Shopping

I went shopping for the first time today. We went to a number of different stores to make sure we got stuff for the cheapest price. Most of the stores have the same stuff, but certain ones are way more expensive than the rest. Then we went to the market, which is an experience in and of itself. I'm not sure there's anything quite like it in the States. I mean a flea market might come close, but it's still different. I enjoyed it and am glad to have my own food now so I can cook some for myself.

I also had my first Portuguese lesson today. It went well and I learned a lot. The lessons are set up so that you go through and learn a ton of stuff just by hearing it and being able to identify words. Then you go back and begin to learn how to actually say the words. It will be torture for me to spend the first few weeks listening, but I think it will end up being great in the end. One major thing would be for me to get over my fear of speaking.  I know the greetings, but I have this horrible way of freezing up and forgetting everything when someone says "Como esta?" Getting over the fear of actually using what I know needs to happen, then who knows what will happen!

Sorry no pictures of the market, maybe later I'll get a few.

Prayer requests for any of you who are wondering:
Mainly, that I would have a soft heart and be willing to do whatever God wants me to do and the courage to do it as well. I don't want to fall into the trap of thinking that because I'm only here for a short time, I cannot make that much of a difference. That is a lie that satan wants me to believe because he doesn't want me to make a difference. With God's help, I can make a huge impact on people here (more than just on the missionaries I am with).

I like it here :)

Sunset. Yes they are like this every evening. It's beautiful

Guava. It's a fruit. You eat the whole thing, including the annoying seeds. But it's pretty tasty

The spider on the ceiling at the conference

My room. That's pretty much my whole room too.

All of us at the youth meeting last night. It was crazy hair night :)

So last night I went to a youth meeting at one of the missionary family's houses in Lichinga. It was a lot of fun. We played a number of games, including the most hilarious game of 'Duck, Duck, Goose' I have ever played. Then we had dinner and a time of fellowship and reading the Bible. I really enjoyed it and am glad I went, after debating all day long whether to go or not. I was able to meet a couple girls my age, which was especially wonderful. I look forward to being able to talk with them again.

Simply the Story

This week I attended a training conference in Simply the Story, which is a process that has been developed to teach the Bible orally. It involves telling the story, then allowing the listeners to also tell the story. You then continue by asking questions and discussing every part of the story. It is amazing how much you can learn by digging deep into every little piece of a Bible story. It was a long week, but good. I am glad I was able to attend the conference and hopefully I will get a chance to use what I learned.

I was surprised this morning by how cold it was. It was actually cold and cloudy, but this afternoon the sun came out and it has warmed right up. I think I am beginning to settle in some, though I've got a cold which makes life a little less fun. I'm hoping it clears up in a day or two.

I was going to put some pictures on here of the spider I saw at the conference and my room or something, but the internet is not so great at the moment. It likes to come and go. I'll try again later tonight or this weekend.

Lichinga

I finally made it to Lichinga, Mozambique on Saturday after 4 days of travel. I'm so glad that I am staying here for a few months. I love flying, but I'm all airplaned out for awhile :)

I like Lichinga so far. Yesterday we went to church, which was a great experience. There were probably about 20 people there total, including the children, who run in and out the whole time. There were only about 10 adults. We sang (well they sang, I have a language problem) and one of the men preached for a bit. The service lasted about an hour and a half once it started. The church is a tiny one room building, maybe 12ft. by 24ft or so (give or take a bit because I'm a bad judge of size). It has a pulpit and an offering basket at the front with 5 rows of benches to sit on. They wanted me to sing, so Michele and her children, and I stood up and sang 'Jesus loves me' together. It was fun.

My chicken, after Michele took off some for the kids.

Then, after church we went out for lunch. You can order chicken (a quarter, a half, or a while chicken), pork, beef, or fish (the whole fish scales and all). I split a whole chicken with the kids and really enjoyed it. The meal also comes with fries, rice, and a salad. It was all really good food, especially the chicken. Chicken is not always my favorite, but I really liked it yesterday.

Today has been rather boring. I met the lady that I will study Portuguese with, but that won't start until next week because of the conference this week. I had lunch with Janice, the Regional Director here. Then I helped Michele but books away in the library, read my Bible for a bit. Now I'm on here putting an update for you all. Not that exciting really.

Life is so much more laid back here than it is in the States. You might have plans for the day, but those plans are relative. They may or may not actually happen, and if they happen right on time that's pretty amazing. This might surprise anyone who knows me well, but I kind of like it. It's not so stressful because it's not all crazy and hectic. All in all, I'm doing well and I like it here. I do feel a little bit lonely, I do miss my friends and my family. But I spend a lot of time with the George kids and in their house which helps a lot. And tomorrow through Thursday we have the 'Simply the Story' conference, so that will be fun.

Oh the internet comes in and out, so that's why it's taken me a few days to post.

My day in Maputo

Today has been so fun, and full of adventures. I slept wonderfully last night; it was great and I woke up this morning feeling refreshed.

After breakfast I spent a couple hours with one of the men staying here. He's from Portugal and was teaching me Portuguese. The more I hear it, the more I think it's going to click one of these days. I just need to get the courage to use what I do know :)

Then, this afternoon one of the women who is staying here took me for a walk around Maputo. We walked through a park, and all around a corner of the city. I saw the ocean, and we stopped for ice cream. It was really great ice cream. Sorry, there are no pictures because I left my camera conveniently in my room.

This place is great. All the other people staying here are missionaries from England, Portugal, the US, etc. It's great to talk and hear about their lives and God's goodness. It also allows me to feel quite comfortable and safe. God is good, I'm so thankful that He has everything under control :)

All in all, it was a great day!! I'm feeling more and more relaxed and I think I'm accustomed to the time change. Tomorrow, it will be up at 5, to leave the house at 5:30 for my 7:30 flight to Lichinga. I'm so excited to get to Lichinga and be able to stay there for 3 months. This whole trip is so amazing, in so many ways. I can't wait to see what else God does :)

My laptop says 10:27am and my watch says 4:25pm

I made it!! After what seemed like forever I am officially in Maputo, Mozambique. I will be staying here tonight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night. I fly up to Lichinga on Saturday.

All my flights went smoothly without any problems, which was a great blessing from God. I didn't sleep on the Detroit-Frankfurt flight as I anticipated. I survived the 13 hour layover in Frankfurt...barely. I did a lot of reading, wandering, napping, reading, wandering, napping, eating, etc. I was really ready to be out of that airport when the time came to board the plane. Then it was a 10 hour flight to Johannesburg, with a 4 hour layover. Then the quickest flight ever (an hour which was crazy fast after my last 2 flights) to Maputo; and here I am.

I was a very happy person when about 5 hours into my Frankfurt layover I noticed a sign that said "showers". At that particular moment I was feeling especially lonely and oily and gross. I am convinced God allowed me to see that sign exactly when I needed it most. That shower was the best $8 I have ever spent. I felt so rejuvenated afterward and ready to finish up my travels.

My plane from Frankfurt to Johannesburg. Biggest plane I've ever seen! Made for a quiet, smooth flight :)

My room for 2 nights. That is the whole room; I love it :)

It's good to be at a place with a bed. It will be good to have 2 nights to sleep well after the napping of airplane travel that only lets you feel slightly rested. I can't wait to actually get to Lichinga though.

Right now, I am just taking everything in. My brain is on overload and emotions are rather dull because of it. I do know that I am thankful to God for arranging everything perfectly so far so that all I have to worry about is being where I need to be and not all the crazy details. He has guided me every step of the way and continues to do so. Traveling alone was not as scary as I thought it would be. I realized there are so many people traveling that no one really notices one more woman with a backpack and suitcase. I feel slight anxiety at the fact that I will have to take a taxi from my hotel to the airport on Saturday, but even in that I know God already has it figured out and it will happen the way it happens. No need to worry about it :)

Well, I think that's enough information for one blog. I'm not sure what more to say anyway.

Mozambique, Here I Come!

Wow, what a crazy week! God is good and was with me every step of the way. On Friday, I finally received the long awaited travel dates and flight itinerary (which I will clue you in on later in this post). Even though I originally thought I would be in Mozambique by now, I am thankful that God gave me one more week here and would not change the way it happened.  I was able to visit a friend in the hospital, spend some time with my 8 year old cousin that I babysit, and go on the summer kickoff retreat with my church. I would not have been able to do any of these things if I were already in Mozambique. It is just one more way that God used to show me that He has a plan which is greater than mine. He knew I needed to do each of those things this week and that there were major reasons why it was not yet time for me to be gone. To be able to speak into people's lives and spend a weekend celebrating God's goodness with my best friends is definitely worth waiting a few extra days to leave for my summer in Mozambique. I know that God was preparing me and guiding me every step of the way.

Anyway, about my trip. Here is my flight itinerary:
Depart from Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday (May 22) at 7:10pm.
Arrive in Frankfurt, Germany at 9:20am (I will be there for 12 hours and 55 minutes) on Wednesday (May 23)
Depart from Frankfurt at 10:15pm
Arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa at 8:45am on Thursday (May 24)
Depart from Johannesburg at 1:50pm
Arrive in Maputo, Mozambique at 2:55pm
Depart from Maputo at 7:30am on Saturday (May 26)
Arrive in Lichinga at 11:10am

If you noticed the dates of my flights, I will be spending two nights, and one day in Maputo, which is the capital of Mozambique, because that is how flight schedules work out. This is slightly disappointing as I would like to get to my final destination, but will allow me to rest and have some time to adjust to the time change. In everything, I know God has a plan, and I do not doubt the perfection of that plan.

A slight disclaimer must be given here. I've listed all the times as given on my tickets, so they are the times accurate to where I will be. For the sake of my sanity I am not going to translate the times into what they will be equivalent to for those of you in Michigan.  This is because I do not want to know. I want my brain to be on the time of where I am physically at; this will help me adjust to the time change (I hope). If you want to do your own math, Mozambique is 6 hours ahead of Michigan. So at noon in Michigan it is 6pm in Mozambique.

I'm excited and nervous and can't wait to get on the plane tomorrow night. Your prayers are appreciated as I begin this journey.