The Team Has Arrived and a New Baby

After an overnight stay in Johannesburg, the team arrived at the Maputo National Airport. They seemed to have travel well, but were somewhat tired. We spent the day getting situated, unpacking, and organizing supplies. The girls were really excited when they found out that we were going to be spending our nights at the 2nd babyhouse, which is where all of the new infants live. The girls passed around the three infants for the majority of the afternoon and it was an all around good day.

Today, there is a good chance that a new three-month-old baby, named Tony, will join the ranks of the house. It just depends if the Social Welfare Office has their paperwork in order. The house has only been functioning for a few months and is already getting close to reaching its maximum capacity of 6 children. There is such a great need for people to take care of these children without families in Mozambique. The situation is overwhelming at times.

Adding the 2nd babyhouse has doubled the budget of this ministry, and is spreading the finances thin. It is extremely encouraging to see Pieter and Rika show such confidence and faith, that their financial support will continue to show up, and the needs of the children will continue to be met.

The Time Has Come

The day is finally here. I leave tomorrow at around noon from Kansas City and will finally arrive sometime Saturday afternoon to the babyhouse.

Life has been a whirlwind over the last couple of weeks. For those reading that may not know me personally I am a teacher during the school year (this is why I have my summer to find adventure in Africa). Our school year was extended because of the many snow days that we enjoyed earlier in the year. So my 5th graders and I just finished our last day of school earlier today.

Leading a trip, leaving the country for a month, working full time, and trying to keep up with friends that I won't be able to see while I am gone has worn me out. I look forward to my flights with Christie as a time to chat, but also as a great time to catch up on my sleep. The next time you will hear from me, will be from the "motherland of Africa." Take care.

Itinerary:

KCMO to Detroit
Detroit to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Johannesburg
Overnight layover with a friend in Johannesburg
Johannesburg to Nelspruit
In Nelspruit, Pieter is picking us up from the airport for a 3 hour ride to Maputo and the beautiful kids at the babyhouse.

The Team and Other News.

Here is a picture of the wonderful team!

They are from left to right:

Back Row: Kate, Me, My Massive Arm Muscles, Missy
Front Row: Christie, Suzy, Maranda, Natalie
Not able to be there for photo: Tiffany

I leave for Mozambique in under three days. I still have two days of work to complete with my class of 5th graders, and the following day I board a plane with my travel partner (Christie). We travel from Kansas City to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Johannesburg, and Johannesburg to Nelspruit, South Africa. In Nelspruit, Pieter will pick us up at the airport and take us the rest of the way to Maputo. We leave Thursday and arrive on Saturday.

I am extremely excited to be on my way back to see my friends at the babyhouse that have become so dear to my heart and somewhat like family to me. I am also extremely excited to have the opportunity to take this wonderful team of women with me and share the wonderfulness of the babyhouse with them.

In Mozambique News:

Flight From South Africa Slackens
Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
NEWS
26 May 2008

Maputo--
Mozambicans are continuing to flee from South Africa, but in smaller numbers than at the height of last week's ethnic cleansing,

Orlando Cossa, the head of Mozambican immigration at Ressano Garcia, the main border post between Mozambique and South Africa, told AIM that on Monday, up until 14.00, a total of 1,194 Mozambicans had crossed the border.


This is a large number, but at the height of the exodus many more were fleeing. The worst day was last Wednesday, when 4,441 Mozambican poured across the Ressano Garcia border.

"We are now seeing a slackening in the number of Mozambican victims fleeing from xenophobia in South Africa", said Cossa. He said that the total number of Mozambicans who had returned, from the start of the violence until Sunday, was 26,434. Add Monday's figures and the total is over 27,500.

However, there is now some traffic in the opposite directions. With an apparent reduction in the number and scale of anti-foreigner attacks, some Mozambicans are beginning to return to South Africa.

During the past week very few Mozambicans indeed ventured into South Africa, but on Monday there was "a significant movement" of Mozambicans visiting South Africa for a variety of reasons, said Cossa. But he did not say how many had crossed the border.

They had told officials that they were going to Johannesburg, Durban and Nelspruit. Cossa said this group included not only traders, going to buy goods that they would resell in Maputo, but also some Mozambicans resident in South Africa who had fled last week, but had now judged it safe enough to return.

Cossa was optimistic that the movement of Mozambicans to South Africa would now return to normal.

As for the movement of South Africans (mostly tourists) across the border, this had continued normally, despite the violence. Cossa denied South African press reports that South African tourists were fleeing from Mozambique for fear that angry Mozambicans would take revenge against them.

"Foreigners are going in and out of the country as usual", said Cossa. "I see no relation between the xenophobia and the movement of foreigners, particularly South Africans, across the border".

++++++++++++++++

My understanding of this issue is that South Africa is having major problems with refugees and illegal immigrants from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and other surrounding countries. The term that news sources are using for what is going on is xenophobia or the fear of foreigners. Foreigners are often accused of taking away people's jobs and fueling crime.
There have been many riots happening in and around Johannesburg, which has caused these foreigners to flee. Many foreigners are returning to their home countries.

The border that I will be traveling through is the one that is mentioned in the above news article. Over 27,500 Mozambicans have crossed back into Mozambique in the last week. When I have crossed this border in the past, the lines are always long and take a few hours to get through. I can not imagine what it is going to be like with such an increase of people coming across the border. I hope that the people of Mozambique will stay peaceful and not show hate to South Africans that are living in Mozambique.

The Hippo is Returning...

An Update, Way Past Due

I haven't written here, since my return to the US, and I feel that I need to post a quick update. I have been work to organize another trip to Mozambique this coming summer. I am hoping to lead two teams for the month of June. We are planning to staff both of the babyhouses (that's right there is now two house) for the month, so that the educators that work in the house taking care of the babies can have a break/vacation. If you are interested in being a part of this adventure, and I know you personally, please contact me and maybe you will be on your way to Africa.

For more information about the Mozambique Babyhouse check out their website at: www.allnationsmozambique.com

I do plan to post to this blog more regularly as the trip comes closer. I hope to have many more adventures to share as I travel back to the place that has captured part of my heart.

Guess Who Made it Home Safe?

Just to let everyone know, I made it back to the States safely. I will post more when I return to Kansas City. I have posts about my last days in Mozambique and I will post them soon. I just had a minute to post a quick update and wanted everyone to know that I made it back to the U.S. of A.

Also, my phone was stolen as I went through a security checkpoint in Johannesburg, South Africa. If I haven't been able to call you as I promised that I would, then I sincerely appologize. I bought a new phone yesterday and was able to keep my same phone number. Give me a call if you care to chat. More to come soon, please continue to check back for more updates.

Reflection on Departure

As we sat at the restaurant table waiting for breakfast, and the missionary kids sang their new favorite song, Shout to the Devil, from their newly acquired Guitar Hero II video game, I laughed out loud, but was reflecting about the last two months of my life in my head. I feel that I had grown very close to the Boersma Family in a relatively short amount of time. We had accomplished many things together while they graciously allowed me to stay in their home in Matola, Mozambique. It was now coming to an end, but I knew that I would be returning to continue to build the relationships that I had started while in Africa.
Boersma Family Portrait

As a family, we decided that a good way to spend my last few days in Africa would be to travel together with the children by car to South Africa, where I would eventually catch a plane back to The States. We have had many great meals together. We visited beautiful canyons, valleys, waterfalls, and a place called the potholes. We also spent time at the local shopping mall.

Last night we had another Brai (South African BBQ), which is a huge part of South African culture. Everyone sits around the fire, and the host cooks tons of lamb, sausage and steaks. I quickly found out that hotdogs and hamburgers were considered tacky and not acceptable when hosting guests. It was a good time to sit around and enjoy the company of so many people that have become a part of my life here in Africa.

This morning, I woke to the sound of monkeys running across the roof of the room that I am staying in South Africa. I got up to look out the window and there was three monkeys were sitting in the tree just outside my window. One was trying to get at the window, to make himself a guest in my room. It made me smile, thinking about how amazing it would be to have wild monkeys wake me up at my house in Kansas City. The neighbors probably would have a problem with my wild monkeys; so I just sat on my bed and watched them torment the little dogs that live on the property where I am staying.

I am planning on trying to convince Pieter to conquer his fears of snakes, and take me to a snake park this morning. The park has some of the most deadly snakes in the world and all of their snakes can be found in the area that I am currently staying. I think that it would be a neat “field trip” for the three home-schooled boys.

I leave this Afternoon, where I fly out of Nelspruit’s small airport to Johannesburg. I have a short layover in Johannesburg and then fly to Madrid, Spain. In Spain, I spend seven hours in the airport and then board a plane headed for JFK Airport in New York City. When I reach New York, I will take the subway to Penn Station and then buy a train ticket to Philadelphia where I plan to spend a week with Brandon and Sarah Fazel and their new baby!

I plan to post more pictures and other content about my trip to Africa, so please continue to check up on my blogspot in the next coming weeks, for more about my experiences.

Thelma Came Home

On Monday morning, we received a call from Social Welfare that Thelma, the new baby girl at the house, was finally ready to come home from the Maputo Central Hospital. She has spent the last few weeks in the Malnourishment Ward, receiving treatment. I was excited to know that she would join the other babies at the house before I left to go back home.

When I came in the house from running errands to the Water Company, I saw her hold out her arms for me to hold her. She was precious and looked so much healthier, since the first time I had visited her at the hospital. She was still very small, but it was obvious that she had made much improvement.

As we sized her for new clothes, it was realized that even though she was 3-4 years old, clothes that were made for 0-6 month infants were what fit her body the best. She is eating well, slept through the night, and it seems that she feels right at home at the baby house, where she has eight new brothers and sisters.

Idrussi’s Home Visit

When he left the small village of Camp 2000, he was weak, sick, and almost ready to breathe his last breath. His grandmother was sure that she had sent him away to be a part of a child trafficking scheme. She was positive that she would never see her Grandchild Idrussi again.

As we walked through the reasonably new village of Camp 2000, which had been established as a refugee camp for victims of the Mozambique floods of 2000, I wasn’t sure that we were going to be able to find Idrussi’s family. I wasn’t even sure that his grandmother still lived in the village or if she was even still alive. We had traveled by chappa and an old bus for 4 ½ hours and were now walking to a church in the village, where we were told the pastor’s wife could help us track down the family.

As we sat down in the shade that was provided on the side of the simple cement church building, the young lady that had presented herself as the wife of the pastor told us that she would go and find her friend that had brought Idrussi to her over a year ago. As we sat and waited Idrussi shoveled chocolate biscuits into his mouth, and managed to get some of the chocolate on the pants of my traveling companion Luis.

With sounds of children playing under a nearby tree in our ears, the lady returned with a lady named Mary that said she knew where the family lived, we were in luck, but there was a catch. Mary said that it was at least two-hour walk from the church. As I looked up at the sun, which was now high in the sky, I thought through our next step and looked at my watch. We had left the baby house at just after 7:00am, and it was now just after 1:00pm. Two hours from now it would be 3:00pm, plus the two-hour walk back to catch a 4 ½ hour bus ride. I wasn’t sure how late all of the buses ran, and I knew that one of my teammates had plane to catch in the morning. I was also not sure how much I wanted to entertain the idea of spending the night out in this village with Idrussi, who only had a short supply of diapers.

We all looked at each other for a few minutes and finally decided that we needed to continue on in our journey. We walked through deep sand right behind our recently acquired guide Mary. After only walking for a little over an hour, she realized that we had already arrived in the area of the family’s house. This was good news for us because the sun starts to set at 4:30 in the afternoon and traveling in the dark isn’t a good idea in Mozambique.

After asking a local lady from the village about the family’s whereabouts, we walked toward a small grass hut with a man and woman sitting on a grass mat in the shade of a nearby tree. Mary spoke in the native language of Shangon and as the lady rose from the grass mat she started to weep. With tears rolling down her cheeks she approached us, and this is when I realized that this was Idrussi’s Grandmother.

When she handed Idrussi over to Mary over a year ago, she didn’t expect to ever see the little boy again. Now he had returned to her with a Buddha-like belly and a huge smile on his face. He was happy, healthy, and now taking medicine that was helping his body to fight his battle with AIDS. I handed Idrussi over to her, and she hugged and held him tightly against her chest. She repeated, “Obrigato,” which is “Thank you” in Portuguese. Soon all of the small houses in the village had emptied and the people were standing in a circle around Idrussi, as if to witness a triumphant kings return to his village.

I stood by and just tried to take in this entire spectacle. Soon Idrussi’s Aunt was there at the house, along with an Uncle, and other family members. As they enjoyed holding and playing with him, I soon realized that the children of the village had never seen a camera. I started taking pictures of the kids around me, and then showing them their own faces on my cameras screen. The children loved it, but the excitement soon spread to a few of the mothers that were nearby and they also requested that I take their picture, with babies in their arms, so that they could see.
Idrussi and Family
As the sun started to set in sky, I realized that our visit needed to come to an end. The village said their goodbyes to each of us with a kiss on both of our checks, and we were on our way home. The adventure does not, however, stop on our arrival at a nearby paved road.

Standing at the edge of the pothole-filled blacktop, I realized that we were standing at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere. A few small chappas came by within the next 45 minutes, but they were all full without room for the four of my traveling companions. I thought to myself of how I had always wanted to hitchhike, and how it would make a good story to say that I hitchhiked in Africa, and without hesitation, or asking the people that were traveling with me, I walk out onto the pavement and put my thumb up. I had a ride in less than a minute and Amy was screaming, “What are you doing?”

With a casual reply I said, “Getting us a ride, come on. I always wanted to hitchhike, and what better place, but in Africa!”

I climbed in the back of the old pickup with Luis and Idrussi, and let Amy and Pedro ride in the cab with our new friend Felix, the driver. He drove very fast and took us into a nearby town where it was much easier for us to get a chappa home.

This home visit, although longer and more exhausting than any of the others was the most rewarding. I feel so fortunate to be able to be in Africa and be a part of reuniting families, giving them hope, and showing that their baby’s future is no longer hanging in the balance, but now shows great promise. This was my last home visit that I will be able to facilitate while I am here for this summer visit, but I also now know that I will return to Mozambique during my future summers and continue to work alongside of these people that are making such a difference in the lives of the family of this country that has won over my heart.

Richardo’s Home Visit

As we set out this morning, I had a different team of people traveling with me. There is a new lady that we are trying to get involved with some of the community work at the baby house. Leonora is pretty good at English and this was her first outing for the baby house.

We left the house at around 9:30 in the morning and road the chappa to the Benefica Market. When we arrived, we phone Richardo’s father and he was on his way to meet us at the gas station that was near to where to our location. It was a pleasant surprise that he was coming to meet us and that we wouldn’t have to search to find his home.

We stood and waited for about 15 minutes and I finally saw his father’s familiar face from his visit to the baby house the previous week. He was so excited to see Richardo, and as I handed the little boy over to him it was neat to see them both excited to see each other again. Richardo looks just like his father, and as I followed his dad, we walked toward a larger bus that would carry us closer to his home.

The bus ride was long and I stood smashed between many people most of the journey. When we arrived, I immediately realized that we were in the same neighborhood as last Friday on the visit to Marcelino’s family. The walk was much shorter this trip and we arrived at his little grass hut in no time.

We sat and chatted for about an hour, he showed us pictures of Richardo’s father who died of AIDS shortly after Richardo’s birth. She was a beautiful woman and it was neat to hear her husband talk so fondly about his former wife. After our visit, he took us to the front yard and dug up some roots of a plant to take home. As he was digging up the roots, two ladies came by the house that were friends of Richardo’s mother. It was neat to let them see how well he was doing. The visit went well and it was great to take Richardo for the first time to his father’s house.

Need for a Cure

My adventure for the day, took me back to Maputo’s Central Hospital. Today’s trip was not to the malnourishment unit, but to a building that is for blood tests and AIDS patients. Baby Luis, one of the AIDS babies at the baby house, had an appointment for more blood test.

As we walked across the now familiar hospital campus, we approached a building that I had not been into yet. We climbed the stairs, with Baby Luis in my arms, and arrived at a double door with a guard posted checking paperwork of all who entered. We quickly showed the guard Luis’ appointment papers, and he handed us a small piece of paper with the number 101 handwritten in blue pen on it. We walked past a front desk where I quickly showed the nurse behind the desk our number and she directed us silently with a point of a finger toward a hallway.

As I walked on with Baby Luis’ head resting on my shoulder, I entered a hallway that was full of people standing shoulder to shoulder. I worked my way down the hall bumping into many people, some very young faces, many old faces, men, women, children, and newborn infants, as I tried to make my way to the waiting area. As I approached the end of the hallway, I realized that the waiting area had spilt out into the hall way because the hospital was already so busy at 8:45 in the morning. The number that was handed to us when entering through the double doors was our number in line to wait for a blood test.

I stood there with two-year-old Baby Luis resting against my chest, and watched many people come out of multiple hospital rooms. It wasn’t that the hospital didn’t have enough doctors on staff, because I would guess that there were at least 12 doctors calling in people one after another into the little room where they took two small vials of blood from each visitor’s body. There were just so many people in that small room, and it is like that all day long at this hospital on every day that the hospitals doors are open.

I have always heard about the “AIDS Epidemic” and seen people with t-shirts supporting Race for a Cure and things of that nature, but until today I was unable to really comprehend the numbers and statistics that we, as Americans, throw around so nonchalantly. Today, I witnessed the face of AIDS, and they were all beautiful. Every single person in that long hallway and waiting room was beautiful in their own unique way, and they will all eventually die of a disease that does not yet have a cure. The little boy in my arms, that I have grown to love over that last 43 days, will eventually pass away from this disease that we, as a society, have not figured out how to conquer.

My experience, of simply waiting in that hospital waiting room and having a chance to work with the children at the baby house, has drastically changed my outlook on people who are living with AIDS. I realize the urgency of the need for a cure for this disease that will eventually take the lives of many of the people that I have had the chance to meet this summer.

The Sweet Serenity of the Ocean

For the last few days there has been a team of people from South Africa at the baby house. Before they headed home today, they decided that a trip to the beach was needed. It would have been rude of me to try and talk them out of doing such an awful task, so with a little twisting of my arm I decided that I would accompany them on their journey. Really, I was extremely excited that I had the opportunity to go with them because I had said before leaving for Africa that I would like to have the chance to swim in the Indian Ocean.

We loaded up into their 4x4 Toyota Pick-up, and headed out of the gate of the property. I was seated in the bed of the pickup along with a few other that had also been “persuaded” to attend this outing. I love riding in the back of pickups in Africa, it seems to make any trip into the community more rich and more of an experience. I can see more, hear the sounds better, and interact with the people walking along the streets easier.

It was a bit chilly winter morning, so I pulled the hood of my jacket up and kept to myself the majority of the ride there. I had a really relaxing time with the wind blowing on my face and through my goatee. Many people were already out and on their way to church in their Sunday best. I was quite fascinated the first time I saw an African man step out of his grass hut in a three piece suit, but have now come to expect it on Sunday mornings.

As we approached our first stop, I saw water and palm trees and thought that we had arrived at the ocean. I will admit that I was disappointed at what I was seeing. It looked really dirty, smelled of diesel fuel, and dead fish. As we got closer to the water, I noticed that there was a ferry that was going to take us across the water where we would continue toward the beach on the other side.

The ferry didn’t appear to be very safe, but since my mom reads what I write on this website, I will state that it was the safest water vessel this side of the equator. As vehicles load onto the boat, it dropped lower and lower into the water. We climbed on, and I am sure that more than just a few prayers were silently shouted to the heavens in hopes that we would not sink to the bottom of this muddy river.

We arrived on the other side and continued on our way to the beach. I was again surprised as we drove down this dirt road and we were greeted by herds of cattle crossing the road. There were no fences to hold them in, and these big bulls wandered lazily across the road in front and behind our truck. After passing many children and a few older men begging along side the road, we arrived at the beach.

We climbed the hill and passed many cabana style cabins, passed through a large gathering of trees and stepped out on to the white sand of the beach. It was beautiful and there were probably only two other families that were on this endless beach that spanned the coast as far as my eyes could see. I have a hard time putting into words how peaceful the next few hours of my life were. The sound of the waves hitting the beach, and having the chance to walk down the coast without anyone else around was amazing. The water was surprisingly warm and the sun felt wonderful as it came down to wrap it warm rays around my body.

Honestly, I have never really been attracted to spending great amounts of time on the beach. Maybe it is my extremely rock-hard chiseled physique, but I have always thought that the mountains were a better choice when put up against each other. After today though, my opinion has been swayed. Although I still love my mountain views and cold weather, I now understand those people who travel to the coast and layout worshiping the sun as the waves lap at their feet. It was a great day of relaxation, and I can again say it is great to be in Africa!

Marcelino’s Home Visit

Marcelino sat at the breakfast table in his best clothes, eating an early breakfast, so that we could leave the house by 8:00 this morning. At the sight of his new outfit he knew that he was on his way somewhere special and was going to have the chance to leave the baby house. This always seems to make the kids happy.

We loaded on to a chappa and headed away from the city, a place that I hadn’t been, we then switched to another bus that took us even farther from the city of Maputo. It was quite a bus trip with Marcelino on my lap and squished into the chappa. He seems to get very quiet and subdued whenever he is taken out.

We walked a short distance through a small village to find Marcelino’s uncle. As he greeted us, I could smell urine on his clothes, and large amounts of alcohol on his breath. He accompanied us, and actually led the way to the house where the father of Marcelino lives.

We climbed on yet another chappa and traveled to another village that was quite a distance from where we started. As we climbed off of the bus, Luis quickly pointed out that we were across the street from Iris Ministries (the orphanage that he spent much of his childhood living in). This is where our walk of great proportions began. We walked and walk and walked. We easily walked six miles through deep sand and carried Marcelino most of that distance. The area was beautiful farmland, but the sand made the walk hard work.

Standing in the middle of stereotypical African savannah with just a few small grass huts surrounding us, I realized that Marcelino’s uncle had no idea where his brother lived. We wandered and almost everyone that crossed our path if they knew Marcelino’s father, but no one recognized his name or knew the family. I was pretty sure that we were lost, but I had one of my favorite children in the world resting in my arms, so we decided to play. I put him down on the sandy path and we chased each other around, while he shouted at all of us. Marcelino’s uncle and Luis continued to ask people and we finally decided to just head down this path with no direction. I really didn’t have much say in the matter because of the language barrier, so I just continued to follow.

After about 15 more minutes of walking, we asked a man wearing a stocking hat in the African heat if he knew the family. I was astonished when his face showed that he was happy to be able to help and led us to the family’s house.

As we approached the gate, I noticed that their grass hut and plot of land was surrounded with bushes with very large thorns on them. I put Marcelino on the ground, straightened his shirt and pants, and he grabbed my hand as we walked through the gate. His family sat on grass mats in the sun. His father’s new wife was cutting vegetables and looked up at us with a smile as we approached where she was sitting.

A little boy sitting next to her with a pot of old cooked rice sitting between his legs looked up and spoke in Shangon. It was obvious that he was excited from the tone of his voice, but I had to ask Luis what the little boy was saying as he looked and spoke to Marcelino. Luis told me that he had said, “My brother, my brother, I have a brother!” Marcelino walked over and sat down next to the boy, who we later found out is named Michael, and sat down and grabbed his hand to hold. It was precious to see these two brothers reunite.

Chickens roamed around our feet as some of us stood and watched the family marvel at how Marcelino had grown and how healthy he looked. We were told that Marcelino's father was working at the market, wandering through the narrow booths selling small items (we went to the market after leaving the house, but did not have success at finding the father).

As we said our goodbyes and headed back on our long walk to the main road, I couldn’t help but think about how much of a difference the baby house has made in Marcelino’s life. Walking with him in my arms, I continued to think about what his life would look like if he lived out with this family in their very humble grass hut. Without running water, with no guarantee of a next meal, without a daily bath or clothes to wear. I am so glad that I am able to partner with a group of people that is making such a major difference in the lives of children. I see the eight former orphans at the baby house as some of the luckiest children in this entire country of Mozambique. They will have a promising future because of what is being done to fight for their social justice.

New Adventures to Come

As my stay here in Mozambique is quickly coming to an end (only 17 days left) and things are winding down, I was pleasantly surprised at breakfast this morning. As we were standing around the kitchen and Pieter was cooking an egg, he casually informed me that he would like me to take each of the babies on a visit to their family’s home before I leave the country.

I am extremely excited about the chance to adventure out into the smaller surrounding villages to seek out the families of the children here at the house. I'm sure that each will have a story that needs to be heard. I will keep you posted on my adventures as they happen. This will be a good way to spend my remaining time here at the baby house.

Life Without Water

As I sat in the back of a pickup truck, I could feel the wind blowing through my facial hair, I was on my way to change the lives of an African family. I sat and found myself wondering if I could even imagine living my entire life without running water in my house.

This is the case of my seventy-five year old friend Jacobi. His entire life has never included a water faucet in his residence. The tedious chore of carrying water in buckets has been a part of his every day routine since he was born in 1932.

To have to chance to lighten the burden as Jacobi and Mary raise their five grandchildren is a pleasure. I feel so fortunate to be able to be here in Mozambique and to be a part of something so simple, but yet is so appreciated.

We pulled into the small market area of grass huts that appeared to sell mostly hardware materials. As I climbed out of the back of the truck, a man greeted me ready to sell me anything and everything, and yes he even had a kitchen sink. I knew exactly what I was after, a water spigot, some pipe fittings, and 30 meters of rubber hose.

Nine hundred twenty Metical (about $35.00) later, we were loaded and on our way through the dirt roads to the grandparent’s house. We arrived and just a few hours later the trench had been dug, the pipe had been installed, cement mixed and laid, and the project was complete.

All we need to do now is have the water company install the water meter, and connect our pipe work to the main water line. I am hopefully that this will be a quick process and they will be out to the house by the end of the week.

(click picture for larger image)

A New Baby in the House

When Luis and I were at the Social Welfare office last week, working on Aninha’s passport, we were told that they had an abandon baby that was in desperate need of a home. While I was in South Africa, Pieter and Rika decided that we would take the little girl in at the baby house.

Yesterday, I had the chance to go and visit the little girl at the central hospital. As I walked up the many flights of stairs of the Malnourishment Ward of the hospital, I was somewhat nervous about what I might see when I entered the room of children. Skin and Bones. The little room had six children lying in five beds and all of them had an IV-like valve in their arm or in their neck.

The little girl sat there with bones exposed through her skin, but she is beautiful. Her name is Thelma. We are not exactly sure when she will be able to come home with us, but our guesses are some time this next week. Pieter said that they probably would have sent her home with us yesterday, but she had diarrhea, which sat her back in her process of being re-hydrated.

As we sat there in the hospital room, I wanted to pick her up, hold her, and love her, but she looked so fragile that I was afraid to make an attempt. Brittany was the brave soul that finally made the attempt to pick her up. As she approached the bed with her hands held out to pick Thelma up from the bed, Thelma’s arms raised up to show that she longed to be held and loved.
It is exciting to be able to see a new life that is going to be changed and touched by the work that is done by the baby house. I am so glad that I am able to be a part of what is happening here in Mozambique.


Checkout the new All Nations Mozambique website @ www.allnationsmozambique.com. Pieter and I have been working to get a website up and running for the baby house, so that people can have a more regular update of what is happening in Mozambique.

Hippo Sighting!!!

Although this blog isn’t truly about finding a hippo in the wild, I would hate to disappoint anyone who has been following along with great hopes that hippos would be abundant on my journey through Africa. For those viewers, I have good news.

After my trip to South Africa these last few days, I have seen a plethora of hippos frolicking in the sunlight. Okay, so hippos do not have the ability to do any sort of frolicking, but God was good on my journey through Kruger National Park and blessed my visit with so many hippos that I was unable to keep count. Here are a few pictures of my hippo sightings.



I was also able to see many other animals while driving through the park. The trip to the national park was a blast and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to visit. Here are a few pictures from my journey:










Returning to the baby house was good. Marcelino ran up to me when I walked into the gate and demanded that I pick him up. He was in my arms or at my side for most of the evening. When it was time for his bath and bed, he threw a temper tantrum that he was unable to stay with me. I had a realization through this that he had connected with me as much as I had with him, and he liked me as much as I cared about him. I think that this is going to make it harder for me to leave Mozambique as my departure date nears.

My evening at the baby house also included new friends. Pieter and Rika have good friends from Cape Town that are visiting, and we have a new addition to the team at the house. Brittany, a girl from our church back home, made it to Maputo from Kansas City. There is another girl named Amy from Washington that is flying in tonight at around 9:00. It is really nice to have new faces and help around the house, and I am sure that we will all become great friends.

Sorry for the Delay in Posting

As I sit here with a window open, I can hear the choir from a church across the street, practicing for their Sunday morning service (imagine the sounds of stereotypical African Church Choir and you have what I am enjoying). I decided that I needed to post a quick explanation of the delay in my posting. At the end of every month Pieter, Rika, and their three children take a trip to South Africa for supplies, and a bit of a getaway. When Pieter leaves, he takes his computer with him, and without his computer we have no Internet at the house. I have been continuing to write while he was gone about everything that has happened in the last couple of days and I posted it today. Make sure to read back a couple of posts to make sure you haven't missed any of the story. I am also trying to upload some more pictures to my flickr account so check that out also.

Molly and I are leaving for South Africa tomorrow morning via the bus. It is sure to be an adventure and probably will have a story to follow. We have to leave Mozambique because you can't be in the country for more than 30 days at a time on our passport without renewing our visas.

This gives us a good excuse to take a short trip. We will be in Nelspruit, South Africa from July 1st - 4th. We have rented a VW Cabrio and will be hanging out, checking out Krueger National Park, and a place called God's Window. I'm sure that we will find other things that we want to do also. It should be a good break from all the work at the baby house. I will take lots of pictures to share. We are both excited for the short break in the action. I don't know if I will have internet access while I am gone, but check back regularly for new updates. I miss everyone at home and hope all is going well.

Disappointment

After the crazy trip to Aninha’s village with the social worker from the Social Welfare Office, I had high hopes entering their office the following day. I sat down in front of the desk that I had was becoming very familiar with because of our many visits to this same office at Social Welfare. We sat and waited patiently for Adolpho to come in and continue to help us with the process that we had started of getting a little girl’s passport. As we waited the other employees in the office told us about a little girl that had been abandon and needed a place. They wanted me to say that we would take her in, but I knew that this was ultimately Pieter and Rika’s decision, on whether or not we had the room for another child.

After much time had passed, he finally sauntered into the office and takes a seat in front of us. I’m sure that he could tell that we were anxious to receive whatever it was that he had to give us in order to be on our way to getting the girl’s passport.

After all, he had made this promise that we needed a birth certificate. When we got the birth certificate he said it was not enough, that we now needed documented sources stating Aninha’s condition when she was taken from the streets. He also said we needed permission from her father who had already claimed to abandon her (making her property of the social welfare office who ultimately had to give permission). It all just didn’t make a lot of since, but we were relentless in our pursuit and travel to her village to meet with the officials and other people who had taken care of her. The social worker heard first hand from these people of how Aninha was before she had come to the baby house. He also heard first hand from the father that he gave his permission for any medical treatment that his little girl, who he no longer had any ties to, needed to receive in Mozambique of South Africa. We had jumped through every hoop and now were ready to receive the document saying that she had the Social Welfare Office’s permission to receive a passport and the ability to travel to an Ear Specialist in South Africa.

Sitting across the desk fro Adolpho, it was obvious that he was not yet done with his attempt to work bribe money out of us. He told us we had to take her to a doctor in Mozambique to look at her ears. If the doctor gave permission to travel to South Africa, then she would be able to go. I pulled her many medical records from her file, which I had in my bag, and showed him the repeated visits to the doctor with no results of her ears improving. I asked him if he needed anymore proof that the doctor was unable to fix her ears. He told me that I had to have an official letter signed from her doctor.

I was very frustrated with this man, who claimed to do his job in order to help children. It would be very easy for him to sit and write this short paragraph of a letter, sign his name to it, and send us on our way to get Aninha’s passport. He however sat across the desk from me with a smug look on his face, waiting for my response.

I looked at Luis and then at Adolpho and said, “We sit here in your office and the others here in this office say that there is an emergency case and a little girl needs a place to live. You want us to continue to help, by taking in more and more children. We love to help in this way, but we have a little girl who already lives in our house, and she has an emergency of her own, and it is that she is going to be deaf if we don’t get her to the doctor in South Africa. When are you going to start helping us take care of the children that we already have in our house?”

Adolpho sat across the desk from me and hung his head. It was obvious that Luis’ translation of my message had been a heavy blow to this man. He sat speechless and realized that he had no response to my question. He finally raised his head and called his supervisor over to the desk. I believe that he explained what our situation was, and that he didn’t know what to do next.

I asked his supervisor if I could have a list of everything that needed to be done in order to get a passport for this little girl.

Without understanding a word that she said, it was obvious in her tone that she was upset with me and insulted. It was also clear that there was no list of what had to be done.

I asked her if she could write me a list of what needs to be done in order to accomplish this task, because it seems to me that there is no procedure of how to go about accomplishing this task.
Her reply was short and to the point, “no.”

I told her, that I was told all I needed was a birth certificate and returned with it in my hand, but it wasn’t enough. I told her we had traveled with Adolpho to meet the people in Aninha’s village because it was said that we only need her story and permission from her father, we had done that, but now that wasn’t enough. I told her I didn’t think that there was an end to all of the things that Adolpho was going to make us complete in order to get the Social Welfare Office’s permission. I told her I wanted to know if Adolpho knew what he was doing and if there was a rhyme and reason to everything that he was having us do, or was he just wasting our time.

Her reply was long and drawn out. I didn’t understand any of it and didn’t even ask Luis to translate. It was apparent that she was upset with me and Luis told me that she said that we were finish today and that she had asked us to leave. I stood to leave the office with nothing to show for our last three days of work. The only thing I carried with me was feelings of anger and disappointment.

Love @ the Market

Today was very eventful. We woke up early and made sure that Aninha was bathed, had eaten breakfast, and was dressed in some of her best clothes. Luis, Aninha, and I had a meeting with the social worker that tried to bribe me the day before. We met him in the city because we were traveling together to meet the chief of the area where Aninha was born.

After much winding and meandering back through narrow walkways, filled with trash, we had finally arrived at our destination. The chief immediately recognized Aninha, but Aninha also recognized him and seemed to be very afraid of him. She started to cry when he attempted to take her from my safe arms. I think she was afraid that we had come to drop her off. After sitting with the chief and having him explain Aninha’s story to the social worker, he had us follow him to his home.

When we entered his home, a lady that also immediately recognized Aninha greeted us. She told the social worker everything she knew about Aninha’s story. She explained how she had helped take care of her when her father had abandoned her.

Soon many more people had come into the chief’s house, all wanting to see the little girl that had returned to her village. Everyone was so happy to see how healthy and well taken care of she was now. All of the stories shared with the social worker, told of how they had found her with nothing but a pair of her father’s underwear on her body and wandering the streets. They had done their best to help her, but now they had a hard time believing that this could be the same little girl that was so malnourished just over a year ago.

It was neat for me to see these people and their reactions to the work that the baby house is doing in each of the little ones lives. These people knew the little girl at her worst and were now blown away at how good she was now doing. I’m glad that I was a part of maybe bring these few people a little bit of hope.

After we left the chief at his house with the many visitors, we went to the house where Aninha’s father was now living. He wasn’t home, but we talked to someone that also lived at the house who told us he was at work. We realized that the number her father had given to Luis and me, when we had tracked him down at his job, was not the correct number. We were now able to get the correct number from the lady that had told us he was at work.

The social worker also took the number and was going to try and meet the father later that day. The social worker told us to stop by the Social Welfare Office tomorrow and I think we will get what we need to apply for the Aninha’s passport. This makes me excited! Our day was however not over.

With Aninha in my arms, we walked a long distance to where we could catch a chappa to the market to pick up food for the two families that receive groceries from the baby house every week. I have started to build somewhat of a friendship with the 26-year-old lady that we buy all of the vegetables and other food from every week. Luis and I actually ran into her last week at a bus/chappa stop and she went out of her way to say hello and try to have a conversation with me. Keep in mind she speaks very little English, so our friendship is based on the soul fact that I spend a lot of money at her market store every Thursday.

As she started to gather all of the food for the two families, Luis is talking to her in Shangon(sp) [Shangon is the language of the locals here in South Mozambique]. I am waiting patiently and minding my own business, when in the middle of their conversation, she stops and smiles at me and says, “You – Love – Me?”

I immediately glare at Luis. He just starts laughing hysterically and says, “That is what you told me!”

I retorted with, “You asked me if I thought she was beautiful after we had seen her at the bus stop! I said yes, her face is pretty. That doesn’t mean that I love her or even that I like her!”

He just stood there laughing, while the girl continued to stand there with longing in her eyes as she put the carrots that I was purchasing into a bag. I demanded that he tell her what I really said, but he just shook his head and continued to laugh.

After all the groceries were bought, she followed us out of the market and helped us carry our many bags of food all the way to the bus/chappa stop. She stood there and waited with us, and she told Luis that she wanted to come with us to see the families that we buy the food for every week, and then she wanted to come and see all the babies at the baby house. This is obviously all happening because she thinks that I am interested in her and Luis is just laughing thinking that this whole situation is great. I told him that I didn’t mind if she came along with us. Luis just continued to laugh at me, and told her that we were in a hurry and had many more things to do today.

Using the little bit of English that she knows, she told me that she would see me tomorrow. I corrected her and said that I would see her next week. She smiled and waved down a chappa, we climb on, and were on our way to deliver the food to the families.

While at the Grandparent’s house, I measured the distance of pipe that we need so that we can get the water installed at their house. Hopefully, I can get that all worked out and hooked up in the next few weeks. It is just 2:00 in the afternoon here, but with a busy day like this, I am ready for a short nap while the babies take their afternoon nap at the house.