Merry Christmas

From our family to yours! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Its a GIRL!

We are so excited to introduce to you our newest addition to the family.

Keziah! She is a week old and we are madly in love!

Thank you to everynone for all your prayers and support and encouragment during the pregnancy!!

Life in NZ

Issachar has settled well back into life in Kiwiland. He loves kindy and goes off so happily. He is enjoying gym sessions and swimming lessons. We are both so glad the weather is finially warming up and enjoying the extra time outside in the garden and at the various parks locally.

Felito had been here for a week and adjusting well to his new time-zone.

Baby is due in 2 weeks! The countdown has begun and hospital bag is packed! We are so excited and cannot wait to hold this little one in arms! Feeling very blessed.

Politically tensions have been high in Mozambqiue. Amazingly the recent local council elections have passed without voilence. But tensions are highly strung between the two top parties. We ask that you keep Mozambique in your prayers!

The Old and New

We have been back in wet and windy Wellington for almost two and half weeks.

Its truly great being back, though feeling torn and missing our Mozambiqican family and friends. 

Issachar is settling well into kiwi life and adjusting to a new routine! 

Please keep Issachar in your prayers. He has another chest infection. We are wanting God to do a miracle in his life...a quick recovery but no more chest infections too.

Melbourne!

Issachar and I are blessed! This year we got a surprise visit back to our kiwi home!

We had a week long stop-over at my sisters house in Melbourne and had a blast!

The cousins played until they were exhausted and my sister and I got to catchup over many hot chocolates and got some much needed shopping done!

While there and even better treat (well timed mother) we got to share in the celebrations of my nieces Aliyah-Rose's fifth birthday!

Also Aliyah-Rose has flown back to windy Wellington with us for week and Issachar is just loving the extra company as he resettles back into the kiwi life for the next few months.

OHIO Team is here!

We are so excited to host a team from Ohio again!

They were with us last year at our first annual conference and Felito's ordination!

This year they will be again serving and ministering at the conference in Chibuto and also village visits and outreach!!

Pessene

 

Today we went to visit Aunty Marta in Pessene. 

Its a long hours drive on the dusty and bumpy roads, but once we arrive, the hustle and bustle of city life is gone! No car horns or city noises, just the birds chirping, the goats munching on grass and kids laughing. 

The kids love to visit Aunty. They miss chasing the goats, but any excuse to kick off the sandals and climb a tree, any attempt to catch a bird or whatever. There are no toys, or parks or fancy computers to play with, but the kids are contempt. They run and jump and hang from branches, snack on the local fruit growing around and just generally have fun! 

Im drawn to the simplicity and I'm sure the kids are too.

Aunty is an old women who lives by herself in the bush! And has for many years. She survived the war of independence and civil war in Pessene. She has raised kids and lost them and a husband too. She was a goat herder until last year. She doesnt have much, but will gladly share what she has. She makes me laugh with her well intentioned advice but some randomly is right! Life is hard in Pessene, no running water or electricity or even baby wipes, the nearest clinic is too far if there really was an emergency, the better market is quiet a walk too. She charges her simple non-smartphone at the train station, which is hooked up to a car battery. But she is happy. Everyone in Pessene knows everyone and all are friendly and watch out for each other. 

Neighbors come and chat and the hours pass quickly. The food bubbles away on the outside wood fire and takes a while, but nobody really notices as we are all soaked up in catching up or climbing a tree and enjoying the freedom bush life brings!

Aunty with some of her grand-kids

Lunch