Mozambique: take two

I can’t believe that I have now been back in Mozambique for a month.  I have 10 ladies living with me from Africa, Europe and the States ranging from 19-49 years old.  My roles for this school have increased and so I am being kept pretty busy!  My work includes overseeing all the families with includes 16 adults and 17 children…they are a great bunch and I am enjoying helping make their experience a positive one in the middle of bad plumbing, lack of running water and electricity!  It sure does make you very appreciative of all that the UK has to offer and keeps you humble.

Mandela land

So after my adventures in Sierra Leone I headed to South Africa for a ‘working break’!  As well as doing lots of admin work for the next school, I got to spend some time in Cape Town as well as in Robertson.  I loved Cape Town and seeing old friends and spending a couple of days sightseeing including a trip up Table Mountain….spectacular beyond words!

I then spent a few days in Robertson which produces some of the best wine I have ever tasted and got to a climb up to a waterfall and live in a cottage with no internet or phone access.  Beautiful!  I also spent many hours preparing for the next school which is now well under way.

A very thankful and proud daughter

The absolute highlight of my time in Sierra Leone and the highlight of 2013 was being able to visit the village where I had lived as a child. After a long bus ride and hairy motorbike ride (first time on a motorbike..and of course there was no helmet or proper road for most of the journey!!) I arrived at the village.  The local Methodist minister happened to be available as we drew up on the motorbikes and when he knew about my family history he immediately stopped what he was doing and took us to the hospital where my father had worked as a doctor and we had lived as a family.

As I stepped onto the hospital grounds memories came back to me and the tears started….and the very first man we met was a gentleman who had remembered my family from over 30 years ago and said with a big smile ‘your father was a great man and a good surgeon’ – I thought my heart would burst with pride!  He also said that I had grown somewhat!!!

After meeting new and old friends I was able to walk round the grounds and visit some of the wards and take plenty of photographs for my parents.  And then we were offered free accommodation in the hospital overnight as we had nowhere else to stay!  The effects of the civil war can still be seen from the holes made by very large bullets into the village’s water tank to the hospital’s generator now locked in a shipping container, hopefully preventing it from further attacks.  Thankfully with generous funding from the West, the hospital is now back on its feet and is training local nurses and treating patients.  My only regret was that my parents were not with me in order to be able to share in the experience but it was still an incredibly special time.

Lawrence of Sierra Leone

So after my first few months in Mozambique I was asked to lead a team back to Sierra Leone, where I spent my earliest childhood memories due to my parents working there.  I ended up going by myself as there was no team..which ended up being a special treat for me!

I spent most of my time in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city.  I lived and worked with Andrew and his family who lead our charity’s base and church there.  My time was very special and I got to preach, visit some families in the slums by the river and visit the school run by Iris Ministries as well as help edit a book.

It was in the school out in the bush that I met one of my now heroes: Lawrence.   Lawrence was previously a high ranking customs official who during Sierra Leone’s civil war suffered terrible tragedy.  He was late to work one morning by a few minutes and when he arrived he found all of his colleagues bodies strewn on the road as they had been murdered just a few minutes previously.  Having already lost his wife to the war he knew that in order to survive he needed to flee and so ended up in Belgium due to having some connections there.  He made a new life for himself but felt restless and so returned to his native Sierra Leone once the war ended.

Lawrence felt very strongly that he should put his education to good use (he’s clearly very bright -he used the words ‘buffered’ and ‘perplexed’ in the same sentence..and English isn’t even his first language!) and for understandable reasons could not return to his previous customs role.  Instead he retrained as a teacher and rather than accepting a post in a good school in the capital with a decent salary he chose to work for our charity in a small village outside the capital. Lawrence said that these young people needed him more and that he has chosen to live in the school so that he can offer his support to the families also.  I felt so honoured and humbled meeting him and being able to encourage him.

Birthday in the bush!

Well I can’t believe how quickly time has flown…my time in Mozambique is coming to an end..well at least for a few weeks anyway!  Life has been challenging and rewarding all at the same time.  We have seen lots of significant things happen, prayers answered and students complete the training school.  I have enjoyed the work behind the scenes and supporting the families who have attended amongst other things.

One of my highlights, well at least one of my more memorable days was my birthday….in the bush!  We took a team to a couple of villages where our organisation has a presence to help encourage and build the local church and provide medical assistance.  One of the villages had a big problem with worms being in peoples feet..so a team went back to help deworm and provide socks and shoes as well as do some general health promotion.

On my actual birthday I was woken up at 5.30am with a radio held to my ear to tell me it was time to get up to help prepare breakfast ie cut up rolls that had begun to go stale and put jam or peanut butter on them (such a staple food here!)  I was then given the massive privilege of helping inaugurate a new village church building (my hands got to be one of 4 pairs on the scissors cutting the string on the door!) and then eating pork for lunch (the poor pig had been killed the night before..all I could do was cover my ears and pray when I heard the squealing!!) 

Then we had a fairly ridiculous truck ride back with 50 people, 2 live chickens and 12 bags of cement as well as all of our bags and the sound system etc in..and got stopped and fined by the police for people standing…actually I think the police were quite nice to us!

By the time we got back to base I was too tired and dirty to go out for my birthday meal so other staff went out for main course and then came back and we all had cake together (nice lemon cake and brownies which people had cooked..yummy!)…all that was missing was a nice glass of white wine..which will have to wait until South Africa!

So we are now in the process of packing up, saying good bye to students and evaluating our work.  I will miss the lovely girls that I've been to house mama to.  They've bonded well as a house and friends for life have been made.

So what’s next for me?  On Thursday I fly to Sierra Leone, West Africa for just over a fortnight to work with a base there who have a childrens centre and church amongst other things.  I was meant to be leading a team but I seem to be the only person on the team.  After praying I still felt it was right to go anyway..especially as its where I spent some of my early childhood and so the adventure  continues!   

Thank you for your support, prayers and friendship!  Love and miss you all lots xx

 

H20

I am being reminded usually on a daily basis on the privilege it is to have clean, safe running water when in the UK.  For the majority of the school so far we have not had running water from our taps so when the water is on it makes you very grateful!  And not being able to drink the tap water as it would likely make me very sick also helps me to pause and be thankful for the purification system we have in the UK.

I am now ‘Mommy Liz’ (that’s what they call me!) to 12 girls in my house who are a brilliant bunch and even love to drink tea so I know that God had it planned for them to live with me!  As I’m on staff of the school they think that I know more then I really do…like yesterday one of them asked me for the Hebrew and Greek word for something yesterday and seemed quite disappointed when I said I had no clue!

During the second week of school I spent most of it helping to organise the 320 students into their ‘practical missions’.  Each student got to choose 4 areas where they would be happy to serve eg doing arts and crafts with some of the children who live in the centre next to us, pray for the sick in hospital or give out bread to school children..the list is pretty long! 

 

The team then had to pray and sift through the students requests and match up skills and requirements…it was an intense job and involved some late nighters but we did it and now every student has the opportunity to put their love into practical action at least once a week.  We are often reminded by Heidi Baker, Iris Ministries founder that ‘love looks like something’.  The Bible also makes it pretty clear too!

Last week I got to start to oversee the application process for the next school which will start in October.  As staff of the current school we get to review the applications for the next school – this is a real privilege and so you want to make sure that you get it right.  Having done assessments as a social worker and interviews in various roles, I have found these reviews both fascinating and right up my street!

This weekend I get to go and stay with a local ‘Mama’ in her house and immerse myself in the local culture with my ‘peach’ activity group…..I am looking forward to being humbled and challenged all over again!  Thanks for reading x

Acunya

Greetings from Mozambique!  I was so appreciative of the miracle of my luggage arriving with me as I had 3 flights to get here and it has already been such a special time.  It has been great to meet up with some of my Latin America team who are staffing the same school as me and to get stuck into a new challenge.

My first week here was a re-welcome to all things Mozambique (the water out for days at a time, absolutely no paper down the toilet, red sand and very welcoming friendly people to name but a few!) and I was reminded of being an ‘acunya’ (white person) when I visited the local market a few days ago to buy some fresh fruit.  Work wise I was able to help get the houses ready for the students arrival and spend time getting to know the rest of my team.  Upon the students’ arrival, I had the task of ensuring that all the keys for the students were sorted and they received a good welcome.

So in the last few days about 320 students have now arrived from over 30 nations to learn how to work cross culturally in a Christ like way.  This number includes nine families with one family who has a significantly disabled child – hugely inspiring.  I am living with a group of 11 girls who are aged 19-27 from 5 different countries including the UK and I get to be their ‘house mum’ which is a great privilege.  I am very thankful though that I have my own bedroom..a perk of being a staff member in a big house!

School unofficially began on Saturday with Childrens Day.  When about half of Mozambique’s population is under the age of 16, this is a significant day.  On the base where I am living, close to 5000 children were played with, fed chicken and rice and given sweets as they left….a hugely logistical challenge which involved some of the local young adults working all the way through the night cooking…going to sleep with the sound of their singing as they worked was such a beautiful sound!  My team’s role was to be on kitchen duty which was a busy job!

Today the missions school began and we got to go with one of the local ‘mamas’ to visit their homes and many of the students were clearly impacted by the homes or lack of that people are living in.  It is so sobering to compare lives here with many of us from the West and it humbled me all over again……

Itchy feet time!

I really sensed that when I returned from the Central and South America adventure it would not be long before I set off again..and next month (16^th/17^th May) I will be going back to Pemba in Mozambique, where Iris Ministries is based. 

I have been accepted to staff Iris’ ‘Missions school’ which will mean helping look after and lead over 300 international students who have come to be trained in cross cultural working in a biblical way including various ways of showing God’s love practically.  I’ll get to live with a group of students as well as eat rice and beans again – hurrah!  I’m happy that some of my Latin America team will also be staffing so it will be great to work with them again.

When I applied to staff the directors wanted to know where I’d like to go on outreach after the school is finished…I simply said ‘please keep me in Africa’….their response: ‘we’re sending you to Sierra Leone and maybe Guinea’ which are in West Africa….the last time I was in Sierra Leone was in 1979 (!) where my parents were missionaries… some may say a coincidence…I prefer Godincidence!  After this I am planning to travel to Cape Town to hang out with the ‘other Liz’ from my Latin America team for a rest..and then back to Mozambique in September for the second missions school.

I’m not sure how much internet connection I’ll have whilst in Mozambique so apologies in advance if the updates are not regular…your prayers and support are once again very gratefully received.  Thank you for reading and being interested!  God bless you all lots x

The Lord works in mysterious ways…..

Hello again friends!  I can’t believe that its been nearly five months since I last posted on my blog.  I had such an amazing welcome back to the UK when I arrived in November including my own welcome party at the airport and then spent the following weeks catching up with friends and family.

Whilst I was away I really missed my friends and family, my home and church and my job in child protection.  When I first got back I wasn’t sure where I’d end up but really felt God give me back all the things I had missed!  I can also testify that God provided for all my needs…I came back with very little in my bank account and through the generosity of friends and family I was totally provided for in those early weeks before I started earning again.

In January I went back to my old social work job in Salford as I was offered work without an interview which was such a blessing.  It was so lovely to see some of my old team but then I made a mistake, an honest mistake but it was decided that as I was agency they would have to let me go.  This left me feeling a little shaky but within a week I had been given new work and for more money and with one of my old fantastic managers!  It was all proof to me that the Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways and He makes good come out of bad.