November

Only 3 weeks till this mission training school graduates to then go where they are called to shine the light of Jesus’s face to every nation. I knew our time here in Mozambique would fly by and yet I’m still surprised. November greeted us this year with joy and revelation. On November 3^rd Spencer and I led a team of students along with a group of Mozambiquan Bible School students out into the African bush. Two hours away from the busy Pemba is a quiet remote village almost untouched by western invasion. Doing our best to learn cultural dress, language and customs the Bible school and Mission school students arrived to bring the hope of Jesus to this small village. We spent three days sharing the gospel message, providing medical help, praying for the sick and mentally tormented, making new friends, learning from the locals, playing and feeding the children. One evening a momma came to me with her sick baby asking for me to pray for the aching stomach. We prayed, the momma breast fed some more and then she handed me the tiny naked baby gilrl. I propped her up and burped her and rubbed her tummy and realized all that was wrong with this beautiful little girl was just a little gas. I realized then that it is really true that a lot of sickness and discomfort in these remote villages is simply because of a lack of knowledge about their bodies. Mommas run out of milk for their babies ‘cause they don’t realize that they need to drink water. Babies cry from stomach aches ‘cause of not being burped. These trips to the African bush are so important for so many reasons.

Our last morning in the bush was also my 23^rd birthday and being put in a circle of village people, Bible school students and mission school internationals singing Portuguese and English “happy birthday” was awkward and awesome. After that we headed back to our home in Pemba and were greeted with running water! (Every weekend previous we have been without running water on base so it was kinda a big deal) Cards, gifts, cakes, letters and lots of love came in at every angle and made November 5^th a great birthday.

Four days later one very special and loved man woke up for his 24^th birthday to find out that the 12 girls in our house planned a big breakfast birthday party for their new “dad.”  We feasted on french toast, pancakes, coffee, juice, and toast and invited other close friends to join in the front porch party. The cards, gifts, cakes, letters and lots of love came in at every angle and made now November 9^th a great birthday.

One particular gift made both November 5^th, November 9^th and November 14^th (our 6 month wedding anniversary) extremely special. A group of probably 20 or more students pulled their money together to bless Spencer and I with a weekend at a hotel and nice dinner. We stood in awe for over a minute not really even knowing how to receive such a big gift. 

November has shown us that we are extremely loved and in realizing this it has made us even more grateful for all that we have received in the past and in the present.