Report ;-)

Yikes, boot camp is here! This week leaders seminar starts. It seems like I just had boot camp and here comes another one!

The students and kids are all in a rush to get packed get soap and such and to get the extensions in their hair for boot camp. Because apparently, they can stay in for quite some time without refreshing. So EVERYONE has long hair now, except for about 2 or three of them. I personally think that it is too hot for all that hair. So I was teasing them about cutting my hair off for boot camp when they put theirs on. They all were like, Auntie Sarah, you can't cut your hair but if you do will you give it to me? So I told the girl who helps me with Catarina that if I cut my hair while I'm still here I'll give it to her. Yesterday, it was TOO hot. So I decided this is the day. It's too hot for all this hair. I chopped it off. It was about 10 inches in a pony tail that I took off. It's now above my shoulders. I did it while they were in the garden in the morning, so when they got back all the girls rushed up to me and were saying Auntie Sarah!! You look so beautiful!! Can I have your hair? It was the event of the week.

The other bit of excitement this week was thanksgiving! Papa said we were going to all celebrate together, so they killed a goat and had rice and goat and the students and staff and kids all ate together before devotions. Papa surprised Erin and I with turkey! We were so excited!! It was very good. We explained thanksgiving to them and then we spent the time of prayer giving thanks to the Lord for everything from America and Mozambique to our salvation. It was really good. I was definitely feeling sad at the beginning of the day, to be in Africa for thanksgiving without my family. But the day was very good and I was so thankful that Simon worked so hard to make me not be so homesick on a big American holiday.

This week we have been having evening devotions together, staff, students, and kids. We have been having a short devotion and then a time of prayer. It has been really good to see the Lord moving in this time. We have been especially praying for one of our girls who is sick. Every night we pray for Tereza. We are reading about the miracles of Jesus and believing them for this girl. Please pray with us for her.

Thats all for this week. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were grateful for the abundance that we have there in America. God Bless.

Saturday yay!!!

Hey Everyone!! It's been a killer hot week. and I am slightly nervous cause starting this week I have to do my own laundry. I have been wonderfully blessed with a student to do the laundry for Katie, and me!! But she is going to boot camp tomorrow... uh oh... so I have to wash for myself. Mine, I'm not worried about, but for Kate... yikes! makes me nervous. I have to get up at the crack of dawn (5ish, only a little before I normally get up anyway...) and wash diapers and such. bla, I am not looking forward to it... but I guess it has to be done. My thanksgiving was good, except the part when I woke up and realized I was still in Africa on Thanksgiving and cried... the rest of the day was good. Papa surprised Erin (the other American here, besides Abner... who isn't really American) and me with Turkey. I almost cried again, but didn't. We had a big party and I made those goofy indian feather hat things for the kids and we made hand turkeys to put on the wall with Happy Thanksgiving written on them in English, Portuguese, and Shona. And Erin and I explained Thanksgiving to everyone. They ate Goat and rice, which I have to admit, I was kinda sad to miss. But the turkey was really good. There was a big event at the orphanage this week, but I'm going to write it in my report, so I don't want you to have to read twice. I hope you all had a really good thanksgiving!! Miss ya!

Another hot sunday

Hey everyone!! Hows it going?? I envy your winter right now. I am sitting here in the TDM (telephone something Mozambique) sweating my eye balls out. I wish it would just rain so it could be cool. But then my nappies don't dry... so I don't know, maybe if it could be cool and not rainy. like 70 would be nice. Now it's 97ish I think. yikes. Too hot!! I wish for a swimming pool every day, but the best I can do is a nice cold shower. I am thankful for that. But usually with Katie I don't get my nice cold shower until after it's already dark, and then it's a nice 70 and the cold shower is cold. What can you do?? Anyway, but here it's going well. Katie's grandma came to visit today. She is such a funny lady. I have been taking pictures of all Katie's family and she was so interested in how the picture came out like that right away (on the digital camera) and wanted another one for her to take home. Then I had to explain how it worked and that I couldn't get the pictures out until I went home... Anyway, I have to go... time online... it's expensive. I'll talk to you guys later, hope you are having a great day!!!

Sunday Report

I can't believe another week has past! It is flying by. This week has been rather uneventful. The kids have been busy fetching water and working in the garden. I have been busy watching the little ones. Since Abner left I have been responsible for the medicine of the kids. There were a couple bottles of vitamins in there and Abner said that they had been trying to give them, but each time it lasted a couple of days and then was forgotten. So I have been trying to give the little ones vitamins every day. They love it and all come running to me after breakfast, "Auntie Sarah Vitamina!!"

This week I went to Chimoio with Simon and picked up some groceries and things, while I was there I was getting french fries and ice cream at hungry lion, and I didn't know that the lady knew english... and my portuguese is sadly lacking. So I ordered my chips and ate them while I was waiting for Simon and then I still had time so I wanted some ice cream. But I didn't know the word for ice cream. So I went up and smiled at the lady and she looked at me like, yes?? So I said the word for milk and then pretended I was holding an ice cream cone and started licking the air... she said, Oh, Ice cream? I felt really silly and we both started laughing really hard. I told her that I was terrible at portuguese but I was trying and she laughed. Unfortunately I get the same response (laughter) when I am actually saying the right word in portuguese. Oh well!

Our children's ministry numbers are continuing to go down. Please pray that the kids would come. But also that if they are coming that they are there for the right reasons. My group (7-9) mostly want to play and eat cookies. Today when over half of my class couldn't tell me the story as soon as I finished it, the people who couldn't remember weren't allowed to play. They had to sit and watch the others swing and play outside. They weren't too happy with that situation. But please pray for us to be effective in our ministry to these kids and that they would actually take something from Sunday morning besides cookies and juice.

Thats all for me this week! I am praying for you all there the States! Thank you for your prayers for me.

Friday Afternoon

Ok, so because I have no brain... I forgot to make my photobucket pics public. So try again folks. There are some good ones. For you guys that haven't heard the story of Katie... she is one of the orphans here. She came 2 or 3 weeks after I got here. She is 5 months old. When she came she couldn't hold her head up. Now she can roll over (just started back to front today!!) sit up by herself, and she has just started eating! When she came Simon (Papa) asked me if I wanted her, and I, being the mother that I am, jumped at the chance. So now for about 5 weeks I've had her. She is a really good girl, although she cries when anyone else holds her. I like to joke and say that she is afraid of black people, because most African babies are afraid of white people! I don't think she knows she's black. She thinks, my mom is white, so I must be white too!! I am going to try to attach my weekly reports onto here so you guys can get a picture of how I am doing. There won't be anymore pictures for a while cause I use Abner's flash drive thingy and it's with him at boot camp on the other side of Mozambique... oh well... but in January expect more pictures!! I love you guys!!

Sunday afternoon

Here I am in Mozambique. I just wanted to make a place where everyone could read updates from me and see some "snaps" from Africa. I will try to post when I come to town, so check periodically if you're interested... if not... don't. Have a great day, and flush the toilet once for me!!
P.S. Check out my pictures!!http://photobucket.com/albums/d55/SnapsFromAfrica/