Hi All!
It’s one
week before Christmas. Are you all ready? Despite no electricity, God has
blessed me with a few late nights of good internet service; so when I was too
tired to do anything but still couldn’t sleep, I was able to stream a few
Hallmark Christmas movies on Mom’s Netflix account. That has perked up my
Christmas spirit! With all the electricity, water, and government/legal issues
at Maforga, Trish hasn’t had time to get the team together to discuss Christmas
for the children. But she handed the duties off to Odette (a Moz woman who
works with the girls), so when I return to Maforga tomorrow, I’ll get with her
and the rest of the team.
I arrived in
Beira on Wednesday afternoon to do the paperwork on my truck, and hoped if I
stayed a couple days that it would be ready for me to drive back Friday or
Saturday. Luis, the mechanic, promised that he’d try to get the truck done and
to me by Christmas. I couldn’t find
anyone that could go to Beira to drive Stephanie’s truck back while I wait for
mine, so I had intended to go alone, leave Steph’s truck with the mechanic for
a much needed tune-up & service, and then return after Christmas with
someone, or by bus, to pick up her truck. Tuesday night Trish came to me to
exchange some US dollars to Meticais so she could somehow make her way to
Capetown for her nephew’s wedding. We found her a Wed afternoon flight from
Beira, so we were to leave Wed morning together. Then early Wed morning, Roy
was in Chimoio & found a cheaper flight from Beira, but it left at 1pm.
Since he’s used to driving these horrible roads, and his truck has much better
suspension than Steph’s, he offered to drive us both to Beira to make sure
Trish made the 1pm flight. Both Luis, the mechanic, and Pastor Moises, the
truck owner, were so gracious to pick me up at the motel and drive me to where
we needed to go to complete all the truck transactions. I don’t have Steph’s truck stuck in Beira.
So, Jesus worked it all out! And I found out last night that Jacq & Guido’s
daughter Lutha is flying into Beira tomorrow at 1pm to spend Christmas at
Maforga! So I’m staying one more night so I can bring her back with me.
So, I
finally have my truck! It's not beautiful, since I bought a truck that had body
damage from an accident, and then kept the cost down by having them just pound
out the dents, bondo & paint it, instead of replacing the doors and quarter
panel. But it's in good mechanical condition, and it's a pick-up; two things
that Steph's truck is not. I'll send pictures when I get home. Thank you Jesus
and to everyone who prayed and help fund-raise for this much needed vehicle!
Jesus has
also blessed me with a nice 4-star hotel! In the US it would be closer to 2
stars (I actually had a bat living in the bathroom the 1st night,
plus the usual spiders & geckos), but after the last 10 months in Maforga,
I was ready for a 1-star hotel! Pastor Moises knows the owner from when he built
the motel back in the 1990’s. So I’m staying here at a 2/3 discount! When I arrived
Wed, I turned the air conditioner (yes, it has a/c!) down to 68F & turned
on the ceiling fan, just to enjoy being cold and snuggled under covers all
night. I intentionally woke up cold in the morning to enjoy a hot shower (yes,
a real shower…and hot water!) Thurs morning! The room has a small fridge, so
I’ve also enjoyed COLD water! There’s no kitchenette, so I’m living off of
cheese & crackers and yogurt, but I’m having an awesome early Christmas!
While I’m
here, I’ve been watching TV (yep, the room has tv!). I tried to watch the soap
operas to practice listening to Portuguese, but I couldn’t keep my focus on it,
probably because I couldn’t keep up with what they were saying. So I found the
Fox station in English with Portuguese subtitles! It’s really helping – I’ve
learned a bunch of new words and phrases! Fox is running marathons of CSI and
Hawaii-5-0, so I still may not be able to do a good interview-assessment on my
patients, but I’ll be able to interrogate them! Por que você me faz persegui-lo (Why do you
make me chase you)? Fala a verdade (Tell the truth)! LOL!
God is
answering our prayers for rain! We’re having good rains – every 7-14 days we
have 1-3 days of rain. The machambas are looking good. We continue to pray for
abundant and early harvests, so that a 2nd harvest can be planted
this season. People are still starving, and we continue to hand out food, but
we’re very optimistic about the future! I’m learning, however, just how
precarious farming is. The rains have to stop when the maize is ready for
harvest, otherwise it’ll mold & rot. Then the rains need to continue again
for a hopeful 2nd planting, and then of course for the 2nd season
crop of millet.
12/18 It
rained almost all day yesterday here in Beira, so I took advantage of the
down-scaled horrible traffic to try and learn my way around this crazy town.
Just look at this city on google-map – Yikes! I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve been lost. I was stopped by police for the usual search and harassment…but
it actually went pretty well, thank You Jesus! I apologized upfront for my
limited Portuguese. I think they were quite amused at my sincere attempt to
converse with them, since they kept talking and laughing. At the end, they let
me go without a fine (they almost always find some reason to fine you, even if
they have to make something up), I learned how to say Merry Christmas in
Portuguese & Shona, and they learned how to say it in English and Spanish!
I praised Jesus for answering my continual prayers for safety on the roads (which
includes protection from corrupt police), and for making it a time of fun &
laughter! Only Jesus can turn a scowling man holding an AK-47, drunk on power
& corruption, into a smiling social gentleman!
I’ve
received texts from Sarah B and Jacq this morning that Roy was able to repair
the generator…kind of. So Maforga is back to having electricity 2 hours every
morning and evening to pump water. We’ll still have to make water runs, since 4
hours isn’t enough to pump enough water for the entire water demands, but it
sure helps! And we can charge our phones and computers and WiFi’s! The power
company is still refusing to restore the electricity. Please continue to pray!
Well, I
better get this out. My many attempts to send emails using the motel’s internet
have failed the past 3 days due to the rain (the tv keeps going out too – but
praise God for the rain!). I’m praising Jesus that He prompted me to
last-minute pack my WiFi box (which I’m using now after I bought some data
credit), and that the Vodacom tower is working in the rain! So, I have lots of
emails to catch up on while I wait for Lutha’s flight to arrive. If it’s
delayed due to the rain, I’ve arranged with the desk to allow us to stay
tonight so that we’re not driving home in the dark and in the rain.
I love you
all and keep you warmly tucked into my heart and prayers! May the momentousness
of this season bring to your mind a deeper revelation of God our Father and our
Lord Jesus Christ, and a love and joy to your heart that not even the universe
can contain! For this cause I was born,
and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to
the truth. John 18:37
Until the
whole world hears,
Sheri Graham
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