Heartbreak and Culture

In my earlier blog, I mentioned the Brazilian team.  While they were here and occupied with another activity, one evening we went by the main hospital in Maputo to visit the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).   One of our Mozambican friends who has helped us very much over the years with translations and general assistance in circumnavigating the difficult bureaucracy here had married while we were on furlough and his wife had just had twins.  However, one of them was quite small and in the NICU.  The custom here is that the doctors don't tell you much unless you really insist and no one questions them or asks questions.  So, we see things like people with high blood pressure taking arthritis medicine and no one is asking questions.

Anyway, we couldn't get information from the family and Ann (and our dear team-mate Sharon - who has twins) were concerned that perhaps there was something more we could be doing.  So, Ann and I with one of the leaders of one of our churches went up to the unit before visiting hours and were to meet the father there.  We arrived first and even though we weren't supposed to be there, we are those ugly Americans who will talk to anyone.  Fortunately we had a Pastor with us to help us with the cultural things.  The first clue was that the baby's name was not posted on the hand-written list on the window by the door into the unit.  The second clue was that we kept getting the run-around (indirect culture) in the folks we talked to (no HIPA here).  Finally we connected nurse (Ann) to nurse and learned that the baby had passed away around 1 in the morning (it was about 1630 when we climbed the four flights of worn stairs).  The family hadn't been notified yet as the visiting hours didn't start until 1730.

In the culture, they won't tell the parents this information - you must go through an intermediary.  Had the father come up first, they would have told him nothing until an intermediary came.  This may seem odd but in a culture where conflict is resolved through intermediaries, it is consistent.  In our time here, we have seen how intermediaries can often deflect and disarm conflict much better than the directly involve parties, so we can see merit in this as we learn a new normal.  So, because we were there, we became the intermediary and it was our job to tell the parents.  Very very difficult and certainly a glimpse of cultural differences.  The parents had no clue.  The Pastor helped us with the clues and cues, but felt it was culturally our job and we have long learned to trust him.  We thank God for this precious man who loved us through this experience knowing our hearts were heavy yet full of love.

We were waiting in our car when our friend came up and we had to tell him this heart-breaking news.  He entered our car for the privacy it provided in a busy place.  The grief was consuming and after a time of crying and praying together, we went to his car where the mother was waiting with the other twin, who is healthy and beautiful.  Ann sat with her and told her this news.  Then we all cried and prayed together again.  After a time, the Pastor took them home where the family was assembling as notifications were made through text messaging.

In the culture, the next decision is whether to have a funeral / memorial service or to let the hospital "take care of things".   A memorial service was scheduled, but then canceled at the last minute, as the hospital did indeed take care of things.  It is different but in a culture where infant mortality is very high, and baby's are often not named for some time, to be sure they are 'ok', it is not so unusual and we've seen this before.  It is different, it is hard, but can it be anything but hard?  I pray our words were enough for that horrible moment in time, but more importantly that God's peace and comfort reigned in this deepest valley.

A very hard day and the parents will be expected to suck it up and not speak of it again.  Very difficult, very different, but it speaks of cultural difference.  It is important we don't judge - it is not wrong nor is another culture right, it is just different.  The grief is real, it is huge, it is oppressing, and we must put our trust in the God of Hope, for there can sometimes be no words, no answers, and just our love for one another that overflows over a grief that is so strong.

Give them your presence and strength precious Lord.  Accept this child into your arms and shower your peace, love and presence on this precious couple and their surviving baby.   For it is only in you can we place our trust, even in the darkest of places.  Amen.

Dave and Ann

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:11


"Finally brothers,...comfort one another, agree with one another....and the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

Being Still

Much has happened since our last entry and I’m not even sure where to start.

A good place is to note that we have received our temporary Mozambique visas and that was our last detail that could have stopped us.  Our shipment leaves the US on August 9 and we leave on August 6.  Our furlough has passed so very quickly and it is difficult to believe it is almost over.  We’re into the final details of determining what we will take in suitcases and what we will leave.  We also have a few things we will ship to OMS to hold for future teams to bring with them when they come.  

Our recent trip to the western US went very well and provided many opportunities to share the good news of what God is doing in Mozambique.

Some highlights in pictures.

We visited some close friends in Hot Sulfur Springs, Colorado, which provided a wonderful opportunity to drive into the gorgeous mountains of Colorado.  Snow was still on top of the mountains.  We also were able to speak at their church and participate in the mid-week service; a very special time for us.

Then, it was on to Denver to visit our friends who served in Mozambique at the same time we did.  We love them and it was a joy to be with them.  They attend the biggest church I have ever seen - so big I can’t begin to wrap my mind around it.  We had the privilege of going to church with them and I hung out at the Starbucks at the church waiting for my flight time up to Idaho - looking from the porch at the incredible Colorado Mountains; a great place to do devotions.

We squeezed in a short trip to Fort Collins where we visited our daughter Sarah and her hubby and our grandson, who were attending Campus Crusade for Christ training.  It seemed so normal to stop in for a little bit.  He is a cutie!  

Then, I went on to Idaho while Ann attended a Women of the Harvest conference in Colorado Springs.  She says that it was life-changing for her and a continuation of the theme we’ve been hearing the last couple of months - that we must stop and listen to what God is trying to say to us.  With the routine panic of life that seems to overwhelm us and crowd out our time with God, we need to create those those times we simply present our problem to God, and then just sit and quietly wait on Him to answer.  She met many wonderful ladies, including one missionary supported by our home church that she’d never met - but they both recognized each other from the pictures posted on the missionary board!  Another God-incidence?

Then, Ann tried to fly up and join me in Idaho Falls; BUT every afternoon these incredible storms were developing over Denver and moving east, messing with the air traffic.  A hail storm came through and damaged planes, stranding over 1000 people at the Denver airport.  She ended up staying an extra night and day in Denver before arriving after mid-night in Idaho Falls.  It’s all in His timing....

Idaho Falls; what can I say?  We lived there for over 7 years and it is my (Dave’s) home state, so it is always a treat to go there, even though the climate can best be described as 10 months of winter and two weeks of bad skiing.  BUT, it is so beautiful.  We spent precious time with family and friends - precious precious time - a type of home-coming.

One of the Idaho highlights was visiting the Bodies exhibit at the Idaho Falls Museum.  If this traveling exhibit from China comes your way, I recommend it.  It is not without controversy, but it is an incredible exhibit.  They have taken human specimens (I guess that is a politically correct way to say human beings) who have passed, and processed them so that you can see specific systems of the body; nervous system, alimentary system, muscles, bones, reproductive systems, circulatory, along with examples of abnormal things, such as tumors and disease processes.  I came away absolutely overwhelmed at the complexity of design of the human body and understanding in a new way what the Bible says, “we are marvelously and wonderfully made”.  The second thing I came away with was a realization of how crude our attempts to repair this marvelous machine are and how incredibly skilled surgeons need to be!  I recommend it but if you have a tendency for squeamish, well, you’ll have to decide.

As an aside, the museum was largely funded by the Carr Foundation, the same foundation that is investing heavily in Mozambique to rebuilt Gorangoso National Park, once one of the premier game parks in the world.

Sunday provided the opportunity to go to church with some friends who have visited us in Mozambique.  By making the early service, we were able to also speak at a home church that one of our long-time friends attends.  It was an incredible Sunday and as I think about the variety of churches we have had the privilege to attend this year, we serve an amazing God who is working in a variety of ways in a variety of contexts, because He has made us so uniquely different from one another.  He must find great pleasure in the variety of His creation.  From the Gigantic church of this trip to the small home church of the same trip, to everything in between, it has been a  true privilege to share our story with His people.  It is humbling.  God is working and I have found our journey to be a great encouragement.  Despite the media reporting bias, America is filled with good salt-of-the-earth people who love God and who are living out their Christianity in quiet and real ways, making a difference in their homes, their neighborhoods, their jobs, their communities, and in the world.  Our politicians and media talking-heads seem to want to operate in the extremes, which is where a very small minority of the population really lives.  What a world we live in, where truth has been replaced by the shouting from the extremes.  Come quickly Lord Jesus....

While in Idaho, I got to do a little farm work.  My Grandfather was a farmer and I enjoyed working with him on it.  In this photo, the blue tractor is the same age that I am, you could say it’s two old-timers working together.  

God is good.  Thank you for standing with us.  Please pray for healing for our friend Jim who is battling cancer.  We visited with him at Duke University a few months back and again at his home in Idaho Falls.  We love him and his wife and they are facing into a difficult situation with the strength and confidence that only comes from knowing Christ.  Should I ever face such a journey, they have set the example I would want to follow.  He trusts God unashamedly and his vision is clearly set on eternity.  But he is not alone; we have other friends engaged in this same battle for which we ask for His healing.  This life is but a vapor in light of the eternity that lies before us, which gives us great hope.

Blessings to you this wonderful day.  May the God of Peace grant you His presence and extend His mercy and peace into your life in a real and tangible way.  He is near, we simply need to listen.

Dave & Ann

“Be still, and know that I am God;”  Psalm 46:10

More Praise

One of the things that we and many of our friends have been praying about for a very log time is a 'real job' for our third daughter.  She graduated from the University of Tennessee and worked in her field for one month before being laid off in the economic collapse.  So, after three years of surviving on whatever, she just started what we call a 'real job' that includes benefits.  And, she gets to move out of her college apartment!  We have been so encouraged by Lynsey's strength and forbearance in these difficult times.  We were blessed to swing through Knoxville for mother's day and celebrate this good news with her.  She has always been a special joy in our lives and we often refer to her as our 'neat kid' because she is, well...really a neat kid, well, young lady now.  More nicknames in future blogs!

Thank you for praying.  Thank you for this answer to prayer that relieves us so as we make our final preparations to return to Mozambique.

Please continue to pray about our shipment.  We still are baffled by the apparent inability to ship personal effects over to Mozambique because of Homeland Security requirements.  So many people tell us, oh yes, we can do that, only to say latter, 'no, we can't because of homeland security requirements.'  Crazy crazy times.   We are continuing to pack, trusting God in even this mundane but necessary task.  We are baffled.  How can any small business even survive in the face of something as simple as this?  We may be going back a whole lot lighter than we thought!

Photo is of us on mother's day with our 'neat kid' as we left her apartment to walk to church.  What a wonderful day it was.

Dave and Ann


"I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.  Show the wonder of your great love..." Psalm 17:7
 

Baby Praise

We have had the privilege to do a little babysitting for the Grandson.  When he gets a little fussy, which is rare, we just plop him in his Boppy (don't ask) and turn on this DVD called "Baby Praise". It is a DVD that I think is prepared in Nashville, that has Christian praise music with videos of animals, other babies, geometric shapes, that go with the music.  Our little eight-month old, just stops and coo's and waves his hands to the music and the fussing goes away.  It is the most amazing thing.  In fact, it helps grumpy old grandpa to not be fussy too!

Praise cureth much!

I wish we'd had baby praise back when our kids were that age (back when we walked to school in the snow up hill both ways....).

Dave and Ann

"Praise the LORD.  How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!"  Psalm 147:1

Graduation

As our furlough time comes to a close, we we feel like we are racing to a rapidly approaching finish line, or as the saying goes, 'so much to do and so little time.'   It was our joy to be with our youngest daughter and her husband on Monday for Allison's graduation from nursing school.  Upon completion of her state boards in a few weeks, she will be a registered nurse (RN) like her mom.  When they get together now, they speak a different language of NICUs, ICUs, BPs, CPs, CBCs, and I&Os.   It was a lovely ceremony and we are so thankful for this significant accomplishment by daughter 4 of 4.  We are so proud of her!

This is our youngest who spent nearly half a year in Mozambique working at a school before we ever got there.  She reminds us that she was there before we were.   She also has a good understanding of what we do and some of the challenges we face because she's 'been there, done that' so there is an unsaid understanding that only those who have walked the same path can sometimes understand.

Isn't that in a way what God did for us? - the infinite creator, who walked along side of man, experiencing what we experience including the unfairness of life like we do - for what could be more unfair from the human perspective, that the very son of God would come to earth to do such good, to heal many, to feed many, to teach many, and yet, be treated with such contempt, to be unfairly tried, beaten, and crucified; He knows how bad it can be first hand.  We are blessed to have a mediator who understands on loves us so radically.

Congratulations to our precious Allison.  What a joy to be there for this important life event.

The following pledge was taken by the nursing students.  It would be a good pledge for all of us who are  in ministry, teachers, counselors, and for all those who seek to serve others in our human frailty:

I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly,
to live my life with integrity and to practice my profession faithfully.


I will maintain confidentiality and continue to elevate the standard of care.
I will do what I can to alleviate suffering, prevent illness, promote healing, and will do no harm.


With dedication I will endeavor to uphold the ethical, scientific, and legal standards of my profession, 
and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.


The Nurses' Pledge - Author unknown

Dave and Ann

A Great Sermon

Last weekend we were blessed to celebrate Easter with daughter Allison and Son Byron in Greenville, SC.  Byron is on staff with Summit Church and we always enjoy attending this outreach church in Greenville.  I was particularly moved by Sunday morning's sermon as it brought a perspective that I'd not heard before.  It was built around when Jesus exited the tomb those years ago and the stone was rolled away, there was no one there waiting.  He had promised he would arise, people had heard it, but they just didn't 'get it'.  We struggle in that same vein today in that in our finite understanding, we often just don't 'get it' as the finite meets the infinite.  But by the Grace of God, go I.....May we all 'get it' this day.

Anyway, I was really moved by the teaching and thought some of you might enjoy it if you have 30 minutes or so and want to stream it.  I wish there was video included so you could see the passion in Pastor Jason's eyes and his style.   Here is the link:

http://www.summitupstate.org/sermons/outsiders-a-study-through-luke/luke-241-12-easter-outsiders-pt12

We had a great day celebrating Christ's resurrection, spending time walking around the lake at Furman University with Al and Bryon and just continuing to enjoy spring.  And of course, Allison is a cook beyond belief and we had a fantabulous Easter meal.  God is good to us.....all the time.....

Blessings.

Dave

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.'  But he answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'" (Matthew 28:38-40, NKJV)

Man's Best Friend

I have written previously about the most difficult thing for us serving in Africa - being away from our dear daughters. I am confident that this will always be the case and now that we’ve added a Grandson, that adds an entirely new dimension to all of this. Coming home and seeing all that has transpired in our absence also makes us realize how much we are missing - maybe I need to think about this a little more to try and relay the gammit of emotions we have felt since we have been back on homeland assignment.

There is another thing we left behind when we went to Africa, the family dog. I had gotten this dog primarily for Ann when our youngest went to first grade – so she has been around a while! There is nothing like a dog – they teach you what loyalty, devotion, and unconditional love can look like. After we left for Africa, daughters 1 of 4 and 3 of 4 shared taking care of her and she ended up being a city dog in down town Philadelphia, a far change from the comfortable suburbs. They did a wonderful job with her in our absence.

Earlier this year, two of our daughters wrote to us saying that ‘it was time’ to put her down. She was very old and we think she has had a stroke in the past months. She was blind, mostly deaf, arthritic, incontinent, and very frail. She paced all the time, just couldn’t get comfortable and was just plain miserable. Our oldest daughter was waiting for us to come home on furlough before doing anything and the last few days we have been able to spend a few days with the dog, making it obvious that ‘it was time’.

So this morning, we took all seven pounds of her to a vet recommended by the people we are currently staying with and the vet put her to sleep in my arms. The vet took one look at her and no more needed to be said – she knew it was time. First they put her to sleep and gave us 10 minutes with her. It was wonderful to see her relax for the first time since we’ve been around her as she was suffering so. Then a second shot finished the job. I managed to be strong until I got in the car and then I just sobbed uncontrollably.

Some friends of Krista are letting us stay with them as we visit churches on this side of the state. This dear couple has been such a blessing to us and allowed us to bury our little dog in their garden. We thank God for their kindness. Their daughter has just gone to Uganda for a three-year assignment and is struggling in her first few weeks there, and we can really relate to what she is going through and hope we are being an encouragement to both her and her parents.

Tough morning. I know intellectually that she was just a dog, but that doesn’t change how your heart feels. And yet, one person a part from God has infinitely more value - why is it we have less compassion for them than for animals? I thank God we can rely on His pure and perfect love for us, for even when we were sinners, His one and only Son, died for us, the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.

We’ll miss you Sophie-girl. Thank you Lord for all the pleasure this creature of Your creation brought to our family.

(photos are of Sophie in her younger days!)

Dave & Ann


“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matt 19:29-30

Traveling

Tonight, we arrived at OMS headquarters in Greenwood Indiana, where we will be staying this week for meetings. We will be staying in a small apartment "on-campus". We have a full schedule but probably won't have much to blog during this time. It's a time of reviewing what we need to accomplish before we return to Mozambique, debriefing, and reviewing our furlough schedule. This will also be the time we establish our funding needs that we have to meet before we can return.

Part of our time is getting checked out by the OMS contracted doctor, who is also a specialist in tropical medicine. I think that means that he studied in the tropics or only uses medicines from the tropics or maybe he wants to live in the tropics? ;-) We don't have any issues that we know of but they want to do some blood work and see how we are doing compared to five years ago. We pretty much had a checkup in South Africa not too long before we left, so there shouldn't be anything new to learn.

We haven't heard too much from our colleagues in Mozambique. We understand that the Kelly's have arrived, which will be a wonderful addition to the team and we pray the make the adjustment to living there quickly.

We stopped at a Kroger grocery store on the way in to Greenwood, Indiana tonight to pick up some fruit, cereal, and coffee for the morning. We were really wowed by this store - America is so blessed - the grocery stores are just unbelievable. So nice, so easy. Wow! We still just stand and look at the aisles of food, overwhelmed. Tonight, Ann said - you go pick out a cereal box - it's just too overwhelming for me tonight. In Mozambique, we were overwhelmed if the store had any cereal - one or two varieties was a treat!

On our way here, we passed through Nashville to see the Grandson. At one point I was just sitting holding him and looking at him with tears running down my face. I asked Ann, how is it even possible that I can love this little guy so much, so instantly!

Blessings to you this week.

Dave & Ann

"Thy kingdom come...." from the Lord's prayer.

Thy - not ours

Kingdom - you are the king now; nothing happens that You do not know about.

Come - return Lord Jesus, but not until all you intend have found the joy and peace from knowing you. While I want you to come quickly from a personal standpoint, there are so many in this world who do not yet know You. Bring them to you, bring workers to the harvest field so they can hear the Good News!

Life events

Today we became Grandparents. Our daughter Sarah and her husband David, had a baby boy this afternoon. David Caleb Henderson was born at 3:03 on 8/13/2010, weighing 8.4 pounds and being 19.5 inches long. (Lots of people ask these kinds of questions). Ann and I were lucky enough to be here in Nashville to participate in this wonderful life event.

Everything went well and mom and baby are doing well. This is exciting stuff for us! I became quite enamored with him just holding him and

thanking God for this wonderful gift

of life to Sarah and David. He looks very

much like his dad right now and all I can say is "what a

beautiful baby!"

The birth of a baby is nothing short of a miracle. It is an amazing process.

We also were successful today in moving our residency to Tennessee and we now have Tennessee driver's licenses. It seemed like the smart thing to do since all our mail comes to our daughter's house anyway. Still need to retag the car but we can do that next week. Ann's license had expired and mine expires the end of the month, so we went ahead and did it. One of the questions on the form was 'did you ever have a Tennessee driver's license?' and actually we did some 30 plus years ago but that was before computers so they couldn't find us. I think back then, we were considered lucky if we had a calculator!

Thanks for standing with us!

Dave & Ann

"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Ps 106:1

Wedding

I have written a couple of things, but then never quite got to posting them and now they are on the other computer in another town in this transient life we are living. We've only been in the states for two weeks and haven't stopped moving yet.

We just finished the wedding weekend and my youngest daughter is now a Smith. It was a beautiful Christ-centered affair and we had dear friends from all over the country come to celebrate this wedding with us. We had people from Pittsburgh, Mozambique via Colorado, Mozambique via Chicago, [former missionaries to Mozambique] Alabama, Idaho, Tennessee, Georgia, all sorts of places. The wedding was outside at a nearby farm and absolutely lovely. The rains came in the day before and cooled things down a bit and the wedding day was beautiful and much cooler although still a bit toasty.

Tomorrow at zero dark thirty I take my oldest to the airport so she can return home. We have especially enjoyed

some 'alone time' with her today - it has been a long time. I really miss spending time with my precious girls. She is on the right in the above picture.

In the above, precious daughter Lynsey on left, me, Allison (bride), Byron, beautiful Ann, and precious Krista. Daughter 3 of 4 (Sarah) is in Nashville and we just got the call - a baby is coming this week, so we are on our way to Nashville right after our next transitional workshop session on Wednesday. So, the first grand baby will be here very soon (she is being induced on Thursday).

I didn't cry too much at the wedding - As with my other Son's-in-law, when you just really like them, you don't have a problem with the wedding. We're very fond of Byron and they are a good match for each other. I did fine until I walked Allison to the altar to pass her to Byron and have to admit that I shed a few tears at that point. Allison was so beautiful and your life passes by your eyes in a moment as you see your baby daughter now a beautiful bride - it is quite moving.

Our sessions with Godspeed Ministries have been very helpful to us as we re-enter this culture. It is hard to explain to someone how 'shocking' it is to re-enter our home culture after being in a developing country for four years. I really should try and write more about it and after we finish with our debriefing sessions - I will try to do that a little later.

The wedding provided a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with dear friends from Pittsburgh and with distant family that we haven't seen for quite some time. But, it is also a time when we are spread pretty thin so we never get to spend the one-on-one time we would like to have with our friends in the wedding environment. It really made us look forward to being with our friends again in a few more weeks.

Thank you for standing with us so faithfully!

Dave (& Ann)

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united (some versions use the word "cleave" which I like a lot better) to his wife and they will become one flesh." Gen 2:24

Weddings are a wonderful celebration in any culture!

Cheedee & Nauhnee

I can't remember if I've shared this photograph or not. It rates in the top 10 of my favorite photographs here. Meet Milca Mabel. She is all dressed up for her uncle's wedding in a place called Xipamanine. She is being held by a family friend (Amelia) in the small pathway that leads to her Uncle's house and the place where the wedding party was held. If you go sideways, two people can pass in this little passage way.

Milca was born just before we arrived in Mozambique and we have had the great fortune to be a part of her and her parents lives. She comes running to us when we see her and she has given us nick-names that have filtered all through the church, so we are often called these names by others. It is because she couldn't say our names when she was first learning to talk and so 'Duhvee' (David in portuguese) became Cheedee and 'Ana' became Nauhnee. We love her like she was our very own and sometimes I think she is the one who draws us up to Mocuba (where she lives) as much as anything else!

In this picture, you can see the little bit of mischief in her eyes! I took it after we had been kidding each other.

Precious precious girl and my eyes tear to think about not seeing her over furlough!

Cheedee

"Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,..." De 4:9

Travel

Greetings dear friends. It has been so long since we've written but our internet access has been very spotty. Right now I'm sitting in the Dulles International Airport waiting on our flight back to Mozambique - boards in a little while. So far the travel has gone well and I cannot express what a wonderful time of rest and refreshment we have had. We needed it much more than we realized. I have alot of stories to tell but that will come later - diving in a Septic tank on Christmas morning with my son-in-law and future son-in-law, Ann's flat tire and the guardian angel who stopped and helped her, rescuing daughter three when her car gave-up the ghost (four tow this year), and the wonderful people that God put in our path this trip. Pray with us that our luggage will come through and our transit in Joburg goes well; it is always a challenge there. Our bags were broken into coming this way - we pray they go back without the same problems.

The above photograph is of our four daughters, Dave's sister and Mother and son-in-law Dave and future son-in-law Byron on Christmas at a home some dear friends let us use for a few days so we could all be together.

The technology has been amazing here - blazing Internet when we can get it; cell phone works every time!; texting with our friends in Mozambique - it is a different world today. What a blessed country we come from.

More later but the next entry should be from Mozambique.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

Safely Here

Sorry for the long delay on updates but our Internet access is very intermittent. I'm writing from my daughter's apartment in Knoxville - we are here for a couple of days and it is always a joy to be right next to the University where Ann and I met. We had a bit of a challenging time getting here because of a rock-slide that has completely closed Interstate 40 between Knoxville and Ashville. That caused us to use an alternate road through beautiful rural Tennessee and it was a wonderful diversion.

We arrived safely back in the US although we did get a big shock in Atlanta when our accepted our luggage from Mozambique. Because of the well-known pilfering of luggage that occurs in Johannesburg, we had our suitcases encased in plastic wrap in Maputo. It doesn't prevent it but it is supposed to help. One of the larger bags got the customs agents attention because it had some cans of a type of tomato / onion mix that our girls love and you can't get in the States, and Ann planned as a surprise for a meal. We had to do a lot of explaining about these cans, but it went well and they were loaded onto the plane.

When the bags came down the ramp in Atlanta in the International Terminal (you pick them up and shift them to domestic), the two larger bags were not only unwrapped, but were opened with stuff flying out onto the conveyor belt. Dratts, what did we lose?

The interesting part is that we had no tape, no scissors, nothing to really repair them with - They were strapped, which I think was the saving grace.

So, we gathered up all of the loose items we could find, wondering how much was in the back room. It appeared the zippers had been forced open and we were able to repair one but the other was completely gone. We found some large plastic bags and jury rigged the straps and plastic around the un-repairable suitcase, and turned it in to domestic, wondering what all we had lost.

In Huntsville, all the bags arrived and when we finally unpacked we were fortunate to have lost only a few gift items. Of course none of it is truly expensive as we are very aware of the risk in Africa and luggage, but it is still disappointing. But, it could have been much worse so we are thankful everything more or less arrived. So that completes our luggage story....

It has been quite an adjustment culturally. The day we arrived in Huntsville, we went to both a Target and a Walmart. One of my jobs was to get tea and coffee. Now, what I'm used to is arriving at the store and being thankful that they even have coffee and tea; but what I found was an entire aisle of coffee and tea - with more choices and prices than I could even possibly process mentally. I just stood there for a while and looked at it all. In the end I narrowed down by price and took what seemed reasonable but it was truly a culture-shock kind of thing.

The other thing that has amazed me is the number of big black Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) with darkened windows. The drive from Huntsville to Columbia through Atlanta seemed like every other vehicle was one of these things. HUGE and moving fast. I wondered if this is the influence of the TV show "24" or other shows and movies where the heros seem to all drive these big things. My daughters say they are status symbols but it was remarkable how many we have seen - inconsistent with a difficult economy. I'm not passing judgement; I drive a big white SUV in Africa (and am daily thankful for it because of the roads we travel). It's just an observation. Or, maybe government agents are very busy in the Southeast US 'saving the world as we know it!' In any case, after our time in Mozambique, the affluence is breathtaking even in a time of economic uncertainty.

And the roads - oh my I had forgotten how wonderful the roads are in America. So wonderful. And, people actually follow the rules - wow. However, what is all of this driving on the wrong side? That continues to be a challenge to us, especially at Intersections. Stay right!

Some dear people are allowing us to use a house near Columbia that is comfortable and we are very much enjoying. We are almost through the jet-lag adjustment and no longer waking up at three in the morning. It has been very much a time of recovery for us and we are gaining some rest that we didn't recognize that we needed. And the joyous time with your dear daughters - there are no words.

We have sat under some amazing teaching since arriving and I'm working through a wonderful book by Dr. Ferguson called "In Christ Alone" that is paralleling our reading through the Bible in a year program that we do for devotions. I highly recommend this simple yet profound book.

This morning, I noticed something interesting in Romans I had not seen before. In the church multiplication program we are working with in Mozambique, our focus is to go into those areas where there are no evangelical churches and where people have not heard the Gospel story. Paul speaks to this as his priority also in Romans, Chapter 16. We have endured significant amounts of criticism about this program for all sorts of various reasons (we humans love to criticize others - we fall into that mode without even thinking about it) - and yet we have seen amazing fruit - growth from 10 or so churches to over 100 country wide - how can this be criticized? Paul says in verse 20:

"It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation..." He goes on to explain that he hasn't visited some of his older church plants because this is his call and he has even been hindered from coming because of this call. So, he goes on to explain he will stop for a while in Rome on his way to Spain, where they have not heard the Gospel. His mission and call remains certain.

May all of our various Calls remain as certain....

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Rather it is written: "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."" Romans 16:21

Short Cuts

This note is especially for my four precious pearls! You know how your dad likes to take short-cuts – and is always looking for a new way to get somewhere? Well, it’s been especially fun here to find new short cuts (and be a bit confused for a couple of hours afterwards – like “where am I?”), especially during the days of confusion after coming from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. You know, just like the time I took a short cut home from the airport in Pittsburgh and we ended up in West Virginia! However, my internal compass has finally reset and I do finally know what direction is north, south, etc., so the being lost phenomena has decreased considerably.

Today we took Aimee out to meet our head OMS advisor, who works at the Nazarene College outside of Maputo. We drove in to town to pick her up and then headed out to the college to show her the ropes, introduce her, and also show her the nearby Baptist College where the director’s wife has a literacy program she is doing with the wives of students who come from remote areas of Mozambique. (Aimee has a great interest in literacy programs as her focus is women’s ministries). We toured both schools and met the various people at the schools, hopefully opening future partnership doors for Aimee. However, we knew we had to be back for our language class at 1300. It had taken us about an hour to get to the school because of some construction and traffic issues, and as we were leaving, one of our Nazarene friends mentioned he could be at CAM School (our missionary school) in about 20 minutes. I said “no way” and he explained his short-cut. He told me they had just completed a paved road that went straight to the coast and that we were only about 5 km from the coast. I had to scratch my head, thinking that it was possible – and I knew some of the area between the school and the coast – so, he gave some directions and with 45 minutes until class, we left the second school, with me a little panicked to think it was even possible to make class on time. So, we headed down the sand roads, second right, third left past the wall with eucalyptus trees and vines with fruit hanging over the wall, and onto a new paved road, and boom, we were at the coast and in a few minutes, dropped of Aimee at her house, and made it to class with five-minutes to spare. He also told me about another one I’ll try another day! I felt like I’d gone through some sort of time warp or something. Thank you Lord!

And then, after all that, our Instructor said, “what are you doing here? You have class on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, not today” Oops – we mis-communicated that somewhere along the way. We readjusted for next week, but he was busy today - so after all that – no class.

On the way home, we stopped at the body shop to see if our car was ready (we’re using a rental and wanting to dump it as fast as possible!). I talked to the guy who took the car into the shop (it’s quite large – lots of wrecks here every single day!), and reminded him about the car. He looks at me and scratches his head and looks out at the shop and says “I’ll call you by the end of the day”. Not a good sign – where is the car…..Of course he didn’t call at the end of the day so we’ll stop by tomorrow and at this point I’ll have to insist on seeing the car! Gulp!

Our Advisor today told an interesting story to our new missionary. He advised caution as she moves forward. He pointed to a picture on the wall and spoke of a lady from Gaza province, who had been to the United States for a conference. When she came back, she spoke to the school there and said that she had never understood Americans. Her view was that they came here and acted peculiar and arrogant, always trying to push their culture and ideas on everyone. However, now that she had seen the houses they lived in, where they slept, how they ate, where they worked, and how they lived, and she finally understood what the missionaries here had given up to come live to Mozambique. She said she could have never understood without seeing what she’d seen because if you’ve only lived in one place, how could you possibly know what it was like somewhere else. She finally understood that it would take have to take a call from God for someone to leave America to come live here. So, our advisor then cautioned us to recognize that in ministering to those in the villages, and especially to the older of society, that there is absolutely no way they can understand where you have come from and your frame of reference. However, you are here, and you can, through asking questions and participating in culture can, over a long time, begin to understand and to be understood. However, the cultural gap is very large and will likely always be large. He said that God has called us as we are – we should not try to be someone we are not or could never be. We are giving the most important thing we can – ourselves. We discussed this some more as honestly, none of us felt that the cost of the things she had mentioned (the houses, cars, food, and the like) were things that we ever thought about as ‘giving up’ as we gained so much in other ways. The true sacrifice was not being with our precious pearls and we are so thankful that even in the last three years, we really have been able to visit with you, that you’ve been able to come here, and that we could talk on the phone - so more than we ever imagined would be possible and truly a blessing.

As another example, he talked about the Shanghanna word for human. The word actually refers to a Shanghanna person as a human and it doesn’t apply to other people. Other people would be Americans, Makua, Chinese, Lomwe, Mexican, etc., but you wouldn’t apply the ‘human’ term to them. This is a cultural phenomena that explains a lot about the southern culture of Mozambique and some of the conflict we’ve seen between southern and northern people groups. For example, if you act inappropriately relative to the Shanghanna culture, it is relatively tolerated because, well, you aren’t ‘human’. So, if you come in and try to say “you need to clean up how you handle your water because it makes you sick,” they might listen to you until you leave out of respect for visitors, but then go back to the old way because, after all, how do you know? You aren’t ‘human’. You must take the time to develop the relationship, and it is best to work with an intermediary, such as someone in the culture who has been educated and has an understanding of what you are trying to do. However, this person is critical to your success and must be chosen very carefully and very prayerfully, for your ministry to succeed. Wise counsel from a wise man.

I have pondered this counsel all day and have reflected on how we used to live in the States and how in our ignorance, we couldn’t really begin to fathom life outside of America because that was the only reality we knew. I wonder if culturally as a nation, we are also looking beyond our borders and starting to assume others ‘aren’t human’. It’s something we’ve seen through history, the dehumanizing of people groups, and is it a subtle trick of the enemy. But, I’m getting off-track.

We weren’t the world travelers that you guys were!, and even after a few short and carefully orchestrated trips here, we couldn’t possibly understand the living conditions and culture here in Mozambique until we lived it and experienced it. And even now in our third year, I recognize that it would take a life-time to fully have the understanding we desire and the language we need to move fully into community. But in the meantime, we need to try and be all things to all people so that some might learn the truth. There are no short-cuts for this work.

Blessings to my precious pearls. I love each of you dearly and thank you for your steadfastness, your faith, your love, and your gracious patience with your missionary parents. Our absence does not diminish our deep and abiding love for each of you. Not a single day goes by that you are not on our minds and deep within our hearts.

PS - I thought you might enjoy the photo of us with Juka (and me trying to smile. ;-))

Dad

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” 1 Cor 9:22-23 (Paul’s advice to all of us).

Medical Update

We have received the first of the bills from our daughter's emergency surgery last week. It was breath-taking for an afternoon, a night, and the next day. Our daughter has applied for assistance from the 'charity board' at the hospital and our daughters have begun the bartering process on determining a bill that we have a hope of paying. The process started with "what can you pay?" Now, that's an interesting question and a hard one to answer honestly. What do you mean and what is your basis for that question? It's an interesting process that reminds me of buying something at the Saturday market here in Maputo: "I'll make you a good price" as you go back and forth and back and forth with the seller on the price, never really understanding what is the real value of the goods. So far the hospital has been nothing but gracious with us, for which we are indeed thankful. We are thankful for the good care she received and we want to do our part but with this process we are wondering what is the real value? It's just like here when we go to the market; we pay one (higher) price; Mozambicans pay another. So, if you have one insurance company you pay one price; if you have a different insurance company, you pay another price; if you have medicare, you pay another price; if you don't have insurance you pay another - and it's all negotiated. It's like when you travel on the airplane, the tickets might vary from 100 to 1100 dollars for the same exact flight - so what is the real value?

The politics of it all are also quite interesting. My daughter was refusing to go to the hospital because she didn't have insurance and could have died if a friend hadn't forced her to go to the hospital. She didn't have insurance because the insurance policies for low income people are basically unaffordable. Employers take advantage of using part-time employees so they don't have to pay benefits but do so because they generally can't afford the added costs and stay competitive. Non-profits aren't required to offer a program where you can pay for and carry insurance on a child after they are no-longer eligible for the parent's policy (the COBRA option many of you are familiar with and that we have used before we came to Mozambique). The IRS rules don't consider this kind of a thing 'charitable', so OMS and our church base are unable to help because of potential trouble with the IRS (i.e. offer tax-deductable receipting) - and so here we sit with a breath-taking medical bill. Healthcare is truly a problem and I'm seeing it from the other side of insurance for the first time in my life. I can see the thread of government through all of this and have little confidence they can unwravel the twisted thread. If I knew the answer, I'd write the book, get a presidential appointment, and use the proceeds to pay the bill!

We're not alone. We've received a number of emails from others who have found themselves in the same boat. All of the mail has been encouraging in that God will and does provide and we stand faithfully on that. In some cases the final bills were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and were resolved eventually. Our problem is small by comparison. And until the negotiations are complete, we don't even know the true size of the mountain.

We'll just pray this mountain into the sea!

And what just breaks my heart is that I live in a country where so many in the villages have no access to health care - none; where someone's equally precious daughter would have just died and even more tragically, died without even hearing the Gospel, without even having a chance to respond to the reason for the hope within us. Come quickly Lord Jesus.

"So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.'" Matt 17:20

"And who ever said life was fair?" Dave's response to his daughters when they would say "it's not fair!"

Out of Surgery

We've received word that Lynsey will be released from the hospital in a little while. The surgery went well for which we are thankful. Her two oldest sisters made it there to help her through the next couple of days. She would have had all of them there but Allison was knee deep in school and two sisters is enough! We had to tell Allison to stay put as they were all coming running. However, in all of this, it hits us deeply as we feel like we are the ones who should be running. It has especially crushed Ann as she knows that hospital, knows the medical stuff, and wants so badly to be there with the daughter she calls her "neat kid". (Each one has an endearing name!).

Sarah and Krista are handling all the details and I'm holding my breath on the bill. She is in the gap group - Since OMS is a non-profit, they don't have to offer COBRA and so when she came off our insurance, there were no realistic options for us other than to pray for a decent job with some benefits in an economy where bottom feeders are cruising around. It was a gamble and as in all my experiences with forms of gambling, it came out the way it normally does! Buy high and sell low - right? However, the sisters are checking into various options through the hospital and so we look forward to seeing how God will work in this. I think I have four of the most amazing daughters that they can deal with this as a united group and care for each other like they do.

I am so thankful number 3 daughter is recovering and it wasn't more serious (such as a burst appendix). I'm so thankful she received good care. I'm so thankful her old room-mate (Polly) was so attentive to her needs and insisted she go to the hospital. Lynsey didn't want to go because she didn't have health insurance! There is a cultural statement! Of course, it weighs very heavily on us - we made choices in response to God's Call on our lives and here is an emotional and human cost that makes what we do very difficult. We may have left our four precious pearls in the States but there was certainly no less love or concern for each of them. I really think there are very few who really understand how deep of a cost this is to us.

On another topic - we met with the Mozambique coordinator for Evangelism Explosion today. This Mozambican pastor is going to work with us introducing this program into our seminary classes and we hope into our churches as well. It is the same program that we are intimately familiar with from the States except that the program is in Portuguese and it doesn't include all the slick stuff (memory cards and the like) to help keep the costs down here. So, we purchased our first 40 books and will be introducting this into the curriculum right away. Ann is quite an expert on the program actually and really engaged the Pastor about the program and how it works in Mozambique.

What we worry about is something we've seen quite a bit here. You can go in and offer all sorts of training, and people love to come and participate and attend, but then no one seems to do anything with it. We've seen that with our Chronological Bible Story Telling for example. It's an excellent program and we've done lots of training on it and provided lots of books and pictures for people to share with their friends and churches, but very few seem to actually take it and use it. We don't want Evangelism Explosion to be the same thing - we train lots of people, but then they take the material home and put it on the shelf. That's where the Spirit of God is so important - to put the desire in the heart to share their faith. Without it, it is just another program. Another key seems to be lots of practical application - something we need to focus more energy on.

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

Sunday

We just got the word that our third daughter was admitted into the hospital this morning and is facing surgery in a few minutes. There is question as to what it actually is, and so they will be exploring a bit - could be appendicitis or something ovarian. She has been admitted to the same hospital that Ann trained at years ago and that is both good and bad. She knows it a good hospital but she also knows that students learn to do surgery there so that is the other side!

So here we are - helpless. And to top it off, the Internet isn't working well so we're making phone calls instead of skype calls - running up costs quickly. And that isn't working well as our local cell phone carrier only works about half the time. And our text messages aren't going through - which has been an inexpensive way to get basic information relayed. All of our normal venues of communication are failing. And we've been feeling low for a while now for a variety of different reasons and this is like one more hot knife in the gut. Lord, help us understand. Protect our precious one.

And if just the event isn't enough, she has no health insurance because she is no longer on ours and has no job that pays insurance. So, here we sit. Do we stick Ann on the plane or not?

It's all so daunting on so many levels. Our hearts are so heavy.

To end on a little better note, this morning we attended one of our churches where the National leaders had to come and explain to the congregation why they were removing their pastor from responsibilities for the church. I don't want to go into details on the problem but it is one we've faced with others in leadership this year and it just pains us deep in our hearts. The leaders handled it so graciously and then rapidly shifted the emphasis to the two precious men who have been leading the church as lay leaders for some time now and the baton was passed to them through pray as they were given a vote of confidence by leadership of the denomination in front of the congregation. The entire process was handled so graciously and made us so proud of our denominational leaders. One of them was exhausted emotionally afterwards and we (Dave) just sat together and talked about the difficulties of leadership and some of the challenges before us as a mission and a young fledging denomination. It was a precious time of heart-felt sharing and prayer.

I feel like we have been under some sort of attack for so long now and the attacks come from every possible place. Heartbreak, unwarranted criticism, and betrayal have had taken a heavy toll on us. This day continues as one of immense battle, heartbreak, and questioning. In many ways, our time here since returning last August has been one of heartbreak followed by heartbreak, followed by heartbreak. And yet, we know that He remains faithful; we know He called us here. My advice to anyone considering missionary service would be to be confident in the Call - as without it, the work is truly impossible, the emotional cost immense. But there is great peace being under the shadow of His wings and moments of amazing awe when we see His hand move for we can truly do nothing absent of Him.

In this morning's devotional time, I was studying King Hezekiah and trying to understand better why God looked upon him with such favor, describing him in 2 Kings 18 as "Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all th kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him....he was successful in whatever he undertook." In the account in 2 Chronicles, 29-31, we see a pattern: he took action to restore the nation before God, there was a time of consecration where the leaders and the people repented and returned to the Lord, and THEN, the Bible says that the "hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord." That was followed by worship and a time of great blessing. And his life is summarized in 2 Chronicles 31: 20 and 21 as follows: He did what "was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God" and in everything that he undertook, "he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly - and so he prospered." Tremendous lesson in all of this.

He was resisted, maligned, and not everyone followed. But, there was great blessing that started with seeking God and working wholeheartedly - the same words God used to describe King David, who God loved.

May we be so faithful to trust God. Truly trust God.

Show your hand dear Lord, in our lives, on our precious daughter, in the fragile work that we do for we love you and seek to be obedient before you. We have laid our lives before you - please show your hand of mercy.

Dave & Ann

"In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness." Ps 31:1

Segunda filha has parted

Our second daughter and her husband were with us for 10 days and it was probably 10 of the fastest days ever in my life. It seemed they had just arrived and then it was time to go. We enjoyed a long fourth-of-July weekend with them (no fireworks - :-( ). I'm not sure they really have any idea of how much they rejuvanated us just being here. It's always such a privilege to show people what God is doing in Mozambique and family is now exception. We always introduced Sarah as our segunda filha, (second daughter) and the name stuck and for the entire visit, her husband David started calling her "segunda filha", and so we started doing it also, and that became her name for 10-days.

On the fourth of July we woke to Sarah and David singing "America the Beautiful" at the top of their lungs, moving on to "Proud to be an American" - they wanted to be sure we knew it was the fourth of July! We laughed together. David is a bit of a cut-up and we truly enjoyed the time of lightness and laughter.

When we took them to the airport to leave, I (Dave) dropped them off out front and they went in to begin the process of wrapping the luggage in plastic, checking in, and the like. I'm double parked out front and go to start the car and turn the key and hear some clicks and nothing happens. I tried it again and again - but nothing. Everything lights up so I'm pretty sure the battery is fine. I round up a few guys to push me off (for a fee of course!) and we get it going and I run to the parking lot, praying, "Lord, we just spent alot of money on repairs for this car, we need a little break here!" I stop in the parking lot and check - still just clicking sounds. I parked in a position to make an easy push start again.

We visited in the airport until the last possible moment and we have many tears as they part but they are truthfully excited to be headed home as they have been away all summer between their ministry time in Lebanon and their time here with us. We all prayed together before they left and David also specifically prayed that the car problem would be minor.

We exited, arranged another push-start, and went home. The drive back I keep rolling through options in my mind - hoping it isn't the starter. When we get back, I open the hood and have Ann try to start it, running down the clicking sound, and finally find a relay that is related to the starter. Ann can only hear me say "try again" as I check different things and to her it looks like I'm just waving my hands over parts of the engine. But, I'm taping these silly relay switches - and voila, I tap one and boom - it starts. We try again, and no start - tap - and it starts. Now that is encouraging. So, it is off to Toyota and we buy the last relay of this type in Mozambique. Thank you Lord! So for 2000 mtn, we're back in business. It's a lot (26 mtn/$) for a little switchy thing, but I'm so thankful to have it fixed and it truly was simple. We are often in places where a push start is out-of-the question because of the deep sand.

Then, we looked at the mountain of administration staring us in the face, and get started. The phone starts ringing, the appointments begin, and we are running at 110% again. It was a nice break that God knew we needed.

They are now safely home with luggage - and we are thankful for that answer to prayer as well.

Have a great week. Thank you for standing with us. It is truly a privilege to represent you here in Mozambique.

Dave & Ann

"You will make your prayer to Him, he will hear you..." Job 22:27 )

Anniversaries and Birthdays

I've been a bit negligent in writing this week. Our daughter Sarah and her husband, David, arrived mid-week for a short visit on their way home from a Summer Project in Beruit Lebanon with Campus Crusade for Christ. What a blessing for us as we miss our daughters so very much. We've had a blessed time although we fear that too many more days like today and we'll have our youngsters completely worn out! But, we've been so busy sharing, talking, and showing them what we do that I've not had much time to write! (and as it is, it's midnight now!)

Earlier in the week, we took an old but well-functioning computer to Khongolote where they had exceeded the capability of their model-T computer they use at the pre-school and for church. In the photos, we'd taken apart the two computers and did some switching around of things and got the information all transfered and everthing working. We do this work during nap-time at the pre-school but sometimes a few wake up a little early and so we get some extra help! So, we upgraded their Model-T to a little bit more modern computer but still an antique!

We have really enjoyed showing David and Sarah around and trying to give them a glimpse of our life here. They have gone to meetings with us, meet with people at their homes, David has played some soccer with local youth and met with others in the roads and pathways. He's such a lovely young man and I enjoy very much how he looks at things and have learned much from him in his short time here. For example, he has left us a DVD set they used in Lebanon to train their team on witnessing to Muslim people. Today, when we met with our Christian Micro-Enterprise Guys, we talked about some of the techniques and they stated that they really don't run into too many in their day-to-day life because they tend to be more upper class here (business owners). That was a surprising comment that I have to think about more. Ann and I have had many opportunities to talk with them through some of our car problems and business dealings and are always seeking out good techniques for sharing our faith in an effective way with our Muslim neighbors and friends.

In Intaka, we got David, our son-in-law, busy helping prepare Shema (see photo of him pounding corn). We were visiting with a dear family that Ann likes to check on as they have some significant health issues. We enjoyed just sitting under the tree at their house talking about life. The dear lady of the house is shown below.

We have enjoyed our morning devotions together with David and Sarah and are absolutely relishing each day. But sometimes those days are quite unpredictable. The last two days have been special - yesterday was our 34th wedding anniversary and we enjoyed spending the day with David and Sarah and that was a wonderful present for us. Today was Ann's birthday and it started with some meetings at our seminary but when we arrived, the lock to the door had failed, and no one could get in the building. So, we tried to find keys to the other door, traveling back to our school to search there, then to the Weils house, where we found our Seminary Director's old keys, which we used to then open the seminary (other doors). Then we dismantled and repaired the lock and so went the morning! Expect the unexpected! I worked with our building custodian on the lock hoping that maybe next time, he can do this himself!

We met with our seminary folks to discuss the last week's progress, the new class in progress, and the plan for the next two weeks. Then, we met with our CMED guys to get updated on the village savings and loan groups and share that ministry with David and Sarah. We then met with some other missionaries, dropping Sarah and Ann off at her ladies bible study group while the two David's did some birthday preparations (nothing like the last minute!). Eventually, we all found our way home to finally have birthday cake. Ann has been smiling alot more lately - so happy to have a daughter with her.

What is especially a joy is how David and Sarah have jumped into ministry here - they are so very easy to have here with us.

Today, we were discussing about how special all of our dear supporters are. We were reviewing some of those special stories of how God used people to so encourage us and meet a need at just that exact moment when we needed it. I don't think a day goes by that we don't offer thanks for the tremendous group of people and churches that we represent here in Mozambique. Thank all of you so very much. I pray that God will richly bless you for your faithfulness to the gospel here. I am working on our quarterly report of church multiplication statistics and when I read all the names of the people across the country who are leading people to Christ, teaching about a Hope that transends all cultures, needs and peoples, I cannot help but be overwhelmed at God's faithfulness. It is such a priviledge to be a part of this program. Clearly, God is moving and will complete the work that He has started. Thank you for being a part of the Great Commission.

PS - we checked today on the insurance claim on the wreck we were in (earlier blog) and they assure us that everything is 'in progress' and we can expect to be called to come get a check soon. Thank you Lord - that if we have to have an accident, the other party has insurance! Wow!

Dave & Ann

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful!" Col. 3:15