Hello everyone!! I am doing this update from the Harper's home on the hilltop at Bethel center. We are blessed here with an absolutely priceless view of the Indian Ocean. This is a peaceful place where you can feel the presence of God all around. We are settling into the routine here (not that there really is a routine) bit by bit. Here is a quick update of our time here so far (quick so I don't lose the internet connection before I publish!).
Days 1-3:
Had an interesting time getting here. A delayed flight to Atlanta left us with just minutes to catch our connecting flight to Johannesburg. Luckily we are a fleet group and got on board just in time. Upon arrival at JoBurg we were informed that our flight to Mozambique was overbooked, so we would need to stay overnight to catch a flight in the morning. We were pretty crabby about that whole matter until we arrived at the very nice hotel (paid for by the airline) and had a very nice meal (also paid for by the airline). We were also fortunate to meet a couple of other Americans, Amy and Stephanie, who also got bumped off of the flight. The next morning we caught our flight to Maputo and fortunately found our bags that had gone ahead the night before on our original flight (a absolute miracle in my mind - praise God!). From there we met Mark Harper at the airport where he informed us that his car was broken down and in the shop. I am now keenly aware of how blessed we are in America to have reliable, working vehicles as it seems to be a rarity here. We spent some time in Maputo - having lunch at the home of an American couple who spend several months in Moz, and getting groceries at the suprisingly well-stocked Shop Rite. Maputo is an interesting, bustling city -- a bit on the rough side, with shacks and rubble everywhere, but also many signs of modernization (both good- nicer schools for example, and bad - a significantly increased traffic problem). We finally hitched a ride with a youth group from South Africa for the long drive to Xai Xai and Bethel center. 48 hours, dozens of security check points and thousands of pot holes after our departure from Minneapolis, we arrived at our destination. The beautiful Bethel Center - where we had a nice meal and very good sleep!
Day 4
The day started early with our team's prayer and devotion time at 6:30am, followed by a breakfast of green oatmeal and coffee - both surprisingly delicious.
I immediately got the sense of the do-it-yourself nature of living out here when Mark asked if I, because I am a horse person, would be willing to help perform a little surgery on his horse who has a nasty growth on his leg. Catching the horse will be another story.
After a quick inspection of the horse, and determining that surgery performed by me, a non-vet with no medical experience, might not be the best option, we got to work on our project for the day -- window repair and installation. Half of the battle here is locating the proper tools for the job, and improvising when there aren't any. After some initial mishaps - including a gashed thumb for me, and sliced hand for Mary Lou (we are fine!) we got into a groove and finished replacing and caulking about half the windows in the girls' dormitory building.
After a full day of work we took a quick walk to get a better view of the beach, followed by a campfire cookout of Voorst (like brats) and marshmallows -a little like home for me! We also enjoyed time with Mark, listening to stories of he and Les' mission work and the trials faced by the Mozambican people. It is so moving to get a glimpse into their life and work, and feel like we get to be a small part of something much bigger than ourselves here.
Day 5
We are planning to finish the windows today, along with a few small painting projects. We are hoping for the opportunity to go into the community the next few days in the "bush" to work with the children at the school there. We see what the plan is as each day comes, so we will know more tomorrow.
All in all, we are so happy and blessed to be in this magnificent place serving the Lord and getting the chance to connect with Him and his people. Hopefully I will get the chance to post more updates soon!
God Bless!!
Kelli and the team
Days 1-3:
Had an interesting time getting here. A delayed flight to Atlanta left us with just minutes to catch our connecting flight to Johannesburg. Luckily we are a fleet group and got on board just in time. Upon arrival at JoBurg we were informed that our flight to Mozambique was overbooked, so we would need to stay overnight to catch a flight in the morning. We were pretty crabby about that whole matter until we arrived at the very nice hotel (paid for by the airline) and had a very nice meal (also paid for by the airline). We were also fortunate to meet a couple of other Americans, Amy and Stephanie, who also got bumped off of the flight. The next morning we caught our flight to Maputo and fortunately found our bags that had gone ahead the night before on our original flight (a absolute miracle in my mind - praise God!). From there we met Mark Harper at the airport where he informed us that his car was broken down and in the shop. I am now keenly aware of how blessed we are in America to have reliable, working vehicles as it seems to be a rarity here. We spent some time in Maputo - having lunch at the home of an American couple who spend several months in Moz, and getting groceries at the suprisingly well-stocked Shop Rite. Maputo is an interesting, bustling city -- a bit on the rough side, with shacks and rubble everywhere, but also many signs of modernization (both good- nicer schools for example, and bad - a significantly increased traffic problem). We finally hitched a ride with a youth group from South Africa for the long drive to Xai Xai and Bethel center. 48 hours, dozens of security check points and thousands of pot holes after our departure from Minneapolis, we arrived at our destination. The beautiful Bethel Center - where we had a nice meal and very good sleep!
Day 4
The day started early with our team's prayer and devotion time at 6:30am, followed by a breakfast of green oatmeal and coffee - both surprisingly delicious.
I immediately got the sense of the do-it-yourself nature of living out here when Mark asked if I, because I am a horse person, would be willing to help perform a little surgery on his horse who has a nasty growth on his leg. Catching the horse will be another story.
After a quick inspection of the horse, and determining that surgery performed by me, a non-vet with no medical experience, might not be the best option, we got to work on our project for the day -- window repair and installation. Half of the battle here is locating the proper tools for the job, and improvising when there aren't any. After some initial mishaps - including a gashed thumb for me, and sliced hand for Mary Lou (we are fine!) we got into a groove and finished replacing and caulking about half the windows in the girls' dormitory building.
After a full day of work we took a quick walk to get a better view of the beach, followed by a campfire cookout of Voorst (like brats) and marshmallows -a little like home for me! We also enjoyed time with Mark, listening to stories of he and Les' mission work and the trials faced by the Mozambican people. It is so moving to get a glimpse into their life and work, and feel like we get to be a small part of something much bigger than ourselves here.
Day 5
We are planning to finish the windows today, along with a few small painting projects. We are hoping for the opportunity to go into the community the next few days in the "bush" to work with the children at the school there. We see what the plan is as each day comes, so we will know more tomorrow.
All in all, we are so happy and blessed to be in this magnificent place serving the Lord and getting the chance to connect with Him and his people. Hopefully I will get the chance to post more updates soon!
God Bless!!
Kelli and the team
