Matopi means “mud” or “clay.” This is my new cat Matopi, named for his color and his habit of sleeping in the pottery outside our kitchen. He bites people but not too hard. He eats cockroaches and beetles so he’s welcome here and as long as he has the sense to stay behind my gate he’ll probably keep all his whiskers.

Matopi Says Good Morning

Coincidentally I also started doing a pottery class today with a man named Asim who’s been in the business for 19 years. He built a pottery wheel that you turn by kicking a board. I’ve never touched a pottery wheel in my life but I managed to turn out a hollow shape that kind of resembled a cup. Asim can make anything. We have four kids from base in our little weekly class.

A Student Plays with Asim's Bowl

The sun had already been down for an hour or so when we left. We stopped at a gas station and picked up snacks. My neighbor-for-the-week Chad laid hands on me as I was standing in line and I got wrecked (”wrecked for Jesus” as they say) right there. We were headed to a place about 30 minutes away where the people had in years past began to stone some of our missionaries- in fact some of the same missionaries were going back today. The climate is a little different as they’ve done lots of outreach in the area. Everyone was praying and thanking God. We arrived and the sound system and praise videos were already running. Tonight we didn’t show the Jesus film. Instead we reenacted the story of the good Samaritan and then gave a salvation message. The truck was parked right next to a brand new church so we were blessed with the help of some fellow believers and the opportunity to tell people where they could learn more.

After the skit a team from the states invited the sick to come for prayer. Specifically they asked for people with eye problems first. We began praying and praying. Lots of people in the crowd laughed and it was hard to discern if it was out of mockery or amazement but we kept praying. The crowd would move to wherever we prayed. They would find someone with some ailment and bring them over to see what God would do. Pain in heads and stomachs was the first to go. Then pain in joints. We spent lots of time with one man who explained hadn’t really walked in 2 years. Before his pain left he accepted Jesus as his savior and then he walked with one of our team leading him, about 50 feet up to the stage to tell his story. Three blind women were healed- one of them was struck by blindness 3 months ago which was confirmed by two men from her village and she was able to see again. When we asked the second woman how long she had been blind for she paused, gave a chuckle and said “a very long time” (well she said it in Makua anyway). I had been out praying for the lame man when the other woman gave her testimony. All three of them were saved and all three of them came specifically for their eyes to be healed.

We got back very late and missed dinner entirely but it was a good trade. A really good trade.

God is good. He is faithful and His grace is always enough. To our knowledge everyone who was healed of a physical ailment that night (I haven’t written about them all) was either already saved or got saved before they were healed. Forgiveness of sin is the greater miracle.

I will update this post with picture as soon as I have time- I have to pull the frames from an HD cam

My kitchen back on base has been a mess lately, mostly because we don’t have many shelves. I went into town today and picked up a couple bundles of bamboo (a bundle is about 10 pieces 25 feet long) and some cord made out of old tires for 100 mets (about $4) and did my first bit of bamboo construction.

I’ve been out of town for 3 days but before that we went out at night into the MIDDLE of nowhere and climbed on top of the land rover to catch the African night sky. The stars here are numerous and vivid. Here’s a few long exposures we took on our outing.

…well it started raining and the power is sketch at the moment so I’m not going to spend time to finish this proper like, just click on the picture to make it big and click “read the rest…” below for the other pictures! God bless, more later…
Read the rest of this entry »

Saves on Dishes

Yesterday we had a birthday party on the beach for all of the November birthdays. After relay races and other games we handed out gift bags and announced the names of all the kids who had a birthday. It was a long list. Everyone got cake and coke (or Fanta) and we finished up just as a summer rain ushered in the sunset.

Speaking of summer rain, with it comes mosquitoes and with them, Malaria. There’s 5 missionaries on base here fighting malaria at the moment so we appreciate your prayers for healing and for continued health.

Happy Birthday Sandrey!!!

Relay Races on the Beach

Happy 14th Birthday!

I love you all!

I arrived in country safely and I’m pretty well adjusted. It’s hot and sticky but a swim in the beautiful ocean or an afternoon shower makes life very enjoyable! I can’t say too much because I’m actually quite busy. I did my grocery shopping this morning and I have to visit some kids and then I have a lesson to teach at 3! Yesterday I was able to get connected with the clinic. The kids here are amazing. You get the whole spectrum in terms of behavior but all in all with a little effort all of them are quite friendly. During service the other afternoon children grabbed my hands and sat with me. There’s all kinds of diseases here from skin infections to chromosomal and developmental disorders but everyone praises God.

I have my own room at the moment, complete with dresser, desk, fan, shower and toilet- although the water has been out half the time I’ve been here. I have a 15 gallon bucket that I keep full and some pitchers to shower and flush with . My room is a great quiet retreat as life on base can be pretty hectic.

Just wants to be held

Food is fun. I eat rice and beans or cabbage with my hands. My neighbors sell Iced Coffee to the students and missionaries twice a week and I get perks. Wow. I’ve had lots of favor in many things here. I’ve made some really great connections with some awesome kids and staff as well. As I pray for the people here they also lay hands on me and pray for me. There’s lots to say but I’ll just summarize by saying the spirit of God is in it all!

Update: Ok, actually I wrote this two days ago but I haven’t been able to send it. Power has gone out for the last two nights! What an adventure.

I’ve settled into South Africa nicely, two more days here before Mozambique.  It rained like crazy last night but it’s nice out today.  There’s a breeze, dramatic clouds and plenty of sun.  I’m really enjoying quiet times here.  It’s very peaceful where I’m staying.  

The view from my room in South Africa

I managed to sneak a few shots of those shiny lizards.  Click on them to make them bigger.  I’ll buy the first person to identify these buggers a cup of Aroma (next time we’re in Israel or New York together). 

You can see that one of these girls has some curves- there’s another that’s more elusive that I think has got to be preggers to the max.  Anyway, enough about lizards I’m off to do my grocery shopping.  The internet is as sketchy as you can imagine (I climbed a tree to send this, no kidding) so I may be out or reach for a bit

There’s a lot more to this story. This was a surprise Amir arranged for us- after camels we sat in tents and had an awesome dinner seated on the floor with low tables. I was too busy eating to document the amazing food but here’s a video of the second best part:

Here’s a few more shots from the Dead Sea- it deserved a little more photo treatment than I gave the other day (as always, click to enlarge):

Sunrise over the Dead Sea - Amazing!

My room mate Nate Shooting the Sunrise across from me

Sarah silhouetted with people floating funnily in the background

It was said that the Dead Sea had powerful healing abilities.