Tchau Mana Iara e Mana Marcia!

Iara and Marcia are amazing Brazilian ladies who together have been running our clinic here on base for years.  Iara has been here almost 10 years and was the main nurse in the clinic all that time.  She knows everyone, seems to know everything, and can get anything done that is humanly possible faster than anyone else I know.  These two women have been pouring into our clinic staff physically, spiritually, and emotionally their whole time here.  They truly are an inspiration...they are my definition of missionaries.
They feel led to move further up north in Mozambique and begin a new project.  Their hope is that one day it will be much like the base I live on with a Bible school, children's center, clinic, and school.  It's a huge dream that came directly from God!
So that being said, they have left us with a HUGE hole to fill.  But they also gave us a reason to celebrate last week...here's a glimpse into the party we had for them!

Here is Lana (one of our newer nurses) and Iara!

This is Jannie and Lana being silly as always!

Here is Rubin (one of the workers in the clinic) and Rebecca (the daughter of another missionary couple that are here with us for 2 months)!

Here are Iara and Marcia...this is them in a picture!

Here is most of the crew gathered around all the yummy food and drinks!

 

And last the presents it took Sheri and I FOREVER to find...but in the end they loved them!  (The Africa box was full of notes from all the nurses and staff.)

It is sad to say goodbye to any fellow missionaries but the hole left by these two is going to be hard to plug over the coming weeks.  Daily we discover responsibilities these women did without thinking and on top of that we are missing their laughs, their goofy ways of doing things, their wisdom, and their friendship.  I pray God blesses them abundantly on their new mission, that He brings them rest during their time at home, and brings them back to Mozambique refreshed and ready to begin a new adventure!

Shelton...

Hello All...thank you to every person who is praying for Shelton, the hospital staff, and all of us here at the center.  I really don't have any updates yet...last I heard the nurses with Shelton were still waiting in the emergency room to be seen.  But I did want to direct your attention to another post I wrote in September that sums up who Shelton is.  Click here to read about the gorgeous heart of this sweet boy.  He is a special 6 year old, loved by many, but most importantly he is filled with a child's faith in a God he knows intimately.  If you haven't already please join us in prayer for this little guy and thank you for the prayers many of you have already offered.  I will keep you posted...

Please Pray for Shelton!

Please join us in pray for 6 year old Shelton. He is one of my favorite little stinkers in Laura's dorm.  He is a joyous, adorable, lovable sweetheart!  He has been quite sick for too long at this point.  We have made the decision to take him to the hospital tomorrow morning after months of tests and being told nothing is wrong. Seriously for pretty much as long as I've been here...that's a year and a half...we have been chasing down one possibility after another.  At this point his swollen face and now belly, horrible cough & a few other issues would tell any common person that something is wrong.

It was a year ago this week that we took Naftal (another boy from Laura's dorm) to the hospital with a swollen abdomen where he was diagnosed with cancer and passed into His heavenly Father's arms many weeks later.  I am not telling you this so you can be ruled by fear and have trouble believing things will be different for Shelton.  No...I'm telling you this so you can understand the harsh reality of the country I live in.  I'm telling you this so you have even more reason to join us in prayer and believe the God we trust in is our Healer!

Thank you for your prayers...I will keep you updated as I know anything else.

Mango Season!

It's mango season.  Something I dearly love!  I must have complained daily before I left for the States in November that I was going to miss mango season...seriously that would have been tragic!  Instead I got back just in time to enjoy the ripest, biggest, juiciest, and loveliest mangoes of them all!
The other night we cut into one of these babies...I shared with another missionary because otherwise it would have been meal-sized not just snack-sized.  But either way it was amazing!
I've decided there will be 2 options when I move back to the States...A) I'll never eat mangoes again because I can't even fathom spending $2 a piece when I buy them here 5 for about 65 cents.  Or B) I'll buy every mango I see in the grocery store no matter what the price because I miss them so much!  We'll just have to see...I'm sure it will depend on the day.  But for now I'm LOVING mango season and savoring every day of it!  I know, I know...you wish you could come visit!  You can...all are welcome!