cement is being made for the office walls in this old run down wheel barrel and mixed with a shovel. a glob of this concoction is put on a smooth slab of wood and thrown on the wall. (i have a video that i will see if i can post....apparently it can be done!)
while the substance is still soft the excess is scraped off with a level (you need to improvise a little in the bush) more water is splashed on and the wall is smoothed out. when the cement dries, before it is painted, the ruff surface needs to be soothed a little more. the problem is, sand paper would last about three strokes. if you look real close you can see the object of my choosing to do this tedious task. a little hunk of left over wood! no i could not have used the level because i didn't think of it until now and yes i could have found a bigger piece of wood......if i had taken the time, but i was eager to get the job started. it proved to be a senseless decision when the wood slipped from my grip and i smoothed the wall with my knuckles. "did i learn from my mistake and take the time to get a bigger piece of wood?"....mmmm nope! i just opted to be more careful......didn't work. i can honestly say i put my heart into these walls.
besides i had to keep moving, Albertino is a fast painter and he was gaining on me.
after the room had one day to dry we set out to put the office back together again. that means organizing a lot of junk! i think people in the bush collect more junk than the city of Calgary ..... o.k maybe just Ardrie.
the best part about rubbishing through old junk is falling upon a hilariously old and useless item. in this case we found a BAG a them! old and ridiculously ugly glasses. but hey one mans junk is another mans treasure. Gabriel took them home! i was baffled that someone would actually want them.
from left to right is Gabriel, Matthew, Francois and myself posing with our new found accessories!
and who could leave out this handsome face! it a Mozambique Earkel!o.k that's enough about that. so i have been sitting the office for most of the day trying to get some much needed e-mail catch-up done, since the weather is not that great and the farm is exceptionally quiet this weekend as half the missionary team is in South Africa, and i felt a walk was in order. unfortunately i forgot my camera but when technology fails us we are left with imagination.....
i began my walk down the dusty road that lead from the main highway to the ASAM farm with a hacky sack (in case i found some kids eager for a new game) and a flashlight (just in case my walk is longer than planed). as i was walking Steven, who is featured above in the stunning purple glasses, noticed me wandering about. we went to visit Gabriel and i got to meet his wife and son. then we walked further down the road to visit two of the orphans i had met on numerous occasions. along the way i was admiring the beauty of trees upon trees and expressed my awe to Steven when a noticed a herd of cows coming my way....and then a cluster of goats....even a man riding a donkey! people were sitting outside their huts catting with the neighbours while kids ran unchecked.
we stopped to play hacky sack with Mibia and Francisco and then headed back. but not before stopping to meet Stevens wife and twin boys. they are six months old but they had the figure of a new born. ooohhh they are so tiny! by this time there is a slew of kids who are following me and touching my hand. as i left they began to chant "chow, chow, chow!" the chants grew louder and louder and my turning periodically and tickling their bellies didn't help much. as i walked past Gabriel's house the commotion drew his attention and i shrugged my shoulders. he said something in a strong but calm voice and the chanting stopped. i carried on to the highway were i met with three ladies who spoke Portuguese. (women this educated is a rarity) using what little Portuguese i know, i found out that one of the women's name was Isabella. Isabella proceeded to ask me for the hacky sack in my hand and the sweater wrapped around my waist. i think she would have asked for the shirt on my back if i hadn't turned down that dusty road to go home. i would have loved to give her my jacket because honestly i don't need it that much and she undoubtedly has much less than i do but giving it to her really doesn't help at all. a free gift to a poor uneducated person makes a beggar out of them. no...we need to give them much more than just a few clothes and a meal to eat; we need to teach them. teach them how to irrigate their land so they can have a more nutritional diet; teach them skills such as sowing and wood working that they can use for a job; teach them basic hygiene so they can avoid diseases. suddenly this task of serving Mozambique has me feeling inadequate.
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