Friends or Family

Greetings everyone,
I realize it has been a while since we posted anything. We have been doing odds and end jobs around the training compound that I spent my teen years at. Last weekend Jim and I went with friends and my parents to the beach.  I have had the amazing blessing of being able to see old friends again. Jim and I were talking, and I was telling him about the people we were hanging out with. I told him how half the people around were people I had known for over half my life. I told him stories of people I have known since I was 5 years old. I pointed out the kids that I once baby sat. The kids who thought of me as a big sister, and who I though of as a little brother. All this to say, it got me thinking about friends and family.

Beach weekend with "family"

It is amazing the family that God has put into my life. I haven't lived with my parents in 6 years, since I was 15 years old. My older siblings all left home before that, so the people I call family aren't necessarily related to me by blood. From the time I was little I have been away from extended family, and so my aunts and uncles became those who lived around me at that time. I am constantly amazed at the "family" God has given me. No matter where I am, I am surrounded by people I can call family.

God's family is so much bigger than I can ever imagine and I am so thankful for that. My friends are people I have spend and shared my life with, and I am glad to call them family, because we are all Children of God, who has called us to be his own.

home sweet home...

Recently I have been contemplating the idea of home. Being in Nampula has been hard on me. The reason that it is so hard on me is because I am home, yet I don't have a home around here anymore. Most of my friends have moved on, as have I.
The reason that it is hard is cause I don't feel at home anywhere I go. If you ask my parents for the last six years I am always going home. When I came back from boarding school I would say "I AM GOING HOME" and then when I left to go to boarding school I would say "I AM GOING HOME"  I think it is the same now. I am in Nampula and I think of how much I love it here, but I think of how much I love it in Grand Rapids.

It got me to thinking about where our home really is. There is a verse Matthew that says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." For me this makes me think of home. It made me think about how heaven is our true home, for those who believe in Jesus. I long for the day when I finally get to go home! To my real home! Just something to think about!

Missions in Mozambique

Standing on the roof rack at the end of a long day

Honey (aka Natalie) and I on the trip

The people doing their washing and bathing for the week

The Sewage outside the house we were working at

The Bathroom before

The Bathroom after

Jim and I eating the Cement mix

Getting the bathroom floor ready to tile

The pastor's wife (from South Africa) praying with the Mozambican women

The walls before we chipped away at them and painted them

Sitting in the tub while mom tiled

The shower wall

The paint pealing off

Holiday Club

June 24, 25, 26 Holiday Club prep

                Becky and I went to Gateway church to help out with Holiday Club week (kinda of a vacation bible school) We had to go to a preparation weekend so that all of us were ready spiritually, mentally, and physically. The sessions and prep stuff were easy and not too over the top. Most of the time it was spiritual prep.

                We painted a backdrop for scenery. I hated working on my knees. (Yay track legacy!) I felt so old when I had to sit and rest because my knees were killing me. I felt all of those years of track catching up.

                We had some fun too, playing ninja, soccer and just talking and getting to know each other. It was nice on Sunday, when we got an afternoon off to rest and relax.

June 27^th

                First day of Holiday Club, I did registration for 5^th graders. After registration, we began the day. I was leading the 5^th graders with Wade aka “Goofy” It was difficult at first but we managed. I was also in charge of games. It was hard to get people to listen and pay attention to my instructions. The afternoon ended and we spent the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow. I made balloons filled with flour.

June 28^th

                2^nd day of Holiday Club. Registration went by smoothly. 5^th grade was a little better today. Games I was in charge of balloon toss. It’s inconceivable how even 7^th graders don’t know how to make a simple line. Frustrated sigh. Oh well, it was fun to see balloons of flour pop on people.

June 29^th

                3^rd day of Holiday Club. We had our usual today. The kids were great. I was in charge of mini Olympics which went well besides some run burn from tug o war. Becky and I even had 2 ½ hour break because everything ran so smoothly and efficient. People are going loopy from lack of sleep. It’s funny.

June 30^th

                The kids were great again. The games were awesome. I think everyone liked mine. One of my girls even told me that mine was the best. Everyone’s It was my game. There was a water war between the staff girls and guys. Becky and Dizzy started it, the guys finished it. It was prank night. Some pranks, I didn’t agree with nor partook with. The girls taped the guy dorm rooms shut.

July 1^st

                Today was the final day. Once again the grades 5’s were great. We talked about the Crucifixion and what Jesus dying on the cross. It was nice to hear all the questions these kids had. They were some smart kids. We had no games today but the kids got to look at some animals and learn some things about them.

                After club we started cleaning up and preparing for the parents evening. It went well despite the vacuum breaking down. It was difficult to set up the chairs with the floor still being dirty.

                Becky and I managed to get done early but it hardly made a difference because the house locked so we just had a normal shower hour. Back at Church we had parents evening. I was disappointed not many of the kids parents showed. It still went well. Parents are lame; they don’t get into the music or motions! Come on stay young parents!

                I was disappointed that Becky and I were not going to go home earlier than I hoped. Because we are were going to leave for Mozambique at 3:30 am. I admit I was being a little selfish. I wasn’t the only one tired from the week. That night we celebrated Uncle Andrew’s birthday. Becky and I got a ride from Natalie and then we went to bed. 

Holiday club

So right now I am sitting on the compound where I spent 8 years of my life. But before I tell that story let’s back track two weeks.

Jim and I worked with my parent’s church doing a week of VBS, but they call it holiday club. It all started out the weekend before hand. We spent the nights with the other leaders. It was a great experience to get to know and be part of my parent’s church.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t what I expected whatever that was. Going into the week most everyone knew each other; neither Jim nor I knew anyone else. It was interesting getting to know people over the weekend before we had any kids to work with. We were in a group with two other people; we worked with them on games. Over the course of the weekend we painted backdrops, planed games, and learned about God.

The leader of the week, the one who ran it all, was amazing! Her goal of the week was to feed into the lives of the leaders and help them in their walk with God.  Most of the leaders were between the ages 14 and 17. Part of her goal was to bring to life the reality of spiritual warfare. One of the nights it was evident that God was at work. It was amazing to see how the Spirit was working in people, the night had been intended for quite reflection put turned into us sinning praises to God and praying for those with struggles.

In regards to the actual children who were there they came during the day, and then they left, and then we planned for the next day and spent the night to start the days fresh. I worked with the grade R’s, in other words the kindergarteners.  The kids sent letters to leaders that they knew. I was a little discouraged because I didn’t get letters. By the end of the week I still hadn’t really gotten any letters, but I knew I was loved. On the last day a zoo came and displayed some things for the kids; by the end of the display I was sitting on the grass and I had 6 kids sitting on my lap, and one standing behind me because he didn’t want to sit on the grass because he was allergic. I wish that I could spend more time with those kids because then I could invest more in their life. I hope that I have influenced their lives as much as they have influenced mine.

So much to do, So little time

Hey everyone,
So... We haven't had much time to update  because we have been busy doing stuff. I hope to have a detailed account of what we have been doing, but we will see how that works. Right now Jim and I are working on someone's house, I have paint on my hands, cement on my pants, dust from tiles in my hair, and window putty under my nails. Life is good.
I get to look out the window now and see rain falling in Mozambique, even in the "dry" season. It is good to be "home" or at least in one of my homes. In the last two weeks Jim and I have been going non-stop. We lived at the church doing a children's program, traveled two days by car to get to where we currently are, and have been doing construction since.  Many good things have happened to us, it is hard to relate all of them. I think Jim is getting to know my life a little better.
I would love to write more but our tea break is over and tile cutting is calling my name... I might sneak another snack before I get back to work though.
We are alive and well, not to worry

June 23rd Lion Park

                Today, we went to Lion Park to see the Lions of course! The park had more than just lions, it had jackals, aardwolves, meerkats, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, and lions (duh). We got to go into a cage and pet some lion cubs. So cute! They were asleep though so it wasn’t as much fun.

                We then moved on to pet and feed the giraffe. It was funny. I think the giraffe really liked me because I found myself getting necked by the giraffe. Then he licked me! Everyone found it entertaining and so did I.

                We moved on to the camps where the Lions roam, we drove through snapping pictures at the many lions who were lying around, playing or just posing for the camera. After that we saw the cheetah and hyena camps but they were not as exciting. We then ate lunch and went home.