Newsletter and Our Team

Our snail mail newsletter will be going out next week.  An electronic copy can be accessed by the link "newsletters" to the left or by the following link:

May Newsletter

Ann is working up an email newsletter as well.

This stack of correspondence is a personal letter to our financial supporters - it takes an incredible team of very special people to keep a missionary in the field.  We have the best team ever and we thank you for making it possible, which is what that stack of letters is about.  Our actual mail list is over 10 times higher.   We have been blessed beyond measure with an incredible support team.  But it is not just financial!  In addition, we have people who have housed us, prayed for us, given us material goods that were taken to the field, mailed us things, helped us with medical issues, counseled us, encouraged us in more ways than we can count.  God has an incredible network of people who respond to his leading.  May we all continue to respond to His voice and His leading.

Ann, Grandson Caleb & Dave

He has a plan and we know that it is perfect!

[Ann laughed at the picture and said 'isn't that just like you to want to measure what you've done!']

With much love,

Dave and Ann

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

Peace in the Storm

We continue to adjust to no longer being in Mozambique. As many of you have discerned, there is more ‘story’ to the story but basically God used a ‘storm’ to speak to us clearly, that our time of service in Mozambique had come to an end. It was comforting to hear a voice of peace in the storm. We spent many days questioning what we heard because we didn’t want to leave Mozambique. In the end, we realized that there is a ‘story above the story’ as God’s Spirit moves and accomplishes His purposes in ways that are “the secret things of God” (Deut 29:29). As in all storms of life, it isn’t the storm, in fact the ‘story’ really has no importance other than whether we will choose to trust Him to take us through it, or not….Do we trust Him, ...or not? Is He in control, or not?

The book of Ezekiel begins with a storm (“I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north--an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light”) and yet, after a time of waiting in the midst of the storm and a discouraging time in Ezekiel’s life, God raises him up (“As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”) What comfort there is in serving a God, who is with us in the midst of the storms of life, and who speaks to us in ways that challenge our comprehension and full understanding but yet ring true in our hearts.

We freely admit we returned to the States depleted and heartbroken but at the same time full of God’s peace - that we had accomplished that task He had set forth before us and that our part in His story in Mozambique was over. We went to this beautiful land without expectations, agenda, and complete openness to whatever He might lay out before us. We were blessed with the precious work he did set for before us, making disciples through the Village Church Planting program. And now this work continues forward in the capable hands of the National Church as it should. Independent not dependent.

This philosophy is what we had always loved about OMS, that the first thing is the first thing, lives changed through the transforming power of an encounter with Jesus; teaching and making of disciples; that the sons and daughters of a nation are the ones most able to win their country for Christ (Matt 28). All else pales in comparison to this transforming encounter with our Creator. What a privilege to witness this transformation that is not accomplished through the work of men, but rather through the work of God’s Spirit, one soul at a time.

We have been in, what I would describe as, a time of recovery and adjustment, trying to exercise, walk, read, pray as we seek God’s direction for our ‘what is next’. But the message is to rest and recover and this time will hopefully culminate in April when we meet with others in ministry to brainstorm and discover avenues for continued service.

We were walking on a trail to a waterfall in the Smoky Mountains, one that we have walked many times in our lives. A part of the trail went through a large area that had been devastated by tornados last year and only recently reopened. As we walked through this storm-ravaged area, I could sense God’s presence (as I often do when ‘in nature’) as He gave us an object lesson on how He makes our paths straight through the storms of life and has a place he is leading us towards. How much easier to walk His trail than to forge one of our own through the tempests of life. As we stopped at the wonderful falls and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water and the dancing rainbows in the spray, how could we not trust Him who created all of this? HIs ways are not our ways but we know that as His children, he wants to give us bread and not stones, that he wants to hold us in our trials and despair and to come to him as children come to a loving parent. What peace there is in this walk with Him!

As we left the beauty of the forest, we had to stop and wait for two snakes (Eastern ribbon snakes) passing across the trial. After having experienced a precious time of God’s presence, I was almost afraid the snakes were going to turn and speak to us! The temptations of life never stop, the whisper of our enemy never ceases and it is ours to walk around and pass - to not stop and engage him. His goal is to kill and destroy and we see the evidence of his destructive work all through this fallen world.

A beautiful day that did much to restore us and revive us. On the drive home, we had to stop because of an horrible and sudden thunderstorm accompanied by massive amounts of marble-sized hail. It came out of nowhere as most storms in our lives do. We took refuge in a small store at the foot of a mountain, drinking coffee and sampling fudge. Peace in the storm.

May all of us walk that path that He has prepared before us - it is as real as the one we just took through the tornado flattened forest. It is the path we need to desire to walk, for it is the path of peace and the path prepared for us from the beginning.

As the hymn says, Only trust Him, Only trust Him...

With love,

Dave and Ann

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” Deut 29:29

“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed…” Ps 107:29

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 15:26 as Jesus encouraged his disciples.

Our Shipment has arrived!

On a hot day on June 9 we said goodbye to our shipment as Suddath International took our ministry supplies and personal effects away in a waxed cardboard box.  We wondered if we would ever see it again for we had been told 'it can't be done!' (to ship things to Mozambique).

Today, October 28, it arrived!  A little worse for wear but intact and praise God, nothing was damaged.  Of great concern was our electric piano that we were the most worried about as it was on the top of the box.  However, although the box was beaten a bit, it had been off loaded in Dubai, in Durban, and in Maputo - I can't complain!  It has been like Christmas today as we had completely forgotten what we'd sent - wedding dresses, audio bibles, Jesus film equipment, music, books, clothes, blankets, baby dolls, kitchen things we can't get here.

Our receiver (Glenscare) got it out of the port without difficulty and there were no additional charges, which was how it was supposed to be, but one never knows!  Great experience and for any of you shipping things overseas - you have our recommendation.  We also extend our thanks to the International Missions Board (IMB) who connected us originally with Suddath.  There you go - another shameless recommendation!

God is good to all of us, all the time.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann


"O taste and see that the LORD is good.."  Ps 34:8








This last photo shows that our little Boabab tree is starting to sprout new leaves.  There are trees like this in the north that are huge beyond belief.

The Pickup

Thanks to the generous assistance from our dear support base, we were able to purchase a new four-wheel drive truck.  It is a basic truck - stick-shift, 2.5 four-cylinder turbo-charged diesel (guys want to know that stuff!).  It was quite a process but we feel good about it.  We need to get the required safety inspection in the next couple of days as well.  It is one step above the basic level of truck because we wanted air bags for the type of driving we do to the north as well as the ABS brakes.  Can you believe they sell cars throughout the world without these things?  Or, maybe you are thinking 'oh ye of little faith"  Well, possibly, but I know people who have rolled cars and had major accidents on our crazy north-south "highway" and so I also don't want to tempt fate.

This particular truck is not available in the US - but we have confidence in the brand (Mazda) and the dealer was the only one willing to work with us on the price.  It is my second silver Mazda as some of you well know from my pre-missionary days so maybe there is a psychological thing involved - but again, I digress.

We had the side lights riveted to car with metal strips, along with headlights, tail-lights, padlocking the spare tire under the back, acid etching the license number on the lights and mirrors.  Stuff you do to try to make them less desireable to those who love to pry them out with a crowbar and sell them back to you on the streets.  The locked cap also allows us to carry things in the back that are less likely to 'run away' and the next stop light!  A continuing sad commentary on life here but a true commentary on the natural slant and predisposition of man.

Our next challenge is a new law just passed which requires us to surrender our US driver's license and obtain a Mozambican driver's license.  We spent much of Friday running from office to office trying to figure this new law out.  We even ended up in the head office for the country (those crazy Americans who will talk to anyone) trying to figure this thing out.  Everyone gave us a different story - but it is clear that it is a long bureaucratic process involving tests, money, and lots of time.  We are trying to figure it out for all of us here.  They "promise" that we can have our stateside driver's licenses back when we return to the States; pardon my skepticism.  I guess that means all of us will have to report 'lost' licenses to our state-side license agencies.  Thank you God for this opportunity to learn more about humility, patience, and Your grace that covers me.  May I use the time in the lines to talk with people who live in a lost and dying world of the incredible peace and hope that you bring, for You are the God of Peace and Hope, which surpasses the understanding of both those who do not know you and those of us who do.

Blessings and thank you so very much.  We hit our support account very hard to purchase this car and appreciate very very much for your faithfulness to us.  During our last term we paid a fortune for a 1998 vehicle and poured thousands and thousands into it in repairs.  We really believe this is a better way for us to go to be good stewards of our time and resources in this term, and in the end, as those of you who own cars know, 'you will pay now or you will pay later, but you most certainly will pay!'

Our last term, our car was known for the kid stickers we had on the windows - the kids enjoyed them.  Ann brought some disney and other static stickers with her this term and decorated the windows today.  The box in the back contains wedding dresses for our trip tomorrow.

Ann says I should go drive it through a sticker bush hedge and sideswipe something and just get it over with!  There was the Darlington strip (for you NASCAR fans) when the cars would slide up the bank on turn four and brush the wall, and here there is the Chappa (mini-bus) strip where you get side swiped because 1/4 of an inch clearance is, well, too much.  I love this picture of her and just include it here 'just because!'

And as life would have it, the young saleslady we bought the truck from actually lives across the street from our seminary and remembered us from a trip way back when she was learning English as a second language at our our small rooms at the back of the property when we met with the class with a team from our home church.  She only spoke a little English and so we kind of found our way through Portuglais (part of each language!).  Her name was Ana also and as the process is long, we had the privilege to spend much time with her and we really do sense God's hand on her life.  We thought she looked familiar and it took a long time of discussion to finally put all that together.

Relationships - those we meet along life's way - they tend to come around - it makes you ponder what kind of blessing or curse we leave behind us as we walk life's highways.  May we be children of the blessing.....

Blessings.

Dave and Ann

"I urge your to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love."  Ephesians 4:1,2

Transition Update

We continue to adjust to life here.   We have been in and out of various government offices and now have the package nearly together that has to be submitted to Immigration to get our visas squared away.  We are still praying about when to submit the paperwork as we may need to make a trip to South Africa first - we are praying about that.  Things that play into this:

1.  We met with our shipping agent on this end yesterday about the shipment headed this way.  The shipping people in Charleston, South Carolina put Durban, South Africa as the final destination for our things instead of Maputo so they are scrambling between here and the States to figure out how to get the shipment from Durban to here.  I was impressed by the agent here and think they will be able to work it out.  However, we need to have our resident visas in hand before the shipment arrives, so we really should submit the paperwork this week.

2.  Within a couple of days of arrival, at a distinct moment in time, I experienced what is called a vitreal detachment in my right eye, which in itself is not so uncommon in people over 50 years of age, but mine was accompanied by arcs of light in the periphery of my vision that continued for a few hours afterwards but have stopped.  It also resulted in a significant floater.   Through our embassy, I located one of the two Opthalmologist in Maputo and was able to see her last night.  That was an experience in and of itself but I received a very good examination although she felt a bit limited based upon what equipment she had to work with.

The concern is that my symptoms are consistent with a retinal tear although she could not see one and my vision is not impacted other than this floater, which is a large area of blurriness that floats around in my peripheral vision.  It's quite irritating actually but the doctors seem to think it will settle over time.  Kind of like a soft contact lens that doesn't fit quite right or that has something under it so you keep moving it around to try until it is better - except in this case it doesn't get better.

So, I'm to take it easy for a few days, she has me on Prednisone for a week with restricted duty - no lifting - resting, that kind of thing.  She is referring me to an Opthalmologist in South Africa for review in about six weeks.  She is writing a report for me to take with me, which will be ready tomorrow.  So our delimna is whether or not to go to South Africa sooner than later.  If I am understanding correctly, I am at risk of a retinal detachment in the coming weeks; which would require immediate surgery.

My eldest daughter works in eye research and so I got some expert ophthalmic opinions right away, for which I am thankful.  For the most part, they like the idea of getting another opinion in South Africa but normal protocol is another check in six weeks assuming I received a good exam here - which I think I did.  So, we're thinking that makes sense, although our visa's are a problem.  We can get an emergency exit visa, but here those things aren't necessarily 'quick'.  We have to give up our passports in order to get our visas.  Once we have submitted our paperwork to Immigration, there is a way to get an emergency exit visa, but it takes a day or so to get that - so we will probably wait until Monday to submit the paperwork, so we can have our 30-day emergency leave document in our hands by Tuesday.

If we leave with our existing passports, we would not be able to get back into the country without getting new entrance visas, with intent to obtain a resident visa, from the Mozambican Embassy in South Africa, and we would be starting all over again to get our 'package' together to submit, not an inconsequential amount of work.  We'd also be stuck in South Africa for a while, which we aren't wild about as we feel much much safer in Mozambique than in South Africa.  So, life can get a bit complicated!

So, we are praying about our next step.

Life is full of challenges but God remains in control.  Our trust remains in Him.

This weekend we are having an annual meeting with our team, called "Field Council".  It is a time to review the last year and set the plan for the coming year.   It's required by our Statutes on file with the Mozambican government and is when we elect officers and write our field plan for the next five years.  There have been so many changes in the year we have been gone, that we really plan to do more listening than talking.  I wish we had a few more weeks so we could sit with our national church leaders a bit first and understand their vision for the next five years.  We have already met with one of our OMS advisors and need to make those rounds as well and hear their perspective on things.

So, we continue to seek God's presence and to "listen" so we can follow His plan vice our own.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he who keeps the law--blessed is he."   Proverbs 29:18   

Radical Thinking

Two things I’ve been pondering the last few weeks.  First, while we were at Avon Park, I heard a story about a new missionary couple who had spent the time and expense to visit 20 churches in the Eastern US to explain their call to missionary service and invite the churches and people to partner with them.  They spent the time and expenses in these 20 churches and no one responded, no one...  This just grieved my Spirit so deeply and I have 10’s of questions I wish I could ask; but I find it simply incredible that this could happen.  There is a tendency to want to blame the missionary for not doing something right, but on the other hand, if you speak with conviction about the love God has placed in your heart for that field He has called you to, how can this be even possible?  My heart just grieves for we know the needs overseas are so great and the workers so very few and the urgency so.....well.....URGENT.  Eternity hangs in the balance.  So I just ponder this and give such incredible thanksgiving for all the dear people who make it possible for us to serve Christ in Mozambique.  It is humbling.

This then brings me to the next thing as we get so incredibly distracted in our hedonistic society.  While we were in Avon Park, we heard about a book called “Radical” by a fellow named David Platt.  It was one of those books that was guaranteed to ‘rock our world’.  I downloaded it on my Kindel and have almost finished it; and indeed it is one of those books that has the potential to ‘rock your world’.  

It is written by a Pastor of a church in Birmingham who pretty much ‘calls it like it is’.  He is strong on the mission of the church as assigned by Jesus in Matthew 28:  Go and make disciples.   If we really are transformed by the power of Christ and really believe, then why don’t our lives reflect it?  The author challenges us to do the following things for one year, guaranteeing it will change your life.  Those things are:

1. Pray - truly, diligently, faithfully
2. Read through the Bible in one year (we’ve been be proponents of this for years!)
3. Commit your life to a specific community of believers (i.e. a local church)
4. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose 
5. Spend your time in another context

You will have to read the book to get the details and although the first item is not specifically called out, it is included and I believe it has to start there.  We should certainly be more about doing and a lot less about the talking....

But, then again, the most radical book that I know will rock your world, is to read God’s word from cover to cover (we recommend reading it chronologically over the course of a year), allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you fill your life with the wisdom and beauty of the Bible; by far the truly radical book that so many know about, but don’t really know...It will change you - guaranteed.

And then tonight, in the house where we are staying, they have this small little book called “The Greatest Thing in the Whole World” by Henry Drummond.  There is no copy right but this little pocket book is clearly worn, tattered, and very old yet so profound.  I would like to memorize this little book and its wisdom.  The greatest thing is Love - but the explanation is so wonderful.  Jesus said he would show us a simpler way, that if we do one thing (love), then we will fulfill the law without even thinking.  For example, if you take any of the 10 commandments, at its base is Love.  For example, the commandment “thou shalt have no other gods before me”....if we truly love God, we wouldn’t even consider such a thing.  Or, if we truly loved our neighbor, why would we covet whatever he might have, and so on.  

Then it takes the gifts of the spirit (Patience, kindness, generosity, humility, etc.) and compares them to what the Bible says about love (love suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not) using those beautiful words from Corinthians so often read at weddings.  It calls these spiritual gifts the “Spectrum of Love”.  So beautiful.....Every couple should read this little book together!

As we watch the hate playing across the world’s stages today - why are we surprised?  It is what we get when there is not love.  

And then the little book, ends with:  “And who are Christ’s?  Everyone that loveth is born of God.”

May it be so.  May we reflect the love of our Creator to the world around us.   May we examine our lives daily to see if we are loving as we should if we truly believe what we say we believe.... Our love most flow outwardly as it is received inwardly from on high!

As a prayer request this night; we have learned that our Mozambican friends Carlos Jango and his wife Tina, have lost their first baby.  We counseled this couple before they got married and they actually spent their wedding night in our house in Mozambique.  The baby apparently had jaundice from what we understand and this is something that pulls hard at Ann,...had we just been there....  She worked in labor and delivery for many years.   They are a dear couple and we love them dearly - May God give them peace in this time of tragedy.  Infant mortality is so high in Mozambique and this makes our hearts so heavy.  But we can trust God with everything, the good and the terribly bad.  He will sustain us.  Sustain Carlos and Tina dear Lord.  (Photo is from their wedding).

Dave and Ann

“On Christ the solid rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand, 

All other ground is sinking sand....”

“And in the end, the love we take [receive] is equal to the love we make [give to others].”  Beatles song

Winter on the Mountain

Shortly after returning from our 10 weeks of travel, Thanksgiving came to the mountain cabin where we are staying, through the amazing and overflowing generosity of one of our supporters. All the kids were able to come and though we were packed in; it was a wonderful time. A picture of all of us - I will try to include it if our internet speeds will allow it.

But the snow has come. We are under a severe weather alert over the next three days and they are predicting many inches of snow in the valley, which could be feet here in the mountains. I gave up shoveling out after the third clearing of our access to the gravel road - putting the mini-van up near the road. That way I only have to shovel a path the 300 feet from the cabin.

It is beautiful, it is quiet, but it is an odd feeling knowing you absolutely can't get out and probably for some number of days.

As I was getting the van positioned at the top of this hill, one of the residents (Harvey) passed by, moving his car to the foot of the mountain. I had a delightful conversation with him and got all the news and he was a bit surprised we were wintering on the mountain. He told me it gets a little gnarly on this old mountain. Do we have food that can last a few weeks? Gulp!

He volunteered to walk me down the mountain (literally through the woods down behind our house - straight down) to the church on the flat where he was taking his car. In my mind I have a hard time understanding how that church is straight below us but I believe him. No problem, he says, "you look fit enough that you can probably (????) make it down and back." He says when he is in a hurry, he can slide down the mountain in about 15 or 20 minutes. However, the trip back up the steep slope will take about an hour depending upon how much I have to rest. I relayed all this to Ann and she made it clear that if I wanted to try this, I could. There was no "we" in that discussion! So, I need a backpack for the requisite bread, milk, and eggs that one must always buy in the middle of a snow storm! ;-)

There is a narrow place on the one-lane drive up where you are in a deep narrow 'cut' - high on each side where you can't see past the banks. You basically drive up through the tree roots on each side - the road is four feet below the tree roots (they call it the "root canal" here). I never thought about it, but Harvey told me that was the limiting place - the wind whips up the mountain and deposits snow in the root canal and fills it and it takes at least a day with equipment to clean it out so you can get through - this is no job for a fellow with a snow shovel! I'll have to snap a picture of this some point.

It is 21 degrees, the wind is blowing, visability is near zero but we are warm and I am thankful to have a safe place to lay my head. I also know there is absolutely no way I could ever relay to my Mozambican friends that such a place as this even exists. I tried with my friend Juka, but he just says, "it is time for you to come back to us. No one should live in such a place." It is 81 in Maputo today!

I am surrounded by good books. I finished some long over-due reports to OMS. The budget and strategy for next year's Village Church Planting program has been submitted. There is great satisfaction to getting these things behind us for now, especially with the uncertainty of our internet in these severe conditions (it is slowest Internet I have ever had, even dating back to the dial up AOL days!).

But God is near and I relish the opportunity to do some study. I am reading a refreshingly realistic book called "Experiencing Leader Shift, Letting Go of Leadership Heresies." It is one of the most refreshing books I've read on "leadership" in a very long time. I have gone through so very much leadership training in my life, probably more than most people, but always knowing I was not gifted in this area and all the training in the world will not make you a gifted leader. God has given me other giftings, as he has you, and we should serve with confidence in those giftings, whatever they be. God does not make mistakes and each of us is wonderously and marvelously made with a God-ordained plan for us, provided we will open ourselves to the creator of the universe.

I am also reading a publication out of Canada that speaks to the compatibility of faith and science and I am finding it another refreshing and wonderful work. Christianity and science need not and should not be opposed to each other. The scientific method came out of the Reformation for heavens sake. We can stand confidently that God's truth is God's truth and he has given us a magnificant ordered earth and universe to figure out and understand as we seek Him. We need not be afraid, for He loves us and understands us like no other can.

Juka is hosting a leadership (there is that word again) in Mocuba starting in the coming days with our church planters, pastors, and trainers as we continue to seek that the Gospel of Jesus will go forth into the unreached places in Mozambique. There will be training, study, prayer, worship, and fellowship as Juka re-establishes the vision of our village church planting program. Dear Lord, give him and Pastor Abel the the wisdom that only you can impart and bless this gathering of Your people. Give travel mercies to those coming from all parts of Mozambique to attend. Reveal your will for the future and continue to grow this work which You began." Amen.

Enough for now. Thank you for standing with us. I never imagined being snowed in while on furlough!! But God knows what we need; there is absolutely no shortage of things we need to do in support of the work in Mozambique, even here in the States.

Wish I had some cross-country ski equipment - we used to be avid cross-country skiers in our earlier days - what an amazing place to have them! That would be a great trip to the foot of the mountain & back!

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Find out where God is at work and join Him." Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God

Theology of Work

I’ve written quite a bit about our pending seminary class that begins on Monday; a walk of faith to be sure with our non-existent funding for such an endeavor. But we are so thankful to God for bringing the program thus far, for providing for every need, and why would we think He would bring it to this point to not complete the work?

It will be a grand day because it represents the culmination of a lot of work from a lot of different people. We have everything in place to start and are excited to see what God will do in the lives of the staff, students, and missionaries alike. Thirty new students wanting to impact their community and

country for Christ…Thank you Lord!

In the midst of all this, one of our Mozambican teaching staff is working on his doctorate and as a part of that endeavor, received a grant to do a special class on the Theology of Work. The class began on Saturday and was attended by 30 people from over 10 denominations and is the first of 12 classes he is having in the next three months on this appropriate topic. We rejoice with our dear friend and his desire to address this topic in a society where it is very important to receive a salary but not necessarily to have to do anything for it! We thank God for this

new avenue to teach Biblical truths; changing lives in the process. He had students from 10 denominations, including pastors, Bible School graduates, and Professional personnel. He is a gifted teacher and well recognized as such; we are thankful to have him working with us.

He has asked that we remember him in prayer as prepares for and gives the classes.

We are always thrilled when our seminary building is being used to further Gods word to a lost and dying world!

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

“…for every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand ….for the world is Mine and all its fullness…..Offer to God Thanksgiving…Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me…..” Psalm 50: 10-15

Project Update and a Little on Thanksgiving

We're literally hours away from a quick trip home to visit our daughters in the States. We look forward to seeing our girls but at the same time, there are so many thinigs happening here - there is never a convenient time. We will be centered in South Carolina and don't expect to travel very much beyond arriving in Alabama (Dave's mom and sister), South Carolina (Sarah / Allison), Tennessee (Ann's brother and Lynsey) and then back to Alabama for the return. We need some time away and with our precious family and are looking forward to the break, hoping I remember how to drive on the other side of the road.

With this said, I am not sure how our Internet access will be in the coming weeks so if it seems that we have dropped off the face of the earth, we haven't really. Thank you so very much for standing so faithfully with us.

We have a couple of things coming together here in Mozambique in our absence:

1. Next Tuesday, the fellows are coming to fix the water well at Intaka and Belarmino is tasked with ensuring that the well bolts are welded in place and that there is very good security for the well. We will begin digging a new well in Mocuba next year (Project 407670 - Water for Life)

2. We are doing an upgrade to the church at Mavalene, which has out-grown its current space. The church meets in a lean-two next to Pastor Abel's house. We will extend to metal roof to provide more space out of the rain / sun and extend the wall up against the roof. They have an all-night prayer service on 12/31 and normally people in the area throw things over the wall, such as bottles, which can be dangerous to those in the church. (Project 405770 - Mavalane)

3. Marcos Zito's wedding on December 19. (Project 403960 - Moz. Benevolence)

4. OMS Advisor's meeting on December 4.

5. Juka is doing a training session with the Trainers next week in the Mocuba area before they gravel back to Maputo later in the month (to arrive in time for the wedding). He has some business to settle in Nampula relative to our church planting work there and they will leave from Nampula because they can be assured of a seat on the bus if they start there, rather than catching it in Mocuba. So - an extra days travel to assure yourself of a seat.

(photo of Turkeys with Turkeys!)

Thanksgiving (photo above is Jason, Tristen, and Rachel - our adopted kids.)

In the past, we have had Thanksgiving celebrations where we invited various friends to eat Turkey and cranberry sauce, something not eaten much here. It is a great holiday for cross-cultural sharing and participation but this year was a bit different. We decided with the time-pressures in preparation of departing, we would have a smaller celebration here where we live with the two other missionary families near us. Then, other missionary friends found out about it the next thing we knew we had a ton of people coming. Ann decorated the house with Thanksgiving things and we especially noticed that all the children seemed to especially enjoy seeing (and eating!) all the food. Our open grounds allowed them to run and there were all sorts of games in progress all over the place. It made our hearts sing to see all these children running and laughing all around the house. Just before everyone arrived, we managed to change the oil and serviced Aimee's car and then devote the afternoon and evening to eating the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Three turkey's 'gave their all' and some other turkeys did the carving! ;-)

We ate outside in the shade and generally enjoyed a general break from the routine chaos. We had missionaries from seven different agencies, all joined together for a common cause, to spread the gospel. Especially special was Jason and Rachel (and Tristen) coming down from Xai-Xai to spend two nights with us. We love this couple as if they were our own kids and Ann especially enjoyed cooking with Rachel in preparation for Thanksgiving. Tristen calls us Grandpa and Grandma, and who can resist that? They brought this amazing ham (hard to find in with Moslems owning most of the shops!) that disappeared in nothing flat and was clearly the favorite item on the table!

After a few games, we moved over to the Hulsey's house to enjoy a buffet of deserts and look at Don Hulsey's photographs of his dive trip last weekend swimming with sharks big enough to swallow him in a single gulp. Beautiful photographs and I am always so engaged by his enthusiasm for diving. He says he cannot help but worship God when he sees the beauty and wonder of the life that is teaming underneath the waves of the ocean. The photos are remarkable.

It was such a blessed day and I could not help but give thanks in my mind over and over again. It was a great time of ministry to a wonderful missionary community, all who have dedicated their lives to the cause of Christ. The people in this photograph below represent seven different mission agencies doing work in Mozambique.

"Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth....Enter His gates wth thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name...." Psalm 100