Tropical Storm Dando

  

Mozambique is being challenged by tropical storm Dando.  There has been quite a bit of flooding and the main north - south road (there is only one!) is washed out at the Gaza - Maputo province border.  We have a team from the Wesleyan church trapped here because they were unable to get north to Xai Xai.  The city of Xai Xai is already out of diesel fuel and basic things because the infrastructure of Mozambique is so very fragile.

When we were speaking during our furlough time, I used to say that I could count the times it rained over four years on my two hands.  This year has been quite a bit different!    The good side is the gardens are growing well and we see grass where there has never been grass before.

There is much damage as the sand washes out so easily and roads crumble and cave - disrupting traffic flow.  But people take it in stride, where waiting in a line for hours is, well, just normal.

These photos are of the roads right outside of where we live after the water receded.

This storm is hanging out in the sea between Mozambique and Madagascar and moving so very slowly.  The weather forecasts change hourly.  It reach cyclone speeds for a while but has done lots of damage.  It is a very slight taste of what it must have been like in those terrible floods of 2000 when a series of cyclones whacked Mozambique.

We take weather so much for granted.  But, no matter what happens, we can be sure that God remains on the throne and that nothing happens of which He is not aware.

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it."  Is 45:8

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.

Our Shipment

Back in July, we shipped a 53 inch square waxed cardboard crate to Mozambique by sea because air cargo shipments are virtually impossible for individuals to or from the States right now due to Homeland security requirements.  It is full of ministry related things as well as an electronic piano.  We received a call from our clearing agent in Mozambique today saying that our shipment was at the port and he hoped to have it cleared through customs by next Tuesday.  Pray with us this will go well; you can rapidly accrue very high storage and port costs if there are delays.  Pray for favor with regard to any duty we will have to pay.

In addition, we have a team from Brazil arriving tomorrow.  It's an exciting thing - the National Church founded by OMS so many years ago is now to the point of desiring to send their own missionaries overseas.  This is a great opportunity and of course, they come already fluent in the language.  We will be getting them at the airport in the morning for this survey trip.  This is why we love OMS - we pray that someday our church here in Mozambique will be self-sufficient and passionate about the job of the church as give by Jesus in Matthew 28:  Go and make disciples, locally and in all the world (my paraphrase).

They have already sent some books from Brazil to help with the seminary program.  Wonderful partnering together for the cause of Christ.

As an aside; we lost a great innovator in Steven Jobs yesterday.  Thank you Steve for this wonderful Apple computer I'm using, the touch-screen phone we use every day, and the ability to talk and see our Grandson grow via "Face Time," which is to Skype what a Mazda Miata is to a Model T.  May God open his arms to you and cover you with His grace and mercy.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

We will all someday...


"fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever.  [We will] lay our crowns before the throne and say:

You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things

and by Your will, they were created

and have their being."

Rev. 4:10-11

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

Yes we are here

Tonight I figured out how to get our internet working on one computer.  It took several phone calls on a borrowed phone and I am not doing something exactly right with the wireless, but we'll figure it out.

We arrived without difficulty in Maputo and the Kelly's were there to receive us.  It was great to see them and their precious twins.  All our luggage made it and customs pulled the same container that homeland security did - but after an inspection, everything was ok.  We think Ann's four-year supply of hair spray (2 cans) may have been the culprit.

The jet lag has been a bit more of a challenge than we remembered - we still aren't in to the swing of things and our days and nights continue to be mixed up.

Things we noticed:

1.  The entire Mozambique field is completely consumed with getting the OMS school started by Monday.  They have done so very much and worked so hard and everyone is sprinting to the finish point.  The new school will be very nice and there will be much room to grow in this new location.
2.  There are a lot more cars on the roads, with the resultant traffic.
3.  There seems to have been a marked increase in crime while we've been away, just what we've put together hearing the various stories.

Our weekly prayer meeting was really nice - 11 people were present - we haven't had that many people on the field for many years now.  The lesson was wonderful, from 1 Kings 19, and tracked along exactly with what we feel God has been telling us all year, that we need to listen.

That said, we still don't have a working phone, our internet access just happened today, although there are details to work out on that still and we haven't quite figured out how to deal with money under the new banking rules.  We bought a new phone in the airport in Johannesburg, planning to put a mozambique chip in it (the phones are cheaper in South Africa), but haven't quite got to that step.  You'll understand in a minute.

The banking rules in Mozambique have also changed and we're not quite sure how we will deal with the resultant issues, but we'll figure something out.  Because of a purchase in South Africa, the bank froze our account, so we borrowed a friends skype connection to try and deal with that - wondering if things are going to be more difficult that way this term.  We haven't bought groceries yet - because we don't have confidence our credit card will work to get cash - so I guess we just haven't relaxed into the chaos and difficulty of life here.

Some missionary friends of ours here left for furlough in the states just before we came back - they are letting us use their car - which is a great blessing to us and a savings for us operationally also while we look for something.  The car had only sat for two months before we got here.

It wouldn't start and when I opened the door it smelled really bad - rats / mice - I know that smell well from the cabin!  I mean REALLY REALLY bad.  It wouldn't start, so I looked under the hood and the vacuum hoses and electrical wires had been eaten by hungry mice - little holes everywhere, rat droppings everywhere and smell smell smell.  It was overwhelming, so I wrote a quick note to my friend who assured me there was no secret button or step to start the car.

The next day, used electrical tape and connectors, fixing the wires and temporarily patching the vacuum hoses - no problem.  Eventually, I got it started and it seemed to be running fine except for the smell.  SO I drove it over to our house to continue working on it - and tried the air conditioner - the fan caught and I immediately shut it off and dust and little black rice pellets shot our of the ducts.  Oooooh.  I could taste that smell for the next 24 hours.

So, I'm on day two - took out the air conditioner fan and uncovered the condenser and cleaned out the little nests in the fan and the condenser housing,  learning a lesson I had never thought about before - NEVER STORE YOUR CAR WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING CONTROL ON "OUTSIDE AIR".  That's how they came, in, dragging a sleeve from someone's shirt into the fan (I'm not making this up). I cleaned up all that mess  - end of day 1.  No trips to town yet....

Day 2 - the mice came back - lots of evidence in the engine compartment, but not in the car - their door was closed.  The smell is still overpowering, but I found the second nest, up under the hood liner - Took that down and began the second day of hard cleaning.  By the end of the day the smell was much reduced, the air conditioner working great, and the engine running like the well-oiled machine it is.

Do I sound like I'm complaining - no - I've actually enjoyed resolving the problem and I enjoy working on cars - so it has been a nice time to work and talk to my heavenly father about this term before us.  In between, I've been able to visit with some of the folks coming and going - re-engaging in Portuguese, and it has been good.  We're working to get our house in order - it was actually in very good shape, we just needed to open our storage closet and unpacked the suitcases.  Aimee did us quite a favor staying here while we were gone and everything was in wonderful shape.

So, tomorrow, we'll try our hand at driving back to town on the other side of the road, buying a chip for our phone, hopefully getting a little money,  and getting some groceries.   We also need to get our immigration paperwork started.  We are trying to re-enter slowly and deliberately - there is so much to be done just to prepare for life here.

I would appreciate prayer tonight - I have been immersed in rat dust / droppings and cleaners - but something funny is happening to my right eye.  Years ago, I worked for two ophthalmologists and I know just enough to be be concerned.  Our visa's don't allow us to exit the country until we receive our resident visas and I can't imagine finding an eye doctor here I would be comfortable with - but we can ask at the Embassy which is one of the stops we have to make in the next day or two.

Ann says it might be hysterical blindness; welcome to Africa!  It's more of a fog that comes and goes on the right eye - to me more like something floating in the vitreous that cross the field of vision from time to time. Peripheral vision is good, and the cloudiness seems to move a little bit.  So, I'm thinking it is something in the fluid - like a floater but more fuzzy.

Claude and Marilynn Meyers are staying at the house next to us for a few days - what a treat to be able to spend some time with them today.  What an example they are to us of consistent service for the Lord.  We are very fond of them.

We have enjoyed getting reacquainted with many of our national friends, from Berto, Alzira, Aaron, Luis, Alberto, the guards who watch over our compound, Belarmino, Adelino, and the list goes on.  There are so many we need to reconnect with, but first things first:  we need to get set up and our legal status squared away before we get too involved.  Our shipment is scheduled to arrive September 26 and we must have our resident visas in hand by then.

Oh, and our water heater is out (and it is winter here, 60 degree weather) - so that is on the list as well, as well as the leaky shut-off valve - no shortage of the things of life.

So, I leave you with this short update - thank you for standing with us.

Blessings

Dave and Ann

"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life....The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by,...but the Lord was not in the wind,....was not in the earthquake,....was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it (listening!!), he pulled his cloak over his face (humility!!) and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  THEN (my emphasis) the LORD said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (for he had run in fear away from what God had intended for him)"  1Kings 19 (a good read!)


And after Elijah listened, God gave his the instruction and assurance that he needed - in the gentle whisper....


God is so good to us....

Back in Africa

We have safely arrived in Joburg, South Africa and tomorrow we fly up to Maputo to begin our second term.  No significant issues so far for which we are thankful.  Very tearful goodbyes in Knoxville.  Continue to pray our luggage makes it through tomorrow.  

Blessings,

Dave and Ann

  

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

God's world is simple in a magnificent way

After several months of travel, we arrived yesterday back at the cabin where we are beginning our preparations to return to Mozambique.  (My plan is to do a blog on statistics in the coming weeks).   As we drove south from Pittsburgh, the world became greener as we moved into spring.  The brown has turned to green and the Ornamental Pear trees, probably my most favorite tree, were moving from the white blossoms into their beautiful green; I had worried I would miss this favorite part of spring but God blessed us with this wonder of his creation as we drove south.

Ann said something as we traveled back to the cabin that was quite profound:

“God’s world is simple in a magnificent way”.  

It just rang true with me.  The Gospel is simple; God’s requirement for us to simply believe in Jesus is quite simple; our reliance on Him totally is quite simple; and the concept that He loves us beyond measure - well, it is quite simple. And yet, he can take us through the toughest and complex trial, by simply trusting Him.  And the beauty of the spring, the consistency of the spring flowers, the summer skies, the fall colors, and the purity of the snow.  Simply beautiful and a testimony of His love for us.

Life can be extremely difficult and there are no promises that things will be easy - it is a lie that we want to buy into but it just isn’t scriptural.  But armed with simple child-like faith, we see his mighty hand move in the most difficult situations as to the One who spoke things into existence, our most complex problem is, well, simple.  As Jesus says, “Trust in God, trust also in Me...”  It’s that simple!

We were greeted at the cabin by a beautiful patch of daffodils, attesting that spring is truly here.  I remain so thankful that we have this beautiful place of respite and once again, we are able to do devotions sitting on the porch viewing a world that cries out to the existence of a Holy God.  This one picture is of the sun burning through the cloud.  

I have begun to study the Book of Acts again as we prepare to return to Mozambique.  This precious book is rich with the history of the early church and God’s working to protect and establish His church.  I cannot study this book without feeling a sense of awe and even though I’ve taught through this book many times, it never gets old and I see new truths each time.

Tomorrow, we hit the road again to speak to the students at Mount Carmel School in Kentucky.  When I look at the map, it appears to me you can’t get there from here, so we are assured of a beautiful drive through the Appalachian Mountains.   We will then return for a couple of days before heading over to the Raleigh-Durham region to meet some friends from Idaho who will be consulting at Duke University hospital.  

We are praying earnestly for God’s direction on our preparations for returning to Mozambique.  We have quite a bit things we need to take back to Mozambique, more than we can check as baggage.  Even if we could, the theft problems in Jo-burgh are severe and we have learned from experience that one should minimize luggage going through that airport.  More times than not, our bags have been broken into and things removed at that airport.  Air cargo eliminates that problem and while it was exceedingly easy to ship from Mozambique to here, we have found it virtually impossible to ship air cargo from here to Mozambique because of Homeland Security regulations.  We have called numerous Freight Forwarders who initially say “sure” and then call us back later to say it is impossible.  The requirements are intense and while maybe a business can eventually get approved to air ship, the individual can’t.  South African Air told us they would receive a $25,000 fine if they accepted a shipment from us since we are ‘unknown shippers’.  So, our deadly audio bibles, wedding dresses, baby blankets, medical supplies, and keyboard can’t go!  Incredible to me but then again, when has government involvement in anything ever made it better?  Opps, is that a political comment?; I don’t think so - has nothing to do with politics - just government.  It all seems horribly anti-business to me.

Pray with us; we may just send some things by boat, but then we have to deal with long time frames and getting things through the port in Maputo can be very problematic and expensive.  We need to resolve this quickly as it is time to purchase our airline tickets but we are stalling until we know where we ship from.

A seemingly complex problem that is, well, simple to Him!

Make it so, dear Lord!  This is our prayer today; may we follow your leading - not our ways, but Yours!

Dave & Ann

“Did not our hearts glow within us while He was talking to us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32 (Berkeley Version)

Travels

The first half of March has been a busy but blessed time for us.  We left the cabin for an appointment in Trenton, Missouri, stopping for the night in Nashville, where we enjoyed our Grandson Caleb - it is going to be extremely hard to leave the States with this precious little guy being here.

Watching the incredible changes from birth to now, we know what we will miss over the next few years.  Plus, his parents are pretty special also!

From Nashville, we traveled to Trenton Missouri where we had the privilege to speak and worship at the First Baptist Church.  The Pastor of this church had visited us in Mozambique with a team and we had stayed in touch with him after the visit.  We stayed at Pastor Chestnut's house and had a wonderful time of catching up.  The only clitch was that my power point presentation didn't work for some reason - something to do with switching from their system to my computer - it worked in 'practice' before the service but wouldn't cooperate at the time.  But, in all the times we've spoken, this was the first 'glitch' and it really didn't affect much of anything!  We were cared for very well and enjoyed an incredible lunch after the service.  We gave a mini-talk to the kitchen staff who worked hard to prepare the church-wide lunch but missed the service!  We are putting on weight because we are fed so well everywhere we go!

The drive through Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri was relaxing; beautiful farms.  We know that if God ever allows us to retire, it will be in a small town somewhere in a rural setting. That is where we are the most comfortable.  Beautiful states.

On Sunday, we did a 'two-fer', being in Trenton, Mo, which is in the northwest corner of the state, high-tailing it to Belleville, Illinois for an evening service with Men for Missions International (MFMI) Director Warren Hardig.  As you know, our first trips to Mozambique were through MFMI and we initiated the MFMI world-wide prayer ministry for Mozambique, now so wonderfully administered by our dear friend Karlene.

Ann working at Our Lady of the Snows

Our time at Saint Matthews United Methodist Church was wonderful, meeting up with Warren and his wife Velma, and speaking to one of the several services Sunday night.  This church is a very mission oriented church and we had many wonderful conversations with people after the service.  We also ran in to some people we had met at Avon Park, Florida, once again demonstrating how small this world of ours really is!  The church put us up at a nearby Catholic retreat center (Our Lady of the Snows Shrine) which was beautiful and peaceful.  Monday, we just stayed there most of the day doing office work and reports and taking advantage of their fast Internet and the beautiful surroundings.  That night, we went to a supporter's house in St. Louis, Missouri, some friends from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who relocated to St. Louis many years ago.  Again, a wonderful time to reconnect and catch up.

From there, we traveled to Evansville, Indiana where we reconnected with David and Faith Clark.  David is a childhood friend of mine (we played Cowboys and Indians when we lived in Idaho at the age of 5 or 6) who God brought back together in our early 20's in Idaho through a church.  David introduced us to OMS when he went to Haiti for a year to work on the radio station.  That is when we began supporting OMS missionaries all those years ago.  Again, a wonderful time to reconnect.

Next, back to OMS headquarters for meetings and an inexpensive place to stay before going back to Olney, Illinois, where we participated in a MFMI weekend at Grace Evangelical Church.  Olney is know as the home of the white squirrel.  We heard people talking about it, but then discovered that in-deed, the sign says and people talked about the white (albino) squirrels that are seen throughout the city!

The Olney white squirrel!

We spoke Saturday night at the MFMI banquet (lots of amazing food!) and I preached at the Sunday service.  This church is solidly behind OMS missionaries and it was a privilege to be there.   We were hosted so very well by Pastor Boostrom's parents and through their little duplex house was exactly the floor-plan we'd like to retire to some day, God willing.  After church, we went to an incredible local restaurant with an incredible buffet with lots of my favorite - fried okra!

A highlight of this trip was meeting Millie.  When I put a picture of Juka on the wall in the banquet, I could see that she was visibly moved by the photograph, with tears running down her face.  Afterwards, she talked with me and explained how she had been a part of the Prayer Initiative for Mozambique for many years and had been praying daily for Juka and his family for many years but she had never seen his face.  She asked many questions, clearly involved through prayer and totally knowledgeable of all the work that is going on in Mozambique.  A real prayer warrior, making a difference in Mozambique, living in the central US with a heart for a precious family on the other side of the world.  Only God can do this!

Ann with Millie

So, we find ourselves back at OMS before heading back to the Pittsburgh area for this coming weekend. This weekend, we will be at a church near Grove City - one of the first ones we ever visited and one we have always felt especially connected to.  When there last time, we stayed with our friends the Townsends, who are now in Japan with OMS.  That's another story for another blog....

Today they are running tornado drills all around the area and we have this constant sound of emergency vehicle sirens and tornado sirens.  With the world events today, one can understand the value of emergency drills.

Tomorrow we are headed back to the Pittsburgh area.  We should receive approval from OMS within the next couple of days to purchase our return tickets to Mozambique.  We have delayed our return to represent the field at Headquarters for the June meetings that happen every year.  Pray for us as we make our plans for return to Mozambique.

Sorry for the long post - my intention is more frequent smaller posts but this month got away from us!

30,000 miles by auto and continuing!

Dave & Ann


"...each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.  This is the rule I lay down in all the churches...."  1 Corinthians 7:17

Day 4 Stranded in the Mountains

We have completed day 4 snowed in at the cabin. It is beautiful but the snow is deeper than the clearance I have on the van and we're trapped. The first picture is how I now look, I've been letting my hair and bear (and beard!) grow and I'm learning to survive. No shaving or hair cuts (all three of them) until spring!

More snow tonight and tomorrow and I keep thinking someone will clear the road to make it passable, but maybe not! (actually someone up the road is supposed to but they wait until the storm passes, I'm told. ) Maybe we're here until the spring thaw.....We just got caught and our supplies are not what we'd like them to be. I tried to chase a little mole across the snow today to catch him for meat, but Ann said, no worries, if we run out of food, I'll start by amputating one of your arms! Being a nurse, she can sew me back up until we need the next arm. So, I'm going to go kil me a bar.

Getting lots done - lots of reading, reports, correspondence, and snow shoveling! Sunday, we had the CDs from our church in Pittsburgh and we really enjoyed the series that they were doing, and so we listened to five over the course of the day and we talked about them much after that.

I'm also totally engaged in and loving a book called "What's so Amazing about Grace" by Phillip Yancy. If you haven't read it, run to the store and buy it. It's been around a while and I picked it up at a discount Christian bookstore for a couple of dollars. It is challenging me and so very well written - lots of illustrations and very easy to read, yet profound. I don't recommend books often, but this is one worth the read and one that should really cause you to look deep inside and think about what do you really believe? Plus it is just fun and has alot of cultural relevance.

The water pressure is dropping because the filter is plugging, but we don't have a spare cartridge - I think I can just take out the cartridge and essentially by-pass it if I have to. The snow is suppossed to stop tomorrow or the next day, and if the fellow clears the path, we might be able to get down. I've been starting the car every day and running it for a while because I'm not confident of the battery in these single digit temperatures and it being up on the hill in the 50 mph wind.

It has been fun sending photos to my Mozambican friends. They are asking me why in the world anyone would want to live in a place like this. Well......it's actually very beautiful and if I had cross country skis, a snow machine, gaters, and good winter clothes, it wouldn't be a problem.

Actually I like it here very much- but don't ask Ann. As long as she isn't hungry, I should be ok! ;-)

We just weren't quite as prepared as I would have liked to have been. We've lived in Idaho and Pittsburgh; we know about snow, but you need to be prepared!

Blessings.

Dave

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 1 Tim 4:2

"Well, keep your nose in the wind and your eyes on the skyline" From the movie Jeremiah Johnson

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God..." 1 Th 4:16

First Snow

We are currently in Erie, PA for a missions conference in a church that has stood faithfully with us during our first term. It is cold and rainy and we are feeling it. Tonight, we looked at the Internet news after church and learned that there is snow on the mountain top where we are headquartered in North Carolina! Only three inches, but it is only November 5 and this is the first snow of the season in the States! On our Mountain????? Ann and I just looked at each other speechless. Snow, already? Do we even remember how to drive in it? Can I just pretend like it is Mozambican mud? But I did have 4-wheel drive in the mud....Would all you snow skiiers please stop praying for snow! ;-) Those 110 degree days in Mozambique are looking awfully good right now!

We left our new friends today in Eastern PA, who treated us so lovingly and hosted us for a couple of weeks as we traveled here and there, even letting us bury our old but beloved dog in their garden. We will miss them much as our hearts connected at some level that is hard to understand, but such a part of the family of God. The same kind of thing happened tonight when a dear lady came into the church that we knew from our visit four years ago and Ann and her just ran to each other - there is a connection that one just can't quite explain. That is a part of the joy of doing what we do - the sweet wonderful relationships through a precious Lord. It surpasses understanding....

We especially enjoyed special time with our oldest daughter and her husband, getting to visit her work place and really just spend time together. We also had a super special treat to spend a morning with a cousin and her husband actually from the West Coast who happened to be very close to where we were staying. That was a special time and I especially enjoyed meeting her husband - one of those people that I found myself liking instantly. A very special time for us and a time to catch up on the last 28 or so years!

We will be here in Erie the next couple of days. We are debating a trip into Canada, watching the weather before we head back to Pittsburgh for next weekend.

I should be receiving our newest information on the church planting work in Mozambique in the next couple of days. I am really looking forward to seeing what God has done. We did get word that a recent storm blew some of the roofing metal off our Mocuba Training Center. I'm waiting on a full assessment of what we will need to get that repaired.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, o Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

More Traveling

We have really enjoyed traveling in Pennsylvania this fall. The fall colors have been incredibly beautiful and something we have sorely missed in Mozambique. It is one of those things that you try to take a picture of, but like the Grand Canyon, a photograph just can't quite capture the reality of it all. We are marvelously made and when we see the beauty of God's creation, we absorb it with all those marvelous senses we have been blessed with to experience life. The sound of the wind in the trees, the way the light flickers through the leaves, lighting up the dust particles making beams of light that you expect to see fairies dancing on. And then there are the smells, the feel of the wind on your face and the warmth of the sun on your face. And the colors shift as the wind blows the leaves and the sun moves from cloud to cloud. No, there is not anyway a photograph can capture it all. We tried to take many but they don't even come close. But I have taken many mental pictures that maybe will be the thing of dreams in the future.

What a blessing it is to experience the beauty of fall. Thank you Lord. What a gift it is....

"For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies; Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise." (Hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint in 1864)

Johnstown

This past Saturday, we headed to Johnstown, PA to speak at the last Sunday of the missions conference at Roxbury St. Paul's church. What a beautiful time to drive in Pennsylvania and the tree colors were brilliant and spoke so strongly to the existence of a gracious Creator. As the Bible says, all creation testifies to His existence.

On our way to Johnstown, we saw a turn-off to the Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County. We took the 10 mile detour through the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside to the temporary memorial. The temporary memorial was packed with visitors - we had not expected that. We walked down to a fenced-in area that overlooked where Flight 93 drilled into a field on that fateful September 11 day. There were flags and flowers on the fence and the crowds were very quiet, somber, and respectful of this now hallowed ground.

We learned that the US Park Service has bought 2200 acres to protect this area and a beautiful memorial monument is under construction. An American flag marked the location of the covered crater where the plane hit as passengers fought for control of the plane hijacked by terrorists. A display room presented a time-line of that fateful day and what they know of the events on this flight through the phone calls and recordings. We left very emotionally touched and proud of those who fought back, preventing and even more awful outcome. The event speaks so strongly to the evil man is capable of absent of a personal relationship with Christ - there is no end to the evil that men are capable of doing. We took no pictures, it somehow seemed disrespectful. Hallowed ground....

We had only passed through Johnstown previously and we enjoyed our time there very much. We stayed at a Comfort Inn that was hopping! There was a bus-full of a choir group from Pennsylvania and several hockey teams from a number of colleges. There were vans from the University of Charleston (SC) and other schools and there was lots of noise and activity. We were so tired, we passed out but it must of been bad because in the morning when we checked out, the staff apologized profusely and gave us an additional discount on our bill. Thank you for that! The night manager looked and talked like he had been through a very rough night and if he'd ever been a hockey fan, he clearly wasn't any longer - we gathered it was the hockey teams that had given him trouble most of the night. It even looked like he had blood on his shirt - we didn't have the nerve to ask about that! I wouldn't think you mix it up with hockey players! We felt bad for him but we managed to sleep through it all!

Sunday morning we spoke at both church services and at a breakfast between the two services. They had our name on the marque, which is always a bit un-nerving, but we felt so very welcomed and loved by this church. It was the final Sunday of a three-week missions conference and it was truly a privilege to be there. We got lots of good questions and had a delightful lunch afterwards at Eat-n-Park with two members of the missions committee; breakfast buffets are my favorite. "I just can't lose weight...it must be something I ate and ate and ate and ate....." We have got to get more discipline in this transient life we live!

Johnston is a nice town and I think one of those hidden secret kind-of-places that are so special. It is in and around a valley where a river runs and our GPS (Garmin) took us all sorts of crazy places as we negotiated the town. We left the conference feeling spiritually up-lifted and thankful for this church that truly has a heart for the Great Commission, which is the job description of the church - Go and Make Disciples. (Matt 28). We were blessed to have been there. We pray Your blessing on this precious congregation and its leadership.

Great weekend but have a mountain of paperwork I need to get busy on!

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork..." Ps 19:1

"Fo his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse..." Romans 1:20

Shipping Things

We passed quite a milestone today. We took our boxes for shipping back to the states to the air cargo terminal and got them through the process. It took all morning but we had no real problems. They will head our for the states on Monday via a cargo plane. It was a very straight-forward process and not so different than what we would have done Stateside for such a thing. Of course, if you were to see the boxes when they arrive, you would think we were being a bit over-the-top. We are using a variety of containers but most are plastic bins. They are strapped by us, have TSA locks, wire-ties through the lids in multiple places, nylon cinch straps in all directions and to finish it off they are all shrink-wrapped. My design specification was to need the 'jaws of life' to open it! Well, if you had lost as much stuff as we have transiting through the Johannesburg airport, you'd probably not think this as overkill. We think it is a better way than checking extra luggage. I should have taken a picture and am kicking myself with my good toe for it.

Mocuba project - the company has definitely decided to not continue with the well efforts. Juka is going to meet with the government and hopefully work a deal out on some nearby land where we could possibly get water and then pipe it to our place. This has been an ordeal but we must have water to someday expand the area into a seminary extension site. That may be where we go next term as well, you never know.

Tomorrow at zero dark thirty we are running over to South Africa to pick up many boxes of training materials we had translated into two common dialects spoken in northern Mozambique. We are trying to squeeze as much out of every day before we leave and want to send those north before we leave. I really don't like to cross the border on Friday because there is substantially more chaos / risk but God always carries us through. We will check our mail box also one last time.

Had a very special time with our team yesterday as we turn things over to other. It was very special to both of us.

One week left - where has the time gone?

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

"Show us your unfailing love, O LORD and grant us your salvation." Ps 85:7

More on Mocuba Trip

"Welcome to Mocuba, where all roads cross and Mozambique embraces itself." Great sign!!

We've been catching up on a few things since we returned - it is a period of high administration with the end of a month and the end of a fiscal year plus the construction project.

We just sent the 1/2 payment for the well in Mocuba. That work will begin on Monday; Praise the Lord! We had a short window of opportunity as the people doing the well have to move their equipment to another province. Our treasurer here was able to do some magic Friday even with the banking system not working and somehow we we're able to get the money transferred so the work could begin Monday. It's only a few days work for them, but a very important part for us! Otherwise, we would be waiting for months and hauling water in wheel barrows by hand quite a distance to make cement and mortar! So, we are thankful, plus the tremendous contribution it will be to the community at large.

Back to the trip, when we first arrived in Mocuba at the Guest House we stay at - run by a local Pastor we have grown to love, he asked us if we knew anything about sewing! Well, we mentioned our sewing center in Intaka and our CMED project proposal about a sewing center, and the fact that Ann can sew quite well actually, and we ended up in an imprompto meeting with a lady named Elina, who works for the government in Mocuba but is also administratively helping Pastor Antonio set up a sewing center next to his church. As it turned out, it was a very loose idea but they had a little money for some machines but no one involved knew the first thing about sewing or how to go about setting up something like this. Ann was able to talk a little about the machines, our experiences in Maputo with our sewing center, and by just asking lots of questions, help them think through this project intended to help members of their church. It was clear why Pastor Antonio enlisted Elina to help with this as she clearly had the gift of administration and could quickly put together the steps that needed to be done. We felt like it was a God-ordained meeting and Ann was able to visit with Elina a few more times during the days we were at the Guest House.

(This photo at the new church shows the reed structure in the background).

As a part of our time there, we had to fix the toilet - it wasn't working very well but we found the parts in Mocuba and it was quite simple to fix. In addition, there was a significant electrical problem with a outlet / switch hooked to a stove that was arcing and smoking. We were able to fix that also, after clearing out the dead mice and lizards that had been electrocuted behind the switch! It seems we doing something to improve the guest house every time we come, which they appreciate very much and makes us feel like we are part of the family.

We kept getting all these bites while we were staying there and knew they couldn't be mosquitos, although we had those also, but in the end, we determined they were bed bugs. And we also had a resident rat that visited Aimee in the night in her bedroom and another night in the bathroom!! So, we just made sure all our food items were tightly inside of our plastic travel containers! We enjoyed two special evening meals with Pastor Antonio and his lovely family and always consider it a priviledge to stay with them. The minor inconveniences of the SMALL things (heh heh!) paled in comparison to the blessing to be able to stay at this place of peace with this family we have grown to love. We are quite comfortable there and the location is safe and convenient.

Since our last visit, he had completed construction of a new church, moving from the previous reed structure. We went and visited his new church and I really enjoy his energy and enthusiasm. They are planning to make a few changes to the old reed structure so it can be the sewing center. He is quite an influential individual in the community and has been helping Juka with his work as well. Actually, Juka accepted Christ years ago after hearing a teaching by Pastor Antonio, but that is another story for another time....a part of how God works things!

And as it would happen, the government was using his church in the mornings to register the various church work going on in the Mocuba district and we found out about it on our tour of his church when he showed us the desk and area for the government Department of Religious Affairs workers. Our guys had not heard about this, and with a day to spare, Juka was able to get to the church the following morning and get us all registered with the government as required. Another divine appointment..... They had only made the announcement on the radio (no TV in the area) and our guys hadn't heard about it. Thank you Lord!

As we were leaving his church, a young boy came out of a side street with a big old brick and heaved it hard at the car - and it hit just above the rear side window, putting a huge dent in the side of the car near the roof but I was SO thankful it wasn't the window, that the dent seems like a minor thing! If we'd lost the window, that would have been quite a problem for the security of the car, the ministry items we were always carrying, etc. And, it seems every trip, something on the car gets smashed....God has taught me how to let those things go better than I used to! The little fellow disappeared into the side alley but I think he'll be hearing from the Pastor! I just pray that little fellow ends up at the church!

Short note for now. Next I'll be writing about some of the churches we visited and some of the things our Trainers are doing.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"For their rock is not like our Rock..." De 32:31

Dedication of Mocuba Training Center Project

We have returned to Maputo after two wonderful weeks in northern Mozambique. Aimee Howarth traveled with us and it was a special time for us to get to know each other and share our common passion for the wonderful people of Mozambique. We returned worn-out, sun-burned, bed-bug bitten, mosquito bitten, caterpillar bitten, and probably parasite infested but greatly encouraged at what He is doing in our OMS-related churches in northern Mozambique. What a priviledge all of us to be able to participate in such a things - truly. Thank you making it all possible and being such a vital part!

There is too much to write about in one entry and I am even considering writing a more technical paper based on our last years here as I have formed some rather strong opinions about the church multiplication work we are engaged in. We approached the work completely open with absolutely no pre-conceptions but after four years of working with it, we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and we feel we have a good understanding of the situation here in Mozambique. At the deck-plate level, there is quite a culture clash that develops between the result-oriented Western demand for forms, numbers, statistics, and a culture where these things are simply not important and even offensive and where at the basis of everything is relationships. Both worlds have to be satisfied, but the world-view conflict is significant. But once again, I digress.

It is hard to determine how best to describe this trip. It was made simply to validate our church multiplication program results and check with / interview our church trainers and their student pastor planters. We wanted to help with issues and problems but especially to challenge and encourage these dedicated church leaders. But, there were also a number of side agendas as well. I’ll divide these into a few subcategories.

Travel

Praise-the-Lord that we had no real significant car problems. The roads north of Xai-Xai are the worst of the entire trip and much much worse than 9 months ago, even though a Chinese-lead consortium has been working on it the entire time. It seems they simply push dirt from one side of the road to the other with no real results. With our four-wheel drive, we were able to crawl over piles, through mud, around over-turned semi trucks and stuck semis and buses, dodge construction equipmen, but it was quite wearing. We did lose air conditioning for the trip back and we were push-starting the car (beating the solenoid with a hammer to get the starter to engage only works so long!). But, when Aimee and Ann would start pushing, others would usually join in! We also never shut the engine off for fuel stops, or other stops, and when we did have to stop, we tried to be at the top of some sort of incline. We felt God’s presence on the entire trip. We drove up in two long days, and the last leg on the second day was very nerve-racking as it was very dark, there are no lights or electricity where we were driving, so it is VERY dark; and when a car or motorcycle approached us, it made it very difficult to see pedestrians, carts, animals, and the like walking on the side of the road or in the road. Fortunately, there is very little traffic at night! This was also the first trip where we didn’t have one or more flat tires and smash the car on a tree or rock in the bush somewhere!

The bridge over the Zambezi River was complete and that shorten the second day by a couple of hours and what an incredible view from the top of the bridge as we went over this magnificent river that was at flood stage because of tremendous rains inland. It would have been impassable by ferry this trip. They charged us a small toll that was the same as the old ferry; I have no complaints! It really is a vast vast improvement.

We were loaded heavy both directions. We took a generator for the construction project in Mocuba along with bibles and training materials so the back was completely full – no visibility except by side mirrors. Extra tires and rims were on top and the backseat was loaded as well except for where Aimee sat. On the way back, we brought books, a crate, and a suitcase back for missionary friends in Nampula who are getting ready to go on furlough dropping their things off in Xai-Xai for storage. So, we were just as loaded and heavy coming back.

For my guy friends, we averaged nearly 16 miles per gallon, which isn’t bad for a big and old four-wheel drive loaded to the gills with things stacked on top! We traveled a little under 5000 km, which is about 3100 miles. One kid in Mocuba threw a big brick at us and disappeared into the nearby bush, putting a big dent in the side near the roof – just missing our window. Kind of sad – we’d been visiting the church of a pastor we know from another denomination. He was embarrassed as it was right in front of his church! In one parking location where we stayed a night, we came out to have someone spray-painting yellow within about five feet of the car – so we have a nice over-spray tint one side. I hope I can get it off when I try to clear it up this afternoon. Reminded me of a time when I worked at a shipyard in Charleston, SC when they were painting cranes and covered my white car with and over-spray of blue paint!

Dedication of Training Center Project

It is very difficult to categorize any single highlight of this trip as more special than any other as there were so many special things. We did spent time with Belarmino and the Training Center construction site. We laid out the foundations of the structures and agreed on the general lay-out of the land. There continues to be challenges with access to the land and while we were in Mocuba, there were a number of meetings with local officials, who want this project, but must very carefully work with the people who are growing crops on the road-right-of-way that leads to our land. So, progress is being made and after the harvest is made, the bull dozer will open the current path-way to the land. The workers are using wheel-barrows to move block, cement, and the like down footpaths until this is resolved. Belarmino’s view is “no problem, I’m paying them either way.” It is the cost of the materials that is the most significant cost of the project. (Note, the silver structure is a temporary place to secure our tools and materials as the project begins. On one side will be a temporary area of shade for the workers - you must get out of the sun to rest, eat, and the like.

We held a dedication service at the land, digging the first shovel-fulls of dirt and the first corner of the training center. All of us participated as we prayed together for Gods’ blessing on this project in total, that the workers would be safe and that we would see much spiritual fruit from this project. We felt that this was a very important first step – I would be fearful to proceed absent of dedicating the land, the project, and the vision of the project to the Lord. We want to stay in foot-step with where He is leading the project.

Things you get involved with can be surprising. On one side of our land, there are many banana trees that are producing abundantly. A man has been harvesting these bananas for many years although he has no claim on the land. He is demanding payment (significant) for the loss of his banana plants that are really just wild plants. We will work something out on this but it is a process that has too just take time. We might let him continue to harvest for example, or reach some other arrangement but it is a part of the process. In Mozambique, as I have mentioned before, you never own the land, only the improvements on the land – it is a subtle but important difference in how you approach things here.

So, today, we are transferring 50% of the cost of a new well on the training center land (a simple pump-type well) which will be used by the training center and the community. We have a quote of about $7200 for this well from a company called Afrodril. We met with them and although I didn’t get the best ‘vibes’ from them at first but they did seem to know their business well and we were able to negotiate a reduced price, having started at about $11,000. They at first thought OMS was the World Health Organization (Organizão de Mundo Saude), which definitely doesn’t work in our favor in this case! But recognizing we were a church organization, with very limited resources, they were willing to negotiate a better price for us. We are still short about 3000 dollars for this well (comes from separate funding) and could use a little boost in our Mozambique Water for Life project account (#407670); OMS, PO Box 1648; Monument, CO 80132-1648 (put ‘#407670 – Moz wells’ on the memo line). Every little bit helps!

Clean water is key to health - there were cholera outbreaks very near to where we were visiting on this trip.

Blessings – more to follow.

Dave & Ann

“The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand.” De 29:12