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 1st 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.
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| Sewing Clinic Curtains |
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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
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| August 2014 |
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| September 2014 |
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| 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!
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