Wells

Great news today - the well drilling folks have given us dates - we will be drilling wells at Picoco and Intaka the weeks of September 22 - 24. We've been delayed for different reasons, such as equipment problems, and so we are getting closer. We are very excited to get these projects going and look forward to seeing what God will do through this project so generously supported by so many of our friends. Thank you! Sorry for the delay, but things just don't always move as fast as we would like here. Every day we have to take a deep breath and say 'we aren't in Kansas any more!' (for your Wizard of Oz fans) as things move differently - not better, or worse, just differently but almost always slowly.

One of our new church planters has run into some governmental bureaucracy problems. We gave him a letter documenting that he was one of our OMS folks and that we were registered with the government. The officials in this new province did not accept this standard letter that has always worked before and want certified copies of all our registration paperwork. We will be sending it up with the family member of one of our church folks who is visiting this weekend (which is a holiday weekend in Mozambique). So, pray for Jose Carlos as he is getting a little bit of push-back from the local officials as he initiates a bible study. This is a 'first' for us and we think it is probably just a particular local official but there will be more to come. Pray with us as this government things can sometimes be quite a challenge, as we found with the T-3 preschool.

The Irish team has come and gone and they built an amazing playground area, complete with a mural at our T-3 church as we continue to work towards re-opening our pre-school. Many from the church turned out to help the team prepare the area, move debris, paint the mural, and install the playground equipment. Even neighborhood people not associated with the church came to help because it was great fun for everyone. We praise God for this wonderful team (called the 'heart-beat team') who came prepared and simply implemented, doing drama, bible teaching, children's ministries, and playground construction. Thank you Lord.

Tonight the wind is just howling and the dust is everywhere - coming into the house through every crack in the doors, windows - I just pray our church people with reed homes can weather this terrible wind storm. One of our leaders came to the house tonight for a meeting with us and told us this was characteristic of wind before a big rain - so we will see. It is very hot some rain would truly be a blessing as it is so very dry. We just today finished repairing some holes in our roof, so a big rain will provide a good 'leak-check'. There has been so much wind and incredible amounts of dust and debris in the air - I checked the air filter on the car and it was way plugged and I hadn't changed it all that long ago. The new filter was about $75.00 USD - that will get your attention but we have to have them. This new one I bought is one I can supposedly wash off and re-use up to three times - what a clever idea! Many people install these snorkel assemblies that pull air from way high about the level of your roof to help reduce the dust intake - it is something I am thinking about because so much of our time is spent on dirt roads. It also helps when you are fording deep streams but if I'm in that deep - something isn't right, now is it! Like Ann would say - it is a car, not a boat!

Yesterday we made a quick run to Nelspruit, South Africa to check our mail drop and purchase some supplies we can't get here. I got a couple more tools as I build my inventory (and I use them often!) so we can keep things going. This has been made possible by a very generous gift from some Sunday Schools at our home church and what a blessing where you have to really use ingenuity sometimes to fix things - but I learned from my nuclear power days, you can fix most anything with tuck tape and plastic! Now, if I could just find that nuclear-grade tape...The border crossing was quite pleasant for the second time in a row as the two countries work to make the process a little more efficient. I always offer the Customs inspectors a coke, as we usually pick up a load of groceries while we are in South Africa. They always enjoy that and it provides an opportunity to talk with them - some of them are starting to remember us for this small act of kindness. It is a way to open a door.

We had a long conversation with a young man today whom we care deeply about. Without going into the very long story, he had been offended by a decision we had to make last year that he did not agree with. The long and the short of it is that what offended him most was that we just didn't spend enough time in relationship with him during that time. It is so important in this culture to just spend time. As we drive back home at night, we see lots and lots of people moving about - and what they are doing is visiting the people they know as it is the networks that people build through relationships that keep things working here. Tremendous networks that people spend incredible amounts of time developing. That is a lot different than the Western "get it done, now" approach we know so well where the relationship is often the last thing that is considered. Our visit by a National leader tonight was just that - building relationships. We continue to learn as God teaches us every day. It is only through Him that we can do anything here - may He alone receive the glory.

Dave & Ann

"And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world." John 12:47