Some Milestones

If you are familiar with Sarah, and Sarah’s blog, then perhaps you have already heard, that she got married. Sarah and I met in January 2010, when I was visiting Florida for the first time. Our first connection was Africa, I was intrigued by her time spent in Malawi and Mozambique, and while I had a background of study about Africa, had never had the opportunity to go there.

We were married in July, 2010, and travelled together to Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique (along with Sarah’s mid-wifery partner Holly Findley) in September and October 2010. Our goal was very specifically to find a place to serve in a long term missions environment, be it school, orphanage, clinic or other environment.

Several doors seemed promising, but not exactly open, until we arrived at Maforga for a visit. Maforga is in the center of Mozambique, and has a long history of serving the people of the region, during times of war, drought, sickness, and everyday life for the past 25 years. The mission has seen good days, and some lean times, but consists of care for children (orphans), a school, a bible school, a church, a pastor training program.

We were invited to return to Maforga to fill in for Greg and Kim Hart, a family returning to Australia from March to September 2011. We did, and spent six months learning a host of things about the region, the mission, the people, the languages, and especially the needs. In addition, our baby daughter Hannah was born there at Maforga, in a beautiful home-birth.

We saw our time at Maforga as temporary, while keeping our eyes and hearts open to the possibility that we might be called to return to Maforga on a permanent basis.

For me, it wasn’t a difficult choice at all, even in light of some very obvious difficulties. The needs are so great in Mozambique, and the doors are open, and the opportunities are there to minister in a number of ways that are compatible with the gifts and experience that Sarah and I have.

By the end of our stay, we had arranged with the mission directors, Roy and Trish Perkins, to return, as soon as we are able, to provide leadership for the babies at Maforga (from 0-4 years old) and a group of younger boys, ages 5-7.

In addition to our daughter, we had the great pleasure of fostering another baby there, From April 1^st (I will never forget that day) until the time we left. Jacinta was a lovely little four month old baby when she arrived, that we were able to foster and care for and love, and feed and clothe and take care of her and watch her grow healthy, happy and strong. She brought an incredible amount of joy to our time there, and we are hoping to go back and be able to care for her again, as well as the dozen or so other little babies that are also currently at the mission.