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Thursday, July 02, 2009

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:00:32 GMT

Stopping for the One

I have endeavored, for the last three and a half years of living in Mozambique to “stop for the one” in front of me: a child in the center, a beggar on the street, a knock on the door asking for food, a visitor with questions, a worker who wanted to visit, or a missionary wanting to talk. In February of this year, when I received a phone call from home to say Dr’s had discovered a cancerous tumor in my mum’s large intestine, the Lord asked me to stop for my mum. Consequently, this finds me writing from my parent’s home in Canada where I have returned to help my mum and dad through my mum’s six months of chemotherapy (after which I plan to return to Mozambique). I returned to Canada with a testimony, a testimony of amazing grace- grace that carried me through some very difficult days.

On Friday, Feb. 13^th I was out for supper to celebrate another missionary’s birthday when my brother called to say that a CT scan had showed the possibility of a tumor in mum’s intestine, and that her hemoglobin count was very low indicating internal bleeding. They were admitting her to the hospital immediately. On Wednesday, Feb. 18^th, my dad called to confirm that it was a cancerous tumor and that they would operate by the end of the week to remove it. By Friday I was sleep-deprived, red-eyed, had gone through at least one box of Kleenex and was wondering if I would ever experience the grace my parents were walking in. As I was praying while she was in surgery late that night, I received a grace package from the Lord beyond what I thought was possible. It was this grace that truly enabled me to surrender mum, and the situation to the Lord- something I had not previously been able to completely do. In the 3 weeks following her successful surgery, we debated often whether I should return home, and decided that I would only return home if she needed chemotherapy. Once we learned she would need chemo, we decided I would return home just in time for the chemo to begin as mum was recovering well from the surgery and my dad and youngest brother were helping with the practical needs at home.

Despite my longing to return home immediately, there were 6 little Mozambican boys holding me back. My close friend Vella, who normally lives with and cares for the boys (along with 2 Mozambican women who alternate shifts of 4 days/nights), was leaving for a 6 week rest in England, and I had committed to live with and care for the boys in her absence. The Lord gave me much peace about remaining in Mozambique longer to live with the boys, and one night at church with the boys the Lord reminded me that though I longed desperately to return to care for my mother, there were 6 boys who needed a mother for 6 weeks. One evening at supper, I decided to give each of the boys a portion of the Chinese food leftovers I had. It was such a novelty for them. For the entire meal they’d hold up different pieces of food (like onions, green peppers or chicken) and ask “is this from China?” It’s the simplest things in life that bring them the most delight!

I also continue to head up our hospitality team that cares for between 750-1000 short term visitors each year, and my remaining in Mozambique a couple months longer enabled me to train an almost entirely new team and help us rebuild and recover from a total computer crash. We decided as a team, each weekly meeting, to testify and celebrate what God had done in or through a visitor(s) that week. One man, after returning home from his visit with us, wrote to say that because of his experience in Mozambique, he was a completely new husband and father to his wife and kids. Even after three and a half years living in Mozambique, I often think that God continues to do more in me than through me.

Though my location and “mission” have temporarily changed, my family and I eagerly anticipate, through our journey with mum, that God will give us “the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that [we] may know that [He is] the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons [us] by name” (Isaiah 45:3).

Friday, February 27, 2009

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:25:42 GMT

Girlfriends

One of our favourite places to "passear"/go out with the boys in the city is a park called "Lover's Park/Garden." It's a park on a hill overlooking the ocean with a great play set, swings, and lots of room to run around. They also have a restaurant with great ice cream. Coincidentally, the day before Valentine's we headed there with the boys and only realized the connection when we saw hearts hanging from the trees everywhere! After great playtime climbing, "flying" (in helicopter on play set), and "driving" with their frisbees, we sat down to have some cokes/fantas. Somehow, the conversation came around to Valentine's day and the boys, without hesitation started naming of who each of their girlfriend's was. I had never heard them talk this way- remember, they are only 5-8 years old! Not only did they all know who their girlfriend was, but they could name the other boys' girlfriends also. When I mentioned that Mana Vella and Mana Nancy didn't have boyfriends and suggested that they were all our boyfriends, they all shouted "No!" in unison! Priceless.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:10:58 GMT

My 6 Little Spider-Men

Please forgive me for my blogging absence! Now that I'm back in Mozambique I hope to keep blogging once a week! So, stay tuned for more of this year's adventures. I arrived back to Mozambique about 2 weeks ago to be ambushed at the airport by 6 little boys! It's so good to be back in my second home again and reconnecting here with the many people I love. I'm not sure which the boys were looking forward to most- my arrival, or the presents I was bringing with me! It is amazing how much joy these 6 can get out of the simplest things- bubbles, Cars (the movie) sidewalk chalk, spider-men masks, rubber balls with lights inside them, stickers, M and M's, etc. These 6 blew bubbles, bounced balls, ate candy and "flew" around the garden for about 3 hours without barely taking a breath! They even love the Lightning McQueen bag the gifts came in! Here are some photos of them opening their individual gifts (more photos to come later of them reading large picture Bible, playing Eye Spy, doing floor puzzle, dancing to new worship DVD's, etc). I was reminded while dancing with these precious 6 at church tonight just how much I love them and this place I call home. Enjoy the photos. . .

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:08:28 GMT

2008

As the new year begins, and I prepare to head back to Mozambique in January for my 4th year, I wanted to give you all a taste of some of my highlights of 2008 with Iris Ministries in Zimpeto. Enjoy. . .

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:09:45 GMT

"O Canada"

How many 6 year olds in Canada have been practicing Canada's national anthem lately? I hear from Vella back in Mozambique (I'm in Canada for a couple months' break over Christmas) that her boys, mini-Canadian flags in hand, were marching out of the house and around the garden singing "O Canada!" I wish I had a video! Vella also says that while playing, they talk often about visiting Canada until January. If only it wasn't pretend! I sure miss them! As we loaded the vehicle to head to the airport where they saw me off, they told all the kids surrounding the truck that "We're going to the airport with Mana Nancy. She's going to Canada. When she comes back in January she'll bring us presents." I guess that's all they need to know! If only I had a photo of Antonino and Vicente each trying to pull one of my big roller suitcases! They were incredibly persistent, but eventually had to give up as the bag was nearly as big as them!

Victoria, Chico (helper) and the boys seeing me off at the airport, and Tracey with the boys watching for my plane to arrive

Here, on the other side of the ocean, I spent an evening playing, reading and talking with 6 year old Abigail, 8 year old Amma, and 10 year old Noah who pumped me full of questions about Africa and the kids I work with. They wanted to know if they went to school, why they only went to school in the morning, what they did with the afternoon since they weren't in school. As they were putting Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes together they asked what boys and girls there liked to play with. When I told them that they guarded the boxes under their beds for years afterwards, they wanted to know why. Noah wondered what the kids played with and if they liked soccer balls (YES!!). When I explained that the got to watch a movie once a week they were curious what movies they watched and if they got popcorn with it. After explaining about the girls getting milk once a week, Amma wondered why they only got it once a week. When talk turned to what our kids got to eat, they were very puzzled about why our kids only got chicken 2-3 times a year (especially after we ate a delicious chicken dinner). Other questions: What kinds of "icky" things have I seen in Africa? (They loved talk of tarantulas, worms, snakes, bats, etc!) Where do the kids live? Why do the babies live in a separate house from the rest of the kids? Why do they not have moms and dads? In so many ways, kids are kids around the world, but in so many other ways, they are worlds apart.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:10:29 GMT

New Nursery

Last week, we opened our new nursery that will expand our capacity to take in and care for the youngest and most vulnerable babies. The new nursery will have room for 6 babies roughly from the ages of 0-6 months. This will free up more space in the Baby House that cares for our kids up to 5 years. We long to care for orphaned or abandoned children, many of whom would not survive without this care. Many of the babies that we receive are seriously malnourished, while some are struggling with unresolved and undiagnosed medical conditions.

Meet the first 2 residents of the new nursery: 9 month old Dionicio and 2 month old Lucilia.

Dionicio has been quick sick for most of his young life, after his mother died shortly after birth. After arriving at the center, he spent the first 3+ months in the hospital. He is making some real progress as a result of the healing touch of the Lord and some incredible TLC and nursing care from our Mozambican and missionary nurses at the center. Even after 1 week with the extra attention he's receiving in the nursery, he's beginning to laugh and play. Lucilia arrived at the center just one month ago as a one month old who weighed only 7 lbs. Her 16 year old mother died only 2 weeks after Lucilia's birth.

Another neat thing about the nursery is that all the drapery was sewn by some of our girls who are becoming quite accomplished seamstresses. The cribs and cabinets were made by a group of our boys who are being taught carpentry. Enjoy the photos (thanks Erin 2!)

Friday, October 24, 2008

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:25:03 GMT

Chicken

I'm not sure whether to title this entry "Chicken" or "Vicente!" Yesterday, visiting friends of Vella's took us both and the boys out for lunch at a restaurant! This is not a regular event for the boys and they are always SO EXCITED. Yesterday's lunch belonged to Vicente, however, who became the attraction among the waiters. The boys love chicken more than anything so they always get half chickens (along with a pop, chips and a little bit of salad that comes with it). Vicente is so short that he was just a little bit taller than the table while sitting, but oh, so cute! After spilling about half a glass of his pop all over himself (he was tipping the cup from the table to his lips and he's pretty short), we didn't notice too much until we suddenly saw that the chicken, bones and all, was completely gone! Though it's normal for our kids to suck and even eat some of the bones, there was NOTHING left on his plate. Though we found a few of the very largest bones on the floor (also a normal thing for them to do in community- throwing bones on ground/floor), he managed to eat most of the chicken and the bones! One waiter tried to take his plate after he finished the chicken and chips, thinking he wouldn't want the salad. Vicente was not finished, however. Accompanied by a plate full of ketchup, he then dug into the salad. He first ate the lemon slices- core and all, and then, very methodically, ate every morsel of lettuce, tomato, and onion. There was not a morsel of anything left on his plate when he was finished! The only remaining evidence was on his very dirty face and a few bones on the floor! When he got into the truck I asked if his stomach was full, to which he easily replied "No!" Oh Vicente!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:58:03 GMT

New Family Member: Paulo

My announcement is on the slow side as Paulo joined Vella's boys exactly a month ago, but I'm behind in blogging about many things. I was prompted tonight to write about him because of a precious moment at church.

Paulo was discovered many years ago in a plastic bag sitting beside a dumpster. He was a baby. A few years later, he was taken in by another center in Mozambique, but not well taken care of because he is seriously disabled and cannot walk or talk. He came to Iris nearly 2 years ago and it has been amazing to watch the transformation in this 8 year old boy who has suffered rejection his entire life. He has blossomed into a boy whose smile lights up an entire room and can make anyone's week easily! His laugh is even more priceless. I first got to know Paulo when he was being cared for in the girl's area (the only place when he arrived he could get some extra care). He's been a special part of my nights giving milk to the girls over the last couple years. However, it has become clearer over the last months that he really needed more individual attention and to be in a home with boys his own age so that he experience life as "normal boy!"

So, he joined Vella's family (one that I'm growing rather close to!). There, he has blossomed even more with some extra attention and he is now learning to stand up for about 15 minutes each morning (with the help of lots of kisses!). The doctors say that he should one day walk! He's smiling and laughing much more and so brightening up our lives. Though disabled, he is still quite bright which I discovered again tonight at church. He was "giving me 5" with much more force than usual. And, sometimes I would hold his little hand and kiss it repeatedly. The next thing I know, he had my hand and was kissing it. These are the moments I wouldn't trade for the world that make the challenges of long and hot days like today worth every moment! Welcome to the family Paulo! We love you already!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:52:58 GMT

Thank You Coinspiracy Group at K.E.S.!

Many of our kids here at the Zimpeto Base of Iris Ministries have been blessed by an incredibly thoughtful donation of 2 boxes of gifts sent by the Coinspiracy Group in the Grade 6 class at KES in BC, under the direction of teacher Carol. After a year of fundraising, finishing with a bake sale at the end of the year to pay for the hefty postage to mail the boxes, the group mailed off 2 boxes stuffed with stickers, bright coloured yo-yo's, girls' hair accessories, toy cars, gum, colourful pens, beads, skipping ropes, bookmarks, bracelets, string for finger art, and more. The gifts have been given at a number of different birthday parties and every item included has been a hit with our kids, ranging from 5 year old boys, to 16 year old girls. It has been priceless to watch Vicente and Paulito try to figure out how to use Yo-Yo's and their delight when they finally got it to work! The girls' faces lit up instantly when they opened up their bags and found the beautiful skipping ropes. All ages of girls at our last birthday party had a blast making figures out of the string. We had to carefully explain to the girls not to eat all the gum from the package at once! Some very quickly had mouth fulls! Perhaps the most priceless moment of all was watching Vicente and his sister put all the stickers from the page on their faces at once! THANK YOU COINSPIRACY GROUP! Your gifts have brought hours of fun and put smiles on MANY kids' faces!

Click on any photo to enlarge it

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:57:03 GMT

Tudo Bom?/All is Well?

There are 3 advertisements and company's colours and slogans that you see EVERYWHERE in Maputo: Vodacom's "Tudo Bom," (All is well) MCel's "Estamos Juntos," (We are all together/united) and Coco Cola's "Good to the last drop." On some streets it seems that every other building is either painted in Vodacom's blue and white, Coca Cola's red and white, or MCel's yellow and green. Vella's boys have a particular eye for Voda Com's slogan so on all our trips out of the center for the past few months, we hear a chorus of "Tudo Bom" every time they see a sign or building with the slogan.

As I was leaving the city on Tuesday I passed a disabled man with one leg begging at a street light. As I looked in my mirror after passing by I noticed he was wearing a Voda Com T-Shirt with the famous "Tudo Bom" on the back. For the first time in 3 years in this country the irony of the phrase hit me- all is not well in a country where the disabled are forced to beg on the side of the road, where women are so desperate for water that they scoop it out of roadside puddles, when a few day old disabled baby is left in a plastic bag beside a dumpster, and where kids run barefoot on top of garbage while their parents scrounge for the best garbage they can find. Perhaps the signs speak of hope for a future when one day, all will be well in this country. I realize, however, the longer that I am here, that money is not the answer to this and other country's problems. Billions have been given to Africa over the years, and the same countries are still poor. What is the answer? The greatest minds over the centuries have struggled to solve the problem of poverty, so I don't pretend to have answers. I see, however, that transformation in lives comes through relationship- discipleship and training must come through longer term relationships where "disciplers" point the way to Christ and not simply to themselves, where rather than simply looking to the "white man's money," people are trained and empowered with skills to support themselves, and also taught to trust in the Lord's faithfulness. I know, however, that I have not the ability to do any of this within myself. So, I continue to cry "Lord- your kingdom come, your will be done, in Mozambique as it is in Heaven." I think then, and only then, will we truly be able to say "Tudo Bom!"