So Much Has Happened

Sorry for the long delay without a post. Internet has been very limited and everyone has been extremely busy. I have decided to just share a quick list of some of the things that I have been working on since the last time I posted.

Last time I posted, we thought we had a property for our 2nd house to move to, and we did, but the property fell through twice within a week. So we were frantically searching for a new property on the last day of the month and trying to move on the same day. We were also working on trying to get our previous house ready to move out of with fresh paint on the walls, fixing sinks, installing a new shower head, repairing wood floors, landscaping, and repairing kitchen cabinets.

The property that we ended up moving into meets our needs and the children's needs far better than we could ever imagine. It is a beautiful house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big fenced in yard, it is closer to our other house, and has a flat behind it that is included in the rent, which works great for housing visiting teams. The house was a real answer to our prayers. We have been working on getting the washing machine hooked up, water filters installed, and other small jobs that needed be done to make the house just right for all of the children that live there.

We have also hosted two big teams and a bunch of individual visitors in the last few weeks. They have been a lot of fun to have around and so much help. I have really appreciated everyone that has come to stay this summer. They all have been wonderful.

I got to take Telma out for her 4th birthday dinner. It was a really fun night where she played and ate so much. She ate the following: 1/2 chicken, french fries, salad, two cokes, ice cream, and some cheesecake. When I had the server take away her plate of chicken bones that she had been picking at for over 20 minutes, and had no meat left on them, she got really upset with me. The night also include Telma getting really frighten in the bathroom by the automatic air hand dryer. She accidentally stepped under it on her way out of the bathroom and it turned on. She screamed and didn't want to go back into the bathroom to clean her hands after dinner. It was a good night out and great to be able to celebrate her life.

I the last three days, we have received three new boys into our now very large family. Social welfare continues to bring the children to the house and it is becoming harder and harder to even consider saying no to them. Our two houses are the only places in the area that are currently taking in young children.

The first boy, that came on Monday, didn't have a name, and we have no information on him. We have started to call him Donavan, but the children all call him Mi Nio (sp?), which means the boy in Portuguese. On Tuesday, Didito arrived at our house from the hospital. He appears to be around three years old, and was involved in a really bad bus accident. He was the only one that survived and has been in the hospital for the last few weeks. His mother and father were on the bus and passed away in the accident. We find him often in the corner crying wanting to speak with his mother. On Wednesday, another child arrived at the house, named Charlesy. He is mentally disabled and has a very high level of need. All of our children's beds are full and I am currently having more bunk beds made by my friend Sergio.

I am also currently in the process of installing a roof on our educator, Mimi's house. I purchased all of the supplies on Tuesday and delivered them to her house. The final pitches for the roof are being finished in concrete, and we will be heading to her house in Machava to work on the project and hopefully complete it on Friday morning.

Pieter and Rika are long time friends of Heidi Baker and we found out earlier this week that she is going to be in Maputo on Friday and speaking at a youth conference. It sounds like I will have a chance to go hear her speak and possible met her with Pieter and Rika. If you are not familiar with who she is and what God is doing through her in Mozambique, I encourage you to google her name or Iris Ministries. The work that is happening through their ministry is unbelievable and I really feel privileged to have a chance to hear her speak.

As you can see, things here are really busy. I leave for Nepal a week from today and will be spending two weeks there with Pieter and a team on an outreach project. I am really excited about the new experiences, new culture, and time with a bunch of great guys.

A Search for a New Home

For the last two months we have been in search of a new property to move our second house of children to by the 1st of July. The area that both of our houses are in has started to become more developed with new businesses and lots of new building projects. These new developments have caused our little town to be the popular place for the people of the Maputo area to want to move. All of these factors have made the housing market very scarce.

During the search for a new property, we have been on a waiting list with 15 other clients looking for similar properties with the same guidelines. Our guidelines include: 3 bedrooms, kitchen, indoor bathroom, room for visiting teams to stay, and a yard big enough for the children to play. These expectations have made the search for a new house even more difficult.

Yesterday afternoon the realtor took us to look at a property and it looks like it is going to meet all of our expectations. The rent is a good price and appears to need very little work done to it. The house needs maybe a new water pump on the water tank and a fresh coat of paint. This also means that we must start working to get our previous property cleaned, painted, and fixed up, so that we can move the children out and to a new home.

Also this next week, Pieter, Rika, and the boys are leaving town to find some vacation time away to process all that has happened in the last few weeks. This will be good for the Boersmas as we cover for their family and send the last of our staff at the 2nd house on holiday. This will also mean that my Internet connection and email will be very limited here in Mozambique while they are gone.

Haircuts & Mr. T

On the agenda for today was to give the boys haircuts.

The A-Team van just happened to pull up to our front gate as I was getting the clippers out and ready for my makeshift barbershop.

After the quick photo opportunity with Mr. T, I trimmed the boys up, so that they are clean cut and ready for the rest of their day. I have also been doing the cooking for the children for the weekend, while we send the local staff on their holiday breaks. I would like to think that the children have taken a special liking to my versions of their favorite Mozambican dishes, but then again there isn't much that you can do to spice up a good porridge.

Policia @ the Gate

Today is Friday and we had police at the gate of our house two different times this morning. Both times they had different boys, both children 9-10 years old, without places to stay. It is hard to turn the children away, but we just don't have the space or the facilities to offer children that age services. We sent the police and children on to the social welfare office, where they will hopefully be directed to another center that works with their age children.

We have taken in four new children in the last four weeks, and six children total since the month of March. The need for homes for orphans is so high in Mozambique. Pieter and I were talking about the high level of need this afternoon. Both of us are confident that we could have five houses full of children within two weeks, if the funds and workers were available.

There are many other projects in the works, but all are operating on African time (translation=slow). Things are getting back to normal, structures are being reestablished, and the children are getting back into their routines. It has been good to be here, and able to support my friends that are here year round. We have already shared many laughs and a few tears. Life is good.

update: 5:49 pm. new pictures uploaded to flickr. please take a minute to check them out. Also, we haven't forgotten about the decidedly different photo project updates are hopefully coming soon. Amy and I are working away to get some posts ready for public viewing. Check out last years work while you wait.

Getting My Feet Back on the Ground

This last week has been really busy, but don't feel like much has been accomplished. Mostly planning and scheduling staff holidays. Many projects are in the works. The Boersmas and I took a quick day trip to South Africa on Saturday to buy food, tools for work projects, and supplies to complete various tasks.

I was struck down with the stomach flu last night, and it has put me out of commission for the day. At one point last night, I wondered if this is what it felt like to die. I don't think that I have ever been that sick. I am feeling better now and hope to get some things accomplish before bed tonight.

We are working hard to find another property to move our 2nd house to, before the end of the month. It is very important that we find something that has more room for the children and facilitates our ministry better. We continue to search and hope that all are praying that God will bring us to the right house soon.

People continue to bring children to the house. I have lost track of how many new kids we have taken into our homes in the last two weeks. The kids are beautiful, and most are doing well health wise. It is good to be here at this time, but emotionally, spiritually, and physically draining.

I have not had time to take many pictures and have struggled to find a internet connection that will work for uploading. I want to share some of my new photo work, but will have to be patient, until I find connection with good uploading speed. Thanks for continuing to follow my life in Maputo. Look forward to sharing more as things continue to develop. Check back often.

update: 11:00 am. I uploaded a few new pictures to my flickr account. check out the link to the right

Update from Mozambique

I made it to Mozambique just a few hours ago, and much has happen here in the last few days. To bring you up to speed, I thought it would be easiest to share two quick updates from Pieter, that were sent in the last two days.

Please read and continue to pray for my friends and our team here in Mozambique.

From Pieter:

Dear Friends,
We returned to our Mozambican family late Friday night. So much has happened in our lives the last few weeks and we feel so overwhelmed right now. The loss of Baby Josef was a big shock for us, our staff, and the children. It was even harder to process with the death of my mother. The only thing that kept us going is the knowledge that Jesus is in control.

During last week Social Welfare also dropped of three more children. The chief of Social Welfare now wants to integrate all our healthy children, because we are the only people taking babies. Now that we say our houses are full he wants to make space by moving the older children. This is not our vision, please pray for us as we try and communicate this to the chief. We want to walk with our children for a lifetime.

Today we celebrated children’s day here in Mozambique and it was so much fun, to see the children eat, play games, and even singing a few songs. I think it was a time of healing for our staff and children.

Please pray for Rika and I, we are really struggling emotionally right now and we are overwhelmed by so many things happening. I had no time even to process the death of my mother. We hope to take a short break the next few weeks, as a family. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support.


This was sent out the following day:


Americo arrived at our home a few weeks ago, he is a year and two months old. His mother and father died because of AIDS. He was already on anti retroviral, but his auntie stop giving it to him four months ago. His feet were swollen from malnourishment and he was dehydrated the day he came to our house.

This morning Americo died on the way to the hospital. He slept last night with one of our volunteer workers Amanda and when she woke up this morning she realized he had trouble breathing, we rushed to hospital and on our way there he died.

When we took him in we knew he was very fragile and ill, but we had faith that he will also be healed by Jesus. We know he is with Jesus now and for a few weeks he was loved and cared for by our family and staff.

We do not have words right now to describe all that we are going through right now, we still have faith and hope. Our educators are not doing well and I can see that this is very hard for them.

Thank you for all your prayers, but please continue to pray for us.

Pieter and Rika.

My Bags are Packed

The day has finally come. Departure Day. I fly out at 12:30pm and will be flying through Houston to Amsterdam. Amsterdam to Johannesburg, South Africa. I will spend the night in Johannesburg with a friend and then fly to Nelspruit, South Africa, where I will spend the day and night with another friend. On Wednesday morning Pieter will be out to pick us up and take us into Mozambique.

This morning, I woke up feeling somewhat overwhelmed. This is a new feeling for me when leaving for Mozambique. In the past, I usually am filled with excitement, and wonder of what adventure I am going to find. But right now, with the circumstance and what has happened in the last few weeks with my MOZ family, I just don't know what is really going to be required of me.

Please pray that I will be able to support my friend's spiritual, emotional, and physical needs well. Also that I would be a good listener. That I would offer extreme flexibility, understanding, and have no expectations of what is supposed to happen. Pray that I would have patience with those around me. That I would find a new capacity to serve others and love them well.

Thank you for reading and following along with the adventure. It is going to be a busy summer, with lots going on. I wish that I had more insight into all that is going to be taking place, but I will have to leave you in suspense. Please check back often, and make sure to leave a comment, so that I know people are following along with the adventure.

Quick Update/Prayer Request

As you already know we had one of our babies passed away in his sleep early last week. It happened while Pieter and Rika were in South Africa getting supplies for the house. On their way back across the border into Mozambique, they had the keys to their vehicle stolen. All of their possessions were locked in the car, which included their cell phones, and the car's alarm was also armed. They had no where to go, and no other option than to have the car towed all the way back to Nelspruit (about 1.5 hours back into South Africa), where there is a toyota dealer that would be able to help them with the keys and ignition so they could be back on their way. By the time they got back to Nelspruit it was dark, and they dealership was already closed. Pieter, Rika, and the kids had to spend the night in Nelspruit and wait to get help the next morning.

When Pieter arrived at the dealership and they opened the car he saw that his phone had many missed calls. The voicemail shared that they need to get home immediately because one of the children at the second house had passed away. The car was still not ready to be taken for the drive back to Mozambique.

While stuck in Nelspruit waiting on the car to be fixed, Pieter received another phone call from his sister. The phone call was to inform him that his mother had died of a sudden heart attack. After much deliberation and feeling helpless not knowing what to do, the family decided to head to Capetown to be with their family and help with preparation with Pieter's mother's funeral. They are currently in Capetown, his mother's funeral was on Monday (5.25.09).

It has been a hard week for us all involved, but especially hard for Pieter, Rika, and their family. I'm sure they would appreciate all of your prayers and support throughout this hard time.

I leave in just a few days(4) to be with them. Life is somewhat hectic, as I finish up work with 3 more days of teaching my wonderful 5th graders, and attempt to pack my classroom for a major move to another building for the next school year. I am also working on packing my bags for the 2+ month stay, trying to fit in a royals' game with my dad on his visit to see my brother and I, and really want to make some time for some time with friends within my awesome community here in Kansas City. Busy, but very good.

Did you know that hippos hibernate?

So here is a little known fact... This blog is about to come out of it's dormant/hibernated-state and you will see new writing very shortly.

My tickets are bought (bags not yet packed), but I am leaving on a jet-plane very soon. I plan to fly out of Kansas City on the 31st of May to my second home in Mozambique. I can't wait to be back with my friends there, serving alongside them as they rescue children. I love that I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of this amazing ministry that takes responsibility for the homeless, abandoned, orphaned children in the community.

Over the last 4+ years I have grown to see everyone there like family, and can't wait to return to live, and do life with them for the summer. I will be in Mozambique for June, July, and the first part of August, so make sure to check back frequently for updates, stories, pictures, and hopefully lots and lots of adventure.

Tell your friends, family, and anyone else that might be interested in following, as this hippo website comes out of hibernation.

i miss these people!

the beds

The bunk beds are made; the mattresses have been bought, the fitted sheets are on the mattresses. The rooms are painted and look beautiful. We still need to buy the curtains, duvets and duvet covers. The girls were very excited to tonight sleep in their new beds, while Marcelino looks at them in jealousy because his bed is not yet complete. The boy’s beds are almost finished, their room has also been painted and we should have them sleeping in their new beds in the next few days.

Getting beds for the nine children was a project that I wanted to make sure to accomplish while I was in Mozambique. They have been sleeping in "pack and play playpens" since they arrived at the house and many of them are about to out grow those playpens. They are also very worn and beat up. New "big kid" beds were definitely a priority for me to figure out while I was at the house.

Sergio, who is a welder and handyman who lives next door, built the beds for me. I had fun assisting him with just a little bit of the work. Pieter and I spent 2-3 days searching the city for nine mattresses at a reasonable cost. We were able to find them and as an added bonus the place said that they would deliver them to the house. I was a little bit skeptical when paying for the mattress that I would actually see them show up at the house, but just a few days later they arrived. We next spent some time searching for sheet and blankets, but were pleasantly surprised when we found out they would be arriving from the states with a lady coming to the house from Arizona. The mattresses have protectors on them for potty training and they really look nice.

It may seem somewhat silly to be so excited about something as simple as a set of beds, but I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull this project off. I can't wait to receive more pictures of the rooms as the final touches are put on them.

Paulo’s Home Visit

We left the baby house early Saturday morning, with Paulo dressed in his best clothes ready to visit his father’s house for the first time in his life. I wasn’t really sure how far of a trip it was going to be, but was under the impression that it would take a good majority of our day to complete the traveling.

It has been a lot of fun to share these experiences with my friend Christie from back home. She loves the new experiences about as much as I do, and for that I am grateful. Many times during this day trip, we found ourselves in situations that made us laugh out loud at the absurdity of our circumstance. It has been such a blessing to have a good friend to share these times with, and also easier to get people to believe these unbelievable situations that we find ourselves experiencing.

As we squeezed into our first chapa ride of many for the day, we headed south from the city of Maputo. It was a long ride to area called Boane, which I had never been, while here in Mozambique. It was far enough away from the city, that we had a hard time getting a cell phone signal, and it was also noticeable that life was even simpler in this area than in the city. We then arranged a ride in the back of a pickup with 35-40 of our closest friends. It ended up that because Christie and I had baby Paulo with us that we rode in the cab of the truck for this 2 and ½ hour ride.

After waiting for about 45 minutes for the driver to round up the other travelers needing a ride down this long road, we finally left this small village. It was soon very clear to us that even though it had been 2 days since it had rained, this road was still very muddy and some would say possibly impassable. These people that would make such bold statements are obviously not from Africa, much less Mozambique.

If you can imagine a minimum maintenance road in the States that has been closed because of a flood washing out the majority of the road, and the part that is left is thick, wet mud and water. Take that image and put it in the middle of nowhere, so that if you do happen to get stuck there isn’t much hope of getting out, unless you walk yourself out to the nearest town many miles away. This was the situation that Christie and I found ourselves in, and we both were having the time of our life. I found myself looking at her and thinking, “I can’t believe that I am in Africa driving toward the Swaziland border in the middle of the nowhere, I can’t see civilization in any direction that I look, and I am sharing this experience with a great friend. Can it get any better than this?”

The drive was long in distance and also in length of time. It was very slow at times because of the road conditions, but miraculously our driver got us through and to the last stop on his route which was as close as a vehicle could take us to where Paulo’s dad lives.

We started to ask around, talking to the locals, trying to find out if they knew where Paulo’s dad lived, and it soon became clear to me, that my fearless translator Luis had forgotten Paulo’s dad’s name. Here we are now, seven hours drive from home and we don’t even know the name of the man that we are trying to track down. For anyone that know my friend and translator Luis, this is not out of character for him to do things like this, and I love him for it, because it gives me things to tease him about. As we continued to talk to the people of this remote village, one of the guys thought that he knew who we were looking for, and agreed to walk with us out to where he thought the man lived.

We walked down this road for at least two miles and as walked we teased Luis about the snake that had slithered out of the tree we were standing close to in the village. He panicked, screamed a little, and ran away faster than any of the men and more importantly women that were standing in our circle under the tree. His story of what happened differs greatly from Christie and my memory of how it happened, but I think that our version is more accurate and much more entertaining.
As we neared where the man helping us said that he thought Paulo’s dad lived, I saw a man in a full suit walking down this red dirt road toward us. As he got about 50 feet from us, I told Christie and Luis, that I thought that I recognized him from his visits to the house to see Paulo, and I was almost positive that it was his father. I took Paulo and walked toward the man who stood in disbelief that we had really traveled all of the way out to his village, with his son, to visit him. He stood there, obviously dressed in his best clothes, and it was obvious then that this was a really important to him that his son had finally come to visit him.
For those that aren’t familiar, Paulo joined the rest of the children at the baby house last summer, when his mother abandoned him. His father found out shortly after, but wasn’t able to provide adequate paper work or housing to convince social welfare to allow him to take Paulo. Paulo’s father, George is a neat man, who obviously cares a lot for his first-born son, but can’t provide for himself, much less his boy. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of what the baby house continues to do for these children and their families.

As we sat in front of this man’s house and he sat with Paulo in his arms, not much was said, but it was obvious that what was happening was good, and I really enjoyed just being able to sit there and be a part of this man’s joy. He sat and just enjoyed having his boy on his lap, being able to hold him while sitting in front of his home.

As the time approached and we need to leave in order to be able to get back to the baby house that same day, we all walked the two miles back to where the pickup had dropped us off. Paulo’s father carried him the entire way, and it was so obvious of how proud he was of his son. Everyone that we passed wanted to see the boy, and when we finally got back to the little village, he showed Paulo off to everyone that was sitting around the tree.

After standing for 30 minutes or so, a mini-bus came by and we were able to catch a ride back to the main road. This driver went so fast on this road that was in such a poor condition. We made the trip in ½ the time that our ride to the village had taken. The ride was so bumpy and included Luis laughing at Christie and I as we were airborne multiple times throughout the ride with Paulo in our arms trying to keep his head protected from hitting the ceiling and windows of the bus. When that ride was finish, we were able to get right on another larger bus at the stop that was packed to past the maximum occupancy, and made really good time back to the city of Maputo.As we were walking home at the end of the day Christie and I were processing through our day and how much we love these “African” experiences. The part that we love the most about it is these situations would be so outlandish in our homeland of the United States, but are everyday norms for the locals of Mozambique. It isn’t out of the question to squeeze 60-70 people in a bus that has a posted capacity of 26 people. It isn’t hard for the people of Mozambique to imagine driving down a washed out, muddy road in a two-wheel drive mini-bus, but most Americans wouldn’t attempt to travel down this same road in the strongest SUV that money could buy in the States. We both love the fact that we are able to have these experiences with the people of Mozambique. Life is good.

Gloria's Water Project

One of my favorite people in Mozambique, shares a close resemblance to Mrs. Butterworth. She brings joy and happiness with her singing and laughter to the baby house. She is the “big momma” of the house, and it would be the same without here. Gloria is one of the hardest working ladies that I have met since being here. She works extremely hard while at the house, looking after the 10 children at the 1st baby house, and then she goes home to take of her daughter, her grandchildren, her boyfriend, and his family. She completes each of her days at home by walking an extremely long distance, at around midnight to a well that turns on in the middle of the night, to get water for her family.

I came to Mozambique this summer, knowing that I wanted to assist in making her life a little bit less difficult by installing water at her house. This last week, we spent two days digging a 2 foot deep trench through a rock and cement road, and to the back of her property. The pipe has been installed and faucet is ready for water. We are now just waiting for the water company of Mozambique to come out and install a water meter and connect the piping to the water main.

Gloria insisted that we let her swing the pickaxe and help with the project at her house. As you can see in the picture below, the neighborhood children thought it was just as funny as we all did. Thank you to the Siler Family for their financial help with this project!

Idrussi’s Home Visit

I have been looking forward to returning this summer and being able to do home visits with the children again. Our first trip was a visit to Idrussi’s grandmother and the village of Camp 2000; this was one of my favorite visits from last year.

We set out in Pieter and Rika’s new vehicle, which made our travel much easier. It also allowed us to take many people from the team to see Camp 2000. One of the neat things has come out of our first visit to this village, is that Pieter and his team have decided that they are going to start working with the people of this village that is North of Maputo. They have already been out for a couple of nights stay with the people and are building new friendships with these people.

As we unloaded bags and bags of clothes to give as gifts, many people on my team were very wide-eyed because of the drastic difference in standard of living of this village compared to where we have been staying in Matola.

We set out walking through the deep sand with our arms weighed down with clothing and also our special guest Idrussi. This was his first time to return to see his grandmother since I brought him last time. He was unable to visit with Pieter’s team last time because he had come down with a case of Malaria. Walking into a village that doesn’t have many visitors to begin with, with a group of 6 white girls causes heads to turn.

We finally arrived at Idrussi’s grandmothers house, and shortly after the majority of the village had also arrived to greet us. It was neat to return with some of the pictures printed from my previous visit. There was one little girl that ended up being one of my favorite pictures from my trip last year. As I handed the pictures and looked through them with Idrussi’s grandmother, I showed her the picture and asked if the little girl was still here, and she just happened to be standing right by my side. I was able to show her the picture of herself and she smiled so big, it was amazing to see how much she had grown from the previous year.

As the clothes were divided into piles to be passed out, a few of the girls on the team passed out candy and snacks to the children, and I tried to capture the experience through the lens of my camera. Pieter pointed out to me, the there was an extreme lack of men present in the village. The only males present, either came with us (Pieter, Luis, and myself), or they were under the age of eight. It was obvious that there must be men present, because there was not a lack of children or women that were pregnant. It was just interesting to me that they were nowhere to be seen, and I still haven’t been able to make sense of the situation.

This visit was a good one, and it was definitely worth it to see the joy on Grandmother’s face as she held Idrussi. It will be interesting to see what happens as Pieter and men that he is leading continue to travel out to Camp 2000 to build relationship with these wonderful people.

a quick update

Things are going amazing here. The majority of the team left yesterday and should arrive in Kansas City at around noon today. I am heading out to Gloria's house (one of the educators) tomorrow to start the water install, and the following day I am putting on my electrician's hat and getting one of the other educators electricity to her house.

I had the opportunity to use my camera to shoot a wedding yesterday. I got some really neat pictures at the wedding palace in downtown Maputo. It is a government building, so most of the time pictures aren't allowed, unless you are invited by the wedding party. It was a neat experience, and some quality cultural exposure.

House church was good today. I taught last week, and totally rocked the gospel groups. It was neat to share that part of our community back home with the people in the house church in Mozambique.

Pieter, Rika, and the family are taking a few days to get away to South Africa this week and leaving us in charge. The educators aren't going to be back until Saturday, so it will be a busy couple of days without much time to catch our breath. It has been good to have my good friend Christie here. We entertain each other and help keep each other sane. Last night, we walked a couple of miles in the dark, after the babies were bathed and in bed, to a little South African restaurant, because we were desperate for good food, didn't want to cook, and had no groceries.