MozamWeek

We have too much. I've noticed this as I pack and unpack when moving between countries. We have to weigh and box up our leftovers (stuff we didn't give away and aren't taking with us). The things I keep to remember the life I have lived and hope to live once again someday. Some of it is necessary. Those boxes of past tax records and bank stuff... a Ziploc with about 25 expired passports. (These are actually necessary sometimes, who would guess!) Those two boxes of kitchen stuff came in very handy when setting up house again in Sweden! I needed those nine years after packing and storing that box Some of it is wonderful. Photos and albums of days-gone-by bring true joy when shared with those we love! We don't look at them often enough. We might have too many, but my friend pulled out a picture of my dad she had from our time in high school. If she hadn't saved it, I wouldn't have it. The box with a few baby clothes from our sweet tiny children... or their fi...

Long ago, our mission directors decided that a short American girl should share a desk with a tall Swede in Maputo, Mozambique. They were in the same department and the office was very small. That's the beginning of our story. We've told it often and in many circumstances: when we visited churches everyone wanted the "love story"; when we met people in Mozambique and they wanted to know how we ended up together; when I've given a lift to a lady on the side of the road and she asked how I ended up in Mozambique and questions led to the story. God has used the story to show many how he can lead with a smile, and a whisper of hope. We married at the age of 30. It seemed very old at the time! February 22, 1997 Mikael and I have made a life together, and we have mostly allowed God to guide us. He's guided us through good and bad decisions and moved us a little closer to His vision of who we are in Him, I hope. We are never quite there... but we are moving the...

Just ask my mom... I'm not that easy to live with! After 5 months living with her in Alabama, we spent 5 months living in England. Now we are spending about 2 months living with my in-laws in Sweden. For some people, this would be a nightmare. For us, it is a blessing with certain challenges! The nice thing about having in-laws in different countries is that they can't compete with each other for your attention. They get your family COMPLETELY each time you come home to them. In both homes we know we are welcome and loved.  Mother-in-law in Swedish is  svärmor - -  like "swearmother" the connotations are ancient! Let me introduce you to my mother-in-law: Iréne Bister just turned 70. She can bike to the market and back quicker than I can get the car out and drive there. Irene climbed the windmill hill in England faster than me. She swims in icy water at the lake with my kids and I can barely dip in my toes. She bakes, knits and cleans like a whirlwind! One might ...

We just spent 4 wonderful days with Mikael's parents and younger sister. It is such a blessing to have family around! In our little community here, filled with students from 15 different countries, there aren't many grandparents hanging around. We live with an intense connection to people we only see every few years. It is a strange life, but I think we get to appreciate each other all the more for it. It helps that I have some pretty awesome in-laws! They arrived on Wednesday in time to pick up Jakob from school on his 11th birthday! He was very excited and felt a little like he was the sole reason for their visit. They came to celebrate him, but also because Irene is turning 70 this month! We had a special dinner and cake and presents from Sweden. It was nice. Since Mikael and I are both taking classes this month, Katie got to entertain them in the mornings. On Thursday we headed to Oxford. We got lost because I wanted to show them the beauty of Oxfordshire... but also be...

I'm in Sweden. I have been for a month now. Deep sigh. The air is clean. My feet are clean! I wear white... and it stays white. Welcome back... ... after years in Africa's throbbing heart I see... The flag is blue crossed with yellow. The grass and trees are green. Lakes shimmer surrounded by pine and birch and oak. Red houses with white trim. Summer... The sky is blue from 4am to 10pm. Another day. The sky is gray with heavy clouds and cool rain. Another day. The sun warms again in the clear sky. In the car... Wheels hum on the black ribbon cutting through the pines. Passing... Fields of green... hay, oats, wheat Fields of yellow... canola flowers. Roadside wildflowers, shoulder-high... white, yellow, blue and pink... nodding in the green. Horses trotting in the pasture. Cows grazing in the pasture. Passing... Campers. Campgrounds. Boats. Canals. Trains. Stations. Crossings with booms. Summer vacation in Sweden... ...

Take one cookie?  Ask for seconds?  Shake hands or kiss?  In our SIL branch in Mozambique we are a very diverse group. We have about 30 members from "overseas" and colleagues from several African countries. Just this month we have had our "Branch Conference." As part of conference, we planned a cross-cultural activity to understand each other better. We discussed hospitality customs in small groups. What do you do as a host? What do you do as a guest? What about unexpected guests?  I was placed in the "American/Canadian" group. Mikael was placed in the "Swedish/Norwegian" group. We also had a "South African," "British," "Dutch/German," and an "African" group. We discussed our customs and expectations in our  groups... and then got together to share our ways. In Holland, you may be invited for Coffee- just take ONE cookie! Don't ask for seconds. They will probably offer you another treat with a ...

My plan was to update this blog weekly. I have failed. The week after I started this thing we traveled to M's sister's place in a subarctic region of northern Sweden. We stayed for about 5 days with 12 in the house. It was nice to see the kids with their Swedish cousins. K (who is 7) started to imitate her 12 year old cousin's dialect of Swedish. J (who is 6) played non-stop with his cousin who was born exactly a month before him. Little J (who is 3 1/2) enjoyed all the attention that the youngest in the family gets. We drove 72 Swedish miles... that is 720 km... that is about 500 US miles. We traveled through hills and valleys dotted with sparkling lakes. There is lots of forest in Sweden. (On the "globe" in my head Sweden was always green... even before I came here.) The dark green pine forest comes right down to the rocky shore of the lake. There are red cabins and vacation homes at the edge of the lakes. Church spires dominate in even the smallest community. I...

M and I got married in Sweden in 1997. It was a cold and snowy winter. I remember the apricot light of the Nordic sky. I remember the crunch of the snow. I remember learning Swedish. I remember learning what to eat first when you are invited to "fika". Learning to live in a new country is a unique experience. It isn't like being a tourist. What you figure out today will make life easier for years to come. What you DON'T figure out, no one will tell you. What you do wrong, you will remember longer than they will. Trial and error. Forgiveness and a good sense of humor. Figuring it out, and then figuring out if you can really LIVE with it! Actually, learning to live in a new country is a lot like getting married... or being a parent... Nobody is perfect. You need to figure out a lot in the beginning. You make adaptations to your lifestyle accordingly. Some things are a relief when you discover that mysterious difference that caused so much anxiety. Other things you wish ...