Olympic stars in the making .......... against the rest of the world!

Photo:  Students getting ready for yet another big SPORT EVENT!

I know there is currently a world cup underway in South Africa - and yes we played more soccer games than I can remember the last few weeks ........... but a few days ago we had our annual athletics meeting at our bush school here in Mozambique.  It really is a highlight for everyone and our bush kids eagerly counted down the days in anticipation.  And what a day it was .......!  New RECORDS ......... and the fact that we had NO sport equipment made it even more unique.

Education which should be a basic human right is not that at all in many parts of Africa.  Funding and opportunities for kids to study is very limited.  When it comes to sport and actually training students who has the talent to go further the problem is even bigger.  These problems though does not demotivate us ..... but rather inspire us to help kids to catch a dream for the future ...... using our own bizarre ways in reaching that dream.  Take athletics for an example!  Athletics is a very exciting discipline with many technicalities.  What do you do if you have to train school kids with no sport equipment?  We got around the problem with some interesting solutions.  Join us on our exciting day in the bush ............ the photos tells it all.

MOZAMBIQUE - SHOT PUT

Photo:  Little Jogo is getting ready for his first real Shot Put competition.

Photo:  Francisco is up for the challenge.  The bigger you get the heavier the challenge.

OLYMPIC STANDARD:

And then we have a very technical item:

HIGH JUMP:  THE MOZAMBIQUE WAY

HIGH JUMP:  THE OLYMPIC WAY

And let us not forget:

LONG JUMP:  THE MOZAMBIQUE WAY

Photo:  Getting airborne!

LONG JUMP:  OLYMPIC STANDARD

GIRL POWER on the 100 m sprint!

Photo:  A student from the University of Stellenbosch assisting the girls in their 100 m sprint.

GOLDEN MEDALIST:

Photo:  Everyone got a prize in the process.  We ended the day happy ......... but tired!

"Greater things are yet to come ........" - Chris Tomlin

Dedicated to all those who are serving with us .............!

Women and babies

It always seems we are running at a mind boggling pace here on the base!  (Sounds like a poem!?  Nevertheless the last few weeks we ran the quarter mile in an Olympic best - thanks to all our visitors and helping teams from all over the world.  We ran together with purpose though and a lot has been done in the process.

A huge emphasis was placed on women and children as they usually are the most vulnerable in rural Mozambique and all over Africa for that matter.  Our second nursing team from Canada (Prairie Bible College, Three Hills) played a significant part in helping our efforts here in the bush.  The Women's Ministry has exploded with more than 1 300 ladies joining the group.

Photo:  A local lady making dolls as part of her training in arts and crafts.  Good produced by the ladies are being sold and the income are given back to the ladies to help them to sustain their households.

Photo:  A lady teacher and monitor getting ready to teach her lady's class.  The main purpose for the Women's Ministry is to help ladies through a literacy program that uses the Bible as main tool.  Health and other pressing issues are also dealt with through the literacy training program.  Five manuals was written over a period and are being used in the program with great success - also due to the fact that there are NO books or literature available in rural areas.

Photo:  A typical scene in the classrooms.  Ladies do have a deep desire to be educated, to read and to write which has been a basic right all along but has been withheld from African women due to cultural restrictions.  The Women's Ministry on the base provides the opportunity for women to make their life long dream a reality.

BABY HEALTH

PHOTO:  Weighing one of the many babies to determine if they suffer from  malnutrition.

PHOTO:  And there you have it ...... only a nurse can smile like that ....... a smile of hope!

PHOTO:  The leading nurse of the group sitting next to Simon our First Aid Officer, Suzanna Tipton (we call her Mother Superior) explaining through the interpreter to parents what the health status is on their babies.

I have seen great love given the last few weeks ...... by groups without expecting anything in return.  I personally have been deeply moved in ways that I simply cannot explain in words.  You want to cry because you know how fortunate you yourself are ........... I want to cry because I am glad ..... I want to cry because I have seen God's hand move through the lives of all the wonderful people visiting us!  And then .... I am limited by my vocabulary .......... and all I can say is ........ there is hope, there is victory .......... thank you!

Oh so nice .....

I know the average reader of this blog can probably not recall their first day of school - or  maybe you can?  New clothes, shoes either to big or too small - pressing against the toes.  I can remember the smell of my school uniform.  Very new ..... a kind of a nice chemical smell.  It only lasted for about a week I think.  I got reminded of my first day ......... when I could hardly wait to get into my new school uniform.  That feeling ..... well let me put in mildly ..... faded quickly over the years.

BEFORE

PHOTO:  Our bush school singing the National Anthem of Mozambique.  I did not tell them about the big surprise waiting.

Our bush schools are aimed at kids who would not have had the privilege of school at all never mind owning a uniform of their own.  I had a big surprise for all our bush school students a few days ago.  In co-operation with a church in Polokwane, South Africa and a local primary school in the same town we were able to organize more than nearly 300 uniforms for our kids in the bush school.

AFTER

PHOTO:  Maningi nice .... as we say here in the local dialect.  Beautiful!

Each and every student received an uniform that was nearly brand new.  The girls got a bright dress with a jersey.  Sport teams also got an unique uniform.  Do I even need to explain the joy and laughter.  Christmas came very early for the nearly 280 students.  We personally dressed every student and as they exited the room the got a huge roar of appraisal from the rest of the kids watching.  They all looked the same - but it was a true celebration of .......... (well, I am still trying to find and create a word of what they experienced!)

A special word of thanks again to all who cared so much that they were willing to bear the grunt of problems at the border posts by bringing in the uniforms.  Special thanks to Past. Johan Pieterse and his "8-team" - a truly A-team of agents of transformation.

PHOTO:  Even the smallest of the smallest received a uniform.  Theo, one of our students visiting handed over a uniform.

Oh my heart is so thankful at the moment ......... THANK YOU!

"..... and there shall be color!"

One of the most depressing things a war does (except off course for the loss of life and the other injustices) is that it robs an entire nation of color.  Look at any building during any world war (Berlin, Germany is a good example) or just there after.  It's gray, half destroyed and is always a reminder of what happened.  Mozambique is no exception to the rule. I have spend a chunk of time the last few years making sure that kids enjoy the "joy of color"!  Churches, schools, orphan houses and whatever I can paint I make sure we paint with lots of color.

We were privileged to have had a team from the RA (Polokwane) - they called themselves the 'Eight Team'.  They came loaded with paint, brushes and a great team spirit to transform one of our government schools I work close with.  The transformation was phenomenal.  Within 5 days a whole school was changed from being an reminder of many years of war to a symbol of hope.

Everyone participated and the kids couldn't wait to lend a hand.  Although not always professional in their painting efforts it was great to see how they wanted to be part of the solution.  It was a great and successful endeavour with the local  community and it strengthened the relationships as well as bringing hope.

The kids were so excited that they could hardly wait for us to arrive early every morning.  Screams and greetings of joy was the first thing I heard every morning and the last thing I heard as the team left tired every evening.

A special word of thanks to the Polokwane team who helped us to bring 'life' and a new song to a suffering community in Mozambique.

Screams of joy between the crocodiles!

There is a lot of transformation going on the last few days on our base here in Mozambique.  Schools are being changed (literally), communities stand in awe as they see people care ............. and then there is the World Cup phenomenon which came to Africa.  Millions in Africa though has no way of sharing in the joy and spectacle because there is no electricity, to television sets, no internet - no nothing. 

We decided not to just accept the fact that maybe only a small radio would bring people close to the World Cup.  We geared up and for the next few weeks we made sure we brought the World Cup visually to people in the middle of nowhere.

And oh my goodness .... the screams, the ecstatic joy was overwhelming.  I set up my projector and copied version of some of the games in the middle of a town called Pungwe.  It is situated next to a big river which is well known for its hippos, crocodiles and dirty water due to mining in Zimbabwe.  Within a few minutes we had more than a thousand people gathering .... and the crowd kept growing.  I think even the crocodiles forgot about the food chain and joined in the festivities.  The big screen wasn't that big I guess when you stood far out in the back.  And the most amazing thing ............ after the game people came and said:  "I have been blessed today to be part of this event ............ please pray for me!"  I didn't really know what to pray for ............ more joy, more peace .......... more transformation of communities.

A great event with great people ..... in the middle of nowhere.

PHOTO:  And if you watch really carefully (due to my bad camera work in total darkness) you will see all the glaring eyes fixed on the big screen.  It's an African made structure but it works perfectly!

Touched by an angel!

It is the magic of a touch, the power of a hug ..... that make life joyful .... they say.  I have seen that the last few days.  We have had the privilege of having about 10 nursing students from Canada with us on the base.  And before they gave medicine ...... they touched the lives of many suffering people around us..... physically and literally.

Researchers hints that not only does touch lower stress levels, but that it can boost the immune system and halt or slow the progress of disease. Science tells us that a touch triggers the release of brain endorphins:  an endogenous analgesic more powerful than heroin or morphine.  But touch is more than just a scientific confluence of brain chemicals.   Jesus often touched people ....  literally.  With many people very sick in our communities surrounding our base medical care is essential.  Unfortunately our clinics who helps more that 800 people per month is just not adequate to help everyone.  Our visiting team of nurses got into the act ..... and it changed many lives in the process.

Photo: A huge hug ..... and I think the smile says it all!

Photo:  Weighing small children and babies to determine underfeeding and other issues.

Photo:  All the work of the nursing students were done IN the community at their houses.  Although it stretched the students in interesting ways it was worth it they say.

Photo:  Work in the community is not an easy task at all.  The students carried water for widows, did washing for the ladies in the community ......... and just cared.

A LAST WORD

A touch can indeed tame a wild animal. But can it tame and soften a disturbed child? A study shows that children who have not been hugged enough have a tendency to be violent and aggressive compared to those who receive hug more often.

Perhaps, there is more to hug and touch than just release of endorphins.

A touch provides comfort in a freezing night. It makes us feel secure because it unites us with an affectionate, loving, and feeling human being. The warmth it brings is better than the warmth a fireplace can provide.

A touch shields us from the worries of today because of the confidence it brings. Like internet, it allows high-speed access to another soul.

When my wife hugs me at night, I can feel that all my aches and concerns of the day disappear instantly. I feel refreshed and transformed. I feel recharged, a dynamo ready to capture dreams and to take risks. I then celebrate joyfully.

A touch makes the body aversive to stress. Indeed, touch is the best remedy we need to own and claim forever and it's free.

Photo:  Painting nails

Children's Day in Mozambique

Although Mozambique is still rated as officially 161st out of 168 countries (latest UN report) when it comes to poverty we try hard to make kids laugh and to lighten up their day.   With the soccer world cup coming to South Africa we have started several programs in Mozambique to make the event closer for school kids.

We started the celebrations with The Living Ball - a soccer ball with the great Message of the Gospel.  After a great story, some fun and laughter we handed over the first balls to a small government bush school which houses about 800 kids in 2 classrooms.

There is a desperate shortage of schools and classrooms in various communities.  We have started with a plan to help one of our schools with a new school.  We have only just started raising support for the more than US$100 000 to get the project up and going.  We have funded with the local community a pre-school which is successfully running in the Mucombeze community.

Here is a few photos sharing the day.  Oh .... and yes .... we had lots to eat.  Biscuits and juice were on the menu ..... "nicy .... nicy" as the kids would say!

Photo:  "I know what's coming!"

Photo:  Listening with anticipation!

Photo:  Teachers enjoying a lighter moment!

Photo:  The headmaster of the Mucombeze government school, snr. Almeida and one of his teachers receiving their "Living Ball".