Service Project

We went out to help on building a house.  We got to "work hard" hauling blocks that were being used to build with.  The blocks are made of cement.  The house was a two room house, one room for the kitchen and one for the bedroom.  The total square footage was about 15x20.  It had a restroom tacked on to one end but that will be torn off for an extension of another bedroom.  THis addition will make it an "L" shape.  Everything is cement.  The front step was poured cement that was uneven.  They make it even by applying a layer on top.  The roof was cement too.  Stucko is used to smooth the walls.

THis home had a hand dug well just outside the kitchen.  No water is piped to the house.  There is, however, electric lines run thru the walls for when the electricity comes to this area. 

hand dug well drawing

This is similar to the well we saw.  It was dug by pouring cement in a circle around where you dig.  As you dig it, the concrete cylinder slides down until you can pour another section.  This particular well was about 40 - 45 feet deep.  The top had a cover on it with a lock. 
[Stan] Some of you have asked if you could help in some way or be a part of some specific project.  The short and straight forward answer is, not really.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  As well intentioned as it would be, the church has learned from their failures as well as their successes.  When we send  things we have made or bought or put together we often do not really understand the culture of the people we are sending it to.  Handouts are rarely the best things to give.  Except in the case of immediate need (disaster, for instance) the church has learned that sending items from the US is too expensive, often becomes competing of the local economy and is difficult to manage its final desired destination.  If the people receiving do not have a vested interest and are not willing to do something in return for the items given, then we are just perpetuating a dole.  Even in disaster situations it is best to use local resources.  They are closer, so there is no shipping costs (which often or very expensive), it stimulates the local economy and gets local people participating in the aid given.  The best thing you can do is donate cash to the humanitarian fund or serve a mission.  We need you everywhere in the world. I know that sounds so impersonal when you see the need and want to be part of helping and serving.  But we have been asked not to seek help from family, ward, or friends for specific items or cash for spending on projects.  Those things needed will be supplied by the humanitarian fund under local management. There are also private non-government organizations that do a lot of good and if you know of them and trust them you can donate to them.
My language is improving bit by bit.  I am understanding more and picking up on the accent.  I am looking up words all the time with my little dictionary and internet searches. We have been asked by the mission president to attend the temple preparation class in our ward.  It was wonderful to be there and listen and share in Portuguese and feel the same spirit we all know.  
I found a place to get my hair cut.  He did a good job and charged by 100Mt.  That is less than $3.  But the food is more expensive here.  Teril is going to learn some Mozambican recipes this next week.  We will see how they do things.  

Cactus tree

At the park area where all the wares were being sold, there was a nursery of sorts.  This was a cactus with blossoms on the top.  Isn't it huge??

Quite a park!

 

 

purses hanging from the trees

Stan really was there too

capalana

We went shopping today

Authentic African masks etc.

It was a P day.  The Kimball couple took us shopping.  This is a park where vendors are set up with all kinds of tourist gifts.  This is a picture of some masks and art work that we felt was the most authentic there.  There were Sandlewood carvings of all kinds.  Ebony wood was used.  Shells were used.  There are many things banned for use like anything that comes from certain animals, hides, tusks, bones.  It was amazing.

pretty colors and designs

These are some of the trinkets.  I like the bowls of many colors.

Well in Seduaba, Maputo, Mozambique

Now, I have a story for you.  Yesterday we went on a visit.  We did not know where we were going.  There are no addresses here.  So we put a guide in our car to tell us where to go.  Even he had us stop along the way and he would speak in Portuguese and ask directions to the Seduaba bairro.  THis is a neighborhood in the wilds of Maputo.  Finally, 2 hours later, we found the Seduaba Bairro.  When we got there, the person we wanted to talk to was not home.  This guide ask when she would be back and they said they could take us to her.  She was walking to town.  Soooo ...we had a couple of boys about 8 yrs of age show us the way.  THey became our guides.  THey took us down paths here and there  and we saw her in the sticks coming to the road.  We stopped and waited for her to find us.  She was an amazing woman who was held in high regard in this neighborhood and was integral in putting in a water well, a hospital, and an elementary school 5 years ago, and this year, in getting water piped to their homes and electricity wired to several homes in the neighborhood. 

Now, do you think we could have found this woman without our guides?  I think we would still be out there wandering around and not have found her.  Isn't it important to have a direction, a goal to strive for, a light to follow?  I am glad we have the Plan of Salvation to know who we are and where we are going.

The faucet of water in her yard

THis is the water faucet they get the water for their home from.  This is actually from a private water service other than the well from the church.

I am sorry I don't have a picture of this amazing woman.  She was about 50 years old, barefoot.  She did not speak English or Portuguese (at least not well).  She spoke a native dialect that our guide was able to interpret for us.  She is such a humble woman but has great respect in her neighborhood.  The hospital/clinic serves about 10,000 families.  Amazing!

lady carrying sack on head

This is a typical sight on the streets of Maputo.  We are traveling down the street in our truck looking at the sidewalk.  It is not uncommon to see women with their baby tied to their backs and a huge load of something balanced on their heads walking down the street, more so out of town than in town.  Only the women balance things on their heads.  If the men put things on their head, it is with a hand to balance it.  You rarely see men carrying their babies with them.

We had a most interesting day today.  Naldo, our interpreter, knew of an orphanage.  We went to see it today.  We started out at 8:00 am and headed to the ferry.  We were about ninth in line to get on the ferry.  We waited about 45 minutes to get on.  It cost 270 meticais for the truck and 5 met. for us to ride.  That totaled was $7.50 one way to get over there.  This video shows the "SQUEEZE" onto this ferry.  There were about 11 vehicles trucks and cars, on the ferry in a 25x30 spot.  The people had to walk onto the ferry while the cars were being loaded.  Watch out!! There was no place to stand.
The ferry took about 15 minute ride across the ocean to the island.  Then we drove down a dirt road to this quaint little orphanage.  There are 30 girls there of all ages.  It is a private orphanage sponsored by a Spanish group that built it and funded it for the first little while.  Now their funding has run low but they are doing a great job sustaining themselves best they can.  They have a little garden, a basketball court, a beauty parlor where they do hair for income. It is open to the village.  Nunns from the Catholic church are workers there giving of their charity.  It is not Catholic per se.  We were impressed with their industry.  We will see if they call us with any needs we can help them with.

On the way home, we waited 2 hours to get on the ferry.  Whew!!!  I took some pictures of woman carrying their wares on their head while we waited. They packed in 12 cars this time.

carrying her wares on her head

The three senior couples in our mission

1st Maputo Stake Choir

Matching Capalanas

 

This last week we met at the Pres. home to do some training.  This was not our welfare training but some things the President wanted us to know and do.  We have been asked to meet with the ward councils and encourage coordination of the missionaries working with the members.  We have been assigned T-3 and Matola areas.  We had a wonderful time and got a steak dinner out of it!!! It was barbequed right there at their home Brazilian style.  President Koch (pronounced Ko) is seated next to Teril.  Sis. Koch is taking the picture.  Elder and Sister Kimball are on the left.  Elder and Sister Castro Deus are on the right. 

This is the first Maputo Stake Conference ever.  There was a choir created for this momentous event.  Stan and I were a part of it.  We loved the Mozambique flare.  The singers were so vibrant in their voices and in their spirits.  I want to bring them home with me to Springfield.  They would be such an inspiration.  Because most don't have vehicles, when we did practice, it was for hours.  When we performed, we had Mozambique style Capalanas with the guys having matching ties. 
[Stan] This was an historic event being the first stake conference.  The stake was organized in February and they have been working on getting it staffed.  One of the most wonderful blessings was the calling and ordination of the first Mozambican patriarch. His name is Antonio Eugenio Mateus When his name was read and sustained I felt the spirit so strong of the marvelous blessing this will be for the people here.  The Lord knows how to hasten His work.  We need to keep up.
We are still waiting on some training coming from Johannesburg.  We have some homework that is supposed to help us become more familiar with the files, office, and required procedures for recording and tracking projects, as well as understanding the process of selecting those NGOs we decide to work with. 
Teril's computer power cord went out.  We tried to find another one near our apartment but they only had a universal one and wanted $2500 MT which is about $65.  So we went downtown and searched about and found one for 850 MT which is about $24.  I bit better. We have a young woman, a member of the Chamanculo Ward, that comes in once a week and cleans for us.  We could do the work ourselves just fine, but it is nice to let her do it and she works from 8 to 3 and charges 200 MT which is about $5.  She seems very happy with it. 
Groceries are just a bit more expensive here than at home along with most commodities, but personal services are very inexpensive.  Housing is expensive if you want a nice place and we are grateful for it considering the need to ward of mosquitoes and also have a safe place that is clean.  Will have more in a few days.

As we are becoming acquainted with the area, we have been driving around. In Mozambique, they drive on the left.  I tried to take a video of the drive to send back to our kids.  We did not get a good one today.  I will try again.  Our apartment is in the middle of town so we have pavement of sorts where the cars drive.  There is no parking so cars park two and three deep on the sidewalks. (which are cracked, pitted and sometimes rocky.)

 Not many people use the cross walks to cross the road so among the confusion, you have pedestrians and kids running thru the traffic to cross the street.  School is in 2 or 3 sessions a day so there are always kids of all ages out. Many of the people selling their wares walk in between cars to sell their wares. The divided road has a median.  Cars use that median to park sometimes even 2 deep.  The lanes that would be a one laner in the States have 2 lanes for sure and a 3rd whenever a "Chapa" (Maputo people mover)needs to break into the traffic.  We drive thru near misses the whole time we drive.  Stan does pretty good though.

Tonight, we walked down the road we live on.  My goal is to walk the whole length.  We live on a pennisula of sorts as part of the capitol city of Maputo.  The road is probably 2 miles long from beach to beach. (You can't see the beach from the streets but on the roof of our building you can) So walking thru the pitholes, and gravel and some pretty good sidewalks, we wind our way around the cars that are parked, the vendors that are selling, the kids that are waiting for the Chapa to take them home, the barriers to keep people from walking on the sidewalks, the ramps for cars to go up to the mechanic shop and the little girls flirting with your husband.  The evening is about 4:00 in the afternoon and the sun is just setting, there is a cool breeze blowing, and where there are trees growing, it is shady and cool.  Perfect temperature and this is their winter time.