Things just change

We have been in Mozambique now for 5 days and it seems like a month. It has been a pure delight to see the faces of those we love and work with in the Project. Val and I both knew that coming back we would have to face the fact that Zaira would not be here and we were not looking forward to going to her house but we had to. We needed to see, and smell, and touch the things that belonged to her. We needed to see the children and love on them like they know we can and most importantly we needed to grieve with Zito her husband. We needed to take another step of closing the door on that season in our lives and move on with this family in hand.

As we drove up to the house the spirit of a woman living there was gone. All of the busyness of washing clothes, and gardening, going to the well for water, all of the paths that Zaria would take were missing. I walked around the house to where we had planted a papaya tree last year to make tea for malaria. It was growing but the tea would be too late. Where the corn once was grown was a small field of weeds and small trees starting to come up. The living fence was in disarray and was becoming overgrown. The stand that we had built for her business to earn extra money to save for vitamins for her fragile daughter Noemia was empty and all of the food was gone. The path to the well was overgrown as it was not used as frequently as she would go to the well for water and baths each day. That was an empty feeling for me. I walked around and tears filled my eyes tumbling down my cheeks again asking, "God why?" It doesn't take me long to remember that God doesn't make mistakes and this was part of His plan. I know that Zaira is dancing in heaven and waiting for us all to come and meet her someday. She wins, she went first to be with the Lord.

Val knows this feeling of losing a spouse to death. We walked to the car at the end of our visit and turned back to the house and looked and said, "things change when people die." We both left feeling like we are about to embark on a new season. We are encouraged with what God is going to do.

There is a song for everything!

I'm leaving on a jet plane and will be home again soon in Dondo. One week from today I will be sleeping under a mosquito net on a foam rubber bed. I will be hoping that we have water and electricity and that our cell phones work. I know that the first few days we will be so excited to see everyone, visiting with our family Zito and the children, hugging the Piepers, the Cessito's who are the national leaders and all of the loved one's we have made our extended family.

This week Val and I are trying to spend as much time as we can with my parents, seeing the kids and their kids and saying our farewell's to our MBC family and supporters. Life is so good in America it doesn't take long to get back into the routine of living here because it is so easy. It doesn't take long to make a plan to go out to eat, go to a friend's house to hang out, eat anything under the stars and watch a movie, or go to one.

What we will find when we return to Mozambique are the smiles of our loved one's who have found hope in Jesus. We will find at least one less of our friends. We are trying to figure out what it will be like to walk to Zaira's house and she not be there to greet us, and kiss us and love us. We are trying to picture the look on Zito's face when he sees us for the first time without his wife. We are longing to hold the children and wonder what are they thinking because they too knew how special Zaira was to us.

We are praying for a time of grief to be short and not a distraction to what we need to do once we are there. God knows, He holds each one of our tears in a bottle. And Zaira..... she is dancing on the streets of gold. Waiting for all of us to come and join her praising our Savior and King. Amen!

It's a Set Up!

Today was a set up....... it's pure and simple. God has a plan, we are part of the picture and He is going to see it through to the end of the day that He is glorified.

I gave a short passionate talk about my work in Mozambique today and my family came. It was a glorious day for me! My parents, my children, my grandchildren all heard my heart about my work. They couldn't get up and go get something out of the refrigerator, or turn the channel on the TV, or go to the bathroom. They had to sit quietly and listen, and that they did. They got to see first hand pictures of my church in Africa, my friends and hear of the tales I have from my work of the last 4 years.

I invited the entire church, (with the permission of the leadership of course,) to engage in building relationship with my church. Building relationship just my praying for their needs for now. Next to help them build their church just like we have built our own at MBC.

Today was a good day. God was glorified. And we all left knowing that there are some people waiting at a small church in Mozambique for some names of people who will pray for them and be of an encouragement to them.

It was a set up. God knew what He needed to do to get what He wanted for us to be changed enough to glorify Him.

45 Days

I looked at the calendar today and I realized that in 45 days I will be boarding the plane at the Cedar Rapids airport for a 2 day journey back to Mozambique. There are so many things to do, so many unfinished jobs that need to be in place before we go.

Yesterday my daughter shared with me that my grandson Koltyn 8, said he had the best day of his life ever! The family had gone to the airport to see President Obama's plane that brought the limo's ahead of time and they were able to see the plane being unloaded, a very exciting event for any young man. Then to top it off he was absolutely delighted that he got to eat supper twice!!

This event made me think of how much I will miss the daily conversations of my grandchildren. This event made me think about how the children that I love in Mozambique will never go any farther away from their home than they can walk. They do not know what an airplane is to look at it close up and personal. On most days of their lives, if they were never to change from what they are status quo, they will rarely have two meals in one day much less having two meals at supper time.

My goal each day is to be used by God and to remain obedient to His voice. Pray for Val and I for the next 45 days that we would be strong in the Lord, that our day will begin with singing His praise and that we will be wise in how we spend our last days here.

Obedience,

Kathy

Rain! Rain! Rain!!!!

In 2006 I met Domingas working at the project as a cook for the pre-school. She never smiled, she had been oppressed, the poverty she lived in was something I had never seen nor experienced before. I can usually make someone smile but she was a hard one to get to react to my silliness. It was my friend Diane that broke her to get that smile we worked so hard at.

Domingas the mother of 3 girls, 1 son and 2 grandchildren. They all lived in a mud home. They sleep on grass mats. They eat rice every day that they have food, and on very very special occasions they will get beans and maybe chicken. When it rains they can not sleep, they have to stand up because the rains run through the house. The floors are mud and the roof leaks.

They have not been so lucky this year to only stand during the sleepless nights of rain. Two days ago, March 1st her house wall caved in. The front fell right off the house! Can you imagine this? Can you even think of having to stand while attempting to sleep when it rains? What about your children? Can you imagine the inside of your house exposed?

If you are reading this, you are one of my friends. We are blessed......... my friends. Are you even the remotest moved by this? Look around the room you are sitting in. Take in all that God has blessed you with. Think about what you have and what you do. Is God speaking to you at all? What is He saying to you? Please obey Him. Not for me. Please obey God. You will never miss the amount of money He is now telling you to send in. Donate now at www.childrensrelief.org click on project/Green Door or send in a check and put Domingas in the memo.

You will never be the same!

May God multiply your blessing for being obedient.

From the Mouths of Babes

Tonight I have my 2 middle Grandchildren to spend the night with me because their mother is having a C-section in the morning. They came for supper and we had their favorite... pizza, they took showers, we watched a movie and then it was bedtime.

I first took 8 year old Koltyn to the bed he would sleep in for the night and prayed with him and said good-night. We didn't have much to say so it was lights out quickly. I did ask him if he was too old to have a kiss from his Grandma and he said it was ok to kiss him on the cheek, so I was privileged to get another kiss.

I then went in to lay down with Ally Max and pray with her and then our conversation began. I knew it was only to stay awake longer but we really had a great time as she shared some deep thoughts from a 6 year old. After she so graciously rubbed my back I thanked her and she started to ask me questions about heaven and God.

"Grandma, I really don't want to die." I said, "Honey there is really nothing to be afraid of. We are all going to die one day. We will be in heaven with all of our family and Jesus for forever." Ally says to me, "I know Grandma but I really like to shop and girls have to go shopping!" I started to laugh, and I laughed and laughed and laughed. Ally says to me, "Grandma! Are you ok?" I said, "Yes" But let me tell you a smile comes to my face again as I am writing this.

Next she says to me, "Grandma, I don't like it when Val is not here. She is so much fun and she plays with me. When she is not here it is like there is a child missing or a student gone." I about fell out of the bed laughing at this one. Val was sitting in the living room reading and she said she could hear me laughing and she started to laugh herself. Especially when she heard Ally ask me if I was ok.

Then for her final commentary on Abe Lincoln. This girl has been listening in class to the facts and life of Abraham Lincoln. I was blessed to know that she has such a love for learning. She knew everything and more that any 6 year old would or could know about our 16th President. I asked her if she knew about George Washington and she said she would need to read about him soon. We ended our conversation with one last question. I said, "Ally do you like to read?" She took a moment and said "Not really Grandma." But I do like to read, " Clifford books. He is just so cute and adorable!"

I am so blessed! Blessed to have 4 grandchildren today and one more tomorrow morning around 8 or 8:30. Brooke goes into the hospital at 5am and we are praying for a safe delivery. Ally and I want a baby girl, and she wants to name her Heather. Brooke and Eric, are just ready. They told me last night they had the perfect names picked out but they forgot what they were. I love my kids. They are just as nutty as I am:)

Proverbs 17:6 ESV

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

My Daily Google

When I don’t jump to conclusions, I am a process thinker. I like to take time to think about things. I like to gather information. I want to hear more about what other’s think on a subject. I like to search the scriptures to see what God has to say about everything I need to be obedient. I like to read manuals on electronics. And of course, I use Google.

I like Google. It has more information than anyone can imagine. If I don’t know something, I Google it. There will be someone, somewhere in the world who has an answer. It might not be a sound answer or the right answer to me, but there will be an answer. I have learned more about silly insignificant things on Google than I ever did while I was in a classroom.
As a matter of fact I have learned more from Google in the last five years than I have learned in the last 50 years of reading books.

There are so many directions that Google can take me in one day. I can find somebody somewhere someplace in the world to tell me what I want to hear. And with one click of the button, I could end up finding myself very confused and lost if I believed everything I read on the pages of Google. Well, actually I could never read all of the pages available on one topic.

To find the truth, the real meaning of life, learn about salvation and the life of Jesus, I will just stick with the Bible. The beauty of Google with the bible is I can find 2,479 different language translations. I can't speak any language except English and a touch of Portuguese, but it's there if I want it.

While traveling Val and I drove for hours and hours across the desert and wondered where all the animals were. In Iowa one can not travel more than 15 miles without seeing a dead deer, raccoon or a possum. " Just what are the animals in the desert"
I asked? We both looked at each other and laughed, “We’ll Google it!”
Googleing is my favorite pastime. Good googlywoogly!


2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.