Every day Mozambique

This is Nely.  I rent a room from her in-laws.  She is has a 2 year old son, takes care of almost everything in the house, and goes to high school at night.  She is grinding beans...a very common chore for Mozambican women. 

Nely's son...looks just like his daddy.  He's mischievous and loves bicycles. 

This is church.  Pastor Danie is teaching.  Andre interprets from English to Portuguese, and there's another person to interpret from Portuguese to Xitswa. 

Tina and I meet weekly. She works as a maid at a hotel to provide for her 5 children and aging parents.  She also really enjoys cooking and is good at it.  We're about to eat fried fish and rice.   Guess what she asked me to bring her from the States.  A blanket.  It cools down to the 50s at night in June and July and Mozambicans get quite cold. 

Tina's oldest, Stelio is about to score a goal.  Their house is to the left of this sand road. 

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A normal rural Mozambican home. small house, storage area above  the ground, shade-giving tree and machamba (field).

My time in America

I cant believe that I've been in the USA almost 8 weeks.  My time is up.  In less than 48 hours I will board a plane taking me to South Africa and a few days later I’ll head to Vilanculos, Mozambique. I feel like my time here has just flown by, especially coming from slow-paced Mozambique. 

 Here are a few words that describe my time in the States:

 Fun. Relational. Memorable. Special. Busy. Variety. Efficiency. English (only). Relaxing. Stressful. Shopping. Many purchases. Food. Cereal. Cinnamon toast crunch. Meat. Milk. Sweets. Mexican. Chinese  Driving. Clean feet. Air conditioning. Cooler weather. Family. Friends. Relationships. Love. Atlanta. Marietta. Washington D.C.  NYC. Encouraging. Hiking. Tennessee. Maryland. Americus. Liberty Church.  Abundance. Blessed.  Hard-working. Tall trees. Wedding. Multicultural. Hectic.  Brazilians. Bolkim Meadows. Legal documents. Visas. Money. Prayer. Songs. Joy. Connection. Peace. Planning. Homeless yet Spirit–filled.  Movies. Abundant internet. Computer (dead & new). Hope. Precious people. Discovery. Community. Fellowship. Belong. Bargain-hunting. Portuguese Bibles. Bacterial infection. Pills. Museums. Spies. American flags. Huge roads. Famous places. Consumerism. Materialism. Headaches. Hot showers.  Friendship. Gifts. Receiving. Stories.

 I want to highlight a few of my favorite moments in the last few months.  Much of what I did was re-connect with family and friends.  It was special to visit each of my siblings where they live and connect with them.  I enjoyed staying with my parents in Georgia and visiting many people from church.

I had a Mozambican Open House, with pictures, food and stories about my time in Mozambique.  I was dressed like a typical Mozambican woman- with a capulana (wrap skirt) and head scarf.   The next picture from the open house has food and drinks including hot tea, tang, water, baji (made from bean and spices, then deep fried) , bolo (fried sweet dough), coco cookies.

I also was able to visit all of my siblings and spend time with them. 

My sister Sonya was helping make baji. 

 This is Felicity and her husband Ian.  They just celebrated their first anniversary yesterday. 

My brother Isaac and I.  It was good to visit him in Tennessee and go hiking together. 

Also I was a bridesmaid in Laura’s wedding. She’s a friend from college and I’m so excited for her as she enters this new part of life.

The last 2 weeks in Washington D.C., where BeLOVE headquarters are I’ve been staying at the

 “Haverkos hotel” and enjoying my time reconnecting with other world racers  

 (friends on the same mission trip in 2009-10). It's been fun and also spiritually significant and encouraging. 

Becky and her son Matt. Becky and her husband Dan opened their house to us and also started 

 BeLOVE Inc., (the organization I'm with).