MozamWeek

5 years... 200 posts... 8,647 page views Not quite the once a week journal I envisioned, but it is a good enough record of our lives as a missionary family in Mozambique. That isn't really very impressive for blog statistics, but I've enjoyed the time I've spent sharing excitement and wonder at new experiences and the dread of facing packing and moving. I'm glad a few of you have followed along. And I'm glad a few more pop in from time to time. Here are the top 5 most viewed posts: Divide a circle into 11 equal parts There must be a lot of people with geometry questions, and I'm sure they were disappointed to find a blog about a white lady building a shady gazebo in Africa! Be still and know My baobab post. Inspired by a great picture by Gigi at snappingafrica2. In the evening Written after hearing about Rosa's death... while I was still in England. I think this is one of my favorites. Mother-in-law for a roommate Written while living in Swed...

When I was 15, I lived in a small town in Indiana. I had a small circle of friends. I babysat on weekends. I went to basketball games and football games or slumber parties at my friends' houses. I was in 10th grade. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew I'd figure it out eventually. I wasn't in a hurry. Being a kid was pretty good, actually. I had no illusions that growing up meant more freedom. I was free... to be myself... in a loving family... in a safe home... God would grow me up in time. I knew that even then. Last week a 15 year old girl came knocking on my gate. She turned out to be the niece of one of our night watchmen who happened to be off work for a few days. She needed to see him. He didn't answer his phone. She didn't know where he lived. She met him here before... she wasn't from Tete, but another part of the province. Her time in Tete last month was short and she worked at a neighbor's house looking after an elde...

My friend Gigi takes amazing pictures. She has lived in Tete for about 3 years or so. When she came, she said she wanted to find beauty wherever she was. I said, "Good luck, you are in Tete now!" She has shown me the beauty of the place around me and I look at my African home differently. I want to thank Gigi for showing so many of us here in this dry, dusty place where the beauty is. Her blog is  SnappingAfrica . Have a look. It is a wonderful glimpse of life here in Tete! Baobab It towers over everything around it. It looks dead. Waiting for the two months of rain during the hottest part of the year. For just a fraction of the year there is respite. Otherwise, wait. Still. You can't tell it is alive until it buds and blossoms and produces fruit. Those seemingly dead branches give fruit every year. The baobab stands in God's stillness and waits for the blessing of rain. Through the burning sun and the drought with no sign of help. It knows. God is here. In hi...

There is a friend from long ago who upon deciding to follow Christ chose to memorize the book of 1 Peter. I was her "hearer"... the first 2 chapters are so familiar to me even today. There is so much I've learned from and leaned on in this epistle that it's become a part of my psyche. It is good to have verses that live in you. They are there before you know it even if you've left Bible reading aside for far too many days... again. Like strangers in the world... So that your faith, of greater value than gold, can be proved genuine... We, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house... The enemy is like a roaming lion seeking someone to devour... Know that for now you will suffer all kinds of trials... Love one another deeply, from the heart... Cast your anxiety on him, for he cares for you... Submit to authority... live as free people... show proper respect for everybody... Even the angels long to look into these things... Pieces ...

Oh, how good it is to write this blog post today! The packing is almost done... there is still some clean laundry drying in the Swedish sunshine, so I can't quite close the last bags yet, but it looks good. The kids are at their favorite swimming hole with their Swedish grandparents while Mikael and I check the last things off the list. Things like scanning in copies of passports and backing up our computers take time and concentration. We are so thankful for so many friends from the USA and from Sweden who have supported us through their prayers and gifts. We have been amazed at the goodness of God as He meets our needs through His people. So amazed... So blessed... So thankful... There is a new chapter of Mozamweek . This will likely be our last term in Tete where we have lived since 1998. The Nyungwe translation is due to be completed in 2017 and we are excited about that! Fellow missionaries and church leaders and pastors in Tete have become dear friends. We really look for...

This is Mikael. He is patient... most of the time. He is just as stubborn as I am. He doesn't talk all that much, but when he does, people tend to listen. I forget that he's wise because I run around taking care of business all the time. He's steady and ready when I remember to actually ask him what he thinks. Kind of embarrassing, actually. God must have a sense of humor in setting up this combination! A few days ago I wrote a Facebook post about getting lost on the way through a very tiny forest right in the middle of town, basically. There was a path that seemed pretty obvious, but it was longer than I thought it should be. The kids were ahead and Mikael was at the back watching over the hiking Bisters. At one point we ended up at the edge of a cow pasture... we noticed the distinctive odor first and then saw the evidence all around our feet. We had a lunch with us and were getting hungry after our long 20 minute hike (insert wink here). So we searched for a picnic s...

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 ...