MozamWeek

Mikael is into his second week of Mozambique adventure. In the first week, he was in the capital city, Maputo, in the very south of the country. Last Friday, he flew up to Tete, the province that is on the "other side" of Malawi... about 1000 miles north of Maputo. This is our "home" in Africa. The armpit of Mozambique as some would say. It isn't exactly pretty, but, it is where we are called to live and love it, for better or worse! Mikael's trip is somehow typical of a two-week period in Mozambique. A conference was organized at the university, but there was not much notice for participants to prepare ahead of time. There were people to see and networks to develop that will definitely benefit the project in the future. He made new friends, and met many old ones. He found out that our car wasn't kept exactly where it was planned to be stored, and the keys weren't with the person they should have been with... but everything was safe and found. The go...

This picture was in my inbox tonight... must be 1995 in Camaroon or CAR on a survey trip... Do you see why he married me? He needed someone to pick out his clothes... He's the one in the Safari hat and Maasai blanket. I kinda like him, you know! Mikael arrived safely in Mozambique about a week ago for a linguistic conference. He has been using the opportunity to network with "language people" for the Nyungwe orthography development. He will travel up to Tete tomorrow... Friday. He is currently a bit stressed out because the person we thought was keeping our car keys doesn't have them. Everything always works out eventually. We thank you for praying for us and for Mikael's trip. Add the car keys to the list! I'll let you know how it works out.

This is one of my favorite writings. I wrote it as I was packing to leave our African home for furlough. I come back to it often for the memories. It is a little long, but there is a lot to miss, I guess! Hope you enjoy! Mikael flies to Mozambique today for a conference and will be back in a couple of weeks. We appreciate your prayers! Bananas… green, but ripe. Scarred, but sweet. African bananas are half the size with 10 times the flavor. Baobabs… giant trees hung with velvety, mossy green pods and silvery smooth bark, leafless most of the year… they dot the landscape of Tete, ancient and immovable, storing precious water and survivors in the arid climate Beans… brown beans or pinto beans or red beans… weekly staple food stewed with tomato and onion and loads of garlic and a dash of curry and served with rice… Jakob’s favorite food… Katie’s second favorite… John likes everything. We will have them one more time before we go. At home there is so much variety that ...

Last night, the church agreed to send us back to Tete for another 3 years! Many of you have been praying for a long time over this decision. We thank you for standing with us and believing that our return would be sooner rather than later! Thanks for being part of our team. You are important! Each of you who prays for us... each of you who gives from $5 to $500... we know that each of you does so in answer to God's call in your life. We do not take the responsibility for these funds lightly. We pray for God's guidance in using the money wisely and in making a positive impact through our lives wherever we are. Thanks for trusting Him to guide us in the Nyungwe project! Keep praying!!! We will be ordering tickets for 'week 44' In Sweden, the calendar has not only months and days, but the weeks are numbered... starting with the first Monday of the year... week one. Week 44 is the kids' "fall vacation." They are off for a week. It is a natural break for our fa...

We went to Söderköping on the opposite side of Vättern from us here in Skövde. It was a great 24 hours away from home. The kids were happily deposited with Farmor and Farfar, and we were able to drive 4 hours without mediating arguments, protecting victims of unfair attacks, or asking if anyone needed the bathroom. Lovely! We were scheduled to speak at the AoG/Pingstkyrkan in the morning. The pastor met us around 8pm and showed us up to the hundred-year-old apartment over the Baptist Church. He put breakfast supplies in the fridge and inquired if we had our own linens. We had (that's what you do in Sweden). So, all in order, we all took a walk through the cobbled streets of a town on the Götakanal... a canal that crosses southern Sweden joining the North Sea to the Atlantic. Quaint shops and flower boxes in apartment windows lined the streets. The town square was deserted on this rainy Saturday night. We walked and got to know each other and discussed Mozambique, Bible translation,...

Here is info on the Nyungwe Bible Translation project! Enjoy, and pray! Whatever happened to the Nyungwe Bible Translation? See if I figured it out this time! My next post has accidentally been erased twice. I will get it out eventually!

Katie turned 8 on Saturday! Happy Birthday, Pam! Today my sister turns --! I didn't get you anything... I didn't even send you a card. So this is my greeting and wish for you: Jeremiah 29:11. Even if we are over 40, God has PLANS for us! Plans for good... not harm. Plans for hope and a future. He's just begun today to give you what He has in mind for you. He's not nearly done with any of us. So... have a HAPPY Birthday! Let Him work out His plan in you and there isn't anything you will lack. Seek Him and there is nothing else to long for! Love you, Pam!

I told him to get dressed for a shopping trip and this is what we got! He turns 4 at the end of the month. Big boys can do it all, you know! You can see that we are in a season of change. The weather is cooler, but the shorts are still in the drawer. I have tried to avoid the skull and crossbones motif on the boys' clothes, but it is almost impossible... he needed new socks and they are too big. I'm kind of impressed that he tried to match colors. Cool.