| Hello!
Life is busy and unpredictable. We had a month of water challenges which then traded places with a month of serious internet outages. I had malaria early to mid June, got better and was then hammered by something else the last week of June. These last months have been a time of testing in many ways but I can genuinely say that I have a new peace and rest in my spirit. Thank you so much for your prayers, words of encouragement, financial support and practical help. I could not do what I do here without you!
It was beautiful that even when I was without internet connection to communicate while I was sick, God had some of you praying for me.
Thank you!!!
With Jon and Carla’s departure I stepped into the role of Hospitality. It is an all consuming position at this time of year. It involves communications with prospective and scheduled visitors, cleaning and organizing the houses, dorms and kitchens, arranging visitor activities while they are here, and answering lots of questions. Simplified, I prepare and provide help so that they can have a wonderful experience. It is very important to me to honor and serve them, knowing how greatly they have sacrificed to come here and serve our community.
In June we had 20 people come through, some as individuals and some teams for varying lengths of time. We hosted a team of 6 from the World Race and had another team pass through on their way to and from Lichinga, in north west Mozambique. The World Race participants travel and serve in 11 countries in 11 months. They are quite an amazing group.
Manuel Joaquim, who grew up in our center and recently moved off site has been hired to work in Hospitality. It will be great to have a Mozambican on the team that welcomes the visitors. I have been working extra to help him become familiar with the various responsibilities. He started the 17th of June and I officially handed over the position Thursday with the arrival of the YWAM team of 9 from Kona, Hawaii. I will still assist with some training and background things but he is now the face of Hospitality Dondo! Yea Manuel!
With all the of the hospitality responsibilities I did not take a teaching position in the Bible School for this new session. I wanted my time apart from hospitality, which at this point has been minimal, to be devoted to our boys and the painting projects since this is something unique I have to offer.
Art News
On May 26th we took a few boys to a gallery opening at the Portuguese Consulate by invitation of Alex, the artist I met in early May. The featured artist was a female from Zimbabwe but the subjects of her paintings were all local scenes from Beira. Her work was very good and it was an inspirational experience for the boys.
Another day Alex came to Dondo and taught us how to make canvas Mozambique style and then spoke about other aspects of art. I greatly appreciate him taking the time to invest in the boys.
José Condlaque, age 13, is the son of one of the educators who work with our boys and one of those we took to the gallery. In the past two weeks I have been able to work on a mural. He helped me with all the prep work and painting of the main wall color. He worked with such eagerness and diligence not knowing that I intended to pay him. It was a sweet reward to see his reaction to earning money for something that he enjoyed doing. Quite a while back I gave him drawing supplies and paper. Without being asked, he has been bringing me his drawings. He is very good and so I continue to supply him with paper. Last Saturday when he brought me his drawings I almost cried! It is as if he just broke through to a new level. I am so excited for him! I pray that he will continue to thrive and reach his full potential in God’s use of this artistic gift in his life.
As mentioned above I have been working on the new mural. I have been at it for two weeks now as I have had time and it is coming along very well. The name of the store is Agua da Vida (Water of Life) For the mural I am using a picture I found on the internet which shows Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well. It has already given me many opportunities to share Jesus with people who stop to watch! I am pretty close to finishing and now without the hospitality responsibilities I will have more undivided time.
Next important project – to paint the faces on the mural from last year!
Celebrations
 Mozambican Children’s Day was June 1st. It is a huge deal here. Calli organized so that the boys got very personal gifts and there was a huge meal with the typical local feast foods – chicken, rice, coleslaw, soda … and even french fries.  They did a whole separate event for the children of our preschool. It was precious to see!
June 16th was African Children’s Day and a couple of weeks prior the local government expressed interest in holding festivities here at our center. We had approximately 700 guests that day, almost all children and the provincial governors wife as the special guest! It was a tremendous event!
Growing Up
June has also been an eventful month in that 9 of our oldest boys moved out. They were all of the age where they were unable to continue living here. Earlier this year we built two houses side by side in a village named Manga about half way between here and Beira. It is close to their school and they will continue with their studies. The ministry continues to provide for their schooling and groceries but they have the added responsibility of cooking, cleaning, doing well with their studies and etc without someone there to monitor them. Calli is still in contact with them and has a “family meeting” every Sunday afternoon. They were pretty intimidated at first but are doing well. Many times it is the changes that will bring us greater freedom and growth that feel so frightening we’d rather stay where we are. It is good to know that God has a plan for their lives and good to see them at this new level of discovering what that plan is.
Wilcox Family
On June 15th welcomed 6 members of the Wilcox family.They are missionaries in Lichinga both with Iris and as pastors of a church plant from Peniel Church in Beira.Their older twin daughters serve with Iris in Lichinga and Pemba. Their presence has been a huge blessing! They have invited me to drive back to Lichinga with them on August 15th. Their daughter Annalisa goes into the public school to minister through dance. The plan is for me to go with her and share through the artwork. I will then take a bus back here to Dondo. I’ll be traveling by myself for the return trip so prayer coverage is greatly appreciated. I will need to get a 30 day extension of my Visa here just before the 29th of the month and then a new one at the Malawi border the end of August.
Future Plans
I was supposed to leave here to return to the US on the 11th of July. I have changed my flights to stay until the 15th of September. Last year I met a woman named Lee Trueblood who has a home for orphaned and at risk children in Manga called House of Blessing. I was able to spend time with her only once this year before she left for the US. I feel that God is leading me to work with her. She has a number of children at the age where they will be required to move out in the next year or two. God has given us a common vision for training the kids in art with an emphasis on business. She arrives back in Mozambique on the 30th of July. I felt it was God’s wisdom to extend my trip so that we could meet face to face and explore possibilities.
Attend a conference at Peniel Church in Beira August 10th -14th.
August 15th travel with the Wilcox family to travel back to Lichinga. |
