12/27/16
I went to
Chimoio today to do a bunch of shopping: groceries, medications, constructions
supplies, etc. Stores close for lunch 12-2, so I ate lunch at a restaurant
across the street from a Korean missionary I wanted to visit. Roy had seen him
a few days prior and told me that he had been to the private clinic, where they
gave him IV fluids for low blood pressure. When I saw him, His BP was a little
low but not bad, and his dizziness was improved. So I gave him Iron tablets
since he looked a little on the anemic side. Anemia is common around here due
to malaria – I’m glad Maforga’s water is so high in Iron…when we have it. It
was fun being a “home health” nurse again! As I pulled out of his house to
resume my shopping, I suddenly had stomache issues (my lunch was really really
salty). So I cut my shopping trip short & returned home.
12/28/16
I woke up
feeling good, and I needed to finish my shopping, so I went back to Chimoio.
Jorge ended up needing one more piece of tubing to finish the clinic gutter
tank, so I was glad I had to run into town for more than just the 1 piece. I
ate lunch at an outside café in the center of town, where Manuel Mastarde found
me. I bought him lunch and we had a very good chat. He’s full of good
information and good stories. He’s on the Elder Board of Maforga, so we talked
a little bit about the leadership issue. He’s Maforga’s legal representative
and knows all the laws and government offices, so he answered all of my legal
questions on how things work and why, and which offices I needed to visit to
register my new truck, pay social security on employees, etc. Then he told me
stories of Maforga when he lived here 20 years ago: many hectares of fruit
orchards and maize & rice fields, the abundance of cows & sheep, the
people that have come & gone. He talked about how Maforga fed hundreds of
people every day during the drought when food & supplies were scarce after
the war, and how they had to drive to Zimbabwe 3xweek for enough supplies to
feed people. The USA & Australia & UK would send shipping containers
with clothes & blankets; people would walk out of the bush naked &
starving – Manuel was in charge of distributing clothing. I thanked him for
stopping by to say hi & staying for lunch. It was so encouraging to be
reminded of how God used Maforga in such a powerful way in the past. I believe
He is getting ready to do it again. We are being shaken & refined now, but
I know it’s necessary so that He can use us to do a mighty work when the time
is right.
As it was
getting dark last night, I was sitting at my desk, recording my receipts from
my Chimoio shopping trip. A few minutes prior, I helped some young girls fetch
water from the barrels on my veranda (well…I tried to help, but they insisted
on doing it themselves being 4 years old). Their efforts left a puddle of water
on 1 of the barrel lids. I heard a strange, intermittent rattling sound. I
looked out my window to see a Weaver taking a bath in the lid’s puddle, just 5’
away. So cute! After such a long, hot day in Chimoio, endlessly searching for
the supplies I needed, Jesus brought a huge smile to my face!
A few weeks ago, a Weaver made his nest just 7’ away from one of Jacq & Guido’s
windows. We sat & watched over 2 days how he (the males build the nests)
carefully weaved the strands of grass & palm strips into a home. The female
watched & chirped at him from a nearby branch, then inspected his work when
he flew off to gather another strand. We occasionally see the nests on the
ground; when the nest is completed, the female will either accept it &
move-in, or she’ll reject it, unfasten & let it fall to the ground, and the
male starts over.
12/29/16
I’ve been
seriously considering having set hours at the clinic. It’s been distracting
& time consuming over the past few months to have patients knock on my door
at all hours, starting at 5:30am and as late as 8pm (not including late night
emergencies). I could see everyone at the same time, instead of having them
arrive on my doorstep every 1-2 hours, sometimes even 5 minutes after I just
left the clinic. And it would help them to know when I can be found at the
clinic, instead of searching for me or missing me because I’m in Chiqueda or
Gondola or Chimoio.
But this
morning I’m second guessing that. Franciso, one of the saw mill workers,
interrupted my daily devotion & prayer time, needing treatment for malaria.
After we finished at the clinic, he told me that I am favored with many people
at Maforga and the surrounding area. I have the reputation of tending to a
person’s needs whenever & wherever I am when they come, and that the care
is good. Wow, was that humbling! I remember that Jesus didn’t heal in a clinic,
or even the synagogue. He healed on the streets, whenever they came, no matter
what time it was, no matter how tired he was, no matter how much he had to
accomplish that day. The most important work we have to accomplish is the
Father’s business. So I’m praying about how to balance the needs of the people
with my own practical & spiritual needs. I need time to rest, to do my
bible studies, to do laundry, to cook meals & then eat them before
hot/cold/ant-ridden, etc. But I also need to allow the love of Jesus to pour
through me onto these oppressed and hurting people, unhindered by my own needs
and desires.
1/1/2017
Happy New
Year! Feliz Ano Novo! Boas Entradas! Goredzva rakanaka!
Every New
Year, Kees & Sarah take all the boys to Milpark, a motel with a pool, for
lunch & swimming. The pool is empty this year for pump repairs, so we
played soccer, badminton, bingo & a balloon game instead. We left right
after church and took a few of the girls with us that wanted to go. The
remainder of the girls went with Roy & Trish to have lunch in Chimoio. We
had a caravan of Kees’ van, Guido’s cattle truck, my pick-up, and a shopa
(12-16 passenger vans used as local bus transport) packed with 48 kids &
adults.
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| Balloon Game Fun! |
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| Balloon Stomp Contest |
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| Bingo! |
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| New Year's Lunch |
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| New Year's Cake |
May you
journey deeper into the heart of God and experience Jesus in new and incredible
ways this year!
So prepare your minds for action, be
completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and
morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming
to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13 AMP
We’re united
in Love & Prayer!
Sheri
