Kruger Safari!

Dear Friends,

Wow, we went on our first safari! Our friends/hosts/tour guides, Ann and Dave, took us to Kruger National Park on Friday. Kruger is just over the border in South Africa. What an adventure! We saw so many incredible animals. Dave drove us in his indestructible Land Cruiser. Micah, with his keen wildlife vision, spotted two lions under a bush about 100 yards away. We all grabbed our binoculars and verified his sighting. Later we got to see a huge male lion just 25 yards from the car. We kept track of the animals and birds and came up with over 26 different species. We got so close to a couple of elephants that Ann asked Dave to keep his foot on the accelerator in case we needed to escape! Here are a few photos. See the Kruger National Park slideshow listed under SLIDESHOWS to the left.

On Tuesday we are off to Cape Town. Please pray for safe travel and that our luggage will once again complete the journey with us. We are staying with Gabriel. Please pray that we will be a blessing to him and his ministry.

Thanks so much for all the emails. They mean so much to us!

Blessings,
Cathi

Our Work Week

Hi Friends!

Well this was a busy week of work! It started with a work day at the seminary... installing door closure units, another projection screen, hanging black boards, and moving furniture.



Tuesday was a remarkable day. We traveled out to the villages into real Africa! Dirt roads that resemble deer trails at home. Thank God for four wheel drive! We repaired two doors and a well handle (that still needs to installed). Also, we needed a quick fix to the Landcruiser! Ahh... the joys of African travel. Small block homes decorated the African plain. Gardens starving for water are their main food source. Dust blowing in the wind, the people hard, chapped, and dirty still give us warm greetings as we delivered a little food and medicine. The boys passed out lollipops and were instant movie stars!



Wednesday and Thursday we were once again finishing up at the seminary, but now our job is complete! Tomorrow and Saturday we will get a little rest and relaxation at Kruger Park, home to lions, rhinos, giraffes,water buffalo, elephants and hundreds of bird species.

Capetown is right around the corner!

Jerry

Wedding photos

Singers announcing the grooms arrival
Originally uploaded by jcvonrtw

This choir sang and danced while the groom got ready. They sang in Shanghan and kept a running musical commentary on the days' events.

Neighbors celebrating the wedding
Originally uploaded by jcvonrtw

Wedding!

Today was a true Mozanbique experience. Dave and Ann (our hosts) were asked to be the "shappas" or taxi service for a wedding. Never mind that they don't know the bride and groom, however they do have two large vehicles that will transport many to the "church". Well it is not really a church... it is a government building with dozens of weddings going on at once all in the same building with adjoining rooms. Singing and dancing encompass the service, but the singing has meaning... it tells of what is happening during the marriage ceremony. After the "legalities" were finished we piled everyone back into the Landcruisers and off to the "Costa del Sol" for pictures, dancing and more singing. By piled into the vehicles, we mean there were 13 folks in one car. Cathi was sitting in the way back on the jump seats with 6 others! It was a long ride.

After the photos, we headed back to the bride's parent's house for a party, along with more singing and dancing. It was great fun and we felt privileged to be included. We even ended up in some of the wedding photos! We left before the event was over and it was after 4pm by this time. (We picked up people at 8:30am this morning.) We'll add photos as soon as the camera battery is recharged.

Many Hats In Maputo!

Hello Friends,

Yesterday was another great work day in Mozambique. I was able to wear many hats. My day started out as the computer expert. Networking 12 computers, installing software, downloading printer drivers and setting up the security was my task for the morning. Then I put on my auto repair hat and tracked down the battery draining culprit of a Toyota Condor (similar to a diesel 4 Runner, affectionately named the "Demon Car!") I am still in process of completing the repair (better described as disassembly of the alarm system!) Tomorrow, I will put on my electrician's hat to repair a 240v circuit and switch. Later in the day I begin to install a complete sound system in the OMS seminary's multipurpose room. This is where I installed a 10 foot projection screen in a concrete wall last Saturday.

All of this work is absolutely wonderful and fulfilling. They have such great need and very little help. The simplest of tasks become very challenging, because either parts are not available or they are outrageously expensive. Everything takes an inordinate amount of time, for example, I need to purchase conduit for the sound system. First, I need to draw a picture of conduit or find an example of what I am looking for. Then I go to the "hardware store". I say that very loosely (the stores are very different)! When you enter the "store" you are greeted by a long line in front of the counter. Of course I don't expect English to be spoken, so I sign and show the picture. Then the "helpful" hardware man brings my picture to some one in the back, and I move to another area, stand in a long line to pay for goods I am not sure I will receive or know if it is even conduit! After about an hour and a half, then I make it to the front of the line, pay for the goods and wait, of course in a totally different area! Finally, some one comes forth, with what they have interpreted is what I wanted and shows me, and as luck would have it... it is not the correct item! OK, back to the first counter to repeat the process once again! You can spend a whole afternoon trying to purchase one item! ARGH! Welcome to Maputo!

Though at times things can be frustrating, it is very interesting to see how our countries and cultures differ.

Jerry

Maputo at last!

We made it! Along with all five bags! A real miracle. Thank you all for your prayers concerning our bags! Many folks on our flight didn't get any of their bags. We waited an hour or so for our visa. Ann, Dave and Larry, from OMS, met us at the airport. Dave suggested that we "act like we own the place" and walk right past the customs office. We followed Dave out of the airport and skipped customs altogether! Larry and Susan Weil offered to house us and have been taking good care of us all day, including a tour of Maputo which is on the Indian Ocean (the boys put their feet in the water) and a tour of the school where we will be working these next three weeks.

We are doing well, a bit tired, but happy to be here. We miss you all!

Cathi

Johannesburg

We arrived in Johannesburg yesterday in the late afternoon, and promptly got in the wrong line for Passport Control/Baggage Claim, stood there for over an hour, then were sent to the correct baggage terminal only to discover that our bags had been checked all the way through to Maputo, after watching the near empty carousel go round and round without our bags. (In Portland, we had been told that we would have to get our luggage and go through customs in Johannesburg…) Customs was a breeze; one man asked to see “the lady’s passport” and asked me to pronounce our last name and chuckled because he didn’t want to try saying it. Then he waved us through.

By now it was 7:00pm, we took a taxi to the Baptist International Missionary Services (BIMS) Guesthouse. It was great; just what we needed, clean, safe. The hosts, Thomas and Denise Brown met us in the office. Wish we could have visited with them longer, but we were all walking zombies at this point. Even before showering or dinner, Micah fell asleep. Jerry and Jess bravely walked a couple of blocks to…McDonalds! Our first meal in Africa-chicken nuggets! Our nice taxi driver, Albert, offered to come back and pick us up this morning at 6am! And he was actually early! We got to the airport in plenty of time. On to Maputo...

Cathi