Bricks and Pillows for the American

Surreal ~ sipping a home made cappuccino in the place we are renting, back with my family 6AM Sunday Easter morning. Returning home to South Africa from another country.

The average Mozambican lives on about 1 US dollar per day.

You can walk through the 'black' (underground), market with iPhone or camera in hand without concern of it being taken.

If anything is stolen, be verbal about it, the crowd will get the thief, you'll get your stuff back and the thief will be dealt with.

I felt like I was in high-school again as we push-started our pickup truck each time we drove. All this while I'm riding in the truck bed sitting on boxes.

On of the most exhilarating times, experiencing African male culture, (you see
it everywhere) is me and 5 men flying down a two-lane road talking and eating
cashew nuts under the stars ~ truly glorious on one hand. On the other hand,
I'm one major pothole away from becoming roadkill, and prayed:
"Lord, if this is the way I go out, than this is the way I go out."

~ How big of a baby am I? Let me give you two embarrassing examples.
I'm riding in the back of the pickup, there are men as old as 70, sitting on
the ground, on the railing, squatting etc. Our host, brought me a box and a
pillow to sit on. I'm thankful I had the added comfort on long, bumpy rides,
but... was I the American baby.

Second example: On the farm you get to a certain area that's made on foot. We
walk, and approach the 10-inch deep flooded area. Around the path appears a war
veteran and his wife. He is carrying cinder blocks and she has one on her head!
They are both in their late sixties. She and he wade into the water and place
the blocks to make a foot path so that we don't get our feet or pants wet.
Embarrassed, I say, 'they don't have to do that' as they go back for more
bricks. And we pass the area dry. Photos showing, and where they live.

The worn-torn nation of Mozambique is slowly being built up. Every where you
look you can see the aftermath of fighting. The Portuguese were being driven
out. They had 24 hours to leave. Within that time, they destroyed many of the
buildings they had built. Demolishing elevator systems in high-rises and
pouring cement throughout the sewer systems.
The Grand Hotel was the first/only 5-Star hotel in Southern Africa. Now, the
pools are trash dumps, and rooms filled with squatters. Here's a photo:

There were lot's of life lessons on the trip ~ here's an overview ~ some of the
work during the few days on the ground.

Ag project:
The team is working to establish a farm, giving a handful of people work,
sustainable income and a financial model of selling to potentially grow into
commercial farming and employ more.
You'll see picture of workers being delivered food. Amazing how grateful these
women were for their bowls full of rice-meal for their families.

Prison to home project:
For Easter groups from various areas were encouraged by our team on their
Prison to home project. During the next 4 weeks they will visit 16 prisons,
visit with inmates and ask those imprisoned if they would like a letter to be
delivered to a relative in the area. Then the teams will personally take
letters from those incarcerated to their relatives. A day in a Mozambican
prison would send me crying back to the safety of a local Starbucks. These are
tough people bringing charity to the chained.

1st Bible ever owned project:
We take the Bible for granted. The words within that build us up, and offer
direction. I was personally able to hand men and women the first Bible they've
owned. Half of those who were to be recipients were not at the event because
they were at night school, learning to read, because they were about to receive
these Bibles. Some who got that night held and kissed their Bible. Here is a
photo of one man who got, and left the room to find a quiet place and some
light, and began reading.

Women's conference project:
As in most of Africa the women are not treated with respect, do most of the
labor, and get pampered rarely. When we announced that Jennifer along with a
team of women leaders would come and put on a conference for just women, the
women erupted with joy and shouts. These women will sacrifice to be there. We
complain when we need to jump in our car and run to the grocery store. They
will walk, ride bikes, taxis, figure out their lodging, and hopefully be
supported by their family to attend. When Jennifer helped with music in
Thailand with this type of conference, Jennifer was deeply touched and the
attendees inspired. Looking forward to seeing the same take place on this
continent too. April 23 & 24 2010. * If you'd like to donate towards the
cost of Jennifer going and helping towards women being able to attend please
consider a special gift of $100. If you do... eMail me directly so I can earmark it specifically for the conference.

A Proverb comes to mind 18:23 ~ The poor speak in soft supplications; the rich bark out answers. We rich can be so demanding, not gentle ~ throughout the places in Africa I've seen, the local poor you see everywhere, as soon as you wave or say hello, teeth exposed-huge smiles and a return hello that warms your heart. 'First-world' returned hellos are either not given or passively tossed back.

They say us coming, just our being there is an encouragement. I think we are the ones enriched by them.

I think Jesus talked so much about the poor, not for us rich to work on making
them 'rich', but because they are so much more fun and life-giving than the
most of the 'haves' in the world. So welcoming. So giving. Words like
'less-fortunate' don't really seem to apply. But that's easy to say in my
heated house, with my espresso in hand and healthy family around me.

Happy Easter friend ~ Enjoy the Gift we have been given.

* Join us in July of 2011 ~ as we go back to Mozambique to serve women, as we host a women's conference, working also in areas of medical missions, light construction, evangelism, pastoral training and more. Experience Mission, Experience Africa, Experience Mozambique, Short Term Missions 2011 to Africa ~ looking forward to seeing YOU there.