Saturday, April 26, 2008

Hello and Farewell

On Tuesday this week Rick and Heather Neufeld arrived for their 4 months of language learning in Brazil. After a few stops in Curitiba, the capital, for a bit of shopping and some supper, we took them to the little wooden house that will be their home for the next while. Despite the fact that it's rather small and has no special features, they seemed quite happy with it and thankful to have a place with dividing walls for a change (from the garage they moved out of).
"Orientation"

One of our main priorities this week was help Rick and Heather settle in and and get plugged in to their new surroundings and the mission. Among many other things, they've learned how to get from their little house to the mission, the grocery store, the drug store, the pizza place etc. (and not necessarily in that order). Official Portuguese lessons start next week, but they've picked some up already.

Today we attended the mission's annual general meeting and met with the Brazilian gentleman who does translation work for our leadership training materials. Tomorrow is our last day, which is hard to believe! We're going to try to fit in a church service, lunch with friends, a bus trip to Curitiba's "feirinha" (a fun learning experience for Rick and Heather...and us :)), and last but not least, packing our suitcases! I'll be sad to leave Brazil and the people here but happy at the same time to go home. Home Jones! (One of those sayings that's been in our family a long, long time.)

Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Brazilian thing to do


Whenever we come to Brazil I meet a lot of people who have known my parents for years and years. A few of them remember me from my teen years and usually I remember them too. It’s nice to come back “home” and find old friends and family members—Brazilian family that is—since my parents took in and cared for abandoned and needy children for many years. Most of the children who came to us stayed in the orphanage, but some stayed in our home and wove their way into our hearts and lives as well as into my drawers and my private stash of Wriggley’s Spearmint gum! Many of these kids who grew up in the orphanage still live nearby: now married with families of their own. Their children are the Brazilian grandchildren my parents boast about. And me, well, I’m a long-lost auntie to them who they really don’t know that well, but they always hug me and kiss my cheek anyway when I’m around. It’s the Brazilian thing to do.

(Dad and Mom with some of their Brazilian family.)
This week I met a number of people for the first time who have been closely connected to my parents for many years and whose lives have somehow been impacted by the work in this community. The usual response to our introduction is, “Oh, you’re in Mozambique? How wonderful! And don’t you look just like your mom!” This is followed by “You know, your parents are like my own parents too” or “Take good care of these people, they’re very special” and so on. Everywhere we go in this little town of Itaperucu, there are people who at some point were helped by or served the mission, and when they see us they rush over to greet mom or dad and give them their latest family news and so on. There’s no hurry to move on. That’s how my trip to town with mom this Saturday went: greeting, meeting, talking—connecting in general—that's also the Brazilian thing to do.
(Mom with Elizete: one of the many women who attended sewing and literacy classes at the mission.)

(Kids in the lunch room at the Mt. Horeb mission school.)

Next week is our last week here, and it will likely be our busiest week as well. On Wednesday Rick and Heather (new SAM missionaries on their way to Mozambique) arrive from Canada to begin their 4 month stint of Portuguese language immersion. We’ll show them important places like banks and grocery stores, wonderful people, and the Brazilian way of doing things :).

On Saturday we will attend Mt. Horeb’s annual general meeting, and on Monday, the 28th, we head back to Africa with my dad. He will spend the next 2 months with us in Mozambique lending his expertise to just about every aspect of the work there. Mom and Lucas (yet another of their Brazilian kids) head from here straight to Canada. In the next week or so however, I’m sure there will be plenty more people to greet, meet and talk to!

Random traffic jam in Curitiba last week that we got caught in.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Brazil

I guess it's the busyness of travel and the many kilometres between Africa and Brazil that have made last week feel like last year. We’re thankful for hassle-free, safe travels both for ourselves and for our luggage :). We arrived in Curitiba at 7:30 p.m. Brazil time—half past midnight our time--and since the meal we got on the plane was a wimpy one, we stopped at the “Boi Dourado” Churrascaria for some “real” food on the way to the Mt. Horeb mission! (A Churrascaria is rather like B-B-Q heaven. There’s a buffet with endless bowls of delightful salads and hot dishes, then spits of meat are brought to you at your table, hot off the coals, one fine cut after the other until you’re quite sure you can’t fit another bite in. Then they offer you some more!) (Top 2 photos: patterned beach sidewalks in Guaratuba, Parana)

Old family friends offered us the use of their home by the beach for a few days of R & R before we leapt headlong into the work that awaited us here. We strolled along beaches, dipped in the pool, ate great seafood prepared by Jose (our attentive host)

and admired once again the incredible variety in every aspect of life in Brazil from plant life to the people here. (This amazing specimen is from the banana plant family...I think)

Nicest of all, however, was to have a bit of family time away from the rush of city and mission life to catch up on personal news and mission business. And now that we’re over jet-lag and have caught up on sleep a bit, it’s time to get back to work.

(My mom and I: the Bobsy twin look was purely accidental.)


We left our perfect setting on the beach yesterday and came to Curitiba to share about Mt. Horeb’s work with a church cell group as well as to visit long-time friends (dentists) who worked with Mt. Horeb for several years. We are constantly encouraged by the enthusiasm these people show for the needs right here closest to them. Their insight into the developmental needs of poor people makes their input invaluable to us in our work.


Today we return to Mt. Horeb and a fairly busy schedule of meetings as well as continuing to seek and share information helpful to the work both in Brazil and Mozambique. And if we’re lucky, there may just be at least one more trip to the Churrascaria as well!

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Saying good bye again

(Sunset at beach by Bique's, Beira, Moz.)

On Wednesday last week the nursing students from USASK said farewell to the mission staff, finished up some final packing and piled into the mission van with Dwight and I to head to Beira to the airport. I didn’t hear the singing I had predicted (a blog entry or two ago), so everyone was either tired or in a reflective mood—or both. They spent a great month with us on the mission and their departure was certainly not the highlight for anyone. But, it was time to move on nonetheless.
We went to Beira the day before their flight so they could have a bit of curio shopping time.
We found a nice place to stay that was a stone’s throw from the beach as well, so some beach time for them was a bonus. While they frolicked in the waves Dwight and I vegged (aka: napped) in our room. It’s an age thing I guess
Once we had said our goodbyes at the Beira airport, we headed home to pack for our own trip the following day (to South Africa then to Brazil). We had quite a bit of packing and organizing of things that will need follow-up in our absence, and not terribly much time to do it in! But we managed. Among other ongoing activities, the bricklayers will continue to put up walls at our house, follow-up immunization days were scheduled for the mission school children, and Unique Christmas gift distribution will take place as soon as the purchasing and transportation of the animals is complete. There really is never a dull moment!
We arrived at the Mercy Air base in Whiteriver on Friday and had a chance for some quality time with our Mercy Air family and other missionaries also on their way through from point A to point B. On Saturday morning we headed to Johannesburg where we’ll be until Tuesday when our flight for Brazil leaves. Today (Sunday) we’ve had a pleasantly quiet day and our plan is for more of that tomorrow as well. This is a picture of us at the breakfast table this morning. We were last one’s there :).

And here are a few little friends, Figaro (left) and Carmen, that we met while here. Figaro is rather strange looking with his crooked tail, ear that likes to flip backwards and pointy head which you can’t see that well in the picture. They’re very friendly and REALLY like us most when we’re eating. Hmm.
With that I’ll close for this time. Next blog entry: Brazil!

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Looking Back


This was the nursing students’ last week with us in the Mucombeze bush and though they still have a few more days to go, they are in the final phase of their activities. While I spent a bit more time working close to home, they exercised a bit more independence, which is why I don’t have pictures of all that went on last week. They brought back very good reports of their participation with the Health Department’s immunization blitzes, community consultations with socorristas as well as exciting, interactive class times at the school.


They have been conducting a First Aid Course with 2 separate classes at different sites: the mission station and the mission school. They decided to combine the two classes at the mission school for the final day of the First Aid Course. The course participants came ready for their final exam and certificates and were delighted to find that the final exam took the form of a game instead. The group was split into two teams who competed against each other to answer questions covered in the course material. I was surprised by just how intense the competition was! The teams tied in the end, then enjoyed refreshments and receiving their certificates.

Having fun with newly learned skills (vapour inhalation for cough by the way :))



The certificates looked so good I wished I had received one too!



Here is the happy group: course instructors and proud certificate owners!

But the fun wasn’t over yet. We then had to pile the van to capacity for the trip home. First, some happily obliging people had to drink the left-over juice that was splashing out of the big pot over every bump (and believe me, there are many of those). Then the Canadians and Mozambicans took turns singing songs that were fun or close to their hearts...even national anthems all the way home! It was a heart warming time for everyone.


On Thursday night another group arrived from Polokwane, South Africa (coordinated by Francois & Alta), who will be here for +/- 5 days. The two groups have had a chance to participate in optional weekend activities together.

Oh, and let me not forget our video & birthday party night when everyone watched the Lion King and ate their fill of popcorn and chocolate cake. And, yes, sang to our hearts’ content.


Monday and Tuesday will be busy with orphan home visits to deliver food, final packing and farewells both for the USASK team and for us. We will drive the girls to Beira on Wednesday for their Thursday flight. Then we return home for last minute work wrap up before our trip to South Africa on Friday. From there we leave for Brazil on April 8th for 3 weeks to participate in the Brazilian mission’s (Mount Horeb’s) annual general meeting as well as giving input on further internal policy development. My parents (Earl and Ruth Trekofski) are already there busily working on things, so the added bonus will be some family time for us!

Next week’s blog will be decidedly different since we will be in transit between continents, but as always, I will do my best to keep you updated on the latest sights and events.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Inclement Weather and Goodbyes



Last Sunday we decided to head to Selva with the students. It had been hot for the previous 2 weeks and they were all very ready for a good swim in the pool. But as luck would have it, it clouded over and turned very cool and windy about the time we left home! So instead of cold drinks and a swim we had coffee, wrapped up in capulanas to stay warm, and moved inside. Ah well.


Believe it or not, we (already) said goodbye to Dave and Joanne (the nursing team's practicum placement coordinator from USASK and her husband) this past week. We enjoyed having them as our neighbours, even if just for a short while, and we already miss our evening discussions with them! Having Joanne here was great for me as we got in lots of nurse talk along with other talk...and work too of course. Having Dave around was like having my dad around: give him the right tools and he can do anything :). One of the jobs he tackled while here was wiring the office and getting the ceiling installation started (that is by no means all he did). Here's a picture of him and Gabriel hard at work. The office looks MUCH more official now so we definitely feel like we're keeping up with the Joneses. (Whoever they are :)). Getting the plane ready to fly.


Rice fields near Beira--the city lies below sea level.


The plan was to fly Dave and Joanne to Beira in the Cessna 182 since the highway between here and there is riddled with pot holes which makes it a rather laborious and long drive. On Monday the weather was still overcast and rainy, but thankfully by Tuesday the skies had cleared enough to allow us to fly. Next week we'll be making the same trip with the students as their time with us is nearly over. But we'll have to take the pot-holed ground route since 8 of us won't fit in a 4 seater plane very well. I expect it will be a great time together despite the poor roads. I also expect to hear some singing of songs from favourite Disney animations ;)! They seem to have become the order of the day when we're all in the van together.

House update: Yes, those are actually walls going up on the far side of our house--our bedroom on the right and the guest bedroom to the left. It is exciting to see things taking shape and feeling more like a house than an empty foundation. More of the floor has been poured since this photo so things are progressing. We'd like to be able to move in by August this year so Rick and Heather can move into the place we're in now.

I don't even have a snake or bug story to close with this time, so I'll just sign off with warm wishes for a Happy Easter!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Week 2...a busy one!


Last week was a blur of activity so let me try to give you a quick run down of some (but by no means all) of the highlights. Monday kicked the week off with a First Aid course for teachers, pastors and health care workers. These classes are being conducted at two sites: the main mission station and at the primary school. There is always lots of interesting discussion that takes place.

On Tuesday while one team went to the nearest health post, the other team went to the school to teach a lesson on safety for grades 1, 2, 3, & 5. Here one of the school children is identifying something unsafe on the home made activity poster the students made up. Very innovative I thought!

They took a "break" between classes to help dish up lunch for nearly 200 kids in a kitchen that's about as hot as a sauna. When they were done, they too got to enjoy some of Fernando's good food. Fernando's food is appreciated by LOTS of people!
Wednesday was Hospital Tour Day. We went to visit our nearest hospital in Vanduzi, then went on to visit the district hospital in Manica. It was a very informative tour and a good time of exchange between Canadian and Mozambican nurses and health care workers.

On Thursday the team cooperated with the health department in conducting an immunization day at the mission's primary school. Prenatal consults were also done for expectant mothers. Somehow amid the sea of bodies and a fair bit of chaos, order emerged and all who needed shots and check-ups were attended to. It was a tiring but fulfilling day. On Friday we received a compliment from one of the community leaders who said, "What you are doing at the school is a very good thing!"


So that pretty much wraps up our work week. On the weekend we plan to get away from the bush for awhile so may take the team to a nearby dam that has a pool and crocodiles to see. And no, the crocs don't get to swim in the people's pool. They have their own. Although the people are welcome to swim there any time!

Oh yes, and last but not least, last Sunday a Mozambique Spitting Cobra dropped in for a quick visit. He just slithered right into our house uninvited and went unnoticed until he bumped into my foot (it was his tail whipping around I think). When I saw that it was a snake that had bumped my foot I called Dwight who thankfully wasn't too far away. As the snake disappeared under the couch we grabbed our glasses (for eye protection), a broom and a shovel. We very carefully moved the couch and as Dwight tried to pin him down with the broom (so we could see what kind of snake he was) he suddenly spread his hood and reared up ready to aim into our eyes. That little offense pretty much sealed his fate. We immediately took our trophy to show to our guests who weren't terribly excited at the sight of a snake! Either way, they had a little teaching session on local snakes.


If we weren't all keeping our doors closed and tents zipped before this little drop-in visitor arrived, I can guarantee you we are now afterwards!