New Year 2017 Update

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.

Balloon Game Fun!

Balloon Stomp Contest

Bingo!

New Year's Lunch

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

Christmas at Chiqueda (Boys' side of Maforga) in Pictures

Announcer Tobe

Boys serving Christmas Dinner (not the goat, lol!)

Weird light when candles lit by Menorah were carried to tables

Dance-off Winner

Dance-Off

Post-Party Group Dance

Gathering Hall at Chiqueda

Girls eating Christmas Dinner

Jose gives Christmas Message

Manuele teaches Bebida to dance

Pascua & Sheri

Boys cooking Christmas Dinner

Sarah Tanis & boys eating Christmas Dinner

Sheri & Eduardo

Talent Show: Group song with Jose on guitar

Talent show: Girls singing

Talent Show: Skit

Talent Show: Solo

Update Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Jesus gave us rain for Christmas! I’ve been telling the girls who’ve been coming to my house for washing & cooking water the last 2 days, to pray for rain to refill the rain-catch tanks.

It started raining just after midnight Christmas Day. I was awakened by a really loud clap of thunder; the 2^nd concussive clap accompanied explosive lightning. I started unplugging everything & noticed that the lightning was so close that it had tripped my Earth-leak breaker!  I realigned my front rain-catch tank to a better position under the gutter, then laid in bed, watching the lightning show.  1 hour later, I realized the sound of the water filling my front tank had changed pitch. I walked out to a flooded veranda and water starting to enter my house through the front door! The water tank has 2 holes – 1 at the top for inlet & 1 at the bottom for outlet. I hadn’t taken the time yet to buy & install a plug for the top hole; I didn’t think the 1,000 liter tank would fill to capacity that quickly, but this was a deluge. I wanted the outlet to be on my veranda so I could easily access the water, and now the tank was full & impossibly heavy to turn. So I spent the next 30 minutes filling 3 garbage cans with the water pouring out of the top spout, while I fashioned a piece of pipe & 2 elbows to channel the top hole over the side of the veranda. Praise God the materials were readily available with the clinic storeroom and rain-gutter construction going on! I thanked God for the rain and for the nearby materials, and asked Him to please protect my house from flooding & minimize the damage to the veranda concrete floor.  In the morning, all 3 rain tanks were full – my front 1, my back 10,000 liter tank, and the clinic’s 2,500 tank. Thank You Jesus! We had been more than a week without substantial rain to fill the tanks. I’ve had Maforga workers and girls coming to my house daily for water. I always try to keep several 20-liter jugs of water at my house for my work at the clinic, and the workers doing the masonry & cement work on the clinic plus their drinking & cooking water. Plus I like to have water for the kids walking past my house on the hot days. So word hasn’t gotten out that I almost always have water & many show up. Next week I’ll have to repair the erosion in the concrete floor caused by the downspout.

The nearby clinics have been closed for the holiday, so I’ve been pretty busy Saturday & Sunday. Mostly Malaria. I was too tired to join the boys Sat night to watch the new Jungle Book movie. I missed Sunday breakfast with the girls because the clinic was busy. The generator had run that morning, so my computer and Wifi were charged; since church was supposedly canceled in lieu of small group worship, I started listening to Pastor Rick’s last 2 sermons just before 10am. I finished at 11:45am, unplugged my earphones, and heard Roy’s voice at the church, followed by singing. There was church after all, although the Chiqueda side didn’t attend since they were doing their own worship service. I haven’t seen Roy since to apologize for not attending, but I’m sure glad I had the time to listen to Rick’s teaching – Wow! I can’t wait to hear the Christmas message when it’s posted on the website!

After listening to Rick’s teachings, I cleaned inside & outside the house, which were a muddy mess from the deluge that lasted until daybreak. Praise God for sending the rain that night! The Christmas Dinner at Chiqueda would have been difficult in the rain, no less a deluge. Coffee, tea & cake for adults and games for younger children started at 4pm. Dinner of stewed lamb, rice, coleslaw & potatoes was served at 6pm – all cooked and served by the boys with the help of Sarah Tanis & daughter Farai. Then the kids’ talent show started at 7pm. There were several groups & 1 solo singing, 1 skit, and 2 dance-offs. My favorite are the dance-offs – wow can these boys dance! I wish I could video it, but my camera doesn’t record in low light. We finished at 8:45pm; the kids’ wanted to continue, but it was past us adults’ bedtime! Praise God for my new truck! Many of the girls had walked to Chiqueda when it was light, and Guido drove the young kids to the games. Guido & my truck were the only ones left there going back to Maforga, so we had just enough room for all 42 of them (Guido’s truck is a cattle truck, so he fits lots of them in the back)! It then started raining again around 11pm, but a soft rain. It’s still raining now.

I was going to join the Bells for Christmas Dinner Friday night, but Sarah couldn’t bring herself to butchering Chris D. They bought him before Thanksgiving and have been fattening him up since. She intentionally named him Christmas Dinner so she & her kids wouldn’t get attached…but it didn’t work.

We continue to be on generator a couple hours most mornings and nights. I haven’t had water at my house since I returned from Beira; I’m by myself down the hill, so the valve for my water-line is only partially open. The other 2 lines for the orphanage, the Big House, and the other missionaries’ homes are completely open, and with their large water consumption, there isn’t any getting to my house. But praise God that water is usually available at Chiqueda! It’s also easier to load & unload water jugs in my pickup truck rather than Steph’s SUV, so praise God again for my truck! And Chiqueda usually has electricity, so I charge my electronics and fetch water at the same time…plus sometimes spend an extra hour there to get some uninterrupted quiet time on my computer to get emailing done. It’s a bit frustrating trying to get computer stuff done at Maforga without electricity. I’m frequently interrupted, so my batteries don’t last with letting computer & Wifi stay on, or shutting them down & then having to power them up again. It will be so nice if and when we ever get the electricity hooked up again! I’m actually at Chiqueda now. The generator wasn’t on long enough this morning to get more than 50% charged. There was no one at the clinic, probably due to the rain, so I came over here to plug in.

My truck made it from Beira to Maforga on Mon, then 2 trips into Chimoio Tues, before needing its clutch-pad repaired. Roy had his workers drop the tranny, then he had the clutch-pad repaired in Chimoio , then he reinstalled it Friday. Praise God Steph’s truck is here, although I use it as little as possible. It’s really getting worn out – it’s an old model, and these Mozambican roads beat the vehicles to an early death. I’m really surprised her truck still runs, but praise God it does! I still have a little work to do on my truck that the Beira mechanic didn’t get to. I need to replace the rubber mounts on the bed – especially on these horrible roads. Plus it starts slow about ½ the time, despite new battery and good alternator; Guido knows a good auto electrician that is honest and reasonable. I also need to replace the tires very soon – it’s dangerous to have lean tires on these rough dirt roads, and the paved roads with potholes that can swallow a VW Bug! Plus Chimoio & Gondola streets always flood with rain – they’ve not engineered for drainage. I haven’t seen it yet, but the busiest street in Chimoio, where all the buses and taxis are, is frequently under 1 foot of water! The shops on that street have concrete walls about 18” high in their doorways, which you have to step over to enter, to keep the flood water out. Now that my truck is off the lift, when I get a chance when it’s not raining, I’ll send pix  – the pretty passenger side! The driver’s side is the repaired side, and thankfully; the back door doesn’t shut without a good slam, so it’s easy for me to check before I drive off or lock up.

I pray that your Christmas was a time filled with the Love and Joy of our Savior, Who came so that for the Joy set before Him, He would endure the cross. That’s a lot of love and joy!

I hope and pray that the New Year will usher in a time of peace and rest in Him for you, and that you grow ever closer to our Lord God, and to each other in love.

Thus says the Lord…

“Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.”

-Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

With Love and Prayers,

Sheri

Jorge & Denis, building clinic outer storeroom

The Bell girls feeding Christmas Dinner. Yep, that's the goat's name!

Update Dec 17-18, 2016

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 1^st 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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

Menopause

The upside of summer heat & humidity with no air conditioning, not even electricity to run a fan?
I can't tell if I'm still having hot flashes!😓

More Practical Lessons

Todays Lesson:
Don't build with Iron Eucalyptus. If someone has built with it, don't volunteer to repair it.
Yes, it's termite proof. It's also virtually nail proof!
I am so sore from repairing the Staff Quarters ceiling!

Practical Lessons

2 new practical lessons I learned today:
1) Duct tape works better to hold bandages on children's foot wounds than any of the 10 medical tapes I've tried!
2) When I ask a few men to help me for 5-10 minutes lifting heavy items, they prefer to be tipped with a 5meticais lollipop than a 10mt tip!