The day began when Adimi let us know that we would be eating lunch in his office today. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but he ended up surprising us with having all the leaders there that have been with us along the way and they had prepared a lunch. Our lunch was so thoughtful!! They bought us Mimmo's pizza (our favorite) and KFC!! Their generosity was overwhelming and saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've done. After our lunch we spent some time packing and getting things together and went with Dave to buy a few last things in town.
Then we couldn't believe there was more, the Seminary had prepared a farewell feast for us in the dining hall. All the kids and parents were there and Margarita (the head woman here) talked and thanked us for being here. Everyone referred to us as "one of them" and we all agree that the feelings are mutual, we are family now. The day was so hard, but so amazing at the same time. I am thankful for the difficulty of leaving, because it definitely explains how close we have all gotten. I am getting ready to finish my packing and say the rest of the goodbyes tomorrow. Our flight leaves Maputo at 3:45ish.. so keep our team in your prayers as we travel for the next two days.
Thank you so much, all of you for everything. We will be arriving back in El Paso, TX around 4:00 on Thursday. I'll write a last update once we return :)
Love Always, Allyson
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Psalms 107:1
I know this one's lengthy, but it's one of the last few:
Earlier today I thought I would be sitting here writing about how unbelievably awesome Kruger Park was... and about how I saw lions, baboons, monkeys, kudos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and more! Don't get me wrong, it truly was an amazing experience and I have zillions of pictures to show for it. But on the way home I had a different ride than I had expected. Kaylee and I were in the back seat of our "Super Custom" van. Our seat was laid back and the sunroof was open. We were laying there, looking at the stars, just talking about how this is really all almost over. I asked Rhoda how the children would know that we were leaving. They are always full of anticipation when we say goodnight as they kiss our cheeks and say, "Manana?" Asking Rhoda that question created a knot in my throat and left my stomach feeling empty. How will we tell them there will be no 'manana?' How am I going to say goodbye? We continued talking and I felt the realization hit me at a million miles an hour. This really is coming to an end and goodbyes are in order. I couldn't hold back tears as I thought of each child individually. Sixteen children, to be exact:
We have come to love each of these children individually and genuinely. I have never in my life received more love and acceptance from any people in my life. As you can see, they have all impacted me, permenately. I am definietly looking forward to coming home to be with my family and friends, but I will miss this family here so much. I have hope for each and every one of them. I am not looking forward to goodbye, but at the same time, I am so thankful that the relationships we have build are the reason for that difficulty. I wouldn't trade the past two months for anything.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalms 107:1
I wish more than anything that I could express the appreciation I have for all of you for your prayers and continued support. That would simply be impossible. I think the only way to fully express appreciation to someone is to do the same thing they did for you, but for someone else. To pass it on... to create a domino effect. I can only pass on the love I have received from these kids because there is no other option. I can only pass on the generosity and love that I have received from all of you because there is no other option for that either. Two months in Mozambique, Africa would be simply two incredible months if something wasn't brought home because of it. So I choose to pass it on, to push it over to someone else. I think that's how the Lord intends for us to love each other. I don't know what will happen here in Maputo after I am gone, but it is my prayer that the Lord works in his amazing way and harvests the seeds that he used us to plant. I pray that he spreads his love and his grace to these people in unbelievable ways.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Maputo, Mozambique. Tomorrow we will say goodbye. Tomorrow there will be endless tears and many hugs, but I am so thankful for that... because he blessed us with these relationships. These sixteen children, so many others that we have met here, and you all, have changed me forever. Thank you, so much, for joining me in this journey. It's been unbelievable. I will be writing tomorrow :) Love Always, Allyson
Earlier today I thought I would be sitting here writing about how unbelievably awesome Kruger Park was... and about how I saw lions, baboons, monkeys, kudos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and more! Don't get me wrong, it truly was an amazing experience and I have zillions of pictures to show for it. But on the way home I had a different ride than I had expected. Kaylee and I were in the back seat of our "Super Custom" van. Our seat was laid back and the sunroof was open. We were laying there, looking at the stars, just talking about how this is really all almost over. I asked Rhoda how the children would know that we were leaving. They are always full of anticipation when we say goodnight as they kiss our cheeks and say, "Manana?" Asking Rhoda that question created a knot in my throat and left my stomach feeling empty. How will we tell them there will be no 'manana?' How am I going to say goodbye? We continued talking and I felt the realization hit me at a million miles an hour. This really is coming to an end and goodbyes are in order. I couldn't hold back tears as I thought of each child individually. Sixteen children, to be exact:
Maria.. We tend to call her Big Maria. She is full of character and her big eyes are always full of wonder. She is adores Kristin and their relationship is priceless. She gives the greatest hugs. She is so beautiful, full of courage, but also timid at the same time. She has so much going for her and I know that she will do amazing things.
"Little Maria" has facial expressions that will make you melt. She is the sweetest, most gentle girl. She loves to be held and cuddled with. She's the oldest of her family and serves as a mom too much of the time, so we thoroughly enjoy holding her for a change. Her smile is unforgettable.
Victoria.. loves to dance. She isn't upfront about it, but whenever I really watch her she always seems to be moving to a beat. She has a gentle spirit, and is such a loving girl. She is the sister of Merrelli and couldn't be better for him. She is going somewhere, I know it. I'll miss her contagious giggle.
Selena is little miss diva. Miss priss would also be fitting for this "all pink," little girl. I don't think any six year old has ever made me laugh so much. She is absolutely beautiful, both inside and out and is completely full of spunk! I think I'll miss hearing her say the new english phrase I taught her, "I'm a divaaaa!"
Joannah marches to the beat of her own drum :) She is fairly quiet, but always content. I think I first noticed her individuality when I saw her little collection of "goodies" (misc. items like bottle caps and pieces of old plastic) that she stores in the top pocket of her blue, floral dress. She is a sweet girl that seems to always have a smile on.
Rebecca takes pride in being the big sister of Ada. She loves loves loves hugs and adores attention. Her big round eyes are almost unreal. She has come through a lot and we have even seen her through having teeth pulled! I know that she is being made stronger all the time. I will miss her daily hugs.
Tabita's favorite word for us "white girls" is Blancos. She tends to sit outside of our windows and call in with her sweet, high voice, "blancoooooooos?" It's so funny and we will definitely miss it! She loves to act as if I am a walking jungle gym and I must say I will miss that too. She loves unconditionally, every single day. Her sweet eagerness to love won't be forgotten.
Joyce! Oh, Joyce. Crazy girl. haha. She will make anyone laugh. She is spiratic and free spirited. She contains so much energy, but always makes sure that you are keeping up with her. She's a huge fan of "braiding" our hair and is always trying something new. She will grow up to be a very productive woman, I'm sure!
Ada could literally be a doll. She is the most precious thing I have ever seen. She is always quiet and a bit timid, but she has her moments of outrageous laughter and excitement too! I will never forget the day she "watered" our back porch while wearing only her little pants. She is a cutieeee. I will miss those beautiful, wide eyes.
Teresa is the oldest girl here and is maturing into a beautiful woman. She is always helping all of the girls around here. Her smile is beautiful and I will miss her hugs so much! We have enjoyed getting to know her and having her around for all our activities. She is so sweet!
Terezinya. Oh, Terezinya... She is our little dinosaur :) She is the youngest, and one of the funniest! She is packed full of personality and I will miss hearing her continuously recite her name. ("Ter-teen-ta") She cracks me up and I will miss her squishing my face together and watching her run to us from across campus.
Amarrar is the oldest boy here. He is always eager to help out and is sure to always keep all the kids 'in order.' He loves soccer and running around with all the boys. He is always so polite as he runs up and shakes each of our hands when he sees us. I will miss his uncontrollable laughter and his huge smile.
Jobe is the big brother of Big Maria. He is loves to get everyone in place and in order at all times. He is the "tough one" but has showed his soft side at times. He started coming to VBS for snacks, but stayed around much longer towards the end. I will miss that smile and that sweet boy that we discovered within him.
Jusomo. He is the most spiratically-seen of all the kids here, I think he may be a Momma's boy :) But when he is around, he is usually quiet, but full of smiles. His eyes are always so big and full of wonder. He is so cute and I will never forget his little red overalls.
Sergio is energetic and so sweet. He is all boy and is usually seen with his arms around a 'futbol.' He is extremely sweet and loves the hugs. He and Juvencu are best friends, it's my favorite to see them together. I will miss his contagious smile so much.
Juvencu is unbelievably sweet to the core. He is the oldest of Victoria and Merrelli and his laugh... guys, his laugh is the most beautiful thing, really! He is always watching out for his siblings, but also loves to have fun. Soccer is also his favorite and his smile can be seen from a mile away. I feel like I can relate to him so much, he tugs at my heart in so many ways. I will miss his eager, ginormous hugs.
Merrelli... you all have heard about Merrelli. He will be in my heart, forever. His loud screaming laughter, his gaping smile, his crazy energy, his slobbery shirt, his famous plaid shorts, his attempt at cartwheels, his kisses, his hugs, his laughter, his beautiful eyes, his bald head, his personality, his dirty hands and feet, his love of soccer, him. I will miss him so much.
"Little Maria" has facial expressions that will make you melt. She is the sweetest, most gentle girl. She loves to be held and cuddled with. She's the oldest of her family and serves as a mom too much of the time, so we thoroughly enjoy holding her for a change. Her smile is unforgettable.
Victoria.. loves to dance. She isn't upfront about it, but whenever I really watch her she always seems to be moving to a beat. She has a gentle spirit, and is such a loving girl. She is the sister of Merrelli and couldn't be better for him. She is going somewhere, I know it. I'll miss her contagious giggle.
Selena is little miss diva. Miss priss would also be fitting for this "all pink," little girl. I don't think any six year old has ever made me laugh so much. She is absolutely beautiful, both inside and out and is completely full of spunk! I think I'll miss hearing her say the new english phrase I taught her, "I'm a divaaaa!"
Joannah marches to the beat of her own drum :) She is fairly quiet, but always content. I think I first noticed her individuality when I saw her little collection of "goodies" (misc. items like bottle caps and pieces of old plastic) that she stores in the top pocket of her blue, floral dress. She is a sweet girl that seems to always have a smile on.
Rebecca takes pride in being the big sister of Ada. She loves loves loves hugs and adores attention. Her big round eyes are almost unreal. She has come through a lot and we have even seen her through having teeth pulled! I know that she is being made stronger all the time. I will miss her daily hugs.
Tabita's favorite word for us "white girls" is Blancos. She tends to sit outside of our windows and call in with her sweet, high voice, "blancoooooooos?" It's so funny and we will definitely miss it! She loves to act as if I am a walking jungle gym and I must say I will miss that too. She loves unconditionally, every single day. Her sweet eagerness to love won't be forgotten.
Joyce! Oh, Joyce. Crazy girl. haha. She will make anyone laugh. She is spiratic and free spirited. She contains so much energy, but always makes sure that you are keeping up with her. She's a huge fan of "braiding" our hair and is always trying something new. She will grow up to be a very productive woman, I'm sure!
Ada could literally be a doll. She is the most precious thing I have ever seen. She is always quiet and a bit timid, but she has her moments of outrageous laughter and excitement too! I will never forget the day she "watered" our back porch while wearing only her little pants. She is a cutieeee. I will miss those beautiful, wide eyes.
Teresa is the oldest girl here and is maturing into a beautiful woman. She is always helping all of the girls around here. Her smile is beautiful and I will miss her hugs so much! We have enjoyed getting to know her and having her around for all our activities. She is so sweet!
Terezinya. Oh, Terezinya... She is our little dinosaur :) She is the youngest, and one of the funniest! She is packed full of personality and I will miss hearing her continuously recite her name. ("Ter-teen-ta") She cracks me up and I will miss her squishing my face together and watching her run to us from across campus.
Amarrar is the oldest boy here. He is always eager to help out and is sure to always keep all the kids 'in order.' He loves soccer and running around with all the boys. He is always so polite as he runs up and shakes each of our hands when he sees us. I will miss his uncontrollable laughter and his huge smile.
Jobe is the big brother of Big Maria. He is loves to get everyone in place and in order at all times. He is the "tough one" but has showed his soft side at times. He started coming to VBS for snacks, but stayed around much longer towards the end. I will miss that smile and that sweet boy that we discovered within him.
Jusomo. He is the most spiratically-seen of all the kids here, I think he may be a Momma's boy :) But when he is around, he is usually quiet, but full of smiles. His eyes are always so big and full of wonder. He is so cute and I will never forget his little red overalls.
Sergio is energetic and so sweet. He is all boy and is usually seen with his arms around a 'futbol.' He is extremely sweet and loves the hugs. He and Juvencu are best friends, it's my favorite to see them together. I will miss his contagious smile so much.
Juvencu is unbelievably sweet to the core. He is the oldest of Victoria and Merrelli and his laugh... guys, his laugh is the most beautiful thing, really! He is always watching out for his siblings, but also loves to have fun. Soccer is also his favorite and his smile can be seen from a mile away. I feel like I can relate to him so much, he tugs at my heart in so many ways. I will miss his eager, ginormous hugs.
Merrelli... you all have heard about Merrelli. He will be in my heart, forever. His loud screaming laughter, his gaping smile, his crazy energy, his slobbery shirt, his famous plaid shorts, his attempt at cartwheels, his kisses, his hugs, his laughter, his beautiful eyes, his bald head, his personality, his dirty hands and feet, his love of soccer, him. I will miss him so much.
We have come to love each of these children individually and genuinely. I have never in my life received more love and acceptance from any people in my life. As you can see, they have all impacted me, permenately. I am definietly looking forward to coming home to be with my family and friends, but I will miss this family here so much. I have hope for each and every one of them. I am not looking forward to goodbye, but at the same time, I am so thankful that the relationships we have build are the reason for that difficulty. I wouldn't trade the past two months for anything.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalms 107:1
I wish more than anything that I could express the appreciation I have for all of you for your prayers and continued support. That would simply be impossible. I think the only way to fully express appreciation to someone is to do the same thing they did for you, but for someone else. To pass it on... to create a domino effect. I can only pass on the love I have received from these kids because there is no other option. I can only pass on the generosity and love that I have received from all of you because there is no other option for that either. Two months in Mozambique, Africa would be simply two incredible months if something wasn't brought home because of it. So I choose to pass it on, to push it over to someone else. I think that's how the Lord intends for us to love each other. I don't know what will happen here in Maputo after I am gone, but it is my prayer that the Lord works in his amazing way and harvests the seeds that he used us to plant. I pray that he spreads his love and his grace to these people in unbelievable ways.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Maputo, Mozambique. Tomorrow we will say goodbye. Tomorrow there will be endless tears and many hugs, but I am so thankful for that... because he blessed us with these relationships. These sixteen children, so many others that we have met here, and you all, have changed me forever. Thank you, so much, for joining me in this journey. It's been unbelievable. I will be writing tomorrow :) Love Always, Allyson
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Friday & Saturday
Friday, we finished out our VBS and it turned out to be a really good day. The Jesus Film Generator ended up not working, so we weren't able to show the film, but we were able to see a little more of Maputo than before. It was a nice day to spend as a team with Adimi. We even had KFC again for dinner!
Yesterday was an amazing day. We spent our day in Swaziland!! We left very early and it took about three hours to drive there. Then we were able to see a lot of Nazarene history there. It was unbelievable to see what all the Nazarene church is doing there in Swaziland. There are numerous schools and churches and even an AIDS hospital. We got to go inside the AIDS hospital to look around. We got to see so many different wards like, maternity, men's surgical, women's ward... and then there was the children's ward. It shattered my heart. As we walked through the large room that smelled of Pinesol and soap, there were cribs lining the walls. There were mothers crouched over each rusty crib. We saw skinny, sick children with oxygen tubes in their noses and blankets covering their tiny bodies. They were so beautiful, but they each had a story. A hospital full of hurting people, but they were each getting the help they needed. It was amazing to me that this large of a ministry was started by a few people willing to serve... and churches willing to support them. It was beautiful, but also heart-wrenching. I am so thankful that we were able to see the Hospital.
We also went to a few touristy places to see Swazi Candles and a few other shops. The Restrick's did some grocery shopping and we headed back home. Our team spent the evening at Mimmo's as the Restrick's went to a Dinner Party downtown. Today we will be spending the day at church... and begin packing! Monday we will be going to Kruger Park all day! It is one of the largest Animal Reserves in Africa. We are so excited to experience a real safari! Our time is almost up, but we are enjoying every minute of it. Thank you again of all your prayers :)
Love Always, Allyson
Yesterday was an amazing day. We spent our day in Swaziland!! We left very early and it took about three hours to drive there. Then we were able to see a lot of Nazarene history there. It was unbelievable to see what all the Nazarene church is doing there in Swaziland. There are numerous schools and churches and even an AIDS hospital. We got to go inside the AIDS hospital to look around. We got to see so many different wards like, maternity, men's surgical, women's ward... and then there was the children's ward. It shattered my heart. As we walked through the large room that smelled of Pinesol and soap, there were cribs lining the walls. There were mothers crouched over each rusty crib. We saw skinny, sick children with oxygen tubes in their noses and blankets covering their tiny bodies. They were so beautiful, but they each had a story. A hospital full of hurting people, but they were each getting the help they needed. It was amazing to me that this large of a ministry was started by a few people willing to serve... and churches willing to support them. It was beautiful, but also heart-wrenching. I am so thankful that we were able to see the Hospital.
We also went to a few touristy places to see Swazi Candles and a few other shops. The Restrick's did some grocery shopping and we headed back home. Our team spent the evening at Mimmo's as the Restrick's went to a Dinner Party downtown. Today we will be spending the day at church... and begin packing! Monday we will be going to Kruger Park all day! It is one of the largest Animal Reserves in Africa. We are so excited to experience a real safari! Our time is almost up, but we are enjoying every minute of it. Thank you again of all your prayers :)
Love Always, Allyson
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The beginning of our last week...
This week we have been going to different churches in the mornings to do a VBS full of singing, bible verse memorization, and health basics. It's been fun to see different churches and have a chance to interact with the kids. Then in the afternoons we have been meeting with youth at a different church and experience what a "youth meeting" is like here. They all have endless questions of what it's like to be in America. They all seem to have dreams of getting to America one day... they're all so sweet. Also, at lunch time we have been going to KFC with Adimi. It has been wonderful!! True American food for the first time in a long time. It's the only American food place here... I can't believe we didn't go sooner!
Yesterday, the VBS time was cancelled by the church for some reason, so Adimi took us souvenir shopping! It was lots of fun. We got to experience the "market" where people were selling fresh veggies, fruits, and fish. On the other side of the market there were venders selling homemade goods and souvenirs. It was a lot of fun to be able to watch people carving and making things by hand and to pick out those things for family and friends. It's amazing how hard the people work at making things and how talented they are.
Today we are leading a big youth meeting, consisting of two districts, and the topic is "A Day in the Life of a Nazarene Youth in America." Just as we had many stereotypes in our heads of what Mozambique would be like when coming here, the people here have a "perfect idea" of America. The way our churches (Nazarene) run are very similar and we hope to break those stereotypes for them today. It will be fun to show them how similar we all are. Their youth meetings last much longer though... so we will be learning how to stretch it out as we talk!! I think we are expected to talk for two hours, that's after they shortened our time slot. (it was four hours!)
Tomorrow will be back to VBS and then we are supposed to show the Jesus film in the evening. Keep the prayers coming as we finish out our last week here :) I'm excited to see all of you.
Love Always, Allyson
Yesterday, the VBS time was cancelled by the church for some reason, so Adimi took us souvenir shopping! It was lots of fun. We got to experience the "market" where people were selling fresh veggies, fruits, and fish. On the other side of the market there were venders selling homemade goods and souvenirs. It was a lot of fun to be able to watch people carving and making things by hand and to pick out those things for family and friends. It's amazing how hard the people work at making things and how talented they are.
Today we are leading a big youth meeting, consisting of two districts, and the topic is "A Day in the Life of a Nazarene Youth in America." Just as we had many stereotypes in our heads of what Mozambique would be like when coming here, the people here have a "perfect idea" of America. The way our churches (Nazarene) run are very similar and we hope to break those stereotypes for them today. It will be fun to show them how similar we all are. Their youth meetings last much longer though... so we will be learning how to stretch it out as we talk!! I think we are expected to talk for two hours, that's after they shortened our time slot. (it was four hours!)
Tomorrow will be back to VBS and then we are supposed to show the Jesus film in the evening. Keep the prayers coming as we finish out our last week here :) I'm excited to see all of you.
Love Always, Allyson
Monday, July 13, 2009
BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!
We spent the evening last night (after VBS in other districts) decorating and preparing for our BIRTHDAY PARTY!!
These are some of the dresses that Kristin finished last night as well! Each girl has one, and each of us do too, so she made a total of 14!! She did such a beautiful job.
This was my Pin the Tail on the Donkey project :) I will never take those pre-made ones you buy from the store for granted after this! But it was lots of fun. The kids enjoyed this new game.
All the girls in their dresses!! Their mom's were SO excited when they saw them in the dresses. They kissed their girls as if they were congratulating them. It was so sweet. We all had the same dress pattern, so we all matched. We also bought each boy a t-shirt; they were all excited too.
We ate cupcakes that Kaylee made!! This is Ada, who LOVED her cupcake. I think it lasted her a good thirty minutes. She is adorable. The kids all enjoyed these treats!
MERRELLI. The hunk of love I wish I could take home :)
As I have written this, and looked through so many pictures, it's hard to believe that we'll be kissing these beautiful faces goodbye in one week. I'm so torn because I miss my loved ones and all my family more than anything. But at some point in the past seven weeks, these people have become our family too. They are so unbelievable. We love each one of them. We are finished with the after school program now, but will continue outside 'play time' whenever we can! The rest of this week will be full of VBS in different districts, and then we will be with the Restrick's for the weekend. Keep the kids in your prayers and all the churches that we will be visiting too.
Love Always, Allyson
Additional Prayer Request: There is a team from different churches in Tennessee that left for Guatemala early, early this morning. One of my best friends Emily is on the trip, keep her and her team in your prayers as they show the Jesus Film and evangelize to those people. They will be gone from 14th-21st. Thanks!!
This was my Pin the Tail on the Donkey project :) I will never take those pre-made ones you buy from the store for granted after this! But it was lots of fun. The kids enjoyed this new game.
All the girls in their dresses!! Their mom's were SO excited when they saw them in the dresses. They kissed their girls as if they were congratulating them. It was so sweet. We all had the same dress pattern, so we all matched. We also bought each boy a t-shirt; they were all excited too.
We ate cupcakes that Kaylee made!! This is Ada, who LOVED her cupcake. I think it lasted her a good thirty minutes. She is adorable. The kids all enjoyed these treats!
MERRELLI. The hunk of love I wish I could take home :)As I have written this, and looked through so many pictures, it's hard to believe that we'll be kissing these beautiful faces goodbye in one week. I'm so torn because I miss my loved ones and all my family more than anything. But at some point in the past seven weeks, these people have become our family too. They are so unbelievable. We love each one of them. We are finished with the after school program now, but will continue outside 'play time' whenever we can! The rest of this week will be full of VBS in different districts, and then we will be with the Restrick's for the weekend. Keep the kids in your prayers and all the churches that we will be visiting too.
Love Always, Allyson
Additional Prayer Request: There is a team from different churches in Tennessee that left for Guatemala early, early this morning. One of my best friends Emily is on the trip, keep her and her team in your prayers as they show the Jesus Film and evangelize to those people. They will be gone from 14th-21st. Thanks!!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday :)
Today was such a great day!
I woke up this morning, feeling completely refreshed and renewed. It was a true answer to prayer as the past few days have been difficult ones for me. We went to church this morning and it was an amazing service. It was such a small church, more like a hut, but the Holy Spirit was so evident and it was truly a beautiful service. The people were so happy to have us there and were so incredibly welcoming. It was probably my favorite Sunday of the trip. There were also so many children there! It was probably the most overwhelmed we have been by the children, as they pinched our skin and tugged viciously at our hair. It was funny and I also found it kind of sweet. I think one of the little girls was determined that she could scratch the "white" off my arms, and pick the tattoo out of my skin. Of course it was humorous, but a little painful too :)
We were also fed before we left, as always. This was my most memorable "food experience" as well. After we prayed, they told us to dig in! There was a bowl of chicken pieces in front of me. I was a little relieved to see that I at least recognized this meat, so I was quick to just scoop a piece onto my plate without much thought. As I placed the spoon back into the dish I quickly realized what I had actually put on my plate. Yes, it was chicken, but it was the chicken's head. I knew I had to face my fear and do my best to scrape what meat there off of it's head and eat. Oh what an experience. At least I didn't have to eat any bones or anything. Mom, aren't you proud?
Adimi and his family had us over for dinner tonight. It was so much fun! We got to know his children and they made us pizza, chicken (minus the head), and potatoes. We ate more than I ever thought possible, due to loads of encouragement. We had a great night of looking at pictures and dancing together to African music. It was great to spend time with a family and get to know them more. Their children, Noel and Shirley, were so much fun. Adimi and Celeste have been such a blessing to us, they are such beautiful people, inside and out.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. Your encouragement has been such an answer to prayer!! The past few days have made us stronger as a team and have definitely tested our trust and patience. I am looking forward to this upcoming week, even as it will be a busy one. We will be doing VBS with the youth in different districts. Our responsibility is to teach common health to the kids here, brushing their teeth, combing hair, etc. We are also going to be able to leave VBS early on Monday and Tuesday to finish the after school program we have been doing with our Seminary kids. Tuesday will be our great big Birthday Party with our kids. I could not be more excited about that! Keep our team in prayer as we take on our last full week here in MOZ.
Love Always, Allyson
We were also fed before we left, as always. This was my most memorable "food experience" as well. After we prayed, they told us to dig in! There was a bowl of chicken pieces in front of me. I was a little relieved to see that I at least recognized this meat, so I was quick to just scoop a piece onto my plate without much thought. As I placed the spoon back into the dish I quickly realized what I had actually put on my plate. Yes, it was chicken, but it was the chicken's head. I knew I had to face my fear and do my best to scrape what meat there off of it's head and eat. Oh what an experience. At least I didn't have to eat any bones or anything. Mom, aren't you proud?
Adimi and his family had us over for dinner tonight. It was so much fun! We got to know his children and they made us pizza, chicken (minus the head), and potatoes. We ate more than I ever thought possible, due to loads of encouragement. We had a great night of looking at pictures and dancing together to African music. It was great to spend time with a family and get to know them more. Their children, Noel and Shirley, were so much fun. Adimi and Celeste have been such a blessing to us, they are such beautiful people, inside and out.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. Your encouragement has been such an answer to prayer!! The past few days have made us stronger as a team and have definitely tested our trust and patience. I am looking forward to this upcoming week, even as it will be a busy one. We will be doing VBS with the youth in different districts. Our responsibility is to teach common health to the kids here, brushing their teeth, combing hair, etc. We are also going to be able to leave VBS early on Monday and Tuesday to finish the after school program we have been doing with our Seminary kids. Tuesday will be our great big Birthday Party with our kids. I could not be more excited about that! Keep our team in prayer as we take on our last full week here in MOZ.
Love Always, Allyson
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Hello everyone!
I'm sorry that I haven't posted in several days, I've fallen behind!
Well this past week we were able to get our sewing machine fixed, and are almost done with all of the dresses. And we continued the after school program through this past week and we hope to end it next Tuesday with our big Birthday Party.
The last couple of days have been a real struggle for me, as we have had some frustrations and a few difficulties. Just please pray for our team as this next week approaches and our schedule may be changing a little bit.
We are all healthy and completely safe, so no worries, but please keep us in your prayers.
Love Always, Allyson
"No temptation [trial] has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted[tested], he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
I'm sorry that I haven't posted in several days, I've fallen behind!
Well this past week we were able to get our sewing machine fixed, and are almost done with all of the dresses. And we continued the after school program through this past week and we hope to end it next Tuesday with our big Birthday Party.
The last couple of days have been a real struggle for me, as we have had some frustrations and a few difficulties. Just please pray for our team as this next week approaches and our schedule may be changing a little bit.
We are all healthy and completely safe, so no worries, but please keep us in your prayers.
Love Always, Allyson
"No temptation [trial] has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted[tested], he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sardines on the 4th of July
The past few days consisted of 4th of July and church on Sunday.
To be entirely honest, I was dreading 4th of July. It is that one 'family & friends' holiday that is always so much fun and memorable, but I would be spending away. Nevertheless, Saturday turned out to be quite the cultural experience. Our schedule said "Prey and Fasting" Service on July 4th. Yes, P-R-E-Y. We were very unsure of what to expect, but sure enough at 2:00 Tomas picked us up for the service. It turned out to be an hour long ride to a small "hut church." It had already begun, but we found our place and tried our best to sing along. The service turned into a worship service and at the end there were different areas to pray for different topics, so everyone prayed aloud and lifted up different people and situations in prayer. It was about 4:00 when the service was over and we walked outside with some of the Nazarene youth that we knew from the Seminary. The youth told us that they were taking us home instead of Tomas, so we needed to walk to the bus stop! An adventure was coming, we were all sure of it as soon as we heard those words. So along with everyone that was in the service, we walked through the mud and dirt to the bus stop. It was actually just a corner of the dirt road, crowded with people selling things, and some others waiting for a bus just like we were. After about 15 minutes the crowd starting running towards a bus up ahead, so we did too! It was a normal sized city bus and it looked to me like we would have a pretty "normal" ride home. That thought didn't last long as we all began to cram in the bus like sardines. Each set of seats (made to seat two) sat about four and the isle wide enough to hold one person standing up, held about three. I am serious when I say sardines. I sat on Kaylee's lap, next to a lady with her child on her lap. I couldn't help but laugh at this situation - Kaylee and I found it surprisingly humorous. I don't think there was another option. All I could think of was how thankful I was that it is winter here, because it was hot on that thing! Through all the excitement, we made it home safely and managed to keep the cookouts and fireworks off our minds for the evening. We made a great dinner of homemade mac n' cheese, thank you Google, and ended up enjoying our cultural 4th of July experience!
Sunday was a pretty low key day. Church was surprisingly shorter than most days and we didn't even have to eat anything there when it was over. It was a nice break and a relaxing day. The slow pace of the day made me a little homesick. I began feeling a little overwhelmed as I thought about the things we still want to do here and our sometimes unreliable transportation situation. Thankfully the Lord hears all and is our true source of comfort. He definitely has the perfect timing and is with us in these times. Through the past weeks, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 has been an incredible source of comfort:
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.""
I know that Christ is strongest in me when I am weak... I have learned to cherish these times as hard as it may be, and let him work. We all know that he has plans for the remainder of our time here as things wrap us. Please continue to pray that we will all stay driven and determined to finish out these last few weeks strong. Today was a great day and thankfully, Tomas took us grocery shopping! (See, why do I even start to worry?) :) Tomorrow we will continue with our scheduled After School Program and begin preparing for our giant birthday party on Friday... I am so excited for that! Thank you for all your love and prayers... I am truly blessed to have all of you.
Love Always, Allyson
To be entirely honest, I was dreading 4th of July. It is that one 'family & friends' holiday that is always so much fun and memorable, but I would be spending away. Nevertheless, Saturday turned out to be quite the cultural experience. Our schedule said "Prey and Fasting" Service on July 4th. Yes, P-R-E-Y. We were very unsure of what to expect, but sure enough at 2:00 Tomas picked us up for the service. It turned out to be an hour long ride to a small "hut church." It had already begun, but we found our place and tried our best to sing along. The service turned into a worship service and at the end there were different areas to pray for different topics, so everyone prayed aloud and lifted up different people and situations in prayer. It was about 4:00 when the service was over and we walked outside with some of the Nazarene youth that we knew from the Seminary. The youth told us that they were taking us home instead of Tomas, so we needed to walk to the bus stop! An adventure was coming, we were all sure of it as soon as we heard those words. So along with everyone that was in the service, we walked through the mud and dirt to the bus stop. It was actually just a corner of the dirt road, crowded with people selling things, and some others waiting for a bus just like we were. After about 15 minutes the crowd starting running towards a bus up ahead, so we did too! It was a normal sized city bus and it looked to me like we would have a pretty "normal" ride home. That thought didn't last long as we all began to cram in the bus like sardines. Each set of seats (made to seat two) sat about four and the isle wide enough to hold one person standing up, held about three. I am serious when I say sardines. I sat on Kaylee's lap, next to a lady with her child on her lap. I couldn't help but laugh at this situation - Kaylee and I found it surprisingly humorous. I don't think there was another option. All I could think of was how thankful I was that it is winter here, because it was hot on that thing! Through all the excitement, we made it home safely and managed to keep the cookouts and fireworks off our minds for the evening. We made a great dinner of homemade mac n' cheese, thank you Google, and ended up enjoying our cultural 4th of July experience!
Sunday was a pretty low key day. Church was surprisingly shorter than most days and we didn't even have to eat anything there when it was over. It was a nice break and a relaxing day. The slow pace of the day made me a little homesick. I began feeling a little overwhelmed as I thought about the things we still want to do here and our sometimes unreliable transportation situation. Thankfully the Lord hears all and is our true source of comfort. He definitely has the perfect timing and is with us in these times. Through the past weeks, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 has been an incredible source of comfort:
"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.""
I know that Christ is strongest in me when I am weak... I have learned to cherish these times as hard as it may be, and let him work. We all know that he has plans for the remainder of our time here as things wrap us. Please continue to pray that we will all stay driven and determined to finish out these last few weeks strong. Today was a great day and thankfully, Tomas took us grocery shopping! (See, why do I even start to worry?) :) Tomorrow we will continue with our scheduled After School Program and begin preparing for our giant birthday party on Friday... I am so excited for that! Thank you for all your love and prayers... I am truly blessed to have all of you.
Love Always, Allyson
Friday, July 3, 2009
1st week of After School Program is done.. already!!
It went by fast, but we had tons of fun. We always began with worship.. then games, a craft, and snacks! As you can see, paper bag puppets were one of our crafts!
= = =
We flew kites today for our "game time." Merrelli LOVED flying his Winnie the Pooh Kite! All the kids had a great time with this. Kites are a big thing around here, and they are all experts at making them out of trash... so this whole 'premade' thing was a new experience.
Meet our favorite little chub Terrezinya! She's a doll.. and she's so funny- full of personality! She enjoyed chasing the kites as they would fall to the ground.
We painted fingernails this week!!! They loved this. Everyone wanted their nails painted, but we had to explain that this was for girls only :) It seriously brought me back to painting Julia & Sarah's (my cousins) nails every time we were together. I loved it.
The dum dum's to pass out to the neighborhood kids. "Jesus ama tu! - Jesus loves you!"
These are the friendship bracelets that we made for everyone. We made lots and lots of bracelets, 'boys ones' and 'girls ones'. They are also wearing their "noodle necklaces" in this picture, which were a craft one day. We had 16 kids in the beginning and 19 at the end.. that's a big deal considering we're on such an enclosed campus. So pray that God sends more kids our way. We're looking forward to this next week!
Love Always, Allyson
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
he matters.
The last two days we started our 'after school program.' It has gone really well so far. We have been singing various songs, (hip hip hip hippopotamus, pharaoh pharaoh, waves of mercy, and trading my sorrows), making picture frames and pictures, and eating many snacks. It was so fun and they are so well behaved, so it runs very smoothly. There are a total of 16 of them, with their ages ranging from infant to fifteen. At the end of our time together, they all line up at the door as they prepare themselves for a hug and they each tilt their heads up in anticipation of a kiss on the forehead. It's so sweet. I have grown to love them all and appreciate all their differences. Today we were scheduled to go to a youth meeting, but plans were canceled so we had a laid back day with them. It was nice to play a little frisbee and some more hand games. They all also love climbing the Restrick's tangerine tree and picking unripe tangerines. We all sat in the grass, peeled endless amounts of fruit, and enjoyed each others 'sour faces.'
I got to thinking about the kids today and about what it will be like when the time comes to say goodbye. It will be difficult to tell them all goodbye, but I feel like they all have abilities and will have opportunities to grow up and have a chance in this society. Except for one of them. Merrelli has stolen my heart and I can't bear to think of what things will be like for him in the future. To have parents that don't have hope for you, and that don't have the money to afford the resources you need to make it in the future makes me feel ill. Even if his parents did have the money to afford the resources that Merrelli desperately needs, this area is so underdeveloped that I don't think those places even exist. Most parents here are so busy and distracted with every day life that they don't take the time to invest in their children, especially those that need more care and attention than the others. Merrelli is not disciplined because his parents don't see a need to work with him, because to them, it's not worth it, he is unlike the others. In the beginning of this journey, I never thought that I would ever want to take any of these kids back to America. Yes, of course we would love to have them all, but deep down, I don't really think America isn't the answer for all of the world's problems, or think that it would be ideal to take every kid there. However, in this case, I feel that Merrelli is such an exception. I wish more than anything that I had a second plane ticket back to the States. I wish I had the ability to place him into a special education preschool and take him to a speech pathologist. I want him to know that I believe in him, I believe he can succeed and I know he will talk one day. I want to work with him one on one and teach him right from wrong. I want place him on a little boys soccer team because he loves soccer so much and is so active. I want love him, each and every day, despite his differences and individual struggles. I want to be able to give him a bath and put him in a new pair of clothes. I want to care about his likes and dislikes and invest in him, because he does matter. I cannot say I have all the answers, in fact I most definitely do not. But when we live in a country that is filled with so many resources that seem to just be at our fingertips, how do I not feel like I can help? I am not saying that things would be easy for him in America either, I definitely know the struggles we have had with Ben and understand things would take a lot of work. Still, I do not understand this situation. How can there be no help for these people in this country? But even if there was help and aid for the disabled, I am not sure if their parents or care givers would take advantage of the help. Families work together here, but Merrelli, along with other disabled people, is not seen as a "help" to his family, but rather a burden. This makes me so sad, and it is so difficult when it seems like there is no hope. I can't blame anyone in this situation. The family is not to blame because they are apart of a society that is striving for survival. It's just an ugly continuous cycle. This will be my biggest struggle coming home. What now? Do I just think, well it's one boy, and surely he will be fine. No. I can't bring myself to do that. This precious four year old boy that has taken over a huge piece of my heart. He has so much potential. He has the potential to be a blessing to so many and to be smothered with so much love. He has the potential to be educated and worked with one-on-one, but not here. I do not know how to stop my heart from hurting for him, or how to stop asking why he was brought into my life. I feel that his life is intended to be so much bigger this. I can't help but believe things could be better for him.. that things are meant to be better for him. In fact, I know they could be. I pray that God shows me what he has intended me to learn/do/bring/make from this. I can't help but believe there is more for Merrelli than this.
I got to thinking about the kids today and about what it will be like when the time comes to say goodbye. It will be difficult to tell them all goodbye, but I feel like they all have abilities and will have opportunities to grow up and have a chance in this society. Except for one of them. Merrelli has stolen my heart and I can't bear to think of what things will be like for him in the future. To have parents that don't have hope for you, and that don't have the money to afford the resources you need to make it in the future makes me feel ill. Even if his parents did have the money to afford the resources that Merrelli desperately needs, this area is so underdeveloped that I don't think those places even exist. Most parents here are so busy and distracted with every day life that they don't take the time to invest in their children, especially those that need more care and attention than the others. Merrelli is not disciplined because his parents don't see a need to work with him, because to them, it's not worth it, he is unlike the others. In the beginning of this journey, I never thought that I would ever want to take any of these kids back to America. Yes, of course we would love to have them all, but deep down, I don't really think America isn't the answer for all of the world's problems, or think that it would be ideal to take every kid there. However, in this case, I feel that Merrelli is such an exception. I wish more than anything that I had a second plane ticket back to the States. I wish I had the ability to place him into a special education preschool and take him to a speech pathologist. I want him to know that I believe in him, I believe he can succeed and I know he will talk one day. I want to work with him one on one and teach him right from wrong. I want place him on a little boys soccer team because he loves soccer so much and is so active. I want love him, each and every day, despite his differences and individual struggles. I want to be able to give him a bath and put him in a new pair of clothes. I want to care about his likes and dislikes and invest in him, because he does matter. I cannot say I have all the answers, in fact I most definitely do not. But when we live in a country that is filled with so many resources that seem to just be at our fingertips, how do I not feel like I can help? I am not saying that things would be easy for him in America either, I definitely know the struggles we have had with Ben and understand things would take a lot of work. Still, I do not understand this situation. How can there be no help for these people in this country? But even if there was help and aid for the disabled, I am not sure if their parents or care givers would take advantage of the help. Families work together here, but Merrelli, along with other disabled people, is not seen as a "help" to his family, but rather a burden. This makes me so sad, and it is so difficult when it seems like there is no hope. I can't blame anyone in this situation. The family is not to blame because they are apart of a society that is striving for survival. It's just an ugly continuous cycle. This will be my biggest struggle coming home. What now? Do I just think, well it's one boy, and surely he will be fine. No. I can't bring myself to do that. This precious four year old boy that has taken over a huge piece of my heart. He has so much potential. He has the potential to be a blessing to so many and to be smothered with so much love. He has the potential to be educated and worked with one-on-one, but not here. I do not know how to stop my heart from hurting for him, or how to stop asking why he was brought into my life. I feel that his life is intended to be so much bigger this. I can't help but believe things could be better for him.. that things are meant to be better for him. In fact, I know they could be. I pray that God shows me what he has intended me to learn/do/bring/make from this. I can't help but believe there is more for Merrelli than this.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
the beauty shop, you asked?
Yes! So we took a trip to the Beauty Shop. Adimi drove us to one that his wife used to go to. After he talked to the ladies for a while about what we wanted, they quickly got to work. They seemed to find it very humorous and it was fun to exchange smiles and "muy bonitas" with them.
We still all laugh about how we look we have braided mullets! But when we arrived back to the Seminary to start our after school program (which went SO well- I'll share more soon) the kids loved our hair!! We look just like the girls now and they seem to love that.
We had some difficulties getting it all wrapped up to prepare for bed and ended up looking like little maids. Oh bless. It's fun though! Only In Africa, right?? :)
Love Always, Allyson
We had some difficulties getting it all wrapped up to prepare for bed and ended up looking like little maids. Oh bless. It's fun though! Only In Africa, right?? :)Love Always, Allyson
Sunday, June 28, 2009
sunday services & a boat ride!
We just returned back to our house after a busy morning and afternoon. Tomas came to pick us up around 9:00 this morning for church. The church that we were scheduled to visit was actually the church that he regularly attends. It was in downtown Maputo and it was nice to be around a congregation that he knew very well. I loved his church so much! The people there were extra welcoming (if that's even possible since everyone here is so hospitable) and they praised God like there would be no tomorrow. We arrived in time for the end of Sunday school and then we entered the Santuary, wherehe took us to the stage to a bench waiting for us. He told us we needed to sit there because we are special today (like I said, very hospitable). The service began around 10:00 and the worship lasted until around 11:30. I love the way they sing here. Every single person sings at the very top of his or her lungs. Their voices are so beautiful. Each age group sings together, so the women, the men, the young marrieds, and the youth. But they add us into the mix, and we did our usual, "Waves of Mercy" and "God is so good." They loved it so much. There was a much older gentlemen in one of the front rows that loved the hand motions. He tried his best to keep up and do every one. It was such a great service and God was definitely in that place. Towards the end of the service there was a time of prayer. It is very common here for everyone to erupt into many individual prayers at the same time and out loud. I couldn't help but open my eyes and look around at the people. It was a beautiful outburst. I saw so many tears, and so many individuals crying out to Christ. Each individual represents such an amazing story. These people are living here, in this broken, nearly dysfunctional society, all day long, day after day. I am the one with a plane ticket home to a country where things appear to be so organized and put together compared to this place. God is working in me.. showing me these things that his heart breaks for. I can't help but break for them too. I cannot think of a time that I have seen worship modeled in a more pure and genuine way. They were such a blessing to worship with.
After the service Tomas introduced us to his friend Claudio, that had come to help translate with him. He and Claudio took us around town and we took them out to lunch to Mimmo's again. (The same place that we ate pizza last time) They loved it and were so excited, they ordered steak! :) Afterwards they told us that they wanted to take us to the beach across the river. They explained to us that we would have to transport across by boat. So... we followed as they directed and walked to a dock nearby. These men handed us each a ticket and sure enough, there was a little boat waiting for us! It looked like a fishing boat to me, but it took us on a short ride across the body of water to a large island across the way. We got back off the boat and were able to walk along the beach. It was a nice change of scenary and a great way to spend the Sunday afternoon. It also allowed us to spend more time with Tomas, our site coordinator, and get to know him a little better. After we spent a little time on the beach we got on another boat which took us back to the dock we came from. Then Claudio and a friend of his took us back home. We are now looking forward to tomorrow when our after school program starts! Pray for the children who will be attending, and pray for us as well as we have such a precious time to interact with them.
Thank you all so much for your prayers for better health. I have definitely been feeling better and am just left with somewhat of a sore throat (no biggie). Thank goodness... and the team all is well too. There aren't any serious illnesses or anything, praise God.I could only use some suggestions for good mosquito bite home remedies? I have about 6 new welts due to these pesky mosquitoes and would love something that would cure my itchiness. Caladryl and benadryl are getting me through, so hopefully they'll all be gone quickly.... so thank you!
I love you guys.. and appreciate you all.
Always, Allyson
Saturday, June 27, 2009
a great saturday
Well after today I feel like I could be a spokesperson for 24 hour fitness or a candidate for Survivor or something. So we were supposed to be cleaning a church today, but our site coordinator, and only source of transportation these days, texted us last night and told us that his car was broken and at the service station. When we woke up this morning we were all feeling like we had a little bit of cabin fever! We thought of what we could do and could not seem to come up with any ideas that didn't require walking or chappas, so we decided to walk! When Dave Restrick took us to the beach a couple weeks ago, it seemed as if it was right down the street, so we put on our flip flops, took on the adventure, and headed for the beach.
We began walking.... and walking.... and walking. Down these difficult sand roads, around corners, and following our gut for direction. I might mention that there aren't any street signs, stop lights, or stop signs along these roads to the beach. We passed chickens, goats, many staring faces, a donkey, bikes, and houses. Before we knew it, we were about an hour and a half from the Seminary and facing the Indian Ocean. It was a beautiful day and we were able to buy a few souvenirs by the beach. We stopped in at a little restaurant for lunch and ate a snack and each had a coke. It was a nice treat, but also a quick one. We knew we needed to head back to the Seminary because we were not one hundred percent positive that we knew the entire way back to Seminary. It's difficult to decipher one street from another since they all look exactly the same. After some great guesses, we made it back before dark, along with our souvenirs and poor blistered feet. Oh, what an adventure! It was a good day, and we all got some much needed exercise.
After arriving, we changed our shoes and headed outside to play with the kids. They were waiting by our door, all anxious as always to kiss our cheeks and give us hugs. They all know our names now... so when they sit on our porch they call our names, "Kayll... All zun.... Chrishtina..." We love it more than anything. We played hand games until dark since the mosquitos are so bad at night. I am so thankful that we have them here. We are definitely looking forward to our after school program with them starting Monday!
Tomorrow we will be going to church, so I'm sure I'll have more stories to tell soon :) Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement! I have received comments and messages from some of you that I didn't even know had the link to my blog! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're all so great. Keep me posted with what is going on with all of you and with things that I can also keep in prayer for you. I would love to be able to lift you guys up in prayer specifically and according to your needs. I'll write again soon.
ps. here are a few random pictures
I took this picture from the car. We were leaving Shop Rite (the grocery store) and people are always selling things at the entrance/exit. This man had his face at our window at one point trying to sell us this poor rabbit! Notice his paws are tied up. Sad day!
This is the salad that we avoid at all costs. With the typical loaf of bread (which is sooo good!)
We see women like this every day. This is talent! She's carrying water by the way.
Some of the kids when they first came in the house for movie night! More ended up coming and we had cookies and watched Chicken Run!
Bye!
We began walking.... and walking.... and walking. Down these difficult sand roads, around corners, and following our gut for direction. I might mention that there aren't any street signs, stop lights, or stop signs along these roads to the beach. We passed chickens, goats, many staring faces, a donkey, bikes, and houses. Before we knew it, we were about an hour and a half from the Seminary and facing the Indian Ocean. It was a beautiful day and we were able to buy a few souvenirs by the beach. We stopped in at a little restaurant for lunch and ate a snack and each had a coke. It was a nice treat, but also a quick one. We knew we needed to head back to the Seminary because we were not one hundred percent positive that we knew the entire way back to Seminary. It's difficult to decipher one street from another since they all look exactly the same. After some great guesses, we made it back before dark, along with our souvenirs and poor blistered feet. Oh, what an adventure! It was a good day, and we all got some much needed exercise.
After arriving, we changed our shoes and headed outside to play with the kids. They were waiting by our door, all anxious as always to kiss our cheeks and give us hugs. They all know our names now... so when they sit on our porch they call our names, "Kayll... All zun.... Chrishtina..." We love it more than anything. We played hand games until dark since the mosquitos are so bad at night. I am so thankful that we have them here. We are definitely looking forward to our after school program with them starting Monday!
Tomorrow we will be going to church, so I'm sure I'll have more stories to tell soon :) Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement! I have received comments and messages from some of you that I didn't even know had the link to my blog! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're all so great. Keep me posted with what is going on with all of you and with things that I can also keep in prayer for you. I would love to be able to lift you guys up in prayer specifically and according to your needs. I'll write again soon.
Love Always, Allyson
ps. here are a few random pictures
I took this picture from the car. We were leaving Shop Rite (the grocery store) and people are always selling things at the entrance/exit. This man had his face at our window at one point trying to sell us this poor rabbit! Notice his paws are tied up. Sad day!
This is the salad that we avoid at all costs. With the typical loaf of bread (which is sooo good!)
We see women like this every day. This is talent! She's carrying water by the way.
Some of the kids when they first came in the house for movie night! More ended up coming and we had cookies and watched Chicken Run!Bye!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
sanding, painting, and chappas
What an adventure. The plans really played out and we painted a church.
The morning started at 7:30 am when two men from a church were waiting for us outside of our door. We got ready and met them outside. They spoke some English (one of them we knew, but hadn't spent a lot of time with), and were able to tell us we were walking to the church we would be painting. They told us it was close, but we already knew that "Mozambique close" is much different than "American close." So we started walking and walking.... and walking. It seemed even longer because you are walking through sand when you walk down the roads, it feels a lot like walking on the beach in tennis shoes. (sometimes nearly impossible.) So when we arrived we were handed little squares of sandpaper... we sanded the whole concrete building with the other members of the church. They were friendly must most didn't speak English, so we worked side my side and communicated through smiles. Then we began to paint the church. With so many helping hands it went pretty smoothly and quickly. It seemed that things were wrapping up and we realized that all the women were no where to be seen. We found them behind the church with cutting up loads of salad, boiling water for tea, and with bags of bread. They were preparing lunch... as always. My stomach immediately went weak, salad is what made me so sick last weekend. We aren't supposed to eat anything that is uncooked because it's contaminated due to their unfiltered water. I found a little bag on the floor and put it in my purse. I knew I had to find a way around another week of sickness. So they prepared a table to set all the food on and set pews around for all of us to eat. Kristin and I were able to slip our salad little by little into the baggie in my purse without anyone noticing. Kayley let Jerry eat her salad as seconds, as he was willing to endure the sickness this week. I ate my bread and drank my tea and everyone left happy.
So everyone began to tell us bye and pointed us in the direction we needed to leave. We asked them if we were going alone, and they said, well... "We have someone walk you to main road." We were all immediately nervous. The man who began walking with us (a pastor from near by that came to help paint) sensed our frustration and just kept walking with us. I prayed and prayed the Lord would keep us safe, I think this man was an answer to prayer. He led us to a corner where there were a bunch of Chappas. Chappas are what people here call 'public transport.' It's actually a stripped out mini van, that seat about 25 people. We have only heard bad stories about these things and were so hesitant to get on. We told him that we didn't want to ride it and wanted to walk, but he told us it was okay, that he was going to ride it with us, and even insisted on paying. He was so nice and our Chappa wasn't jam packed either. It took us all the way to the street the Seminary is on and the pastor man walked us to the entrance. We thanked him immensely and he went on his way. We made it walking to a far away church and riding a chappa home without having anything stolen or getting lost. I am so thankful! God really keeps us safe!
We have decided as a team that agreeing to walk somewhere in the future is a bad idea, especially when our site coordinator is not nearby on Seminary to come and pick us up. We will be sure that there are concrete plans in the future, just to be on the safe side. You live and you learn :)
The morning started at 7:30 am when two men from a church were waiting for us outside of our door. We got ready and met them outside. They spoke some English (one of them we knew, but hadn't spent a lot of time with), and were able to tell us we were walking to the church we would be painting. They told us it was close, but we already knew that "Mozambique close" is much different than "American close." So we started walking and walking.... and walking. It seemed even longer because you are walking through sand when you walk down the roads, it feels a lot like walking on the beach in tennis shoes. (sometimes nearly impossible.) So when we arrived we were handed little squares of sandpaper... we sanded the whole concrete building with the other members of the church. They were friendly must most didn't speak English, so we worked side my side and communicated through smiles. Then we began to paint the church. With so many helping hands it went pretty smoothly and quickly. It seemed that things were wrapping up and we realized that all the women were no where to be seen. We found them behind the church with cutting up loads of salad, boiling water for tea, and with bags of bread. They were preparing lunch... as always. My stomach immediately went weak, salad is what made me so sick last weekend. We aren't supposed to eat anything that is uncooked because it's contaminated due to their unfiltered water. I found a little bag on the floor and put it in my purse. I knew I had to find a way around another week of sickness. So they prepared a table to set all the food on and set pews around for all of us to eat. Kristin and I were able to slip our salad little by little into the baggie in my purse without anyone noticing. Kayley let Jerry eat her salad as seconds, as he was willing to endure the sickness this week. I ate my bread and drank my tea and everyone left happy.
So everyone began to tell us bye and pointed us in the direction we needed to leave. We asked them if we were going alone, and they said, well... "We have someone walk you to main road." We were all immediately nervous. The man who began walking with us (a pastor from near by that came to help paint) sensed our frustration and just kept walking with us. I prayed and prayed the Lord would keep us safe, I think this man was an answer to prayer. He led us to a corner where there were a bunch of Chappas. Chappas are what people here call 'public transport.' It's actually a stripped out mini van, that seat about 25 people. We have only heard bad stories about these things and were so hesitant to get on. We told him that we didn't want to ride it and wanted to walk, but he told us it was okay, that he was going to ride it with us, and even insisted on paying. He was so nice and our Chappa wasn't jam packed either. It took us all the way to the street the Seminary is on and the pastor man walked us to the entrance. We thanked him immensely and he went on his way. We made it walking to a far away church and riding a chappa home without having anything stolen or getting lost. I am so thankful! God really keeps us safe!
We have decided as a team that agreeing to walk somewhere in the future is a bad idea, especially when our site coordinator is not nearby on Seminary to come and pick us up. We will be sure that there are concrete plans in the future, just to be on the safe side. You live and you learn :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
planning, planning, planning
So this week, our schedule said that we would be touring Maputo and visiting the beach! But it is already Wednesday night and we haven't left the Seminary yet. We haven't given up just quite yet and are hoping we may go out on Friday, we'll just see what happens with the remainder of the week. Last night, Tomas, our site coordinator, came to as us if we could help paint a church on Thursday morning at 7:00 am (These are the postponed plans from last week). So tomorrow we will be getting up early to see if the plan really plays out.
Today we have worked on planning an after school program for the children here on Seminary. We are so excited! We will start the program next week and it will take place on: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the next two weeks. (June 29th-July 10th.) We will have it from 2:30-4:30pm and will begin with worship music and a game outside. Then we will take all the kids into our house for crafts around the table and we'll end with a snack. Today we really worked on a lot of crafts and have started making examples to show the kids what their end products will look like. We will have things like popsicle stick-picture frames, noodle-necklaces, brown paper bag puppets, etc. It should be a lot of fun. We will end the second week with a giant Happy "Unbirthday" Party! The kids here don't know their birthdays (many of their parents don't even know them) and have never had a birthday party. So we have decided that this party is a neccesity! We will be making cupcakes- each with a candle, decorate, attempt to make a pinata, have pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs, have them decorate goodie bags, etc. We're excited to have a fun, yet structured next couple of weeks with the kids.. I'll definitely keep you all posted on the progress!
Kristin is in the process of making clothes for all of the kids! She's great with the sewing machine and has already made three adorable dresses and will be making outfits for the boys too. We're hoping to wrap them all and give them as "birthday gifts." It's been so fun to act as "moms" to these kids. I'd say they have gotten us wrapped around their little fingers. (It's funny how that can happen) So that will also be one of the ongoing projects around this house.
In our guest house that we're staying in, we have a spare bedroom full of bunk beds, so on Friday night, we will take all the mattress' off the beds and put them on the floor of our living room and have a MOVIE NIGHT with all the kids!! The Restrick's have a projector so we will project a Disney movie on the wall and spend the evening with them. We may even introduce them to popcorn. It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to a great week. Continue to pray for the Restrick's as they are traveling into extremely primative areas and driving long distances. And we are also all getting sick (probably from these kids.) It just seems to be the typical cold, but it would be nice if it would pass quickly :) Thank you all again for all your encouragement, prayers, and messages. You don't know how much them mean and help!
Love Always, Allyson
Today we have worked on planning an after school program for the children here on Seminary. We are so excited! We will start the program next week and it will take place on: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for the next two weeks. (June 29th-July 10th.) We will have it from 2:30-4:30pm and will begin with worship music and a game outside. Then we will take all the kids into our house for crafts around the table and we'll end with a snack. Today we really worked on a lot of crafts and have started making examples to show the kids what their end products will look like. We will have things like popsicle stick-picture frames, noodle-necklaces, brown paper bag puppets, etc. It should be a lot of fun. We will end the second week with a giant Happy "Unbirthday" Party! The kids here don't know their birthdays (many of their parents don't even know them) and have never had a birthday party. So we have decided that this party is a neccesity! We will be making cupcakes- each with a candle, decorate, attempt to make a pinata, have pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs, have them decorate goodie bags, etc. We're excited to have a fun, yet structured next couple of weeks with the kids.. I'll definitely keep you all posted on the progress!
Kristin is in the process of making clothes for all of the kids! She's great with the sewing machine and has already made three adorable dresses and will be making outfits for the boys too. We're hoping to wrap them all and give them as "birthday gifts." It's been so fun to act as "moms" to these kids. I'd say they have gotten us wrapped around their little fingers. (It's funny how that can happen) So that will also be one of the ongoing projects around this house.
In our guest house that we're staying in, we have a spare bedroom full of bunk beds, so on Friday night, we will take all the mattress' off the beds and put them on the floor of our living room and have a MOVIE NIGHT with all the kids!! The Restrick's have a projector so we will project a Disney movie on the wall and spend the evening with them. We may even introduce them to popcorn. It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to a great week. Continue to pray for the Restrick's as they are traveling into extremely primative areas and driving long distances. And we are also all getting sick (probably from these kids.) It just seems to be the typical cold, but it would be nice if it would pass quickly :) Thank you all again for all your encouragement, prayers, and messages. You don't know how much them mean and help!
Love Always, Allyson
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Singing Competition & Father's Day.
The weekend seemed like a whirlwind of events, so I’ll do my best to share them all with you. Saturday we went to a youth singing competition. It began at 1:00 and we didn’t get home until around 9:30. It was a long day! It was great to hear all of their singing, and of course they had us sing for them too. They loved it, and always enjoy all the hand motions. But like I have said before, you cannot leave a church until they feed you. They think it is incredibly rude, so we always, always eat. This particular time we were lead to this table full of pots of pans. There was rice, this stuff that looks like grits, but is really hard, and then this brown bony meat, which was cut up into squares. I thought the meat looked really interesting, but of course, we took some of everything that was offered and ate it! I chewed quickly, but politely and tried to avoid the big chunks of bone. Later on at home I asked what kind of meat we had eaten… it was goat! So the singing went well and we left with bellies full of goat, what a day. We rested up and were off for church on Sunday..
Well it was my first Father’s Day to spend away from Dad :( We went to a new church, as we do every Sunday, and once again it was a hut. But this was one quite a bit bigger than the last one. We got there at 8:00 for the Portuguese service, then Sunday school, then the Shangaan service after that. It was really awesome to see all the Dads being celebrated as they sang many songs together and the men danced and sang! The Restrick’s had planned to take a missionary friend of theirs out to lunch after church and had called the pastor to tell him that we wouldn’t be eating on Sunday so he wouldn’t be offended if we didn’t eat. I was kind of excited and we headed to the car after church but didn’t get very far. They told us to be sure we have a cup of juice before we left. Dave told us we all needed to, so back into the hut we went and were lead to chairs that were set up just for us! There was a familiar theme going on as pots and pans were brought out, full of rice, white grit stuff, and square bony meat!! I ate the goat pieces that were on my plate and tried to concentrate on the graciousness and hospitality of these loving people as I did so- it was the only way to get through it. We lived, and headed onto the airport to pick up the Restrick’s friend, and headed to a restaurant. It was such a treat and it was great food! A real Hawaiian pizza and a Coke Light made my day. We dropped their friend back off at the airport, because he was only in for a layover, and went back to the house to pick up the blankets we had been working on.
We headed out to the boy’s orphanage to give them the blankets that we had made last week! It was so much fun to see their excitement. We had a little service and were able to all sing together. The orphanage has come so far in the last couple weeks because it was brand new. It’s just a house that a man started allowing children with no homes come and live in. He is teaching them and receiving donations to provide for their needs. It was a blessing to see everything that God is doing in that place. After returning home, I was able to call home and talk to mom, dad, and Zach. It was so good to talk to them, especially since it was Father’s Day. Time seems to go faster and faster as the days pass, so we are doing our best to enjoy our time as much as possible. The last several days I have dealt with terrible stomach aches and other flu like symptoms. Rhoda thinks that the food we ate during the Jesus Film was somehow contaminated because the four of us have felt under the weather. We are beginning to feel a little better and pray that we continue to do so :) But now the Restrick's have left for their three and a half week journey to Northern Mozambique so we will be on our own for most of the remainder of our trip. It will be different from what we have been used to, but hopefully it will all go smoothly. Love Always, Allyson
Saturday, June 20, 2009
the Jesus film
On Friday we were supposed to be "painting a church" as they had told us on Thursday, so we got all ready in our painting clothes and met the group down at the seminary. The youth we were going with were all in nice dress clothes and we knew there must have bit of a misunderstanding. They told us, "Oh, we're showing the Jesus film instead." (We are still adapting to this laid back lifestyle and tried to remind ourselves that "this is different, but it's okay") So we walked back up to our guesthouse, changed, and met back at the van to leave. We traveled about 25 minutes to a little village area in Maputo. Once we arrived we walked from "house" to "house" with the Youth to invite the residents to view the film with us later on that night.
(side story: When we walked around the area inviting people to the film, there was a little girl with a severe mental disability sitting the the dirt. As we walked towards her (she was in the pathway) she was making very loud noises, yelling and as if she was trying to talk. She couldn't say any words and her legs didn't work. She started crawling towards us with her arms and was so dirty. Drool was pouring from her mouth and her sisters were playing on a tree behind her as nothing unordinary was happening. I immediately got nervous because she sounded in pain and I didn't know how to react. Kristin was the first one to kneel down to her. The first thing the girl wanted to do was touch her hands. We all knelt down to her and her noises immediately turned into some kind of happy hysteria. She was laughing and seemed in pure amazement as we touched her dirty hands. She dragged an old magazine with her and we showed great interest in it. Sometimes it's crazy what the little things can do. She was so sweet. It was challenging for me to begin with, but I am so glad we didn't just pass her. Sometimes the biggest blessings are in disguise. I heard the phrase 'the least of these' play over and over in my head as we touched her hands and her sweet face. Before we left Kaylee gave her a dum dum sucker that was in her purse. I cannot explain to you the laughing/screaming/happiness that came out of her in that moment. It's amazing what a simple touch can sometimes do. I feel like she was such a blessing to us, much more than we could have ever been to her. I won't ever forget that moment. She was beautiful.)
When we returned back to the film location we helped set up the projector system and all the equipment.. and then the guests started to arrive. Around 20 people showed up, including many little kids! It was a larger group than I would have expected because the area didn't seem very populated to begin with. The Youth in charge put on this upbeat Portuguese Christian music and began dancing with the guests! We had all of the little kids dancing with us, and we had such a good time. They are so funny and dancing is much different here than in the states! They would do these ridiculous motions, and it's all about mimicking... so they would do motions to something that looked like "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" and then point to us and expect us to mimic them. They found this hilarious, so we all had a great time.
We finally started the Jesus film after we all ate (of course) around 7:30. I had the privilege of holding this sweet little boy in my lap during the film who just could not seem to keep his eyes open. He was out shortly after it started. It really makes me wonder how often these children get to be held and loved on. The three of us all had a little one in our arms, but at first they seemed so awkward. They didn't know how to be comfortable and sat straight up on our laps, stiff and very shy. I pulled the little boy back so he could lean on me. It was pretty cold so I laid a jacket on top of him and let his head rest against my shoulder. After a few minutes his body relaxed and he seemed so peaceful, in what seemed the first time in quite a while. I wonder what his "bed" at home is like. If it was anywhere near the area that we showed the Jesus film, it was probably a cold cement floor. But what about his mom and dad? Did they have the time to ever hold him this way, to cuddle up with him and tell him that they love him? I don't understand how so many beautiful, innocent children can be expected to live so independently. I don't think I ever will understand. We can only love them as much as possible while we have the chance to. I never even caught the little boy's name last night. He spoke Shangaan, and once the film started I don't think he would have been able to hear me ask. It wasn't long before his little eyes were shut and he was off to sleep, but that was enough.. I didn't need to know.
At the end of the film there were about 4 or 5 individuals that came to the front to give their lives to Christ. It was a blessing to see and to hear all of their prayers, even though we weren't able to understand them. When the film was over, we said bye to all our little 'dance partners' and loaded back into the van to return back to seminary. It was a day that began much differently than we had anticipated, but it was very evident that God had a designated plan for our day. I'm learning that this is life.. often much different than we are able to imagine. But God is so good and he has plans that are so much greater and amazing than our own.
Love Always, Allyson
(side story: When we walked around the area inviting people to the film, there was a little girl with a severe mental disability sitting the the dirt. As we walked towards her (she was in the pathway) she was making very loud noises, yelling and as if she was trying to talk. She couldn't say any words and her legs didn't work. She started crawling towards us with her arms and was so dirty. Drool was pouring from her mouth and her sisters were playing on a tree behind her as nothing unordinary was happening. I immediately got nervous because she sounded in pain and I didn't know how to react. Kristin was the first one to kneel down to her. The first thing the girl wanted to do was touch her hands. We all knelt down to her and her noises immediately turned into some kind of happy hysteria. She was laughing and seemed in pure amazement as we touched her dirty hands. She dragged an old magazine with her and we showed great interest in it. Sometimes it's crazy what the little things can do. She was so sweet. It was challenging for me to begin with, but I am so glad we didn't just pass her. Sometimes the biggest blessings are in disguise. I heard the phrase 'the least of these' play over and over in my head as we touched her hands and her sweet face. Before we left Kaylee gave her a dum dum sucker that was in her purse. I cannot explain to you the laughing/screaming/happiness that came out of her in that moment. It's amazing what a simple touch can sometimes do. I feel like she was such a blessing to us, much more than we could have ever been to her. I won't ever forget that moment. She was beautiful.)
When we returned back to the film location we helped set up the projector system and all the equipment.. and then the guests started to arrive. Around 20 people showed up, including many little kids! It was a larger group than I would have expected because the area didn't seem very populated to begin with. The Youth in charge put on this upbeat Portuguese Christian music and began dancing with the guests! We had all of the little kids dancing with us, and we had such a good time. They are so funny and dancing is much different here than in the states! They would do these ridiculous motions, and it's all about mimicking... so they would do motions to something that looked like "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" and then point to us and expect us to mimic them. They found this hilarious, so we all had a great time.
We finally started the Jesus film after we all ate (of course) around 7:30. I had the privilege of holding this sweet little boy in my lap during the film who just could not seem to keep his eyes open. He was out shortly after it started. It really makes me wonder how often these children get to be held and loved on. The three of us all had a little one in our arms, but at first they seemed so awkward. They didn't know how to be comfortable and sat straight up on our laps, stiff and very shy. I pulled the little boy back so he could lean on me. It was pretty cold so I laid a jacket on top of him and let his head rest against my shoulder. After a few minutes his body relaxed and he seemed so peaceful, in what seemed the first time in quite a while. I wonder what his "bed" at home is like. If it was anywhere near the area that we showed the Jesus film, it was probably a cold cement floor. But what about his mom and dad? Did they have the time to ever hold him this way, to cuddle up with him and tell him that they love him? I don't understand how so many beautiful, innocent children can be expected to live so independently. I don't think I ever will understand. We can only love them as much as possible while we have the chance to. I never even caught the little boy's name last night. He spoke Shangaan, and once the film started I don't think he would have been able to hear me ask. It wasn't long before his little eyes were shut and he was off to sleep, but that was enough.. I didn't need to know.
At the end of the film there were about 4 or 5 individuals that came to the front to give their lives to Christ. It was a blessing to see and to hear all of their prayers, even though we weren't able to understand them. When the film was over, we said bye to all our little 'dance partners' and loaded back into the van to return back to seminary. It was a day that began much differently than we had anticipated, but it was very evident that God had a designated plan for our day. I'm learning that this is life.. often much different than we are able to imagine. But God is so good and he has plans that are so much greater and amazing than our own.
Love Always, Allyson
Thursday, June 18, 2009
oh, it's thursday :]
The day began with waking up early in preparation to paint a church! We were almost ready and a student came to the gate to tell us that the painting was postponed until tomorrow at noon. So... we were left with a clean slate for the day! We (the girls) took a sheet outside with a couple books and planned on reading. It wasn't too long until we discovered that the escuelina was closed today, and soon our blanket was full of little ones to lay with. We played hand games and had tickle fights until lunch time. We came inside and made ourselves lunch... when we discovered a GINORMOUS SPIDER in the kitchen, on a book. This thing was massive and my throat is still soar from screaming. (The picture doesn't serve it's size justice) We found the roach spray and while Kristin and I stood back, Kaylee sprayed it until it was dead. I think that was the most chaos we have had since we have been here, fortunately! O.I.A. :)
The rest of our day we began making friendship bracelets (we're working towards one for each child) and we spent the remainder of our day outside. Allowing our hair to be hugged on and braided, serving as a human jungle gym, and playing various hand games. Their smiles and laughter never stop and they are truly a joy. Each one of them. I taught them what a dog pile was today and I only wish there was a picture of this beautiful disaster, the only reason there isn't one is that we were always under it. It's so much fun to see them enjoy new things! Yesterday Kaylee brought a coloring book outside and they colored for what seemed like hours! They are each so sweet to share the crayons and the pages. Some days they bring out their dinner and eat it outside around us, it's always, always rice and beans. This messy moment was captured yesterday when Merrelli enjoyed his dinner while sitting in my lap. Mmmmh. 
The mosquitoes continue munching at my skin, but that seems to be the worst of things around here. Thankfully the Lord is keeping us healthy and things are going well. Our blankets are almost finished and all the books have been made, so we have made progress with our to-do list. The Restrick's are scheduled to return home tonight from their two day trip to South Africa so we are praying for their safe travels. Tomorrow, if all goes to plan, we should be painting that church! Then on Saturday we have a singing competition to go to, and if there is time left in the day, we will be going to deliver the blankets to the orphanage and showing the Jesus Film For Kids. I hope you're all having a great week! Thank you for all of your continued prayers.Love Always, Allyson
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
I came across some more pictures that I thought you would all enjoy seeing. Just a little more about our life here in Africa at the moment :)
As you can see... we have some wild rides as we drive down these dirt roads. Notice the traffic doesn't seem too organized either.
As you can see... we have some wild rides as we drive down these dirt roads. Notice the traffic doesn't seem too organized either.
People filling the back of a pickup truck. This is a very common sight along the road.
The streets are LINED with people selling things on these little stands made of sticks. They are actually selling toilets, pipes, and other different things.
Selena, Merrelli, Ada
My boy :) Merrelli. He found a whistle and couldn't get over the fact that he actually had a voice that day! (he doesn't talk.. yet!) So he blew this whistle all day long.
This little boy shows up from time to time and is super sweet.these red overalls kill me! I love it.
This is the tree that the Children's school (escuelina) used to meet before they received the big storage containers they made tbeir building out of.
This was part of the dental team, Kristin's Aunt and Uncle actually, Bob and Diane. The man in the center of this picture just received a mouth piece, which gave him two front teeth! This was the first time we saw him smile, after he got his new, pretty teeth! :) It was amazing!
Inside the escuelina... singing and dancing with the kids.
The chapel on campus, and the parking places!
This was our first night in Africa. We lived in the student housing for the first week. Our bunks each had a mosquito net and we were just tickled about it. We have now moved into the guest house, which has less bugs and lizards. It's so nice that we don't have to use these kind of precautions, so we had to say goodbye to our African mosquito nets! Thankfully I got a picture first!Well that's all for now! I'll post more when I can.
Love Always, Allyson
Love Always, Allyson
Monday, June 15, 2009
grass, white skin, and english
Yesterday was such a good day. We went to church in the morning... in a hut! Yes, it was this small hut that ended up holding about ninety people for four hours. It was definitely an experience. The whole service was in Shangaan (a native language here) so we didn't understand one word of the service (not that we ever do when it's in Portuguese either, haha), but it's so good to see people that are so different than us on the outside, worshiping the same God. Sunday was also "Mother's Day" at this church. Mother's day is just on whichever day each church feels like having it here... so it was yesterday! The Mom's all marched in with a dance they all do here... and did a drama as well. It was definitely different, but also fun. We were so hot and ready to leave by the 4th hour, but it was good! We're still adjusting to the length of the services here in Mozambique!
(The hut that we had church in, BEFORE all the people came in!)After church we went back to the Restrick's and ate a great meal of roast, gravy, mashed potatoes, cauliflower and cheese, mixed veggies, and popovers. It was so good, and reminded me a little of home! (They're so good to us!) After this scrumptious meal, Dave took the four of us to the beach!! Which turned out to be only about 15 minutes away! It's amazing that it's only fifteen minutes from here, because it's a little ritzy and touristy. The Indian Ocean was beautiful. It was a very strange feeling to think we had our feet off the tip of Mozambique, into the Indian Ocean. We didn't swim because it was cold, but also because it's unsanitary. But it was pretty to see and we were able to collect some sea shells. After walking the beach, we went to this park-like area to get an icecream cone! What a TREAT. Those of you that know my eating habits, know that I love icecream, too much! So I was thrilled and had a chocolate icecream that I thoroughly enjoyed. Like I said, we were at a park (which was definitely the first one we've seen since we've been here) and we saw grass, people with white skin, and heard english! It was so exciting, and very unexpected. I never would have dreamed I would have been so excited to see someone that looked like me, but I was. For the first time in what feels like forever, I didn't feel like a martian in public. There wasn't anyone staring like I was from another world, or strangers taking pictures of me. I wasn't the center of attention for the first time as we walked through the crowd and it was very comforting. It was such a resfreshing afternoon... and it was something that I really needed. It was strange because I didn't realize how much I really needed this break... but thankfully it was provided. I feel very refreshed. The whole afternoon made me really think about those that are always the minority, even in America. I can't imagine always feeling alienated.. I hope that I never forget what it feels like to be looked at this way. I definitely identify more with those that are perceived as 'different' now. I think yesterday really helped me realize that.
(The sunset- facing shore from a flat spot of sand)
(I love them! And would be totally lost here without them.-Kaylee, Me, Kristin-)
(The Indian ocean!... facing shore though, but the sky was beautiful! - It's weird to see it set on the other side (towards shore)!)Today we are making blankets for an orphanage that a man recently started here. It's a place that 'street children' are allowed to come and live. They have many needs, but one need is simply bedding... so Rhoda has gotten out all her spare fabric and batting and we're going to sew away! We're hoping to take these blankets on Saturday and show the Jesus film for children that night as well! This project should keep us busy until Thursday.... then we begin to paint a church! I'll update you all on the progress soon :)
(playing with the kids after returning home from the beach. It was really dark outside because of a power outage, so they weren't ever expecting the flash, so funny!)Love Always, Allyson
ps: I'm probably going to have albums and albums of pictures on facebook when I get home... I just can't put them on yet because the internet is too slow with facebook for some reason. But get ready :)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Hello from Africa!
I'm sitting in the Restrick's living room, with a belly fully of our nightly tea, and the movie, "The Gods Must be Crazy 2" projected on the wall. A few minutes ago, Rhoda walked into the living room telling Dave that there was a lizard in their bathroom that wanted to go outside. She thought it would be nice if he would carry him out, so he did. Life is so different here, but we are getting used to things. I wish I would have journaled my very first thoughts more than I did, but hopefully I will be able to recall some of our culture differences and the way I first perceived them. Last night we walked into the kitchen to see Rhoda apologizing to the ants she was smashing. Saying, "sorry guys, but you picked the wrong kitchen today. I don't have enough time to take you all outside, I must cook dinner." I don't even need to tell you that she would never hurt a soul... or even the creatures without them.
I'm sitting in the Restrick's living room, with a belly fully of our nightly tea, and the movie, "The Gods Must be Crazy 2" projected on the wall. A few minutes ago, Rhoda walked into the living room telling Dave that there was a lizard in their bathroom that wanted to go outside. She thought it would be nice if he would carry him out, so he did. Life is so different here, but we are getting used to things. I wish I would have journaled my very first thoughts more than I did, but hopefully I will be able to recall some of our culture differences and the way I first perceived them. Last night we walked into the kitchen to see Rhoda apologizing to the ants she was smashing. Saying, "sorry guys, but you picked the wrong kitchen today. I don't have enough time to take you all outside, I must cook dinner." I don't even need to tell you that she would never hurt a soul... or even the creatures without them.
(In the 'downtown' city)I have gotten fairly used to the driving experiences here, as today our car stalled as Tomas was attempting to fly across traffic. Thankfully they all stopped for us, after much honking and many dirty looks. Along the roads there are countless children with barefeet, almost every woman has a baby in her sling and an oversized container of some sort balancing on her head. Dirt covers everything and makes up the "roads" here. There are always goats along the roads and many dogs too. There are numerous pick up trucks, which have probably around 25 people loaded in the backs of them- There are no laws about driving here. No lines in the road to separate lanes, and no laws against passing into oncoming traffic. I pray so much when we are riding along... Thankfully he always keeps us safe. There is a continuous smell of burning trash and body odor that fills the air. Mail boxes and mail delivery do not exist, so we don't receive mail. Being in the capital city of Mozambique, there is not as much greenery as I would have expected, I have been told that you have to drive a little further North to see all the farming. But here, there are many slabs of cement with thin metal roofs and clothes hanging to dry off of every possible corner. It is so overpopulated. Last week, it almost made me sick to watch out the window at some of the sights we would see, but I know that I prayed to break for this country, and that I am. It is so refreshing to see people that are so proud of where they are though. Nobody is ashamed of what they have, or what they don't, but they only want to share with you.
(Kaylee, Kristin, Rhoda, and I in the living room. "Make the face of your puppet")My journey thus far has been a lot tougher than I would have expected it to be. I am struggling most with not being able to talk to Zach, Mom, and Dad over the phone. To hear their voices would make a world of difference.. Thankfully we have the internet. Another difficulty for us is that women really don't have a voice here. Jerry serves as our spokesperson for the most part. It's not that women can't have a say in things here, but they don't really look to women for answers and males are definitely more appreciated. It's an adjustment, one thing that I have taken for granted as an American. Continue to pray, as I know you all are :) Thank you so much for all you have been doing. I have really found so much encouragement through your prayers and support. We're really learning what it is like to live the African life, and it's definitely not easy. There is so much need! But we serve an able God. I'll write again soon.
(Me and Merrelli playing with bubbles. I think I MIGHT have found myself a favorite!)Love Always, Allyson
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