A couple of fun videos.
1. Dont fall asleep in the LandCruiser
2. Mozambique Shake
Monday, May 6, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
We made it.
Well we all made it back. We were a little late for the 11:00 service on Sunday, but here nonetheless.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
24 hrs from now we will be home.
We made it back to South Africa. I did lose/left my passport on the plane but i got it back and we are in the international transfers now and we have until 8:25pm our time (it's 5:00pm now).
We are Coming to America!
We are Coming to America!
Friday, April 26, 2013
Back from Monapo (aka "The Bush")
Well we have successfully made it back to the Harrells.
We left the Harrells on Wednesday around 10:30 and made it there just a bit before lunch. We stopped before we got there and made a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Once we arrived we had a group of at least 20 watching us while we set up camp. A total of five tents and two hammocks were our sleeping quarters for the next two nights.
The lessons for VBS were the same as the ones in Nacala with a focus on Creation the first day and on the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus ok the second.
The kids in Monapo were much better behaved than the ones in the city. In the bush the social structure is much more based on the family. The kids listened to the adult leaders much better and games went much easier. The church is about a 1/4th of the size of the one in Nacala, but it is just as lively.
In all we saw about 150 kids and at the end of the second day 53 made some kind of decision to follow Christ. They were counseled by Becky, Brian and also Pastor Domingos.
The church (mission) in Monapo was the first place to apply the methods and teaching away from their home church in Nacala. Two of the guys who attended the training, Salvador and Albertino, live in Monapo and were great. It is great to see the application not only in the city but also in their home church.
The cuisine in the bush was relatively simple. The nationals cooked for us and each meal consisted of a combination beams, rice, xema(shema), potatoes and chicken. The first two meals we had shema, I think because the nationals prefer shema and wanted to only give us the best. Once they found out we prefers rice, they served both.
Overall the food was not as bad as I had hoped. It didn't hold a candle to Becky's cooking, and the variety could have used some work. Connie, Melissa and I were saying we should teach them how to make Chicken Bog (chicken and rice) since they seem to have the ingredients.
Everyone is pretty tired tonight and is a disparate need of a shower. In the bush, the only shower available is a bucket bath. Some took on the challenge while other decided to go with baby wipes and layers of deodorant. I was one of the former.
We made our way back tonight and stopped a the "Thirsty Whale." It is a local 5 star restaurant that makes you feel like you are back home. All the guys had hamburgers and the ladies shared burgers and mahi-mahi.
As the week is drawing to a close,
It is amazing to see the fruits of God's labor. The Harrells have done an amazing job laying a foundation here in Nacala and Becky has done a great job of leading us as a team in this session of Vacation Bible School and also training the leaders of the surrounding churches. I believe each of the team members have grown in their walk and also have a greater understanding and perspective in the world.
We left the Harrells on Wednesday around 10:30 and made it there just a bit before lunch. We stopped before we got there and made a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Once we arrived we had a group of at least 20 watching us while we set up camp. A total of five tents and two hammocks were our sleeping quarters for the next two nights.
The lessons for VBS were the same as the ones in Nacala with a focus on Creation the first day and on the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus ok the second.
The kids in Monapo were much better behaved than the ones in the city. In the bush the social structure is much more based on the family. The kids listened to the adult leaders much better and games went much easier. The church is about a 1/4th of the size of the one in Nacala, but it is just as lively.
In all we saw about 150 kids and at the end of the second day 53 made some kind of decision to follow Christ. They were counseled by Becky, Brian and also Pastor Domingos.
The church (mission) in Monapo was the first place to apply the methods and teaching away from their home church in Nacala. Two of the guys who attended the training, Salvador and Albertino, live in Monapo and were great. It is great to see the application not only in the city but also in their home church.
The cuisine in the bush was relatively simple. The nationals cooked for us and each meal consisted of a combination beams, rice, xema(shema), potatoes and chicken. The first two meals we had shema, I think because the nationals prefer shema and wanted to only give us the best. Once they found out we prefers rice, they served both.
Overall the food was not as bad as I had hoped. It didn't hold a candle to Becky's cooking, and the variety could have used some work. Connie, Melissa and I were saying we should teach them how to make Chicken Bog (chicken and rice) since they seem to have the ingredients.
Everyone is pretty tired tonight and is a disparate need of a shower. In the bush, the only shower available is a bucket bath. Some took on the challenge while other decided to go with baby wipes and layers of deodorant. I was one of the former.
We made our way back tonight and stopped a the "Thirsty Whale." It is a local 5 star restaurant that makes you feel like you are back home. All the guys had hamburgers and the ladies shared burgers and mahi-mahi.
As the week is drawing to a close,
It is amazing to see the fruits of God's labor. The Harrells have done an amazing job laying a foundation here in Nacala and Becky has done a great job of leading us as a team in this session of Vacation Bible School and also training the leaders of the surrounding churches. I believe each of the team members have grown in their walk and also have a greater understanding and perspective in the world.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tuesday (and Monday)
Today was the second day of vacation bible school at the Harrell's church in Nacala.
The main theme of VBS is John 3:16 so we have gone over it each day with hand gestures.
The first day was focused on Creation and Fall. This was told through story, drama and also drawn illustration. In the drama, Jeremy was God, I was the Serpent (Devil), and the local Mozambique leaders were Adám and Eva (both guys but they were pretty funny).
We sang Me Deus Tao Grande (My God is so Big) and also did the Chicken Dance with the kids. In total there were around 250 children in the morning and afternoon programs combined (some even came to both).
For the craft, each child was able to create a man from the dust (sand/glue playdoh). For games we did relay races with spoons and ping pong balls, sack races and wheelbarrow races.
For the games we had anywhere from 30-60 spectators since we are in the shared park/soccer field for the entire village. Crowd control was a big issue since we had anywhere from 80-120 kids with 4 to 6 leaders. Also most fields are grass with patches of dirt, this field is 95% dirt with patches of grass.
The second day was focused on Jesus' life and resurrection. The story was told and also presented in a drama. Ryan was Jesus, Jeremy and Ron were soldiers, Joseph was Joseph of Arimathea, and I was a dead guy brought to life.
We sang "Voce Sabe que Jesus e Bom" (You Know that Jesus is Good), Ha-La-La-La-Lelujah, and Ron even got on stage for the Chicken Dance (and almost had a panic attack).
For craft the kids made gospel bead bracelets. We had a slight miscalculation on the length of the bracelet and a couple were a little too small. The kids loved them and couldn't wait to show us when they got to games.
For games we did some of the relay games from the day before and also over under, where you pass a beanbag over your head or under your legs and then run to the back of the line.
In both the morning and afternoon, they had and altar call and had those kids who wanted to follow Jesus. A total of 76 kids raised their hands and were separated from the crowd counseled by the Pastor of the church and Becky.
We have also taken on 2 small construction projects. We made a cistern stand for the Harrells so the would have rainwater under pressure when the power is out or city water is out. We also finished up the cistern project at the church. Ron started it last November and now the church will not have to drop a bucket into the top of the underground cistern to get water each day, they also will have a shower and running water in the bathroom at the church (but still squatty pottys, no toilets)
We left the church on a bit of a sad note. One of the other guys that has been helping us out by leading and also translating from Portuguese to Makhuwa lost his father today. He got a call last night that his dad was sick, and he passed away today during VBS. His name is Evangelista. Joseph and I met his yesterday at games and his cousin today. Please keep their family in your prayers. Evangelista stayed till VBS was done and left to go see his family approximately 150km away.
We are finishing off the day eating lasagna. Today is both Megan McDaniel and also Anna's birthdays. We will be celebrating with chocolate cake and Mozambique ice cream. Becky said the first time Anna had it she said it tasted like licking envelopes.
After we are finished we will continue preparation to go to the church in "the bush". The Church we are going to is the home church of Salvador, one of the Mozambique leaders. He went through our training and has also been helping us the last 2 days.
Please keep us in your prayers as this will be the biggest cultural shock for us. Up until now, we have slept in a house with some a/c and eaten really good food (thanks Becky). Starting tomorrow, we will be staying in a tent and eating the native food. This includes Xema (shema) which is a cornmeal food similar to really fine grits. We will also have our last real shower tonight, bucket baths until Friday.
- Garrett
The main theme of VBS is John 3:16 so we have gone over it each day with hand gestures.
The first day was focused on Creation and Fall. This was told through story, drama and also drawn illustration. In the drama, Jeremy was God, I was the Serpent (Devil), and the local Mozambique leaders were Adám and Eva (both guys but they were pretty funny).
We sang Me Deus Tao Grande (My God is so Big) and also did the Chicken Dance with the kids. In total there were around 250 children in the morning and afternoon programs combined (some even came to both).
For the craft, each child was able to create a man from the dust (sand/glue playdoh). For games we did relay races with spoons and ping pong balls, sack races and wheelbarrow races.
For the games we had anywhere from 30-60 spectators since we are in the shared park/soccer field for the entire village. Crowd control was a big issue since we had anywhere from 80-120 kids with 4 to 6 leaders. Also most fields are grass with patches of dirt, this field is 95% dirt with patches of grass.
The second day was focused on Jesus' life and resurrection. The story was told and also presented in a drama. Ryan was Jesus, Jeremy and Ron were soldiers, Joseph was Joseph of Arimathea, and I was a dead guy brought to life.
We sang "Voce Sabe que Jesus e Bom" (You Know that Jesus is Good), Ha-La-La-La-Lelujah, and Ron even got on stage for the Chicken Dance (and almost had a panic attack).
For craft the kids made gospel bead bracelets. We had a slight miscalculation on the length of the bracelet and a couple were a little too small. The kids loved them and couldn't wait to show us when they got to games.
For games we did some of the relay games from the day before and also over under, where you pass a beanbag over your head or under your legs and then run to the back of the line.
In both the morning and afternoon, they had and altar call and had those kids who wanted to follow Jesus. A total of 76 kids raised their hands and were separated from the crowd counseled by the Pastor of the church and Becky.
We have also taken on 2 small construction projects. We made a cistern stand for the Harrells so the would have rainwater under pressure when the power is out or city water is out. We also finished up the cistern project at the church. Ron started it last November and now the church will not have to drop a bucket into the top of the underground cistern to get water each day, they also will have a shower and running water in the bathroom at the church (but still squatty pottys, no toilets)
We left the church on a bit of a sad note. One of the other guys that has been helping us out by leading and also translating from Portuguese to Makhuwa lost his father today. He got a call last night that his dad was sick, and he passed away today during VBS. His name is Evangelista. Joseph and I met his yesterday at games and his cousin today. Please keep their family in your prayers. Evangelista stayed till VBS was done and left to go see his family approximately 150km away.
We are finishing off the day eating lasagna. Today is both Megan McDaniel and also Anna's birthdays. We will be celebrating with chocolate cake and Mozambique ice cream. Becky said the first time Anna had it she said it tasted like licking envelopes.
After we are finished we will continue preparation to go to the church in "the bush". The Church we are going to is the home church of Salvador, one of the Mozambique leaders. He went through our training and has also been helping us the last 2 days.
Please keep us in your prayers as this will be the biggest cultural shock for us. Up until now, we have slept in a house with some a/c and eaten really good food (thanks Becky). Starting tomorrow, we will be staying in a tent and eating the native food. This includes Xema (shema) which is a cornmeal food similar to really fine grits. We will also have our last real shower tonight, bucket baths until Friday.
- Garrett
Monday, April 22, 2013
First Day of VBS
Today was a great day. We had about 250 kids attend. It was hectic, hot, and exhausting. Tomorrow is a big day as we will end VBS with a alta
r call. We pray that seeds were planted in fertile hearts today and God builds relationships with these kids. Also pray for our health and energy as we are getting exhausted.
Ryan
Our break between the morning and afternoon session:
r call. We pray that seeds were planted in fertile hearts today and God builds relationships with these kids. Also pray for our health and energy as we are getting exhausted.
Ryan
Our break between the morning and afternoon session:
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Prayer Request
We start VBS tomorrow. Pray for our team and Mozambiquen helpers. Pray for the kids attending VBS. We will have a session from 8-11 and another 1-4.
Sunday in the Village
Sunday, the Lord's day.
We started the day off with home made cinnamon rolls. I say homemade, but everything is homemade here. Becky rolled out the dough last night on the counter after our discipleship.
Ginger lead discipleship. She shared one of her recent quiet times on preparing oneself for the Lord's work. Anna, the Harrell's intern from Sumter, SC led us in worship. Something you might not think about, but this is one of the only times the Harrells and the McDaniels get to worship in English.
We made it to the church this morning around 8:30 and we began at 9:00 with Sunday School. Ryan taught all the adults with an adaptation of his lesson from yesterday on the importance of teaching children and our responsibilities as parents who are believers.
The ladies took all of the children and had Sunday School. They used most of the teaching methods we went over yesterday including song and dance.
The order of service is a little different than HGBC. We started with a short song and then all the visitors went to the front and were introduced. Their were four visitors other than us (14 total including the McDaniels). Next was preaching.
Joseph preached today and did an awesome job. It was about 90 degrees and 90% humidity. Needless to say Joseph got a little sweaty. Each sentence was translated both in Portuguese and Makhuwa. Brian did the Portuguese and Abilio (a native) translated into Makhuwa
Joseph had a three point message from Luke 21:1-4 and Matthew 23:5-7.
1. It's not how much you give it's how much of yourself you give to God.
2. We give and serve to glorify God, not ourselves
3. Salvation comes through trusting Christ
After preaching, they "took" up the offering, meaning each group (kids, women, youth and men) danced down the aisle and placed their offering in the plate. Becky and Brian gave each of us some Mozambique money for our offering dance. Maybe we could adopt this method at HGBC.
Next each group performed a worship song. We went first and sang "O, Happy Day" and then "How Great is Our God". Next were the women and they were awesome. Then the kids went and they were also great. Both of them blew us out of the water. We have video that we can share went we get back.
The ladies all wore their capulanas, including the Pastor's wife "Hirma Rosa".
We started the day off with home made cinnamon rolls. I say homemade, but everything is homemade here. Becky rolled out the dough last night on the counter after our discipleship.
Ginger lead discipleship. She shared one of her recent quiet times on preparing oneself for the Lord's work. Anna, the Harrell's intern from Sumter, SC led us in worship. Something you might not think about, but this is one of the only times the Harrells and the McDaniels get to worship in English.
We made it to the church this morning around 8:30 and we began at 9:00 with Sunday School. Ryan taught all the adults with an adaptation of his lesson from yesterday on the importance of teaching children and our responsibilities as parents who are believers.
The ladies took all of the children and had Sunday School. They used most of the teaching methods we went over yesterday including song and dance.
The order of service is a little different than HGBC. We started with a short song and then all the visitors went to the front and were introduced. Their were four visitors other than us (14 total including the McDaniels). Next was preaching.
Joseph preached today and did an awesome job. It was about 90 degrees and 90% humidity. Needless to say Joseph got a little sweaty. Each sentence was translated both in Portuguese and Makhuwa. Brian did the Portuguese and Abilio (a native) translated into Makhuwa
Joseph had a three point message from Luke 21:1-4 and Matthew 23:5-7.
1. It's not how much you give it's how much of yourself you give to God.
2. We give and serve to glorify God, not ourselves
3. Salvation comes through trusting Christ
After preaching, they "took" up the offering, meaning each group (kids, women, youth and men) danced down the aisle and placed their offering in the plate. Becky and Brian gave each of us some Mozambique money for our offering dance. Maybe we could adopt this method at HGBC.
Next each group performed a worship song. We went first and sang "O, Happy Day" and then "How Great is Our God". Next were the women and they were awesome. Then the kids went and they were also great. Both of them blew us out of the water. We have video that we can share went we get back.
The ladies all wore their capulanas, including the Pastor's wife "Hirma Rosa".
Service this morning
Service was awesome today. Joseph gave a powerful message on how we should give our entire self to God. There was a lot of singing and dancing during service. Ron even joined in :). This afternoon Brian will be leading a mens bible study with local fisherman, including some that are Muslim. Please pray for the hearts of these men.
Ryan.
Ryan.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
VBS Training
Today we went to the Harrell's church to meet with some of their Sunday school teachers and also with some teachers from nearby churches.
Ryan had a lesson for everyone focusing on "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 ESV). He did a great job and it was interesting to hear the translation into Portuguese.
Lisa, Melissa, Ginger led most of the conversations on how to teach young children and specific teaching modalities.
We were able to use the two lessons we plan on teaching, creation/fall and John 3:16.
For John 3:16 we did a song, and also a story through hand gestures.
For creation/fall, we had a drawing illustration by me, Melissa did a visual aid for the days of creation and also telling the story through hand gestures.
For each lesson we showed them multiple ways to teach the same thing and encourage them to use their gifts to make learning fun for the children.
For lunch we had a traditional meal with rice, beans and salad. Ron may have chipped a tooth on a small rock in his rice.
After lunch, Ginger and Connie led a discussion on how to talk to a child who wants to make a decision for Christ and also shared their own testimonies. They went over John 3:16 and also the Roman road. Brian continued the teaching and had everyone participate in quoting the scriptures.
John 3:16
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 10:9
Tomorrow Joseph will preach in their Sunday morning worship service. Please pray for him as his message will be translated in both Portuguese and also Makhuwa.
-Garrett
Ryan had a lesson for everyone focusing on "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6 ESV). He did a great job and it was interesting to hear the translation into Portuguese.
Lisa, Melissa, Ginger led most of the conversations on how to teach young children and specific teaching modalities.
We were able to use the two lessons we plan on teaching, creation/fall and John 3:16.
For John 3:16 we did a song, and also a story through hand gestures.
For creation/fall, we had a drawing illustration by me, Melissa did a visual aid for the days of creation and also telling the story through hand gestures.
For each lesson we showed them multiple ways to teach the same thing and encourage them to use their gifts to make learning fun for the children.
For lunch we had a traditional meal with rice, beans and salad. Ron may have chipped a tooth on a small rock in his rice.
After lunch, Ginger and Connie led a discussion on how to talk to a child who wants to make a decision for Christ and also shared their own testimonies. They went over John 3:16 and also the Roman road. Brian continued the teaching and had everyone participate in quoting the scriptures.
John 3:16
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 10:9
Tomorrow Joseph will preach in their Sunday morning worship service. Please pray for him as his message will be translated in both Portuguese and also Makhuwa.
-Garrett
Friday, April 19, 2013
Prayer Requests
Today was a great day. This evening we had a great devotional by Lisa and then discussed our plans tomorrow. We plan to teach local Sunday school teachers about the importance of biblical teaching to children and best practices for teaching children. We also are going to teach the VBS lesson plan to our Mozambiquen helpers. We are not fully prepared so please pray that God speaks thru us.
"Light Construction" Cistern Stand
The ladies went this morning to visit a family that lost a child last week and also went into town to see the market. More on that later.
The men stayed back to work on a elevated stand for captured rainwater in the event of a power or water outage, the family can still take a shower with decent pressure.
Ron and I started with the woodwork and Joseph, Jeremy and Ryan went with Brian to get some construction supplies.
Ron and I were able to get the major framing complete when the others got back we were able to put the decking and diagonal bracing installed. No Home Depot so the supply run took over 6 unique stores.
Once the ladies got back we ate lunch, Chick-Fil-A sandwiches a la Becky. They were awesome. Just like I like them, no pickles. We also had salad, fruit and veggies. I forgot to take a picture before I ate so no before and after this time.
After lunch the boys went back at the cistern stand and the attached picture is where we finished for the day. It is amazing what you take for granted in the States, a simple chop saw or bandsaw would have reduced the time by 5 or 10 fold.
Around 2 most of us left for a boat ride. Ron and Lee headed toward Nampula to pick up the luggage that was lost. On the boat ride, we were able to take a few hours and go snorkeling. It was pretty cool. You will have to wait for the pictures, but the first fish we saw was a lionfish, you know the prickly one you only see in aquariums. We did have our first injury. Ryan was attacked by some coral and has a few cuts on his hands (at least that is the story we are telling everyone else).
It is almost dinnertime here, we are going to be treated to a traditional barbecue. Chicken and Goat. It should be pretty cool.
- Garrett
The men stayed back to work on a elevated stand for captured rainwater in the event of a power or water outage, the family can still take a shower with decent pressure.
Ron and I started with the woodwork and Joseph, Jeremy and Ryan went with Brian to get some construction supplies.
Ron and I were able to get the major framing complete when the others got back we were able to put the decking and diagonal bracing installed. No Home Depot so the supply run took over 6 unique stores.
Once the ladies got back we ate lunch, Chick-Fil-A sandwiches a la Becky. They were awesome. Just like I like them, no pickles. We also had salad, fruit and veggies. I forgot to take a picture before I ate so no before and after this time.
After lunch the boys went back at the cistern stand and the attached picture is where we finished for the day. It is amazing what you take for granted in the States, a simple chop saw or bandsaw would have reduced the time by 5 or 10 fold.
Around 2 most of us left for a boat ride. Ron and Lee headed toward Nampula to pick up the luggage that was lost. On the boat ride, we were able to take a few hours and go snorkeling. It was pretty cool. You will have to wait for the pictures, but the first fish we saw was a lionfish, you know the prickly one you only see in aquariums. We did have our first injury. Ryan was attacked by some coral and has a few cuts on his hands (at least that is the story we are telling everyone else).
It is almost dinnertime here, we are going to be treated to a traditional barbecue. Chicken and Goat. It should be pretty cool.
- Garrett
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Beginning of Day 3
So the first 2 days were kind of mashed together, so I guess this is the beginning of day 3, Friday.
Everyone is slowing getting up, Brian was awake at 5 or so and Ron woke up early enough to organize all the kids to wake Jeremy, Joseph and I up with a "Good Morning" song.
The first night in Nacala was pretty warm, I asked Becky if it was normal to have a light coating of sweat on your entire body all the time. Apparently it is.
Last night we had a spaghetti and this morning we are had made to order omelets. Both were great.
Last night we also had a devotional led by Ron, and Becky and Brian went over our itinerary for the week and what to expect.
We are all excited for what the week will bring.
- Garrett
Everyone is slowing getting up, Brian was awake at 5 or so and Ron woke up early enough to organize all the kids to wake Jeremy, Joseph and I up with a "Good Morning" song.
The first night in Nacala was pretty warm, I asked Becky if it was normal to have a light coating of sweat on your entire body all the time. Apparently it is.
Last night we had a spaghetti and this morning we are had made to order omelets. Both were great.
Last night we also had a devotional led by Ron, and Becky and Brian went over our itinerary for the week and what to expect.
We are all excited for what the week will bring.
- Garrett
Prayer Request
It's been a long day and a half of travel. Pray for a good nights rest, that our luggage arrives tomorrow, and the city water runs tomorrow (currently using rain water). Tomorrow the men plan to do construction work around the house. The woman plan to visit a family that lost there newborn this morning and then go to the market. As a FYI, we are 6 hours ahead of eastern standard time.
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