Sorry that it has been so long since we last updated. Internet was horrible in Pemba. I started this a few days ago and I am finally getting around to finishing this. Thanks for your patience.
Today is Tuesday, August 16, and we have surrived the 10 days in the bush. During our ten day bush outreach we went to a total of 8 different villages. We did not have running water at all and we used laterines the whole time. At these villages we showed the Jesus film every night and we saw many people come to The Lord. The people in the villages were very friendly and they were very welcoming. Each night we gave the village chief a gift of thanks for allowing us to be there. The gift was a very simple gift of a capaluna and a pair of earrings. The earrings were placed in a nice bag that they will find many uses for. Capalunas are used for many things such as a skirt, a sling to carry their babies in and a general carrier to carry clothes, food etc.
During our bush time we camped in 3 different villages and drove out from there to different villages. I can't believe that I exactly it camped in a tent for 10 days. I don't think that I have every camped in a tent for that long. It is really amazing to see what you can do with the help of Papa God. While we were in the bush we ate rolls for breakfast, beans and rice for lunch and tuna spagetti for dinner. Tuna spagetti is noodles and tuna. The noodles are boiled in water with a lot of oil. They use so much oil that the noodles turn yellow. A couple of nights we also bought a pig to eat. The locals are very happy when they get pig. Pig is a luxury for them. When they make pig they make it like a stew. They chop up all of the pig and put it in the stew. When I say all I mean ALL nothing is left out. I had nothing but fat on my plate, no meat, so I can't say what it tasted like. John had a little bit of meat and said it wasn't too bad. However, he would not eat it in the states this way.
One of our favorite moments in the bush was when we were playing with the children. The children were very sweet and loved to hold our hands or to just touch us. Sometimes the children were afraid of us, akunas (their word for white people), but they would usually warm up to us. All of the people love to have us take photos of them and then show them the photo. They would often laugh at the photo as this was the first time that they ever saw a photo of themselves.
The journey back to base was a 6 hour drive. It probably should have been longer but our driver, Mozambiqey, likes to drive fast. He was determined to get us back in the shortest time possible. The only problem with this is that we were all crowded in the back of a cameon with no room to move. We took a mother and her 3 children, Pastor Jose's sister, all the way back to Pemba with us. So one of her children sat on my lap the entire way home. We stopped a few times on the way home and each time I got up my legs were asleep. Nothing like climbing over a generator and out of the cameon with your legs asleep and wearng a skirt. Must say that it was great to get back to base and have a nice cold shower, the first shower in ten days.
Well it is now Aug 20th and we are in Hong Kong it is truly amazing here. The city is so clean and there are mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. I really am amazed at how beautiful it is here. I was thinking Hong Kong was flat for some reason but I guess I was wrong about that. It really is beautiful here and we are getting to enjoy some rest before we head off to Myanmar. One of our team members used to live here and work with the ministry where we are staying. The ministry here was started by Jackie Pullinger some of you may have heard of Jackie and her ministry.
We left Pemba on Aug 17 and flew to Joburg, South Africa, where we spent the night. It was cooler in Joburg but we were able to take our first hot shower in over 2 1/2 months. I forgot what hot showers felt like and I must have stayed in there for 15 minutes. It was really wonderful. We also went out to eat and got to have a hamburger. Wow it was good! Not sure if it was really that good or if it was just the fact that I could have one and that I didn't have to eat rice and beans. John had a steak and he said that it was really good. The next day we had breakfast at the hotel and then we went out to lunch. At lunch I had a SALAD. I sure have been missing my salads! Then we went off to the airport to catch our 13 hour flght to Hong Kong. The food on the plane was even good. This is how you know that you have been really missing good food when you consider the airplane food to be good. Last night we got to meet the people that will be going to Myanmar with us. We had a meal with them, where they taught John how to use chop sticks. John has never eaten with chop sticks before and they told him that he did great for a first timer. Guess what we had rice again but at least it was not with beans. There was a type of fried fish with cheese on it and cabbage made with bacon bits that were the toppings. I think by the time we will get home we won't want to see white rice for awhile. But at least the toppings were different and there wasn't any sand etc in the rice. Sand and dirt are often found in the rice and rolls in Pemba. So at least we don't have this anymore.
We will be here until Aug 24 when we will be flying to Myanmar. Please start praying for us. There will be a lot of spiritual and natural warfare going on. God is going to do some amazing things while we are there and we are all looking forward to this part of the journey. We will not be able to send out any emails or call while we are there. I am including our itinerary for the next couple of weeks so you will know where we are and how to pray.
Aug 24- Sept 6 Myanmar traveling all over the country Sept 6-9 Bangkok Thailand, working with nightlight ministries that works with prostitution Sept 9-15 Chaing Rei Thailand working with a ywam base and doing many things Sept 16- Sept 27 not sure Sept 28 fly back to states
We should have email while in Thailand so I will update again when I can.
Thanks for all of your love and support.We could not be doing any of this if it wasn't for all of your support.
We love you, John and Cindy
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