces to perfection. It took awhile, so I said, "Marisha, just say, 'Amanda, time's a-wasting'". Marisha turned to Amanda and said, "Amanda, you're a-wasting my time." Same idea I guess!

This week Salena, our latest short termer arrived. She’s staying in a tent which has been a bit of an adjustment for her! Otherwise, she’s busy tackling a number of jobs…the extra pair of hands is great.

TTYL. It’s “time” to go J.