While in Malawi, we learned a few things.  First, Malawi is considered to be one of the poorest nations in the world.  Apparently, it has made some of the top 10 lists.  What is funny is that Malawi is more developed than Mozambique.  I suspect that the problem lies in the population density.  There are many, many more people per square mile in Malawi than in Mozambique, where there are large tracts of sparsely-populated land.

In Malawi, there is a great deal more industry.  Locally-made products are sold in all the stores, while in Mozambique only a small percentage of products are local.  It seems, also, that there is a more fertile environment for growing crops.  We saw corn planted on every spare square inch of land.  However, there have been droughts over the past 15 years and to the subsistence farmer this is devastating.  We see the same thing over here – in a year of good crops, people get by just fine.  In a bad year, you see malnutrition, sickness and starvation.

One of the problems that Malawi faces is deforestation.  We took this picture while we were driving up on Zomba mountain.  Long-term missionaries tell us that not long ago, it was like driving up into a rain forest up there.  It was dense with trees.  As we drove up the winding road, we saw bicycle after bicycle loaded down with cut and stacked wood.  We even saw one man carrying a huge load on his back.  And up on the mountain, we saw entire slopes like this one, with every tree cut down.  When all those stumps rot out, I imagine the mudslides will begin.  I am not an expert on this stuff, but it seems a grim future for Zomba mountain.  There is a forest service up there, and I hope that they are caring for it responsibly.

Why are they cutting down the trees?  For cooking.  Many, many people are still living in homes with no electricity, or do not have the money to purchase or use an electric hot plate.  A very high percentage of people (and in Moz especially) are still cooking outdoors over fires.  To use bottled gas is very expensive (especially to get it set up, with a cooker and with buying the gas), and solar ovens are complicated.  When we lived in Namibia, I constructed and used a solar oven, but after about a month I gave up on it.  It was very difficult to cook with, even in a constantly sunny place like Namibia.  Of course, there are better-quality ones and better systems, but often it requires a commitment to longer cooking times, and different cooking methods that poor, uneducated women aren’t willing, or are unable, to make.  There are no easy solutions, and there are quite a few people who are working to try to create options for the poor, and to work on education so that deforestation will not continue to be the devastating force for land destruction that it currently is in many third-world countries. – Cami

We had a “funny” moment yesterday.  When we arrived home several days ago, we found that our well had collapsed, a pipe had broken under the house, mold was growing on some of the walls and some of the roof is leaking again, after a major repair job a few months ago. Kevin came into the kitchen and said, in frustration, “Why does everything have to go wrong when we go away on vacation?”.  I said to him (I hope with some compassion), “Kevin, you’ve just forgotten.  Things are always like this.”  He looked at me intensely for a moment, then burst into laughter.  And it is true.  There is always something that needs fixing, and usually it is something difficult.

Of course, these things don’t happen just to US.  Back at home, things happen too.  It’s just that here, often it is difficult to get these things taken care of.  Instead of a call to a professional, you are faced with sorting it out yourself.  Or, you have to speak to 10 different people to figure out what you ought to do about the problem (like the collapsed well).  You have to find the tools to do it with, and the materials.  Kevin has been outside all morning digging up pipes, and the poor man looks like he’s taken a shower in his clothes.  Very humid today.  The pipe that is broken will have to be cut and capped, and a new one run.  This is because when the house was built, all the pipes were buried in cement and there are no access points.

Kevin is a champ.  He’s working on it and I am so thankful that I married a handy guy!  Otherwise, I’d be out there with a shovel instead of typing this blog entry.  Thank you, Kevin.  🙂

I updated our blog up to our stay in Zomba, which was a beautifully cool spot where we stayed in a small house reminiscent of a lake cottage.  With flagstone floors, Readers Digest Condensed books on the shelves, bunk beds in the corner of the living room and chintz curtains, it felt like a cottage in New England.  We enjoyed visiting with our hosts and neighbors, the Theissens, and our kids played with their kids quite a bit.  Two trips up nearby Zomba mountain were like a little taste of heaven, with green forests, ferns and walking trails.  Kevin and Toby went on a nice long hike and Ben and I hung around near the trail beginning looking at all the ferns, throwing leaves in the bubbling creek, and investigating various bug homes.  You just cannot imagine what a breath of fresh air this was for us.  After living in the northeast USA, we really miss being able to hike and spend time in the cool, green outdoors.  Here in Moz, it is not even possible to go for a walk.  There are just people everywhere here near town, and further outside of town there is just not a lot to see.  And it is HOT.  So, we drank in the beauty.

On our way from Zomba up to our new digs on Lake Malawi, we stopped at a game park.  A Christmas gift from a family member allowed us to go on a little safari trip.  The park was too wet to navigate in our truck (bridges had collapsed) and so we paid for an hour’s boat trip up the river to see hippos and animals on the shore, then for another hour in a safari jeep where we saw warthogs, Waterbuck, Impala, Bushbuck, Baboons, and monkeys.  We had hoped for elephants, but this time of year they move further into the park where we couldn’t follow.  The kids really enjoyed seeing the animals, though Ben got bored pretty quickly and fell asleep lying face-down across my lap.  I think he is much more of a homebody than Toby, who is always up for adventure. Ben seemed to tire so easily on the trip, and it makes me believe that he is less of an adventurer even though he is much more personally adventurous (in the form of pursuing danger!).

At Lake Malawi, we had a big house all to ourselves.  It was only about $15 per night for the four of us, and we had a gentlemen to cook our food and wash the dishes, and he graciously cooked with the simple things we had brought.  We had our own little beach on the very still lake, and a little cabana with comfortable beach chairs.  What a treat!  Despite a torrential rainstorm with thunder and lightening that kept us up until 1 am, Santa did indeed arrive.  Our small people informed us of this at 5:30 am. Needless to say, we had a nap later!  That night, we drove down to a nearby resort to eat their buffet.  It was a small, family resort that was very cozy, and we enjoyed the feast of pork, chicken and goat on the menu while we watched the Queen’s speech on the “telly” in the small dining room.

We headed home on December 26th after quickly packing up all the presents and bidding farewell to the gardener and cook.  They were busy getting ready for the next instalment of visitors.  We drove south and then east, crossing the border without problems.  We drove on beautiful tar roads to the border, and then were pointed down a small dirt road after we crossed.  “That is the road to Cuamba”, we were told.  Good grief.  2 1/2 hours of bumping later, we arrived at the Piper’s house, Australian missionaries with SIM who gave us a warm welcome.  We enjoyed talking with them and hearing about their ministries there in the “frontier” town of Cuamba.  Our trip home the next day to Nampula took only 6 1/2 hours, much less than the 8-11 hours anticipated.  We found that our heavy LandCruiser handles these bumpy dirt roads fabulously, holding the road and handling the punishment while not punishing the passengers.  We were very thankful for our strong truck.  It handled great.  When we love it, we love it, but when we hate it (paying for diesel, paying for repairs) we hate it.

At home in Nampula, we found some wonderful Christmas packages waiting for us, and had our second Christmas with much rejoicing.  We found that our well had collapsed, and that a pipe under the house had broken.  More on that in a later post.  The pets were all still alive, including the chickens, and the summer planting has begun.  A month’s worth of african dust has settled over everything, and I spent quite a bit of time unearthing all of our electronics and valuable documents that I had hidden all over the house. Almost everything has been found.  🙂  Our faithful workers were happy to see us and we have been busily unpacking and cleaning.

We are so thankful for a good vacation.  It only lasted a week, the vacationing part, but it was great and we enjoyed it a great deal.  We were all grumpy (except Ben) after returning, wishing we were still in Malawi, but glad for the time we had and thankful for the safe and “easy” return.

Thanks for your prayers!
Cami

I know we have mentioned from time to time that things are rough for us financially, for various reasons including rise in prices here, and being under-supported. However, times have been even tougher for our non-American colleagues.We had word this last month that the Brazilian Real was devalued in Mozambique by 40 percent.  Months ago, the South African Rand lost 33% here in Moz, and the Euro has decreased in value as well.  Can you imagine losing 40% of your already-small missionary salary, simply to a bad exchange rate?  We wonder sometimes how our colleagues are getting by.  It puts into perspective our own difficult situation.  We are very thankful, because our US dollars continue to have the same value here.  This is because the Mozambican Metical is tied to the dollar, for reasons we don’t understand.
Above, you can see how we were “rich” for the day. This is Malawian Kwacha, and when we took US$100 out of the ATM, we received almost 15,000 Kwacha! In 500 denomination notes, that is 30 notes.  It seemed like a lot to us, because in Mozambiquea 500 note is worth about US$20. However, in Malawi 500 Kwacha will only buy you about 20 eggs. It is confusing dealing with different currencies, as you always have to calculate things out in your head to think if you are getting a good deal. Calculate Kwacha to dollars, then calculate how much that would be in Mozambican Meticais to compare. Phew!

Well, our trip to Malawi went well.  We left Chimoio at 4 am in a driving rain (the rainy season chose to start 18 hours before we left) and had a wonderful road – for 45 miles.  Then, the diversions, deep mud and potholes started.  That went on for an hour or so, then we found the road turned back into cement along with the requisite deep craters that go by the cute name of “potholes”.  Really, they weren’t too bad and you could dodge them if you saw them soon enough.  After enough dirty looks from me, Kevin slowed down and worked on his “truck slalom” moves more.  We arrived at the beautiful new border post into Malawi about noon and spent 2 hours trying to get someone to take care of us.  Well, Kevin did.  I stayed out by the car and tried to keep the boys entertained while I fended off all the men and boys who wanted to “help” me.  Most just wanted to sell me something, but some just enjoyed harrassing me or seeing how close they could get to our possessions in the truck.  Sheesh.  Kevin meanwhile was inside the beautiful customs building where no one was manning the desk and the supervisor was asleep in his office.  He finally emerged, quite frustrated and exhausted, to find that Ben had just pooped in his pants and that several beggar boys wanted him to provide them with lunch.  Poor guy.  When we tried to exit the border post, no one would come to open the security gate.  We sat for awhile, and finally Kevin went out in the pouring rain to ask for assistance.  Apparently he was supposed to check out there in the little tent by the gate.   No one ever bothered to inform him of this.  The guys there hemmed and hawed for awhile and finally took his information.  He returned to the truck and we waited there some more.  Finally someone poked his head out of the tent and looked at me (at the wheel) in confusion.  Obviously, I was not Kevin.  There must be a mistake.  He returned to the tent.  Pokes head out again.  Finally he ambles out, while Kevin is gesticulating wildly “See, I am in the car!!!  I am Kevin Zwart!!” and slowly opens the gate.  We entered Malawi in a less than thankful mood, with poopy Ben stinking up the place.

A few miles outside of Blantyre, our destination, Kevin pulled over because the radiator was steaming.  The pinprick that he had repaired from time to time with epoxy had widened into a crack, and the car was overheating.  He was also very concerned because the car really lacked power going up hills at high speed (40 mph +).  He filled the radiator again, and we came into town to buy a phone card to call our accommodations.

Meanwhile, we stopped at the “Game” Store.  That is the name of the store, which is a South African chain which resembles an upscale Kmart.  It is a place where you can buy all kinds of good quality things which are simply not obtainable in Nampula, and Toby had been much anticipating its toy aisle, in order to spend Christmas money sent by Kevin’s folks.  He was beside himself with joy, but his spirits lessened somewhat when he saw the prices of the toys.  We had tried to prepare him, but even we were shocked.  One Hot Wheels car – $10.  One Hulk action figure, 9″ tall, $30.  One plastic bucket of Mega Blocks – $50.  It took our breath away.  We soon realized that anything that is a “brand” item was astronomical.  But the things that were not were more affordable.  In the end, Toby very happily exited the store with some new guns and a robot, and Ben had a robot as well.  We wandered up and down the aisles, wide-eyed at all the beautiful merchandise for sale.  Look at that – a rice cooker!  Good-quality knives!  Curtain Rods! Luckily we have all we need already and didn’t need to purchase anything, but it was funny to feel like the country mice coming in to the city.

We got quite a few looks as we parked at the store, in our big Land Cruiser with the roof rack and yellow metal jerry cans (filled with extra diesel) on top.  It was completely covered with mud from our trip and we looked like we had just come off of safari.

We settled into our guest accommodations (provided very cheaply by missionaries serving missionaries there in Blantyre) and the next day found Kevin spending all morning investigating how to fix the car.  He about had a Freak Out in the toyota dealership.  We have a plastic radiator which cannot be soldered, and we thought we ought to replace it.  He inquired at Toyota and they quoted him a price of $1,800 and told him it would take a month to get the part in.  He almost had a heart attack right there and then.  He started praying for God to help him, because we couldn’t get back to Moz with the radiator the way it was.  God provided help in the form of a local Christian mechanic from South Africa, who spent a great deal of time the next day repairing the radiator in a way that we feel will hold for a long time.  They also solved the problem of the low power by simply replacing the fuel filter.  What a relief.

Kevin was able to have his annual ECG done on his heart, and the doctor noted with satisfaction that nothing has changed since last year (he has some mild problems that we need to keep an eye on) and commented that he could start doing the test less frequently now.  Kevin has been jogging 3 miles 4 times a week since September and is feeling great.  I had my knee checkup, which I commented on in a previous post.  We pulled out of Blantyre at 6 pm on the 19th to drive an hour north to our cottage to begin our vacation, very much relieved on several fronts.  And God continues to provide the finances we need along the way!

We are currently ensconced in a lovely small home on a mission compound 12 km south of the town of Zomba, where the Zomba mountain is.  We drove up there yesterday, and up to the top of the mountain, which is covered in forest and ferns.  It is so beautiful, green and cool.  After the dusty, hot dryness of Moz, it is a balm to the eyes.  We are enjoying wearing socks and light jackets, and resting a lot.  As I sit on the couch and write this, I can hear the birds and see green leafy trees out of the window.  It is nice to be away from the stresses of Nampula for a bit.  Our vacation is cut short by the car troubles, but we are thankful that we didn’t have to cancel it.  Tomorrow Kevin and toby plan a hike around on the mountain and on Tuesday we’ll head to a nearby game park for some game viewing by boat.  Then we’ll continue up to the lake for a much-anticipated Christmas celebration.  Usually we have a birthday cake for Jesus, but this year I’ll have to figure something else out.  Maybe cookies. . . or ice cream, which is a big treat for us.

Meanwhile, we wish a very Merry Christmas to all.
Love, Cami

Since we have internet access for a few days here in Malawi, I thought I’d update with how our trip has gone so far.

We arrived in Chimoio and stayed at Maforga mission with friends who are working there in medical work and mobilizing people to spread the Gospel.   We enjoyed seeing the different kinds of work going on there.  As we approached the driveway, we pulled over to bid farewell to our colleagues, Inge and Angelika, who had kindly caravaned with us for the day.  We had heard of an armed robbery on that road and didn’t want to travel alone.  After we said goodbye, Kevin noticed a huge amount of liquid on the ground under our car and realized that it was Automatic Transmission Fluid.  Not good.  We bid farewell to our friends the next day, and after topping up the ATF, drove into town to the mechanic.  We left the car with him and then drove out to our AIM Mozambique conference with colleagues.

We had such a nice week with all of our colleagues.  I think there were about 30 adults and 17 children.  We stayed in a Catholic retreat center, and had two rooms for us and our kids, which was great.  Last year we were all in one tiny room (I was in charge of housing, so that was my fault!).  We all slept well, and enjoyed the many times of fellowship and teaching and catching up with the colleagues whom we only see once a year.  There were some new colleagues on the field this year and it was fun getting to know them a bit.  Best of all were the 3 children’s workers who had come out from the USA and Canada to do ministry to the kids.  It wasn’t just babysitting, it was ministry!  They brought two huge suitcases full of toys, treats (chips ahoy!!) and teaching materials.  The kids were in bliss, and we came away with a huge bag of wonderful things for the kids.  They were so kind and had such servant hearts.  I was able to attend all of the meetings htis year knowing that my kids were happy and safe.  Thank you Carol Ann, Cindy and Barbara!!!

Unfortunately, on the 3rd day of the conference I slipped on a wet floor after doing some laundry by hand, and twisted my knee badly.  I didn’t rip out the ligament that was repaired in April in South Africa (from my motorcycle accident last year), which I am thankful for.  However, 2 1/2 weeks after the fall I continue to have pain and swelling.  The doctor in Blantyre, Malawi, that I saw last week couldn’t tell if I had torn the miniscus or not and we have to wait and see if I continue with this situation for another couple months.  If so, I’ll have to fly back to SA for another, more minor, surgery.  I did rip the miniscus last year and it healed on its own, but there is only a 10% chance of that.  We’ll see!  Please pray.

After the conference was over, our mechanic informed us that the seals on our Torque converter needed to replaced, and needed to be flown in from South Africa.  So we ordered them, and started waiting.  We started our wait in the home of dear friends from Nampula who have moved to Chimoio, Jacob and Jaynie Michaels.  Here is their website:  http://www.goodnewsforafrica.org/gnfamichael/
They made us feel so welcome and comfortable, even though they had finished painting parts of their “new” rental house only the day before!  We had such a nice time with them, getting caught up on  various things and going out to see the farm outside of town that they hope to buy to start ministry in Chimoio.  On the 12th, we moved down the street to the empty home of AIM colleagues since the Michaels had other guests coming in to stay and we felt we had imposed on them long enough!  The house was so ideally situated, because we could continue to visit with J & J, as well as our new AIM colleagues, the Allens.  It was fun getting to know them and spending time with them, and our boys especially enjoyed playing with their girls.  Toby and Rebecca (age 5) had a fantastic time.

There was delay after delay in getting the part in and our car fixed, and we had to keep calling our housing in Malawi to let them know we would be delaying a couple more days, a couple more days.  It was so frustrating.  In the end, the car was fixed well by our great mechanic, and the price was one we were able to pay!  God provides.

Originally, we were to stay in Chimoio until the 11th, but didn’t leave until the 16th.  We were sad to see days of our Malawi vacation slipping away. . . but grateful that we were in such a good spot, with good friends, to spend that time.  And, as we commented at the end, it was really restful and peaceful.  When we left, the dark circles under our eyes were gone and we were all feeling much healthier.  -C

As we are leaving on Saturday for a month away, you might find this space static for awhile.  Hopefully we won’t have any grand tales of adventure that we feel we share with you all.  Just 7 hours of driving on Saturday over mostly cement roads (part of that with enormous potholes) to stay with other missionaries.  Then taking the ferry over the Zambezi river next morning, and another 5 hours or so to our friends at Maforga mission near Chimoio.  Next week is AIM’s national conference in Chimoio, where we’ll go on Monday.  Then a couple days with friends after that, then the long drive north through Tete to Blantyre, Malawi.  We’ll be in Malawi for about 2 weeks doing medical appointments, shopping and some vacation.  We are much looking forward to it.

We are experiencing the usual stuff here at the moment.  Our water has been on and off for the last few days.  The person who brought the water bill explained that when it rained, more water came into the dam and they had to turn off all the water pipes to clean that new water with bleach.  I don’t know. . . I think it sounds like he doesn’t know what the heck he is talking about!  We did have water for 30 minutes on Tuesday morning, and then 30 minutes Wednesday morning.  As soon as it came back on, I ran to the washing machine to fill it up and wash, but discovered that the power meanwhile had gone off.  Sigh.  See, I thought I was being really clever and brought white towels with me to Mozambique.  And all of these needed a good wash before we left.  Nothing stays clean here.  The water isn’t even clean!  I have a nice big bathtub to soak in, but once I filled the tub in anticipation and couldn’t bring myself to climb into that brownish water for a luxury bath.  🙂  With a shower, you don’t notice.

Later, the power came back on, along with the water,  so I could turn on the water heater and carry buckets of hot water from the bathroom to the washer outside.  About 8 buckets each load, two loads.  Then the towels were hung outside in the sun to dry (as is all our laundry) along with the other 4 loads of laundry, including cloth diapers. Meanwhile, our house worker was peeling and slicing a mountain of sweet potatoes for the dish I am making for our Thanksgiving dinner tonight.  We’ll have about 30 people meeting together to enjoy fire-roasted chicken and the various side dishes we have brought.  Happy Thanksgiving!

When Kevin went to pick up Toby at school yesterday, he found him sitting and watching the children playing, which is extremely unusual.  He found Toby pale and ill, and immediately took him for a malaria test, which was positive.  We started him on the medication immediately and he seems to be improving.  He’ll be tired for about a week, probably, and we are glad that we will have 2 days drive in the car to keep him still.  He has the kind that is resistant, and we’ll dose him again in a month to kill the parasite but good.  Poor kid really was feeling ill last night but seems to be on the mend.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Kevin meanwhile has been going over the car, preparing everything for the many miles we will drive, on some bad roads.  Much bouncing ahead!  We leave behind all of our pets and an empty house.  Please pray for the safety of all!  All of our chicken eggs will go to a local orphanage while we are gone, so we pray that they produce well.

Christmas will find us at Lake Malawi, in a cottage at Monkey Bay.  It will be a bit lonely, to be honest, so please pray that we are able to find others to celebrate the holiday with.  But we are very thankful for the restful time that we will be able to have.  It is the “hungry time” here in Mozambique, the time before gardens are planted and harvested, and we find the many requests for help very tiring.  Our resources are small and we are just not able to help many.  And there is always the dilemma of who to help and how much, many questions there.

Tomorrow afternoon we will pack the car, with full toolkit and a trunk of Christmas gifts sent out by loved ones for the boys.   Off we go!
-Cami

Wow, pretty exciting!  An earthquake in Nampula!  However, thankfully I don’t have tales of desparation or horror to share.  No collapsed homes, no mudslides.  Instead, I have only this to relate:  When the shaking started, I woke up, shook Kevin’s arm gently and said sleepily “We’re having an earthquake”.  He stirred, said “Yes, it’s an earthquake” and went back to sleep.  And then I did too.    I think we ought to lose our parenting license – oh wait, we never did get that.  We SHOULD have raced to take the kids from their beds and safe into the yard.  Thankfully, the earthquake was not a “big one”, just enough to shake our house a bit.  Anyway, that’s all the news!  – Cami

This morning I visited a nearby church with my neighbor.  I had promised to go with her one day because I wanted to encourage her to be part of a church (she had fallen away for some time) and today was the day.  It was very pleasant to be with her and I know she was pleased that I took the time (3 1/2 hour service in 98 degree heat!) but being there at the church was very uncomfortable.

When we walked in, the service had already started and the members were praying.  In many churches here, that means that everybody is praying.  All at once.  Out loud.  In this particular flavor of church, it means that you feel like you are surrounded by crazy people, because people are pacing about, throwing their arms into the air, twirling around, or jumping up and down.  All the while, literally shouting up at the sky.  Shouting the same thing over and over again, weeping desperately, beating their breasts.  I wish I was exaggerating, but sadly I am not.  It makes you want to turn around and run out again! There are many believers here who think that the louder your prayer, the more likely it is to be answered.  In some of the churches we visit, the windows are all covered and doors closed before the pandemonium begins.  This is because they believe that where the Bible says you are to “go into your closet” is to be taken literally.

Anyway, most of the service was great.  Nice singing, a bit of dancing, great drumming and some church elections done in an orderly fashion.  Then it was time for the preaching.  The regular pastor was away, so a higher-up from the district had come to preach.

I am sorry to say that the Health and Wealth Gospel is alive and well here in Mozambique.  There are various denominations, including the one I visited today, that follow this teaching.  The preacher started out well, reading verses from Matthew and Romans that talk about not worrying about eating or drinking, but seeking first the kingdom of God.  He went on to talk about how the Kingdom of God is Peace, the continued into how the Kingdom of God is in our homes if we live peacefully.  Not really scriptural, but ok.  Unfortunately, then he veered into the all-too-familiar teaching that the Kingdom of God is here on earth among us and that if we pray hard enough and seek it hard enough, we will all have riches here on earth.  He actually said:  “Is the kingdom of God in the sky?  NO!  It is here!!”.  After emphasizing that the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (based on the scriptures), he went on to say, for 20 minutes, that the Kingdom of God is money.  Houses, cars, a good mattress to sleep on. Of course, everyone loved it.  He kept saying “Do you want the Kingdom of God?  Do you want glass windows in your house?”  To which everyone replied, shouting:  “YES!”  They were thrilled.

It is particularly hard to listen to this in view of the lack of Bible teaching that people have.  Most know almost nothing about the Bible, beyond the verses that explain they will prosper.  These very poor people continue to poor their money into the church, most of which is sent on to the leaders, who are indeed becoming rich!  And the poor continue on hoping for the riches which they feel God will soon be sending their way.    When it is not forthcoming, the people are blamed for lack of faith, not enough “seed money” given, or not enough time spent praying.

All of this is just another example of why we are here.  Denominations like this one will continue on and likely we will not have much impact on them.  Usually, folks from this church are not allowed at our classes.  However, teaching believers from the other churches what the Bible says, and how to read the Bible, will bear fruit for generations to come.  When people understand what they believe, and how to understand what the Bible says, they are less likely to be taken in by these wolves in sheep’s clothing.  – Cami

Well, I haven’t posted in awhile.  Seems like life suddenly speeded up.  However, my mom sent me a link to a short video on YouTube of a guy driving around Nampula and I thought some of you would find it interesting.  I think it was done within the last 5 years as not much has changed.

He starts off driving up a street that we drive on quite frequently, from Toby’s school to our house.  If you continue on that first street straight (he turns right) you’ll soon turn left onto another street, then right onto our street.

He drives on the two main streets on Nampula in this video, where all the shops and nice buildings are.  Not all of Nampula looks like this, not by a long shot, but it gives you an idea of what the shops look like and the college, and the biggest hotel.  The minibuses you see driving around are the taxis that everyone uses.  15-20 people per taxi.  And this is what the terrain looks like, a lot of scrubland, palm trees, and dirt!!

I apologize that the quality is absolutely awful.  But for those of you who are interested, you will see some of the sights we see every day.

Here’s the code for YouTube:

Or you can go to YouTube and look for the video “Nampula” by myminami

-cami