Gee, it sounds like I am on the “Price is Right” when I say that.  And if you are not old enough to know what the Price is Right is, then tough luck.  Here is a photo of our latest vehicle:

It is a 1996 Honda CRV, imported from Japan.  It is in great shape, with only 60,000 miles on it, and the motor runs beautifully.  Obviously, it was gently used in Japan, and we are glad to have it here though it is going to see some hairy roads!  It is next to our Landcruiser, so you can see the difference in ground clearance.

First, let me explain why we bought this vehicle:  Four years ago, a little church in Ohio gave us a chunk of money, which we put into a vehicle fund since we knew that at some point we’d have to replace the Cruiser (which is a 1994) or get another vehicle.  During our last term, we found that the Cruiser is incredibly expensive to run, getting only 15 miles to the gallon, and diesel is very expensive here.  We couldn’t afford to use it for all the running around that Kevin does (in and out of town several times a day, visiting his students and their classes and visiting churches).  So, he used our Honda motorcycle for most of the transport, which of course is very cheap to run.

However, traffic here in Nampula gets worse every year and most of the drivers are new drivers.  Many of them don’t even really know how to drive since they have paid “under the table” for a license.  Kevin was already hit by a minibus taxi once, and we felt pretty strongly that we needed to get him off the bike.

Therefore, we are very thankful for the addition of this car to our fleet.  Its main virtue is that it is a lot cheaper to run than the Cruiser.  It is all-wheel drive, so it will do well in the sand and on dirt roads, though it does not have a super-strong suspension like the truck.  Therefore, we’ll have to drive it carefully if we want it to last, but we do expect it to last us a long time.  Of course, the cruiser is still absolutely necessary for any bush trips (and we can’t even get out to the new AIM property in the car yet!) and to do most of the out-of-town church visits.  The roads are simply too bad for anything but a 4×4.  But, this little runabout should cover a lot of the territory we need to visit.  Since Kevin and I are starting language school (in the local tribal language) 8 miles out of town in February and will be running back and forth, this car is really going to come in handy!  We are so excited to have it and ask you to join us in praying that it will serve our Father well. – C

Since arriving back in Mozambique, most of the family has experienced the unhappiness of tummy problems.  Unfortunately, this just goes with the territory over here, and most visitors have some problems at one time or another; indeed for the first five months that he lived here, Benjamin had what the South Africans politely call “runny tummy”.  Since that time, he hasn’t really had any tummy problems at all, so he must have developed some kind of resistance.

In the USA, tummy troubles are something that are referred to only very delicately, whereas here it is a major topic of conversations.  And I’m not talking about the weak-stomached foreigners – the Mozambicans constantly are discussing their stomach problems and the results.  Those of us who have lived here for a number of years get into the habit too, and are able to say the “D” word without a blush.

After two weeks here, both Kevin and Toby were struck down by intense stomach pain, especially after eating.  Toby began vomiting at night, often many times, and looked pale and miserable for much of the day.  Finally, on the advice of a Zimbabwean, we dosed them both with anti-parasite medicine and they improved rapidly.  Normally, we dose the whole family every six months, but I was shocked that they were affected so soon after arriving.  And I myself was infected with Salmonella a couple weeks back, and have been sick ever since.  It wasn’t your normal type of food poisoning with the vomiting and such, but a slow deterioration over 10 days, with a weakening of the body despite stopping the more unpleasant effects of the bacteria after only four days.  Apparently it got into the bloodstream and now I am on heavy-duty antibiotics, and am to be re-tested in three weeks.

When I first arrived here, I couldn’t figure out why Mozambique was “dirtier” than the USA.  Kids play in the dirt all the time in America and don’t have worms (which tons of kids have here), and they do treat the drinking water here.  I soon realized that the problem is one of location.  Of the bathroom.  Unfortunately, here the bathrooms are often wherever people decide they are, not in a particular spot or even in some type of structure.  We experience this whenever we travel out to the bush, and indeed when nature calls we say we have to “go bush”.  Out there, it is not always a problem because there is lots of space and not always lots of people.  As the population grows, however, location becomes a major issue and a contributor to all kinds of disease.  Cholera is one.  In the USA, cholera and typhoid used to be big problems, and these were solved mainly with good sanitation systems.  Tuberculosis infection can be lessened by banning spitting on public ground, and all kinds of parasites contained by picking up after your dog.  Here, it is a free-for-all in most places, and that means that we have cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis and intestinal parasites.  That’s why you see campaigns all over the place for outhouses, which at first struck me as kind of funny.  Now I take them very seriously.

Meanwhile, we wash all of our raw vegetables and fruits (that we don’t peel) in bleach water, then rinse in filtered water.  All drinking water is filtered through a high-quality water filter that we brought out.  We worm ourselves regularly, and try to be wise, but the rest is left in the hands of God.  Kevin frequently drinks unfiltered water when he visits the villages or homes of his students, and God has protected him.

A related problem is this:  how do you explain germs, and the need for hygiene, to people who often believe that sickness is the result of a spiritual problem or a curse?  Ponder on that one.  Thankfully, the children who are in high school in town are learning what germs really are, and I imagine that thinking will change as the years go by. – Cami

Toby started school first, on September 8th.  Here he is on our front porch, and you can actually see the school behind him, in the distance.  He is in 4th grade, and in a classroom also with 3rd graders.  There are only two 4th graders this year, him and his friend Noah, and about 5 third graders, so it is a small class even combined.  His teacher, Mrs. Green, is new and the school is now called “Rapale International School”.  His old school, which was an MK school, has closed and this new school is renting the property for at least half the year, if not the whole year. So, it is very convenient and so far he is dong great.  It is strange for him to be one of the two oldest there, as the 5th graders and higher meet in another house on the property.  There is a new rule this year:  he must arrive and leave school in shoes.  Yes, we need to have this rule!  But during the day the children go mostly barefoot.  Many of the children at his school are MKs, however, there are also Mozambican, Zimbabwean, Belgian, Dutch, Angolan/German, and some other nationalities.  It is a real international school.  Two days a week, I am teaching three of the first and second graders English, since they are new at the school and need a little help.

Ben started his new school on September 12th, and is in kindergarten in town at the Portuguese private school.  He has to wear a uniform (which does not include the cowboy hat).  He didn’t seem nervous at all about going off to school, which may be because his preschool experience in the USA in the spring was so wonderful.  So far, things are going pretty well though he doesn’t understand a lot of what his teachers and classmates say.  For instance, he needed to go to the bathroom last week (number two) and there was no toilet paper in the bathroom. He couldn’t tell the teacher, so he decided to just wait and luckily didn’t have an accident.  You can see the possibilities for problems!  One of the big thrills for him has been going to school on the motorcycle with Kevin.  Eventually we’ll join a carpool so Kevin won’t be taking him in on the bike every day, but for now he goes morning and noontime that way.  He goes to school from 7:30 to 12:00.  The road to town is too rough for me to drive on, so I walk into town occasionally and went in this week to visit him at his school and say hello to his teachers (who are all the same ladies who were there when Toby attended 4 years ago!).  They seemed eager to please, and he seemed basically happy.  Not much teaching goes on there, so he is a bit bored, but for now is getting along well and we hope that his Portuguese will suddenly take off, which is the whole point of sending him there.

Please pray for our kids as they attend school with the various challenges.  We feel very privileged to have two good school options for them here in Nampula, and hope that they both have beneficial school years.  Soon I will start doing English ABCs and writing with Ben, because they sound different in Portuguese, and we’ll hope that goes well also. – C

We (AIM) bought some trees!

Here’s a photo of part of the land that AIM purchased this last week for us to build our house on.

In case you had not heard we are planning to stay in Mozambique for another 10 years or so. This being the case and the work here being so vast and our hearts fixed we did some figuring during our last term and with rent being what it is and inflation ever increasing it is more economical (read, MUCH cheaper) to buy land and build than to rent for 8 years.

So i found a nice piece of land, passed it through our leadership who unanimously agreed with our conclusions and started the process over a year ago. Well last week AIM signed the paperwork and officially owns the trees on five or so acres of land in sunny Nampula.

You may be asking yourself, “trees? Why did you buy the trees?” Good question, glad you asked. You see we live in a “democracy” here in Mozambique but the government still owns all the land. So one has to purchase what is on top of the land via the local owner and village leadership, who can for any number of reasons deny you and then rent the actual dirt from the government for 99 years—by paying taxes on the said dirt.

Let me just say the local government LOVES us and the owner of the land is thrilled with the idea of missionaries moving in teaching and training in his community, but it still took over a year to make happen.

“What now?” Oh, now comes the hard part, getting the municipal government to go out with the local leadership, walk the boundaries, mark the corners, decide on our access road (there is none) and then tell us what the taxes will be on the land. And then we have a year to build on it or we are fined. Oh, and then find water, dig a well, run electric over half a mile….fun, fun, fun!

All this to say it is thrilling news. We own the trees. Cami has yet to be out to see the land but let me tell you it is wonderful, outside the city, with a stream running down one side and huge cashew and mango trees scattered about. I can’t wait to live out there. Toby and i went out today on the motorcycle (as there is no driveway) and imagined a tree-house and prayed over the lot.

What can you do?

1. Pray.
   1. Pray that the municipal government doesn’t invent problems for us or stall because we will not pay brides.
   2. Pray the money needed comes in quickly over the next year so we can start with digging a well and putting up a boundary fence and clear a road to the property…oh, and run electricity from the main road.
   3. Pray for us. Patience is not easily come by and we are going to need it.
   4. Give. We are committed to serve here in Mozambique and a safe, relatively comfortable house is always a struggle. Please give so we can build a home which will serve us as a family and future missionaries after we leave.
   5. Come on out and help. The estimated build price is around 50,000 to 60,000usd of which we have about 8,000usd. But this does not include putting in the wiring or plumbing. We would love to have small teams come out when we are ready and help us with this and in so doing learn more about what God is doing in Mozambique, us and in his people here.

So. Rejoice…and never stop praying.

And thank you ever so much.

In the shade!

Kevin

Dear friends,

We have arrived! Obvious fact, but it is fun to say it.  We left New York on August 22^nd at 11 am, and arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, at 8:30 am on August 23^rd.  Here’s a photo of us at JFK with our 8 suitcases.  Ben just didn’t want to smile for the photo – he really wasn’t that miserable.

Now, for those of you who know that Joburg is 6 hours ahead of East Coast time, you can figure out that the flight was about 15 hours.  Long, huh?  But it really goes by surprisingly fast, especially if you can catch a bit of sleep here and there.  In the end, the kids only slept 4 or 5 hours each, and Kevin and I less.  So, we arrived very tired (especially since we were already tired when we left) and grumpy.  It took all day, and a nap, to get us back on track, but after a good night’s sleep at a colleague’s house there in Joburg, we really did feel a lot better.  I praise God that Kevin was able to move seats, so I could lay down for a lot of the flight and not stand back by the bathrooms for 12 hours, as I had feared.

We rented a car in Joburg, which is an enormous city that doesn’t seem too different from parts of the USA, though we did have to be careful about driving on the other side of the road.  Kevin immediately got into the wrong lane, but we were both watchful and that mistake was made only one other time.  It is always our habit to help each other with this in those first few days of driving, since it is easy to forget!  Last August, when I was driving my 87-year old grandma in Ohio, two weeks after our return to the USA, she commented  sweetly: “honey, don’t you think you ought to be in the other lane?” and indeed I ought to have been.

Anyway, our time in Joburg was very pleasant, with a “farewell meal” at McDonalds and a trip to the mall to buy some needed cell phone batteries and South Africa maps for our GPS system.  This will allow Kevin to “mark” bush churches that he visits and then be able to find them again, which has been a problem in the past.  We also bought a tv, thanks to selling a lucrative item on ebay in the USA, and some special vinegars that Toby likes.  It was such a pleasure to spend some time with folks in the AIM regional office there.  They are our “bosses” and support staff and it was a joy to get to know them better.

Our direct flight to Nampula from Joburg left at 11:15 am and arrived about 2:45 pm.  What a difference!  This is a new flight, on a new airline.  Previously, you had to fly to Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, and then on to Pemba, then on to Nampula.  It was like the public bus of the sky.  It took all day.  We traveled to Nampula with two New Tribes missionaries that we know, which was fun.  At the airport, there were several people we knew, and it was a joyful welcome.  You can see the name “Nampula” on top of the terminal behind us and this is about the extent of the airport.  This photo was quickly snapped by another traveller and we were admonished for it – breach of security or something – but we did think it would be fun to show you. And yes, my hair is cut very short now in anticipation of the hot weather!

We were met at the airport by our colleague Angelika, from Germany, and easily deposited at SIL compound.  As we drove through town and looked around, we kind of sighed.  It is a broken-down, dirty city in most parts, and teeming with people.  Shopping is no fun.  But it is these very people we come to serve, and as we arrived at SIL, two of Kevin’s students who are working here greeted us, along with our old guard Fernando, who also works here.  To see their beaming faces was such a pleasure!

We praise God for such a smooth trip, without any incidents.  The bags arrived intact, the customs agents were polite and not very interested in us, and we enjoyed the transition time in Joburg.  We appreciate your prayers.  Knowing all the things that CAN go wrong with such a trip, we are especially grateful.

SIL is a large compound with about 10 guest houses on it, and it is used mainly to host translation workshops and support their work.  Toby’s school will be on site until at least December.   On arrival, Toby immediately ran over to the soccer game going on next to the school, with children he knows, and played for 3 hours before wandering over to see our “new” house.  Ben came in the house and inspected it, picked out his bed, and opened his suitcase of toys.   He chose a few things, and was off for an adventure.  He returned soon with a new friend, another 5 year old MK whose mother is German and father Angolan.  It is an international bunch here, which is really fun for us.  Kevin immediately went into town to exchange money (since it was Friday afternoon) and pick up a bit of food.  The truck started right up and besides some rats living in our container, on first inspection all our belongings are intact besides some melted plastics from the heat.

Many of you aren’t aware that the AIM cottage, pictured here, won’t be ready for us for some months.  The entire roof must come off, walls built up, and a room added on.  This is not being done for us especially, since we plan to build a house on the land outside of town that is almost finished with purchase, but for future AIM families.  Of course, we will be able to live there as long as is needed, and will be glad for the modifications.  We’ve spoken to some of you about our reasons for not wanting to live there long-term, and feel free to email us and ask why.  I’ll probably do another blog entry about that eventually.

There have been some problems getting the building permit, and we anticipate that it won’t be finished for some months, which means we’ll be living at SIL for at least two, if not more, months.  The kids are thrilled about this, and we live about 500 feet from Toby’s school.  Ben will go to the Portuguese kindergarten in town, and we’ve gone in to begin the registration process at the school, which has moved since Toby went there.  Another MK will be in first grade in a class near him, which will make it easier with carpooling and easier for Ben.

Kevin has gone into town today to begin the process of getting our residence visas.  We have hopes that a medical exemption may allow us to avoid getting new visas, and instead simply renew them.  I have a letter from my doctor.  This would mean that Kevin and I pay the same amount for visas, since those must be paid for every year, but we can keep our “years accrued” which count toward being able to purchase land and various other things.  The boys’ visas don’t expire for another year, but since we were out of the country more than a year, those are invalid unless they allow the medical exemption as reason for our late return.  We’ll keep you posted!

This afternoon we’ll go over to the container and pull things out to try to find things like our iron and ironing board, Tupperware containers to store flour, rice and sugar in, and our tv cupboard.  There is a short list, as the house we are in is fully furnished, but there are items that we need.  It is so nice to not be starting from scratch again, as we did when we arrived in 2007, and to have relationships and understanding of the area.  That all said, we still feel unsettled and are eager to get into a schedule.  Toby starts school on Sept 8^th, and Ben on the 12th.  More on all that later.

Meanwhile, we appreciate your prayers and thoughts, and feel free to email us though our internet use will be limited.  We feel a world away from the USA and indeed we are.  Back to dust, mosquitoes and malaria, bumpy roads, no advertising and limited shopping, cooking meals from scratch with limited ingredients, exuberant church services, dear friends, our “stuff”, and a new adventure every day (which is sometimes a bad thing).  God sustained us before and will do so again, and we are thankful to be here.

Your missionaries, Cami, Kevin, Toby and Ben

Kevin and I often make decisions that seem right and that we feel are decisions that are God-led but when it comes time to actually DO the thing we look at each other and say “what were we thinking?”.  We are in the middle of that right now.  We left Fairfield, CT on Monday and drove five hours to spend the night with an old friend of mine whom I haven’t seen in 10 years.  What a wonderful time we had!!  There was lots of crying when it was time to say goodbye the next morning and we wished we had more time.  The next day, we spent sightseeing at some wonderful national monuments and got to our hotel at 8:30 pm, exhausted.  During that day, we were able to reconnect with an old friend from our days of working with inner-city youth in Poughkeepsie.  Today, we drive another 5 hours to spend the night with Kevin’s extended family, then tomorrow only 3 hours to spend two nights with dear friends who support us in so many ways.  On Saturday, we drive 9 ½ hours to spend the night with old AIM friends and then the next day I fly to Calgary, Canada, to meet up with her sisters.  They are paying for my whole trip and this is our first time all together in 5 years.  Meanwhile, Kevin and the boys will head onward to the family farm where my grandparents, parents, and aunt and uncle live.

Now, why in the world are we embarking on this huge trip just 5 weeks before we are supposed to head out to Mozambique? When Cami ought to be staying still and healing her back at home? WE DON’T KNOW!!!  We just know that God wants us to do it, and there are a lot of people we want to see.  We still haven’t purchased our plane tickets back to Moz and are trying to organize purchase of those, as well as accomplishing a million other small details while we are on the road.  We are so thankful that the front passenger seat fully reclines and Cami spends all the time on the road flat on her back, while poor Kevin does all the driving.  The kids are contentedly watching movies and coloring, and are enjoying all the adventures.  Praise God for kids who like to see new things!  We thank God for the loan of a hybrid SUV that gives us great gas mileage.

People are precious to us and we are thankful for the chance to do this trip, though by the time we are finished we will have made several more stops and only arrive back in Connecticut one week before we are supposed to fly out.  At that point, everything being shipped in the container (more on that later) will need to be packed and shipped to Missouri, and all our suitcases for Moz packed.  Pray for us as we try to buy all the small items that we still haven’t gotten to bring back with us.  – Cami