Family picture

Here is a picture of our family taken over Labor Day when we went to Lake Michigan. You will also notice some suitors in this shot: Keith (with Joanna)and David (he and Janelle recently announced their engagement).

Malawi

We are just returning from Malawi where we spent a week.  We enjoyed a couple of days in Lilongwe, the capital since 1975.  It is a very interesting city with large sections still undeveloped with large open tracts of land.  Then out of nowhere appears a huge, modern building.  Even the downtown section is small.  Government has just moved its headquarters to Lilongwe which will add to the population and structure of the city.  It seems that crime is very low and what we saw was very middle-class.  The woman I sat next to on the plane said she and her husband are moving to Malawi from S Africa mainly because of the crime issue.  Villagers have not moved into the city because they can make more on the farm than by making minimum wage (about $20/month) working in the city.

 

We were based in Salima most of the week, about an hour away on Lake Malawi.  We did not have much time at the lake as we traveled out to sites to see agriculture projects and then did a training.  The lake is the 9^th largest in the world and is beautiful.  We can see mountains across it so it is not very wide.  All week we waited for some tilapia but none was to be had because the lake was a bit rough and the fish swim deeper and are harder to catch.  Finally the last day in Salima we got to eat some and it was quite tasty.

 

We condensed the training of trainers to three days.  The group of 21 seemed eager to learn.  Many didn’t know each other so the group was sometimes quiet but they loosened up by the end of the time.  Some were not very excited about using English as it is their 2^nd or 3^rd language.  Chichewa is the main language we hear.  One of the participants was a retired policeman who is a wise gentleman.  Every now and then he would share some gems that really hit home such as “Integrity is when you don’t do the don’ts and only do the dos.”  Another during the lesson on marketing was, “The first thing you sell to the customer is yourself.”  This was the best attended course we have had with 20 having perfect attendance and receiving a certificate at the end.

 

One of our observations here has been that people are much better educated and have had access to education that Mozambicans have not had.  We have seen more men involved in everyday life, helping to farm, generally being industrious.  Just having them present is different than Moz where so many men (especially in the south) are working in South Africa. 

 

Salima is full of bicycle taxis.  They have a cushioned seat over the back tire and haul people, packages, you name it.  Within the town they are the only public transportation and it is nice not to have the pollution and congestion of mini-busses.  They are very quiet and with only a few motorized vehicles on the road, they don’t really create a lot of congestion.  Watching them go by in small groups with turning pedals and flashing wheel spokes reminds one somewhat distantly of horse and buggy wheels. Locally they are called dumpers.  Not sure if that is because people occasionally get “dumped” off or it is for some other reason.  Steve rode one to the restaurant one day just for the experience.  It cost about 7 cents US.

 

Malawi also has many baobab trees.  These are rare in southern Mozambique.  They are a funny looking huge tree that looks like it is growing upside down because the branches look like the roots, especially without its leaves which is the case most of the year.  We tasted some of the fuzzy fruit.  It is a bit sour and won’t soon become a favorite, although the local people like them.

 

Now it is back to Maputo for one week to wrap up what details we can before heading to the U.S. for a two month home leave.  Hope we can see many of you there. 

 

God bless!

people divided by a common language

The week of June 19, 2006 was a time of personal development training and planning for World Relief staff.  We met in Maputo and had three days of input from Jim Louwsma and Becky Thiessen based on “Strength-finders” profiles and program material written by Mark McKlosky of Bethel Seminary. 

 

We had a great but intense time and several good laughs along the way.  The most memorable was as Jim was describing a role that would be equivalent to that of the biblical apostle.  When he said apostle, only the Americans understood him.  All the Africans thought he said a parcel.  They don’t say the r and the short a is elongated.  What kind of a parcel was he meaning anyhow?  The other question was why would he suddenly start speaking like a South African when he didn’t otherwise? 

 

As they sorted it out, they decided he really meant a-post-al, with the emphasis on postal.  It was even more ironic that what they thought was a parcel should have been pronounced in such a way as to sound like something to do with postal for the America ear. 

 

Here’s an African proverb we heard recently that has a lot of truth to it:  “If you want to go faster go alone.  If you want to go far go together.” 

 

This Week in Maputo

 

Recycling is a good thing and we try to do as much as possible.  But recycling caskets?  This morning on the news they were reporting on investigations of a carpentry shop.  Apparently they are taking caskets right out of the cemetery (who knows what happens to the bodies) and refurbishing them to sell.  Also in the news was the fact that there are 20-30 burials a day and they are running out of space.  The obit page in the newspaper is sad as the pictures are mainly of young people. 

 

Also on the news we’ve seen reports of couples celebrating 50 years of marriage or more.  Usually they have a church ceremony and renew their vows.  The reason it makes the national news is that it is very rare for people to live that long here, and to stay married that long.

 

The World Cup is definitely in swing.  I’ve never seen so much soccer in my life!  The games are shown live as we are almost on the same time as Germany.  They start in the afternoon and go until 11 pm with a few breaks in between.  It’s funny to watch guards clustered around a TV rigged up outside.  If I was a burglar it seems it would be a good time to make a move.  Many cities have giant screens in different locations for people to watch the games.  At half-time some have AIDS education programs. The locals are especially interested in African countries playing, as well as any Portuguese speaking teams.  Portugal vs. Angola was a popular and much talked-about game here.   Saturday night Ghana was the first African team to win a game.  When they scored the go-ahead goal, the shouts and howls coming out of the houses was so sudden that even the dogs in the parking lot started barking and howling.  It was a hoot!

 

We are in the middle of the busy season for NA teams to visit WR in Mozambique.  Steve is joining a group of businessmen today and tomorrow as they look at what is happening in Chokwe and Mucatine as well as visiting a couple of sugarcane mills that WR will possibly partner with in helping small farmers grow sugarcane.  The news that had Sam dancing in the halls last week was that AfricaWorks (agriculture and trade) has received a grant of $280,000 from the Mozambican government to be used in Gaza province.  Some planning has started but there’s a lot more to do.

 

This week will be a solid week of meetings.  It will include three days on knowing and developing our personal gifts (Strengthsfinders), strategic planning and a spiritual retreat on Saturday.  Hopefully we’ll still all like each other at the end of the week!  We will have a woman staying with us who works with the child development program.  Hopefully we will have running water.  We’ve been off for a week again.  One never knows what will happen when turning on a faucet.  It can’t be taken for granted!

 

Did you ever steam bread?  Last week I baked bread.  There is a lot of fresh bread in the city but it is all white so I made some oatmeal bread.  It was rising nicely so I preheated the oven.  Only problem was that 15 min. later the oven was still stone cold.  So, what to do with the dough?  I looked up my Wycliffe cookbook and sure enough it had a method for pressure cooking bread or steaming it.  Since I don’t have a pressure cooker I went for the steam method.  I got my largest pan, put a lid in the bottom with a couple of inches of water and the bread in the bread pan on top of that.  Only problem was that it took 1½ hrs to cook.  So I took the next loaf apart and formed it into balls and that only took about an hour.  It is OK, but I prefer baked better.  Thankfully, the electrician came and now I have an oven again.  Good thing he was here, he said the way things were wired we could have had a fire.  So it all worked out for the best and now I know how to steam bread if I have to!

 

How many employees does it take to sell fabric in Maputo?  Well, there is the guard at the door and then the guy that takes any packages you have in your hands.  Then there are the people standing in the aisles who watch you like a hawk as you walk around.  If you show interest in some folded pieces of cloth someone appears to unfold them and fold them back up.  After you make a selection you have to go to the counter where someone writes the price down on a paper and affixes it to the cloth.  Then it’s off to the cashier who takes your money.  She hands it off to another person to bag it and then it’s back to the counter to pick up your packages you came in with.  And that doesn’t count all the people standing around talking and waiting for other customers.  What can you say, they’ve created a lot of jobs and it is good customer service!

 

Saturday Steve and Dr. Pieter went to South Africa to talk to the Papaya King.  He’s an expert on papaya and plant breeding.  His advice and counsel is needed for the next two plantings of fruit trees in villages.  They are intercropped with mango and while they are growing, corn and pumpkins are planted between the rows.  Mozambique needs more trees as many are cut down for charcoal for cooking.  The fruit will be exported to S Africa and will provide income for villagers who are subsistence farmers.  The corn and pumpkins gives them food for daily needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fine winter day (Maputo style)

There was quite a bit of haze in the early morning atmosphere as I looked out on the surrounding landscape.  It didn’t really seem too different from any other day except Rachel said, “oh, it is cooler out here than I thought,” as we went down the stairs.  However, she was not wearing a coat or jacket. 

 

When lunch time arrived we went up on the patio to eat our ham sandwiches (ham from South Africa, not to be found in Maputo) when she commented the sun was quite warm.   I was reminded of working out in Chokwe last week with Zulu the guard.  We were using a hack-saw to cut through some #6 re-rod and he was doing the sawing  (he wouldn’t let me do it). 

 

After a dozen cuts, he said to me, “ei, this sun is hot, we should move to the shade.”  Since I had slept in the container-turned-bunkhouse at Pieter’s the night before, I was really enjoying the warmth.  So I said, “yes, but it was cold last night.”  He agreed and then added, “but you know this is the kind of sun that will make you sick.”  “Hm, it felt good to me,” I said.  He cut a few more lengths or rod and then moved into the shade to cool off.  (They say good help is hard to find.)

 

So I said to Rachel, you know, this kind of sun can make you sick! at which she laughed.  It was probably 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  “Well, it is winter,” I said.  Her response, “I will take this kind of winter any time!”  It seems strange to sleep under a blanket and a mosquito net at the same time.  It seems the mosquitoes like the warmth of the inside of the house too. 

 

It also gets dark early as in 5:30 pm.  It makes a bit of a challenge for safety if we are traveling or when the neighborhood kids get out of school after 5.   But generally, we have 11.5 hours of daylight per day which beats 8-5 during the winter back in northern Indiana by a long shot. 

 

Because it is the dry season it feels like the great football weather of the mid-west in early October.  Some of the smells, like burning leaves are even hanging around as people burn grass and weeds in old gardens and in fields. 

 

In the cities it becomes a time to trim trees.  Here the trees get “buzz cuts” that pretty well strip all foliage and branches from the trunk.  They say, they don’t need the leaves since it is the cool season and I guess you could say it takes care of the overgrowth.  However, it is quite a shock to see the street after all is cut back and some of the trees look pretty knobby since they have been cut back so often.  Most of the trees seem to survive to get chopped back another year. 

 

Yesterday we participated in March for Jesus in Maputo.  There were about 200 people and we were the only whites (their publicity wasn’t too great and we just happened to find out about it).  We sang and walked about 2 km to a park.  Then they had a full-fledged 2-hr service planned, including a sermon.  (We ducked out early.)  It was fun to be in a march in Africa after having been involved with them in the 90s in Elkhart.

 

In the afternoon we visited an orphanage run by a young woman in her 20’s.  She worked at Iris for awhile and then decided to start her own home.  She has some great stories of how God has provided in many ways for them.  She has 15 people under her roof now and they are mostly teens with a few younger ones.  She will probably get more young ones soon.  We were impressed with the sense of order, of love for each other, of being family.  A couple of Mozambican young men are helping her in the home.  She is looking for land to build and to have a place for them to learn agriculture and other life skills.  Jennifer has a lot of get up and go, a willingness to serve even while she is still learning the language and culture.

 

The number of orphans in Moz keeps increasing.  On TV this week I heard an ad for people to contribute to the “social security” program so that when they die their children will have some support from the government.  It’s almost becoming a given that children will become orphans before they reach adulthood.  This is a huge issue with many repercussions for this society.  God help us know what our part of the solution should be.  I guess in a small way we are already doing something by providing businesses for people, some of whom have AIDS.  When they pass away, their children will have a source of income.

 

And on that note we will end this rambling letter.

 

Steve and Rachel

 

 

 

Hospitality

 

In Dec we were asked to host a Malawian accountant who was coming to fill in at WR.  At first I thought it would be 2 weeks (it turned out to be longer).  Introvert that I am, I struggled with the thought.

 

But God seemed to be nudging me and it became a point of obedience.  So I said “yes” and he came.  He is a very gentle man, thanking us profusely for allowing him to stay with us.  We slowly got to know him and I discovered a kindred spirit.  We have a lot in common since he is also a third culture kid, having grown up in the U.S. and Canada and then returning to Malawi.  One of his favorite phrases is “that’s Africa for you” with a shake of his head.  He struggles with some of the cultural issues just like we do.

 

He washed the dishes every night, caused very little extra work and became our friend.  We talked about work a lot, joked, talked about life and had a great time.  He told us he felt very at home with us, like he was with family.

 

This was a lesson to me to welcome strangers into our home, for who knows, they may become our good friends or they may even be angels!

 

In Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen he says:  “… if there is any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality.  It is one of the richest biblical terms that can deepen and broaden our insight in our relationships to our fellow human beings.  Old and New Testament stories not only show how serious our obligation is to welcome the stranger in our home, but they also tell us that guests are carrying precious gifts with them, which they are eager to reveal to a receptive host.  When Abraham received three strangers at Mamre and offered them water, bread and a fine tender calf, they revealed themselves to him as the Lord announcing that Sarah his wife would give birth to a son.   When the widow of Zarephath offered food and shelter to Elijah, he revealed himself as a man of God offering her an abundance of oil and meal and raising her son from the dead.  When the two travelers to Emmaus invited the stranger, who had joined them on the road to stay with them for the night, he made himself known in the breaking of the bread as their Lord and Savior.  When hostility is converted into hospitality then fearful strangers can become guests revealing to their hosts the promise they are carrying with them.  The biblical stories help us to realize not just that hospitality is an important virtue, but even more that in the context of hospitality guest and host can reveal their most precious gifts and bring new life to each other.”

 

 

 

No water

I just heard a story from our co-worker, Joseph, that I thought I'd share with you.  Joseph bought a car in November.  When one buys a car, the Mozambican government is to produce a "libreto".  He has never received this, he only got stamped papers.  He has been stopped several times but usually the stamped papers and payment of a fine do the trick.  This time, as he was going to Zimbabwe, they told him he could not continue driving the car.  He would need to return to Maputo and leave the car there.  He would also have to pay a daily fine as long as the car was parked there.  He refused to go along with that plan and spent 30 hours waiting for a resolution (they fined him for that parking time as well).  Fortunately his wife was talking with her co-worker who is a friend of the commander in Beira.  She placed a phone call and Joseph was able to leave with his car.  He still doesn't have a libreto and this could happen again until the government gets it to him.  People here have lived with this kind of thing for so long that they just take it in stride, but it is one of those cultural adjustments for us.

 

We've been without consistent running water for a week.  Apparently a transformer broke and they say it could be months before it is repaired and the supply level is back to normal.  WR has water, and most people in this neighborhood have underground tanks that fill up when the water comes on intermittently.  Apartments are different, and if the water comes on for a bit, it is quickly used up by all the tenants below us.  So Steve is getting muscles hauling water in a 20-liter container up to the 5th story.  We're perfecting the art of the bucket bath and using lots less water.  Today I had the thought, "We're becoming more like Jesus.  He didn't have running water either!"  It's interesting that there is no outcry from the general public.  Mozambicans have been through so much that a few months without running water is no big deal.  During the war they didn't have running water or electricity.  Trying to negotiate slippery stairs in the dark in the highrises was apparently quite a struggle.  We won't take water or electricity for granted again.

 

Friday a.m. I, Steve, took an early morning bucket bath before a trip to SA and Rachel stayed home.  Sometime during the day she heard a gurgling in the pump system as some water began to enter the apartment. She got excited and started opening the tap and sure enough brown water started pouring out.  Brown or not it is water we won’t have to carry up the stairs.  Like the widow with the oil jar, she starts filling every container in the house including wastebaskets, chicken waterers, empty 2 liter pop bottles, the washing machine, and the tub.  When I got home we still had water.  What I wonder is how I am going to take a shower in a tub full of water?  No problem Rachel said, just pull the plug and let it drain.  No way, we might not see this kind of water again for a week!

Sure enough, the next morning, again there is no water.  Never fear she says, we can take baths!  But, but, BUT, the water is cold I say.  So you guessed it, we have to heat water in the hot pot to warm the tub water to take a bath in water that now has the iron settled out of it.  Well all I can say it is that it was a bit better that Lake Michigan in August, but not long and luxurious for sure.  Do you think we drained it then? Nope, not on your life.  We are saving it to flush the stool you see. I am sure this saga will continue. 

Weddings in Mozambique

Greetings!

 We celebrated May Day or Day of the Worker on May 1.  And just like many Labor Days in Ind. this one was chilly with rain.  Folks are saying it will be a colder "winter" this year because we've had a lot of rain.  It will probably stop raining soon as the cold season is also the dry season.  So far it's been very pleasant and hasn't been very cold.

This week in Chokwe we saw some very excited kids in front of the WR office.  The reason they were excited was because there were lots of grasshoppers and crickets there next to a light that is left on at night.  They were busy catching as many as possible and stuffing them into bottles and jars for a yummy snack later in the day.  (They like them fried.)  Hmmm, I guess I'd rather eat that than a caterpillar.  Their fun quickly came to an end when a nearby store-owner chased them away with a stick.

The last few days Steve has been busy trying to get supplies purchased and delivered to Matola, a bedroom city to Maputo. He just called and said he was shoveling sand.  So the job description has plenty of variety, as you know.  This is the last community we will build chicken houses in for a while.

I've been reading a book that I would recommend to anyone, not just missionaries.  It is titled "On Being a Missionary" by Thomas Hale, a doctor who has worked with United Mission to Nepal over 20 years.  It is very thought-provoking, he writes about some basic issues of human nature that we all deal with and has some great stories.  Maybe I'm finding it especially helpful because it has to do with some of the very issues we've been experiencing lately (resolving interpersonal conflict, dying to self, relating to nationals, cross-cultural issues etc.).  Thank God for books.  It seems we have done more reading than ever since we've been here.  We've read most everything we wanted to read out of Evangeline's collection and now we are discovering other friends' books.  Reading for pleasure is a rare thing in Mozambique.  Libraries are very scarce and when they exist, they are to read there.  One is not allowed to take the books home.  Even the church library requires a $10 deposit to take a book out.

 

We’ve experienced our first wedding in Mozambique.  The groom had been in our training and invited us.  In Mozambique one goes to the “wedding palace” first for the civil ceremony, then the church ceremony, then a reception usually at their home.  The wedding palace is downtown Maputo and weddings take place every 20 minutes day in and day out.  Theirs was scheduled for 8:45 a.m.  But, wouldn’t you know, one of the vehicles with participants wouldn’t start so they arrived late.  Then they had to wait to be fit in somewhere in the schedule.  The church ceremony was to start at 11 a.m.  We arrived, but only a few people were in sight.  We were told they were behind schedule so we just waited and they eventually arrived at 1 p.m.  It was basically the same as a Western ceremony with a few differences.  The wedding party lined up on either side of the aisle (singing all the time) and the groom came down the aisle to walk in with the bride.  The whole wedding party sat on the platform facing the audience and the parents sat right next to the couple.  One thing that really struck me was how little the bride or groom smiled.  Apparently they are not supposed to because this is a serious commitment.  But to me they almost looked sad!  After the wedding everyone goes to the home, eats a big meal and then gifts are presented with dancing and singing.  And speeches, don’t forget the speeches.  It all makes for a very full day and hopefully worth the expense—usually a year’s wages.

 

Today we just learned that a friend from home, soccer coach to our kids and dad of some of their very good friends, Jim Van Elk, passed away yesterday of a massive heart attack as he was jogging.  Their family always has an open home where kids love to hang out.   It is a shocking thing to realize that someone fairly young and healthy is gone.  We are still trying to process it.  Pray for their family and the Concord community as he had a lot of influence and his loss will be greatly felt by all.    He was not afraid to tell anyone that he loved Jesus and his life demonstrated it.

 

God bless,

 

Rachel (and Steve)

Swaziland etc.

Here we are at the end of April. It's hard to believe how fast the months fly by. The next three months will probably go even faster as we try to get things set up and as sustainable as possible before coming home end of July/August/September.

Here are some interesting things we've seen and done lately:

* A woman walking along the road with a watermelon on her head! Try that sometime.

* We saw Swaziland for the first time. It is beautiful, with many mountains. Some have called it the Switzerland of Africa. We thought it looked like the mountains of TN/KY. The nice part was that most everyone speaks English. We didn’t know that the Swazi monetary unit was identical to the SA rand. We did go shopping and find that some things are cheaper and others are more expensive, so you have to watch.

* How about a package of 7 chicken heads and 14 feet at the grocery store? Or tripe?

* There are 59 speed bumps between the border and the first city in Swazi (about 2 hrs). They usually come in groups of 5 and there is not always a warning.

* We saw a sign on the road in Swazi that said "Cyclists and pedestrians beware of lions and elephants." The road runs next to a small park for wildlife. I think I'll stay in the car, thank you.

* Steve and Pieter had a meeting/discussion while they each had a couch to lay on at Pieter's house. They decided more meetings should be held in that position.

* I, Rachel saw lots of people stranded on the roads last Tuesday because of a chapa strike. It affected me also as I was counting on a ride back to the city after training (Steve had gone to Chokwe.) Five of us started walking and joking about it until we realized there really were no rides anywhere and then we called a friend to please come pick us up. Many people do not have friends with vehicles and walked for hours to get to their jobs. Thankfully it was only a 1-day strike.

* We saw more small pickups than usual with 20+ people piled into the back because of the strike. Steve saw two guys hanging on to a pickup roof as it went down the road.

* Rachel saw pastors who said their heads hurt after a lesson on finances. I also saw them laughing and having a good time over a toss-the-rock-in-a-bucket game during a lesson on setting objectives.

* We heard from one of our students about a group marriage ceremony that will take place at their church. This is for couples who live together and have never made it official, partly because of the huge expectations and costs associated with a traditional wedding. It is good to see some churches beginning to take initiative in this area and bucking the cultural expectations. We’ve been invited to our first traditional wedding this Saturday.

* Steve saw 700 km of road in two days between Chokwe and Xai-Xai and also Bilene where he went to talk with AIDS program supervisors about the chicken project.

Tomorrow is the last day of training and we are looking forward to giving these new trainers their certificates. It is always a rewarding time for us and for them.

Take care,

Rachel and Steve

Easter week and week end

It has been an interesting and different week for us with a new training of trainers from the OMS pastors and a 4 day weekend. Rachel and I started a training series with 16 OMS Mozambican pastors who are becoming facilitators for the MAI microenterprise course we teach for WR volunteers. It meets Tuesday, Thursday mornings and all day Saturday. This week we both did Tuesday and Saturday, with Rachel doing Thursday all by herself. It was interesting to watch her teach with a real sense of purpose and enjoyment about what she was doing. We talked about it later and she said that she is really feeling comfortable in these trainings and it is something she is having fun doing. Generally she doesn’t like standing up in front of people and speaking, but sitting down and sharing is much easier for her to do.

I went out to Chokwe and the chicken raising communities to provide the necessities and assistance to the various groups and persons working with the small businesses. I am really starting to want to find someone who can take over the details of helping coordinate the groups, the various supply issues and payment schedules. We are looking to build in one more community, but need to find some way to transport materials as the trailer we used last time is fully occupied until mid May. There is a bigger truck that could be made available, but we would have to hire a driver as you need a different license to drive each kind of vehicle here.

We had Friday off of office work, but I had to go to Manhica as we were starting the second house there and I wanted to deliver some feed and check out the technical guy, letting him do the training and I would observe. Well the chicks never did arrive as I left at 11 am to get back to Maputo by noon. It seems the chick delivery guy is not into communication and if he does communicate he is not wanting to tell you how late he is really going to be in arriving at your location, so everybody loses a lot of time waiting around for him to arrive.

The reason I was trying to get back to Maputo was to try to get an 8 year-old orphan out of the dump where he has lived all his life. One of the people we know helps with an orphanage and said they would be willing to talk to the child and see what they could do. When I finally got ahold of him, he said he couldn’t come out to the dump just then as he had to deal with a personal situation regarding his house. It seems the landlord had promised his flat to someone else and he had to get out at the end of the month. Something I guess you can do here if you want to get a renter out.

We got up at 5 am on Sunday morning to go to an Easter sunrise service. It was nice to meet people there and the sermon was good, plus we did get to see the sun rise. Afterwards, we went home and had some breakfast and Rachel started cooking for a guest at lunch. Sarah Welch is here from Cedar Springs Church in Knoxville and we wanted to make sure she didn’t spend Easter lunch alone. Well, I took a walk down to the corner store to get some eggs for the banana cake and coming back in I smelled plastic burning in the stairway. Hope it isn’t our kitchen I thought. After I arrived in the appt Rachel said, “hey why isn’t the stove getting hot? Why do the lights go out when I start the toaster?” HMM! Not a good sign! After messing around with the circuit breakers a few times, we gave up and stuck everything in the fridge and went to church.

Since we couldn’t cook at home, and had been invited out to meet a couple that is working in Tete, we took Sarah with us and went to a new restaurant. Rachel and I got a dish for two and we brought some extra home. The trouble was there was still no power. Rachel took some perishables down to the neighbors just below (the Neilson’s) and we got Hans involved trying to troubleshoot our electrical system. He ended up knowing that there was another panel that you could open and find some fuses that were in-line before two other boxes and the electric meter. When we looked there we found the problem. Someone before us had just jumpered the fuse system with #12 copper wires. One of these wires had started to burn on one end and with the heat had started to melt the plastic. It was pretty well fried, but for now we could only clean the wire, re-jump it and go get some real fuses tomorrow. No hot water or stove until I get that fixed. At least we have light and computer. Somehow I thought I should be able to get away from home repairs by being a renter. No such luck in Mozambique.

Speaking of computers, it seems that our Net Cabo network has changed systems without telling the users and we have had no internet since Tuesday. If you get this you will know we can communicate with the rest of the world again. Vonage has not been working the last two weeks as well. Just when you thought it might be working, think again. Sorry, we had hoped to call on Easter and hear some of your voices.

To end on a more positive note, we watched a great video from Crag Hill on leadership this week. It really is appropriate for where leadership issues are at WR right now and helped explain potential direction for the future. There is a possibility we can help bring the Family Foundations ministries here to Mozambique. Please pray with us for wisdom, discernment and implementation of this possibility.

Well, Rachel thinks I am writing an epistle, so I guess it is time to stop. Love you all,

Steve and Rachel

Palm Sunday

Bom dia a todos,  

 

We are having a lazy Sunday afternoon.  This morning I taught SS for the first time and had a good time with five 8-10 yr. olds.  They had fun acting out the story and were generally well behaved so it was a good start.  At our church we teach once a month which is not ideal for the kids but works for the teachers who travel so much.  Our pastors have been in the U.S. for 3 months and it was great to have them back.  The church is going through a slump and needs leadership that is united and working together.  Steve has been asked to be an elder (again) and is considering meeting with them until we go to the U.S. in Aug and then seeing where we go from there when we return.  We may not be living in Maputo then, which would make it difficult to be in leadership. 

Last Thur. we said good-bye to Joanna which was not as much fun as saying hello to her.  We really enjoyed having her here and she says she will be back so that’s good.  Last weekend we were in Maxixe and enjoyed a wonderful day at the Tofo beach.  We jumped the waves, explored tide pools and walked the beach.  The tide pools were incredible with live shells, crabs, a sea slug, small fish and more.  There are a lot of fascinating critters in the sea! 

We met a very interesting Italian man who has been traveling the world for the last year and a half and has visited 54 countries.  He is an architect who now lives off the rental of his house.  He hitchhikes as much as possible, camps or sleeps in very low-price places, etc.  He wasn’t very impressed with the U.S. because of the lack of public transportation and other high costs, although he did like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.  He is working his way up through Africa back to Italy and then plans to move to northern Peru by Ecuador.  He’s decided it’s the ideal place to live and raise a family.  

The main reason we traveled to Maxixe was to visit a coconut oil plant.  I, Steve, had gotten a name of a South African farmer who had a micro press that was developed by the Australian group that David Hagen worked with and was producing some of the oil we bought.  I pretty much knew what we were going to see from the research I had been doing, but it was very enlightening to hear about some of the detail of oil production and challenges he had faced in starting the press.  We also looked at some land that WR has gotten permission to develop and are considering what to do with that option. 

Overall, it looks like we will do something with coconut oil and byproducts next year starting in October.  The next steps are working on the business models, financial plans and details of starting something like a real business in Mozambique.  It would have to be different than the chicken process as there we just let them run every aspect of the activity except for the supplies and finances.  With oil production, there are lots of different aspects to consider and management of the quality, marketing, etc.   

Yesterday we had a mini-adventure as we celebrated our anniversary on Catembe, which we can see across the bay from Maputo.  We took a short ride on the ferry and then drove around a bit.  It is a fairly rural area and there is not a lot to see.  But we satisfied our curiosity and had a good meal overlooking the bay at a nice hotel/restaurant.  I don’t think they get much business as the beach is not so clean there and there’s not much to do.  Their prices are way over what the locals can afford so they are dependent on outsiders.  While we waited for the ferry in Maputo we visited the newly opened “Park of Love,” had some ice cream and observed a bridal party having pictures taken.  It was fun to see a bride and groom and realize that’s where we were 28 yrs ago. 

Between the fun times we’ve had work and challenges as well.  Whoever said that at times missionaries are challenged most by other missionaries was right.  Pray that we will have grace and right attitudes as we work together.  We also got pulled over by a policeman again for turning right where we were not supposed to.  I think they are just looking for ways to make money and harass vehicles with SA plates.  We are ready for a different vehicle as this one has gotten us pulled over nearly too many times to count.   

This next week we will start another Train the Trainer series in Zimpeto, just out of Maputo.  We will meet three times a week for three weeks and Steve will only be there as he has time between chicken runs.  These training times are fun as the participants start teaching the lessons themselves and learn by doing with some coaching by us.  We are working with OMS, a mission agency that has asked us to do training and is setting everything up.  It’s nice to only be responsible for the actual training and not all the other logistics.

 

Enough for now, we love you all,

 

Steve and Rachel

 

 

Zion Chapel team was here!

It has been a very full week with the team from Zion here and we are just now catching our breath.  We took them to the airport today.  On the way got stopped by the police (again) only this time we actually got a ticket for having four people in the back seat instead of three.  Never mind that chapas are crammed with people...  Oh well, it will just be a hassle to go pay it but at least he ony fined us 200,000 instead of a million.

It was great being with people from the team and different than being with other teams since we actually knew them and they us.  We had a good trip to S Africa, they loved the accomodations and Kruger Park was pretty good also.  We saw lots of giraffes and elephants, some zebra off in the distance, a big hyena that walked across the road, rhinos, buffalo, a lion (when we had almost given up on him) and a warthog (right after I said "I haven't seen Pumba yet.")  I was so excited to see him that I yelled and he ran away!  But then he came back.  They sure are ugly.  We also saw some beautiful birds, and other sights that maybe Joanna will put on her web site soon: goodmiller.smugmug.com  It's amazing what you pick up with a zoom lens like hers.  Have you ever really looked at the spots on a giraffe?

Other highlights of the trip included a trip to the city dump with a man we met at Iris Ministries orphanage.  He was discovered at the dump years ago by Tanneken.  He is now a man of God and likes to take others to the dump to pray for and encourage people there that he knows.  People actually live at the dump and earn some money by collecting things for recycling.  It is really awful to see their living conditions.  People came running from all around when they saw us to ask for prayer.  It was really hard to be there but good at the same time if that makes sense.

Our first night in Chokwe we had a terrible rain/wind/lightning/hail storm.  Our room was next to a tin roof so it make quite a racket.  The hail broke some windows in some other rooms. I kept wondering how it would be to spend the night in a mud hut with a storm like that.  Some lost walls because the mud got too soft, others had lots of leaks and water coming in, roof were blown away, etc.  I heard some comments that they were thankful the storm was at night when people were inside.  The next day people were busy cleaning up/repairing their houses so the kid's club we were going to visit was canceled.  However, we talked with a Mozambican pastor/worker with Child Development and he gave us some very interesting insights into Mozambican culture, bride price, male/female roles, etc.

Mucatine was our next destination and I enjoyed seeing some of the women I met there last June.  They remembered my name!  (Sad to say, I couldn't remember all of theirs.)  We saw a WR field of irrigated corn that almost looked like Illinois corn, intercropped with mango and papaya trees.  By the time the mango get big the papaya will be done producing.  The ladies went through the field and picked corn and gave some to us.  They are so generous!

The team also presented two seminars (one in Maputo and one in Chokwe) on finances - Biblical perspectives, Excel tips, etc.  It was well received and they want written notes so they can teach it to pastors and others.  Much of the teaching in the churches here is very basic so when they get something with some more "meat" it is exciting to them.

There was a lot more that happened but I'll let you take a look at the team blog at jlmorningstar.com if you want to know more.  You can also ask Joanna when she gets home in a couple of weeks.  She will be with us one more week before heading to Norway to see Christine.

Tomorrow we plan to head up the coast 6 hrs. to Inhambane province and the city of Maxixe (Masheesh).  We will enjoy some of the beautiful beaches there as well as a coconut press on Monday.  South Africans are starting spring break so there will be plenty of them in town also.  There is a possibility we will locate in this town in the fall if we decide to go through with coconuts so I am excited about seeing Maxixe.

 

Blessings, Rachel and Steve

 

 

 

 

 

Happy St Patricks Day!

It is time to catch you up on our lives.  We have thoroughly enjoyed having Joanna with us this past week.  She arrived last Thursday with a sore knee, some other ailments and some hair-raising stories for this mom, but it seems she is almost as good as new now.  We sent her off to Beira yesterday to join the Zion team.  They will be there for one week and then come to Maputo the 24^th.  We have been busy coordinating activities for the team here and it seems it is all coming together. 

Monday night we were invited by some Malawian friends to their home for supper.  We work with the mom and she informed us during the day that we were going out to eat.  We arrived at their home, had some appetizers and waited for all the family to congregate.  When we arrived at the restaurant we were ushered into a room with about 20 other people seated in a U shape.  Then we found out that it was another extended family whose daughter was having a birthday as was the daughter of the family that invited us.  We dined on clams, calamari, fish and prawns until 10 p.m. and caught a glimpse of the lives of the well-educated, wealthier folks in Mozambique.  It was a nice evening, just different than we had thought it would be.  We’re learning to take surprises in stride. 

This week we made a quick trip to Chokwe and Xai-Xai.  We took the opportunity to spend a night at the beach with Joanna and it was very relaxing.  This beach is at the end of the road and it feels like a dune buggy track through the sand for the last 15 minutes.  The beach is basically deserted and pretty clean although the currents can be strong so we didn’t actually swim much.  Joanna and Steve are dealing with some sunburn which will of course turn into beautiful tans soon.  Joanna commented that this has been probably the only time in her life that I am browner than she is!  I’m sure by the time she leaves Moz this will not be the case. 

On the way north we had another encounter with a policeman.  Having a car with South African plates really makes a difference on how much we are stopped.  This time he noticed that I didn’t have on a seat belt (in the back seat) so he started yelling about that and saying, “That will be 1 million.”  We explained that we thought only the front seat riders needed to buckle up.  “No,” he said, “that is only in S Africa.  In Mozambique everyone needs a seat belt.”  We didn’t mention the fact that no one wears one in chapas, but we were quite sure he was just looking for an excuse to pocket some extra cash.  Steve kept talking, the policeman saw that all the car papers and our papers were in order and eventually let us go.  Whew, another one without having to pay! 

The chicken houses are all done in Manhica, our latest town.  It was amazing how fast they got them done, because a group of pastors helped with the construction.  It was hard to keep enough construction materials in place because they were moving so fast!  It kept Steve hopping last week.

Steve also preached on Sunday at MICF and we had guests Sunday overnight who are returning tonight, so it has been busy.  Steve’s head is spinning a bit right now as his job description is mushrooming.  He has been given responsibility to oversee two people—the ag guy and the American investment guy.  Plus, he has been asked to oversee all of Southern Africa (all of Moz and Malawi) ag/trade operations which is a much broader job than just micro-enterprise projects.  It means giving some of the things we have been doing to other people to oversee since we obviously can’t do everything.  Hopefully that can be put in place in the next few months.

March seems to be flying by and we with it.  Summer is coming to an end and with it we are getting some cooler temperatures.  We haven’t used the AC for several weeks, but Joanna thought it was very hot and humid.  Compared to Europe it is.  Paris is about 32 and we are about 85-90.  We saw the Penners in the Maputo airport as they came in from Germany and took the same flight to Beira as Joanna.  (they are a couple who are missionaries from Zion Chapel who have been pastoring there for 20 years)  They are visiting a gal from their church who working in Dondo.

 

First week of March

After a week of meetings (22- feb) I spent two days getting ready to build in Manhica.  This is the sugar town about 1 hour north of Maputo where we are starting the next series of chicken houses.  When you drive through town, you see all sorts of old metal tanks sitting around on the ground or even hanging from the trees.  We thought they were just old water containers that had been used to haul water and store it over the years.  Pieter told us that this is where they ferment the molasses from the cane processing and make a local brew/beer. 

Since we were separated from our 1 ton Nissan truck while we were gone to the US, we had to find a different way to haul supplies.  WR has two trailers, but Pieter has them both in use building guest houses for Strategic Church partners who are relating to specific villages and branching out from there.  We had to wait in line to get the bigger one and then Wednesday I went to Chokwe, picked it up and started hauling materials.  Reginaldo (our builder) and I went to Xai-Xai and picked up poles and beams for the frames and got to Manhica after dark (not anyone’s favorite time to drive as people walk on the roads and sometimes drive without lights).  I got home at 9:30 ate supper and went to bed.

The next morning I took Rachel to the office at 7 and got out to the stone and cement place by 7:40.  The place was crazy and it took until 9:30 to get the cement because of all the logistical problems they were having.  The hassle was all the people waiting on me in Manhica to start work.  I dropped all the materials and was out on the road back to Maputo by 1 pm and returned with a second load of stone by 3:30.  I got home by 7:30 that night and left the next morning and took the sheet metal and lumber up to distribute.  It was an all day affair again with us getting rained on quite a bit, Reginaldo losing his borrowed phone and getting lost (not finding a location that we had only visited once). 

It was quite a week.  I think I spent about 50 million Mts. 

Rachel here:  I had an interesting conversation with a street vendor I’ve been getting to know.  He normally sits on the sidewalk and makes woven coin purses and larger bags.  He also sells candy and cookies.  I’d noticed that he had not been doing any weaving lately so I stopped to ask him about it.  When I asked how he was, he showed me his very swollen legs.  I never quite figured out what caused the swelling other than that he said he had been fighting.  I asked why he wasn’t weaving.  Well, he said, he didn’t have money to buy supplies because he had to spend all his money to have a consultation with a witchdoctor.  Doctors are too expensive and even the witchdoctor took all his profits so he was stuck.  I asked him if he knew Jesus.  He said he does but I’m pretty sure he knows him like he knows Mohammed and Gandhi.  I shared a bit with him and asked if I could pray for him.  He said yes, so I did.  Please pray for Tito Jose that God will touch his heart and his body.

I’ve been coordinating the next training that will start this Tues. in Matola, close to Maputo.  We have two trainers locally and were bringing one from Chokwe.  Only problem is that we found out yesterday she is sick so we had to make some quick adjustments and bring another trainer from Chokwe.  It should work out, it just won’t be as organized as before.  Tues a.m. we will be at the first day of training and then take off for Chokwe, Xai-Xai, Macia and Manhica until Thur. a.m. when we return and pick up Joanna.  Yeah!  We’re excited to have her here.

We’ve had a break in the heat wave and it feels like a cool fall day (around 70).  You should have seen the people bundled up this a.m.!

 

Yes it really was an earthquake

Just to let you know we are all well with no effects of the quake here in Maputo.  I woke up and felt the end of the first shocks, but Rachel slept through it all.  I didn’t know there were aftershocks until the morning reports.  Overall, it looks like there was minimal damage in the country.  There may be some more damage discovered in the epicenter when they get to investigating further. 

 

 Blessings, Steve and Rachel

Magnitude 7.5 Earthquake Hits Mozambique

By EMMANUEL CAMILLO, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 51 minutes ago

MAPUTO, Mozambique - A powerful earthquake struck Mozambique early Thursday morning, shaking buildings and forcing people from hundreds of miles around to dash into the streets for safety. There were no early reports of injuries.

The magnitude-7.5 quake struck at 12:19 a.m. in southern Mozambique, 140 miles southwest of the coastal city of Beira, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The temblor was felt in the neighboring nations of Zimbabwe and Zambia and as far south as Durban, South Africa, 800 miles away.

Elias Daudi, Mozambique's national director of energy, said on state radio that authorities still do not have any information on casualties or the extent of the damage. He also urged people not to return to their buildings because of possible aftershocks.

Mozambican state radio said the quake was centered near Espungabera, a small farming town in a remote and sparsely populated area near the border with Zimbabwe.

The quake shook buildings and sent frightened people into the streets in Mutare and Masvingo, two Zimbabwean cities about 100 miles from the epicenter. There were no reports of damage in Zimbabwe.

In Beira, Tivoli Hotel manager Johana Neves said none of her guests was hurt but many tourists awoke and ran terrified from the building.

"It felt like the building was going to fall down and it went on for a long time, the trembling," she said by telephone. "It felt like you were in a boat, it was shaking everything yet, it's strange, nothing is broken, even the windows."

Hotel guest Antonio Dinis said the streets were full of people afraid to go back home.

State radio said there was an unconfirmed report of a collapsed building in Beira.

Buildings swayed in Maputo, the capital of the this Indian Ocean nation, 400 miles south of Beira. Radio reports said hundreds of people fled their homes for the street, as they did in Chimoyo, some 300 miles west of Beira near the border with Zimbabwe.

A newspaper editor in Maputo said he was in the 11th floor of an apartment building that was rocked by the quake.

"It shook a lot. We could feel it very strongly," Fernando Velosa, editor of Jornal de Mocambique, told Lisbon radio station TSF. Portugal is the former colonial ruler of the African nation.

The quake was shallow, which increases the potential for damage, said Dale Grant, a scientist with the USGS in Golden, Colo., which is a clearinghouse for temblors worldwide. A quake nearing magnitude 8 is capable of causing tremendous damage.

At least five aftershocks were immediately recorded and more were expected in the coming days because of the quake's size, USGS said.

The temblor occurred near the southern end of the East African rift system, a seismically active zone. Since 1900, the largest quake measured on the rift system had a magnitude-7.6, according to the USGS.

Pulled over

New words,  We found out in Chokwe that “mulungo” means white person in Shangaan.  Interesting, now we hear it all the time when we are out and about!  It’s funny, even we stare when we see white people walking along the road outside of Maputo. 

 

One day I was driving with our friend, Alcides.  He hooted and howled when I went the wrong way down a split road.  I was in the left lane, only the wrong side of a divided section of the road!  It was just a short stretch, so I thought it was no big deal, but he kept laughing and saying, “I have a story to tell now!  Do you see how that guy is staring at us?” (He sounded just like my kids.)  Anyhow, we were going along and ready to turn down a dirt road.  There were some men on the corner and one said, “This road is closed to cars.”  I just kind of looked at him and half believed him because with the rain the dirt roads are pretty rutted and bad.  But then he said, “Actually, I’ve never talked to a white person so I just wanted to meet you.”  Then he took my hand and kissed it!  I said, nice to meet you and we went on.  Alcides said, “He’s a clown.”

 

We went on to buy some chickens from one of our houses and I heard them discussing the price and the word “mulungo” came up.  So I don’t know if I got a higher or lower price because of being a “mulungo.”  It seemed like a fair price so I paid it.  Steve says we are mulungos malucos (crazy).  I think he just likes the play on words, but half the time he can’t remember how to say it so then we have a good laugh.

 

Pulled over.  We got pulled over by the traffic police last week.  We have been here one whole year and not pulled over. Then is happened three times in two weeks.  We are driving a different truck and don’t know if that had anything to do with it or not.  The first time it was a random, point the finger and pull you over type of thing.   He asked for my drivers license and said, “this is not an international one and not good here” and we said “really? We have been told it was ok and you didn’t need an international.”  “No this is only good for your country” he said.  “So you can get a local one or international.”  Then he let us go.

 

The second time was my (Steve) “fault.”  We were behind a big semi and as we came around a curve I could see that the road was clear so I passed him.  What I did not see was two policemen about a km down the road who were standing in the middle of the road watching traffic.  Well there isn’t really much traffic anyhow so they pulled me over.  “Do I realize what I did?” they ask after they look at my US license (and make no comment about it not being international).  “No, I said, what is wrong?”  “You passed on a solid line so we need to fine you a million ($40).”  Not something I wanted to pay very badly. 

 

Then I had this thought pop into my head, I wonder if he would pardon the offense?  So after asking Rachel for how to say pardon in Portuguese I said, “can you pardon my offense?”  He said “can I pardon you?” and I said “yes.”  Then he asks, “are you suggesting or asking?”   I wasn’t sure what the difference was, but I said “I am asking.”  He asks  another question or two and hands back my driver’s license and we drive on, thankful. This week, I was looking at the road markings and realized that the white line I crossed  was the one for the other lane as you go into the curve and not for my lane coming out of the curve, I did pass pretty quickly after the end of my line, but it wasn’t a flagrant offense.  Maybe that is why he let me go.  Anyhow I have resolved not to drive so much like a Mozambican.  Probably a good reminder to take it easy. 

 

And again, #3.  This time we were traveling back from Xai-Xai going through the little burgs that have signs to slow down to 60 km.  Because we had been warned that there is a radar gun amongst the police force, and what town it is usually installed in, we are very careful to keep our speed at the limits in these areas.  Otherwise, they will get their million.   We came up on the town and I slowed down to the correct speed.  Sure enough there they were and they waved me over.  They say, “you were going 71”. I said “no that is not possible, I was watching my speed.”  I thought they said “you are lying.”  So I said no, no I don’t think so.  (Rachel says she heard him ask, “are you calling me a liar?”)  Either way the answer works.  I just kept shaking my head and quietly saying, “no, no this isn’t right” and after about 30 seconds he said “OK, go on.”  As we drove away, Rachel asked, “how many more times do you think you can get away with this (before they give you a fine)?”  I don’t know and I hope I don’t have to find out!

 

Feb 17

Our Friday night adventures include burning some marula jam.  I was cooking the juice and sugar, turned my back a few minutes and poof, it burned.  Marula looks like quenepas (small green balls with a pit inside) but tastes different.  I poked holes in them with a fork and cooked in water to get the juice.  There is fruit everywhere, laying on the ground so it won’t be hard to get more and try again.  Part of the problem is there are no recipes, it’s just experimenting and trying to see what works.  I do recall something about stirring constantly now.  No SureJell here either.

 

Work challenges continue on different levels.  Thankfully the HIV/AIDS coordinator in Chokwe got the volunteers together and straightened some things out.  They had misunderstood some key things (which we thought we had explained) and basically needed a talking to on taking responsibility and working together as groups and what the purpose of all this is to begin with.  Many are not doing their share but then want the same amount of money.  It’s better to have Mozambicans tell it like it is to their own people and we’re glad they are willing to.

 

In Macia some batches of chickens are dying right and left and we are pretty sure it is the feed we switched to right before we left in Dec.  The same kind of chickens went to Chokwe but they had different feed and were fine.  So, we need to talk with the feed producers but are having trouble getting through to them.  Apparently they have insurance and hopefully they will make it right with our people.  One group lost 60 out of 200.

 

Next week we will stay in Maputo since we have meetings Mon-Wed. and are also working at setting up the next training close by.  Jemane, our Malawian friend will be here for the meetings and will stay with us.

 

Steve preached at MICF two weeks ago.  Then he went to worship team practice and now it seems the leader is ready to give him  the leader job.  Rumor also has it that he is on the short list for elder candidate.  People come and go so fast from the Fellowship that they are quick to snatch good people up.  We’ll see.  We turned down the deacon position as we felt we could do the work without the title (and the meetings).

 

Enough for now, the adventures continue.

 

Love,

 

Steve  and Rachel