Review of mission so far

What are we working on right now?

Mateque

Chalkboards for classes under the trees and blocks for building

bids for latrines

We have been considering another project with this primary school.  The first picture shows where our last project ended and where the new project without us has been engaged.  We helped secure 6 classrooms and provided desks and closets for these 6 rooms in the last project.  Since then, the school administration and the community have continued their goals to provide classrooms.  As it is, there are still 15 classes held outside under the trees.  Building these 3 classrooms will allow 9 more classes a chance to maintain consistent education even when it is storming outside.

The second picture is a view of the three classrooms under construction. 

The third picture shows the latrine that is positioned at the end of the long line of 9 classrooms.  The school plan was to renew this latrine to include the growing population at the school and involve better hygiene for the students.

We were so pleased to see this progress.  They told us their plan before we left the past project.  To see them really going forward with the plan they have in place shows real character.  There is a champion in their director at this school.  This is an ingredient we need in place for true success to be achieved from a Humanitarian Project.

We feel a way to teach the Welfare Principles in this area is to help them with part of the plan they already have in place. “Build from areas of strength”.  In this way, they may be able to achieve their goal a little sooner than expected.  It also may help inspire them to keep working hard.  “You can be rewarded for your efforts”.

Building from areas of strength was a hard one to get into my head.  The most needed were being left behind by looking for the ones with strength already.  However, those most needy will learn from those with strength much better than they will learn from a couple of white Senior Missionaries from the States.

We cannot come in with an Elder and Sister Petersen idea of how to make education for their children better!  We have learned letting the people of this area solve their own problems in the Maputo way of solving them and then helping them accomplish those solutions is the Lord’s way. These amazing people are “Children of the most high….lawful heir …all things are given you which are expedient for …”(D&C 86:9, Psalms 82:6, 2 Ne. 2:27) Trying to solve their problems for them is only demeaning, demoralizing, and condescending!

We have gotten three bids for the renewing of the latrines and have hinted that if they finish the 3 classrooms before we finish the latrines, we can help furnish these classrooms with desks, cabinets, chalkboards, etc.  Their continued progress on the construction of the 3 classroom is necessary.  We could still pull out and not do the project with them if their progress stops.

We are very hopeful and pray for their success daily.

Malhazine EPC

Here is a school in a district we have been impressed with.  The District Director has a grasp of the Welfare Principles and encourages his school directors to follow them.  The third picture is of the school director at Malhazine EPC and Elder and Sister Petersen in front of her school.  Her school was involved in an accident in the city where much of her school roofs were damaged.  She presented us with a plan of action she and the school council had come up for the next five years.  We were able to pick a few things on their plan that we thought we could help with.  One of them was repairing roofs on 3 classrooms.  Picture 1 is the before picture of the roof on classroom 7.  Picture two is the roof ripped off preparing to replace it.

This school was required to come up with 10% of the total money owed to repair these three roofs, and the water situation which includes their latrine.  It took 2 months but the community finally paid the contractor the 10% and he has started construction this week.  We are hopeful this project will be completed within the month of March.

This school is responsible to write a curriculum for hygiene training which will be incorporated in the curriculum at school right away in preparation for the renewed latrine to be finished soon.  They are actively working toward this goal.  We are hopeful the hygiene/maintenance plan will be successfully applied here.  This success can only be seen after time has passed.

Eduardo Mondlane EPC

This is a school we visited over a year ago and decided against working with them at that time.  This year, we discovered their plan of action and have decided thru prayer that we could help them accomplish their goals.  This is a school that sustained damage in the storm of November, 2016.  This school has 40 classes under the trees with 13 classrooms being used to educate 3900 students.  Their plan includes building a few classrooms every year until they can house all the students.  However, while trying to accomplish their goal, the wind came and blew off the roof of two of their classrooms and damaged another 4 classrooms roofs.  We looked over their plan of action and said we would work with them on repairing their roofs and providing some desks.

We presented their part of our partnership.  They needed to provide 10% of the money needed for the project.  They are still working toward this goal.  We cannot move forward until they at least do this part of the agreement.  If they cannot come up with 10%, we will have to cancel the project.

Malhampswene  and Lingamo Clinics

Working with the Matola Provincial Government has been good.  They had two clinic projects well underway.  We could see we could support them in their goals by providing them with furnishings for these two clinics.  They provided the list of items wanted and we delivered the furnishings to them.  “Turn over” ceremonies have not been scheduled yet. We are hopeful we can schedule them within the next few weeks.

Major Initiatives:

Vision

Mehrs, specialist in the vision department, are coming March 20-24.  We have appointments scheduled for them to developed a possible project in the vision department.

Helping Babies Breath

The Maputo Health Ministry will be running a class, specifically for Heidi McSweeney and her companion to teach the principles of Helping Babies Breath in April.

Water

Swaziland has yet to get us the date for the “Turn over” ceremony for the project finished there.  We provided material for 7 well refurbishings
that have been completed.

Outline of what we have done and what we are doing.

Things we are working on now.

I.                 Schools

a.      Marracuene District

                                                    i.     Eduardo Mondlane

                                                   ii.     Mateque

b.      Kumabukwana District

                                                    i.     Malhazine

II.               Hospitals

a.      Malhampswene

b.      Lingamo

III.              Major Initiatives

a.      Mozambique

                                                    i.     Vision

                                                   ii.     Helping Babies Breath

                                                  iii.     Wheelchairs

b.      Swaziland

                                                    i.     Water

Things we have completed.

I.                 Schools

a.      District Namaacha

                                                    i.     Impaputo EP

b.      Marracuene

                                                    i.     Mateque EP

                                                   ii.     Joaquim Chissano EP

                                                  iii.     Ricatla EP

c.      Kamabukwana

                                                    i.     Inhagoia EPC

II.               Water

a.      Swazi Water

III.              Major Initiatives

a.      Mozambique

                                                    i.     Vision

b.      Swaziland

                                                    i.     Helping Babies Breath

                                                   ii.     Water

Things we have worked on but did not find a champion.  We let them go with no project.

25 possible projects as close as I can figure were not moved forward.

This has been a good review for us to see what we have been doing for the past 19 months.  We hope to finish all we have started before we go home in 4 months.
Sister Teril Petersen

Humanitarian Couples' Training in Johannesburg

 Last week we attended the yearly couples' training in Johannesburg for welfare services.  Not only did we learn good things, but we were able to share things we have learned.  It was a great 3 day conference.  This included a trip to the temple.  The last time we attended was one year ago at this same training.  All 10 couples attended and a special session was scheduled for us.  All participated in the prayer circle and the spirit felt was truly awe-inspiring!

Pool at the hotel.  Shucks! No time to swim.

Dinner at a nice place in Johannesburg after a day of training

 This is a picture of Sister Kaylene Petersen.  She and her husband are welfare services missionaries in Kenya.  Teril really liked her dress that she designed and had made out of some "capulana" material. 

Ready to go eat

Our awesome wives!

Pond and landscaping around the Area Office

 Teril was trying to capture some of the landscaping at the Johannesburg Temple. We had a marvelous day at the temple.  Is there any temple in the world where such would not be the case??  How blessed we felt to have the opportunity of entering the sacred temple and being lifted by His spirit! 

On the temple grounds

 We received permission to stay a couple of extra days to see Johannesburg and visit with another couple there working in Public Affairs; Elder and Sister Gatten from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  The hosted us on 2 great adventures.  The first was bus tour of Johannesburg where we learned a little about the history of the area.  Mining, agriculture, apartheid, new development in the slum areas, etc.  The second was a trip to Pilanesberg Nature Reserve.  We loved it all!

My bald head and sensitive skin requires a hat

 So I did not take good notes.  But this is a school built by the Afrikans during apartheid.  Still in use today, but is open to everyone. 

Red Bus Tour

 This is an artwork "sculpture" of animal and human bones representing the struggle of the people of South Africa to overcome apartheid and move toward greater freedom.  This is inside the Constitutional Court on Constitution Hill.  It used to be a prison where the political prisoners (anyone who was convicted of speaking against the government) were held.  The conditions were deplorable.  Some of the buildings were torn down to make room for the Constitutional Court Building.  Many of the bricks were salvaged and used for walkways.

A part of the prison still standing.  This was the women's section

 Nelson Mandela spent some time in this prison as well as Ghandi.

We spent the next day at the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve.  Teril has sent those pics to the grandkids.  More pictures of giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, impala, monkeys, hippopotami, a male lion, waterbuck, rhinoceroses, and dung beetles galore.
We are now back home working hard following up on our projects.  We have 2 clinics in Matola for which we are supplying furniture and medical equipment.  The first delivery is tomorrow.  We should be hearing back this week that Malhazine school has collected their 10% so we can start their project of rehabilitating the latrines and repairing the roof.  Eduardo Mondlane school project should be approved this week.  We returned to Mateque school and found the community working hard on their own to build 3 more classrooms.  We were so excited about it we offered to build them a latrine and if they complete the classrooms before we leave in 5 months we can get them desks for the 3 classrooms.  We also will be helping in the development of a vision project and a maternal and newborn care project here in Mozambique as well as a water project in Swaziland.  That is a lot to try and get in before we leave in 5 months.  We are sprinting to the finish line!!
There really is only one thing that will save the world, and it is accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He is the Light and Life of the world; our only Salvation. 

Elder and Sister Petersen, Grandma and Grandpa Petersen