All of Africa burns.

It takes one day for the sky to be filled as far as the eye can see with thick smoke from the bush fires of Africa. When the smell first hid my nostrils I wondered who on earth was barbecuing in the middle of the day. By the end of the day I smelt like a chimney sweeper. The reason behind this age old tradition is simple though maybe not logical. Some simply want to clear the tall grass on their land and, well, lighting a match is easier than coping a few acres with a slasher. I really don’t know how to describe what a slasher is other than it sort of looks like a machete only longer and the blade is curved. (gee why don’t I have a photo of this?) others who want to hunt for game find it easier to find their prey with less bush to block their view. Other than that it boils down to “that’s just the way we have always done it”.

Though each home owner burns their own border around their homes to control the fires and prevent the flames from reaching their valuables, it’s inevitable that a bush fire will slip from the grip of precaution. Salete, who was is caring for her three grandchildren that were abandoned by their parents, is now left with no home. She is living with her 18year old, newly married, son until she can rebuild. Salete is among the many who came to the ASAM farm seeking help in their own disaster.

The remains of house Salete's house.

And her maze. In the back is a man from the local church who has already begun helping rebuild a storage deck for her maze. Her 18 year old son is going to begin making mud bricks to build his mom a new home. With the assistance of her son, the church, and ASAM this woman will luckily be able to recover from this catastrophe. What impresses on my heart are the many who don’t have the help they need in a hopeless situation.

A few strange things!

As I drove with Lynn and Dwight down the main highway of Mozambique from Chimoio to the ASAM Farm, one my first day in this beautiful country, I noticed these bags dispersed at various points on the road. I could tell they were on display to be sold but what in the world are they? Dry grass sold to locals for starting a cooking fire. There was no shop keeper in sight but you better believe that he is some where close, and on the look out for a potential buyer.

This is a donkey! Yes, I said donkey and no I am not going blind. Why they call this apparatus a donkey I have no clue but I would never want to live in the bush without one! This, friends, is what warms the water I shower with. Every day a fire must be lit a hour or so before you wish to cleans yourself of the elements of the great outdoors. If you forget, or like I have done a few to many times, make the fire too small then lets just say it’s a very fast shower! A cold shower might be welcoming when the temperature climes to 4o over the next few months but in the winter months of Africa….not so much fun.

You ever tried carrying a heavy load….on your head? These crazy people will walk literally for hours with sakes as heavy as the largest flour bag you can find at Safeway…and then some! O.k. so your probably asking “ have YOU tried it?” this is me we are talking about…of course it tried it. I carried two chairs from the office to the campsite, got a few looks a long the way, got the best arm workout I have had in years, and nearly killed my back. How long did I walk? Five minutes. Ya, I’m a little envious of their physic.

This is our little box of power! This generator goes on from 8:00am to 12:00pm and then again at 5:00pm until 9:00pm and during those times we have electricity!!!!

Don’t see that on a Sunday stroll through the park, but here you do.

With the animals being tucked away at the back of the farm I don’t usually see them so I was a little quizzical when I saw these guys on my way to the showers on the weekend. The pastors are here this week for a training seminar and this is there dinner for the week. Come on people…it’s no different than what you buy at the grocery store except those vacuum sealed packets don’t look cute enough to pet.