I am out of here in less than 24 hrs! I always think it is crazy how hard you work before and after your holidays just so you can take some time off. But it will all be worth it! I thought I would just post a picture of me just incase you have forgotten what I look like. It has been a while. Right now I am sitting in my office finishing things up sweating and it is hard to believe that in a few days I will have to wear a winter jacket! I think I'm going out for some icecream before I start packing so I will see you all soon!

The Countdown Is On!

It is now 14 days until I get to come home for Christmas. I am so excited to see everyone again. I have been day dreaming about Christmas trees, turkey, and yes I am dreaming of snow. Things have been very busy here with guests coming and going for a month straight as well as just trying to stay on top of my regular work. I am really looking forward to the break. A couple weekends ago I took a weekend away just to get some rest. I think the most challenging thing about this job is that you live and work with the same people all the time. There is little privacy and independance. So I took a weekend and didn't answer my phone, didn't see or talk to anyone at work. It was a great break. I stayed in downtown Maputo and got to enjoy a little more of the Maputo culture. One night right outside the hotel there was a huge 'FAMA' concert. This is Mozambique's version of Idol. So I got to enjoy great African singers trying to sing western pop and not doing a very good job of it. The amzing thing was that thousands of people came for the show and most of the time the crowd was louder than the performers. Overall it was a refreshing weekend and seeing it end was the hardest part. The pictures are from my hotel room balcony.

So before I head home I have lots of work to do. I will be going to one of our bases this week to do their month end and then to our other base next week. So it will be lots of travelling before I get on the plane. But I hope it will make the time go quickly. It's almost crunch time to make a decision if I will stay for another year or not. Latley I have had a daily decision because I can't seem to make one that lasts longer than a day. I have told my country director that I will have a more concrete decision by the time I come home from holidays. So please pray with me as I decide what to do. Sorry it's a short update but I will hopefully get to see you all soon.

Here are the pictures that I couldn't get to post with my last entry - Enjoy!

Maputo Weekends

Well it is the end of a busy week and the beginning of a busier one. When I am in Maputo I have to admit that I live for the weekends. Lately my weeks have been full of more work that I can do and I seem to get very little accomplished. But weekends here are very relaxing and enjoyable. There are not a lot of things to do in Maputo but enough to keep me busy. At least once during the weekend I find my way to a coffee shop to enjoy a coffee and pastry. There is one theater here that plays one movie and it changes once a week so if the movie is good I will head out with some Brazilian and Mozambiquan friends to enjoy Mozambique's latest flick and some sweet popcorn. But most of all I love to hit the beach. It only takes me 20 minutes to walk to the beach and check out what is happening there.

This is not a beach that you lay out on a towel and soak up the rays but it's a beach none the less. Maputo is located on a bay so the water is rather polluted and dirty. Some of the local kids will strip down to their underwear and jump in for a swim but other than that most people just walk along the sand. The other 'cool' thing to do is to park your car with your stereo blasting and sit on the hood and meet with friends. I'm not in with the cool kids yet so I usually walk along the sand and people watch. On Saturdays the piers are lined with wedding parties. If you get married in Maputo, you have to go to the beach and have the whole wedding party (and a marching band if you have one) walk out onto the pier and have pictures taken. So one by one the wedding parties wait their turn to have their time on the pier. It's rather humorous to watch one wedding party walking off as another one walks on and they stop to greet each other as they pass. Hey Sharon, I think this should be a consideration for your wedding plans!

I can never seem to have a beach day without a big bowl of boiled clams that usually costs me about $4. The trick is to find a place that serves them without sand. As I sit and eat my clams I get a constant barrage of people selling their goods. Everything from DVD's to wood carvings pass by with a plead to buy from them because today they have a great deal for me! Then there are the kids that ask for money for food. They are usually from poor families that have come with their friends for a day at the beach and they didn't bring food and don't want to go home to get some. They are fun to chat with and love to have their pictures taken. Those are some of my Maputo weekend adventures. But yes even in Africa Monday follows Sunday and it's back to work.

Birthday Parties!

Happy 2nd birthday Katie! It’s my niece’s birthday today and I can’t believe that she is already two. It amazes me how fast time goes, how fast she is growing up and all those other things that people say when they are getting older and they think that the rest of the world isn’t. It fascinates me how she already has her own personality and everyone knows it! This is birthday #2 that I have missed of hers. I have been out of the country for the last 13 months of her life. I ask missionaries and expats what the hardest thing is about living overseas is and surprisingly enough it is not electricity, toilets for even a good steak. They always say that the most difficult thing is not being able to see their grandchildren or nieces and nephews grow up. I don’t think it ever get easier. My family is great at sending me pictures and my favorite tear jerkers, the Katie and Mandy movies. However, all I want to do is play with them, giggle with them, and give them big hugs and kisses. I am counting the days until I can do that again. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about how much I am missing in their little lives.

But my day was not without a birthday party. Our house worker has eight children and two of the youngest ones had a birthday in the end of October. So we invaded their house with a cake, candles, hats, party favors, popcorn and cold drinks. Birthdays here are an important event. The happy birthday song is just about the same but it is sung at a greater volume and more enthusiasm. So it was great to be able to bring these children a bit of a party and I’m sure it is one that they won’t forget too quickly. It was great to see them smile and laugh as they blew into their party favors and just to see the family come together and celebrate these two precious lives. So I couldn’t be with Katie on her birthday but I got to bless two children for theirs. I guess sacrifices are rarely without their blessings.

Welcome to my blog! I hear that this is the 'cool' thing to do so I am going to give it a try. I have had a hard time doing regular email updates because honestly... Finances are nothing to write home about. So I hope that I will be able to find daily adventures to write about to try and keep in touch with everyone and share my life here in Mozambique with you.

I have called my blog 'pieces'. I think that is because it's how I feel most days. I live in a world that is falling to pieces all around me. The roads are full of holes, the sidewalks are crumbling and the once beautiful Portuguese buildings are deteriorating into deserted structures. Not only are the physical things falling into pieces but families, relationships and the future of Mozambique is declining. Being surrounded by this day after day breaks my heart into pieces. However, God is able to take all the pieces of this country and of my heart and form them into something beautiful to bring Him glory.

So please enjoy my postings and feel free to comment. For all of those who are blog illiterate you can still comment if you don't have a blog id, just use the 'other' option and you can comment away. I will also try to share some of my favorite pictures here. All of my pictures are posted on my yahoo photos site but this one is one of my favorites. I took it while I was out in the field with a team from Ireland. Yes, it is true that African sunsets are as beautiful as everyone says. I just wish that I could bring you the smells, sounds and heat that go along with them that a camera will never capture. So enjoy my rambling and I would love to hear from you.