1. Downside: Mosquitoes; Yup they live here with us, lots of them. And yes, some of them carry malaria.

Upside: We have a cool zapper type racket that’s kind of like playing the Wii and it is quite satisfying (if not a little twisted) when you hear them pop.

2. Upside: A law against talking or texting on cell phones while driving is not really enforced (if it exists).

Downside: The traffic is already crazy enough, imagine trying to navigate the already bumpy roads among goats, children, motorcycles, bicycles, and taxi’s along with distracted drivers’ texting or calling other distracted drivers.

3. Downside: Water is sometimes scarce and most often has some level of contamination, even in the city.

Upside: No fancy diets needed to lose weight. Just drink the water unfiltered and “poof” you start dropping weight in no time. (Not recommended for children, the elderly or malnourished).

4.Upside: We are on “African time”. Being late is relative to the event. We don’t feel the pressure as much to be on time.

Downside: In “African time”, sometimes getting things done is a lot of work due to the relaxed view of time. “Tomorrow” is not the phrase you want to hear when you need or want something done today, or even this week.

5. Downside: The electricity here is unreliable and often goes out.

Upside: Candlelight is so calming and romantic.

6. Upside: There is usually no need to plan a visit to a friend’s. House just show up and enjoy each other’s company.

Downside: Those friends will return the favor and show up unannounced when it is “inconvenient” (like dinnertime, five out of seven nights a week).

7. Upside: The lunch “hour” can be and is used to lie down and rest while escaping the heat.

Downside: Don’t try and do some shopping during this time. All the shops are closed.

8. Upside: There is a lot of dirt outside for the boys to play in.

Downside: There is a lot of dirt that follows the boys inside, despite taking two baths a day.

9. Downside: Milk costs more than $8 a gallon.

Upside: Shrimp costs $2 a pound.

10. Downside: The lack of certain, quality necessities and pleasures available.

Upside: We’re learning to appreciate and be thankful in all things (even a small package from the USA is very exciting .

Disclaimer: Most of this list is for your entertainment/enjoyment and should be excused as a bi-product of my strange humor.

Jon

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

After a year on home assignment and maternity leave we are back in Mozambique. Our trip was a typical journey for missionaries; long flights, layovers, lots of baggage, crying kids, jet lag and help from friends new and old to get us to our destination. We are in southern Mozambique searching for a car to purchase before we reach our final destination, a three day journey north. We are very thankful for how God has provided everything we’ve needed along the way.

We are even more thankful for what He has done in our hearts over the course of this past year. We left Mozambique a year ago feeling discouraged and tired. The goal of our time in the US was to have our fourth son and focus on our family, marriage and spiritual needs. We wondered how this would be possible in the midst of transitions and responsibilities. God knew our needs and provided the time, resources and people to help. The time we spent focusing on our first ministry was time well spent and has given us the hope and courage to continue. Arriving here has confirmed in us His healing grace and divine power and love for us. We are excited to be back and looking forward to how He will use us in our weaknesses.

Our journey isn’t over yet and we have not “made it”, but we know that through it all He desires to work in and through us and we can trust Him with the results.

Within the Mozambican Christian culture, there are traditions that must be upheld when a member of the church loses a close relative. First, the church will have a time of consolation, where every family should send a representative to the home where those mourning are gathered. It is expected that some friends should even stay the night with their grieving friends. The full time for the several ceremonies can last from 3-8 days.

The day of Rosa’s mother’s funeral, I went to the funeral home where many of the ladies from the church were assisting her with washing and preparing the body. I was relieved when they asked me to watch over Rosa in the chapel, as such I didn’t have to bear seeing the lifeless body get a makeover. So, I sat with a very lost-looking Rosa until she was called back into the preparation room.

Next, the people began to arrive for a memorial service. The pastors from our church filed up to the front. We sang hymns appropriate for a funeral and listened to a sermon. At the end, a few ladies sprung up and arranged fake flowers, sprayed perfume and sprinkled baby powder all around the opened casket. Each row made its way to the front and walked around the casket to say their goodbyes.

From there, everyone piled into whatever car was available. I hopped into the back of a truck with several others, most of whom I did not know. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know the driver, either. As we drove out to the cemetery, the women in the truck were singing funeral songs.

When we arrived, we all walked out to the gravesite where there was a graveside service. I made quite a spectacle of myself in the first ten minutes, as I could not seem to escape the enormous ants that were everywhere, especially all over my flip-flop clad feet! The more I tried to shake them off, the more they attacked! Some helpful people motioned and softly instructed me to stay still. How could I? I was about to be consumed by killer ants! I finally stood my ground while 15 ants searched my foot for a place to bite, but as I stood still, they lost interest and crawled away. Whew!

Getting back to the funeral, the casket was lowered into the earth. Starting with the family, each person came forward and took a scoop of dirt from a shovel and threw it over the casket. The service culminated with passing out flowers to each one there who then approached the fresh earth where the body lay to rest and placed the flower upright in the dirt all around the mound. After this, everyone returned to their rides and went back to the home of the main family member, who happened to be Rosa. We listened to yet another sermon (that’s three in one morning) then she served a meal of beans, rice and fried fish with a soft drink. She is a bit more affluent, but there were about 100 people there to provide for!

The following afternoon Jon and I went to visit her. We took her to buy more flowers for the final ceremony the following morning. When I heard that no one had stayed with her the previous night and that we were the first visitors of the day, I decided that it was time for me to participate in yet one more event surrounding funerals. I presented my idea to Jon and he graciously gave me permission to return to Rosa’s house that evening to stay the night as one of her consoling companions.

I returned with a missionary friend, banana cake and “matapa” (a surprisingly delicious Mozambican dish of greens, coconut milk and ground peanuts that is served over globs of cooked cornmeal). Jonathan, 4 ½ had also sent along a card that said “fel betr”. We three visited for a while and then my missionary friend left. Other companions began trickling in until we were a grand total of five. It felt like a grown-up slumber party as we all lay around talking on the two single mattresses butted up against the double. The thing that caught my attention was that Rosa’s sisters were there, too, yet they were busy in the kitchen serving us! What is worse, when it came time to sleep, I was one of the ladies sharing the mattresses and all of her sisters were in other rooms, on the floor! It felt somehow wrong to me, as I had not just lost my mother, yet I had all the comforts. However, this is normal here.

After hours of talking, I finally went to bed at 12:30 just, to get up at 4:30. I got ready and helped Rosa prepare sandwiches for those who would come to that day’s final ceremony of leaving fresh flowers at the grave. We waited for those who would be going to the cemetery until 6:00, then, we all piled into cars again. Needless to say, this was a much smaller group and I got to ride comfortably in a car.

As we approached the gravesite, I was careful to stand still when under attack by my ant friends from my previous visit. There was more singing and a sermon, then they removed the flowers that had been placed there before and wet the earth with buckets of water. Each person was given more flowers which we also “planted” upright around and on the raised grave. One more ride to the families’ home, one more sermon from the Word, one more meal, and yes, one more Coke at 7:00am, and I was on my way home.

And though you may find this article long, it lacks so many of the details that I didn’t pick up on and all of the significance behind each action. There is so much to learn, yet we are right on course as we “become”- becoming people who share in the joys and pains of our Mozambican friends with an understanding of how to appropriately conduct ourselves in the process. Thank you for praying for our progress. -Angie

*Rosa’s named has been changed to protect confidentiality.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.     Isaiah 26:3

As our move to Mozambique- exciting but looming- approaches, I am starting to feel that bit of nervousness that comes with moving your family with three small boys to a foreign country with poor healthcare.I know that there is nowhere safer than the center of God’s will, but sometimes His will isn’t mine. There is no promise that we will all remain healthy or even survive the flight there! But, there is the promise that whatever He does, He will be glorified and that is what will bring meaning to our existence.

Still, I am fearful. What if one of my babies gets cerebral malaria? Steps on a land mine? Falls in a well? Abducted? Attacked by a lion? I realize that the examples get more far-fetched as I continue, yet I confess that I still fear these things (yes, even the lion). This brings me to the realization that I haven’t yet entrusted my children to the Lord and felt His peace about allowing whatever circumstances He chooses to bring our way. Could there really be so much to learn, this close to our final destination?

I write this for two reasons. The first is for you to see that missionaries don’t have some special faith that isn’t available to the general population. I struggle with fears, selfishness, pride, doubt and “fairness issues”. These are areas that the Lord is continually teaching me in. I am learning to walk closer, and as I do, I hope to see these things grow fuzzy as He becomes clear.

The second reason I write this is so that you will remember to pray for me. Pray for God to strengthen my faith. Pray that my response in the challenges is one of trust. Pray that I will rest in Him and be peaceful. Pray that God, in His goodness, will be glorified through our lives.

We went to Lisbon to submit our paperwork for visas to travel to Mozambique. It started out like most days in our house, children crying, whining, asking for their food immediately (we think) in unintelligible grunts and squeaks (some by Jackson, others by the ones that can speak but don’t feel like it; no that does not include Jon). We set the alarm and actually got up when it went off. Of course getting out the door was another story.

We didn’t really get going, in the car we had borrowed from our friend, Artur Alfaiate, until around 10 am. The drive down went smoothly and we only had to circle a couple a roundabouts twice. We found the Mozambican consulate and went around the block a couple times. As were looking for a spot I downshifted and felt that terrible feeling… a burnt out clutch. I was able to keep it in third gear and gently limp it along to find the only parking spot left in Lisbon. May I add that parallel parking without the help a motor is fun for those watching, but gets tiring when you’re the one pushing the car. We sent an SMS-SOS to Artur and when we had finally set in motion a plan of what to do next we set out for the embassy.

We arrived to the non air-conditioned, “welcome-to-Mozambican-weather-and-wait-‘til-you-feel-the-summer” room a half hour after the consulate section is closed. Fortunately, the bureaucracy of Mozambique does not run as deep as that of Portugal and they were pleased to help. Of course the first order of business was a potty break for everyone and diaper changes (which is hard when you leave the diaper bag that has the diaper’s in it at home!!!!) Add to the fact that Asa had practically OD’d on peanuts the day before and was not happy about a staying in a dirty diaper (who is?). The next fun part was we had printed out all of the visa forms on a full sheet of paper (which was a lot of work formatting that thing, may I add!) and they wanted them done on their little, tiny double sided ones. So while Angie filled out the forms, since her handwriting is somewhat legible, I tried to keep the little monkeys from breaking things and running away. They looked over the paperwork and said it all looked good, except we hadn’t gotten our Criminal Background checks translated yet. So we went to pay for everything. You would think that the Mozambican Embassy would have the capacity to take other credit cards than just the Portuguese Multibanco. Oh no. We had to go to the bank down the street and ask for a deposit to be made into their account. Angie took to the task. When she arrived… you guessed it, the bank was closed! But she’s a fighter and began to explain the course of events of the day, not forgetting the detail that we live 2 hours away, and before her sob story was even finished, they let her in (good thing I didn’t go as I’m too proud to beg). Back at the Embassy, they said they would begin processing our visas and asked us to send our criminal background checks to them once we get them translated. That was the easy part…

Meanwhile, we finally, at 4:00, took a lunch break (and bought some diapers). While savoring the half sandwiches we got to eat while the monkeys devoured the rest (of course they normally don’t eat this much), we received a call from the tow truck driver. He was not very impressed with our Portuguese, to say the least! I guess he never had to try to understand a grumpy man driving a loud truck and give directions to a place he didn’t know, over the phone, in a second language! By the third attempt, I passed the phone to Angie, who isn’t so good at directions, who immediately found a stranger on the street to explain where the car was parked. She had to pick a man missing his two front teeth, whom she feared might sound worse to Nelson (the tow truck driver), but what he lacked it dental capacity he made up for in an excellent summary, all details included, of where to find our car.

Nelson arrived 10 minutes later (4:30), but there was no transportation service for us yet. He couldn’t leave until they arrived. So we waited. And waited. Then waited some more. Numerous phone calls were made to Artur, the towing company, taxis, the insurance company, Nelson’s grandma… everybody! (Nelson, by the way, was a very tough looking guy who was blasting Celine Dion shamelessly throughout the streets of Lisbon).

At 6:50, Angie suggested I take Nelson to get a coffee at the café behind us. He eagerly agreed and off we went. This was the signal for the taxi to show up. We gulped down our one-sip bicas and said our farewells to Nelson. I think he’s going to miss us (well, except for that every time he was talking on the phone, he was explaining how we are foreigners who don’t know anything except that we were in Lisbon and now he couldn’t go home because the taxi wasn’t coming, also because we didn’t know anything).

The taxi took us to the airport where they dropped us off at the car rental place. We went to the return counter where the taxi driver directed us. The employee directed us to his colega at the pick-up counter, a five minute walk down the terminal. She finished our paperwork and asked for my license and passport. My passport? Didn’t I just come to Lisbon to GIVE my passport to the Mozambican Embassy so I could get my visa? Now this presents a problem. As she insisted that she couldn’t give us the car without the passport, she by chance asked if I had any other form of ID that they could accept. I pulled out my resident card and a relieved look came across her face (would you want to be the one to tell a desperate man and woman with 3 nap-deprived children that they had to sleep on the street?). When offered the 11 euro insurance, we decided to opt out, as we were going home with little traffic and turning the car in ASAP. We then made the 5 minute trip back to the pick-up counter, waited a little more, walked to where the cars were parked, checked for scratches and drove off.

It was a nice drive home as we rode off into the sunset. The kids all fell asleep. We only needed one more scare to end the night. Do any of you like traffic circles? Well, I finally got informed on which lane I need to be in, after almost learning the hard way (trying to do what I see everyone else doing). I was wishing for that insurance for about 2 seconds, as we swerved out of danger. 

We hope the adventure when we go pick up the visas is, well, less adventurous!

It seems like just yesterday we were holding our brand new little baby Jackson. Named after my grandpa Jackson, he was the perfect baby- so sweet, peaceful and quiet. Just what we needed in a home with two big brothers! He is still a very sweet, smiley and a happy baby. What a wonderful addition he has made and what a blessing he has been to our family.

He was a wee little three months when we boarded an airplane and brought him to his new home in Portugal. Now he’s like a little man, walking all over the house and voicing his opinions in his own little language. You could say he is tri-lingual, as we have heard him babble on in baby talk, say "mama", "dada" and "ball" in English, and accompany a wave with "olá" and "tchau-tchau" in Portuguese. His favorite word is "no-no", but just because he’s heard it often when he tries to play with electrical cords, and has needed it when his older brothers have tried to take a toy he really wanted to play with.

To celebrate his Birthday, we had our babysitter and her boyfriend, our landlords, and two of their grown childrens’ families over for a BBQ. We have really gotten close to these couples and their children, and enjoyed getting to spend some time together.  

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Jon:

The southernmost region of Portugal is named the Algarve which comes from the Arabic word for the west. It is known for it’s numerous beaches and luxury resorts. Many Europeans spend their vacations there and you’ll find that almost everyone speaks at least some English. Having lived in Portugal since October, we have heard a lot about the Algarve.

Angie convinced me that we should visit it after our Portuguese course ended in the beginning of June. I was reluctant to go, as a vacation didn’t seem like it would equal rest for us (three kids under four, no car, etc.). Add on to that driving for the first time in Portugal and borrowing or renting a car, and I was not looking forward to it. But as usual, Angie was right.

Once we got there a few days into it, I was pleased to be there and enjoyed the time. It had been so long since we had taken more than a day to rest and just enjoy each other. It was great to spend time with the boys and Angie- just playing and being together. In spite of the work in getting there, it was worth it and I would recommend it to everyone.

I think it is important to take time to rest and reflect on the many blessings that God has given us. I feel like we were able to recharge for the next phase of life that is already upon us. 

Angie:

Our first real family vacation- no computer, no homework, nothing to do but enjoy each other and the beautiful sunny beaches. Sure, we have traveled a lot, but it is usually very tiresome as we spend weeks in the car, traveling coast-to-coast, doing presentations and making short visits to friends and family along the way before we set off to the next destination. That’s work with a few hours to delight in our loved ones. This was different. We concentrated on each other and not everyone and everything else. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun in my adult life!

The kids had a great time building sand castles with Jon, splashing in the ocean, “swimming” in the pool, playing on the playgrounds and having our focus be family. It’s funny how when they are our focus, the interruptions they bring to our day-to-day life of work are no longer disruptions. It was important for us to realize, again, that these precious children are our primary responsibility and first ministry and we need to communicate that to them, even when we are busy. The blessings and joy we receive from them is inexpressible.

Jon and I didn’t realize how long it had been since we set out to enjoy each other, either. It was fun to watch the kids playing together while we looked on and joined in. Since there was no computer, we found ourselves with more time to talk and connect. We aren’t in that phase of life where we get to sleep on the beach or read a book- we are outnumbered by dependant kids- but, we still managed to relax. I came away feeling full and so satisfied with the blessings and life God has given me. A sweet husband. Three wonderful children. A life of adventure before me.

Take a family vacation.

At the end of July, we will finally be on our way to Mozambique! We are so excited to land in the country where we plan to do our official ministry: church-planting. There is so much to do as we anticipate our departure- pack our immediate necessities, ship the rest of our belongings, get vaccinations and other preventative medications, say our goodbyes to another group of wonderful friends we have made, and, yet again, more paperwork for visas, only this time they are for Mozambique.

One thing we find extra exciting about our intended arrival is that we will be paired with a Mozambican host family. It is through this family that we will learn what life in Africa is like and try to model their way of going about things. For instance, where should we do our shopping? How should we get around the city? How should we relate to people? What is the proper way to greet and take our leave? What are the dangers that we should avoid?

In the past, a fellow missionary was the one to show the new missionary around, but this insider view is meant to help the new missionary assimilate to the culture with more ease, get practical and appropriate help in everyday living, give more language practice and get the missionary introduced and accepted into the community.

Please be praying with us as a host family is being selected before our arrival and for the relationship we will bond as our families come together.

The following are things that keep our sense of humor alive in our house. Jonathan (almost 4) and Asa (2 1/2) are regular comedians! Enjoy!!

One of Asa’s favorite dinnertime activities, aside from eating, is re-naming his food to be more exotic than what he finds in his bowl. Tonight he held up a piece of pork from his fried rice and said, Dolphin, this is a dolphin." Out of curiosity, I asked Jon, "What is dolphin meat called anyway, scrod?" Of course Jonathan had the answer…"It’s called hot-dog, mommy!"

Today I rode the bus with Jonathan. A very cute and trendy boy, maybe 6, got off with his dad. Jonathan asked, "Who’s that?" I replied, "I don’t know but he sure is cool, isn’t he?" Without hesitation, he came back with, "Yeah, but I’m cooler!" I guess he’s got cool down and now we know to just work on humility.

During communion today, Jonathan said, "I like the blood of Jesus." We knew he just saying this because he wanted to try the juice… which was actually port wine here in Portugal. Nice try.

Jon and the kids were sitting at the table finishing up dinner. I went out to get the rest of the drying laundry. Asa said, "Mommy leave. No mommy leave." Jon was joking with him, saying, "Mommy’s leaving us. She’s going home.” Out of curiosity, he asked, “Hey Jonathan, when I say ‘Mommy’s going home’, what do you think I mean? Where is she going?" Jonathan said, "It means she’s going to the mall." (Disclaimer: I almost NEVER go to the mall!!!)

We were at the doctor today, and Jonathan was thirsty. I was holding Jackson with one hand and needed Jonathan’s assistance to get water from the water jug. I held the cup and he pushed down on the button for me. He started to go for the hot button and when I told him not to, he asked, "Why not? Does it have chocolate milk?"

Jonathan was pushing in his stool in after dinner and knocked it over. He said, "Sorry, Mommy!" I said, "I forgive you. I love you and I’ll always love you. I wouldn’t trade you for anything." He responded, "Oh, that’s nice, but how about Asa?"

Little Asa has a fever and stuffy nose. When we went to use the nasal aspirator on him, he quickly volunteered his teddy bear, then his dolly, then his brother, then his blankie. When he realized he ran out of "volunteers", he insisted his dolly’s eyes, ears, belly button, etc… go first. He never did willingly give us his nose, but he sure is smart!

First you will need the following vocabulary: “Two” is “dois”. “Dog” in Portuguese is “cão”, pronounced like “cow”. “Goodbye” is “tchau”, pronounced like “chow”.
Our neighbors brought home a puppy. Jonathan asked what his name was. They said he didn’t have a name and asked what Jonathan thought would be a good name. “How about Jonathan dois?” he asked. As they went back inside their house, Asa called out, “Tchau cão!” 

Daddy: Jonathan, you need to obey.

Jonathan: Do you always obey?

Daddy: Not always. .

Jonathan: How come?

Daddy: Because sometimes I don’t listen to God. I don’t always walk in the Spirit?

Jonathan: You mean the horsey spirit? 

One setback to renting a furnished apartment in Portugal is the lack of certain modern conveniences I used to take for granted. The microwave. The dishwasher. The DRYER! I never knew how much I could miss a dryer! Most Portuguese don’t have a dryer. It is all line dried. This makes doing laundry an even more loathly chore, as there are now two extra steps of hanging it all up and taking it all down… and sometimes I even have to rearrange them to fit more on the line or get the sleeves dry! I know, some of you ladies are thinking, “Well, when I was first married we didn’t have…,” but I happen to like less work so I can do other things… like more work (there’s lots to do with three little ones)! Not to mention I’m supposed to learn a language on top of it all! The worst part of line drying has been that our clothes sometimes they don’t dry for days! I sometimes feel like I am under a huge pile of clean, dirty, wet and dry laundry.

This has been the coldest winter on record in 30 years! The good news is that the sunshine and warmth have finally returned to Portugal! Now my laundry will at least be dry at the end of each day. We took this picture one morning about two minutes after hanging these clothes up. You can see the steam evaporating right off. I look forward to these warmer days ahead when this sight will be ordinary once more! Pretty cool, huh?