about mud, and getting stuck, and other stuff...

I was going to start off talking about getting stuck in mud but realized I was stuck having almost 0 internet bandwidth first thing this morning. And my Movitel modem is out of time so...we'll see how this goes. Oh the joys of bush life :)

You wouldn't believe that the start to our rainy season was dry as a bone, but it was, for week after week after week. We were all praying and hoping for rain, and watching the sky as only farmers and those in drought times do. Sometimes storm clouds would threaten, and we would count the seconds between flashes of lightning and the clap of thunder so we could judge just how close (or far away) a bit of wetness may be. This went on for quite some time, and all the while, our soil was dry, hot, and hard as concrete. Everything with a hint of green withered, including local residents' maize crops that they so desperately need so they can have food for the year. 

Then, suddenly, things changed and it began to rain. Then it poured. And it poured and poured and poured. In Africa one never dares complain about too much rain since there's so much dry-time, but it really did come down. Our empty, sludgy river bed soon filled and roared to life with muddy waters. We were glad to see our irrigation source full of water again. But of course other dry riverbeds also filled to overflowing, including the one where we had recently built the bridge that burned down just a few months ago. And along with the rushing waters, went our compacted dirt support, leaving us high and, well, not exactly dry but definitely without a bridge. This is the road that leads to the mission's school.

Had things been not quite so over-saturated and soggy, we would not have got stuck trying to ford the river. Thankfully we made it through going and were able to attend the student/parent meeting. But during the meeting we had another massive downpour that made the river swell again, and made the mud softer along the banks, and that led to our getting stuck as we tried to plow through on our return trip. Try as we might, we couldn't get unstuck. The back of the truck was high-centered so we all piled out and it took a bit of digging and stone laying by the front wheels before we could wriggle free...

at least to the other side.

(We were all lugging stones and branches and our feet were sinking in the squishy mud. 

Here Eric and Elizabeth packing more stones...)

We tried and tried our best to free ourselves on this river bank too but the mud was too soft and the incline too steep to make it. Matthew had his Movitel chip in his phone and had reception on it (this place is notorious for poor reception and our Vodacom lines were dead), so he called Rick Neufeld to please come help! Then we waited.

Soon Rick was there and he had a truck-load of shovels, chains, saws, axes, what-have-you, along with several helpers, photographers, a certain little girl who needed to take Flat Tendai pictures or something of that sort, and even Joao who broke from his office duties to come tend to us in our plight. We felt very honoured. :) And yes, out here in the bush we generally want to partake in all possible adventures because that's how we cope. We really do need each other.

Keeping with the mud theme, I came across these photos that are now several months old. I was cleaning the veranda one day and a chunk of mud fell off one of our canvas camping chairs. Except is wasn't just an ordinary chunk of mud. it was a mud wasp nest that had obviously been laboriously and carefully put together. I've watched wasps build these before. The mom (I assume it's the mom) flies to the ground and scoops up as much dirt as you can imagine a wasp's tiny feet can hold, then she moistens it and packs the tiny glob of mud, just like a tiny bricklayer, row upon row.  She makes several chambers and in each one, lays a single larva. Then she finds a special type of spider, collects several of them for each chamber, paralyzes them with her venom (I guess), and places them inside as living food for her young. When she's all done packing the food inside, she seals it up.

I've always been intrigued by these nests, but only recently discovered that the chambers still holding larva are in fact warm. That little body in there generates quite a bit of heat! The empty chambers where the larva have hatched are room temperature. There's an empty one below.

While I was examining my find, I discovered this oddly colored insect on the floor. He was pretty small so I needed the close-up on my camera to really see what it was. It was a wasp larva. One of them had fallen out of his broken nest when it fell from the chair. I was rather sad that I had disturbed a baby (a mom is a mom is a mom...). His forelegs were more or less developed, but not his hind legs or his wings.

Sorry little guy!

We made another interesting find in January. On our way home from picking Eric and Elizabeth up in Beira, we found a fruit stand by the highway selling Jack Fruit (Jaca, as we called it in Brazil). Everyone was curious to taste it so we decided to give it a whirl.

Yes, it's a huge fruit! Turns out it's also full of latex which I dont' recall having to contend with as a child when we ate it. But oi oi oi, was it ever sticky! Worse even than mud. We stuck to the fruit, the knife stuck to our hands, and the rag we tried wiping with stuck to everything. And we remained sticky for hours afterwards while the natural latex just sort of wore away. We figured the trick is probably to grease your hands up well in advance (we did this toward the end but the latex by then was already pretty much everywhere it could go). Oh well, next time. The fruit itself was good though.

Other items of interest....ah yes. Our little Duiker, Punkin. She actually belongs to Dwight and she really does believe he is her mommy. But on mornings where he heads out early and I'm the only one left to beg milk from, she begs (rather cutely) from me.

Once she's had her bottle, she sets about snooping around the house and giving everything in sight the lick test. Typical little one!

Um, no. You've got your own bottle!

 

We just discovered how much she loves Cheerios so she gets some occasionally. Talk about a privileged buck! Sheesh.

I love the night sky, so this is just to share some of Africa's beauty.

The morning sky is beautiful too. Dwight got this one morning on our holiday at the beach in December. I think it was 5 some-odd-o'clock in the morning. *yawn*

In the last few weeks, we've seen some wonderful things coming together. For one, the mission's Cessna has completed the importation process. That is no small task either! Paperwork, permissions, inspections, etc. without end. But it is now done and the Cessna finally flew home after being out of Mozambique for over a year. Here's Tendai to welcome it and Dwight and Andy. (Thanks for the photo, Heather).

The maintenance facility is also making great progress and looking more impressive all the time. What a blessing it will be to have a stocked, drive-in maintenance shop for working on the mission's vehicles rather than having to crawl underneath them in the dirt, or mud. Next month, we will welcome Rick Cogbill back plus those coming with him to continue with the next phase of this good work.

Aaaaaand, the bridge gets rebuilt. It still has a ways to go, but things are going very well. Once these mesh cages filled with stone and cement are up, we will place hardwood logs over top and once again be able to drive over it to get to the school.

For now, the rain has stopped and things are a bit drier. We all needed that break though we do still need rain this year. But at least for now, we can get over to the school to make sure things are running as smoothly as possible.

This has been a long post so I should sign off for now. There is more to tell as there always is, but that will have to wait until next time!

You win some, you lose some

Although soccer is not the primary topic of this post, I must mention how sad I am that as of Friday, Brazil is out of the World Cup soccer playoffs. There’s something not right about that, being that Brazil and soccer are almost synonymous. But, you win some and you lose some. And that’s just what makes the winning so fun.

We’ve had a bit of exciting soccer action in our neck of the woods last week too when the Mucombedzi home team took on visiting short term teams.

The game may not have been World Cup caliber, what with pigs hanging around goal posts

and pedestrians wandering across the playing field (speaking of myself here—I had a home visit to make and it was a short cut--but I did try to stay out of the way).

It was a good game, even so. The players played their hearts out as the fans watched and cheered.

Well, granted, they were a bit distracted by each other at times.


I had to leave early but I think home team won the game. Sorry visitors, but it was fun anyway, right? ☺

Little did we know that there was more fun on the way this week. It started with a plan to take the nearby hospital’s mobile immunization team to a remote school for an immunization blitz on Friday. We all piled in the mission van and off we went to Vanduzi to pick up the hospital staff and supplies.

From Vanduzi, the staff nurse who accompanied us gave us directions. “First, you turn left here off the highway onto this dirt road, then it's about 10 km on dirt road.”

Now, dirt roads in Mozambique are seldom good and we were in a van built for luxuriously smooth highways (originally it was a touring van), so I was a little concerned. I was concerned because I knew the following things to be true:

#1: Dirt roads don’t get better as you drive further on them, they get worse. Much worse.
#2: Spare parts and tires for the van are scarce and cost blood, sweat and tears to come by (ok, almost).
#3: I was ultimately responsible for where the van went that day so if there was damage, I’d be the one doing the explaining and helping to come up with solutions.

I’m not a pessimist but I am a realist, and all the above thoughts were in my mind as we hit the dirt road to the Chinhamacungo and Ndengalenga communities. But I decided I'd try to be optimistic for a change.

That lasted for about 5 minutes when we came upon a broken bridge on the road whose detour led us down to, and through, a river bed with water in it. This water also served as the local livestock watering hole. As we approached with the van, a herd of cows scampered out and the gentleman with us said, "Yes, this spot is where we could get hung up..."

The water was muddied so it was hard to tell how deep it was, or how soft the bottom was. We looked and examined and debated for awhile, then Suzanne, brave soul that she is, offered to actually venture into the water herself to determine the depth and to see if the bottom was too soft to pass.

Before long, the good spots had been identified and it was decided that the riverbed was passable. So while the passengers crossed the bridge on foot, Kevin (the driver) drove through the water like a champion.

On the other side, we all piled back in and continued down the dirt road which, as we drove, became narrower and the ruts became larger and deeper. So much so that we even got stuck at one point. Good thing we had lots of muscle power inside to help the van get out. Heave-ho everybody!


The scenery became more and more beautiful the further we went, but there were bends and turns and forks in the road, and sometimes our guide seemed a bit unsure which one we should take. After one wrong turn, we found a kind local man who was willing to accompany us to our destination.

What we thought would be a quick easy trip to vaccinate an entire school turned into a major cross-country bush whacking adventure. We considered turning around at several points, but the further we went, the more we had committed to making the trip and the tougher the decision was to turn around and go back.

The good news is that we eventually arrived at the bush school.

Only to discover that it was quiet and empty. Instead of having 3 shifts of classes throughout the day, as most Mozambican schools do, they only have one. And that class was over for the day and the kids had all gone home.

Classroom #1

Classroom #2

What to do now? There was another larger school about 5 km away, but we decided not to chance it anymore in the van. We would have to make another trip another day with a more appropriate vehicle. And so we packed up and headed back home through the brush and ruts and waterhole.

Yesterday went better though as we went to do home visits to orphan homes and to homes of those who have recently lost loved ones. The visiting nursing team had been involved with these families over the past few weeks and had helped with household chores including carrying 20L jugs of water, chopping firewood and pounding maize. And now that their time is nearly over, they wanted to bless them with a few gifts.

Thankfully the driving was, for the most part, on tarred road. And we didn't get lost. And the people were all at home. You win some. Yay!

I was reminded this week though that our adventures do not even compare with those of Mozambican monitors who provide leadership to pastors in even more remote areas than Chinhamacungo or Ndengalenga. These men, who receive training and discipleship through the mission, will take that same teaching to other pastors under their care. They will also follow up on orphan care programs being conducted out of local churches. But they do all this by foot or by bicycle. They forge not only livestock watering holes, if need be, but crocodile and hippo infested rivers as well, and they do not have the comfort of a hotel to stay in at the end of the day. But they do get some supplies which consist of a suitcase, a tent, a rain coat, a flashlight, and a few other items to help make their work of love just a little easier.

Rick, Pastor Ricardo (coordinator), Pastor Pires (receiving his supplies), and Dwight

And with that, I will close. It's Sunday and I need a bit of r&r before the new week begins. There are a few more van trips ahead and, I suspect, more adventure as well.

Have a great week. TTYL

PS: Check Dwight's recent blog update.

No Excuses

There are some times in life when excuses just don’t cut it. One of those times happened to me this week. We were going through airport security (to catch our flight to Manitoba) and after coming through the scanner, my purse was taken off the conveyor belt to be searched. Immediately, I remembered that in my barely-awake-haste to get ready at 4:30 that morning I’d forgotten to pack my little folding travel scissors in my suitcase instead. My excuse mattered very little right now. I groaned and kicked myself.

I hate that pending-guilty feeling you get when they rifle through your personal effects (for what seems an inordinate amount of time) in search of some long-forgotten item that could be used to wreak havoc--given it were in the possession of someone with wrong motives. But my motives were not in question. It was those little scissors on the other hand, the ones that had gone just about everywhere in life with me, that were. And they were about to be confiscated, regardless. No excuses.


In Mozambique this week:

The Prairie team continues with their activities and cross-cultural experience. A professional photographer from Prairie is there this week taking photos, and having a bit of fun as well. Heather is gleaning as many photography tips (which I’m anxious to learn once I get back) as she can while he’s there. Here’s some of the stuff she posted this week.

Taking pictures.

Caring for sick people in the clinic.

Helping a local family with the work of harvesting and preparation for storage of grain.

Enjoying some smiles.

A 2 month old baby weighing less than 2 kg was brought to the mission for help.


The downside this week was the passing of Fred, who suffered the complications of a recent compound hip fracture. He was a long-time friend and prior employee whose quiet spirit, good sense of humour and hard work brought joy not only to our lives but to all who came to stay at the mission. We will miss Fred, but we rejoice in knowing that his joy and peace are now complete.




One of the upsides of the week is that spring has finally sprung, even in Manitoba, and fruit trees are all in beautiful bloom. After about 5 days here, we head back to Edmonton to wrap up our last few remaining weeks in Canada. Here’s hoping we can pack the remaining work into the remaining time.

And here’s also hoping that maybe, just maybe, I’ll make it through airport security without the kerfuffle of being searched again.

PS: Check out Dwight's latest blog post.

PPS: I do understand and appreciate the need for airport security :)

All things strange

I read something in a blog this week that made me think about the Prairie group who is in Mozambique right now. Actually, I not only thought of the current team engaging in an other-worldish, cross-cultural experience, but I thought of everyone—ourselves included—who has experienced a reality so different from his/her own.

The blog post I’m referring to essentially highlighted the (often) stark contrast between health care in developed nations compared to that in developing nations. (I’ll add the link to the blog post at the end of this one for those of you who are interested in reading it.) The statement was made by a surgeon in Africa, and this is the one that hit home for me, "we live in a very strange place. we work with very strange things. we are strange people."

How very true that is for us too, and for the many who have come to visit and work in the Mozambican bush context. The world as we know it in North America, really only is—here. I thought of the Prairie group who, I know because it happens to all who come, is experiencing that same dawning reality. They’re in a strange place, working with strange things and the people are pretty different too!

Apparently, shortly after their arrival, news came of a nearby emergency. Fred, an elderly gentleman who had worked for us for many years, had fallen, fractured his hip and lay on the bare ground in need of help. Where we are, there is no 911 to call in a critical situation. If you need help, you have to find your own way, so Fred sent someone to the mission to get help. I marvel at the timing of it, since two of the team members were Emergency Medical Technicians and the nursing instructor has many years of Emergency Room experience.

Strange experience #1

Applying Canadian health care practice in a bush setting far from home is a challenge to one’s creativity!

I imagine the team was wishing for their ambulance stretchers here, but with a few tree poles and strips of cloth, they found a solution.




Fred was taken to hospital, x-rayed, treated conservatively (ankle-to-waist cast without surgery) and discharged home. He has none of the easy chairs, beds or sophisticated equipment that most have in order to better cope with this level of immobility, so more creativity is in order. Creativity, and love, that is.

Strange experience #2


Holding preventive health classes with women in a local church with mud block walls and a mud floor. The mat they're standing on is also their "bench" for sitting on...nothing to lean on and nowhere to dangle the legs from. That's always a little hard for me to do for more than a few minutes at a time.

Strange experience #3


Orientation being given, by the local hospital’s administrator, to nursing students regarding Mobile Immunization Clinic forms, the process, etc. There are throngs of women and children, and the entire event takes place outdoors under the shade of mango trees. These immunization events are certainly nothing like the ones “back home”! The team will accompany the mobile clinic to 3 separate remote locations.

Strange (or maybe not so strange) experience #4


Playing wild and crazy games with school kids. Actually, that just looks like fun!

For us, back home in Canada: Besides the usual activities that come with being here, like travelling and speaking (and that encompasses A LOT), renewing licenses, etc., we’ve also been meeting with people who are interested in coming to visit, or on short term missions trips, to our part of Mozambique. It’s great to see such interest, and of those who come, few return without feeling that they’ve been both challenged and, in some way, changed for the better. So I guess there’s something to be said for going to a strange place and working with strange things and different people. But if you come, don’t forget to bring your creativity. And bring your love, too!

TTYL

PS: Credit goes to Heather for all the photos. Thanks Heather! Keep your eye on her blog as well this week for an update on the Prairie team's visit and other news.)

(Click here for the link to the blog post I mentioned above. Please note that this is a factual medical blog and the details and descriptions it contains may not be suitable for sensitive readers.)