Title: The Challenge of Reentry!
Happy New Year and muito obrigadas!!
(for ALL you prayers and support)
I cannot express what an honor it is to partner with you on this leg of this journey, this epic adventure. My heart has been overwhelmed by your emails, texts, and calls. Thank you for being a part of this...the praise first belongs to Jesus, but also we (The Holy Three and me;) applaud you for YOUR endurance...the effective fervent prayer of the righteous avails much!! Prayer turns sickness that is quickly taking more victims into victory and wellness...prayer keeps broken down camions running just long enough to make it safely to our destinations...prayer moves mountains and captivates the heart of heaven in a partnership that moves here on earth!! So again thanks!!
I have been back for 12 days and it's been wonderful, challenging, and quick! It is wonderful to catch up with family and friends, to be able to shower with hot water (barefoot) for more than 3 minutes, to wear cozy pjs and to sleep in a bed under the covers free from bed bugs and a mosquito net! It's the little things like that that being in a third world country makes u realize are often taken for granted...simple everyday pleasures here, are not even thought of dreams in Mozambique (unless of course you are from the West). Which brings me to the challenge of returning: the "simple" is grandiose after 3 mos away--my first shower almost involved sobbing because of the use of such a fine smelling body wash in water that is clear and free from any dangerous germs.
I thought about it this morning--while I was gone the world kept moving at a quick pace while "my" world slowed down drastically. In Moz I noticed the way the land transformed before my very eyes with growth and greenery, the butterflies were everywhere, and people actually stop expecting a conversation if you happen to say "Hello!" "Salama!" Or "Boa Tarde!" Here, there is a pace so quick that it seems sprinting is the only way to keep up. Hellos with an actual response are a thing of the past and foreign to the receivers...it is colder so we'll be gracious to the butterflies;) But I would say, the hardest part of this reentry is recognizing that while I was away in Africa, immersed in the overwhelming presence of the Lord, away from modern ammenities--all one really could do to escape boredom or culture shock is revel in Him, talk about Him, delight in Him and see Him in others in school and out...(which is glorious!!)
Africa is a wilderness of sorts and one, or maybe it was just me, realizes how utterly dependent one is on Him. Without the Lord and His Holy Spirit, thriving much less surviving would be nearly impossible for someone born in the west...so, coming back the challenge becomes to learn to see Him and relate to Him in others, with others...and the challenge is this: here He is still with me/us, BUT He isn't actually "needed" There are sooo many "things" here that take up time, and life continues that utter dependence on Him is not necessarily necessary. With every solution literally at my fingertips, I don't need to pray when I'm hungry, thirsty, or in need of a shower...there's food everywhere, water is drinkable from nearly any tap, and even in drought there is still enough water for a hot shower. The hardest part of returning is recognizing that His tangible presence gets masked by the everyday sights and sounds that here has to offer!! Finding time to rest in "stillness" is not easy when there is more hustle and bustle, but now is the day to turn this challenge into a challenge, and I will fight for the pauses and stop to breathe because learning about depending on the Lord changed me that in the west I am sooo much more desperate for Him...Maish Jesush...if I do not have Him I will not thrive much less survive...
The quick pace is traffic flying by on well-paved roads, appointment after appointment, meeting after meeting and minutes, hours, and days going by in a blink...so quick that there is hardly time to think. Breathing in the oxygen deprived world (or so it seems) because you must be quick here or it passes you by...of course this is all "normal" but reentering onto foreign soil is a process...it's 21 days to make a habit, I was in Mozambique for four 21 day cycles, 12 weeks...I've just surfaced from a deep sea dive so to speak and my lungs, heart, mind, body and spirit are readjusting. It's a process that must be done and nobody can can do it for me...please bear with me as I transition back, "Im just a work in process."
Before I go, I will update again soon, I want to encourage you in this debriefing process...we have all just experienced life changing moments that have forever altered who we are and are becoming...like Him in His image...do not be afraid to ask questions. When talking to me, it will help by being specific rather than general: "How was Africa?" seems like a simple question but will gather a simple unsatisfying response like, "good" because in all honesty, that question is overwhelming...so much happened to fit into one answer...instead, ask about the terrain, or people characteristics, or things about school, or how Mozambicans gather water etc. Ask Holy Spirit to help you draw information out of the deep wells He dug...I'm not trying to hold back, sometimes it just has to be turned on so the water can flow.
Like my 12 weeks in Mozambique was a process, our lives will continue to be a process and thank you again for walking this out with me. You've all been with me the whole way and I will forever be grateful!!
May you be showered with blessings from on High,
Deus Abençoe,
Tchau,
Desiree
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Feliz Natal and Goodnight Moz!! 28 December '09
Feliz Natal and Goodnight Moz!!
Bon Noite,
((this is the final mozi update:())
Well Christmas flew by in a hurry as it always does...this year I saw the faces of nearly 1,500 faces (assuming the lines were evenly split) girls who waited for hours to receive a Christmas dinner of chicken, rice, cabbage, juice and a lolli pop. Arco Iris fed over 3200 children, women, and men this Christmas (not included in the count were missionaries, visitors, and iris kids). There were 800 chickens that sacrificed their lives and each person received a quarter chicken...there were over 25 quarter chickens left after ALL the Iris kids had a second helping at dinner time!! Last night on base chicken was again served! You can do the math and check...chickens multiplied! It goes to show that with faith and perseverance a little goes a long way, and there is ALWAYS enough!!
I spent the week working on another painting assignment. We'll call it Casa de Creances...4 large rooms!! It was an intense project, but in 5 work days we finished!! There is still a bit of paint to be put onto the walls, but the mural part is finished, and I hired a Mozambican painter to paint the rest!!
I will attach pictures at a later date and you can eventually (once I am stateside and in computer range) see them on my blog which now contains all emails http://dunamisfire.blogspot.com.
Today I began my wind down and the beginning of my rest and preparation to leave. We got to swim with dolphins and scuba dive off the island called Londo. I saw a brilliantly blue starfish and floated there looking at it and I almost fell asleep...but it was sooo refreshing to just bee in the water and I am glad there are no more "assignments" left on this Pemba adventure.
If I can put into a brief summary of Pemba as I sit at a lovely hotel sipping coffee with two of my friends who just returned from their outreach in Tete...As it says in Haggai, The Lord did not bring me into the wilderness to abandon me but to woo me and speak tenderly to me. I learned about Love, fell deeper in Love, and realized the time spent here will forever alter my perspective on life. I have gone much deeper in the Lord and have seen that life can be lived much more simply. I will never forget how dry places in the natural were representative of dry places in me, and likewise with wells of sweet refreshing water...we are comprised of both dry and moist and it's a beautiful process to becoming a moldable vessel that is more and more like Jesus every day!
Thank you all for your prayers and support!! Ti amo muito!!
Until Pemba calls again,
Deus Abençoe!
Desiree
Bon Noite,
((this is the final mozi update:())
Well Christmas flew by in a hurry as it always does...this year I saw the faces of nearly 1,500 faces (assuming the lines were evenly split) girls who waited for hours to receive a Christmas dinner of chicken, rice, cabbage, juice and a lolli pop. Arco Iris fed over 3200 children, women, and men this Christmas (not included in the count were missionaries, visitors, and iris kids). There were 800 chickens that sacrificed their lives and each person received a quarter chicken...there were over 25 quarter chickens left after ALL the Iris kids had a second helping at dinner time!! Last night on base chicken was again served! You can do the math and check...chickens multiplied! It goes to show that with faith and perseverance a little goes a long way, and there is ALWAYS enough!!
I spent the week working on another painting assignment. We'll call it Casa de Creances...4 large rooms!! It was an intense project, but in 5 work days we finished!! There is still a bit of paint to be put onto the walls, but the mural part is finished, and I hired a Mozambican painter to paint the rest!!
I will attach pictures at a later date and you can eventually (once I am stateside and in computer range) see them on my blog which now contains all emails http://dunamisfire.blogspot.com.
Today I began my wind down and the beginning of my rest and preparation to leave. We got to swim with dolphins and scuba dive off the island called Londo. I saw a brilliantly blue starfish and floated there looking at it and I almost fell asleep...but it was sooo refreshing to just bee in the water and I am glad there are no more "assignments" left on this Pemba adventure.
If I can put into a brief summary of Pemba as I sit at a lovely hotel sipping coffee with two of my friends who just returned from their outreach in Tete...As it says in Haggai, The Lord did not bring me into the wilderness to abandon me but to woo me and speak tenderly to me. I learned about Love, fell deeper in Love, and realized the time spent here will forever alter my perspective on life. I have gone much deeper in the Lord and have seen that life can be lived much more simply. I will never forget how dry places in the natural were representative of dry places in me, and likewise with wells of sweet refreshing water...we are comprised of both dry and moist and it's a beautiful process to becoming a moldable vessel that is more and more like Jesus every day!
Thank you all for your prayers and support!! Ti amo muito!!
Until Pemba calls again,
Deus Abençoe!
Desiree
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Bush…Mozi Update: 19 December 2009
Bon Dia!
3 Saturdays ago Iris Harvest School 11 graduates began departing for their home countries and for their missions in this next season. Some of us prepared to leave for the bush and some prepared for other extended outreaches in all different parts of Africa!! Change was in the midst! I was amongst a group of 35 Mission School Students and 15 Mozambicans, pastors, cooks, mamas etc. And we set off for a 10 day trip through the Nampula province...All I can say is that we were scheduled for 10 days, we went 11, and it was one of the toughest things I've endured to date, but one of the best and definitely something NOT for the faint of heart!
Let me describe to you what our outreach was like: Our main base was located in Cuamba (Quam buh) and the easiest way to describe it would be, hot, HOTTER and HOTTEST, dirty, rocky, dry and shade free! A barren wilderness, a desert...and there we made our home. When it rained (thankfully only one day on us) it flooded and there was mud and tents were ruined...flies galore...YET, in the book of Haggai it says that the Lord calls His people into the wilderness, not to abandon them, but to woo them and speak tenderly to them...The Lord was there to woo and speak!! Would we listen?
It was day 7 and we were back in Cuamba after outreaching in several locations kilometers and kilometers away, I was sitting outside my tent in the last remaining moments of shade near a fence. I was being still and listening to music and I saw 3 men look into the mirrors of the camion and observe their appearance, check for blemishes, groom themselves...I pondered this momentarily as I began to understand what the Lord was teaching me through this entire journey...In the heat of Cuamba, the impurities had to rise to the surface to be released...This is what He spoke, "This trip is like that--you are on a journey with me to transforming to reflect my very Son. On this journey you have encountered dust and debris and dirt, and as you have passed before My mirror--we have seen them together--some are deep down and some have surfaced and are ready to be and have been removed. This journey has been one where you have been, not forced, but discovered the necessity of releasing these things to Me--free you are to bee, Nothing will stop this process..." Had the heat not been so hot, I would not have recognized that some of the character things being worked in me surfaced in the form of a heat rash and loss of voice. It was in my stepping back that I noticed the traits that were being worked out of me on yet another level. In the middle of the heat and harsh conditions, my heart was turned to the Lord and He began to remind me that I was no longer bound to impatience, pride, striving because I was looking at Him and saying, "Give me clean hands and a pure heart." And the Lord is looking at me, at us and saying, "Though you may feel dark, you are lovely. Though you may feel filthy, I have cleaned your dirty rags-and given you garments that are free from tears. You have been able to see those things [in you] because you have given me Your heart and you release your control to Me..."
This trip was about loss of control...He is God, I am not, and everything "we" planned of course was subject to change--hey it's Africa, and hey Holy Spirit takes the reigns!! So He brought us to one of the hotter places in Moz and began to heat us like gold in the Refiner's fire...the impurities surfacing...and yet He brought us to wells of refreshing and began to plant new seeds of life in us and in the communities we visited. Each village we visited had wells and one of the things I did was draw water from these wells. I usually went to the well with my new Moz sister and friend (Hermana c amiga), Alima--the wife of one of the outreach pastors. Without words (or few at that in Makua and Portuguese) we would pump the well and fill the buckets and interact with the local people at each well. The well is a lifeline for these people. Water is our Life. Jesus is the water of life and when we drink of Him we do not thirst anymore. I began to recognize that each person was in them a well of living water, but for the water to come out, it needs to be pumped and drawn. In order to tap into the wells He has for us, we have to release our controls and move with the pump, with His Spirit and draw out the water. I had to go to these wells as an "Akuna" (white person) enduring the jokes and the snickers as I tried to be a part of the culture...and as I walked away with the mama carrying the bucket moz style, on my head, I felt proud to carry the life back to our camp...the water was for the food, the cleaning, the bathing and for the Mozambicans the thirst. I had the privilege of experiencing their lifestyle and finding my thirst satisfied as I was welcomed into the Mozi culture, not as a "Westerner" but as a sister!!
The trip was about fruit and seeds to plant. The deeper heart works is the major blessing of this trip, because God showed up!! BUT, He topped the bill by showing up at each outreach and lives were snatched from the devil's hands!! People turned from darkness to the light and began to take drinks from the well of life. The blind literally saw, cataracts vanished from eyes, the deaf and mute could hear, migraines and malaria went kaput, legs grew out and spines were healed...bladder infections went tah tah! And two villages were soo moved by God and His Spirit that people supplied land for two new churches. We purchased land in two places for less than $1000 USD!! We left the Cuamba pastors with more than enough money to fuel their vehicles to travel to the distant places to build these churches from the ground up!! Some of the new believers have already signed up to attend Iris' Bible School!!
We went to and from Cuamba in the back of two large trucks filled with luggage, and many people (total travel time in 11 days 4 total days of driving-- 50+ hours), in the heat and you can imagine that things you didn't see in your friends over two months of Mission School and communal living, surely you'd see in the bush....thankfully our group was united...and there were moments of frustration and fatigue, hunger (most westerners don't know what hunger is like, yet there were days when meals were skipped and crackers were our staple), and for the most part, we pressed through and we survived! Not an easy task when by day 3 (of travel) we were ready to go home!! We left in victory! We left like valiant warriors who endured the battles and finished well!! We have our battle scars of course, but we will never be the same...forever changed.
So here I am beginning week 11...Outreach #2...Christmas...lots to do this week and as this is my first Christmas away from Home...and all the ones I love, may you be blessed beyond measure and may your Christmas be bright!!
Until next time!
Deus Abencoe!
Desi
P.S. 11 days left...
3 Saturdays ago Iris Harvest School 11 graduates began departing for their home countries and for their missions in this next season. Some of us prepared to leave for the bush and some prepared for other extended outreaches in all different parts of Africa!! Change was in the midst! I was amongst a group of 35 Mission School Students and 15 Mozambicans, pastors, cooks, mamas etc. And we set off for a 10 day trip through the Nampula province...All I can say is that we were scheduled for 10 days, we went 11, and it was one of the toughest things I've endured to date, but one of the best and definitely something NOT for the faint of heart!
Let me describe to you what our outreach was like: Our main base was located in Cuamba (Quam buh) and the easiest way to describe it would be, hot, HOTTER and HOTTEST, dirty, rocky, dry and shade free! A barren wilderness, a desert...and there we made our home. When it rained (thankfully only one day on us) it flooded and there was mud and tents were ruined...flies galore...YET, in the book of Haggai it says that the Lord calls His people into the wilderness, not to abandon them, but to woo them and speak tenderly to them...The Lord was there to woo and speak!! Would we listen?
It was day 7 and we were back in Cuamba after outreaching in several locations kilometers and kilometers away, I was sitting outside my tent in the last remaining moments of shade near a fence. I was being still and listening to music and I saw 3 men look into the mirrors of the camion and observe their appearance, check for blemishes, groom themselves...I pondered this momentarily as I began to understand what the Lord was teaching me through this entire journey...In the heat of Cuamba, the impurities had to rise to the surface to be released...This is what He spoke, "This trip is like that--you are on a journey with me to transforming to reflect my very Son. On this journey you have encountered dust and debris and dirt, and as you have passed before My mirror--we have seen them together--some are deep down and some have surfaced and are ready to be and have been removed. This journey has been one where you have been, not forced, but discovered the necessity of releasing these things to Me--free you are to bee, Nothing will stop this process..." Had the heat not been so hot, I would not have recognized that some of the character things being worked in me surfaced in the form of a heat rash and loss of voice. It was in my stepping back that I noticed the traits that were being worked out of me on yet another level. In the middle of the heat and harsh conditions, my heart was turned to the Lord and He began to remind me that I was no longer bound to impatience, pride, striving because I was looking at Him and saying, "Give me clean hands and a pure heart." And the Lord is looking at me, at us and saying, "Though you may feel dark, you are lovely. Though you may feel filthy, I have cleaned your dirty rags-and given you garments that are free from tears. You have been able to see those things [in you] because you have given me Your heart and you release your control to Me..."
This trip was about loss of control...He is God, I am not, and everything "we" planned of course was subject to change--hey it's Africa, and hey Holy Spirit takes the reigns!! So He brought us to one of the hotter places in Moz and began to heat us like gold in the Refiner's fire...the impurities surfacing...and yet He brought us to wells of refreshing and began to plant new seeds of life in us and in the communities we visited. Each village we visited had wells and one of the things I did was draw water from these wells. I usually went to the well with my new Moz sister and friend (Hermana c amiga), Alima--the wife of one of the outreach pastors. Without words (or few at that in Makua and Portuguese) we would pump the well and fill the buckets and interact with the local people at each well. The well is a lifeline for these people. Water is our Life. Jesus is the water of life and when we drink of Him we do not thirst anymore. I began to recognize that each person was in them a well of living water, but for the water to come out, it needs to be pumped and drawn. In order to tap into the wells He has for us, we have to release our controls and move with the pump, with His Spirit and draw out the water. I had to go to these wells as an "Akuna" (white person) enduring the jokes and the snickers as I tried to be a part of the culture...and as I walked away with the mama carrying the bucket moz style, on my head, I felt proud to carry the life back to our camp...the water was for the food, the cleaning, the bathing and for the Mozambicans the thirst. I had the privilege of experiencing their lifestyle and finding my thirst satisfied as I was welcomed into the Mozi culture, not as a "Westerner" but as a sister!!
The trip was about fruit and seeds to plant. The deeper heart works is the major blessing of this trip, because God showed up!! BUT, He topped the bill by showing up at each outreach and lives were snatched from the devil's hands!! People turned from darkness to the light and began to take drinks from the well of life. The blind literally saw, cataracts vanished from eyes, the deaf and mute could hear, migraines and malaria went kaput, legs grew out and spines were healed...bladder infections went tah tah! And two villages were soo moved by God and His Spirit that people supplied land for two new churches. We purchased land in two places for less than $1000 USD!! We left the Cuamba pastors with more than enough money to fuel their vehicles to travel to the distant places to build these churches from the ground up!! Some of the new believers have already signed up to attend Iris' Bible School!!
We went to and from Cuamba in the back of two large trucks filled with luggage, and many people (total travel time in 11 days 4 total days of driving-- 50+ hours), in the heat and you can imagine that things you didn't see in your friends over two months of Mission School and communal living, surely you'd see in the bush....thankfully our group was united...and there were moments of frustration and fatigue, hunger (most westerners don't know what hunger is like, yet there were days when meals were skipped and crackers were our staple), and for the most part, we pressed through and we survived! Not an easy task when by day 3 (of travel) we were ready to go home!! We left in victory! We left like valiant warriors who endured the battles and finished well!! We have our battle scars of course, but we will never be the same...forever changed.
So here I am beginning week 11...Outreach #2...Christmas...lots to do this week and as this is my first Christmas away from Home...and all the ones I love, may you be blessed beyond measure and may your Christmas be bright!!
Until next time!
Deus Abencoe!
Desi
P.S. 11 days left...
Para Benj Graduacaon! 7 December 2009
Para benj a graduacaon!!!
(Congratulations on your graduation!)
This week can be summed up by the word lilies. We just finished 8 weeks of school and ended with a graduation festa!! It was beautifully diverse and brilliant! Bible school students from many provinces in Mozambique and mission school students from all over the world gave the grand total of 20 representative countries!! Mel Tari spoke at the graduation (He is a minister who came out of the Indonesian Revival of the 1960s), and Rolland Baker finished up with a prayer for the entire school!! It was a very LARGE family party!!
Now let me get to the lilies (She is my niece and I was greatful her flower blossomed on the 8th week). In the mission school compound there are houses and lots of dirt, some plumeria trees, papaya trees, bougenvelias, rocks, some grass and weeds. Last Saturday it POURED beautiful rain, all day long. I saw the rain as very symbolic...Saturday is the first day of the week...and we were entering our 8th and final week of school...the transition into a NEW Beginning. Sunday morning I awoke at a very early hour 4:30am and I was prompted to walk around my house.
In the middle of my house and another I looked down on the ground to see a brilliant bunch of freshly bloomed white lilies. They were not there the day before (or at least no one saw them until they were unveiled in their beauty) or had only appeared to be a “weed.” SO when I saw them picking up the rays of the sun, I recognized that this school has been much like the growth of the Lilies! Each student coming from ALL over the world came as they were, looking like beautiful people, but over the course of time and training, and the raining of the Lord’s Spirit, as we graduated, you could actually see how much more radiant and dazzling each student had become. What was mistaken at first glance as a weed actually revealed a hidden beauty that fully matured and blossomed on the beginning of the 8th week!! Each of us is leaving the school, not as we came, but transformed for all time and because of this journey into maturation, we will take the flowers that have grown and share them to open up the eyes of others to see the beauty that came/comes from such a tenacious Love.
So what’s next?! Some have departed for their homes, and futures in whatever ministry the Lord is calling them to. And most of us are departing the shores of Pemba to head into the darkest parts of Mozambique for outreaches in the bush bush. I leave with a group of 20 others on a 10-day outreach in another province of Mozambique. We will be travelling 15+ hours in the back of a camion truck...keep us in your prayers!! That the LOVE of Christ would be revealed through us and that we would receive all He has for us so that OUR lives transform further and the world is forever impacted!! We are in the 9th week and we will see destinies birthed!!!
Ti amo Muito (I love you too much!)
Desi
(Congratulations on your graduation!)
This week can be summed up by the word lilies. We just finished 8 weeks of school and ended with a graduation festa!! It was beautifully diverse and brilliant! Bible school students from many provinces in Mozambique and mission school students from all over the world gave the grand total of 20 representative countries!! Mel Tari spoke at the graduation (He is a minister who came out of the Indonesian Revival of the 1960s), and Rolland Baker finished up with a prayer for the entire school!! It was a very LARGE family party!!
Now let me get to the lilies (She is my niece and I was greatful her flower blossomed on the 8th week). In the mission school compound there are houses and lots of dirt, some plumeria trees, papaya trees, bougenvelias, rocks, some grass and weeds. Last Saturday it POURED beautiful rain, all day long. I saw the rain as very symbolic...Saturday is the first day of the week...and we were entering our 8th and final week of school...the transition into a NEW Beginning. Sunday morning I awoke at a very early hour 4:30am and I was prompted to walk around my house.
In the middle of my house and another I looked down on the ground to see a brilliant bunch of freshly bloomed white lilies. They were not there the day before (or at least no one saw them until they were unveiled in their beauty) or had only appeared to be a “weed.” SO when I saw them picking up the rays of the sun, I recognized that this school has been much like the growth of the Lilies! Each student coming from ALL over the world came as they were, looking like beautiful people, but over the course of time and training, and the raining of the Lord’s Spirit, as we graduated, you could actually see how much more radiant and dazzling each student had become. What was mistaken at first glance as a weed actually revealed a hidden beauty that fully matured and blossomed on the beginning of the 8th week!! Each of us is leaving the school, not as we came, but transformed for all time and because of this journey into maturation, we will take the flowers that have grown and share them to open up the eyes of others to see the beauty that came/comes from such a tenacious Love.
So what’s next?! Some have departed for their homes, and futures in whatever ministry the Lord is calling them to. And most of us are departing the shores of Pemba to head into the darkest parts of Mozambique for outreaches in the bush bush. I leave with a group of 20 others on a 10-day outreach in another province of Mozambique. We will be travelling 15+ hours in the back of a camion truck...keep us in your prayers!! That the LOVE of Christ would be revealed through us and that we would receive all He has for us so that OUR lives transform further and the world is forever impacted!! We are in the 9th week and we will see destinies birthed!!!
Ti amo Muito (I love you too much!)
Desi
Update From Africa’s Coast: 22 November 2009
Uwe nipantakitifu! Uwe yesu! (Makua: welcome Holy Spirit! Welcome Jesus!)
Here we are...only 8 days of class left before graduation on December 4. Time has really flown here and it's bittersweet to think about not seeing the same "family" everyday...walking eachother through laughter and even bellyaches or widespread mysterious illness (we have all attained victory!!) and water and power outages...what do you expect from Africa? Yesterday I called a fan an air conditioner...oh boy the heat must have gotten to me;))
So here's an update on our practical missions project...because of changes and extending the borders of the picture to include the ENTIRE building, we still have our work cut out for us, and with a recent mysterious illness striking the camp (20 students on base, 7 missions school staff, 5 longterm missionaries, and 15 students who went into the bush) we had to call a "Be Still, and Know" moment and rest. However, it's coming along...Madagascar characters are developing well...
Schedule to follow:
Thanksgiving is this week and it really does not feel like traditional turkey time as turkeys are rare and stores aren't decorated for Christmas!! Haha...it's definitely becoming more summery here...temperatures seem to be rising daily...Also this week longterm missionary interviews begin (for anyone expressing interest in partnering with any Iris base in the next 6 mos-2 years) Its really neat to hear how the Lord is moving and giving visions to many of the students for longterm missions work.
This week I'm excited to see what's gonna develop...it's gonna be an adventure as it has been...and I'm looking forward to going out with two longterm missionaries (Antoinette and Annalisa: twins) for pancakes...with vanilla ice cream...yum dessert is always nice;))
Well this week's email is very short and non-dramatic...aside from the widespread icky-poos ;) things are bon!! Muito bon!! And I must give kudos out to my roommate Jetty (yetty) for ALL her hard work nursing all the sick ones in our row of houses (1-6) including every member of our house...my bout was less than 24 hours and I think it was tied more to a reaction to Malerone (malaria pill) and dehydration...overcomers we are!!
Well blessings to y'all!!
Deus Abencoe!
Desi
Here we are...only 8 days of class left before graduation on December 4. Time has really flown here and it's bittersweet to think about not seeing the same "family" everyday...walking eachother through laughter and even bellyaches or widespread mysterious illness (we have all attained victory!!) and water and power outages...what do you expect from Africa? Yesterday I called a fan an air conditioner...oh boy the heat must have gotten to me;))
So here's an update on our practical missions project...because of changes and extending the borders of the picture to include the ENTIRE building, we still have our work cut out for us, and with a recent mysterious illness striking the camp (20 students on base, 7 missions school staff, 5 longterm missionaries, and 15 students who went into the bush) we had to call a "Be Still, and Know" moment and rest. However, it's coming along...Madagascar characters are developing well...
Schedule to follow:
Thanksgiving is this week and it really does not feel like traditional turkey time as turkeys are rare and stores aren't decorated for Christmas!! Haha...it's definitely becoming more summery here...temperatures seem to be rising daily...Also this week longterm missionary interviews begin (for anyone expressing interest in partnering with any Iris base in the next 6 mos-2 years) Its really neat to hear how the Lord is moving and giving visions to many of the students for longterm missions work.
This week I'm excited to see what's gonna develop...it's gonna be an adventure as it has been...and I'm looking forward to going out with two longterm missionaries (Antoinette and Annalisa: twins) for pancakes...with vanilla ice cream...yum dessert is always nice;))
Well this week's email is very short and non-dramatic...aside from the widespread icky-poos ;) things are bon!! Muito bon!! And I must give kudos out to my roommate Jetty (yetty) for ALL her hard work nursing all the sick ones in our row of houses (1-6) including every member of our house...my bout was less than 24 hours and I think it was tied more to a reaction to Malerone (malaria pill) and dehydration...overcomers we are!!
Well blessings to y'all!!
Deus Abencoe!
Desi
November in Moz—14 November 2009
Bon Dia!!
I never thought I'd start a letter off this way, but here it goes...
It is amazing that certain dirts are dirtier than others...especially African soil. No two villages are alike nor is the terrain. Africa is a cornucopia of sights...mud huts in the middle of dry brown dirt and few trees, or red dirt and green trees and big gigantic rocks that are called mountains--but not like mountains out in the west--or you have red dirt brown huts and green hilly terrain. There are rivers that look like lush oasis' and you can see women and children carrying gallons of water and pounds of goods walking for kilometers on end along roads that are partially paved and then broken...if Cal Trans decided to become Bush Trans, their work would be cut out for them! Africa is beautiful and I'm only in one of its countries...I can only imagine how amazing the other parts of this continent look!!
As I write this I am sitting in the back of a camion (large truck) with roughly 25 others...most are mission school students and Mozambican bible students (training to become pastors)...in the landrover behind us are more pastors, visitors and some of the "nationals" who are the older iris kids and they become interpreters for the akunas (white people) as we go into villages to discover what love looks like.
We got to be a part of a special bush outreach as the village we visited was celebrating the dedication of a brand new children's center...each children's center is different, and the place where we stay Aldeia de Allegria is a resource center--now a normal children's center consists of an iris pastor and his wife taking in orphaned children and adopting them. The center we got to see dedicated held 10 children. Each of the children was photographed and interviewed because Iris is starting a child sponsorship program, where others in the world can help in ways that can help these children walk out their dreams...as I find out more details, I will let you know... Both Heidi and Rolland Baker (yes they camped in a tent with all the visitors, missions students, bible school students, and Iris kids) were there to dedicate the center, have church with them (and the village) and provide dental care...the Baker's were not doing the care, but two dentists and their staff came to Iris to serve this third world country with basic dental care that is of course much safer than typical African teeth yanking!!
We spent three days in the bush bush and my favorite quote came from my friend Lisa (Aussie), "Wow you're really sunburnt!" As I put a wet wipe to my face she laughed and said, "Oh I guess it was just dirt!" Well it was a dirty weekend, but it is so amazing to sit in the dirt with the beautiful Mozambicans where language can be a barrier, but simply sitting is enough to make a friend...much laughter assured!!
This morning we saw a woman pounding maize and she worked with such skill lifting up her heavy pole and thrusting it into the maize...we watched and three of us tried her job for a second...she along with all the children, the men sitting under the roof in the shade, and the other mamas laughed...we laughed because we fought the pole and the maize while she effortlessly uses gravity to its advantage to pound through the maize with a thud--it was a tough job and she was fit for it. In my broken Makua after asking her name (inchinatipani) I said, "koshukuru Alina" (thank you Alina) and in turn after I shook her hand she said "Koshukuru!" as she put both hands over her heart to display her appreciation that we noticed her hard work and it touched her heart...I walked away feeling extremely greatful for that moment and out of the entire bush adventure, that moment of connection was priceless...that's what love looks like...
As we sit in the back of this camion, I am beginning to ponder all that has transpired in these past 5 weeks...we have 12 days of class left before graduation, and December is almost here...well maybe I should not think that far ahead as we haven't hit Thanksgiving...Yet time is a flyin' and things are a changin'...
So let's see how week 6 goes...
Deus Abencoe
Desi
I never thought I'd start a letter off this way, but here it goes...
It is amazing that certain dirts are dirtier than others...especially African soil. No two villages are alike nor is the terrain. Africa is a cornucopia of sights...mud huts in the middle of dry brown dirt and few trees, or red dirt and green trees and big gigantic rocks that are called mountains--but not like mountains out in the west--or you have red dirt brown huts and green hilly terrain. There are rivers that look like lush oasis' and you can see women and children carrying gallons of water and pounds of goods walking for kilometers on end along roads that are partially paved and then broken...if Cal Trans decided to become Bush Trans, their work would be cut out for them! Africa is beautiful and I'm only in one of its countries...I can only imagine how amazing the other parts of this continent look!!
As I write this I am sitting in the back of a camion (large truck) with roughly 25 others...most are mission school students and Mozambican bible students (training to become pastors)...in the landrover behind us are more pastors, visitors and some of the "nationals" who are the older iris kids and they become interpreters for the akunas (white people) as we go into villages to discover what love looks like.
We got to be a part of a special bush outreach as the village we visited was celebrating the dedication of a brand new children's center...each children's center is different, and the place where we stay Aldeia de Allegria is a resource center--now a normal children's center consists of an iris pastor and his wife taking in orphaned children and adopting them. The center we got to see dedicated held 10 children. Each of the children was photographed and interviewed because Iris is starting a child sponsorship program, where others in the world can help in ways that can help these children walk out their dreams...as I find out more details, I will let you know... Both Heidi and Rolland Baker (yes they camped in a tent with all the visitors, missions students, bible school students, and Iris kids) were there to dedicate the center, have church with them (and the village) and provide dental care...the Baker's were not doing the care, but two dentists and their staff came to Iris to serve this third world country with basic dental care that is of course much safer than typical African teeth yanking!!
We spent three days in the bush bush and my favorite quote came from my friend Lisa (Aussie), "Wow you're really sunburnt!" As I put a wet wipe to my face she laughed and said, "Oh I guess it was just dirt!" Well it was a dirty weekend, but it is so amazing to sit in the dirt with the beautiful Mozambicans where language can be a barrier, but simply sitting is enough to make a friend...much laughter assured!!
This morning we saw a woman pounding maize and she worked with such skill lifting up her heavy pole and thrusting it into the maize...we watched and three of us tried her job for a second...she along with all the children, the men sitting under the roof in the shade, and the other mamas laughed...we laughed because we fought the pole and the maize while she effortlessly uses gravity to its advantage to pound through the maize with a thud--it was a tough job and she was fit for it. In my broken Makua after asking her name (inchinatipani) I said, "koshukuru Alina" (thank you Alina) and in turn after I shook her hand she said "Koshukuru!" as she put both hands over her heart to display her appreciation that we noticed her hard work and it touched her heart...I walked away feeling extremely greatful for that moment and out of the entire bush adventure, that moment of connection was priceless...that's what love looks like...
As we sit in the back of this camion, I am beginning to ponder all that has transpired in these past 5 weeks...we have 12 days of class left before graduation, and December is almost here...well maybe I should not think that far ahead as we haven't hit Thanksgiving...Yet time is a flyin' and things are a changin'...
So let's see how week 6 goes...
Deus Abencoe
Desi
Time is Flying Here in Pemba: 8 November 2009
Salama Salama!!
It's hard to believe I just finished week 4 of classes here!! This week was jam packed and delightfully restful!! Even in the midst of school and duties here I found much time to simply bee and breathe...I had Belgian waffles (last Saturday morning) cooked by Belgian ladies...muito bon!! (sooo good!!) The waffle breakfast kicked off nearly 8 days of making "rest" the topic of my journey...it's really easy here to get "busy" and I guess no matter where we are in the world, there is always something "to do" and sometimes (even with African time delay;)) it is vital to simply slow down.
In the slow down, I began to realize one of the reasons I am here in this time, and it is to be a breather of life to the long term missionaries on base. I cannot offer them the strength they need to live in Africa, month by month year by year, but I can bring encouragement and offer up hugs and prayers...and with that hopefully the missionaries that are here find a bit of refreshment by His Holy Spirit who of course dwells within... In one class session, Heidi threw out the question, "What do good works look like?" It became an assignment to answer...the Bible says that "faith without works is dead..." So what are good works? In painting this mural, I began to understand that even though I am not out in the bush or in the villages ministering, I am playing a role that is hidden yet is bringing life and stirring up dreams in sooo many people... Good works are being exactly where the Lord leads, guides, and directs and being compelled by His love to work, to serve, to give and to partner with the change that is coming along...a nation who's crime rates have dropped drastically over the last years, a province who's test scores have been elevated to the highest in Mozambique, and poverty that is being met head on with hands that practically lead and guide to becoming sustainable living situations... The work here is hard, the harvest is ripe...pray to the Lord of the harvest to send in harvesters...
We made the halfway point and there is much buzz about what we're all doing when school is out...graduation is 4 weeks away!!! Friday December 4...there are meetings with longterm missionaries and back porch sessions for information and q&a's and it's pretty neat to see how the entire group has changed in such a short amount of time. Visions and dreams are being unlocked within our hearts... Most of us are in the same place...we left much behind to come to Africa to have the "What now?" so we wait for an answer and His direction, and it is going to be exciting to see how the journeys unfold!!
Next weekend I will be in the bush bush and I believe we have a 12 hour camion ride to our destination...help us Jesus;)) The mural is coming along, and hopefully we'll be able to finish more before we leave for the bush...
Deus Abencoe (God bless you)
Love,
Desi
It's hard to believe I just finished week 4 of classes here!! This week was jam packed and delightfully restful!! Even in the midst of school and duties here I found much time to simply bee and breathe...I had Belgian waffles (last Saturday morning) cooked by Belgian ladies...muito bon!! (sooo good!!) The waffle breakfast kicked off nearly 8 days of making "rest" the topic of my journey...it's really easy here to get "busy" and I guess no matter where we are in the world, there is always something "to do" and sometimes (even with African time delay;)) it is vital to simply slow down.
In the slow down, I began to realize one of the reasons I am here in this time, and it is to be a breather of life to the long term missionaries on base. I cannot offer them the strength they need to live in Africa, month by month year by year, but I can bring encouragement and offer up hugs and prayers...and with that hopefully the missionaries that are here find a bit of refreshment by His Holy Spirit who of course dwells within... In one class session, Heidi threw out the question, "What do good works look like?" It became an assignment to answer...the Bible says that "faith without works is dead..." So what are good works? In painting this mural, I began to understand that even though I am not out in the bush or in the villages ministering, I am playing a role that is hidden yet is bringing life and stirring up dreams in sooo many people... Good works are being exactly where the Lord leads, guides, and directs and being compelled by His love to work, to serve, to give and to partner with the change that is coming along...a nation who's crime rates have dropped drastically over the last years, a province who's test scores have been elevated to the highest in Mozambique, and poverty that is being met head on with hands that practically lead and guide to becoming sustainable living situations... The work here is hard, the harvest is ripe...pray to the Lord of the harvest to send in harvesters...
We made the halfway point and there is much buzz about what we're all doing when school is out...graduation is 4 weeks away!!! Friday December 4...there are meetings with longterm missionaries and back porch sessions for information and q&a's and it's pretty neat to see how the entire group has changed in such a short amount of time. Visions and dreams are being unlocked within our hearts... Most of us are in the same place...we left much behind to come to Africa to have the "What now?" so we wait for an answer and His direction, and it is going to be exciting to see how the journeys unfold!!
Next weekend I will be in the bush bush and I believe we have a 12 hour camion ride to our destination...help us Jesus;)) The mural is coming along, and hopefully we'll be able to finish more before we leave for the bush...
Deus Abencoe (God bless you)
Love,
Desi
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