Water, water, water. Without it...everthing stops.
A few days ago, the city came out and hooked up Rodgers house to the citys main line. Cool huh.
Well, Rodger only gets water on Tues., Wed., and Thurs., so today was our 1st day of city water. Well, almost. A little after 8 a.m. the tap was still dry, so we inquired. After much discussion a crew was sent out to see the problem. A little confused, they opened a valve to bleed the system. A little water bubbled out, so down the street we went to open another valve. A little water came out and then...nothing. Seems as though there is a problem.
Eventually, an electric pump was hooked up to the houses water supply to draw water from the city. I personally have more water pressure than the city. If anything came out of me that looked like that water...I would go to the hospital right then! One of the pictures shows the water going into the cistern.
So, go to your water tap right now and fill a glass full of clean water and thank God you live where you can drink the water out of the tap and live to tell about it. Think of me when you do.
While this liquid adventure was going on, I kept hearing a thump, thump, thump. I knew it wasn't me, but I could not figure it out. Finally, I looked at the path between the Rodgers house and the neighbors, and there was a woman with a 5 foot long wooden pole beating wheat grain in a wooden container! I took a picture that I labeled Centuries Collide. Here is a woman making flour like they did 4,000 years ago in front of a mud hut with a grass roof with a motor cycle and a TV antennae on the roof. My mind still is rocked by some of the things I see.
Well, the college kids leave tomorrow so I will keep my eyes open for the next group to come my way and see what other adventures are awaiting me.
Mike
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Picture info
This is from Diane again...we finally figured out a way to get some pictures from Mike. They just wouldn't email. So I set up a Flickr acct! It is a photo sharing site. They are slow to upload so he doesn't have too many yet. But here is how to access... http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldslush
(Notice no "e" in Flickr!) I can try to transfer them to this blog but it may take a few days. Also hope Mike can add captions so we know what we are looking at!
Thanks...Diane
(Notice no "e" in Flickr!) I can try to transfer them to this blog but it may take a few days. Also hope Mike can add captions so we know what we are looking at!
Thanks...Diane
The Drunk Frenchman and 4 College Students
I hope I am able to do justice to the past few days, so here goes.
On Saturdays we quit at 12 or 1 p.m. whichever works. This past Saturday I went back to my room until about 4p.m. and then went for a walk. I saw a drunk guy stumbling along one of the courtyards and he waived and off he went. About an hour and half later, I went to eat dinner at a nice restaurant that has outside seating looking at the bay. Wanna guess who else was there. When I tried to sit down at a table I heard, NO, NO come over here and sit with me! At this point use a drunk French accent and you will get the picture. I tried to wave him off but, NO! NO! sit with me! So I sat with the drunk Frenchman.
First thing he said was, So your American! Sometimes I cant stand Americans and other times I love them! I feel the same way, so we were off to a good start! Anyway, I order my meal and he pushes his plate into the middle of the table and insists I share. Wont take no for an answer.
Well, we talk and I found out he is a diving instructor at a 5 star resort across the bay. This is his day off so, voila! We continue to have a little disconnected conversation and in the midst of all this 4 college students and 2 chaparones sit at the table a little ways behind us.
We keep talking and pretty soon he lifts up on his left cheek and lets a big one rip! Of course the people look at us and I just continue on. He is close to finishing his meal and wants the rest to go with 4 more beers. He then gets up and approaches the students and says, Hey, are you Americans. Anyway, they acknowledge they are and after about 10 to 15 minutes of handshakes, hugging me because I am American and getting my phone number so I can go snorkeling at his resort....he leaves.
I then talk to the other table. They are 4 college students from Colorado Springs with their Portugese teacher and a lady who live in Mozambique who is from Brazil. I tell them why I am here and after a few minutes the students leave and I talk to the 2 women.
She is a believer and he husband works for Compassion International. The Brazilian woman has been a missionary in Mozambique for 20 years. Cool, huh.
It has been interesting the people God has brought to this place. In spite of the internet issue, things are going well. These students and sponsors have been fun to talk to and I really am enjoying my time.
People are waiting to use the computer here, so I am going to sign off. Hope my story made sense.
Mike
On Saturdays we quit at 12 or 1 p.m. whichever works. This past Saturday I went back to my room until about 4p.m. and then went for a walk. I saw a drunk guy stumbling along one of the courtyards and he waived and off he went. About an hour and half later, I went to eat dinner at a nice restaurant that has outside seating looking at the bay. Wanna guess who else was there. When I tried to sit down at a table I heard, NO, NO come over here and sit with me! At this point use a drunk French accent and you will get the picture. I tried to wave him off but, NO! NO! sit with me! So I sat with the drunk Frenchman.
First thing he said was, So your American! Sometimes I cant stand Americans and other times I love them! I feel the same way, so we were off to a good start! Anyway, I order my meal and he pushes his plate into the middle of the table and insists I share. Wont take no for an answer.
Well, we talk and I found out he is a diving instructor at a 5 star resort across the bay. This is his day off so, voila! We continue to have a little disconnected conversation and in the midst of all this 4 college students and 2 chaparones sit at the table a little ways behind us.
We keep talking and pretty soon he lifts up on his left cheek and lets a big one rip! Of course the people look at us and I just continue on. He is close to finishing his meal and wants the rest to go with 4 more beers. He then gets up and approaches the students and says, Hey, are you Americans. Anyway, they acknowledge they are and after about 10 to 15 minutes of handshakes, hugging me because I am American and getting my phone number so I can go snorkeling at his resort....he leaves.
I then talk to the other table. They are 4 college students from Colorado Springs with their Portugese teacher and a lady who live in Mozambique who is from Brazil. I tell them why I am here and after a few minutes the students leave and I talk to the 2 women.
She is a believer and he husband works for Compassion International. The Brazilian woman has been a missionary in Mozambique for 20 years. Cool, huh.
It has been interesting the people God has brought to this place. In spite of the internet issue, things are going well. These students and sponsors have been fun to talk to and I really am enjoying my time.
People are waiting to use the computer here, so I am going to sign off. Hope my story made sense.
Mike
Friday, June 24, 2011
Ending week 2
Whew! That's about the best I can do. I have struggled all week with Internet issues and maybe things are coming together...maybe. There are 2 internet cafes on the island. The one I am at now has 2 computers and it costs me 1 Met per minute. 30 Mets to a U.S. dollar. The other cafe is...well I think I already told you so...
I have been thinking a lot about this place because I have a lot of time to think. This is a very young population.
You don't see too many people my age around. Tons and tons of children. Most go to school in shifts and wear uniforms. They are like bees when school lets out. They are taught English in school and several practice with me when they can. It's fun but frustrating since being a typical American...I just speak English. They do receive a good education but once that is finished what do they do. There is not any industry except tourism and that is low because the island is so small. It takes me 30 minutes to walk the length of the island and 10 minutes to walk across the widest point. Guess how many times I have done that.
So pray for these people. Rodger has a goal for the egg farm, the goat cheese farm and the guest house, all of which will bring some help but not nearly enough.
There are several NGO s that come here, but they mostly have meetings to talk about things they would like to do and the goals they have set..for next year. Of course, next year they have other meetings to discuss what they planned last year and how they could improve on last year by having a few more meetings this year to set goals for next year. Sounds like they worked where I used to.
The work on the house continues to do well. The city put the water pipe in all the way to Rodgers house today. No water yet...but we gotta pipe! Tomorrow we will raise the water tank and continue to work on the septic system. We, the plumber that is, should start on the drainage for the bathroom and kitchen.
I tried to download pictures but I can't figure it out. I can see the pictures but I can figure out how to download them. Technical dunce.
Thanks for your prayers,
Mike
I have been thinking a lot about this place because I have a lot of time to think. This is a very young population.
You don't see too many people my age around. Tons and tons of children. Most go to school in shifts and wear uniforms. They are like bees when school lets out. They are taught English in school and several practice with me when they can. It's fun but frustrating since being a typical American...I just speak English. They do receive a good education but once that is finished what do they do. There is not any industry except tourism and that is low because the island is so small. It takes me 30 minutes to walk the length of the island and 10 minutes to walk across the widest point. Guess how many times I have done that.
So pray for these people. Rodger has a goal for the egg farm, the goat cheese farm and the guest house, all of which will bring some help but not nearly enough.
There are several NGO s that come here, but they mostly have meetings to talk about things they would like to do and the goals they have set..for next year. Of course, next year they have other meetings to discuss what they planned last year and how they could improve on last year by having a few more meetings this year to set goals for next year. Sounds like they worked where I used to.
The work on the house continues to do well. The city put the water pipe in all the way to Rodgers house today. No water yet...but we gotta pipe! Tomorrow we will raise the water tank and continue to work on the septic system. We, the plumber that is, should start on the drainage for the bathroom and kitchen.
I tried to download pictures but I can't figure it out. I can see the pictures but I can figure out how to download them. Technical dunce.
Thanks for your prayers,
Mike
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Posting from Mike!
Hi everyone, or all 3 or 5 of you.
As you know by now, internet access is a joke. The internet cafe is open when it is convenient for the employees which is not very often. My wi fi issues continue, so if you would like to pray for that, as well as everything else, feel free. So far, internet access is the biggest stumbling block. I cannot communicate like I would like to and I have extremely limited access to outside news. Internet access would be a huge moral boost for me since my weekends are hugely boring without anything to do.
Progress on the house is coming along very well. We are getting close to having a complete septic tank, the plumbing is about half done and the platform that holds the water tank is upright and being welded on as I type this. It is amazing to watch the welder work with equipment that we would have thrown away 20 years ago. I donºt know if that speaks bad for us and good for them or what...but it is amazing to watch.
Speaking of amazing, if you had an 8ft long piece of PVC pipe that had to make a 90 degree turn and you didnºt have connectors to glue together, how would you do it. Canºt get all keys to work, sorry for punctuation. I saw workmen take an 8 ft long section of PVC, blocked the end with paper, fill it with sand, block the other end, mark where they needed to make the bend. put the plastick pipe over a paper sack on fire and as soon as the pipe softened, they bent the pipe. Because it was filled with sand, the pipe made a nice smooth bend, no kinks. Really cool. At least for me.
The workmen at the house are doing great, and as a sign of appreciation, I bought everyone working at the house a Coke or Fanta. No big deal right? Wrong!
Four city workers are working on the water pipe from the street to the house. They are 50 to 60 yards away. These guys saw me buy their friends Cokes and so they ran down the path between the houses. We had to go to the Mayorºs house so he could interpret what they wanted. Hafiz, the Mayor, said that since I bought their friends Cokes, they wanted one also. So, I agreed. Then they told me the rest of the day is a holiday for all municipality workers....and they quit for the day!
I have met some interesting tourist while I am here as well. Last night 4 chineses tourists stayed at my hotel. They bought a car in South Africa and are taking 3 months to drive to Egypt! I did have a special treat on Sunday night. A pastor from South Africa was on a 3 month sabbatical with his wife and 4 children. The 3 girls were aged 14 to 9, their son was about 3 or 4. They had driven from Durbin, South Africa to Pemba, Mozambique to work with Iris Ministries. Iris Ministries is run by Rolland and Heidi Baker and some of you may be familiar with their books and stories. They stopped in Ilhe de Mozambique as a rest and stayed here 3 nights. I had a wonderful time with Jacque and his family. We talked about Iris Ministries, his church and my general overall craziness. He comes to the states every other year to attend a conference in Redding, CA and so I invited him to stay with Diane and I for a couple of days next time he comes to CA. They were a Godsend!
So, I will stop. I will try to download pictures, but without Wi Fi working, I donºt know how I will.
Want to pray? Pray for my wisdom and discernment. Pray for our workers, they are great men. Pray for Ilhe de Mozambique, things here are tough. This is a diffucult place to make a go of life. All of Mozambique is difficult. Pray for the internet and for WiFi!
Thanks for your support, interest and prayers,
Mike
As you know by now, internet access is a joke. The internet cafe is open when it is convenient for the employees which is not very often. My wi fi issues continue, so if you would like to pray for that, as well as everything else, feel free. So far, internet access is the biggest stumbling block. I cannot communicate like I would like to and I have extremely limited access to outside news. Internet access would be a huge moral boost for me since my weekends are hugely boring without anything to do.
Progress on the house is coming along very well. We are getting close to having a complete septic tank, the plumbing is about half done and the platform that holds the water tank is upright and being welded on as I type this. It is amazing to watch the welder work with equipment that we would have thrown away 20 years ago. I donºt know if that speaks bad for us and good for them or what...but it is amazing to watch.
Speaking of amazing, if you had an 8ft long piece of PVC pipe that had to make a 90 degree turn and you didnºt have connectors to glue together, how would you do it. Canºt get all keys to work, sorry for punctuation. I saw workmen take an 8 ft long section of PVC, blocked the end with paper, fill it with sand, block the other end, mark where they needed to make the bend. put the plastick pipe over a paper sack on fire and as soon as the pipe softened, they bent the pipe. Because it was filled with sand, the pipe made a nice smooth bend, no kinks. Really cool. At least for me.
The workmen at the house are doing great, and as a sign of appreciation, I bought everyone working at the house a Coke or Fanta. No big deal right? Wrong!
Four city workers are working on the water pipe from the street to the house. They are 50 to 60 yards away. These guys saw me buy their friends Cokes and so they ran down the path between the houses. We had to go to the Mayorºs house so he could interpret what they wanted. Hafiz, the Mayor, said that since I bought their friends Cokes, they wanted one also. So, I agreed. Then they told me the rest of the day is a holiday for all municipality workers....and they quit for the day!
I have met some interesting tourist while I am here as well. Last night 4 chineses tourists stayed at my hotel. They bought a car in South Africa and are taking 3 months to drive to Egypt! I did have a special treat on Sunday night. A pastor from South Africa was on a 3 month sabbatical with his wife and 4 children. The 3 girls were aged 14 to 9, their son was about 3 or 4. They had driven from Durbin, South Africa to Pemba, Mozambique to work with Iris Ministries. Iris Ministries is run by Rolland and Heidi Baker and some of you may be familiar with their books and stories. They stopped in Ilhe de Mozambique as a rest and stayed here 3 nights. I had a wonderful time with Jacque and his family. We talked about Iris Ministries, his church and my general overall craziness. He comes to the states every other year to attend a conference in Redding, CA and so I invited him to stay with Diane and I for a couple of days next time he comes to CA. They were a Godsend!
So, I will stop. I will try to download pictures, but without Wi Fi working, I donºt know how I will.
Want to pray? Pray for my wisdom and discernment. Pray for our workers, they are great men. Pray for Ilhe de Mozambique, things here are tough. This is a diffucult place to make a go of life. All of Mozambique is difficult. Pray for the internet and for WiFi!
Thanks for your support, interest and prayers,
Mike
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday night post from Diane
I wish Mike was getting to write this...it would be much more eloquent than what I write...and more detailed. He still cannot get the wireless to work and the Internet cafe seems to only be open sporadically. When I ask why, as with most other questions...response is TIA....this is Africa. (quote from the movie Blood Diamond)
We are texting back and forth a lot....it is a quarter a text message compared to $2 a minute to talk....still will add up to a hefty bill. But I know he is lonely and dying to share his experiences.
He is pleased with the progress but hasn't told me exactly what is getting done. He says the workers are great and working hard. I asked if he was learning Portuguese...the response I got was Mashakamdo. Which is actually a Macua greeting for anytime of day.
He met and had dinner with one South African missionary family that was there for vacation. Today he said there are Chinese tourists there who are taking 3 months to drive from South Africa to Egypt. What a cool chance to interact with other cultures.
Please continue to pray for their work there and for the funds they need to get the project completed. Pray for him to build relationships and not be lonely. Pray for working Internet. For health and safety...the list goes on. But most of all, pray for the example of Christianity that he is exhibiting in all he says and does...that he make the gospel attractive to the Macua people there. And that that will start a foundation for Rodger to continue building on.
Please add comments as you read this...I would love to then share those with him even if he can't read them on the internet himself. I will post pictures whenever he can get some to me.
Thanks for your love, prayers and concern for him and for me. (BTW...arm healing well...definitely some supernatural recovery going on there!)
We are texting back and forth a lot....it is a quarter a text message compared to $2 a minute to talk....still will add up to a hefty bill. But I know he is lonely and dying to share his experiences.
He is pleased with the progress but hasn't told me exactly what is getting done. He says the workers are great and working hard. I asked if he was learning Portuguese...the response I got was Mashakamdo. Which is actually a Macua greeting for anytime of day.
He met and had dinner with one South African missionary family that was there for vacation. Today he said there are Chinese tourists there who are taking 3 months to drive from South Africa to Egypt. What a cool chance to interact with other cultures.
Please continue to pray for their work there and for the funds they need to get the project completed. Pray for him to build relationships and not be lonely. Pray for working Internet. For health and safety...the list goes on. But most of all, pray for the example of Christianity that he is exhibiting in all he says and does...that he make the gospel attractive to the Macua people there. And that that will start a foundation for Rodger to continue building on.
Please add comments as you read this...I would love to then share those with him even if he can't read them on the internet himself. I will post pictures whenever he can get some to me.
Thanks for your love, prayers and concern for him and for me. (BTW...arm healing well...definitely some supernatural recovery going on there!)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Saturday, June 18
This is getting posted by Diane. Mike is having issues with getting wireless to work there on the island...he is able to use the Internet cafe for us to send a few email messages back and forth and he has posted short messages on Facebook but I will try to do better at keeping things updated. It has been a rough week for me. I broke my lower left arm in a fall in my hotel room in Tokyo. Have had some major surgery on it this week and spent two days in the hospital after what was supposed to be outpatient surgery. Am still having trouble With using it ...the pain meds are making me very drowsy/loopy. Ok...enough about that...let's talk about Mike's week.
He and Rodger flew to Nampula on Monday and then got their ride to the island, about 2 1/2 hrs. Away and almost $100 for transportation. They are hoping to work some deals since this may have to happen frequently. Mike says the island is beautiful and I would love it. Tuesday was spent assessing the work that needs to be done and figuring out what purchases they needed to make. This is what he wrote me Wednesday night their time....
"We went to Nacala to get the materials. I sat in the front of the truck while Rodger and 6 others rode in the back. We loaded the truck and drove back with Rodger and everyone sitting on top of the load. It rained coming home.
I have pictures.
Rodger is at the house going through more building issues with the local water company and a couple of other people. We will drive across the 1 1\2 mile bridge to the mainland to buy bricks this afternoon. I have been out running some errands. I bought a backback for $8.
There are 2 internet cafes on the island. I found 1 that I don't think Rodger knows about with the help of Abdul, an 18 year old boy who walked along with me trying to sell me Portugese coins.
The Wi Fi set up is not working yet. Someone is coming to Hafiz`s home to set it up. Hafiz is the mayor of the island and lives 1 short block from Rodger`s house.
I wish I could talk to you and hopefully when we get wi fi I can. Otherwise, things are going fine...but Rodger is still here. Once he leaves, I will start a whole new dimension in living
in Africa."
Nacala is a port city about 1 1/2 hr north...and as for the pictures, I will post them as soon as he figures out how to send them to me. He says his translator is good and they have the local workers all set up. Thursday he posted: "Great day. A lot accomplished. Rodger is nervous about leaving me alone. I am probably not smart enough to be nervous. Thanks for your prayers and keep me in your thoughts." Yes, he is smart enough and I know he is actually nervous too but he is learning to lean on God in a whole new way.
Not sure what tasks Friday held but here is the email from him today, Saturday night his time....ha!
"OK here's the deal. Hafiz's 13 year old son is in charge of internet issues at the house. He will not leave the wi fi plugged in long enough for it to self configure. Communication barriers abound. What can you tell a 13 year old.
So...guess what. Rodger goes back to the hotel to get his ride to Nampula. We are digging a really big hole for the septic system and do you know what we find. The remains of some long lost soul. These are really old bones.
Either the bones of the first missionary who wanted to live in Macua town, or the guy whose was helping him build his house. Either way, we wrapped the bones in a white cloth and buried them in the Muslim cemetary next to the house. Rodger was nowhere to be found.
I don't think I will have internet access until Monday. I will keep trying."
Sounds like something from tv series "Bones"! Now he just sent me a text that says night is getting topped off with electricity out!
I know he won't have a church to go to tomorrow and they won't work on Sunday. He will
probably spend time exploring the island.
Last thing I wanted to share...in my devotions today I read: "Learn to laugh at yourself more
freely. Don't take yourself or your circumstances so seriously. Relax and know that I Am God With You. When you desire My will above all else, life becomes much less threatening. Stop trying to monitor My responsibilities--things that are beyond your control. Find freedom in accepting the boundaries of your domain.". Then one of the scripture readings was Proverbs 17:22. "A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.". please pray for Mike's spirit to be cheerful.....and not dried up ones like the skeleton they foundW,
More soon, In Him who gives to us more generously than we can even imagine imagine, Diane
He and Rodger flew to Nampula on Monday and then got their ride to the island, about 2 1/2 hrs. Away and almost $100 for transportation. They are hoping to work some deals since this may have to happen frequently. Mike says the island is beautiful and I would love it. Tuesday was spent assessing the work that needs to be done and figuring out what purchases they needed to make. This is what he wrote me Wednesday night their time....
"We went to Nacala to get the materials. I sat in the front of the truck while Rodger and 6 others rode in the back. We loaded the truck and drove back with Rodger and everyone sitting on top of the load. It rained coming home.
I have pictures.
Rodger is at the house going through more building issues with the local water company and a couple of other people. We will drive across the 1 1\2 mile bridge to the mainland to buy bricks this afternoon. I have been out running some errands. I bought a backback for $8.
There are 2 internet cafes on the island. I found 1 that I don't think Rodger knows about with the help of Abdul, an 18 year old boy who walked along with me trying to sell me Portugese coins.
The Wi Fi set up is not working yet. Someone is coming to Hafiz`s home to set it up. Hafiz is the mayor of the island and lives 1 short block from Rodger`s house.
I wish I could talk to you and hopefully when we get wi fi I can. Otherwise, things are going fine...but Rodger is still here. Once he leaves, I will start a whole new dimension in living
in Africa."
Nacala is a port city about 1 1/2 hr north...and as for the pictures, I will post them as soon as he figures out how to send them to me. He says his translator is good and they have the local workers all set up. Thursday he posted: "Great day. A lot accomplished. Rodger is nervous about leaving me alone. I am probably not smart enough to be nervous. Thanks for your prayers and keep me in your thoughts." Yes, he is smart enough and I know he is actually nervous too but he is learning to lean on God in a whole new way.
Not sure what tasks Friday held but here is the email from him today, Saturday night his time....ha!
"OK here's the deal. Hafiz's 13 year old son is in charge of internet issues at the house. He will not leave the wi fi plugged in long enough for it to self configure. Communication barriers abound. What can you tell a 13 year old.
So...guess what. Rodger goes back to the hotel to get his ride to Nampula. We are digging a really big hole for the septic system and do you know what we find. The remains of some long lost soul. These are really old bones.
Either the bones of the first missionary who wanted to live in Macua town, or the guy whose was helping him build his house. Either way, we wrapped the bones in a white cloth and buried them in the Muslim cemetary next to the house. Rodger was nowhere to be found.
I don't think I will have internet access until Monday. I will keep trying."
Sounds like something from tv series "Bones"! Now he just sent me a text that says night is getting topped off with electricity out!
I know he won't have a church to go to tomorrow and they won't work on Sunday. He will
probably spend time exploring the island.
Last thing I wanted to share...in my devotions today I read: "Learn to laugh at yourself more
freely. Don't take yourself or your circumstances so seriously. Relax and know that I Am God With You. When you desire My will above all else, life becomes much less threatening. Stop trying to monitor My responsibilities--things that are beyond your control. Find freedom in accepting the boundaries of your domain.". Then one of the scripture readings was Proverbs 17:22. "A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.". please pray for Mike's spirit to be cheerful.....and not dried up ones like the skeleton they foundW,
More soon, In Him who gives to us more generously than we can even imagine imagine, Diane
Friday, June 10, 2011
Week One
Whew...what a week!
I have spent the last few days in Mozambique being Rodger's man servant and general fix-it man.
So far, I have replaced 2 shower curtain rods, 2 shower heads and 1 kitchen faucet. But, just like home there was one repair I couldn't do because of time and so the plumber has to show up.
Speaking of home, have you been following my wife's adventures on Facebook? She broke her arm while on a layover in Tokyo. Actually she re-broke her arm...I broke her arm on our 28th wedding anniversary on our infamous slow motion motorcycle wreck. But telling of that adventure requires too much time.
I have worked at MozOvos collecting eggs and replacing 150 ft of chicken wire, and met the Secretary of Agriculture.
Rodger and I leave for Nampula and Mozambique Island on Monday, since no flights were available until then. But we needed the time here to prepare for the island and to accomplish enough tasks for Rodger to be available next week.
I think most of you know that Internet access on the island will be limited so I will do my best.
Mike
PS. the picture is of my new "island" haircut!
I have spent the last few days in Mozambique being Rodger's man servant and general fix-it man.
So far, I have replaced 2 shower curtain rods, 2 shower heads and 1 kitchen faucet. But, just like home there was one repair I couldn't do because of time and so the plumber has to show up.
Speaking of home, have you been following my wife's adventures on Facebook? She broke her arm while on a layover in Tokyo. Actually she re-broke her arm...I broke her arm on our 28th wedding anniversary on our infamous slow motion motorcycle wreck. But telling of that adventure requires too much time.
I have worked at MozOvos collecting eggs and replacing 150 ft of chicken wire, and met the Secretary of Agriculture.
Rodger and I leave for Nampula and Mozambique Island on Monday, since no flights were available until then. But we needed the time here to prepare for the island and to accomplish enough tasks for Rodger to be available next week.
I think most of you know that Internet access on the island will be limited so I will do my best.
Mike
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
MozOvos Pics
The Internship runs the MozOvos egg farm to train the young men in business practices and for income to support the internship project. During this week that Mike is staying in Maputo with Rodger (this is being posted by Diane), he is helping out at the egg farm. Tuesday he worked there all day, helping gather eggs and then replacing old sections of chicken wire on the sides of the buildings. It was good for him to be there working along side the interns. One picture shows the interns on break. The individual picture is of Carlos. The other pictures are shots of the building that they were working on....and pictures of "the ladies" (more than 10,000 chickens!)
Also, hopefully he will get a chance to blog and add some more specific prayer requests. But I do know one...he had some medication that he would need during his time there. Because it needed to be kept refrigerated and that would have taken up large amounts of luggage space for the ice packs, I sent it FedEx to him. It should have arrived yesterday but was held up by security checks (not on it, but on the FedEx plane) in Great Britain. It is now winging it's way to South AFrica. Please pray for it not to have been ruined before it gets there! And for quick delivery. Thanks so much for praying for him and for the project there.
More soon....
Also, hopefully he will get a chance to blog and add some more specific prayer requests. But I do know one...he had some medication that he would need during his time there. Because it needed to be kept refrigerated and that would have taken up large amounts of luggage space for the ice packs, I sent it FedEx to him. It should have arrived yesterday but was held up by security checks (not on it, but on the FedEx plane) in Great Britain. It is now winging it's way to South AFrica. Please pray for it not to have been ruined before it gets there! And for quick delivery. Thanks so much for praying for him and for the project there.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday in Mozambique
I hope you are beginning a blessed Sunday!
I got up at 5:15 a.m., got ready and went to visit about 10,000 of the prettiest ladies you've ever seen! MozOvos operates 7 days a week because the girls need to be fed. Once we fed all the chickens, we drove a few blocks to the neighborhood church.
We had a small group session then a wonderful worship time and a sermon presented by 2 of the MozOvos interns.
Pray for us as we start out the planning of this week, a Loy of unknowns are in store.
Since it is Sunday afternoon right now...I guess I'll take a nap...no need to break a good habit.
Mike
I got up at 5:15 a.m., got ready and went to visit about 10,000 of the prettiest ladies you've ever seen! MozOvos operates 7 days a week because the girls need to be fed. Once we fed all the chickens, we drove a few blocks to the neighborhood church.
We had a small group session then a wonderful worship time and a sermon presented by 2 of the MozOvos interns.
Pray for us as we start out the planning of this week, a Loy of unknowns are in store.
Since it is Sunday afternoon right now...I guess I'll take a nap...no need to break a good habit.
Mike
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Pictures of the project on the island
This is being posted by Diane. I finally got the pictures of the project where Mike will be working on the island...Ilha de Moçambique. They show the roof that has to be totally redone, a breezeway area which will be between the living area and the "outdoor" kitchen, a room that looks like a storage closet (the one with the baby walker sitting in it) that will turn into a bathroom, the water holding system currently on top of which they will build a holding tank, and I am sure he will correct me and add more when he is able to post. He landed in Moz a couple of hours ago and I am sure is getting adjusted to the drastic time change. Blessings were that his flight connections went very smoothly and he got on the first flight he tried each time. God is good. More soon....thanks for your prayers for this adventure.
Diane
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Well.....I'm off!
This is my first ever blog...so be patient.
I discovered I am about a day behind in being ready, but when ya gotta go...
Hopefully, the flight to JFk will be pleasant and then South African Airways will have an empty seat for me. Flying standby can test your spiritual preparedness REAL quick.
Good news. God continues to surprise and amaze me at his faithfulness and goodness. A friend who could not go and his supporters gave money to my trip that was completely unexpected. I cannot express my appreciation enough!
Well, I'm waiting see which wonderful seat American Airlines will give me for my tripy to JFK, so I will sign off.
God Bless all of you,
Mike
I discovered I am about a day behind in being ready, but when ya gotta go...
Hopefully, the flight to JFk will be pleasant and then South African Airways will have an empty seat for me. Flying standby can test your spiritual preparedness REAL quick.
Good news. God continues to surprise and amaze me at his faithfulness and goodness. A friend who could not go and his supporters gave money to my trip that was completely unexpected. I cannot express my appreciation enough!
Well, I'm waiting see which wonderful seat American Airlines will give me for my tripy to JFK, so I will sign off.
God Bless all of you,
Mike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)