Trip Pics

Pictures first, descriptions at the end.  

I'll post more pictures this week, when I have time.

My cupboards are empty so the grocery store is calling.

Last night we returned from our trip to central Mozambique.  We had an incredible trip.  We left out of Maputo on Easter Sunday morning about 6:00.  We spent time reading about the resurrection from scripture and discussing that, then spent the rest of the day looking at God's beautiful creation as we drove through the Mozambican countryside.  

After 11 hours we spent the night at the Bill Fish in Inhasorro then started our 2nd day of travel.  This day was a bit longer - 12.5 hours - but it was a great day.  We found bathrooms when we needed them and had plenty to eat and drink and we crossed the mighty Zambezi river on a ferry.  At 7:30 that night we arrived at the home of our colleagues,  the Dina family, in Quelimane.  

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with this awesome family.  The day after we arrived, Charlie, Abby, Luke and I traveled with John and Wanne out to an area where they work, about 2 1/2 hours outside their town.  The local church leaders and some church members were waiting to meet us and worship together.  It was amazing that they would take time on a Tuesday morning to get together to worship God.  Several of the church leaders rode bikes many miles to get there.  

We were blessed by their singing, their smiles and their presence.  Unfortunately we don't speak Tshwabo so we couldn't communicate very much.  They served us "smokey" bananas and matago for a snack then coconut rice with chicken and goat for lunch.  

On the way, we stopped to catch a chameleon and to check our local sites of interest - like the giant ant hills and rice farms.  John was an excellent tour guide and spent a lot of time pointing out things to Luke who sat in the front seat with him and Charlie.

The big boys stayed home that day with the two Dina boys and enjoyed a day of eating, TV, Xbox and basketball.  

Finally on Thursday it was time to make our way south to Maputo.  This time we took a slower pace and spent 2 nights at a beautiful place called Nascer do Sol, right on beautiful Chizavane beach (did I spell that right, Lynne?)  We could lay in our bed and watch the surf rolling in.  The kids loved the dunes and the waves.  Thankfully there were no jelly fish and we came away with only mild sunburns.  Our friends Bev and Lynne and her two boys (along with another friend, Zac) met us there.  Fun was had by all!

My husband receives the BEST DRIVER in the WORLD award for maneuvering through some treacherous pot holes and dodging some crazy drivers, all with a smile.  And he never begrudged the fact that I was sitting beside him napping and reading. (I read three books!)  The kids were really great (we did have some moments of discontent and times when the car was filled with the horrible odors of human gaseous emissions) but all in all I was proud of them.  It helped to have music, lots of books, the occasional movie and snacks.  

The last few PINK pictures, taken at the beach, show that something is very wrong with our YEAR OLD camera.  Arrrgh.