Day 7: Stars in their Eyes

The last day of our visit we were taken to a government-sponsored orphanage in Xai-Xai where there were between 43 and 48 children in residence. Last month when our team leader, Dennis, had visited this same orphanage, the team had handed out a few clothes, but not much else. After playing with the children, his team ate lunch at a relatively new Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in town, and he remarked that he felt sick that he was eating so well while the children back at the orphanage were so deprived.

This time, thanks to donations from several small groups of 12Stone, we returned with 50 kg bags of rice, cooking oil, beans, four bags of clothes, and even flip-flops for the children who were shoeless. Equally important, the entire team pitched in to distribute toys, candy and love—we played games, blew bubbles, kicked a soccer ball around, colored with new crayons, and bounced a ball on a parachute. Most importantly, we all took turns holding various children or hoisting them up on our shoulders, even singing and dancing to the “Hokey-Pokey,” which seemed to be a big hit in spite of this team member’s poor singing voice.

Of course, there are orphanages around the world where children are raised in substandard conditions—one could ask why we are spending time and money ministering to this one. I guess it’s like the story of the boy picking up star fish stranded on the beach and throwing them back into the ocean one at a time. It made a difference to this one, and I think Jesus is smiling.

We ended the day visiting an advisory board of World Hope International in Mozambique and hearing how they are pledging to keep the cattle and wells project more “sustainable” in years to come. We then went to the Bible College that Orey and Linda Lehman had built back in 2000. Today, there are over 40 students in the 3-year program, and there is hope that they can add at least 20 new students each year (up to 75 in the college at one time). The price to sponsor one student for one year is roughly $1000.

In spite of a little "Mozambican revenge" that made me ache all over my body today, I am feeling pretty good about our work and play here in Mozambique this week. I think there has been as much impact on each of us team members as what we might have done for the Mozambican communities. Short-term mission projects are notorious for lack of long-lasting results, and I am haunted by the quotation that started me on this journey 8 months ago: "Lord, break my heart before I break yours."

If nothing else, I think I'm beginning to see the world as Jesus sees it--not as Americans, Anglos, or even Southern Christians do. I can’t stop thinking of the boy and the star fish on the beach...or perhaps the Biblical stories of the lost coin or lost sheep. What we really are working to provide is esperanza...... hope. But, not just any 'ole hope. The kind that Francis Shaeffer describes as "true truth"........divine in its origin, and intensely personal in its delivery.

Esperanza al mundial,

bill

Day 6: Living Water

The well caved in and the drillers had to start over at about 10 meters down again—it happens because there is almost no rock beneath the surface in this part of the country. But, after two more hours of drilling the crew was able to drive the blue case pipe into the hole, drop sand down and backwash the pipe by forcing fresh water down the new well. While we waited, Kara, Jeremy and I played with the young children and Jordan went grocery shopping with Dennis to buy supplies for the orphanage we are scheduled to visit tomorrow.

The pace of life is slower in Mozambique. It is hard for a “westerner” to get used to this, as we are often slaves to our daily schedules at home. What we gain in productivity, we often lose in personal interaction and community. While I took a break to sip hot tea with the team, I noticed most of the village women sitting on the ground preparing “yeshima” and roasted chicken over open wood fire pits. There was a constant buzz of conversation, while chickens pecked in the dirt and a pig tied to a nearby tree grunted an appeal to be fed. No one seemed rushed or flustered, and I thought about the simplicity of it all. Yes, there was extreme poverty, few modern conveniences—except an occasional cell phone—and less excitement. But there also seemed to be less anxiety among these people.

As I was thinking about how peaceful the scene was, there suddenly was a loud scream, and all the women jumped up and ran toward the well. Apparently, the water coming out of the well had turned clear, and they were rushing to fill up buckets of this liquid we take so much for granted. I thought about times when a water line to our home had broken and realized how precious this event was to someone who was used to walking a quarter mile 4-6 times a day to fill a 5-gallon bucket of water with which to bathe and cook. I too would let out that shrill staccato scream produced by wagging the tongue back and forth in my mouth—Jeremy and I are still practicing.

The team later made what was called a “home visit,” which in reality was a visit with a community orphan trust center sponsored by World Hope. Here we heard about the chicken and egg production project to raise money for orphaned children, many in that terrible plight from the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Mozambique. Family relatives often are left to care for children who have lost both parents to the disease. Mozambican men leave their families for long periods of time to go and work in the gold mines of South Africa. It is profitable but dangerous to the health of their families. One thoughtless night spent with a prostitute can infect not only the father, but eventually the mother and children when he returns home. Lord, we pray for “living water” to cleanse this land; we pray for wisdom in how to live more compassionate lives back home.

Alive in the Lord,

bill

Day 5: Part I—A Deep Subject

It is hard to convey how well the team has been able to leverage individual talents in showing compassion and testifying by word and example. Kara seems to have a special connection with young children and women at every place we visit (see photo below). Jordan comes up with beautiful photos of the events, many of which I have used on the blog. Jeremy introduces himself as being 203 centimeters tall, and immediately gets laughs and a roar from the crowd—he too has a special relationship with the kids. George was called upon to pray over the well today and did a fantastic job—then, he pumped water for one of the high-ranking elders, which earned the team a lot of “service points” in the Mozambique community.

Then, there’s Dennis who seems to come up with just the right thing to say and do at every occasion. He is quick to admit that he has no idea what he is going to say ahead of time—it just happens. I on the other hand suspect some divine inspiration. For example, today he pulled out Daniel (our driver, interpreter and cattle project supervisor for World Hope) in front of the crowd to explain the name of our church. When he got to the part of the twelve stones in Joshua 4:20-24, signifying what the Lord God had done to dry up the Jordan River and protect his people, Dennis turned and pointed to the new well. He said that from now on every time the community looks upon that well, they should remember that it is not just 12Stone or World Hope but that same God who is providing for and protecting His people.

After eating lunch and playing games with the children we left to go visit a drilling site in operation. This was particularly thrilling because the whole community seemed to be involved with the project. They were pumping water down the hole simultaneously while operating the drill and sinking pipe. When the water gushed back up, it carried mud and debris, which had to be screened out by hand, shovel, and netting before circulating back down the well. This made the drilling much easier. Of course, we all had to take turns with the various screenings. At just under 60 meters the African World Hope supervisors decided that based on the soil samples they had drilled enough. Tomorrow we return to watch them submerge the water pipes with filters at the right depths to clean out and finish the well.

Day 5: Part II—Gotta Dance!

I can’t pass up this opportunity to tell you about the importance of dance—individually and as a group we participated with the Mozambicans at every single event in this form of celebration. And I don’t mind saying that we seem to be getting better at it! Ok, maybe we’re just enjoying it more. At any rate, it is an important part of African celebration, and “when in Mozambique….”

For those who see a problem with our “boogying down,” I would like to point out that King David himself danced before the Lord with all his might when the ark was brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14). I believe no other action, word or deed on this trip has communicated our joy, compassion, and brotherhood with the people of Mozambique than our celebratory dancing with them.

Dance on, George—get down with it, Jeremy!

Alive in the Lord,

bill

Soccer Tournament = Blog Problem? Yes.

Hello all you wonderful family members and supporters of our Mozambique team.  I'm Danielle writing to you from the church offices in Lawrenceville.  Wylene, Dennis's wife has contacted me with a message from the team.

It seems they have lost access to the blog.  It may have something to do with a pretty big soccer tournament happening in Maputo.  I know what you're thinking, it makes zero sense for google to shut down access to the team's blog because of a big soccer tournament.  Either way, that seems to be the case, and they wanted me to tell you that they are happy and safe, and you should not worry if you don't hear anything else from them until they get back to Atlanta.

From hear on out, please consider no news good news.  :)

Day 4: Heifer-after project

Today we were African cowboys! Five families north of Xai-Xai had been chosen to receive two heifers as part of World Hope International’s project to increase the economic prosperity of isolated villages.  First, fifteen families are recommended by the village chief, then those are narrowed to five who then complete an application and sign a contract to care for two heifers on loan for a period of four years.  After that period they give back to World Hope two heifers but can keep any other animals born during the four years. The returned cattle are distributed to the next group of five beneficiaries, sort of like a bovine “pay-it-forward” plan—World Hope even throws in a bull for the village to use in creating the community herd.  Our team drove out to the village to celebrate the signing of contracts and the cow selection.

When we arrived, we were greeted with song and dance by the ladies of the village, and then to our surprise we counted, not 10, but 12 heifers and one bull in the pen. It seems that the heifers had been busy of late.  We were told this herd had been taken back from a village that did not take good care of them, and in the meantime two calves had been born. The question that came to mind was how these extra cows would be distributed.  I found out once the “cow lottery” began.  Each of the five recipients picked a number out of a jar, which determined the order that they could choose their cows.  The first two families chose the mothers of the two calves, and you guessed it, received the “bonus” calf.

Then, one dignitary after another stood up to address the congregation to give basically the same message: the cows were not really their cows until they proved they could take care of the herd at the end of four years.  Finally, the World Hope representative asked Dennis if he wanted to say a few words.  Dennis indicated through the translator that he had something very important to say, but before he did, he wanted the entire group of people to stand up, sing and dance.  This is exactly what the crowd needed to break the spell of lethargy that had fallen upon them.  What happened next was even more bizarre—Dennis led off the dance, including a foot “stomp” with one of the ladies.  At that point there was nothing else we could do but join him in “bustin’ some moves”!

Afterward, Dennis used the topic of “cow contract” to talk about his “contract” with the Lord, and how it was more blessed to give than to receive.  We ate a delicious lunch of baked chicken, rice, peanuts and corn, and bottled soft drinks, which the team elders opened by popping the caps off with another inverted bottle.  Jeremy and I played soccer and Frisbee with the kids before jumping into the SUVs to return home.

Alive in the Lord,

bill

Day 3: Something old, something new

I’ve always loved water. I love to drink it, bathe in it, swim in it, paddle on it or just stand under a waterfall with the mist flying about my face. I can still remember creek walking as a kid--it’s hard to imagine not being close to water. When I heard about Mozambican women walking for hours with 5-gallon buckets on their heads to retrieve enough water from some polluted watering hole to clean and feed their families, it became the tipping point for me to join a missions trip to dig wells in Africa.

That’s right, I actually thought I’d be digging the well myself. Turns out, that’s not what we are doing on this trip--probably a good thing for both the villagers and me. Today, our itinerary included attending a well dedication ceremony as ambassadors of 12Stone Church and World Hope International that paid to bring pure water closer to the village. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, and the idea of bringing people closer to water--both the physical and the “living” kind—naturally appeals to me.

As this near photo shows, the open well is not sanitary—in fact, none of the women could remember how old it was. Most likely, it was a legacy of the Portuguese. We watched as one woman slowly filled up a 5-gallon plastic bucket and then with an assist from another hoisted it up on her head (total weight was at least 40 pounds). Then, off she walked at a measured pace—we asked how far, but she just pointed to where her village was. Dennis started to try to lift the bucket himself, and then thought better of it.

The two photos at the top of the page do not do justice to the experiences our team had at the well dedication ceremony in the “Nhaundzulene” community—don’t ask me how to say that name or what it means. There were between 200 and 300 men, women and children who greeted us when we came from the old well. The women came forward dancing and singing, and immediately took team member Kara with them as an addition to their dance troup. There were several men who greeted us and praised God for the well. Several others led the community in song and even the youth joined in with a skit that mimicked the adult preparation for the well construction, including party-loving “naysayers” who refused to join in the work.

We then joined in the dedication of the well, pumping out and filling several pitchers with clean water, which many in the crowd immediately drank. Team leader Dennis threw glass after glass of water into the air “baptizing” those standing around him. Jeremy and I then took the 100+ children off to a field to play soccer and Frisbee while the adults had a time for sharing and testimonies. We then came back to a feast of chicken, potatoes, cassava, pork, fish, corn-and-peanut casserole called “tihove” and rice.

When I asked why no one else in the community was eating with our team of dignitaries, I was told that they were waiting for our plates—the things we take for granted in our “developed” world! We quickly finished eating and gave up our ceramic dishes. We concluded with light conversation, photos, and some more games with the children.

Alive in Christ,
bill

Day 1: From Maputo to Xai-Xai

First impressions are lasting. Even though I knew Mozambique was a developing country, I was a bit shocked by the lack of infrastructure even in the capital city. As we drove on a main highway north from the airport, we saw the streets lined with vendors and small shops. No malls, no grocery stores--just street vendors. The photo was taken from our vehicle as we passed through streets, busy with shoppers on foot.

As we drove farther north, we would pass a lot of buildings under construction. We also passed the new stadium that was filling with fans who came to watch the All-African games. The enthusiasm of fans singing and blowing horns from the back of flat-bed trucks was reminiscent of the tailgate parties at a Georgia football game. Some things don't change no matter where you live.

bill

Day 2: Attending church along the Limpopo River

Sunday morning we drove over the Limpopo River bridge and turned off the main road into the shallow valley dotted with small villages. We passed mud huts with thatched roofs, followed by concrete block homes and clusters of cattle grazing in fields of tall grass. When we arrived at church, we heard singing coming from a building of concrete posts connected by reed walls and covered by a tin roof. "This is about as rural as it gets around here," was what Reverend Lehman remarked as we got out of our vehicles and greeted the congregation (see photo of Rev Lehman walking to the church doorway).

What impressed me about the service, besides the two offerings taken--one for the tithe and one for the building program--was that even though our cultures were very different in material possessions, we were very much alike in worship and in care for our family. The name of this community is Ndlovukazi which translates as "she elephant." I speculated with Rev. Lehman that at some time in the past elephants roamed this Limpopo River valley.

Dennis Myers preached a participatory sermon on the prodigal son (translated into Portuguese by Daniel who is a Bible college student and pastor of another church). Our team of six sang a few hymns after the children and adults sang their own versions of worship songs. Then, after the service we ate lunch together, which consisted of boiled ground corn meal called "yashima," beans, greens, and a kind of fish stew (see photo at the top). It took about 20 minutes for our vehicles to drive along worn dirt roads crisscrossing the fertile and wet lowlands to get back to the main highway.

Tomorrow, we will visit a well dedication ceremony--more photos to come!

bill