Greetings from Pemba, Mozambique! As I have been here for one month, I want to give you a little glimpse into daily life here. I am in a house with 12 girls from 8 different nations who have lived in many more. The countries the girls are originally from are England, Canada, Northern Ireland, South Africa, United States, Sweden, Germany, and Austria. It has been an honor to get to know and befriend my housemates!
So about 6:30 in the morning, I have breakfast that is usually a bread roll and sometimes an egg with very good, very sweet, and very hot tea. Imagine the sweetest tea you have had and then double the sweetness. That’s what I mean by very sweet tea. J Mondays through Thursdays we have class from 8 to about 2. Class consists of worship through song and prayer and hearing from different speakers, which are either staff here or missionaries who have come in from around the world to teach and share. For about a week, we were honored to hear a woman whose family is serving in the heart of downtown Jackson, Mississippi. The Lord is using this community and time to encourage and challenge me, and I am loving it.
For lunch, I eat rice and beans in the main kitchen on the compound with the Mozambican kids that live here, Mozambican Bible students, and Harvest Mission School students. I am learning that in line can be a great place for meeting new people, conversation, and learning and practicing Portuguese.
My afternoons, evenings, and weekends look different each day and are often filled with spending time with the Mozambican girls I have known for several years, hearing other guest speakers, attending language class, resting and spending time with God as well as reflecting from class, attending a meeting to prepare for something coming up, making a taxi trip to town, organizing my area above my top bunk, and having conversation or praying with friends from my house.
Last week I went on what is called village immersion, or otherwise known as the village drop-off experience. I went with one other girl and we were introduced to our Mozambican mama we would be with for 24 hours. She took us to her home in the village and we lived life with her and her eight children for a day and night. For me, it was ultimately quite a stretching, convicting, and humbling experience. I am thankful for what God revealed to me specifically through having this opportunity.
One fun story from my village immersion experience was when we went with our Mozambican mama to get water and bring it back to her home. She had taken two buckets with her; one was huge with no handle and the other was medium sized with a handle. As we filled up the water, she took the huge one and my friend and I shared the other one. We took turns carrying it on our head with our hands as we walked back. When we got back to her home, the other women came out and looked impressed at first that we had been able to carry it. Then when I put the bucket down, and they saw that it was filled with about ¼ of the bucket, they laughed hysterically and ran to show the other women, who laughed hysterically as well. We were laughed at probably 60% of our 24 hours with them. J
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
~Proverbs 17:22
On a different note, many of you know that my dad came to visit me this past week. I am still amazed by God’s sovereign plan over timing and details for my dad being already in Kenya and then my dad being able to come to Mozambique when I am here in Pemba for the school. We had an incredible time together and with the Mozambicans, students, and staff here; it really was better than I had even imagined or dreamed. And I had, for the last 4 years. J
Thank you all for your love and wonderings about how I am. I am so glad and thankful to be here. I hope you all have a blessed day.
In His joy,
Katie
