MozamWeek

I don't know exactly when we met the first time. I remember Leah in Portugal in 1995 when I was new there. She talked to me of her family while they were taking Portuguese lessons before spending time in Mozambique in the near future. I don't quite remember Dave there... For me Dave was always an "African" friend. He'd grown up as an MK in another part of the continent. His family worked in Australia and Kenya where his legend was passed among old acquaintances and new friends. We all knew him as the slightly gruff guy with a heart of gold. He'd do anything for anyone in need. He embraced you into his family quickly. He was determinedly practical, and bent on doing things right and teaching others to do the same. As a single girl in Mozambique sorting out documents and shopping and all that, I was scheduled for monthly visits to Dave and Leah's home over the border in South Africa. I played with their kids and ate their food and Dave drove me around to...

Here is a random opinion piece. I don't do all that many that aren't related to missions or language or Mozambique. This one is my Facebook opinion. Some people seem to think that Facebook is about sharing your best side and tricking people into believing that life is all rosy. I don't agree. I share mostly happy and beautiful things on my Facebook wall. I sometimes share a grumble or a sad note. I sometimes complain, but I try to keep that to a minimum.  Think about it: What do you put on your wall at home? Family portraits? Holiday photographs? Your kitchen calendar might have a picture of a lovely scene or inspirational theme. Your fridge is full of magnets from businesses you like, holding schedules and coupons and drawings your kid did. Anyone visiting your house will see what is important to you. You clean up and shove a few things into the closet to make your place more inviting. You aren't denying that there are dirty dishes in the dishwasher or piles of...

I was reminded again, today, that it is coming. December 2017. We should be officially 'done' with our Nyungwe New Testament. There will follow months of publishing activities and there will be a big dedication... and then... we will go. This "last leaving" flashes into my mind every once in a while. When a friend leaves and reminds me that our time will come. A lump rises in my throat and a tear wells in my eye, and if I let my thoughts dwell there a little longer, I hear myself sigh as the tear falls. "Not just yet," I assure myself. "You have time to get ready, and lots of things will keep you busy along the way." I have left many times and said good-bye to many friends. I have gone and come back to many places. Somehow this place isn't quite "dear enough" on its own to make me dream of visits in the future. Most of what makes this home is very transient: people come and go, houses and homes have changed, church friends have gr...

A month ago my housekeeper explained that kids at her children's school were fainting in class because they were hungry. All the parents had been called in and told to feed their kids before sending them to school. Of course, there were no plans made to address the situation leading to hunger at home. No plans were made to help families meet the needs. Just informing people that if you are a good parent, your kid will eat before school. I felt a little connection click in my various worlds: lots of people I know WANT to help kids in need., but it is hard to find the needs that are greatest. There are lots of big and small donations to a few known orphanages around town. Even a person searching intentionally for groups that provide for needy kids will have a hard time locating one. The orphans are actually the ones who have it pretty good. Food, clothes and beds... all provided. They go to school every day and have help with their homework. Pretty ok, actually. You don't actua...

Our first reading site in Mamboze has been replaced! That's where the kids are, of course! But, wouldn't it be better to create a cozy space? Somewhere safe and clean? Somewhere with bright colors and mats? Somewhere the kids will gather to hear the stories and learn to read with caring adults? Maybe. But right now, that place is far, far away from these kids. That place is almost unimaginable. That place is our dream. OUR dream. Not their dream. We know what "can be" because we have seen it. We know that they will be less distracted and more able to concentrate in a space dedicated to their needs. We see their needs. They have not yet recognized them. The same community now provides this space between houses. So, rather than spend money on THAT space, we meet them in their own spaces. Sometimes that's in classrooms... that transform free, chatty children into blank-faced kids mindlessly repeating "right" answers. That is not our prefere...

The kids showed up within 3 minutes of our arrival. Kids on summer vacation left their dusty games in the sand, soccer kicking, and short errands from home. At 9 am, the sun was already high, and after a short 15 minute walk from where we parked the car, I wished I’d brought a bottle of water. Veronica and I greeted the kids and a few adults passing by. Smiles brightened while they talked of Veronica’s Christmas lollipops she gave them before her two-week vacation. There is an easy rapport between her and the kids... and the moms. They led me to the shade tree where they have been meeting a couple times a week for “classes”. It is a tiny spot just off the road. Too small to be anything except a resting place from the sun. Apparently it belongs to someone who plans to build something right there... they mark their ownership by leaving a pile of about 100 bricks under the tree. With thorn bushes growing through the bricks scattered across the area, it looks like they abandoned hope ...

Yesterday, around 7:00 am, I unlocked my front door to greet the already hot world outside. We've been moved into this new place for weeks, but everything is still pretty disorganized. I was expecting my maid to return from her two-week vacation. My phone was dead and hers had been on the blink, so I had some doubts if she'd show up. But, there she was, with a smile on her face and a bundle of joy in her arms. "Oh, you had a baby!" I exclaimed. "Come on in." She hadn't told me she was pregnant. I was going to bring up the subject about a month ago when I saw she was gaining weight... mostly around the middle, but she's never been thin. We were packing for our move, and she was missing work for final exams at adult ed. I saw no hurry to bring it up before the new year. Oops. I was wrong! Each momentous event changes lives around me and hits me with conflicting emotion. Joy. Relief. Confusion. Pain. Regret. Concern. Respect. Anger. Humility. Conce...