Saying Goodbye to Maforga & Travel to CapeTown

Wed 9/24  - Mavis visited last night armed with lollipops! Sometimes something sweet hits the spot! She explained in more detail how her ministry works with her lot of orphan girls, how it’s handled during the two months she’s gone, and how she does her visa without residency. I talked to Roy for just a minute this AM – he is always so busy. He & Trish say they’re glad I’m coming back. 

We worked on the clinic today: I trouble-shot 2 fluorescent fixtures that refused to stay lit, and replaced a 3^rd.   Lovemore built the brick/cement wall for the reception counter.  Steph installed the fire extinguishers and door dust-ruffles. We were going to paint the final two room floors and touch up the scuffs in the other rooms from moving all the equipment back in, but decided to wait since we’re trying to tie up loose ends & walking all over the floors.

Steph installing fire extinguisher

Replacing temperamental light fixure 

Lovemore building reception area counter

Thurs 9/25  - Rosh Hashana started yesterday evening, going into the 10 Days of Awe. I lunched with Sarah, Kees & Rubin Tanis with Steph, Daniel & Jacinta. Kees explained the spiritual break-thru at the Discipleship School. After 7 years, the leaders (Mozambican) confessed that they don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, they said 95% of Mozambicans are in bondage to their cultural traditions – they fear  and work to appease the spirits of their dead ancestors (Animism), who in turn intercede between God & man. They don’t believe in demons & angels as we do – they believe in bad spirits (ancestors that were evil in their lifetime) that will curse & haunt you, and good spirits (kind ancestors) that bless you & protect you from the evil spirits. 

Lunch at Tanis' - Sarah, Steph, Jacinta, Daniel, Kees

My heart is grieved with the thoughts that, as I was worshipping my God during church, most of the locals were worshipping the spiritual realm. 

John 8:31-32,36 “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”   Make you free v32 & 36 (eleutheroo) = liberate. Be free v36 (eleutheros) = unrestrained as a citizen with all the benefits there of, in contrast to a slave. Indeed (ontos, verb form of on/ousa from eimi) = emphatic existence of being.   

Last night with Roy and Trish -
Marie is sleeping on Trish' lap

I visited with Roy & Trish for a while and discussed my return next year. Roy recounted miraculous stories of the Holy Spirit saving him countless times during war time, and how he came to be able to hear so clearly from the Lord, and how prayer changes circumstances and lives. I then finished packing and spent a restless night with mixed emotions of leaving: hoping the truck would not start tomorrow so I could stay, but also anxious to arrive in Cape Town for the Calvary conference.

Fri 9/26  - I said Goodbye to everyone @ Maforga early AM, but to me it’s “See you later” not Goodbye, so I was able to get through it without crying, although I did have to choke back a couple tears. Steph and I made good time getting to Beira, so we had one last lunch together. We found Fryer Chris, from the Catholic Mission down the road from Maforga in Amatongas, waiting for a visiting bishop from Brazil, who was coming in on the same plane that would turn around & take me back to Johannesburg. So we visited with him during our wait. When I checked in to Beira, the agent was nice enough to also print my boarding pass from JoBerg to Cape Town, to save time standing in another check-in line in JoBerg.  However, I would still need to claim my bag (aprox 15-20mins), go thru Customs random bag check (at least 1 hr on a Fri night), Border Control for my visa stamp (another 1 hr on a Fri), recheck my bag (another 15-20 mins), then find the departing terminal which will hopefully not be on the other side of the huge airport.

Saying goodbye to my roommates
Johanna and Sarah-Michelle

Roy and Trish Perkins

Saying goodbye to Trish, Daniel and Mavis

My new truck??

Steph says, 'oh yeah!' to new truck/ambulance

Steph and Fryer Chris in Beira

My layover in Joberg is only 1hour 20 minutes, but with the boarding gates closing 15 minutes prior to departure, I actually had only 1hr 5 minutes.  I prayed that I would make it on time, especially since I didn’t have the phone # of the guy who would be picking me up at the Cape Town airport. About ½ way through the 2hr flight, I had complete peace about it, although it appeared humanly impossible; I decided I would look at my watch not even once, and let Jesus handle it. Not only did God answer my prayer, He did it in an astonishing way! First, we landed in JoBerg 20 minutes early, which is amazing for such a short flight. It did take about 15 minutes to claim my bag. But next, Customs was not checking bags – which I’ve never seen; 2 uniformed guys were standing there, but watched everyone just walk on by. Then, the Visa line was long for South African passports, but the visitor’s line was only a 10 minute wait. Finally, only 2 people were ahead of me to recheck my bags (again, on a Fri night, going to a tourist place like CapeTown)!

My connection flight was indeed on the other side of the airport, but when I reached the gate & sat down, I had exactly 1 hour to spare! Astonishing, huh?! Especially when my CapeTown driver later told me that when he confirmed my flight was on time, he also saw many other flights from JoBerg to CapeTown, all arriving at the same time (he had wondered how so many flights could land all at the same time). My 1 hour+ ride to Simon’s Town was filled with great conversation with my driver – we talked about African politics, societal corruption, faith, and why Noah allowed mosquitos on the Ark and the possible ecological system collapse if he hadn’t. He was a cute widower in his late 60’s who just started a shuttle business for something to do. I arrived after dark, so I’ll have to wait until morning for sight-seeing, but the sky is clear & the new crescent moon is spectacularly beautiful tonight!

My Last Week in Maforga

Thurs 9/18 – I was up all night with muscle cramps and feeling like my skin was on fire although cool to touch. I spent all day in bed with cramps, severe fatigue, and nausea – pretty sure it’s just dehydration, depleted, and over did it yesterday in the heat. I forced myself to eat around 5pm, then 40 minutes later felt great!  As I left Rondavel to find something to do, the women were leaving Thursday evening prayer. When I suddenly felt better was the same time they were praying for me!  I gave Gozo her rabies vaccine. Then I installed a new lock on the Rondavel back door since $100 was stolen from my backpack. I’m pretty sure who took it (one of the orphan girls), but I just prayed about it (this happened a few days ago). Then Roy gave me back the $100 saying the girl was convicted by the Holy Spirit to confess and return the money! I didn’t ask who it was as she confessed and she is forgiven, and I praise God for the work He is doing in her and continue to pray for her. But better safe than sorry – so there’s a new lock on the door. I’m struggling with a few circumstances to fit in with this culture. One is, I want my home open to anyone who wants to come in and fellowship, but I realize that the few simple things I have are much more than many locals have; I don’t want my stuff to be a stumbling block for them, so I struggle with letting people in, which may present them with unnecessary temptations.

Fri 9/19 - Our hottest day yet - 37C (99F). I took it easy today since being sick yesterday and it’s hot. I sewed a Capalana to wear to church then cleaned the Rondaval since it’s my week. I went to town with Steph to guard the truck as the pipe she bought stuck out of the back window so she couldn’t lock-up to run her other errands. Mavis sprained her ankle so I wrapped it up. It’s fun being the community nurse – issues just come up whenever and wherever.  There’s no set hours sitting in a building.

Taken from Chaim Bentorah’s Hebrew Word Study: A Hebrew Teacher’s Call to Silence: “In silence my heart saw what my eyes could not see. ..In this room I found Jesus holding a heart in His hands, a heart which had been broken. He was weeping over that broken heart. He was feeling the heart’s hurt and loneliness. He wept over that wounded heart longing so much to heal the wound that tore it apart, but the heart’s owner would not seek His comfort. I saw Him pick up a heart that was cold and barren and watched His tear drops just roll off that heart. I could sense Him wishing that each tear would somehow penetrate that heart, but the heart’s would not open it to Him to allow His tears to enter and soften his heart. As He picked up another broken heart I reached out to Him and touched his nail pierced hand and instantly I felt His sorrow and pain, the anguish felt by the heart’s owner and I too wept…It was in this quiet weeping room that I saw my heart’s desire. It was to not have a flourishing ministry, books published, or to even experience a healing of my body, it was only to seek and search for these hearts’ owners and let them know that there is a Savior weeping for them, longing to enter their wounded heart to allow His tears, His nail pierced hands heal those wounds.”

Sat 9/20  - I vsited with Carlos this am - Orphan Day is postponed 2-3 wks due to the upcoming wedding. I was really looking forward to participating, but it won’t happen this trip. Today is misty and cool, a nice reprieve from the heat. A rabid dog tried to attack Daniel, Guido’s 13yo son, in front of the small children’s play area. He chased it off with the help of Gozo and Ziek. No one was bit; I’m glad I gave Gozo her rabies vaccine and there’s more left so I’ll give Ziek a booster. I guess the nurse here is also the vet! Today I was contemplating Matt 13:3 Parable of the soil – thorn (cares of this world) choke the Word in us. I feel like I have a weed growing in my heart. I’ve been asking God to pull it out, no matter how deep the roots are, no matter how painful it is.  “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart Ps 26:2.”

Last day at church in Maforga -
Teaching and sharing my testimony

Sun 9/21 - My last Sunday here. I taught the lesson of Blind Bartimeus (Hebrew name for son of unclean – cool, huh?!) in Luke 18:35-43, focusing on spiritual blindness, as well as being persistent in crying out to God (although I did touch on some of the several other lessons in there). At the end of the lesson, I shared my own testimony on my spiritual blindness the past 2 months. I came to Maforga 1 year ago and fell in love with it. I came back for 2 months this year to seek God’s confirmation that this is where He is calling me, and to “spy out the land” in preparation to move and minster here. I told the church that God tried to tell me several times, but I was spiritually blind to His guidance because of my own desire and will; and after persistently crying out to Him to remove my blind spot, I received my confirmation: I am moving here next year, but I’m to work with a different ministry than the one that I thought.

Afterward, Carlos asked whoever was comfortable to come up to pray for me to send me off as well as to “come back to her new second home” as he put it; in this reserved culture I only expected a few people, mainly the missionaries, to come forward. But to my awe almost the whole church came up! It is such a blessing to be a part of the love of Christ in this community. Maforga may be unorganized and have its problems, but they love God and He blesses that in the midst of the inefficiency. And for all of you who know me well, you’ll know that God is using that to stretch me, as I am a lover of efficiency and organization!

Church praying for my departure & return.
 Roy and Trish behind me.
Right of Trish is Jose-Maforga orphan and language teacher.
Right, Carlos - Rubatano

After church I talked to Vashko, a very nice young man from Beira who’s enrolled in Kees’ discipleship training that the Lord has placed on my heart to pray for. He’ll be leaving the end of this year for nursing school! Tendae is a 24yo mentally impaired man who goes up front almost every Sun to sing a worship song – he can’t carry a tune and has a speech impediment so the songs are way off, but he loves the Lord and everyone gives him great applause when he’s done – it’s beautiful! Steph and I took my 2 roommates to lunch in Gondola so I could finally get to know them better. They’ve been here for almost 2 weeks now and we all keep so busy that we haven’t been able to really fellowship. They are relatively new Christians (one is from a Mennonite background!). We had such great conversation that after lunch we went to Steph’s to continue our talk, which turned into a Bible study of 1 Samuel 28. We were having such a great “girls day out” that it was suddenly 6pm, so Steph cooked us a great dinner by combining the different foods that we each had, then we made popcorn (we had to barter our oranges for popcorn!) and watched a movie. They are really sweet girls so Steph will have them watch her house and pets while she’s on furlough (they’re here til Dec).

Roomates-Johanna, Sarah Michelle & Stephanie

Mon 9/22  - It rained all night and drizzly this am so not much work can be done. Lovemore is off due to the rain so we won’t raise the water tank today. I tried to install new locks on the chicken coops, but the cordless drill went dead.  No electricity and no hand drill, so it’ll have to wait. I tried to make the last window screen, but found I’m two meters shy of screen. No sense in cleaning the dirty Rondavel floors since mud will get tracked in all day. I get the feeling the Lord wants me to spend some time with Him today, and He is my priority…the work will all be there when the rain stops and the sun reappears. 

As I leave in 4 days (very sad), I spent time asking Steph more detailed questions about her vision of the clinic. We discussed where I will fit in to the clinic, and the community, with what the Lord is laying on my heart. I confessed to her my wall that I had put up to avoid her and working at the clinic. Here’s the rest of the story (that I didn’t share with church in my testimony): I was confused when I had dinner with Carlos shortly after I arrived, and discovered that his idea for me working with him was very different from what I had envisioned (he’s looking for a full-time US Ambassador where as I envisioned part-time Ambassador and part-time nurse). I’ve been seeking God this whole time since then for clarification, and felt that an obstacle was blocking my hearing from Him on this particular matter. Finally, I acknowledged to Him the fact that since I had been here last year, I was intentionally avoiding working with  Stephanie and the clinic (once open) for fear that it would interfere with  my work at Rubatano. I have been excited to work with Rubatano since I met Carlos last year, and I thought God wanted me to work exclusively with him. Steph is a very strong leader, and I feared that if I spent much time with her, that I would eventually be influenced by her strong personality, and I would end up giving in and working more at the clinic than Rubatano. However, once I addressed this with God, that wall came down that was blocking my sight. I will be working at the clinic as a medical nurse, specializing in wound care and skin diseases. I will also be working with  Rubatano, but in the capacity as a secondary consult, which is required to receive treatment without having to take the patient to the local hospital – and this can only be done through the clinic. Steph took my confession very well – in fact she laughed. She said she knows she has a strong personality and she’s glad that we’re able to discuss these kinds of issues. Steph and I are different in some ways, but similar in others. It’s been good to spend two months working with her so we each can see how the other works, and doesn’t work. We are both direct and like to address and resolve issues before they become out of control, which doesn’t go over well in this non-confrontational culture, but for us it works so there are minimal misunderstandings between the two of us.

Tues 9/23  - My time here is quickly drawing to a close. Last night I visited Daniel; he and Sarah are under much spiritual attack and discouraged. Sarah is still in the US. I’ll be sad if when I move here next year I find that they’re gone. I visited with Nanna this morning about the “old” clinic, training, enemy’s distractions and Christ’s strength, compost, gardening and baking bread. I talked to Guido about cows, sheep, manure for gardening, and his unending optimism based on His trust in the Lord and His faithfulness.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 “Better is a handful of quietness than both the hands filled with labor and striving after the wind.” “The Hebrew word for better is tov, which means to be in harmony with God. The word for quietness is nachath, which means quietness. It is spelled Nun, Chet, Taw. The Nun represents productivity, which comes from the Chet, a bonding with God and a joining of our hearts with God’s heart. This will result in the Taw which speaks of truth and praise resulting in repair and restoration. In quietness we produce more than all our labors could produce in terms of our relationship with God.” Taken from Chaim Bentorah’s Hebrew Word Study: A Hebrew Teacher’s Call to Silence. 

Deeper Understanding of Christ's Love

Thurs 9/11  - Roy drove Steph and I to the Zimbabwe border. We are picking up her repaired truck in Harare. We took a taxi (a young man’s car) from the Zim side of the border to the Mutare bus stop. On the way a speeding van lost control on the gravel road and drove off the side of the hill right in front of us. Trees limited the van’s plummet and the driver was alone and uninjured, PTL! Our bus was supposed to leave at 10am, and we finally departed at 11:15am – buses sit and won’t leave until they are full. I commented to Stephanie how I wondered if they took the time and money to maintain the busses since they looked and smelled neglected. At 1pm our bus broke down, differential fluid pouring out from under the back end. We waited over 1 hour for the bus they were sending to pick us up, but that bus was nearly full and could only load a few passengers. This happened 4 more times – slowly reloading passengers from our bus to another, a few at a time. The temperature gradually climbed to 37C (97F), so we called Peter from Gatehouse to pick us up. As we waited, we kept ourselves entertained w/an adorable toddler that sat alone for long stretches at a time, eating dirt, while his mother sold carrots at the intersection about 50 yards away. I guess kidnapping isn’t an issue here, since very few have money to feed their own kids, let alone take another. Peter picked us up and we arrived in time for a 7pm class on hearing the Holy Spirit.

On the broken down bus

On the broken down bus

Little boy at intersection while his mom sold carrots

Fri 9/12  - Early am Peter gave me a tour of the Gatehouse community and farm. He showed me an old apple tree with main branches that are thin and full of holes from termites, and has split into 4 at the truck. Every year he says he’ll cut it down, but every Spring it becomes alive w/abundant beautiful blossoms, and then produces much fruit. He says it reminds him of himself – that he is never too old to produce fruit! Steph went to pick up her truck then go shopping. I spent most of the day fellowshipping w/Peter and his wife Abigail, who run Gatehouse, and many that live at Gatehouse. 

Peter & Abigail James w Chester the parrot –
Gatehouse community in Zimbabwe

The long history of Gatehouse, and how God prepared and brought each person there, were fascinating stories with all glory to God! Everyone eats all 3 meals together, and many have been there for years – some over 20 yrs. It’s a beautiful place w/beautiful people.  But of course, I wasn’t looking thru rose-colored glasses – I got to see the unfortunate side of people irritating each other, even though they love each other dearly. No matter where you go - Maforga, Gatehouse, TCA, Calvary Chapel - you always have to deal w/each others’ weaknesses, loving and encouraging them along the way. I always remember what Pastor Rick says…”Can’t we all just get along?...No, we can’t, so deal with it!” The Lord has been working on my heart since I’ve been in Moz in this area. It’s such a blessing of peace when, in Him, I can just let things roll off my back that in the past would have irritated me. Oh, and routine?! No such thing here! The absence of a schedule or routine was a big adjustment for me here, but He has taught me that being free of those rigid constraints really opens me up to being available and willing to serve more.

Sat 9/13  - Praise God we made it back to Maforga safely. A couple hours after departing Gatehouse, the area around the center counsel became really hot, but we couldn’t see or hear anything obviously wrong in the cab or underneath, so we prayed over it. We made it to Mutare where we stopped to shop and let it cool, then didn’t have any more trouble. After leaving Mutare a cow popped up out of a ditch and stood on the road just 30ft in front of us – there was no way for us to stop in time at our speed. Steph slammed on the brakes which locked up so we skidded towards the cow, and there was nowhere to go but straight into the cow since the ditch was on the side and a car in the other lane. Then Jesus just stopped the truck w/only inches from impact! The remainder of the trip from Chimoio to Maforga was in the dark, since our delay in Mutare.  There are no streetlights, so the road is pitch black, and there’s numerous pedestrians and bicycles on the side of the road. Twice we were run off the road by cars passing head-on into us, and thank God we didn’t hit anyone on the side of the road.

Mon 9/15  - I’m taking 3 days off to spend all my time going deeper w/Lord and seeking Him. Love is the topic for today. Before Jesus was crucified, He commanded His disciples not once, but twice:

John 13:34-35 -  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 

John 15:12 - This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Jesus tells us to love as He loves. Is this possible? I mean, He is God after all, and I’m not. But He didn’t say try, or do the best you can, or love only those that are easy to love. He said as He loves. And He wouldn’t have commanded us to do something we aren’t capable of doing! I need Jesus to pour His love into me, a love that I could never possess on my own. I picture His huge heart above me, that my own heart is connected to, so I have access to all that love; my own heart on its own could never contain even a miniscule amount of that much love and would simply burst. But His heart is an endless reservoir, and so as long as I am tapped into Him, I will never lack the “room” to love as He commands me to love.

Tues 9/16  - Sarah Tanis at prayer this AM described Maforga as dripping w/milk and honey, but not yet flowing. And the water situation here is no secret – we pray for water every day. So as we prayed, the “flow” that I perceived in yesterday’s studies continued into today, but as the flow of living water. I pictured all of us having living water poured through us from Jesus onto the people here, and that nourished the land and made the milk and honey change from a drip to a flow. This is what I found with my studies so far today:

Rev 22:1-2 - And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Rev 21:6  - And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

John 4:13-14  - Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 7:38 - He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Living water flows from the throne of God, and Jesus, who causes the fountain to spring up in our hearts, and to then flow out through us. We will be rivers of flowing living water, but only when we are connected to our Source of that pure river of water of life.

Isa 58:11 - The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Ezek 47:9 - And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live.

 The Lord keeps taking me back to Isaiah 58. In my journal I see He initially took me there on 9/9, one week ago. I mentioned the scripture in my blog update, but here’s the verses He keeps bringing back to me:

Isa 58:6-12

 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Mateo banged up at soccer game

Wed 9/17 -  I spent early AM with Sarah Tanis doctoring up boys with different injuries and passing out meds. Her “clinic” is a backroom of her house on the boys’ side of the orphanage. I researched 2 hard cases, a fungal infection and a non-healing wound, on Google.  The internet (when we have it!) is a wonderful thing since I don’t have training yet on Tropical Medicine. I was able to round up everything we needed between natural remedies found in her house and garden and what I brought with me from the US.  We’ll see in one week if they are responding to the new treatments. Sarah talked about how Stephanie opening the clinic soon is a huge blessing to the area, and that Maforga still needs a nurse. She said aside from Steph’s midwifery skills there is no one medical currently here and they all do the best they can with the Holy Spirit’s guidance and much prayer. Nanna currently isn’t able to work or even consult due to her fragile state and starting to forgetfulness. Few local villagers also come to Sarah’s “clinic”:  one woman with malaria needing treatment, one woman seeking prayer and food for her son with a broken leg, and one woman with AIDS seeking prayer and a ride to Sarah’s women’s bible study.

Boys waiting for services at Sarah's 'clinic' in her home

Women's Bible study

After clinic we went to Women’s Bible study, which is in Portuguese and Shona, so I followed along as best I could with Sarah translating parts of it. Wednesday evening Sarah visited me to pick up treatment for the son of one of the women at bible study – I saw him there with her; he has a fungal infection on his face. Lots of fungal infections here – evidently they pick it up as spores in the dirt, but with poor hygiene they end up with skin infections, progressing to wounds if not treated. We talked more about my moving here next year, finding a place to live, life at Maforga – both physical and spiritual. As we were talking she mentioned Isaiah 58! I just loved performing the wound care today – this is what I know I’m supposed to do! I’m still seeking Him as to whether I need to brush-up on some skills before I move here, or if I will gain the skills just by the experience of jumping in and working here, and being led by His Spirit. Sarah did explain the need for suturing and I & D (incision and drainage of abscesses), a skill that I would really need to be formerly taught. I’m sure the Lord will reveal a class or mentor for those skills I need in His perfect time.

Daily Life - The Clinic - What's on the Horizon

Fri 9/5 - Afternoon/Evening: Mavis stopped by to have me sample an English sweet cake she made in the microwave – it was good! She told me that she learned years ago when she worked with the younger children the second reason parents don’t name their babies for months or even years (the 1^st being the high infant mortality rate): “The spirits” will learn the name  then be able to call the baby/child & possess them.  People visiting moms & newborns will often comment how ugly the baby is, to deter “the spirits” from being interested.  It’s sad just how much in bondage people can be due to superstition & witchcraft, in contrast how blessed we are that Christ set us free we are free indeed (John 8:36)!

I walked down to visit with Nanna & Allyson between downpours of rain. Nanna & I discussed all the plant & herbal remedies she grows in her garden. She didn’t know if Milk Thistle will grow here, so we’re going to give it a try in her garden when I return, as well as ginger & lavender. The house next to hers is empty, which will be ideal to share a garden  hang out with her to absorb some of her vast knowledge, but it’s big for just me,  not in an ideal location for water (end of the line) or flies (next to the cows).  I spent most all day in the Word since it’s rained all day, & I’m really glad. I love how His Word gets in me, into every fiber of my being,  is able to refine me – all of me, heart, spirit, soul, mind & body.

Sewing Clinic Curtains

Picking Covia (collard greens) & cabbage

Saturday 9/6  - I sewed more clinic curtains, then went with Daniel & Jacinta Bell to pick lemons & grapefruits,  get some veggies from the garden for Mavis & me. The orchard Daniel showed me is so completely overgrown with forest/jungle that you can’t see the fruit trees, so you have to spot the fruit amongst all the thicket, vines & brambles; most people didn’t know it was there. He & his workers have been using machetes to cut into the orchard to harvest the fruit. Daniel commented how ironic it is that local people have been starving for years during the annual 2 months of “hunger season” (dry season between Fall/Winter harvest & rainy season for Summer harvest), but at the same time the orchard trees are so heavy with fruit that tons of it lay on the ground rotting.

Fryer Chris (Catholic Mission where
Steph gets chicken feed) & Daniel Bell 

I’ve learned that Squash greens make excellent salad, but you have to be careful when you clean, chew & swallow it because its thistles prick you if you go against the grain!  I bought a liter of milk from Jacq & Guido (they manage Maforga’s cows) – fresh raw cow milk, Yum! I said goodbye to Farai Tanis who leaves tomorrow morning to return to boarding school in S Africa.  I had a meeting with Nanna & Allyson @ 4 to discuss Nanna’s care with Sarah Tanis, Jacq, Stephanie & I – Allyson leaves Monday to return home. Now that I’ve been here a month, we’re transitioning from Winter to Spring; I was puzzled that the days are not getting longer. I found out that Moz’s days only range 1hr in the AM & 45min in the PM all year long! Everyone here gets up 4-5 AM and goes to bed around 8pm.  I must admit I’m still struggling with it since I’m a night owl.

 Sunday 9/7 - Church worship was awesome! The Lord poured out so much joy into everyone’s hearts this AM that everyone broke out in dancing.  Worship continued for over an hour!

Cleaning & Re-Grouting Bathroom Tile in Clinic

Mon 9/8 - Allyson left this AM.  I worked on removing stains & re-grouted the tile in the clinic bathroom/shower. I visited with Nanna in the evening; she’s having a good day today & says she doesn’t need help into bed tonight.  Roy & Trish were on their way back home, but have been turned away at the Zim border since they wouldn’t pay the $200 USD bribe, so they are now back-tracking & will come up thru Maputo.

Tues 9/9  - Prayer at 6 AM – the Lord has shown me Isaiah 58. I know I’m supposed to return to Maforga, but still not sure when. I’m seeking Him for clarification of getting my language skills, bible college, tropical medicine & skin diseases courses in the US before I return and/or here in Moz or Zim or SA. Please pray that I have discernment on how to proceed. I still have not found a place to live, but I know He will provide that for me at the perfect time. I worked on the clinic bathroom.  I also looked at the Shalom house  for when Neal leaves in December.

Wed 9/10  - Steph & I will start interviewing Nanna a few days per week starting next week – she has decades of experience nursing at the clinic in this culture. Steph talked to her today;  Nanna’s primary concern is spiritual protection – she said people with dark spirits in or around them frequented the clinic when she ran it  so she was always on guard spiritually. One of her go-to scriptures was “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” Praise the Lord we have the Armor of God; we just have to purposefully put it on every single day, check it often for chinks!

Clinic - Before and After

August 2014

September 2014

September, 2014

Roy & Trish returned last night. Roy picked up my 2 new roommates in Beira today & arrived this evening; Sarah-Michelle & Joanna, from Canada. They’re here for 3 months to work with the 6-18 yo girls that stay at Trish’s house. We had dinner together tonight with Trish; they are very sweet and one wants to go to nursing school so we have much in common. Steph’s truck is done so Roy is taking us to the Zimbabwe border tomorrow morning, then we’ll bus up to Harrare to pick up her truck. We had entertained the idea all week of going to Victoria Falls while in Zim for Steph’s birthday. All day yesterday I didn’t have peace about it so I went to discuss it with Steph this AM. Before I could say anything, she said she didn’t want to disappoint me, but she didn’t have peace about going to Victoria Falls. PTL for confirmation! I told her I didn’t want to disappoint her either, especially for her b-day, but I didn’t have any peace either!

Seeking God's Heart

Sheri Graham

Tues 9/2 - After 6 AM prayer. Allyson was going shopping in Chimoio so we hitched a ride. We got our shopping done then dropped off the Religious Affairs letter and my passport to the Immigration Department. We had to wait 1hr, since elections are Oct 15 and all government workers spend time campaigning during work hours! Praise God they have agreed to stamp my visa here so I don’t have to cross into Zim for a border stamp! However, it is a 2-day process, since they only take all the papers and payment the 1st day (although they didn’t make us pay today since they know Maforga well), then stamp them the 2^nd day and ready to pick-up after 1pm.  

Guido took a shoppa into town earlier to meet inspectors at the porridge factory he’s trying to open (“trying” being the key word due to looong delays, inconsistent regulations, inefficient bureaucracies and demands for bribes, just like Steph is going through).   Enrique and Cecil flew out today around 1pm – I’ve been praying for the seeds that were sown into their hearts during this trip to germinate, sprout, grow deep healthy roots, flourish, produce much good fruit, and consequently nourish people around them. Jer 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” We spent most of the day in Chim, so Steph and I made our list and preparations for tomorrow’s work, ate dinner, then watched a movie on her computer.

Wed 9/3  - Steph received a call from the Fire Department that they’ll do safety 

Stephanie's dog helping her sweep the clinic

inspection of the clinic 10 AM tomorrow for her Avada license.  PTL we aren’t in Zim getting my passport stamped! So much for our attack list from last night! So we spent all day cleaning, finishing up light bulbs and plumbing fixtures, scrubbing and moving all the equipment back in (it was all moved out for Enrique to paint floors and has been drying), and anything else to make it safe and presentable. Since water was turned off to the clinic years ago, cleaning meant carrying numerous buckets of water. We powered through the day by blaring worship music on my I-tunes, thankfully getting most of it done by dark. We hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, but we were so tired that we just made a huge bowl of popcorn, watched a movie and fell asleep.

My am devotion was Ex 35:10 'And all the wise-hearted among you come in, and make all that Jehovah hath commanded…’ (many translations say skillful, gifted or craftsman). In building the tabernacle, God would only use those whose hearts were aligned with His, and who would use His wisdom, not their own, to build His tabernacle His way, not their own way. As I pondered this, I wondered how many times (a million at least?) that I’ve just gone ahead and done something because I knew how, and never stopped to ask God how He wanted it done, if at all? 

I’ve been seeking God’s heart since I arrived regarding my future here in Maforga, and I was fully immersed in this conversation with the Lord about doing my ministry (ultimately His ministry) His way here in Maforga, as I walked to get more water this am to clean the clinic. As I walked and talked to the Lord, I decided to take a less-traveled path this time, and as I turned the corner onto the old path that was becoming overgrown with grass and littered with leaves…the path was suddenly carpeted with bright purple flowers like God had thrown beautiful flowered confetti to exclaim “Yes, this hidden path, one you hadn’t considered taking before, I want you to walk along this path with Me!” (I’ve sent a pix of it, but the real thing much more startlingly magnificent, probably since I was seeing it partly thru the eyes of my heart)

Sheri and Steph walking to the boys' side

Thurs 9/4 - I worked on clinic in the AM to finish scrubbing years of orange stain and waterscale off the white bathroom tile walls and floor, and a final mop of floors.  Lovemore raked the 4” of leaves that carpeted the entire area and road of the clinic and waiting area. Steph did chicken inventory since Zacharias returned from holiday and resumed chicken duty from Lovemore.  Then she and Sarah Tanis counseled a young woman. The clinic passed inspection, PTL! I had emptied the 20gal tub and 5 gal can of water in cleaning the clinic (guys and I used them to store water for the frequent times we didn’t have running water), so I disinfected them in preparation to start slowly filling them again when extra water is available. We had used the can to fill with water then pour into tub, and we thought the white stuff occasionally coming out of the can was calcium scale. But I found the can was growing green and black mildew and a white yogurt-like crud all along the top – Yuck! I had purified our 20gal with a very low dose of bleach the 3^rd week in fear of growth starting, but never thought of the can.

 I saw Daniel on the way to Women’s 4pm prayer – he has had Malaria for the past few days but is starting to feel and look much better. At prayer we praised God for a woman that has been attending Sarah’s bible study and accepted Christ a few weeks ago! The woman has many sad stories and issues going all the way back to childhood, but…"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32.  Sarah called me an encourager, and I’ve been told by several people that Maforga needs more encouragers. I never really see myself that way. I do know, however, that unity in the body is always crucial, especially when you’re constantly attacking enemy territory, and being attacked by the enemy. Sarah has been here for 17-18yrs and she says the support amongst the sisters has never been stronger. I pray that those bonds keep strengthening in Jesus Christ, by Whose blood the bonds can never be broken. We also prayed for the men to have the same unity.

Sheri with kids at church

Eph 4:1-6 …walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. I ’ll mail a copy of Kingdom Man to Sarah for Kees when I return to US, or send it back w/Steph after her furlough in US. After supper I worked on the curtains until midnight. Those darn curtains are becoming my stumbling block, or my giant standing between me and the promise land! Ugh…curtains…remind me to always get blinds.

Fri 9/5  - Raining all day so can’t do laundry (wash in river and dry outside). I’ve been doing bible study, and re-organizing now that the guys are gone and I have some time. Steph is working on her masters’ degree, which is behind since she’s had our team plus the Zim trip + breaking down + clinic stuff + chickens +++! 

I realized this AM that I leave in 3 weeks, which honestly makes me sad. I really feel like God wants me here, but He hasn’t put out the neon sign yet that says exactly what He wants me to do, how and when. I wonder if He won’t tell me the details cuz I might say, Oh no, no way! I sure hope I wouldn’t say that to my Lord. Or maybe He has told me, but I’m missing it cuz I’m looking in the wrong direction or have a sinful stumbling block in the way of receiving from Him. Oh, I think I’ll add the neon sign to my catch phrase: I want to make sure I’m hearing clearly from God, so for confirmation I want 3 Words, 2 visions, 1 angel…and a neon sign! No wonder I can’t hear clearly from Him, huh?! Please pray for me! I don’t want to miss His call! I want to be in a state of mind-soul-spirit where my will is completely pliable for Him and I can experience everything He desires to pour into me! To be sanctified wholly to Him! 

“Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” -2 Tim 2:21-22.  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” - 1 Thess 5:16-22.

Steph, Mavis, Sheri

Allyson, Sheri, Nanna