Malaria

Our close friends from Xai-Xai are staying with us a couple of days. They had a couple on a short-term trip who flew out of Maputo this morning, but the bad news is that our friend Jason has malaria. It's his first time since arriving here about five years ago. Then this morning, their young son began to have problems, so after the airport run this morning, we took him to be tested and yes, he also has malaria. So, we spent the next couple of hours running from pharmacy to pharmacy trying to find the medicine. They would have been infected about three weeks ago and they are retracing their steps to think about where they might have been exposed.

As it turns out, there is a severe shortage of malaria medicine right now. The street story is that the big countries who provide aide to Mozambique have been witholding payment over concerns with their own economies and trying to hold Mozambique accountable for corruption issues, but who knows what the truth really is. Because of this, no one has money to stock hospitals and clinics with Malaria medicine although I find that hard to believe as we were visiting non-governmental pharmacies. Anyway, the common sentiment is blaming those countries with shortage of Malaria meds.

We finally found some at our fifth or sixth pharmacy and came home and mixed it up but the little tike wouldn't take the medicine well and threw up what he took - which is bad because he must take it - it is only once a day for three days but it is crucial. So now, Ann and mom and the little guy are headed back to the clinic to see what can be done. Since both Ann and mom are nurses, he is in good hands. So, we will see what transpires. I'm staying here to watch over the dad, who has turned the corner and is doing better now as the medicine takes hold. In both cases the malaria was caught very early so with treatment and God's blessing, this should pass quickly.

We are extremely fond of this couple and really love them like they were our own kids. They are solid and have an amazing ministry going on and we always enjoy being with them so very much. We have gone through alot of the same adjustment issues together and we very much respect their opinion on things.

So pray with us that this scourge of a disease that causes so much pain and suffering would pass from our friends quickly.

As an aside, the car is starting again - I was able to get the starter fixed so we aren't pushing it everytime we want to start it. The air con is another issue - he refilled it with extra dye and freon and we have air again but he couldn't find the leak. He wants to try one more time with the dye and then it will be a matter of removing the entire dashboard and replacing things under the dash. It's always something with these vehicles, but it is a 1998 with tons of miles and it has been used hard. So, we have to just work through these things...we are very thankful to have it and it took us in and out of some tough places on our recent trip with great ease.

I think I'll go spray the bed room with "DOOM". Isn't that a great name for an insecticide!

Blessings.

Dave (& Ann)

"According to the National Survey on the Causes of Mortality in Mozambique (INCAM), published on Wednesday in Maputo by the National Statistics Institute (INE), 29 per cent of all deaths are caused by malaria, and 27 per cent by HIV/AIDS." (March 24, 2010)

Women's Ministry

While in Mocuba, Ann was asked to teach at a women's meeting. These meetings are something Juka's wife started when they moved to Mocuba. She is sitting on the mat next to Ann, who was put in a chair because she was the teacher.

The topics, which had been pre-selected by Elina were community health topics. They (Ann and Elina) worked together and did training on HIV, Malaria, cholera, flu, and sexually transmitted diseases. Because they had a guest speaker, the men joined initially for the devotional time but were thrown out when they got to the sexually transmitted disease part. The topics were of great interest here as everyone knows someone impacted by these diseases.

The ladies meeting lasted about three hours and during this time, Juka, Antonio, and I were preparing a lunch meal for the ladies. It consisted of a local squash plant that had a very very hard skin. After removing the skin, quartering, and removing seeds, the squash was cut into small squares. We then boiled the squash in a little water and a fair amount of salt, and then pounded some peanuts up into a powder and mixed that in, along with two small packets of chicken flavoring. It was scooped out as a gruel and it was very tasty! We have seen this squash along the road for sale but hadn't tried it before - now we know the trick and I just loved it.

We all ate together and had a wonderful time of fellowship working together.

I really see the tremendous value of life in community here where everyone works together to accomplish something. Everyone brought a little today and everyone was satisfied. There was good bible teaching, good health teachings, ending with a good meal. Ann took alot of notes as well as she is picking up quite a bit of knowledge about local remedies for malaria, intestinal upset, parasites, and other things that truly work in the absence of doctors and pharmacies.

Antonio is doing a tremendous work in Mocuba, drawing the churches together in unity, encouraging both men and women to study God's word and encouraging the church as a family.

I especially enjoyed spending time with some of the older men. They related to me because here I am old also (well my kids would probably say, 'Dad your old here too!'). They were giving me pointers all along the way although it was in Lowme and we did quite a bit of pointing, grunting, demonstrating, laughing, and smiling.

The process pretty much used most of the day, although afterwards we did spend some time in meetings with both Antonio and Juka, reviewing the health of the church multiplication work in Zambezia province.

I did hear a couple of the older men scolding Antonio later in the day about why they don't have men meetings like the ladies with the same good teachings the ladies get. That made me smile.

Little by little for the Kingdom.

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25

Good news on Malaria

We've had an increase in the number of mosquitoes in our house with the weather starting to cool down a little. Not exactly sure why - but we have this fun tennis racket thing that has a recharge-able battery that zaps mosquitoes and other bugs. It's quite the rewarding thing - you see some mosquitoes and swing at them with the racket and "ZAP" - no more mosquito - just a fried carcass on the floor. Very satisfying in this land where people we know have died from this dreadful disease. We spray every three months to keep them under control and the guys are coming Thursday. We can always tell when it is time - all sorts of lovely critters start showing up in the house and lots of them bite!

Better living through chemistry!

I continue to see the workers in the villages spraying DDT on the walls of the houses - it is making a huge difference and lives are being saved. The most recent government report reported that the incidence of reported malaria in Mozambique decreased by 24 percent last year as a result of this program - that is phenomenal and if the program could reach more houses more quickly, it would drop even quicker. Praise the Lord! The official words are as follows:

"Health authorities confirmed the trend, saying the number of reported cases of infection fell by 24 per cent between 2007 and 2008, to 4.8 million people. The decline was attributed to stepped-up anti-malaria spraying campaigns in villages and the roll out of improved diagnostic tests and combination treatment."

I know that these are only the numbers they know about. I prayed with a man just the other day who had malaria but didn't have money for medicine, so he was just 'continuing on' without treatment. There are lots like him in this country - some survive, some don't. But, he's not treated, so a mosquito bites him and moves to the next person, spreading the disease. (He's on treatment now because we have a wonderful team of dear people who make it possible for us to be here changing one-life at a time!).

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John 1:2

Hot

Today was the hottest day yet and the hottest one we remember here. Perhaps it is more noticeable where we live now because we are more inland. However, the 'in-the-shade' temperatures were really something today. We went to our Mavalene church this morning, which is an out-side church adjacent to a home and the temperature really escalated through the service. The chickens and ducks joined us this morning because it was cooler in the shade of the cover. We returned home at mid-day and there was just no getting away from the heat.

Of course, this is Africa (TIA) and you expect it to be hot, so that's ok, but we're thinking this stretch of hot will bring some rain to cool things off a bit - or at least that is what we experienced in the past. However, one thing I have learned is that the past is certainly not a good predictor of the future, although many talk as if it is!

In the midst of this heat, a friend called who lives near here speaking in rapid Portuguese. I grasp the meaning that his baby is really sick and he needs a ride to the hospital or a ride from the hospital, I'm not really sure which. From the tone, I think it must be bad and he knows we're very attached to his baby (Carol is her name). So, we jump in our oven of a car and quickly drive to his house where everyone is sitting under the trees with baby Carol in a small bucket of water, mom splashing her with water to cool her off. Ok, so Ernesto comes to the car wondering why we raced to his house, and so now in face-to-face conversation I learn that he tried to come see us this morning to help him take Carol to the hospital because she was very sick. But, we were at church and they took her anyway and brought her home. She has malaria (the second time in this 13-month old's little life) and had been given re-hydration solution to drink and the malaria medication. Ok, I got most of the words, but not in the right order and I certainly missed the difference between past tense and present tense.

Remember yesterday when I was thankful for a small victory in language. Drat, I knew I shouldn't have said that!

We visited a while and returned to our little oven, I mean our home. There was no one out and about today - it was just too hot. As we drove through the narrow dirt streets to our house, we could see the people laying on their grass matts in the shade of the trees. That is how you deal with this heat and what a great idea for a Sunday afternoon. Nap-time.....

Blessings,

Dave & Ann

"And you think it's hot here!......"

(A sign we saw on a church as we drove into Las Vegas when we were in our 20's.)

Funeral Notes

A week ago last Thursday, we had our quarterly meeting with our national advisory board. One of the members we have a more full relationship with because his son was our guard at the apartment we lived in for the first several months we were here. We became quite close to that family living beneath us, experiencing the birth of their second child within days of our arrival, the birth of a twin-sister’s child within a few weeks of that, celebrations, and just friendship with this couple that we were so fond of. After we moved, we retained the relationship with the son, and through that relationship, also went out to his father’s house (the father is the board member) several times, had meals with them, and enjoyed their family as they taught us language and culture. The father and his wife are the same age as Ann and I, so that also helped in our friendship.

On Thursday, Daniel (our friend), told us his wife was sick with Malaria. We’ve become a bit hard to this as this diabolical disease is so common - so we first find out if the people have been to the clinic, are taking their medicine, and are getting better. If those things are true, then you relax and pray for God’s healing touch. If not, you continue to pray and try to make sure the people get to the clinic. Daniel told us she had been to the hospital and was taking medicine and feeling a bit better, so we were relieved and sent our regards.

Late Sunday afternoon, Victor called us to say his mother (same age as us) had died and they needed some help with funeral expenses. We went out the next day to meet with the family and to help as we could. Both of Victor’s parents are pastors with the Wesleyan church and are quite beloved. Preparations for the funeral were underway and the funeral was scheduled for Thursday morning. We rescheduled our visiting OMS team from the states so we could go to the funeral, thanks to former OMS missionary Melvin Kelly and his wife who are here for several months helping out.

Juka advised us culturally on our responsibilities at the funeral and came with us to represent the Palvra Viva (Evangelical Church of the Living Word) churches and to translate for us (Portuguese to Shangana and visa versa).

The day of the funeral about 0900, we drove to the hospital and we formed a line with a very large bus and about four other cars. The people all met there and we somehow fit everyone in the vehicles and followed the funeral car out to the house of our dear friend. At the house, a tent of sorts had been constructed to shield from the hot sun and we gathered around the casket. I would estimate there were close to 300 or more people present in total, filling the house plot to overflowing. We sang hymns and celebrated the life of this vibrant woman who had impacted so many. There was a program and I was on it to speak on behalf of OMS International and as a friend. In this culture, you write it down and read it, presenting the written version to the family. I learned of this the night before and wrote and translated into my best Portuguese into the wee hours. On the way to the hospital in the morning, Juka proof-read it for me and helped me with some corrections. When it was my turn, I read the letter in Portuguese and Juka translated to Shangana.

During the service, many people spoke and the testimony of this lovely family was something to be celebrated and Lydia's impact on her church, her family, and the community was incredible. The speakers were all eloquent and poised, something that is very common in this oral culture. After the service, they opened the casket, which was a few feet from us, and the smell of death whiffed in our direction. The casket was made of well-painted pressed wood with a spray-painted surface and brass-colored handles and fixtures. A line formed at one person would sprinkle some Johnson and Johnson’s baby powder in the casket, another would spray some perfume – this went on for quite some time but there were so many people, that the family member in charge made them stop and the rest just walked by to show their last respects. This customary practice is related to anointing the body as mentioned in the Bible. The casket was closed and the women from her church lifted the casket and carried it on the dry, sandy, hot road to a nearby cemetery about three city blocks away. As we walked through the cemetery, there were many freshly covered graves, some obviously of children, probably also victims of malaria. The hole was ready and the family members carefully worked together to place the casket in the hole. Then, using their hands, the covered the casket and filled the hole, while the crowd watched, and finishing with the final as shown here.

I was asked to do the closing prayer at the graveside and another missionary friend translated my English into Shangana and we walked silently back to the house. We had another church service, with singing and an encouraging message, an offering for the family, and then we all ate together. We learned about Lydia’s final days, which I want to share because it paints a kind of picture that breaks our hearts. We left late in the day – driving mostly silently home, pondering the day.

Lydia had been to the hospital and was given medicine and sent home. She was also taking herbal home-treatment commonly used for malaria, and they believe the herbal medicines reacted with the malaria medicine and she threw up the first dose. That was Friday and she began to feel a bit better, and skipped the Saturday dose but by late Saturday was very sick, with high fever and chills, a full malarial attack. But, there was no transport (mini-bus or chappas) late at night and they did not get to the hospital until the next morning. In the morning they talked together but when the family went back for visiting hours that same Sunday afternoon, they learned she had passed away. This is a tragic and common story here and heart-breaking for us because we didn’t know, and we can't help but wonder if a better understanding of medicine, doses, and a phone call for help, could have possibly changed events - but we know the family well and they did the very best they could. And where is that divine line between Fatalism, providence, sovereignty, and free-will? If you ever figure it out, you’ll have to tell me – I think it falls somewhere in the ‘great mystery’ of God’s working in the world. But in any case, we know that He is sovereign and we also know full well, that Lydia is truly in a better place.

Pastor Daniel gave an inspiring talk about his wife, emphasizing that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He emphasized also that each of us has a limited number of days and that none of us know the day or the hour, but God does; that we should live each day as if it were our last; that each person should be fully committed to serving Christ daily – for this family knows without doubt that the very Creator of the Universe knows their name. This gives great confidence in life and in death, whether here in Mozambique, in America, in any country in the world.

Just this week, we saw government workers walking along the narrow road we take to Khongolote through the town of São Damasso. We stopped and talked with them a minute and they indeed were spraying the inside of the village houses with DDT. There is great hope here that the death rate will drop by factors of 10 from this program as the mosquitoes will go to the vertical walls in the houses and then be killed, before the malaria can be spread to another person. Malaria remains the number one killer in Africa but we praise God for the progress we are seeing in a systematic combating of this horrific disease that kills so many every single day here.

Pray for this lovely and close family as they struggle through the grief and loss, and for the church that has lost their pastor.

“Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:42 - 43

More on Wells; Some Sad News

This week, a three-man team arrived from OMS International to review our Every Community for Christ (ECC) work and talk with our ECC teams. It has been our joy to take them around and introduce them. Their first day here was interesting as the morning we were to go to the airport, the well-drilling people called and said 'we're passing through Maputo and need to see the locations where you want to drill water wells'. We're to go to the airport late morning for our team and wondering how we will do this. But God already had a plan and one of our national Pastors was in down and available to help us, taking the well-drillers to one location while we got the ECC folks at the airport. We later met up with them at Intaka and we have plans to drill two wells the week of the 22nd, one at Picoco and the other at Intaka. The Picoco one is a bit of a challenge because the soil is a bit rock and they took some sames to analyze at their lab to see if they think they can drill there. The rig they are using is simply a big auger and if there is much rock in the soil, you need a type of drill rig that both drills and hammers, which they don't have. So, we are praying that this is going to work out as to hire the special rig is much much more expensive.

The ECC folks who are here are OMS people who have direct responsibilities for oversight of ECC and we have enjoyed taking them around. Ann and I have reviewed all the details with them and will be discussing more with Juka and Xavier and the team tomorrow. That is also when we will receive a full report on Juka's recent trip north.

The ECC program uses a trainer, who gathers around him 12 to 15 people interested in learning more about the Bible and about planting churches. This begins a three-year discipleship program. Our goal is to have teams in all 10 provinces in Mozambique. When Juka went north, last time, he gathered all the trainers and their students and trained them on how to use the training material, and then turned them loose, thinking the trainers would work with their students. When he returned this time, many of the "church planters" (students) thought because they had been trained, they were also to gather 12 to 15 people around them and start training their students and planting churches and they did. So, what has happened in a few short months is that the trainer is now training 12 to 15 people, who are also on their own training another 12 to 15 more. Of course it isn't 100%, but the number of groups that are studying the Bible and church planting materials has grown beyond our wildest imagination. So, we will be talking more about his tomorrow. So instead of five guys with 12 to 15 people, we have potential for something like 5 times 12 times 12 kind of numbers - it is staggering - and only possible because it is God who is doing this and it is a kind of revival sweeping the land in the north. At the same time, it truly emphasizes the need for more of a teaching presence in the north to work with all these new believers and churches. The harvest is ripe but the workers are few.

We're working on improvements to the administration to get our arms better around the numbers of people involved in our ECC program, which would sound easy but in a land where the communication is all by cell phone, computers are rare, gathering the information can be a challenge. We're on it, however!

We went back out to Picoco this morning and one of our visiting Pastors brought the message, which is always appreciated here. We used our friend Timoteo as a translator and he did his normal great job. Afterwards, the church was dividing up some badly needed clothing that we had brought up to the church last week, clothing gathered from a Youth for Christ drive. The church had many new visitors and it is clearly growing. The Pastor has nearly 25 people he is disciplining right now using our church planting materials. Exciting times every day.

On a much sadder note, we receive word that one of our National Adviser's wife died today from Malaria. Of our four advisers, he is probably the one we have seen the most of outside of quarterly meetings, having been to his house a number of times and having seen him in other settings as well. In fact, we feel quite close to him in a way that is hard to explain - a kind of heart to heart link that happens with some of the people in your life. In our meeting a few days ago he advised us that his wife was sick but she was taking medicine so you kind of assume that everything is well and she will recover - but Malaria is a serious disease and sometimes it doesn't go that way, as in this case. A bright, faithful, and vibrant lady taken to be with the Lord.....So we are grieving today and tomorrow we will visit with the family and are seeking advise from other friends on what our roll should be culturally. We are also very good friends with one of his sons and his wife, who helped us when we first arrived in Mozambique and who we have remained close to. Very tough and a wake up call - take precautions, spray the house regularly, use repellents. Malaria is a horrible, insidious, diabolical, and deadly disease that is the number one killer here.

"And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted...."" Mark 5:1-3