curiosity

this is Bebe. i don't know if i am spelling it right. it might need a thingy above the e's like they do in french but i don't know how to put one on. basically it sounds like baby but with a accent. i found it very interesting to know that many children are called bebe and when they get old enough they can choose their own name. i think they do this when ever they feel they are ready and want to change it. bebe is Milicina's grandson. this was a very exciting day as we were giving Millicina and Bebe some clothes, a warm blanket, a mat to sleep on, and some food. their is also a man in millicina's area who has been hired to build her a platform that is raised from the ground so their food can be better protected from the rats.

i am helping lynn and gorge show millicina and bebe what they will be taking home with them. i put bebe's new sweater on him and continued holding up some other clothes to see if i picked the right sizes. bebe is sort of confused with the whole thing and i'm not sure that he has had much interaction with a white person. i thoroughly enjoyed myself.

one thing i have noticed is that the Mozambique people don't show much emotion. it was hard to read millicina and to get a sense of her appreciation; however it was defiantly there. gorge informed us after that millicina was very happy and that she would probably go home and dip the corner of her new blanket in a class of water and drink it to show how grateful she was for this gift.

the other thing that amazes me is the amount that these people carry on their backs and heads. millicina raps up the clothes and blanket on her back like she would if carrying a baby. (i might add that the blanket in of it's self was not that light) then she carried the food on her head. bebe carried the mats on his head and they were off. if you read my blog before you might remember that this walk took gorge and i one hour to complete..... with nothing but the heat to slow us down. never mind having around 20 to 40 ponds on my head. i'm not kidding you! i put a bag half the size of millicina's on my head and it took all the strength in my neck and back to keep from tipping over. i couldn't even last five minutes and i was standing still! i marvel in wide-eyed-wonder at what these men and women do. survival has a way of pushing you to your limits.

i don't know that i will ever understand how glorious this walk was for a widow and her grandson.

moving the mill

this is a little late because the internet has not been preforming all that well......so, last week the mill was moved! the big blue machine on the back of the truck is the mill that is used to grind the maze the women bring. they carry this sacks of maze on their head and many of them have to travel great distances to do so. the decision was made that the mill would be better accessible if it was at the ASAM school rather than the farm. (about a 20 min driving distance!) but as things go in Africa, just because a action is decided upon by no means that action will be executed immediately. you see many unexpected events can happen that will prevent you from accomplishing tasks as soon as you would like. i don't know how long these women have been waiting but i do know that the sight of the blue machine on the truck brought many shouts of joy and dancing along the road! the men are shoveling sand and rocks onto the truck so they can make cement to secure the mill at the school.

So one this trip I decided it was time to join the workers in the back of the truck for the trip up to the farm; I had to of course because this is illegal in Canada and we always want to do what we are not aloud. Here, when there is a ride, and there seldom is, you sit were ever you can and hold on!

Today I helped Fernando serve lunch. Feeding 150+ kids is a big job for this man who says he is getting old. Every time I come to the school he asks if I will be staying to help him and until today I have always had to leave with the truck. Now I understand why he appreciates getting help. First we dish up sudsa which is corn ground up and cooked in water to make a pasty substance that resembles Portuguese. Then I topped it off with bean and fish soup. Yep! I said fish. And just to clarify I don’t mean the yummy fish we buy at the local Safeway…I’m talk’n little tiny fish about the length of your thumb nail….heads and all. Fernando offered me some and I politely declined. I was happy to let my stomach grumble for the afternoon.

since hardly anyone owns a vehicle the locals will take a ride when they can get one. before you could even offer a ride the kids were piling into the back!

well the two teams are here now and it has been an absolute blast! there is a lot of hard work being done with so many willing hearts to give and it makes for great recreation at the end of the day (just a added bonus!) i am encouraged by the talk at the campsite about the days events and what everyone saw and felt as they were offering their hearts and hands to the Mozambicans. i know they are making a difference in the lives of so many. my first team has been going to one of the large schools in the area to teach basic health along with a few english classes. by the third day, when we were pulling up to the school the children were running after the van with a burst of excitement that could not carry their legs fast enough. it was a moment i will never forget.

just some thoughts

we went to town today so i don't have much time to write what i was planing. yes, ben, the grass would be fun to play hide-and-seek in.....IF there were no snakes in this county!!!! i have only seen one so far and he couldn't get away from me fast enough. that's how i would like to keep it. i'm not going to go around stomping on their ground....that's just asking for trouble.

i would like to clarify a issue that may be stirring in your heads. many of you seem to think i am going to get married and never come back to Canada (or what we in the bush call...civilization) and this has been insinuated again, in one of the comments (Taylor!!!) because of the fact there are 20 local men working here. first, and most important, most, if not all, of these men are married. second...i can't even speak their language! not to mention the culture difference, which is huge! and besides, Ruth has got me covered on this one...she is going to have me married off before i get back to Canada and it won't be anyone from Mozambique!

things have been a little difficult here between living in the bush and being away from my family and friends, whom i miss so much, but all in all i love being here. (thank you to so many of you who have been praying for me) things are different here..very sad sometimes, but i feel so honoured to be apart of the good that is happening here. this world is so underdeveloped that the task to make a difference seems daunting and you really have no idea were to start or what need is the most prevalent. there is a huge lack of jobs and the health and education system is severely lacking. then you throw in human error, which we are all guilty of, and you get people who are left somewhat desperate. in Canada if a girl drops out of school or gets pregnant too young, then realizes in later years that she made a few bad choices, there is still hope for her; it may be difficult but with the governments help she can get back on her feet and go back to school, get a better job and find a man who will love her child/children. i recently heard a story that makes my heart sink. there are three orphans that ASAM sponsors, which includes food, clothing and schooling. the eldest of these three took a wrong turn. before finishing school she got married and move to Chimoio. for some reason, the word is, she got caught in adultery and her husband kicked her out. she found another man but he has since left her...with child. she is 15 and pregnant. in this culture women are on earth for the sole purpose of having children and fulfilling the desires of her husband. they haven't learned yet that an education will give them more options. this young lady is now back living with the widow who was taking care of her in the first place along with the widows daughter and son in law. Lynn, George and i just delivered food and clothes to them. the son in law showed Lynn some blisters that were forming on his skin. though it is not confirmed Lynn is positive he has AIDS. if this disease were to take this mans life in the near future, this would leave the widow with three orphans, two small one's who should stay in school, one that is pregnant with only a grade four education who will find it very difficult to find a man who will except her mistakes, and a widowed daughter with two kids who most likely have AIDS as well. this is only one family that needs a helping hand. don't get me wrong, these people are still providing for themselves; every women has her own piece of land that will feed her kids and herself but you get one bad season, and there are many, and the lack of knowledge on how to preserve their soil and it makes mere surviving difficult to say the least. i take my hat off to those like Lynn and Dwight, Francois and Alta, and many others across the globe who have dedicated their lives to making a difference.

i didn't intend on this all being said but it must have needed to come out. it would appear that i have a lot to process in my mind. thank you for taking the time to read.

Milicia

Today I had the privilege of following Gorge through the bush to visit a women named Milicia and her grandson who are seeking help from the mission in Mozambique. Gorge is in charge of visiting the homes of those requesting help so the situation can be properly accessed.
We started our visit with a long walk through the forest and tall grass.

The grass is getting taller; if there ever is going to be a time that I might face my fear of running into a snake, this is going to be the most likely place. To my relief, I found out latter, that this season is too cold for the snakes and most of them will be in hibernation. I’m not going to ask when they are coming out or I might me tempted to change my dispatcher date.
As we approached the women’s land Gorge tried to communicate, with next to no English, that the dead looking corn plants were this woman’s source of food.

When we arrived Milicia wormy welcomed us with a log to sit on and a glass of water, to share, in undoubtedly her finest china; the same cup her and her grandson use every day. She graciously allows me to photograph her, approximately 8by 6, home. The sticks Milicia has fashioned into a wall are so far apart you can stick two fingers through. They have some smoldering coals, next to were they sleep, to cook on and one shelf to keep the few belongings they own. I’m finding it hard to get a good picture simply because there is no room. I stand at the door holding the camera above my head and settle with having to cut Milicia’s head from the shot.
Gorge then shows me the hard bamboo they sleep on and the torn blanket, they have to cover from the night. Around the back of the hut they store the corn that they will peel and grind up to make maze. There is a small structure that is for the chickens but I am unclear if the chickens running around are hers.
After visiting for a few moments Milicia gives Gorge a sugar cane as a gift and with that we embark on our journey home.

Back at the Farm ASAM is working on putting Milicia’s story together with the cost of a new home, a blanket, food, clothing and some other essentials that will be added to form a project that can be picked up by a group or individual. These projects are put together so the participants can identify with were there money is going and see with their own eyes the difference they are making. Of course we are already in the process of providing for Milicia and her grandson. I will be going with gorge to deliver a blanket, food and some clothes. I believe Lynn’s mom has a church group that is taking on this project and will soon begin raising money so we can build Milicia a home.