Firstly though, thanks again to all those who wrote in response to our last mailing and asking about fuel and visas etc. It's encouraging for us to know that so many of you are concerned.
Last week Paul was away in Moz again, this time with a group of US pastors. They were part of a team who were running training and teaching sessions for local Mozambican pastors. They did three sessions a day and covered a multitude of topics from spiritual warfare to sex. Each service was typically African with plenty of exuberant singing and dancing to start and finish.
In the evening the whole church was just lit by two electric light bulbs.
The local and US pastors were hosted nearby in the compound of a missionary where Paul spent most of the time helping out with practical jobs such as shelving, plumbing, security, hanging curtains etc. The compound had only been occupied for two weeks and one of the main issues was a total lack of any running water. Even drinking water had to be collected from 5 km away. Paul managed to get two bucket baths during the week which basically involved kneeling beside a half full bucket of water armed with a bar of soap and a plastic cup (no pics - sorry!).
Cooking for the week was also typically African.
On flying the team back to Durban we loaded the plane up with 1000 lbs of medicines that the team had bought over with them. These will be stored at Mercy Air and transported up to Moz when and as space allows.
And now for the rest of the news.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the granting of a further three year visa for Paul. Measuring a petite 3" high and weighing in at a fraction of an ounce, we are none the less pleased to say that Paul and passport are doing well. The, 'it'll only take seven working days' visa was finally secured after a semi tense three week wait. Fortunately no pain killers were required. Thanks particularly for praying for this.
While Paul was gone Cathy kept the kettle on, which came in dead handy for yet another home delivery of a little boy now belonging to a Swiss couple working in Moz.
This next week sees us fixing some small niggly things with the computer, a large niggly thing on the car (gearbox) and generally catching up on having been away for a week.
Speak soon.
p n' c
